Gora and Goranis as last Torbeshs of Bogumilism in Balkans

• Author: Mr. Sc. Qafleshi, Muharrem Ph d (c)
• Position: High School 'Ruzhdi Berisha' ? Dragash
• Pages: 11-16

ISSN 2410-759X Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research Vol 1 No 1

Acces online at www.iipccl.org IIPCCL Publishing, Tirana-Albania May 2015

11

Gora and Goranis as last Torbeshs of Bogumilism in Balkans

Mr. Sc. Qaeshi, Muharrem Ph d (c)

High School “Ruzhdi Berisha” – Dragash

Abstract

In times of political crisis and inter-ethnic tensions, the layer that isolates other layers of identity,

is the national identity. Being a social and political construction, national identity performs in

various ways, by being changed and shaped in dierent periods of time. Nation-states are very

important to further enhance national identities, as one of the main principles of rst modernity.

Nevertheless, globalization trends, immediacy of technological communication, have brought

distances nearer and opened isolated mountain spaces. An important aspect in this regard, is

analyzing ethnicities, which live in mountain areas that were surrounded with dierent political

turbulences and cultural dynamics. In my view, such is the ethnographic region of Gora in Kosovo.

A Slavic speaking population, surrounded with fully inhabited Albanian territories, Gora, together

with Opoja region, make the municipality of Dragash town. Gora is located in the highlands of

Sharri Mountains, which has plenty of pastures, comfortable areas for farming, and the entire

region (Opoja included), is known for its brand of “Sharri” cheese. Gora is surrounded by Kosovo

– Albania – Macedonia, and according to the rst written document (1348), this slavophonic

population was settled in the region during XIV century. One can notice that Gorani people have

a particular identity dierent from all other Slavic nations, especially if we take into account their

language, which is of a mixed Slavic dialect. Although the language spoken by Goranis is similar

to Macedonian, Serbian and Bulgarian, they cannot easily understand Serbian and Bulgarian if

they do not perfectly speak Serbian, Macedonian and Bulgarian. is made Serbs, Macedonians

and Bulgarians treat Goranis as members of their ethnicities. One of the versions of Gorani ethnic

identity is also their connection with the Torbeshs as last remains of Bogumils, which is also a topic

subject of our research. Upon the occupation of Albanian land by the Ottoman Empire, Goranis as

well were converted into Muslims, from their previous Christian orthodox religion.

Keywords: Gorani, identity, ethnic, culture, Kosovo, Gora.

Introduction

Gora is one of the geographical and ethnographical areas of Kosovo located in the most

southern part of Kosovo, with an area exceeding state boundaries in Macedonia and

Albania. It is a mountanous area belonging to Sharri Mountains, situated (Qaeshi, 2011,

25) in the eastern side of Kukes, Xerxa’s Mountain (1347 m) north, Kacina Glava (2407

m) east, Gemitas (2204) (2181) south, Kallabak (2174 m) south-west, Gjallica (2886

m) west and Koritnik north-west, mark its natural and traditional border, though these

points can not be considered as sharp ones. In the south-west, west and north-west its

local boundaries are Luma, in the north-east, Opoja in the east, Tetovo in the south-east

(Dokle, 1999, 50).

Gora area encompasses these villages: Baçkë, Brod, Dikanci, Dragash (the former name

Krakojshte), Glloboçicë, Kukolan, Lubovishtë, Mlikë, Orçushë, Radesh, Rapçë, Restelicë,

Vranisht e Zlipotok. Administratively, all those villages belong to Dragash municipality

(Gashi, 2011, 26) while the villages of: Borje, Cërnalevë, Kosharisht, Orçikël, Orgosht,