Krasniq

Valbona

Krasniq is a mountainous region (krahinë) of the Prokletije range in northeastern Albania, bordering Kosovo.[1] It is related to a historical northern Albanian tribe, also called Krasniqi. The region lies within the Tropojë District, and stretches from the Valbonë river in the north to Lake Fierza in the south, and includes Bajram Curri. The Krasniqi tribe was widespread into Kosovo.

Geography

The Krasniqi region is situated in the District of Tropoja north of the Drin River, from Fierza east to the District of Has, and north to the Montenegrin border, including most of the upper Valbona valley.

It borders on the traditional tribal regions of Nikaj-Mërtur to the west, Bugjoni to the south, Bytyçi to the east, and Gashi to the northeast.

History

Albanian bayraks as of 1918. Krasniq covers section 33 of the map.

The name, was recorded in 1634 as Crastenigeia.[2]

There exist differing views on the origin of the tribe.

It is a historical bajrak, which together with Gashi, Bytyçi and Nikaj-Mërtur constituted the Malësia e Gjakovës ("Mountains of Gjakova").[6] In a narrower sense, the Gjakova highlands include the Krasniq, Bytyç and Gash.[7] In Albanian ethnographical studies, the Gjakova Highlands include Krasniq, Gash and Bytyç.[8]

Beside the historical habitat, most of the Krasniqi fis (clan) are located in Kosovo, especially in the western part, having settled there since 18th century.[9]

Ethnography

The region is inhabited by Muslims; the tribe converted from Christianity into Islam in the Ottoman period.

The tribe's (historical) patron saint is St. George,[10] whom they still revere after Islamization.[11]

According to mythology, the Krasniqi descend from a Kolë Mekshi,[12] a brother to the founders of the Serb (Slavic) tribes of Vasojevići, Piperi, Ozrinići and the Albanian tribe of Hoti, respectively.[13] The Krasniqi revere their mythological kinship especially to the Vasojevići,[14] an Orthodox Serb tribe in eastern Montenegro.

Genetics

All members of Krasniqi clan tested so far belong to the two haplogroups, J2b-M241 or E-V13,[15] pointing to the composite origin. However, both haplogroups are over-represented in Albanian and Greek population respectively, and are associated with a Neolithic or even Mesolithic Balkans,[16][17][18] thus ruling out the speculation about Slavic origin.

Krasniqi in the Republic of Macedonia

On the Kumanovo Black Mountain, Albanians of the Krasniqi fis were present in the villages of Gošince, Slupčane, Alaševce (in Lipkovo) and Ruđince (in Staro Nagoričane), according to a 1965 journal.[19]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Arshi Pipa (1978), Albanian folk verse: structure and genre, Volumes 17-19, Trofenik, p. 126
  2. 1 2 Robert Elsie (2010), Historical Dictionary of Albania (PDF), Historical Dictionaries of Europe, 75 (2 ed.), Scarecrow Press, p. 248, ISBN 978-0810861886
  3. The Tribes of Albania,: History, Culture and Society. Robert Elsie. p. 161.
  4. Никола Чупић (1907). Годишњица Николе Чупића. 26. Штампа Државне штампарије Краљевине Југославије. p. 187.
  5. Kosto Kulišić (1912). Put rusa Aleks. Bašmakova preko Crne Gore i kroz zemlje Gega. Štamparija deoničarskog društva branika. p. 36.
  6. La Ricerca folklorica. Grafo edizioni. 1998. p. 64. Krasniqe, Gashi, Bytyci, Ni- kaj-Merturi, Berisha, dans la Montagne de Gjakova
  7. Great Britain. Foreign Office. Historical Section (1920). Albania. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 15.
  8. Kultura popullore. Akademia e Shkencave e RSH, Instituti i Kulturës Popullore. 1992. p. 34. Nga pikëpamja etnografike, Malësia e Gjakovës përbëhet nga Bytyçi, Gashi, Krasniqja dhe Berisha
  9. Karl Kaser (2012), Household and Family in the Balkans: Two Decades of Historical Family Research at University of Graz, Studies on South East Europe, 13, LIT Verlag, p. 124, ISBN 978-3643504067
  10. Mitološki zbornik. 12. Centar za mitološki studije Srbije. 2004. p. 41.
  11. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti (1957). Posebna izdanja. 270. p. 24. Исламизо- вани Арбанаси Краснићи и сада поштују св.
  12. The Tribes of Albania:History, Society and Culture. Robert Elsie. p. 162.
  13. Vasa Čubrilović (1983). Odabrani istorijski radovi. Narodna knjiga. p. 380.
  14. Henry Baerlein (1922). A Difficult Frontier (Yugoslavs and Albanians). L. Parsons. p. 71.
  15. https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/albanian-bloodlines/about/results
  16. Cruciani, F.; La Fratta, R.; Trombetta, B.; Santolamazza, P.; Sellitto, D.; Colomb, E.B.; Dugoujon, J.-M.; Crivellaro, F.; et al. (2007), "Tracing Past Human Male Movements in Northern/Eastern Africa and Western Eurasia: New Clues from Y-Chromosomal Haplogroups E-M78 and J-M12", Molecular Biology and Evolution 24 (6): 1300–1311, doi:10.1093/molbev/msm049, PMID 17351267
  17. Battaglia, Vincenza; Fornarino, Simona; Al-Zahery, Nadia; Olivieri, Anna; Pala, Maria; Myres, Natalie M; King, Roy J; Rootsi, Siiri; et al. (2008), "Y-chromosomal evidence of the cultural diffusion of agriculture in southeast Europe", European Journal of Human Genetics 17 (6): 820–830, doi:10.1038/ejhg.2008.249, PMC 2947100, PMID 19107149
  18. Karachanak 2013
  19. Naučno društvo Bosne i Hercegovine: Odjeljenje istorisko-filoloških nauka. 26. 1965. p. 199. Arbanasa fisa Krasnića ima u selima: Gošnicu, Slupćanu, Alaševcu, Ruđincu.

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