Ghegs
The Ghegs (also spelled as Gegs;
The
Terminology
Proper Gegnia (the land of the Gegë) is located north of the Shkumbin river along its right bank and extends up to modern border between Mat and Mirdita, where Leknia begins. Leknia itself is bordered to the north by Malësia. None of these regions overlap with one another and each has its own self-identification. This is reflected in the fact that only the people of proper Gegnia call themselves Gegë, while moving northwards it is not a form of regional self-identification. For example, the people of the Dukagjin highlands when asked about their regional appellation would reply na nuk jemi gegë, gegët janë përtej maleve (we are not Gheghs, the Ghegs live beyond the mountains).[6]
The popular perception in non-Albanian literature of all northern Albanians as Ghegs is a product of identifying major dialect groups with all corresponding regional groupings. Likewise, only the people of certain regions in southern Albania identify as Tosks.
Etymology
The
Territory
In Albania, Ghegs predominantly live north of the
The Ottoman Turkish term, used during the times when Albania and the wider area was included in the empire, was Gegalık, meaning land of the Ghegs.
Little more than half of ethnic Albanians from Albania are Ghegs.[15] Except for a Tosk population in north-western Greece and around lake Prespa as well as southern North Macedonia, all ethnic Albanians in the Balkans who live outside of Albania (Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro) are Ghegs.[16]
Language
The Ghegs speak Gheg Albanian, one of the two main Albanian dialects. The Albanian communist regime based the standard Albanian language mostly on Tosk Albanian. This practice has been criticized, notably by Arshi Pipa, who claimed that this decision deprived the Albanian language of its richness at the expense of the Ghegs,[17] and referred to the literary Albanian language as a "monstrosity" produced by the Tosk communist leadership which conquered anti-Communist north Albania militarily, and imposed their Tosk Albanian dialect on the Ghegs.[18] Although Albanian writers in former Yugoslavia were almost all Ghegs, they chose to write in Tosk for political reasons.[19] This change of literary language has significant political and cultural consequences because the language is the main criterion for Albanian self-identification.[20]
Social organization
The social organization of the Ghegs was traditionally
The Ghegs, particularly those who lived in the north-eastern area, were the most faithful supporters of the set of traditional laws (
The organization of once predominantly
Religion
Christianity in Albania was under the jurisdiction of the
During the Ottoman period in the history of Albania (1385–1912), the majority of Albanians converted to Islam. Today, the majority of Ghegs are
Culture
After the
The revival of
Physical anthropology
The Ghegs have often been described as taller, more slender and having a lighter
The average height of men in Kosovo is 179.5 centimetres (5 ft 10.7 in) and of women is 165.7 centimetres (5 ft 5.2 in),[55] making the population of Kosovo among the tallest in the world.[55]
History
Pre-Ottoman and Ottoman period
There was a distinction between Ghegs and Tosks before the Ottomans appeared in Albania at the end of the 14th century.[56]
The Ghegs remained out of the reach of the regular Ottoman civil administration until the end of Ottoman rule.
The
Large parts of Gegënia posed a security problem for the Ottoman Empire, due to the tribalism of Gheg society and limited state control.
Albania
The Ghegs were dominant in the political life of Albania in the pre-communist period.
During
At the end of World War II, communist forces predominantly composed of Tosks captured Albania after the retreat of the Wehrmacht. That was perceived by many Ghegs as the Tosk takeover of Gheg lands.[71] Most members of the post-war communist regime and three quarters of the Communist Party of Albania members were Tosks. Therefore, the communist takeover was accompanied by the transfer of political power from the Ghegs to the Tosks.[72] The Ghegs were consistently persecuted by the predominantly Tosk regime, which saw them as traditionalist and less developed.[73] After Enver Hoxha died in 1985, he was succeeded by Ramiz Alia, who was one of the few Ghegs among the leaders of the country.[74] He took cautious steps towards changing direction on the national identity issue by gradually assuming the cause of the Ghegs from Kosovo.[75] This change was accompanied by a long-lasting fear that the introduction of "too-liberal" Albanians from Kosovo might disturb the fragile balance between the Tosk and Gheg sub-ethnic groups.[75] Absorbing Yugoslav Ghegs, who were almost as numerous as all Albanians from Albania, could have ruined the predominantly Tosk regime.[76][77]
After the fall of the communist regime, religion was again the major factor which determined social identity, and rivalry between Ghegs and Tosks re-emerged.[78] The new political leaders of post-communist Albania appointed by Gheg[79] Sali Berisha were almost all Ghegs from northern Albania.[80][81] The administration of Sali Berisha was identified as northern nationalist Gheg in opposition to southern Socialist Tosk,[82] which additionally increased the contention between Tosks and Ghegs.[83] In 1998 Berisha exploited the traditional Gheg—Tosk rivalry when he encouraged armed anti-Government protesters in Shkodër in actions that forced the resignation of prime minister Fatos Nano.[84]
During the Kosovo War, rivalry between Ghegs and Tosks faded, and a huge number of refugees from Kosovo were catered for with no internal conflict, despite unavoidable grumbles about the disruption of the community and theft.[85]
See also
- Tribes of Albania
- Gegić
References
- ISBN 978-0-7656-1833-7. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
The Albanians comprise two ethnic subgroups: the Ghegs, who generally occupy the area north of the Shkumbin river; and the Tosks, most of whom live south of the river.
- ^ Barringer, Herbert (1965). Social Change in Developing Areas: A Reinterpretation of Evolutionary Theory. Schenkman Publishing Company. p. 214. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-549-12813-7. Retrieved 13 July 2013.]
There were and there remain distinct cultural and linguistic differences between Albanian Ghegs and Tosks
[permanent dead link - ISBN 978-1-85065-276-2. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
the two ethnic sub-groups to which Albanians actually belong: the Ghegs in the north and the Tosks in the south... The Ghegs and Tosks differ from each other in linguistic, historical-cultural and socio-religious character.
- ISBN 978-1-57607-800-6. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Thus the Tosks and the Ghegs evolved virtually in isolation until Albania obtained its independence.
- ^ Zojzi, Rrok; Dajaka, Abaz; Gjergji, Andromaqi; Qatipi, Hasan (1962). Etnografa Shqiptare. Academy of Sciences of Albania. p. 27.
- ISBN 978-0-88033-168-5. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
...was a confessional name in pre-Ottoman Albania.
- ISBN 978-0-230-55070-4. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Gheg (Gege) seems to be derived from an onomatopoeic word for 'babbling,' as contrasted with Shqiptare, or 'those who speak clearly, correctly.
- ^ “Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch”, J. Pokorny, 1959, Bern : Francke
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 21, 29.
- ^ a b c Gawrych 2006, p. 21.
- ISBN 978-0-85664-988-2. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
...the Ghegs in the north (Ghegeria) and the Tosks in the south (Toskeria)
- ^ Gawrych 2006, p. 22.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 28–29.
- ISBN 978-0-7656-1833-7. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
The Ghegs account for slightly more than half of the resident Albanian
- ISBN 978-1-85828-635-8. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
Most of the ethnic Albanians that live outside the country are Ghegs, although there is a small Tosk population clustered around the shores of lakes Presp and Ohrid in the south of Macedonia.
- ^ Canadian review of studies in nationalism: Revue canadienne des études sur le nationalisme, Volume 19. University of Prince Edward Island. 1992. p. 206. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Canadian review of studies in nationalism: Revue canadienne des études sur le nationalisme, Volume 19. University of Prince Edward Island. 1992. p. 207. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-3-87828-106-1. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Although the Albanian population in Yugoslavia is almost exclusively Gheg, the Albanian writers there have chosen, for sheer political reasons, to write in Tosk
- ^ Telos. Telos Press. 1989. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
The political-cultural relevance of the abolition of literary Gheg with literary Tosk....Albanians identify themselves with language...
- ISBN 978-1-84511-308-7. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
The traditional social organization of the Ghegs was tribal
- ^ a b c d Gawrych 2006, p. 29.
- ISBN 9780422718608. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
Ghegs of northern Albania present the only true example of a tribal system surviving in Europe until the mid-twentieth century.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85745-390-7. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ Great Britain. Admiralty (1916). A handbook of Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and adjacent parts of Greece. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 40. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
... the Ghegs being split up into a number of distinct tribal groups, such as the powerful and very independent Mirdite clan in the mountain fastnesses to the south-east of Scutari ; the Klementi, Hoti, Kastrati ; the Pulti, Shala,...
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 34–35.
- ^ a b c d Gawrych 2006, pp. 30–31.
- ISBN 978-0-521-27458-6. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-59884-303-3. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
The Ghegs, who live in the northern mountainous regions, were traditionally herders and were organized around the exogamous, patrilineal
- ISBN 978-1-59884-303-3. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ Area Handbook for Yugoslavia. U.S. Government Pub. Press Office. 1973. p. 80. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-7546-1727-3. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-8264-0924-9. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
...Albanian sworn virginity can never have been more than occasional phenomenon among Ghegs
- ISBN 978-0-8264-0924-9. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
Ghegs practiced childhood betrothal — there are reports of the betrothal of fetuses.
- ISBN 978-0-8168-8840-5. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
Gheg clan society lasted until the 1950s in northern Albania. ... Children were betrothed sometimes even before birth, often in respect of an existing alliance or in order to establish friendship or piece
- ISBN 0-8223-0891-6.
Albanian Christianity lay within the orbit of the bishop of Rome from the first century to the eighth. But in the eighth century Albanian Christians were transferred to the jurisdiction of the patriarch of Constantinople. With the schism of 1054, however, Albania was divided between a Catholic north and an Orthodox south. [..] Prior to the Turkish conquest, the ghegs (the chief tribal group in northern Albania) had found in Roman Catholicism a means of resisting the Slavs, and though Albanian Orthodoxy remained important among the tosks (the chief tribal group in southern Albania)
- ^ ISBN 978-1317391043. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
The Albanian church north of Shkumbin River was entirely Latin and under the pope's jurisdiction. During the twelfth century, the Catholic church in Albania intensified efforts to strengthen its position in middle and southern Albania. The Catholic Church was organized in 20 dioceses.
- ^ Lala, Etleva (2008), Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility (PDF), Central European University, Department of Medieval Studies, p. 1
- ISBN 978-1-85065-551-0. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
Religious differences also existed before the coming of the Turks. Originally, all Albanians had belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church... Then the Ghegs in the North adopted in order to better resist the pressure of Orthodox Serbs.
- ^ Gruber, Siegfried. Regional variation in marriage patterns in Albania at the beginning of the 20th century Archived 3 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Social Science History Association Annual Meeting St. Louis, October 24–27, 2002. Data ultimately from the 1918 Albanian census. Urban city data displayed on this map here: http://www-gewi.uni-graz.at/seiner/density.html Archived 27 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Instantanés d’Albaníe, un autre regard sur les Balkans" (2005), Etudiants en Tourisme et Actions Patrimoniales. (Plus de 72% irréligieux ou non pratiquants.) - "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Zuckerman, Phil. "Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns ", chapter in The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, ed. by Michael Martin, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK (2005) - http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_472.html Archived 26 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ O'Brien, Joanne and Martin Palmer (1993). The State of Religion Atlas. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster ("Over 50% of Albanians claim 'no religious alliance.'") - http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_472.html Archived 26 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994); pg. 581-584. Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs" (Nonreligious 74.00%) - http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_472.html Archived 26 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-1-84511-287-5. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7380-3. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
... a golden age in the first decades of the 20th century, and much credit for this blossoming of Gheg culture goes to him
- ISBN 978-0-415-96800-3. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
The Ghegs are known for a distinctive variety of epic poetry called Rapsodi Kreshnike sung by elderly men.
- ^ Archives de sciences sociales des religions. Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France). 2001. p. 179. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
A new important impulse to the rise of Gheg culture is due to the revival of Albanian Catholicism, traditionally distinguished for ils highly prestigious cultural tradition and generic Albanianism.
- ISBN 978-1-84511-855-6. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
Ghegs, who are often described as fair, are taller than Tosks, who are darker and more Mediterranean.
- ISBN 978-1-55546-166-9.
The Tosk people are shorter and have rounder faces and smaller noses than the Ghegs.
- ^ carleton stevens coon (1939). the races of europe. pp. 600–603.
- ISBN 978-1-86064-974-5. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
... Ghegs speak a slightly different dialect of the language, and are often taller and thinner than Tosks, but these traditional differences (often exaggerated in vulgar anthropology) have been much diminished by population movement in the post-communist period
- ISSN 0002-7294.
- ^ a b ""Regional Differences in Adult Body Height in Kosovo"" (PDF).
- ISBN 978-1-85065-551-0. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
These differences existed before appearance of Turks. Traditionally there has been the division between the Ghegs in the north and the Tosks in the south, the Shkumbi River being the line
- ISBN 978-90-04-11903-1. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ a b Gawrych 2006, p. 113.
- ISBN 978-1-4419-7305-4. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, p. 48.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, p. 61.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, p. 45.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, p. 70.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 60, 210.
- ^ a b Gawrych 2006, p. 205.
- ^ Gawrych 2006, pp. 3, 141.
- ^ a b Gawrych 2006, p. 201.
- ISBN 9781845112875.
- ISBN 978-1-86227-487-7. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-230-55070-4. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
However, many Ghegs perceived this event as the Tosk conquest of Gheg lands.
- ISBN 978-1-86064-541-9. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
The Communist victory had realized the transference of political power from the Ghegs to the Tosks, and as around
- ISBN 978-1-84718-244-9. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Northern Ghegs were consistently persecuted by the largely Tosk-run socialist regime, stereotyped as less developed, steeped in traditional culture and communal law
- ^ Dennis Kavanagh (1998). "Alia, Ramiz". A Dictionary of Political Biography. Oxford University Press. p. 9.[ISBN missing]
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8047-4688-5. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-88-8063-155-2. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
It is furthermore undeniable that the entry into Albania of 1.5 million Ghegs from Kosovo would change the balance of power between Ghegs ...
- ISBN 978-0-520-05385-4. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-85065-279-3. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Religion was once again a major factor in social identity, and elements of traditional Gheg- Tosk, north-south rivalries re-emerged.
- ^ The International Journal of Albanian Studies. Department of Political Science, Columbia University. 1997. p. 11. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Sali Berisha, a Gheg intellectual from the North-East
- ^ Human Rights Watch. Helsinki Watch (1995). Albania the Greek Minority. Human Rights Watch. p. 6. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-275-96460-3. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
By contrast, the new leaders, including former president Sali Berisha, ousted in 1997, are almost all northern Ghegs
- ISBN 978-1-86064-974-5. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
administration was identified as northern Gheg 'nationalist' as opposed to southern Tosk 'Socialist'
- ISBN 978-0-275-96460-3. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
The fact that former president Sali Berisha, elected in April 1992, was a northerner from Tropojë has only intensified Gheg-Tosk rivalry.
- ISBN 978-1-85743-136-0. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
Exploiting the historic Gheg (north)-Tosk (south) rivalry, he encouraged rioters in the northern town of Shkoder (a traditional DPA stronghold) in February 1998 and, in September, led his armed supporters in anti-Government protests that led to resignation to prime minister Fatos Nano
- ISBN 978-1-86064-974-5. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
...national solidarity for the refugees was overwhelming, albeit coupled with inevitable grumbles about theft and community disruption. Gheg-Tosk rivalry faded and the nation was able to cater for a vast refugee influx without internal conflict
Further reading
- Carl Coleman Seltzer; Carleton Stevens Coon; Joseph Franklin Ewing (1950). The mountains of giants: a racial and cultural study of the north Albanian mountain Ghegs. The Museum. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
External links
- Northern Albanian Culture and the Kanun - Lecture given by Robert Elsie at the Symposium: Albanese Tradities en Taal: 100 Jaar Onafhankelijk Albanië / Albanian Language and Culture: 100 Years of Independence, University of Leiden, 10 November 2012