Nikifor - Name

Name

The name and surname of Nikifor have been a matter of dispute for over half a century now, as he had no known relatives or documents, and was almost illiterate. He signed his works with the names Nikifor, Netyfor or Matejko. In 1962 the communist authorities in Poland arbitrarily chose the name Nikifor Krynicki (Nikifor of Krynica, after his place of residence) so that a passport could be issued for him. This act was declared null by a court in 2003, following a statement by the Lemko Association of Poland. The court idenrtified the documents which stated that Nikifor was baptized Epifaniy Drovnyak (spelled Epifaniusz Drowniak in Polish) and his mother was Eudokia Drowniak, a Lemko woman. Following the court's ruling the name on his grave in Krynica cemetery was changed. Currently his tombstone bears two names: "Epifaniy Drovnyak" in Cyrillic letters and "Nikifor Krynicki" in Latin letters.