#karakachani

[songs-of-the-east]

Karakachani Annual Gathering near Sliven, Buglaria, 2016 - Ivo Daskalov

The Karakachani or Sarakatsani are a traditionally transhumant ethnic Greek pastoralist community native to Northern Greece and parts of Bulgaria, Albania, and North Macedonia. Distinct from other transhumant groups in the region like the Vlachs, the Karakachani have always spoken Greek and maintained a strong Greek ethnic and cultural identity rooted in oral tradition. Their lifestyle revolved around sheep herding, and they lived in temporary thatched huts during their seasonal movements. They are especially known for their handwoven wool garments, often decorated with symbolic geometric patterns, and for their unaccompanied vocal music, which preserves elements of ancient poetic forms and heroic storytelling. While most Karakachani have since settled into permanent communities, their culture remains a vivid example of pre-modern Greek pastoral life.

[gorskivijenac]

The Sarakatsani hut - Konaki Association of the Sarakatsani of Epirus in Athens, source - x

There were two wo types of konaki: the rounded hut and the elongated or double hut. The rounded huts were most common; walls woven from pliable branches and roofs covered with layers of straw, reeds, and grass. A central wooden pol, which supported these layers, is then placed during the construction and then removed when the hut is completed. It was affective againts rain and insulates against temperature fluctuations. The elongated huts, mostly found in the mountains, offered expanded space and enhanced stability against harsher weather. The shape of the huts is mostly due to the circular enclosure of the fire and the way people gathered around the fire to warm themselves. The construction of konakia was mostly done by women.

Sarakatsani women constructing hut. Carsten Hoeg

"Strong fir branches are staked deep into the soil to construct the perimeter vertical frame. The circular base and the other horizontal layers leading to the roof and the roof dome are made of flexible beech tree wood while the outer layers of the hut are covered with whatever protective material the area provided, e.g. rye straw, various foliage such as ferns, dense layers of bushes, reeds or fir branches. Without nails at their disposal, all the joints are tied with wicker: a hard-to-find material which grows close to water, near rivers and fountains. Its thin and flexible shoots acts as a simple rope of sorts. Practicality aside, beautiful and fragrant wicker is believed to repel evil and is associated with healing and many cult beliefs dating back to ancient times. In the case of the Sarakatsani, wicker is also used to make crosses that are placed above the main entrance of the hut as well as the top of the domed roof, becoming a kind of amulet and protecting the house from evil forces."

[songs-of-the-east]

Karakachan Greek girl from Bulgaria in traditional clothing. Photographed by Ivo Daskalov for National Geographic. 

“The Karakachans are known under different names on the Balkan Peninsula. They are called Karakachans in Bulgaria and Sarakatsans in Greece. The group identifies itself by different names: when speaking Karakachan, they call themselves Vlahi (sing. Vlahos), which they translate into Bulgarian as Karakachani (sing. Karakachanin). Upon mention of the ethnonym Vlahos, Vlahi, they promptly proceed to stress that they are different from the Vlachs and have nothing to do with them. Or, as they themselves say, “we are Vlahi in Karakachan, Karakachani in Bulgarian and Sarakatsani in Greek”. Linguists refer the Karakachan dialect to the group of the northern dialects of modern Greek.

In terms of religion, the Karakachans are Orthodox Christians. In the nomadic period their access to Christian churches and contact with priests was difficult due to the remoteness of their settlements from other villages and towns. In their traditional culture, we find many pagan beliefs, customs and traditions that are combined in a unique way with the Christian worldview and holidays. After settling down for life, their contacts with the Orthodox Church became permanent.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the Karakachans were scattered in many parts of the Balkan Peninsula (Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Macedonia), but today they live in Greece and Bulgaria only. In Bulgaria, compact groups of the populace inhabit areas of the Balkan Mountain Range, Mountain Rila, and Northeastern Bulgaria.

At the start of the 20th century, the Karakachans were typical nomadic shepherds. They grazed their sheep only on natural pastures, which were in different places in the two main seasons, often at a considerable distance from each other. Horses and sheep were of primary importance, since they provided almost all the food, clothing, furnishings and transportation. The Karakachan sheep and horse are among the earliest breeds, and are ideally suited to the nomadic way of life. The main trades of the Karakachans – sheep-breeding and dairyfarming – had several specific characteristics.”

[5centsapound]

George Voulgaropoulos: Son of a Bulgarian

Artist Statement:

VOULGAROPOULOS, translated, means “the son of a Bulgarian”. When Nikos Voulgaropoulos was killed in 1922, any knowledge of ancestry was lost with him. This is my journey as I search for the origins of my family and our name, beginning in Bulgaria where I meet a Greek minority group called the Karakachani. Traditionally transhumant shepherds, the Karakachani have been forced to urbanise after the communist government took their livestock in 1958. Travelling across Bulgaria, down along the Black Sea coast and overland into Turkey, my journey has taken me through Istanbul to Izmir. Here I discover the birthplace of my Grandfather in Smyra (modern day Izmir), in the suburb of Halkapinar. This project reflects my experiences as a 2nd generation Australian growing up in a Greek family, tracing my connections with a fading past. The photographs represent my journey through the familiar within the unfamiliar on a search for the origins of my culture and identity.

[pplndplcs]