Ewa Kocój and Łukasz Kocój: In Search of a “New Grammousta.” Cultural Heritage of Aromanian (Vlach) Shepherds in the Southern Pirin, Bulgaria
Abstract
The history and cultural heritage of Aromanian (Vlach) shepherds in Bulgaria is a challenging topic that warrants particular inquisitiveness in scientific research. The Aromanians arrived there after years of severe persecution perpetrated by the Turks and Albanians at the end of the 18th century. They created their own cultural space in the high mountains that became their refuge for decades, with settlements comprising houses, farms, places of religious worship, and pastures. They set up a network of stakeholders who purchased their goods. Due to their specific lifestyle and the oral nature of their culture, the historical and ethnographic sources illustrating their world are scarce. The aim of this article is to present the history of the Aromanian community from the moment they settled in the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria in the 19th century until they left Bulgaria in the first half of the 20th century. It describes the main Aromanian settlements, including their location, traditional professions, wintering places, and the principal herding routes in that region. The research was carried out using qualitative methodology, including participatory observations in the villages of Pirin, and interviews with the inhabitants of the mountain villages of Bulgaria. The research has shown that the now sparse Aromanian community of Pirin, Bulgaria, has preserved the memory of its origins, as well as a small amount of cultural heritage, which is currently undergoing extinction – it requires description, documentation and revitalisation of the community’s sites and (non)-sites.
[Bulgaria, Pirin, Aromanians (Vlachs), cultural heritage, pastoralism, traditional professions, places of religious worship, shepherds’ routes, places and (non-)places]
