Memories of Music in the Croatian Community in Sydney, Cape Breton

Sažetak

Croatians populated Cape Breton Island in Canada in the early 20th century to work in the mines or in the steel industry, and were one of the less visible minorities of the Island. As evident from narratives about music in their interviews, music played multiple roles in their lives, both as a vehicle for social cohesion and as part of creating family bonding. The interviews with the members of today’s Cape Breton Croatian community also reveal that tambura is highlighted as an instrument which represented Croatian culture in the previous generations, as opposed to the traditions of gusle and ganga that were appreciated only privately.
Keywords: Cape Breton, Croatian diaspora, tambura, gusle, ganga