Shala (tribe)


Shala is a historical tribe and region of northern Albania in the valley of the river Shalë, in the Dukagjin highlands. It was first mentioned in 1634, and oral tradition and archaeology confirms that their ancestors immigrated to the valley. At the end of the 19th century the tribe was Catholic and had ca. 3,000 members. Today, descendants are widespread in Kosovo.

Etymology

According to Robert Elsie, their name derives from the Albanian word shalës, meaning "infertile land". The Shala name was recorded for the first time in Italian in 1634 as "Sciala". Albanian legends relate that the Shala share a common ancestor with the Shoshi and Mirdita, second had sieve and third who had nothing wished to his brothers to have a good-day.

Geography

The tribal region is situated in northern Albania, in the valley of the river Shalë, north of the Drin and south of Theth, in the Dukagjin highlands.
The Shala tribe is either divided into four bajraks: Theth, Pecaj, Lothaj and Lekaj, or three bajraks: Shala, Gemaj and Theth, the latter two considered tribes in their own right.
Since the last decade of the 17th century the region of Kosovo and north-western Macedonia was settled by families belonging to Albanian tribes. The most intensive phase of this migration was between the middle of 18th century until the 1840s. This led to division of many tribes including Shala.
Today in Kosovo, the Shala are concentrated primarily around Vučitrn, Mitrovica, and Trepça in the hilly region known as Shala e Bajgorës, Bajgora being the largest of their 37 settlements. They are divided into four clans or vllazni : the Gima, Peci, Maleti and the Lopçi. There are also good numbers of Shala in Isniq, Lluka e Epërme and Strellç in Ulët near Deçan, in Klina and Drenica.

History

Origins

The legendary ancestor of the Shala was Zog Diti, while his brothers Mark Diti was that of the Shoshi and Mir Diti that of the Mirdita. There are also other founding traditions. Results of historical and archaeological research confirm the claim of oral histories that ancestors of Shala came to the valley several centuries ago. Some sources indicate that ancestors of Shala came to Albania from the region of Kuči, which is why they are considered as related to Kuči. Shala tribe was in conflict with Gashi tribe until they made peace in August 1879, based on sultan's order. Russian scholar J. V. Ivanova conducted research in northern Albania in 1956–58, and recorded from the locals that when the Shala had settled the Shala valley, they encountered the native "Mavriqi", from the Puka mountains in the 15th or 17th century, ultimately originating from the Pashtrik mountain near Prizren at the end of the 14th century. The religion of the tribe was Catholic while the tribe had around 3,000 members at the end of 19th century.

Ottoman period

During the late Ottoman period, the tribe of Shala was exclusively Catholic and it was a famous Albanian tribe. The tribe of Shala claimed it had four bajraktars. For the Shala the process of bloodguilt due to blood feuding was restricted to males of a household that were considered fair game.
After the Young Turk Revolution and subsequent restoration of the Ottoman constitution, the Shala tribe made a besa to support the document and to stop blood feuding with other tribes until November 6.
In 1910, along with some other Albanian tribes, the Shala joined the Albanian revolt of 1910 and the fight between them against the Ottoman forces of Shevket Turgut Pasha attempting to reach Shkodër was fierce.
During the Albanian revolt of 1911 on 23 June Albanian tribesmen and other revolutionaries gathered in Montenegro and drafted the Greçë Memorandum demanding Albanian sociopolitical and linguistic rights with two of the signatories being from Shala. In later negotiations with the Ottomans, an amnesty was granted to the tribesmen with promises by the government to build one to two primary schools in the nahiye of Shala and pay the wages of teachers allocated to them.

Independent Albania

In 1913, Shala tribe joined Montenegrin forces during the Siege of Scutari. When Montenegrin forces began to disarm them after the city was captured, Shala tribe rebelled.
In 1918, Austro-Hungarian census recorded 431 households and 2,512 inhabitants, inhabiting the settlements and surroundings of Abat, Lekaj, Lotaj, Nenmavriq, Nicaj, Pecaj and Theth.
In 1926, Shala and Shoshi tribe again rebelled but this rebellion was suppressed by the gendarmes led by Muharrem Bajraktari and fighters from Dibra and Mat. After World War II, the communists forced nationalist forces of Albania to retreat to Shala which they controlled throughout 1945 and 1946.

Economy

Members of Shala tribe were very skillful in irrigation. Branislav Nušić recorded that Shala was the poorest tribe of Albania with only small exception of around 400 families who lived in village Istinić, near Deçan.

Religion

The patron saint of the Shala is Saint John the Evangelist, whose feast day was celebrated on 27 December.
The religion of the tribe was Catholic while the tribe had around 3,000 members at the end of 19th century. The descendants of the tribe in Kosovo today are Muslim.

Notable people