The volynka is known in Ukrainian tradition by several names: in Transcarpathia — duda, among the Hutsuls — kozytsia, in Bukovyna — mikh. The construction is universal: a bag made from a whole kid-goat skin, with air pumped in through a blowpipe and exiting through the melody pipe (chantera) and one or two drone pipes.
The Ukrainian piper was a special figure: at fairs, weddings, and harvest feasts (obzhynky) he was the “soul” of the celebration. The volynka's sound is loud, continuous, hypnotic — like a meditative drone monody. Today only a handful of Carpathian masters still make authentic kozytsias, but the instrument is being revived through ethno-bands and festivals (Sheshory, Kraina Mriy).
