Tribalism in the Balkans

[Molotoff]

As you know, Somalis are not the only people with tribalism. Serbs and Albanians have it too.

A bit about the tribes of Montenegro (Serbian tribes):

The tribes of Montenegro (Montenegrin and Serbian: племена Црне Горе / plemena Crne Gore) or Montenegrin tribes (Montenegrin and Serbian: црногорска племена / crnogorska plemena) were historical tribes in the areas of Old Montenegro, Brda, Old Herzegovina and Primorje,[A] and were geopolitical units of the Ottoman Montenegro Vilayet (or Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro, 1697–1852), eastern Sanjak of Herzegovina, parts of the Sanjak of Scutari, and Venetian Albania, territories that in the 20th century were incorporated into Montenegro.


Many tribes were united into the Principality of Montenegro (1852–1910). The tribal assembly (zbor) of the Principality of Montenegro initially officially composed of the two communities of Old Montenegro (Crnogorci, "Montenegrins") and Brda (Brđani, "Highlanders").


In anthropological studies these tribes are divided into those of Old Montenegro, Brda, Old Herzegovina, and Primorje, and then into sub-groups (brotherhoods/clans – bratstva, and finally families). Today they richly attest to social anthropology and family history, as they have not been used in official structures since (although some tribal regions overlap contemporary municipality areas). The kinship groups give a sense of shared identity and descent.

 

[Molotoff]

The tribes in what is today Montenegro were formed and developed in different times, in a process which was not uniform.[1]


The organization of the tribes can be followed during the Ottoman period.[2] A basic condition of forming a tribe was the possession of a collective land (shepherding economy's property) defended by the whole tribe.


[1] Neighbouring tribes, and also members of the same tribe, fought each other over flocks and grazing lands.[3] The winter pasture, katun, was the economic basis whose deprivity could threaten the survival of the tribe.


[3] Tribes were formed more often through agglomeration than through blood relation, although tribal lore has its members descending from a common ancestor; the core drew together smaller groups that would adopt the lore as their own.[3]

According to B. Đurđev, the tribes of Old Montenegro, Brda and Old Herzegovina developed from the katun.[4] The katun was primarily a kinship organization, the shepherds (vlachs) also serving as soldiers, thus a military organization as well.

[5] The župa (county), the territorial organization of the feudal Nemanjić state, was replaced by the katun in provinces where the katun transformed into tribes.


[5] Be it via the kinship katun which emerged and turned unrelated elements into one basic group allegedly blood-related, or united families without imposed blood association, they entered elements of their kinship organization and military democracy into the tribes that were created in the ruins of feudal territorial organization.[5]

 

[Molotoff]

The tribes (plemena, sing. pleme) were territorial and socio-political units composed of clans (bratstva, sing. bratstvo) in historical Montenegro.[6] The tribes are not necessarily kin as they only serve as a geopolitical unit.


The tribes enjoyed especially large autonomy in the period from the second part of the 15th century until the mid-19th century. Initially they were recorded as katuns - a basic Vlach social and ethnic structure not always homogeneous by blood on which head was katunar - tribal chief.


[7] With Slavicization, former katuns began to be called plemena (meaning both tribe and clan), while the katunar became Slavic vojvoda or knez.[8] Following the Ottoman occupation, the relative isolation from one another and lack of centralized authority made them local self-governing units.[6]



The brotherhoods or clans (bratstvo) are contemporary patrilineal kin groups which trace their origin to a particular male ancestor and share the same surname.[6] The bratstvo is an exogamous group.[9] Names of brotherhoods are derived from either names, nicknames or profession of the ancestor. In most cases marriage within the bratstvo is forbidden regardless of the biological distance between the would-be spouses.


However, this is not the case with some larger brotherhood who sometimes allow endogamous marriages if the genealogical distance between spouses is large enough.[citation needed] In war, the members of the bratstvo (bratstvenici) were obliged to stand together. The size of such units varied in size, ranging from 50 to 800 warriors (1893).


[10] Through time the bratstvo would split into smaller subdivisions and acquire separate names. Contemporary surnames of Montenegrins usually come from these smaller units. The members tend to guard their family history and many are able to recite the line of ancestors to the originator of the bratstvo.



The relationship between tribe and brotherhood is loose.[citation needed] At times of tribal autonomy, brotherhoods usually lived concentrated in the same place for long time and therefore formed a part of the tribe. Different brotherhoods living on the territory of one tribe were often not related to each other. A new brotherhood could be established (and often was) if a stranger sought refuge, usually because of conflict with Ottoman authorities or because of a blood feud, within a tribe.[11]



The tribes were an important institution in Montenegro throughout its modern history and state creation. Every tribe had its chief, and they collectively composed a "gathering" or assembly (zbor or skupština). The tribal assembly elected the vladika (bishop-ruler) from exemplary families, who from the 15th century were the main figures in resistance to Ottoman incursions.[12] The uniting of tribes (and mitigating blood feuds) was their core objective, but the results were limited to narrow cohesion and solidarity.[13]

 

[Ayubi]

As you know, Somalis are not the only people with tribalism. Serbs and Albanians have it too.

A bit about the tribes of Montenegro (Serbian tribes):

Aren’t Serbs and Bosniaks the same Ethnicity who speak the same language? Btw, what’s the ethnic name for all of them.

 

[Molotoff]

Aren’t Serbs and Bosniaks the same Ethnicity who speak the same language? Btw, what’s the ethnic name for all of them.

South Slavs.

 

[Molotoff]

The serbian qabils of Montenegro

 

[Apollo]

Yeah I have noticed this.

On some projects on FTDNA I noticed that people from the Balkans listed tribes instead of just ancestor names like other Europeans.

Interesting.

 

[Molotoff]

Yeah I have noticed this.

On some projects on FTDNA I noticed that people from the Balkans listed tribes instead of just ancestor names like other Europeans.

Interesting.

Yes, and all of them are descendents of gallant and brave men who didn't give two f*cks about turks.

 

[wheel]

I've heard that they even had lengthy blood feuds.

 

[Hassan Garguute Buldanana]

The serbian qabils of Montenegro

I assume beesha Vasojevici are the landheeres?

 

[Som]

They do have some sort of tribalism but their conflict started because of them having different identities. Bosniaks are muslim, croats are catholic and Serbians are Orthodox. That's the difference between them and it caused them to develop different identities.
Somali tribes on the other hand all share one ethnic identity which is Somali

 

[Xoxoxo]

so y’all yugoslavians also suffer from it?

 

[Kratos]

You Eastern Europeans are the most extreme nationalists I've ever met in my life lmao. Why is this? Especially Serbs and Albanians. Most Albanians I know have the Albanian eagle tatted on them too. You guys need to chill

 

[Moholin01]

@Molotoff I've noticed Bulgarians look a lot darker than other Balkan Slavs, why is that. They often look Turkish or even Middle Eastern.

 

[Molotoff]

Survey among the citizens of Podgorica (capital of Montenegro), asking them which serbian qabil they hail from:


Pretty much all of them know their tribe.

Hayaaaay!

 

[Maxaa kaa galay]

I assume beesha Vasojevici are the landheeres?

4.9 would be good for them