.gif)
Gorani (Kosovo)
Encyclopedia
The Gorani or Goranci are a South Slavic
ethnic group
inhabiting the Gora region
of the Balkans
, located at the triangle between Albania
, Kosovo
and Macedonia. Another autonym
of this people is "Našinci" with literally meaning "our people". Gorani speak the Gora dialect, which belongs to the Torlak
group of South Slavic languages
.
The Gora region comprises Dragaš
municipality in Kosovo
and Shishtavec
village in Albania. They are adherents to Islam
and have a rich and varied folk culture. They have been claimed by Bulgarians
, Serbs
, Bosniaks
, Albanians
, and Macedonians
but the general view is that they should be treated as a distinct minority group
, which is indeed their own view of themselves. Part of these people are already albanised
. By the last censuses at the end of 20th century in Yugoslavia they have declared themselves to be Muslims by nationality
. In Republic of Macedonia their identity is also based mainly on their religion.
is the region inhabited by the Gorani people. The area was populated by Slavs during their migration in the 6th–7th centuries. Тhe region is mentioned in 1348 in the edict of Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan, along with seven other Gorani-populated villages that were subsumed by the Monastery of Saint Archangel at Prizren at that time. In 1455, Gora was conquered from the Serbian Despotate
by the Ottoman Turks
and became a part of the beylerbeylik
of Rumelia
, or specifically, the Sanjak of Prizren
. The process of natural assimilation
into Ottoman society henceforth began, after the end of the 16th century. The Ottoman
defter
from 1591 registers Gora
as inhabited exclusively by Serbs while Opolje
to the north is Albanian populated. The Ottoman abolishment of the Serbian Orthodox Church
in 1766 is thought to have prompted the Islamization of Gora as was the trend of many Balkan communities.
The Gorani continue to maintain a religious hybridity of sorts — while steadfast Muslims, they observe a number of Orthodox Christian traditions and holidays, with observance of certain Saint
's days and their acknowledging of the Bogomil.
Because of Gora's highly isolated location in and around Albania's mountainous northern region, the difficult terrain aided the Gorani in resisting first the Slavic and later the Ottoman invasions. Migrations to escape the Ottoman invasion did occur, as they did in Albania in the 14th century, when many Gorani from Albania fled to Italy, Egypt, Syria and the Ukraine, they were later absorbed into the Albanian populations of Italy, losing their own language in the process. These migrations were repeated several centuries thenceforth when many Gorani, hemmed in by both Yugoslav and Albanian authoritarian regimes, fled the region. Many surfaced in America, where a significant diaspora has emerged (primarily in California). Migrations from Gora during the Ottoman era resulted in two significant waves: the first towards Prizren
and Sirinić, and the other towards Tetovo
. The latter populated the Macedonian
settlements of Dolno
, Palčište and Tearce
. Their descendants still populate that part of the Republic of Macedonia. Gorani colonists have migrated and populated the colonies of Urvič
and Jelovjane on the eastern side of the Šar Mountains.
In the First Balkan War
in 1912 the Serbian Army seized Gora. A minor part of the Gorani population migrated to Turkey
as a result. In the 1916–1918 First World War the Gora was conquered by the Central Powers
and assigned to the Bulgarian (until May 1916) and to the Austro-Hungarian (until October 1918) zone. After 1918 they were integrated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The troubles during First World War, as well as the difficult period between 1919-20 were characterized by drought, causing famine and much poverty for the Gorani., This paradigm also incited migrations to Kosovo's larger city, Prizren
and Tetovo in Republic of Macedonia
. Disease and hunger in the post-communist era in Albania have caused a general downfall of the Gorani population, mostly due to in-migration out of villages for urban centers like Shkodra and Tirana
.
By the decision of the League of Nations
however, in 1925, the final border towards Albania was established. In it, over 15,000 Gorani remained in Albania's borders in their 9 villages: Borje
, Zapod
, kosharisht, novosoj, Orgjost, Oreshke, pakisht, cernaleve and shishtavec
on demand of Fascist Italy
, despite the local Gorani community's desire to remain together undivided.
In the 1939 census of Yugoslavia, the Gora Gorani were in the category of "non-Slavs" shared by Albanians and Turks. Since the World War I and Albanian dominance, the Gorani underwent a major cultural change, attested by the Albanian loan words and changing of names into the Albanian language (e.g. Hasanović - Hasani).
In the 1971-1981 censuses, the majority of Gorani declared themselves as "Muslims by nationality
" a classification by time transformed into Bosniak.
In 1999 after the NATO bombing campaign on Yugoslavia
, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK
) took over international administration of the Serbian province of Kosovo
. Their own municipality was redrawn and Dragash established, in which now Albanians are in majority. In 2007 the Kosovar provisional institutions opened a school in Gora to teach the Bosnian language, which sparked minor consternation amongst the Gorani population, added by the fact that the Principal declares as an Albanian. Many Gorani refuse to send their children to school for threats of assimilation and self-initially founded home schools for their young. In 1999 and over the years altogether, over 6,500 Gorani have fled to Serbia proper along with many Serb and Romani refugees.
They are also known among the neighbouring Albanians
with several exonyms as "Bulgareci", i.e. Bulgarians, as well as "Torbeshë" and "Poturë".
The Gorani people speak a local dialect known as "Našinski
" or "Goranski", which is part of a wider Torlakian dialect
, spoken in Western Bulgaria
, Southern Serbia
and part of Macedonia
. The Torlakian dialect
is a transitional dialect of Bulgarian
and Serbian
whilst also sharing features with Macedonian
. While still remaining a Slavic based language it has numerous loan words, the Gora dialect has been greatly influenced by Turkish
, Albanian
and Arabic due to its speakers being Muslims and is similar to the Bosnian language
because of the numerous Turkish loanwords.
Goranian has also been classified sometimes as part of the Bulgarian dialect
area, as by Bulgarian, as well as by foreign anthropologists.
The Gorani language is classified as an Old štokavian dialect of Serbian (Old Serbian) classified Prizren-Timok dialect.
According to the last 1991 Yugoslav census, 54.8% of the inhabitants of the Gora municipality said that they spoke the Gorani language, while the remainder had called it Serbian. Some Gorani scholars define their language as Bulgarian, similar to the Bulgarian dialects spoken in Northwest Macedonia
. Some linguists, including Vidoeski, Brozovic and Ivic, identify the Slavic-dialect of the Gora region as Macedonian
. There are assertions that Macedonian is spoken in 50 to 75 villages in the Gora region (Albania and Kosovo),. According to some unverified sources in 2003 the Kosovo government acquired Macedonian language and grammar books for Gorani school.
dictionary (with 43,000 words and phrases) in 2007, sponsored and printed by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
. In 2008 the first issue of a Macedonian language newspaper, Гороцвет (Gorocvet) was published.
administrative division, according to the 1991 census. Of these, 50% declared themselves Muslims by nationality, 30% Serbs and 20% Albanians. Gorani leaders today estimate that fewer than 10,000 are left in Gora, after large migrations to Albania's capital, Tirana. Most Gorani state that the unstable situation and the economic issue drives them to leave Kosovo. There is also some mention of threats and discrimination by the ethnic Albanians
. The UN administration in Kosovo, UNMIK, has redrawn internal boundaries in the province in such a way that a Gorani-majority municipality no longer exists. The Gora was combined with the neighboring Albanian-populated region of Opolje
(some 20,000 people) into a new subdivision named Dragaš
, which again has an Albanian majority.
(particularly Belgrade
: 3,340), Vojvodina
(606), Albania
(primarily in Durres
), the Republic of Macedonia
(particularly the Western parts); Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Italy
, Greece
, Turkey
; and following escape from communist Albania and socialist Yugoslavia in the late-1940s, the United States of America (particularly New York
and Los Angeles
) and the United Kingdom
(particularly Haringey
, London
).
and Bulgarians
. The Ottomans conquered the region in the 14th century, which started the process of Islamization of the Gorani and neighbouring Albanians. However, the Gorani still tangentially observe some Orthodox Christian traditions, such as Slava
s and Saint George's Day (Djurdjevdan).
Traditional Gorani folk music includes a two-beat dance called "Kolo
" ('circle'), which is a circle dance focused on the foot movements: it always starts on the right foot and moves in an anti-clockwise direction. Kolo is usually accompanied by instrumental music made often with a Curlje or Kaval
and Tapan
, kolos are less frequently accompanied by singing as they are in neighboring ethnic groups such as the Albanians and Serbs. The cifteliit is Albanian but the goran people can play as well , also the added to their culture.
The "national" sport of oil wrestling
called "Pelivan" is popular amongst Gorani with regular tournaments being held in the outdoors to the accompaniment of Curlje and Tapan
with associated rituals, with origins in the Middle East
through the Ottoman Empire
's conquest of Balkans.
The "national" drink of the Gorani is Rakija which is commonly distilled at home by elderly people. Another popular drink is Turkish Coffee
which is drunk in small cups accompanied by a glass of water. Future divination is popular amongst all Gorani using the residue of Turkish Coffee.
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
inhabiting the Gora region
Gora (region)
Gora is a geographical region in southern Serbia and northeastern Albania, inhabited by Albanians and a Gorani minority. The name "Gora" is a Slavic word for "mountain" or "forest"....
of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, located at the triangle between Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Macedonia. Another autonym
Autonym
Autonym may refer to*Autonym, the name used by a people to refer to themselves or their language, synonymous with endonym*Autonym, the true name of an author disclosed by resolving a pseudonym...
of this people is "Našinci" with literally meaning "our people". Gorani speak the Gora dialect, which belongs to the Torlak
Torlakian dialect
Torlakian or Torlak is a name given to the group of South Slavic dialects of southeastern Serbia , northeastern Macedonia , western Bulgaria , which is intermediate between Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian.Some linguists classify it as an Old-Shtokavian dialect of Serbian or a fourth dialect of...
group of South Slavic languages
South Slavic languages
The South Slavic languages comprise one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches by a belt of German, Hungarian and Romanian speakers...
.
The Gora region comprises Dragaš
Dragaš
Dragaš is a town and municipality in the Prizren district of southern Kosovo. The population of the town is approximately 33,584, that of the whole municipality is estimated at 33,584...
municipality in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Shishtavec
Shishtavec
Shishtavec is a village of Kukës District, northeastern Albania. The village consists of 300 households with over 1,800 inhabitants of Gorani ethnicity. The village is part of the wider Gora region...
village in Albania. They are adherents to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and have a rich and varied folk culture. They have been claimed by Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, Bosniaks
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
, Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
, and Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
but the general view is that they should be treated as a distinct minority group
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
, which is indeed their own view of themselves. Part of these people are already albanised
Albanisation
Albanisation is a term used to describe a linguistic or cultural assimilation to the Albanian language and Albanian culture.- In Kosovo :The term is used in reference to Kosovo....
. By the last censuses at the end of 20th century in Yugoslavia they have declared themselves to be Muslims by nationality
Muslims by nationality
Muslims by nationality was a term used in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as an official designation of nationality of Slavic Muslims. They were one of the constitutive groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. In Republic of Macedonia their identity is also based mainly on their religion.
History
GoraGora (region)
Gora is a geographical region in southern Serbia and northeastern Albania, inhabited by Albanians and a Gorani minority. The name "Gora" is a Slavic word for "mountain" or "forest"....
is the region inhabited by the Gorani people. The area was populated by Slavs during their migration in the 6th–7th centuries. Тhe region is mentioned in 1348 in the edict of Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan, along with seven other Gorani-populated villages that were subsumed by the Monastery of Saint Archangel at Prizren at that time. In 1455, Gora was conquered from the Serbian Despotate
Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate was a Serbian state, the last to be conquered by the Ottoman Empire. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of the medieval Serbian state, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia survived for 70 more years,...
by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and became a part of the beylerbeylik
Beylerbeylik
Beylerbeylik was a type of country subdivision in the Ottoman Empire....
of Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
, or specifically, the Sanjak of Prizren
Sanjak of Prizren
The Sanjak of Prizren was one of the sanjaks in the Ottoman Empire with Prizren as its administrative centre. It was founded immediately after Ottoman Empire captured Prizren from Serbian Despotate in 1455. It was one of the sanjaks established on the territory which Ottoman Empire conquered from...
. The process of natural assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
into Ottoman society henceforth began, after the end of the 16th century. The Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
defter
Defter
A Defter was a type of tax register in the Ottoman Empire. The information collected could vary, but tahrir defterleri typically included details of villages, dwellings, household heads , ethnicity/religion , and land use.The defter-i hakâni was a land registry, also used for tax...
from 1591 registers Gora
Gora (region)
Gora is a geographical region in southern Serbia and northeastern Albania, inhabited by Albanians and a Gorani minority. The name "Gora" is a Slavic word for "mountain" or "forest"....
as inhabited exclusively by Serbs while Opolje
Opolje
Opolje or Opoja is northern region of the municipality of Dragaš in the southern most part of Kosovo with Gora being the southern one.Opolje comprises 19 villages with a population of 30.000 . Its population is almost exclusively of Albanian ethnicity, whereas the population of Gora is Gorani...
to the north is Albanian populated. The Ottoman abolishment of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in 1766 is thought to have prompted the Islamization of Gora as was the trend of many Balkan communities.
The Gorani continue to maintain a religious hybridity of sorts — while steadfast Muslims, they observe a number of Orthodox Christian traditions and holidays, with observance of certain Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
's days and their acknowledging of the Bogomil.
Because of Gora's highly isolated location in and around Albania's mountainous northern region, the difficult terrain aided the Gorani in resisting first the Slavic and later the Ottoman invasions. Migrations to escape the Ottoman invasion did occur, as they did in Albania in the 14th century, when many Gorani from Albania fled to Italy, Egypt, Syria and the Ukraine, they were later absorbed into the Albanian populations of Italy, losing their own language in the process. These migrations were repeated several centuries thenceforth when many Gorani, hemmed in by both Yugoslav and Albanian authoritarian regimes, fled the region. Many surfaced in America, where a significant diaspora has emerged (primarily in California). Migrations from Gora during the Ottoman era resulted in two significant waves: the first towards Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
and Sirinić, and the other towards Tetovo
Tetovo
Tetovo is a city in the northwestern part of Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River.The city covers an area of at above sea level, with a population of 86,580 citizens in the municipality. Tetovo is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...
. The latter populated the Macedonian
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
settlements of Dolno
Dolno
Dolno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Trzebielino, within Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately west of Trzebielino, west of Bytów, and west of the regional capital Gdańsk....
, Palčište and Tearce
Tearce
Tearce is a village located 12 km to the northeast of Tetovo, in northwestern Republic of Macedonia, about 15 kilometres from the border with Kosovo. It is a seat of the Tearce municipality. Population 3,974 . The B-405 road connects it to Tetovo....
. Their descendants still populate that part of the Republic of Macedonia. Gorani colonists have migrated and populated the colonies of Urvič
Urvič
Urvič is a village in the municipality of Vladičin Han, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 71 people....
and Jelovjane on the eastern side of the Šar Mountains.
In the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
in 1912 the Serbian Army seized Gora. A minor part of the Gorani population migrated to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
as a result. In the 1916–1918 First World War the Gora was conquered by the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
and assigned to the Bulgarian (until May 1916) and to the Austro-Hungarian (until October 1918) zone. After 1918 they were integrated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The troubles during First World War, as well as the difficult period between 1919-20 were characterized by drought, causing famine and much poverty for the Gorani., This paradigm also incited migrations to Kosovo's larger city, Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
and Tetovo in Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. Disease and hunger in the post-communist era in Albania have caused a general downfall of the Gorani population, mostly due to in-migration out of villages for urban centers like Shkodra and Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
.
By the decision of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
however, in 1925, the final border towards Albania was established. In it, over 15,000 Gorani remained in Albania's borders in their 9 villages: Borje
Börje
Börje is a male given name and a variant of Birger. Børge is the Danish and Norwegian spelling.- People with the given name Börje :*Börje Ahlstedt , a Swedish actor*Börje Ekedahl , a Swedish bobsledder...
, Zapod
Zapod
Zapod is a municipality in the Kukës District, Kukës County, northeastern Albania, populated by the Gorani people of Slavic origin....
, kosharisht, novosoj, Orgjost, Oreshke, pakisht, cernaleve and shishtavec
Shishtavec
Shishtavec is a village of Kukës District, northeastern Albania. The village consists of 300 households with over 1,800 inhabitants of Gorani ethnicity. The village is part of the wider Gora region...
on demand of Fascist Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, despite the local Gorani community's desire to remain together undivided.
In the 1939 census of Yugoslavia, the Gora Gorani were in the category of "non-Slavs" shared by Albanians and Turks. Since the World War I and Albanian dominance, the Gorani underwent a major cultural change, attested by the Albanian loan words and changing of names into the Albanian language (e.g. Hasanović - Hasani).
In the 1971-1981 censuses, the majority of Gorani declared themselves as "Muslims by nationality
Muslims by nationality
Muslims by nationality was a term used in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as an official designation of nationality of Slavic Muslims. They were one of the constitutive groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
" a classification by time transformed into Bosniak.
In 1999 after the NATO bombing campaign on Yugoslavia
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo or UNMIK is the interim civilian administration in Kosovo, under the authority of the United Nations. The mission was established on 10 June 1999 by Security Council Resolution 1244...
) took over international administration of the Serbian province of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. Their own municipality was redrawn and Dragash established, in which now Albanians are in majority. In 2007 the Kosovar provisional institutions opened a school in Gora to teach the Bosnian language, which sparked minor consternation amongst the Gorani population, added by the fact that the Principal declares as an Albanian. Many Gorani refuse to send their children to school for threats of assimilation and self-initially founded home schools for their young. In 1999 and over the years altogether, over 6,500 Gorani have fled to Serbia proper along with many Serb and Romani refugees.
They are also known among the neighbouring Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
with several exonyms as "Bulgareci", i.e. Bulgarians, as well as "Torbeshë" and "Poturë".
Language
Našinski
The Gorani or Našinski language is the variety of South Slavic spoken by the Gorani people in the border area between Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia...
" or "Goranski", which is part of a wider Torlakian dialect
Torlakian dialect
Torlakian or Torlak is a name given to the group of South Slavic dialects of southeastern Serbia , northeastern Macedonia , western Bulgaria , which is intermediate between Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian.Some linguists classify it as an Old-Shtokavian dialect of Serbian or a fourth dialect of...
, spoken in Western Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Southern Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and part of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. The Torlakian dialect
Torlakian dialect
Torlakian or Torlak is a name given to the group of South Slavic dialects of southeastern Serbia , northeastern Macedonia , western Bulgaria , which is intermediate between Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian.Some linguists classify it as an Old-Shtokavian dialect of Serbian or a fourth dialect of...
is a transitional dialect of Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
and Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
whilst also sharing features with Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
. While still remaining a Slavic based language it has numerous loan words, the Gora dialect has been greatly influenced by Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
and Arabic due to its speakers being Muslims and is similar to the Bosnian language
Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, spoken by Bosniaks. As a standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect, it is one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
because of the numerous Turkish loanwords.
Goranian has also been classified sometimes as part of the Bulgarian dialect
Bulgarian dialects
Bulgarian dialects are the regional spoken varieties of the Bulgarian language, a South Slavic language. Bulgarian dialectology dates to the 1830s and the pioneering work of Neofit Rilski, Bolgarska gramatika...
area, as by Bulgarian, as well as by foreign anthropologists.
The Gorani language is classified as an Old štokavian dialect of Serbian (Old Serbian) classified Prizren-Timok dialect.
According to the last 1991 Yugoslav census, 54.8% of the inhabitants of the Gora municipality said that they spoke the Gorani language, while the remainder had called it Serbian. Some Gorani scholars define their language as Bulgarian, similar to the Bulgarian dialects spoken in Northwest Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
. Some linguists, including Vidoeski, Brozovic and Ivic, identify the Slavic-dialect of the Gora region as Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
. There are assertions that Macedonian is spoken in 50 to 75 villages in the Gora region (Albania and Kosovo),. According to some unverified sources in 2003 the Kosovo government acquired Macedonian language and grammar books for Gorani school.
Example
The following is a traditional Gorani song:-
- Verno libe
- Gledaj me gledaj libe, abe verno libe,
- nagledaj mi se dur ti som ovde.
- Utre ke odim abe verno libe dalek-dalek
- na pusti Gurbet.
- Racaj poracaj libe šo da ti kupim.
- Ti da mi kupiš
- abe gledaniku cerna šamija, ja da ga nosim
- abe gledaniku i da ga želam.
- Racaj poracaj abe verno
- libe šo da ti pratim
- Ti da mi pratiš abe
- gledaniku šarena knjiga
- Ja da ga pujem abe
- gledaniku i da ga želam
Media and literature
Gorani scholar Nazif Dokle compiled the first Gorani–AlbanianAlbanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
dictionary (with 43,000 words and phrases) in 2007, sponsored and printed by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...
. In 2008 the first issue of a Macedonian language newspaper, Гороцвет (Gorocvet) was published.
Population
The Gorani population numbered some 16,000, in the GoraGora (region)
Gora is a geographical region in southern Serbia and northeastern Albania, inhabited by Albanians and a Gorani minority. The name "Gora" is a Slavic word for "mountain" or "forest"....
administrative division, according to the 1991 census. Of these, 50% declared themselves Muslims by nationality, 30% Serbs and 20% Albanians. Gorani leaders today estimate that fewer than 10,000 are left in Gora, after large migrations to Albania's capital, Tirana. Most Gorani state that the unstable situation and the economic issue drives them to leave Kosovo. There is also some mention of threats and discrimination by the ethnic Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
. The UN administration in Kosovo, UNMIK, has redrawn internal boundaries in the province in such a way that a Gorani-majority municipality no longer exists. The Gora was combined with the neighboring Albanian-populated region of Opolje
Opolje
Opolje or Opoja is northern region of the municipality of Dragaš in the southern most part of Kosovo with Gora being the southern one.Opolje comprises 19 villages with a population of 30.000 . Its population is almost exclusively of Albanian ethnicity, whereas the population of Gora is Gorani...
(some 20,000 people) into a new subdivision named Dragaš
Dragaš
Dragaš is a town and municipality in the Prizren district of southern Kosovo. The population of the town is approximately 33,584, that of the whole municipality is estimated at 33,584...
, which again has an Albanian majority.
Settlements
Below is a list of the traditional Gorani settlements in the Shar Mountains region.Kosovo
|
Albania
Macedonia †
|
Gorani diaspora
The Gora is an underdeveloped region and for almost two centuries, its male inhabitants would go off to more distant regions in order to find work. Due to this, a true Gorani diaspora has come to life with many living in parts of Central SerbiaCentral Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
(particularly Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
: 3,340), Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
(606), Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
(primarily in Durres
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
), the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
(particularly the Western parts); Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
; and following escape from communist Albania and socialist Yugoslavia in the late-1940s, the United States of America (particularly New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
) and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(particularly Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
).
Culture and religion
The Slavs of Gora were Christianized in 870 following the Byzantine Empire's baptism of the SerbsSerbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
. The Ottomans conquered the region in the 14th century, which started the process of Islamization of the Gorani and neighbouring Albanians. However, the Gorani still tangentially observe some Orthodox Christian traditions, such as Slava
Slava
The Slava , also called Krsna Slava and Krsno ime , is the Serbian Orthodox tradition of the ritual celebration and veneration of a family's own patron saint. The family celebrates the Slava annually on the patron saint's feast day...
s and Saint George's Day (Djurdjevdan).
Traditional Gorani folk music includes a two-beat dance called "Kolo
Kolo (dance)
Kolo , is a collective folk dance, danced primarily by people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. It is performed amongst groups of people holding each other's having their hands around each other's waists...
" ('circle'), which is a circle dance focused on the foot movements: it always starts on the right foot and moves in an anti-clockwise direction. Kolo is usually accompanied by instrumental music made often with a Curlje or Kaval
Kaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , Romania , and Armenia...
and Tapan
Davul
The davul or tupan is a large double-headed drum that is played with sticks. It has many names depending on the country and region.-Names:Some names of davuls include:*tupan *davul...
, kolos are less frequently accompanied by singing as they are in neighboring ethnic groups such as the Albanians and Serbs. The cifteliit is Albanian but the goran people can play as well , also the added to their culture.
The "national" sport of oil wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
called "Pelivan" is popular amongst Gorani with regular tournaments being held in the outdoors to the accompaniment of Curlje and Tapan
Tapan
Tapan can refer to:* Tapan, Azerbaijan* Tapan , an administrative district in West Bengal, India* Tapan, Homalin, Burma* Geghasar, Armenia, formerly known as Tapan...
with associated rituals, with origins in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
through the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
's conquest of Balkans.
The "national" drink of the Gorani is Rakija which is commonly distilled at home by elderly people. Another popular drink is Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee
Turkish coffee is a method of preparing coffee where finely powdered roast coffee beans are boiled in a pot , with sugar according to taste, before being served into a cup where the dregs settle...
which is drunk in small cups accompanied by a glass of water. Future divination is popular amongst all Gorani using the residue of Turkish Coffee.
Famous Gorani people
- Fahrudin JusufiFahrudin JusufiFahrudin Jusufi is a former Yugoslav football defender of Gorani origin.-Career:...
, football player - Miralem SulejmaniMiralem SulejmaniMiralem Sulejmani is a Serbian football player of Gorani origin who plays for Ajax.-Early career:...
, football player
External links
- Shishtavec
- Project Rastko - Gora, E-library of culture and tradition of Gora and Gorani people
- The minorities within the minority, The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, 2 November 2006