The Macedonian Digest
“From the readers for the readers”
Edition 23 – November 2007
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Editor’s Notes
Dear readers,
Starting January 1st, 2008, the Macedonian Digest will be changing its format slightly. We have been getting both complements and criticisms about the Digest so far so its time to make improvements. I have also been told that prominent historians have been reading our articles. We are making history so please no more ranting and raving and stick to the facts.
We have the right to call ourselves Macedonians and no one can take that right away from us. As for being direct descendents of the ancient Macedonians, that remain to be seen unless of course we can produce an accurate genealogy that extends that far back. I can accurately trace my ancestry to 1850. How far can you accurately trace yours? I suggest we stick with what we know to be the facts which is “Macedonians are a product of all people that lived on Macedonian lands including the Ancient Macedonians”.
I can tell you with a fair certainty that those who claim, without a shred of evidence, to be direct descendants of people who lived 2,500 years ago will not only lose credibility, but they will become the joke of the century.
So, please let’s keep it real.
Thank you.
Risto Stefov
Feature Stories
Bulgaria Ignores European Court of Human Rights Ruling
September 6, 2007
Toronto, Canada - Once again, Bulgaria has proven its complete disregard for human rights and European law. In its latest state-sponsored act of racism towards its large Macedonian minority, the Sofia City Court has rejected, again, the registration of Macedonian minority party OMO Ilinden PIRIN, despite the ECHR’s October 2005 ruling that the party be immediately registered.
According to party co-president, Stojko Stojkov, “Bulgarian authorities are taking every measure possible to prevent us from participating in next month’s local elections.”
Since last year, Bulgaria has intensified its campaign of blatant racism and persecution of its Macedonian minority including slander by the media, Bulgarian politicians calling for Macedonians to be “shot dead in the streets” and “expelled from Bulgaria”, and the secret police intimidating members of OMO Ilinden PIRIN with detainment and threats of deportation, loss of citizenship, loss of employment and even execution. See www.mhrmi.org/press_releases.asp for more information.
“The European Union claims to uphold the rule of law and stand for human rights for all citizens. Yet, EU member-states are continuously permitted to ignore ECHR rulings and continue to violate their minority’s rights” said MHRMI president Bill Nicholov.
MHRMI calls on the international community to condemn Bulgaria's state-sponsored acts of oppression, and demand that Bulgaria immediately recognize its large Macedonian minority and grant it the human rights that it is guaranteed by all international human rights conventions. Moreover, MHRMI calls on the European Union to enforce the European Court of Human Rights decision in favour of OMO Ilinden PIRIN's immediate registration.
Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. Its main objective is to pursue and attain all fundamental human and national rights including the right of freedom of expression and association and to support all democratic principles for all ethnic Macedonians, and other oppressed peoples. For more information please contact MHRMI at (416) 850-7125, or info@mhrmi.org
Macedonian Prime Minister Will Seek Justice for expelled Macedonians from Greece
http://umdiaspora.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125&Itemid=52
Monday, 31 July 2006
Source: Macedonian daily Dnevnik
Translated by UMDiaspora Staff
It is about time somebody raised this issue, initiating a dialogue with Greece on the problems of the expelled Macedonians, incoming Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said.
During a pan-Macedonian gathering in the Pelister village of Trnovo yesterday, Prime Minister-designate Nikola Gruevski promised the expelled Macedonians that he would initiate a dialogue with Greece on their repatriation in Aegean Macedonia. According to Gruevski, it is odd that this issue has been veiled in silence over the past 16 years of independence and that none of the previous cabinets has advocated for the rights of these Macedonians.
It is about time that somebody in this state raised this issue, initiating a dialogue with Greece on the problems of the expelled Macedonians. There is nothing embarrassing about it, nor does it mean that our relations with the southern neighbor will deteriorate. Neither the EU, nor Greece will object if we address this problem, as other countries have consulted Macedonia about their nationals here. After all, this was also our campaign promise, Gruevski said.
Aleksandar Popovski, honorary chairman of the Association of Organizations of Ethnic Macedonians Expelled from Greece, complained about the previous governments' disgraceful attitude towards their burning problem.
-It is terrifying that a state has been unable to resolve this issue for 60 years, while building good neighborly relations based on the tragedy of these people expelled from their homes. We have therefore organized this event to send out a message to the government to raise this issue to an international level with Greece, but also with the United Nations, Popovski said.
Over 2,000 people crowded the courtyard of the Sveta Bogorodica Church in Trnovo, which hosted the 26th all-Macedonian gathering (Sunday, July 30, 2006). With tears in their eyes, Macedonians from all over the world recollected the ordeal of leaving their homes.
-We fled Buf, a beautiful village in Aegean Macedonia, in 1947. I was only eight years old then. My mother held my hand while holding my little sister in her arms, and we were off. I just remember the image of laundry drying outside. We thought we’d be back in a week. In the past 59 years, I managed to enter Greece only once and only with an Australian passport, which states that I was born in a village near Bitola -- this is the heart-breaking account of Lefterija Todorovska, who has lived in Melbourne, Australia, for over 30 years.
Macedonians living in Bulgaria and Albania conveyed their problems at the meeting, as well. According to Ivan Gargavelov, Bulgaria continues to spread nationalist propaganda for the Macedonians' complete assimilation in Bulgaria.
-Bulgaria claims to be a democratic country, but does nothing in practice. If we declare ourselves as Macedonians, both we and our children will lose our jobs. Even though 300,000 Macedonians live in Pirin Macedonia alone, it is this sort of events that force them to declare themselves Bulgarians, while they feel Macedonian, Gargavelov said.
Edmond Temelko, chairman of the Organization for the Protection of the Rights of Macedonians in Albania, says that the situation there is no better, either.
There are some 250,000 Macedonians, and yet, only 5 percent study in their mother tongue -- only in primary school, at that, and only in Mala Prespa. In other places, such as Golemo Brdo and Gora, which are inhabited by purely ethnic Macedonian population, there is not a single Macedonian-language class. Albania's policy bans even the introduction of census form fields where we can declare ourselves as Macedonians, Temelko said.
A VILLAGE WITH HISTORICAL LINK
Thursday September 6, 03:31 PM
Amritsar, Sept. 6 (ANI): Bandala, 20 kilometers
away from Amritsar and close to the River Beas is like any other village
of Punjab, but for an interesting historical link attached to it.
Residents of the village claim that in 326 BC,
Alexander, the Great camped at Bandala while on a campaign to conquer India.
The Macedonian King's visit is substantiated by
the existence of period structures, inscriptions and faded paintings.
Historians and archaeologists, however, assert
that more research is needed to unearth the truth of Alexander's camp. "There
is a need for deeper research from three angles. One, from documentary angle,
second a proper research on these buildings, and third, material from here should
be properly tested to find out how old are they," said Professor Balwinder
Singh, an expert in historical archaeology, at the Guru Nanak Dev University.
Some villagers are so eager to strengthen the
tale of Alexander that they term the village to be thousands of years old.
"Our village is very old and the buildings
are almost 1000 to 1500 years old," said Amarjeet, a villager.
Further these votaries of Macedonian links relate
how the Maharaja of Kapurthala, on the basis of the Serai and the remnants of
the old buildings and the pictures inscribed on the walls of those buildings,
had subscribed to the belief of Bandala being the place where Alexander and his
army had camped.
The local Panchayat has identified the village
as the place where Alexander was defeated.
"About Alexander, it has been said that he faced a strong resistance from
rulers. It is also said that Alexander wasn't able to cross the Beas River and
was defeated here," said Kahan Singh Pannu, Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar.
(ANI)
Posted by Mplf1 on maknews.com at this link http://www.maknews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4278
Government reduces VAT in Macedonia
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2007/09/06/feature-03
As part of its effort to raise living standards, the Gruevski administration has lowered the VAT on medicines, computers, software, solar panels and public transportation.
By Marina Stojanovska for Southeast European Times in Skopje - 06/09/07
The Macedonian government has decided to cut the VAT on several categories of products from 18% to 5%. The reduction applies to drugs, selected medical goods, computers, computer software, solar panels and public transportation.
"With a lower VAT, we are taking a new step in realizing our election promises," said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. "We have found a way to increase the budget and strengthen the economy."
Immediately following the statement, wholesale pharmacies announced lower prices. "The government's move is to be welcomed. Drug prices will be cheaper by 10%," said Blagoja Mehandziski, the managing director of one of Macedonia's leading wholesale and retail chains, Zegin.
"Lowering the VAT from 18% to 5% will positively affect prescription prices," said the director of the Bureau for Medicines, Ilco Zahariev.
The VAT reduction should also make personal computers, computer software and solar panels more accessible for purchase by Macedonians.
In an effort to protect the environment, the government aims to trim the price of panels to encourage their use. Although Macedonia has long periods of sunshine, solar panels have been rarely used because of their high cost -- over 1,000 euros.
The government has promised further financial assistance to those buying them. Purchasers will receive refunds of around 300 euros from the government budget.
Public transportation is also covered by the VAT reduction. However, the Public Transport Enterprise Skopje (JSP Skopje) says the impact on fares may be small.
"The measure will only help lower the high costs of the outdated motor pool. We have not yet calculated if and how much we will lower the prices," JSP Skopje said.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com
Macedonia Welcomes Slovenian EU Support
http://www.birn.eu.com/en/103/15/4367/
14 09 2007 Skopje_ Macedonia welcomes Slovenia’s support for its EU membership bid, foreign ministry spokesman Spresa Jusufi told Balkan Insight on Friday.
Late on Thursday, Slovenia’s State
Secretary for European Affairs, Janez Lenarcic, told media in Ljubljana that
his country would “try to set a start date for membership talks with
Macedonia during the Slovenian EU presidency”, scheduled for the first
half of 2008.
But Lenarcic warned that it would be unrealistic
to expect an immediate start to the talks, due to the length of procedures.
Jusufi described the Slovenian statement as “absolutely
positive”, and told Balkan Insight that it was in line with his ministry’s
expectations on that matter.
“We expect to get a date for the beginning
of talks during the Slovenian presidency and we are hoping to start the talks
during 2008”, Jusufi said.
As Lenarcic mentioned Thursday, during its presidency
Slovenia will focus on all western Balkans countries that are still outside the
EU.
Lenarcic pointed to the Kosovo final status process
and the so-called “enlargement fatigue” in the EU, after welcoming
12 new members in the past three years, as two of the main concerns for Balkan
stability in the future.
In 2005 the EU granted Macedonia candidate status
but avoided setting a date for opening talks on membership.
Not another BIG Greek Lie?
About JIM KARYGIANNIS
"Jim believes in the power and potential of the human race. He is often quoted as saying that R.A.C.E. stands for Respecting our neighbours, Accepting our differences, Celebrating our rich diversity and Embracing our heritage."
That quote can be found on the biography
page of his website:
http://karygiannismp.com/spip/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1
Posted by Ilce on maknews.com forum
Greek Lie # x
(There are so many Greek Lies
we can no longer keep track of them)
So, me and the wife (Vlach/Prosfiga from Kozani) are at the mall yesterday and some Grkoman says to me "Alex do you like the Greek coffee at Tim Hortons". I knew where he was headed on this from the start so I call his bluff. I say "when did that Canadian owned company start serving Turkish coffee"? He says "ne bre "Ice Cappuccino" is really Greek "Frappe" So then I tell him this ..
Greek Coffee = Turkish Coffee
Ice = No ice in Greece (Athens)
Cappuccino = 100% Italian Culture
Frappe = Nescafé (America via Brazil) and "Voda" comes from
Macedonia.
By RMK
Not
Another Big Greek lie?
Today "Hellenized " non-Greeks
claim that Macedonians never used the Sun of Vergina as a symbol to present
themselves nor had any idea what the Vergina star looked like. In 1991 Macedonia
chose a flag based on Vergina Star(Sun), the symbol of the ancient Macedonian
kingdom. Mr. Gligorov, back then president of Republic of Macedonia said "The
Symbol was used for centuries in Macedonian churches".
Here are only a few pictures to prove it:
1 - 19th century Church in Pirin
Macedonia :
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/freezman55/19thcentury.AncientMacedoniansymbola16thpointedrayedsun.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/freezman55/19thcentury.AncientMacedoniansymbolan8thpointedrayedsun600x450.jpg
2 - Gates of a house from 1750's :Town of Prilep
(country Macedonia)
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/freezman55/HerearethegatestoachurchinPrilepbui.jpg
So please allow me to ask our "Hellenes" friends. “When
and where was the star of Vergina excavated for the very first time?” It
was in "Vergina", Macedonia and not Greece! It was the so called "Helllenes" and
not the Macedonians who had no idea what the Star of Vergina looked like before
it was excavated in 1977 when a "Hellenized" non-Greek archeologist
Mr. Andronikos Manolis excavated it in Aegean Macedonia at a place called Vergina.
Even though Macedonians throughout history
and centuries earlier used the symbol in
churches and other places, the self proclaimed "Hellenes" waited
until 1991 to object to its use by Macedonians.
In 1994/1995 another "Hellenized" non
Greek named Liliana Suvaldzi claimed that she discovered the tomb of Alexander
the Great in Siva (Egypt). Archeologists from Macedonia who happened to be visiting
the place pointed out that the 8 rayed Sun symbol on the tomb too was a Macedonian
symbol, which she did not recognize.
In 1995 during a joint collaboration between
Italian and Macedonian IFRAO (International Federation of Research on Rock
Art Organization) research teams excavated a carved stone with a 3000
year old Macedonian sun on it. This was a Bronze/Iron age artifact found
near Kratovo, Republic of Macedonia. The Sun symbol was carved with primitive
tools, had 8 rays and was square framed. The team guided by Prof. Dario Segli-representative
of IFRAO from Italy, Dr. Piero Richiardi-president of Study Center and Museum
of ancient art from Pinerolo (Italy) and Dr. Dusko Aleksovski -representative
of IFRAO for Macedonia together with the representatives of the Italian Embassy
in Skopje -Dr. Djanfranko Stilone and Djino Mucili. The team confirmed that
the carved stone was of great importance for ancient Macedonian art and a
great piece of art work. The discovery was presented during the IFRAO congress
in Torino (Italy) which took place between August 30th and Sept
9th, 1995. The appearance of the historically 8 rayed Macedonian
Sun made it easier for Macedonia to abandon (for now) the original (traditional)
choice for its flag.
Note: A 16 rayed sun appears on the flag of Uruguay
but we don’t see the self proclaimed "Hellenes" objecting to
it?
By Boyan Lazarov (Canada)
Not another BIG (modern, "artificially" 'Ellinized')
("non"-) 'Greek' Lie?
A FAVOURITE GREEK SAYING: "They are not "Macedonians" they
are "Slavs", so how can they be 'Macedonians'?"!
The (indigenous and intelligent) "stone age" tribes
of proto-Balkan peoples (the white man), (which included the 'ancestors' of the "united
Macedonian tribes"), adopted the 'religion' and the names of the gods from
the Egyptians (i.e. Zu and Ra) via messengers. Ra was the Egyptian Sun God from
which was derived the 'indigenous proto-Balkan peoples Sun God Iliy'. The god
'Zu' (Zeus, which depicts life) is a 'part' product of the 'life giving' Sun
God 'Ra" (Iliy). As a result, the proto-Balkan peoples (the white man) became
'religious' Slovani/Sloveni/Slavs (z>s), and/or
"(Z)helleni" (with the "z" being silent) depending on their
accents'/dialects and the regions where they lived. "People of, and/or who
have faith/belief in Zeus and Iliy. (S-lo-vani) & ((z)'he'-lle-ni).
Here are some inscriptions found on the territory
of the modern Macedonian republic.
7,000 - 6,000 BC (from Osinchani, near Skopje), "Kre(sh)t se si u l't
s ilju", "Glitter in your flight only with the (Sun god) Iliy".
7,000 - 5,000 BC, Zet (Son-in-Law): Kuzo Heruzi. (i.e. k>g>zh), Ku-zo > Zhos-Zhivee >"Zeus
Lives". He-ru-zi > (Z)he-ro(den)-Zhi(vee) > "Zeus, the born,
lives".
7,000 - 5,000 BC, Zet (Son-in-Law): Stole N' D' MSEJ. (i.e. s>z), Stole > Zht-ole > Zh(ivio)t-ile > the
'life giving' Iliy. *SEJ > "Zhe" > Zeus.
5,000 - 4,500 BC, Zet (Son-in-Law): T'rpe od Ore(sh)t. (T'rpe, from the village
'Oresht'). (p>b>v), T'-r-pe: T> "th" >v. (Zhe)v > Zeus,
r>roden/born, pe>(zhi)ve(e)/lives. "Zeus, the born, lives".
O-re(sh)t > O>ole/Iliy, re>rod/gave birth, sht>zhd/zeus. "Iliy,
gave birth (to) zeus".
2,100 - 1,500 BC, Zet (Son-in-Law): T'gil T'fil. (g>z)(f>v), T'-gi-l > T=v.
(zhi)v(ee) zhi(vi)-l(i) > 'Lives', the 'life giving' 'Iliy'. T'-fi-l > (zhi)v(ee)
(zhi)vi-l(i) > 'Lives', the 'life giving' 'Iliy'.
The fact that the indigenous proto-Balkan peoples
(the white man), (including the ancestors of the 'united Macedonian tribes')
spoke dialects of the same language, and used proto-Cyrillic writing, the 'religious'
terms Slovani/Sloveni/Slavs and (z)"helleni"/Helleni/Hellenes, also
became (confused) a 'linguistic' descriptor: "the Slovansko/Slavic and/or
the Hellensko/Hellenic tounge or language". The (Z)"helleni" tribes
were more to the south of Mt.Olympus and scattered around the islands.
Many millennia later, around 1,600 bc displaced
Sub-Saharan/Afro-Ethiopian Colonists crossed the Mediterranean and arrived at
Morea (modern day Peloponnesus). This group never ventured north beyond Mount
Olympus where the proto-Slavs (chiefly) were. The Sub-Saharan/Afro-Ethiopian
Colonists themselves, already believed in Zu and 'Lu' (Zeus and Iliy) before
they started fusing with some of the locals! Because of the hybrid language which
was construed, the "hybrids" (more so and technically) became religious "Ellines" as
opposed to (Z)"helleni"!
1,385 BC (inscription found on the territory of the modern Macedonian republic),
Ig'l al
I > J > Zhe(v) > 'Zeus', g'- l al > zh(ivi)'-li >the 'life
giving' 'Iliy'. "Zeus, (son of) the 'life giving' 'Iliy'".
Macedon ("Makedon") is an indigenous
proto-Balkan (the white man) term meaning "Mothers Domain". North of
Olympus, the 'early' Macedonian state began with King Caranus in 825 bc when
some indigenous proto-Balkan (the white man)/predominantly proto-Slav "tribes" united.
(they were there from at least 7,000 bc according to inscriptions found)!
Not long after the 'early' Macedonian state was
formed in 825 bc, south of Mt. Olympus, particularly around the Peloponnesus
region, the 'north of Olympus "(Z)helleni" Dorian conquerors, the "Elliness" "Eur-Ethiopians" along
with recently arrived "Zu/Ra" Egyptian and "(Z)helleni" (?)Phoenician
Colonists, etc, began to form (independent of each other) City States.
Eventually, this society called themselves "Ellines" because of
the adaptation of the progressive hybrid Koine language which was developed. "Ellines": "People
of (and/or whom have faith/belief in) Zevs and Ilias! (as opposed to Zhe
and Iliu!).
King Philip II of Macedon (from 359 - 336 bc)
incorporated some 'other' indigenous, proto-Balkan (the white man)/proto-"Slav" 'tribes'
into the Macedonian kingdom (approximately up to where the present day northern
border of the Republic of Macedonia is). This included a 'part' of
proto-Slav Dardania. Dardania was largely outside the northern borders of
Macedonia.
A little before Philip's time the Ancient Macedonians
partially did adopt City State language and culture (as well as using their own).
This does not make them "ethnic" 'Ellines' or "Ellines' for that
matter! *(Inscription on a tablet found in the modern, ("artificially" 'Ellinized')
("non"-) "Greek" occupied part of Macedonia' -since 1912/13).
253 AD (inscription in the vicinity of Veria). Kalokeron Olympin (12 year
old Macedonian child) (k>g>z), Ka-lo > Zh(iv)i-li/the 'life giving'
Iliy, ke>zhe/zeus, ron/gave birth. "the 'life giving' 'Iliy', to
'Zeus', gave birth".
(H)olym-p(us). (p>b>v), (H)-oly(m)> Zh(ivi)-li/the 'life giving'
'Iliy'. p(us)>b(og)>b(ozh)>"(zhi)v(o)-(zh)(os)"/the 'living'
'Zeus'. "the 'life giving' 'Iliy' (gave birth to) the 'living' 'Zeus'".
The modern, artificial state of so-called "Greece" ("Ellinized" non-"Greeks")
is deliberately not showing any ancient proto-Slavic/(Z)hellenic inscriptions
(which date to at least 7,000 bc)
which they have no doubt found! (and most surely destroyed)! This is what
the original 'ancient,
international Mediterranean Koine or Common Language ', so-called (bastardized) "Greek" today,
was overwhelmingly created from, after 1,600 bc!
The artificial Bulgarian state too is deliberately
not co-operating, for similar reasons!
By Dusko L
From the Slovenian “Zbornik”
THE VINCHA SCRIPT
By Radivoje Pesic, Vesna Pesic
Continued…
The Vincha script is linear i.e. the script consisting of letter characters and is a starting point in a circle of nine systems, pointing to the mystery of its morphology and the repetition of the continuity in a strictly defined rhythm up to the number indicating all the layers of the phone within a tone, being the expression of a linear dimension of an atom. The morphology of numbers, wrongly designated as Roman, was also derived from the Vincha script, for the Vincha culture preceded Rome for over three thousand years, but Etruria seemed to have been much closer, though it has been known it had flourished at the end of the II and at the beginning of I millennia B.C. The Etruscans were the closest neighbors of the Veneti, and the Veneti went from the Balkans into the Trojan wars scattering all over Europe after the defeat. It is known, their homeland, even before the Trojan wars expanded all over the Middle Danube Basin, along the rivers Morava and Timok, up to the fountainhead of the river Vardar. Accordingly, the Etruscans could have taken over the morphology of both the number and the script from the Veneti, and not from the Greek with whom they did not have good relations. Having taken over the heritage of the Etruscan civilization, the Romans took over the number as well, which had originated from the Vincha culture. The Vincha script had not disappeared with the end of the Vincha culture. It had expanded, and more or less modified, or in the original form, continued to exist until the late Bronze Age, as documented by numerous archaeological traces.
The Vincha script, as the identification of the spirit mechanics, by its system stemming out of its morphology, and the latter out of the universal rhythm constants, arouses numerous fundamental problems not only within the field of grammatology, but also within the historical civilization development and its evolution. The Vincha script confirms the literacy could not have accrued out of pictography, as maintained by superficial scientific conclusions up to now, but out of biological order of things to which the prehistoric man could only turn to. The discovery of the Vincha script system changes and historically and geographically shifts cradles of early civilizations and directions of their movements. What is still more crucial, as a reflection of undefeated age, it is, by its inner structure, the best expression of the tendency towards transcendental and absolute. Therefore, it had not been dedicated to the ritual, as suggested by Maria Gimbutas, distracting her Ph.D. candidates from the central field of cognition and directing them to already long surpassed notions. The Vincha script is religion bereft of ritual, and a religion bereft of mediator.
Reference:
Radivoje Pesic: The Vincha script, Pesic i sinovi, Beograd 2001.
The End
Issues
In reference to Dr. Kerim’s reference
to the Republic of Macedonia as that and not FYROM in the UN, I find the
Greek reaction distasteful. They state his comments were in full contravention
of Security Council resolutions 817 (1993) and 843 (1993), as well as the
recommendations contained therein regarding the provisional name under which
this state was unanimously admitted to the United Nations ("the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"). Well hang on one moment ………….
How many UN and other resolutions have the Greeks
broken over the last century with their pathetic human rights records concerning
the ethnic Macedonians of Greece? They have systematically destroyed more than
a millennia of family history and tradition by purging Aegean Macedonia of ethnic
Macedonian existence. They have ruined families and treat it as if nothing has
happened.
I may add that I am an ethnic Macedonian from
the Aegean part of Macedonia which unfortunately today falls within the political
borders of the Former Turkish Province of Greece (FYPOG). The Republic of Macedonia
has no other name choice because not only does it represent the people within
and from the country but it also represents the rest of us ethnic and indigenous
Macedonians whose existence is forbidden by Greece.
By Justice
As a Macedonian living in Australia, I am very pleased that we are recognized as Macedonians.
Since the treaty of Bucharest our people have been divided and separated from not only ourselves but also our own history it is only right that the Macedonian people should be rejoined back by our original name.
Considering what monumental historical achievements the ancient Macedonian people had in shaping the human race as we know it and I don't take full credit the Greeks, Persians, Gauls, Mongols etc; all had a hand in their own time and place as we did.
But as a Macedonian and that's all I have ever been as my father & my forefathers have been, and can’t be anything else but Macedonians. I do know that I am more Macedonian than a Spartan or a Cretan or a Frenchman or American and certainly more than a Greek man, I am and always will be a Macedonian with all the rights of honour that, that name gives me the right to be.
To the Greek's out there, sorry about the misunderstanding your politicians have bestowed on you, but please take it up with them and leave us with our name and our history alone. Concentrate specifically on your own achievements after all are you not the cradle of civilization that in itself is monumental, stealing someone else's history is not!
By Trajce K.
Opinions
"ELLINISM" NOT "HELLENISM"
The related (pre-Christian) 'religious' terms
of Zu/Ra believers, Zulu, Slovani/Sloveni/Slavs,
'(Z)helleni' and 'Ellines' have been explained in the Macedonian Digest many
times.
If you have been reading the Digest it should
be clear to you as to which peoples the respective labels (technically) belong
to.
In a desperate attempt to save their skins and
forge a distinct identity for themselves, the modern, ethnically diverse, "artificially" "Ellinized" peoples
of the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (NOT "GREECE")
have deliberately distorted the rather simple, mythical (religious), ancient, "progressive", "Koine" concept
("Ellines"). It simply (means)
translates to "Zevs (Son of) Ilias" -believers. (Note: The pre-(Koine)"Ellines",
proto-"Slavic"/"(Z)hellenic" pronunciation is "Zhos/Zhe,
sin na Iliu/Ile", respectively) -(Zeus, son of Iliy). The following
example highlights some of the rubbish these people have been
fed:
"Ellinism is a spirit which transcends borders,
boundaries and bloodlines. Only when one can accept the burden and responsibility
that comes with being an "Ellines" may one lay claim to be a descendant
of the ancients, for "Ellinism" is not passed by bloodline alone, it
is a spirit which can be passed down from generation to generation, and which
can assimilate whole cultures"! (Hmmm! Seems to me that "Ellinism" is
an artificially manufactured concept deliberately designed to brainwash otherwise
ethnically diverse (gullible) peoples, so as to try to keep them
together in a forged cohesion!).
It is a tool, which can be imposed mentally on
a subdued people, to assimilate them, once they've had their lands taken away
from them! Next time someone asks you if you are an 'Ellinas' and/or tries explaining
to you what 'Ellinism' is and means, tell them to PISS OFF!!!
by Dusko L.
Not another "artificially Ellinized" - "Southern
Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" - Not 'Greek' - 'Brainwashed'
- Impostor-Politician!
Upon Canada's recognition of the Republic
of Macedonia by its constitutional name (northern "free Macedonia" with
its capital now Skopje), the "artificially Ellinized" - "Southern
Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" - Not 'Greek' - 'brainwashed' - Impostor-Politician,
Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, was quoted in the Globe and Mail newspaper as giving
racially derogatory comments.
-"The Greeks are pissed", soothed Jim Karygiannis, the Greek-born
Liberal MP for Scarborough-Agincourt.
-The MP said "the Skopjans", as he referred to the Macedonians
(They are the creation of Skopje).
-"How would you like part of the United States to call themselves Canada?" he
continued. "What if all of a sudden New York State begins to call itself
Canada or Ontario?"
The racist and inaccurate remarks by Liberal MP
Jim Karygiannis are identical to the world wide propaganda campaign carried out
by the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (Not Greece) over
many years. Its goal is to deliberately spread confusion about the name 'Macedonia'
and 'the Macedonians'.
The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (Not
Greece) itself is a 19th century, anti Russian - anti Slav, strategically
and artificially created Great Power fabrication (manufactured chiefly by England/Great
Britain, France and Germany! Hmmm! Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?! -Hint...,
permanent United Nations Veto wielding members!..).
The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (Not
Greece) illegally seized 51% of Southern Macedonia (Ottoman occupied at the time)
along with its indigenous population in 1913. Ever since then they have tried
to conceal (distort) the event. They have expelled many indigenous Macedonians
(that’s those Slav Speakers) and have systematically tried to assimilate
those remaining.
It has only been as recent as 1988 that they (strategically
and cunningly) decided to officially rename their illegally annexed northern province
to 'Macedonia' (Hmmm!... ).
The political game Mr. Karygiannis is playing
in Canada is nothing new. He is merely "parroting" "Southern Balkan
(Mediterranean) Republic" politics in Canada like a puppet.
He attempts to smudge the differences between
the "Macedonians" and the "artificially Ellinized" citizens
of the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (Not Greece/Greeks
or 'Ellines', but ethnic Vlachs, Albanians, Turkish Christian Prosfigs, Turks,
Jews, Gypsies, Armenians, Egyptians and others!), misleading Canadians. Mr. Karygiannis'
comments don't promote peace and stability in the Balkans.
The demand by the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean)
Republic" (Not Greece) that the Republic of Macedonia change its name must
be viewed and regarded with extreme caution and skepticism. The forged state
too has broken every 'Human Rights Treaty' it has made and signed with its EU
and NATO partners regarding its minorities!!!
Macedonia is an ancient "country" and
the "Macedonians" are the indigenous population (see previous digests).
Various races have inhabited the region 'South of Olympus'.
Instead of crying out foul over Canada's recognition of the Republic of Macedonia
by its constitutional name, Mr. Karygiannis better realize that if he
thinks that he is first and foremost a "Greek" (an 'A(r)chaean'),
he would need to prove that he is a descendant of the indigenous, prehistoric
(white man), proto-Slav (or '(Z)hellenic') Pelasgian A(r)chaeans of 'Morea'!
They lived on the territory of what is the modern day Peloponnesus between
at least 7,000 BC - 1,600 BC, before the Zulu Ethiopians and other subsequent
colonists/invaders arrived thereafter. (I don't think he can, therefore he
is not a "Greek"!). He is obviously not a "Macedonian"!
Secondly, if Mr Karygiannis thinks he is a so-called "Ellinas",
he would need to prove that he is a descendant of the subsequent, hybrid,
Mycenaean, Koine Speaking "Pelasgian-(Zulu)Ethiopian" Ahhijawans
of 'Morea', and/or the 'later' (to the South of Mt. Olympus) City State "Eur-African" peoples!
(I don't think he can, therefore he is not an "Ellinas"!). (notice
the difference between '(z)helleni' and 'Ellines'!).
As mentioned he is most likely an "artificially
Ellinized" - "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" - Not
'Greek' Impostor!!!
By Igor D.
Not another "artificially Ellinized" - "Southern
Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" - not 'Greek' - Impostor-Professor!
Mr. Thanos Dokos is yet another "artificially
Ellinized" - "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" - not
'Greek' - Impostor-Professor!
This guy is also the director of some organization
calling itself ELIAMEP, the so-called "Greek foundation for European policy".
(Hmmm! "Greek"!) -If this guy thinks he is "Greek" ('A(r)chaean')
he would need to be a descendant of the indigenous, prehistoric, proto-Slav (or
'(Z)helleni') Pelasgian A(r)chaeans of Morea (which is the territory of modern
day Peloponnesus), which he is not!
There are no Pelasgian A(r)chaeans ("Greeks")
living today! In a recent interview for a Macedonian program on Deutche
Welle radio, the Impostor-Professor said: "Greece will provide full support
to Skopje (Hmmm) in becoming a part of Euro-Atlantic structures if a compromise
on its name is reached". Keep dreaming pal!).
Reply: What "Greece" are you talking
about my man?! -The modern, artificially created state is not "Greece"!!!
It should be referred to as the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic".
The name "Greece" ('A(r)chaea') belonged to the indigenous, prehistoric,
proto-Slav (or '(Z)hellenic') Pelasgians of Morea! The name does not belong
to you! A(r)chaea existed from at least 7,000 BC to approximately 1,600 BC,
before the Ethiopian and other subsequent colonists/invaders arrived thereafter.
The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" illegally
nicked 51% of Ottoman occupied Southern Macedonia in 1913. So, why should the "Republic
of Macedonia" (northern free Macedonia) compromise on its name?!
The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" has
falsified 'Morean Pelasgian' ("Greek") history from 7,000 BC to
1,600 BC, and events thereafter. They are not the Greeks ('A(r)chaeans')! They have
also falsified Macedonia's history. They are not the Macedonians!
The indigenous, proto-Slavic (and '(Z)hellenic') tribes, north of Mt. Olympus,
began to be unified as a state (Ancient Macedonia) from 825 BC, well after
proto-Slavic (or '(Z)hellenic') Pelasgian A(r)chaea ("Greece")
ceased to exist (in its proper form) around 1,600 BC. (You can't call the
Macedonians "Greeks"/A(r)chaeans). So, in light of the facts mentioned
above, what compromise is this guy talking about?
The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (Artificial
Greece) needs to find another name for itself. They should not be allowed to
use the name "Greece" ('A(r)chaea') to identify themselves with, let
alone try to force the Republic of Macedonia to change its natural name, so they,
likewise, can be able to manipulate the Macedonian name for their own sinister
interests! (WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO KID!!!).
As mentioned, the Macedonians were not Greeks
('A(r)chaeans'), who existed much earlier. Though, there were indeed some
'north of Mt. Olympus' Pelasgian tribes who comprised part of the Macedonian
nation!
Mr. Dokos's remaining remarks, likewise, were
deceptive, misleading, irrational and absurd.
-"Greece, its not Greece!) will give consent (what we need your approval?!)
on a name nearly identical as the constitutional one, which would have only
a minor change and will offer full support to Skopje in its efforts to become
a part of Euro-Atlantic structures and make further progress".
-"Everyone is aware that the term Macedonia will be the central element
of the name. But, some really small modification is needed! Hmmm! Why don't
you stop calling the 'nicked' province "Macedonia"! Maybe 'Macedonia'
written according to the transcription of the language in the country or "Macedonian
Republic". In that case Greek politicians, (you mean "artificially
Ellinized" Vlachs, Albanians, Turkish Christian Prosfigs, Turks, Jews,
Gypsies, Armenians, Egyptians and others!) will be able to accept and support
the proposal without losing the trust of the people, they've already
been duped and "artificially Ellinized".
-"If there is no progress regarding the name problem Macedonia has no
problem with its name Greece will not be able to play a constructive role
(Hmmm! stop hindering us!). On the contrary, it will have a negative role
in regards to the country's membership in European institutions. (Hmmm! The
so-called issue of our name is your problem, not ours! One wonders
how and why you got in these institutions yourselves? We here at the
Macedonian Digest know exactly how and why you got in.
-"The possibility of Greece's veto when the time comes to decide Skopje's
membership to NATO 'could absolutely be not rejected' YOU WILL
DO WHAT THE US TELLS YOU TO DO!!! STOP CLUTCHING AT STRAWS!!!
By Igor D.
Concerns
Speaking of hydra; I met an Athenian from
an old famous Hydrian family after I had read about how Albanian the island
had been in the 19th century.
He agreed and simply said that many of the people
of his grandfather’s generation still spoke Albanian often, and that it
was no big deal as most modern Greeks were in fact ethnically something other
than Greek anyway.
My younger brother in law, born in Paris of Macedonian
grandparents and French speaking parents piped up and said "so what Zhivan
I have heard all that stuff about us being Slavs, Vlachs and Albanians but hey
we are a successful country and that is all that matters.
Many of them know that they are not Greek but
are in denial or simply whitewash it away as insignificant and unimportant. Being
greek is simply a state of mind and a desire, Macedonia is the only nation on
earth that must jump through a thousand qualifying hoops to be accepted as Macedonian.
On this forum we have a self-confessed Albanian
whose ancestors would have to have migrated to Greece less than 500 years ago
proudly proclaiming his Hellenism while denying us our Macedonianism because
according to his narrative we arrived in Macedonia a mere 1000 + years ago.
This discussion about historical links is really
a diversion and is meant to distract from the real crime; the carve-up and colonization
of Macedonia less than 100 years ago during my grandparents time, to put it in
human terms.
A wise old Chinese once told me Confucius
say it is easier to give advice than take it, it is easier to criticize others
than to look for your own faults.
Just about sums up the good ole wannabes from
the deep south of the Macedonian empire.
By Osiris
Choices
Mr. Papadopoulos (Southern Neighbor) thank
you very much for your very much unappreciated Greek diplomatic opinion on
this Macedonian issue.
You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders
and you are not as stupid and foolish as some of the other Greeks on the World
Wide Web. I will give you that much. Mate I have a sneaky suspicion your ancestors
may have been ethnic Macedonians who were forced to be Greeks when Macedonia
was partitioned. I think we have a name for people like that, I think it is the
Grkoman or a closet Macedonian. I may be wrong. Anyways I am not here to attack
your ethnic identity. You have the right to believe anything you want. Its not
like I am about to come and take away your land, kick you out of you home and
the other people of your kind, destroy your churches and graves so that no trace
of your kind can be left, rename all of your towns and cities, and place the
fear of God over you if you ever murmur a word about your real identity, because
that is what the Greeks did to my people. The Albanians maybe the majority in
Tetovo, but they will never take it. And we are not going to kick them out as
well, although we would probably like to. Our concern is that our Macedonian
brothers in Aegean Macedonia have their basic human rights recognized and are
able to live as decent human beings on their own patch of turf, without the Greeks
clamping down on them at every occasion. Once Greece recognizes the Macedonian
minority and treats them as human beings, only then can there be civil relations
between our two countries. Even though we don’t like the Albanians, their
human rights as a minority in Macedonia far exceed those in any other European
country.
By Mladenovski
Greece so much would like to believe that
the Ancient Macedonians were Greek and to convince the world of that.
What can we do with such an argument as: “Alexander
the Great was Greek because his teacher was Aristotle?” So if a Greek
has or had an English teacher then by your logic he or she is/was English?
Greeks are aware that all their findings to prove this are false, but they stick to them. They don't want to acknowledge that there was some connection between the Ancient Macedonians and Ancient Greeks because they were neighbours, and not because they were ethnically the same.
By Kastor
'Hellenism' claiming everything and everyone - yet not
a 'Greek' in sight!
But you can point the finger at ANYONE in Greece today and say there is no such thing as an ethnic Greek. Or, you can take the State as a whole, and say that modern Greek notions of cultural difference, are false, and ultimately, what differentiates the modern Greek from Others, such as the Macedonian, Turk and Albanian are perceived beliefs that they are culturally superior. As a result, serious questions over the 'origin' of modern Greeks focus on notions of cultural superiority, rather than racial difference. The State plays the most critical role in identifying and shaping this belief that its people are ancient Greeks - let alone anything else.
By Paul
I fully understand where you are coming from
but what the Greeks learned about the Ancient Macedonians bears miniscule
relevance to today’s name dispute. Are "ancient Hellene" and
today’s "Greek" one in the same? People bowing to the Greek
hysteria wouldn't have a clue nor do they care. I say let the Greeks deny
people calling themselves Macedonians but not by reason of history and sole
ownership of the name. They should be honest and try to justify their reasons
as political and in the interests of national security rather than disguise
it behind the facade and farcical 4000 years of Hellenic civilization rubbish.
However, they know that the 'national identity and security' explanation
won't wash with the international community so they must continue with the "Macedonians
were Greek like us" charade.
As for the compromise...well.....Any name not
bearing Macedonia will be thrown right back at the Greeks. Any name using Skopje
will be laughed away. I for one wouldn't allow a name that would justify the
fascists calling us Skopians. My own people live in Northern Greece, they were
Macedonians before 1913... a long time before the Prosfygi and more Greeks from
the south joined and subsequently became hysterical about being “Macedonians”.
So do you really think that we should allow the Greek government and its lackeys
to dictate terms in the name dispute? I should think not! The Greeks will not
want a small compromise and you know it!
The Greeks should not be fearful of a united Macedonia
effort. We do not have the means to enforce it. Any mention of it by the Greeks
is used to create more hysteria and resolve in their people. The smart ones among
you know that a United Macedonia is not possible without a disastrous war.
So take Gruevski seriously when he won't back
down in the name dispute but as for expansionist designs..........let's not get
too carried away.
Free Advice
ZA POMOSH/ An Offer of Help
Sept 24, 2007
Star si (I am old). Ka da mu daida (How can I offer) some help to Macedonia and Greece over this name dispute? It’s not nice 'cause I hate to see fights within families. In talks and negotiations over the past 14 years the Macedonian Republic gave up its original flag and it is about time Greece gave up something. We all need some compromise over names. This quarrelling has gone on too long. Facts are facts to be honestly recognized as such. Greece called its northern province ‘Northern Greece’ until the 1980’s. Before that the mention of the name Macedonia was an anathema to her. She would rather puke and spit rather than say it. In 1923 Greece got rid of all Macedonian names in northern Greece, not only place names, but going so far as to have all Macedonians give up their names for Greek names. She got rid of a lot but not everything. In a sudden change of heart in the 1980’s she renamed her northern province as ‘Macedonia’ while in her statistics pointed out that no Macedonians lived there, well maybe a few not worth counting. Anyway if there were any they were Greek Macedonians and Macedonia was Greek. She FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NAME ‘MACEDONIA’. Can anyone blame her? It’s a lovely name and carries such a magnificent history with it. . Hey, take the name, take the history! Sadly her love is not perfect for now she spits at anyone else who wants to use the name! What’s the solution? Since the Rep. of Macedonia gave up the use of the sunburst/star of Phillip of Macedon on her flag, Greece needs to be asked to give up something regarding the name. For the sake of PEACE I suggest that Greece makes a slight alteration in the name of her northern province. For historical accuracy I suggest she rename that province as “SOUTHERN MACEDONIA UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF GREECE”. That is what happened when Greece was granted governance of that territory after World War I. It’s accurate and historically true as Greece would insist upon. If Greece wants to shorten it for others to use she can refer to it as “SMUTTOG”. Since no one knows what that means no one would be offended.
I’m an old man. All this name calling and fighting and threatening among brothers and sisters and family relatives upsets me. People had to learn to live together before anyone had a name! The animals can do it.
I have to go and look after my sheep.
By Dedo Kire
This is what drives me crazy the most, I tell my Grkomani relatives, or any Grkoman is this, do you really want the Prosfygy to steal whatever heritage you have left? One relative actually said let the Prosfygy and the "Skopiani" fight over who is really Macedonian, because we (Grkomani) are Greek
By Mplf1
Yeah I have a Prosfiga uncle who started
calling himself a Macedonian a couple of years back. We went to a picnic
and all you could hear the Prosfygi saying was how Macedonian they felt.
After a few too many ales, they turned their attention to me and tried to
convince me of their Macedonian character. To which I replied that when their
recent ancestors were exchanged for Muslims...........they needed interpreters
to communicate with the Greek authorities. Well needless to say, all hell
broke loose and they started to call me.......yes you guessed it "VULGARO!" I
had a nice little laugh at them, told them not to forget their Turkish heritage
and walked away.
It is frustrating because I remember my Uncle
admitting that Greekness was determined by religion and what church you attended.
No Ellines rubbish; were his exact words. It's amazing how one's mind can be
changed by mass hysteria surrounding the name. What's also amazing is the willingness
of our Grkomani relatives to forget or ignore what was done to our families during
assimilation practices. What's more is that the Greeks in the know laugh at our
Grkomani because they are so easy to manipulate.
A sad state of affairs.
History
GJURCHIN KOKALESKI
(1775-1863)
A MAN OF VISION
By Alexander Matkovski
Gjurchin Kokaleski was one of the first leaders of the Macedonian national revival which affected society, religion and culture in this region. He lived during the second half of the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth century in a district inhabited by the Miyaks. During his lifetime the Miyak clan system was in decline and being replaced by individual family groupings whose senior members were considered to be the owners of all the family property. The women were mostly excluded from production and the children inherited through their father's line. So the contemporary family appeared in Mala Reka and gradually replaced the clan as the basic unit of economic and social organization. The clans did not disappear entirely but remained in a degenerate form throughout the nineteenth century.
As the clans declined so the clan chiefs lost their importance: respect was no longer accorded to character or experience but was won by wealth expressed, in Mala Reka, in terms of sheep.
The owners of the big sheep herds, the kaya, were accorded ever greater authority in their villages or clans (in as far as the latter had not died out) and they gradually rose to be the village or clan chiefs. So the richest man in the village became its representative and a power in the locality though he was not officially recognized by the Turks except in extraordinary cases. As these local chiefs gained in importance the people became more and more convinced that Turkish government was superfluous. It is for this reason that these new village chiefs were of such importance. They differed from the old clan chiefs in that they depended on the support of the whole village or district without discrimination on clan or family lines.
As these chiefs won their authority through their wealth they made no effort to hide it. On the contrary, they emphasized it: they rode fine horses, dressed well in elaborate costume of the Miyaks, were accompanied by many servants and resembled minor princes. The cult of wealth supported the cult of the owners of wealth. They were respected by the Albanians, Macedonians and even the Turks. Using this respect the chiefs were able to protect their people from the Turks and Albanians and so were transformed gradually into the heads of a system of popular defense and were in the pastoral life of the livestock merchants. This autobiography has not yet been properly investigated by historians and economists. The document is an important source for the student of Macedonian and its written forms as well as for the historian. This aspect has been treated by Dr. Aleksandar Belich in The Galichnik Dialect but it now seems to us that some corrections need to be made to several of his conclusions. An important point is that Kokaleski probably developed his own original forms and variations for some of the letters or, more accurately, phonetic symbols, the forefront of the popular struggle against the Turks, Albanians and the cultural influence of the Greek Patriarchate. On the whole they used legal means in their struggle (though some more courageous chiefs turned to armed insurrection). There were many such chiefs in Mala Reka.
Among all these chiefs both in terms of wealth and the extent of his services to his people Gjurchin Kokaleski was outstanding. He was leader not only of his own village Lazaropole but of the whole region. Most important for us he wrote his autobiography. Kokaleski's autobiography is the first known autobiography in Macedonian national history. It is written in Macedonian in Kokaleski's native dialect. We find that the author was extremely knowledgeable about livestock and trade. This autobiography differs from those written by the poet Prlichev and Bishop Natanail in that it was not written by an intellectual nor was it an attempt at a work of art, nor was it intended as a memorial to the author and his clan for future generations. It was written for practical reasons as a textbook for Kokaleski's sons and grandsons as he was himself a practical and enterprising man, a typical member of the merchant bourgeoisie.
Kokaleski's autobiography concerns the early period of the Macedonian popular revival: the period when Kiril Peychinovik and Yoakim Krchovski were publishing their own books in vernacular Macedonian though they were intended for use by the church; a period when a part of the Macedonian intelligentsia considered Greek to be the language of educated people. As Kokaleski's book was not of a religious nature it is also the first secular book in the history of Macedonian culture.
Kokaleski, in keeping with his position as a member of the merchant bourgeoisie, knew Turkish, Greek and Albanian though never used these languages in every day life except for business. We only know of one document written by him which includes a language other than Macedonian and even in this he uses only two lines of Turkish written in the Church-Slavonic script. We can assume from this fact that though he knew Turkish he did not know the Arabic script.
Kokaleski's autobiography is an important economic and political document for Macedonian history as it gives much economic and historical data concerning the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. It includes invaluable material on the situation in Macedonia over a period of 48 years from 1775 to 1824. It is particularly rich in information about livestock, summer and winter pastures and the herdsmen's migrations. We learn about the pastoral life of the livestock merchants.
This autobiography has not yet been properly investigated by historians and economists.
The document is an important source for the student of Macedonian and its written forms as well as for the historian. This aspect has been treated by Dr. Aleksandar Belich in The Galichnik Dialect but it now seems to us that some corrections need to be made to several of his conclusions. An important point is that Kokaleski probably developed his own original forms and variations for some of the letters or, more accurately, phonemic symbols.
We consider these forms to be Kolaleski's own as he used them in 1823 at the time when Vuk Karadzhich began his work on the reform of the orthography and he can hardly have been under the influence of these reforms so early particularly living in such a remote dis- trict of western Macedonia. We also find that Kokaleskie's forms differ substantially from those used by Karadzhich. We should remember that in Church-Slavonic script ќ and ѓ were not differentiatiated (e.g. in Peychinovik's work) and even if Kokaleski took the ħ form from some church manuscript and added ђ independently it was an important step forward. We can also base our assumption that Kokaleski was not influenced by Karadzhich's reforms on the fact that he does not use the љ and њ, forms used by Karadzhich.
The autobiography appeared as a natural consequence of the economic and cultural reevival in Macedania but, not being published, it had no influence on subsequent literature. We can also find no traces in the contents which would indicate the influence of previous religious literature so it is a completely unique work. However, the form taken by the autobiography does reflect some ecclesiastical literature.
In 1822 Kokaleski had over 1,000 sheep, 25 horses and the huge sum of 25,000 grosh.
From 1823 Kokaleski remained more often in Lazaropole and sent his sons to look after the sheep. He only visited his pastures occasionally and left more and more of the work to his sons introducing them in this way to the pastoral life and leaving himself free for his social works. The Constantinople Patriarchate tried to gain influence in Miyak regions but failed in face of the popular resistance led by energetic merchant herdsmen and local monks. Kokaleski was such a leader and considered the greatest crime to be to lose one's national identity particularly in favour of Greek or Turkish influences. So he decided to build a great church in his village. In pursuit of this aim he went to Mount Athos in 1807 and visited Zographou to talk with the monk Anatolia who was of like mind and ask his advice on how to extract permission for the building from the Turks. He failed to get permission and shelved his plan until better times. After the Peace of Edrine conditions for the Orthodox Church improved but for church buildings permission was still necessary. Finding it difficult to be granted an audience with the sultan Kokaleski decided in 1832 to begin building without the necessary documents. This was possible in such a remote mountain village where the Turks rarely appeared. The building began on 15th April, 1832, and the new church arose around the old wooden structure, which could hold no more than 20 people, which had served as a church up till then. The wooden church was demolished in 1841. Kokaleski succeeded in making the undertaking legal in 1838 when he was granted an audience with the sultan.
The organization of the church building remained throughout in Kokaleski's and the priest Martin Dimkovski's hands. It was built with the aid of voluntary contributions of money, ecclesiastical objects or labour.
Kokaleski wanted to name the church St. Ilia in memory of his father whose name was Ilia, but the villagers insisted his own name be used and the church consecrated on St. Ilia's day to keep the memory of his father alive. It was duly named St. Gjorgjia and consecrated on St. Ilia's day, 1841. The celebrations attracted visitors from all the Miyak villages bringing gifts for the church: this was a true Miyak holiday as the church was the first in the region.
Before the completion of the church Kokaleski decided that it must be decorated with icons and frescoes in the Slavonic manner so he sent one of the local inhabitants to find an icon painter in the Thessalonica region. None wanted to come to this remote village so the price asked by the painter Mihael (Greek or Vlach?) and his 23 year old pupil Dimitria Dicho was high. When this group approached Lazaropole rifle shots were fired to tell the people that the icon painter was coming. They were welcomed heartily. The paintings in the church were started in 1837 but Mihael did not behave well and was obliged to leave Lazaropole after quarreling with most of the important men of the village. His pupil Dicho who came from the nearby village of Tresonche continued the work. It was his first independent work. To begin with he worked uncertainly on the frescoes started by Mihael. He completed his first paintings in 1841. Besides some inscriptions and scenes from the Old and New Testaments Dicho has also left us some realistic frescoes showing Kokaleskl and Martin the priest in the women's area of the church high on the right-hand wall. There were two frescoes depicting Kokaleski and one of Martin. One shows Kokaleski as a young man dressed in the costume of the Miyaks, the other during the years when he was a sick old man. This is certainly the only example in Macedonia of secular persons being painted in a church. During the Middle Ages governors, church dignitaries and various lords, wishing to leave a memorial to themselves, built churches and had their own portraits included in the frescoes. And why should the newly-rich herdsmen, lords, not do likewise? When the church was complete Kokaleski set about providing a bell. We have no information as to whether he traveled personally to Austria but it is more likely that he ordered the bell from the workshops of the Bota brothers through migrant workers -there were many Miyaks both in Austria and Serbia. The bell was cast in this foundry in 1856 and was probably carried by merchants or migrant workers back to Lazaropole in the same year. This was only the fourth bell in Macedonia and the first to be paid for and ordered by a local man. As the Turks did not permit church building bells, they were of necessity rare. Lazaropole was the second place in Macedonia to get a bell (after St. Yovan Bigorski).
For the first ten years the bell was hung from a large oak beam which can now be found in the church dome. After 1856 Kokaleski decided to build a bell tower but he was already nearing his death, a paralyzed old man. He left this job to his sons and four years after his death his eldest son Damyan fulfilled his father's wish.
Before the completion of the church Kokaleski and Martin, the priest, were already worrying how to provide the necessary ecclesiastical texts. They bought books from Russia through merchants and migrant workers who brought them via Thessalonica, Vidin and Serbia. This is very important as it shows they completely rejected books in Greek. From their inscriptions it seems that almost all the books in Lazaropole were bought by Kokaleski and Martin.
When the church was completed a primary school was founded in 1841 on the initiative of Kokaleski and Martin. This was the first Miyak village school.
In one book we find that the first teacher at the school signed himself: “Martin Dimkoski, the priest in the time of Lord Gjurchin Kokaleski”. It is no surprise that the first teacher was Martin, the priest. He was followed by his son Kosta in about 1850. From a document in the possession of Krste Yovanov, a former teacher from Lazaropole, it seems that the first school building adjoined the church and was built towards the end of 1840. The new school was built twenty years later (about 1860) and so Lazaropole had the finest church and the finest school in the whole region.
This same document mentioned above also tells us that classes were held in the mother tongue as the teachers, local people, knew no other language and the books used were written in Church-Slavonic.
Kokaleski also helped rebuild the monastery of the Immaculate Mother (Sv. Prechista) near Kichevo which had caught fire four times and been raided by Albanians. After the fourth fire, which had been started by robbers from the village of Drugovo, the monastery began to revive in 1848 but there were not the means with which to complete the restoration work so Simeon, the abbot, turned to the Miyaks for aid. The request was answered by Kokaleski, Sardzho Bradina from Tresonche and Todor Tomovski of Galichnik who, with the help of the people, saw the rebuilding completed. These leaders organized the villagers so that they carried stones from Tresonche to the monastery each time they went to market. The builders came from Lukovo as they had for the building of the church at Lazaropole. This monastery was important to the Miyaks because, next in importance to St. Yovan Bigorski, it was the focus for religious and educational activity in western Macedonia. The villagers of Lazaropole gave 500 grosh in 1850 for the construction of living quarters.
Kokaleski was given a place of honour in the church as a mark of gratitude for all his services. Even after his death popular demand was such that he was buried within the church by the altar and not in the cemetery. He died in 1863, seven years before Martin Dimkoski who buried him. Kokaleski's death brought many people from nearby villages to pay their last respects to this man. Official representatives of the Turkish authorities in Debar and beys from the region also came. His kinsmen travelled from Albania. The funeral was attended by the abbots of St. Yovan Bigorski and the monastery of the Immaculate Mother and it was led by Martin, the priest, who spoke of the fine deeds of Kokaleski and likened his life to the life of a national fighter.
("Macedonian Review")
Stories
A Short Story about a Typical Macedonian Immigrant
By Naum Usalcas, edited by Risto Stefov
I was a young man in my twenties when I left my village Obsirina, Lerinsko, Greek occupied Macedonia, in 1930. I left my home and family to look for a better life because of the unbelievable poverty and constant wars we faced in that part of the world. I heard that Canada was a good place with ample job opportunities for someone like myself, so I decided to go there.
My first task was to secure a loan so I could pay for my fare. A travel agent promised to lend me the money provided I agreed to use an alias for my name and to pretend I was not married. I agreed to the terms and got my loan of $800.00 dollars.
As I left home I couldn’t help but feel sad for leaving my loved ones behind and jubilant for embarking on an adventure on the long road to Canada. In the back of my mind however, there was always the sobering reality of why I was going to Canada and the fact that I had to pay back the loan or my family back home would suffer consequences if I failed. Even though I was looking for a better life myself my real wish was to make some money so that I could either return to Macedonia and improve my family’s living condition or bring my family to Canada.
I arrived in Toronto on April 8th, 1930 and found Canada in a bad depression. Jobs were hard to find but I had hope that I would find work, any kind of work. I heard that the Canadian National Railway was looking for labourers and I rushed to apply only to be turned away. When I arrived there early in the morning the foreman told me to go home because there were no more positions open.
I returned to Toronto and continued to look for work walking from restaurant to restaurant day and night only to be turned away. My feet were hurting so bad, I still remember the pain.
At that time factories were few and far between in Toronto and most were closed because of the depression. I was fortunate to meet a good friend from the village Zhelevo who had a small shoe-shine business. I pleaded with him to give me a job, any job and was prepared to work without pay just for the experience. I was hoping I would at least make some tips to live on.
Nick agreed and gave me the job. At the end of the week he paid me three dollars despite our agreement to work for free. That week I made a total of $5.00 with which I was able to secure enough food to keep me from starving.
While working in the shoe-shine business another friend and compatriot named Yanni Popovski asked me if I also cut hair to which I replied “yes”. I guess he was satisfied with the hair-cut I gave him because when another friend named Blazhe Marko from Gabresh came to get his shoes shined he asked Yanni who gave him the haircut and Yanni proudly told him that I did. Blazhe turned to me and said, “My boy you are a good barber why do you waste your time shining shoes?” I told Blazhe I couldn’t speak English, one needs to speak some English to operate a business.
Blazhe was very helpful and recommended that I go to a barber school in Toronto where hairstyling and English was taught. I took Blazhe’s advice and with my uncle's financial assistance I enrolled in the “Modern Barbers College”. Tuition was fifty dollars which included a manual hair-cutting machine, a pair of scissors, a comb, and a basic razor.
Four weeks later I got my diploma. My teacher advised me to go to Welland, Ontario where the price for a haircut was forty cents and a shave twenty-five cents. In Toronto at that time the price for a haircut was ten cents and for a shave was five cents.
For the first time since I arrived in this county I could feel my luck changing and my chances for making it improving. If things turned out as expected I could even bring my family here. I wasted no time so I packed my things and the next day I found myself in Welland. Unfortunately, Welland too was affected by the depression and fewer and fewer men could afford to pay for a haircut let alone for a shave. I decided to go back to Toronto and again found myself on the streets looking for work. I did find another at Queen and York Streets but it too did not last for long.
In 1933 I decided to start my own business in partnership with a friend named Elias Kamaris. We opened a barber shop at 410 Queen Street East called "Realto Barber Shop" where I worked for over forty years until my retirement.
In no time I was able to pay back my loan and later brought my family here where I was able to provide for it until the day I retired.
What I described above is not only my story; it is a typical story for most immigrants that came to this country and worked in all types of jobs and businesses.
Words
THE
PHRYGIANS
Part 1: The Phrygian 'Slavs'
Prelude:
The Jewish people were not called "Jews" originally,
but bene Israel or bene Jacob ('sons', ie. descendants of Jacob). 'bene' > 'sons'.
*Pope Benedict XVI, "di" > "zeus". 'Son' of 'Zeus'.
*Veneti, b>v, t>d, 'Sons' of 'Zeus'.
Sloveni: "S-lo" > Zeus - Iliy. 'Sons of Zeus and Iliy'. Slovani,
Slavjani (Slavs) are accentual pronunciations.
Consider the following: (Zho)"s-lo-veni" and
(Z)"he-lle-(ve)ni". If you look close enough you will see the 'dialectal'
terms of "Sloveni" and "Helleni". (Note: "Ellines" is
a later Koine language adaptation of 'Helleni'. As such the modern, universal
term "Hellenes" is not used correctly and is applied to the wrong people,
both modern and 'ancient').
-All the (pre-Christian) prehistoric 'Sloveni'
(and/or 'Helleni') tribes (some who were older than others, including those who
later merged with other tribes of kin to form ancient states) can, 'most likely',
trace their origins back to an ancient land we shall call the 'Slavic Mesopotamia',
which was situated in Central Asia, bellow the Pamir mountain.
It was the 'peoples' of 'Slavic Mesopotamia' (pre
7,000 BC) who 'earlier' adopted the religion and the names of the gods from Asiatic/Afro
messangers (ie. Zu/Ra and/or Zu/Lu; Zeus, son of Iliy - the Supreme Sun God).
As such, they (due to and in their own common
or native language) became 'religious' 'Slavs' (ie. Slavjani, Sloveni, Slovani
and (Z)"helleni" (depending on their accent and/or dialect!) -'Sons'
of Zeus and Iliy (Zhos and Iliu and/or Zhe and Le/Ile, as opposed to the much
later koine language's 'Zevs and Ilias -"Ellines" -Koine contained
many Afro/Arab elements and was a progressive language, heavily construed from
the indigenous Slav language).
(Note: Slav also, subsequently, had become a lingual
descriptor used to define their common language, as well as being a religious
descriptor).
Like 'Pamir' mountain, the two rivers here, Amu-Darja
and Sir-Darja also bear Slavic names. Both rivers flow into the Aral Sea (which
too bears a Slavic name).
The theory is that the "Slavic (and/or "(Z)hellenic")
Mesopotamia" was overflown with sand from the Asian deserts and that the
land became infertile. This caused the inhabitants to pack their belongings and
leave. Most of them moved west but there were many who went in different directions.
Over time the peoples' "on the move" developed
into separate tribes and some subsequently merged to form distinct states (as
was the case with the "united Slav/'(Z)helleni' tribes" of Ancient
Macedonia -see later).
Phrygians: (ph>f>v) Vrygi(ans) > 'V(e)ry-gi' > 'Veryzhjani'.
A 'Slavic' tribe which had "faith/belief in Zeus". The Phrygians were
an "old" peoples' and were quite widespread.
Legend has it that the first Phrygians settled the "territory" which
'later' became known as (geographical) "Macedonia" a long time
ago -3rd millenium BC. Here the Phrygians lived, mingled and mixed culturally
and linguistically with 'other' local Slavic/"(Z)hellenic" tribes.
To the locals the Phrygians were known as Bryges (B>V).
Before the Phrygian migrations to (back to) Anatolia it is believed that
they established their capital at Voden.
"Above all cast in stone, the passages give
us an unadulterated imprint of an Old Early Slavic Language Spoken on the Anatolian
plateau 3,200 years ago" (page 118, Anthony Ambrozic, Gordian knot Unbound).
The Hittites who invaded Anatolia in 1,800 BC
knew how to produce steel and they stayed there six centuries. The Hittite Empire
was attacked and broken down in 1220 BC by the Phrygians.
By the 9th century BC the Phrygians became a kingdom
in Anatolia with its centers located at Gordias and Midas City.
To the north of Mt. Olympus the 'early' (and expanding)
state of Macedon began with King Caranus in 825 BC. The 'Macedonians' were a
group of "united" (indigenous, "purely" proto-Balkan (the
white man)/"Slavic" and "(Z)helleni") "tribes".
Apart from the "majority" (remaining) Phrygians or Brygians (who were
more likely to have been 'Slovani' as opposed to "(Z)helleni"), the
'early' Macedonian state also included 'north of Olympus Pelasgians', Orests,
Crestons, Desarets, 'north of Olympus (remaining) Dorians', Lyncests and others.
(Note: Some of the Phrygians who earlier migrated to Anatolia could also have
come back again during and immediately after the Trojan war -1260 BC - 1250 BC).
South of Mt. Olympus, the ('later') "City
States" tradition was that the Phrygians migrated into Anatolia in the 12th
century BC after having originated 'from the north' (that being the "territory" of
'Macedonia' and Thrace). According to the (majority 'Eur-African' - "Ellines")
people of the ancient City States, both their northern neighbours spoke the same
language, which today is proving to be proto-Slavic.
Moreover, comparative analysis of the few preserved
words from the Ancient Macedonian language and the Phrygian or Brygian language
clearly indicates their similarity.
By 600 BC the Phrygians in Anatolia had made two
kingdoms Phrygia and Lydia. Lydia was captured by the Persians in 546 BC.
When Philip II came to the throne in Macedonia
(359 BC - 336 BC) a line of 21 (Argead) kings had preceded him. After first securing
his (weak) kingdom Philip incorporated some 'other' (northern) 'Slavic' (and
southern '(Z)helleni') tribes into the Macedonian kingdom. Among them were the
Paeonians, who were themselves descendants of the Phrygians or Brygians. (p>b>v) "V(a)e(o)ni" > "Veni" > S-lo-veni.
-The Pelagonians. Homer wrote of Pelagon as being
the father of the Paeonian leader Asteropaeus.
Philip too expelled the "Ellines" Eur-African
City State colonists from the coast of Chalcidice (while of course leaving the
indigenous "(Z)helleni" Pelasgians there alone).
The Persians dominated Anatolia to the time of the attack by Alexander The
Great -334 BC. A few centuries later Anatolia was under the control of the
Romans.
By A Digest Reader
Book Reviews
Review of Children of the Bird Goddess
By Michael Seraphinoff
www.macedonianlit.com
http://www.macedonianlit.com/mac_pages/papers.html
Children of the Bird Goddess is a book that
will rightfully earn a lasting place in the literature of the Macedonian
people. While there will always be a place for carefully and thoroughly researched
documentary works, village and family histories, and, of course, more
comprehensive histories such as Toronto Macedonian community activist Risto
Stefov's recent
History of the Macedonian People, works that mainly inform our intellect,
we also need works
that aim directly at the heart and soul. Children of the Bird Goddess is
such a book. Kita Sapurma's recounting of stories from her life in Aegean
Macedonia and exile in Australia, and
those of her grandmother, mother and daughters, is rendered into lyrical
and beautiful English by her daughter Pandora Petrovska, who fills out the
story with her own understanding as an Australian with an acute awareness
of her Macedonian identity.
While it was important to Pandora to provide
a voice to those whose voices have been
historically stifled, Aegean Macedonians, and particularly the women of that
society, she tries
to provide readers with a window into the rich world of these women, whose
lives were lived in
close connection to their mother earth. Her rendering of their stories does
not romanticize their lives, it dignifies them. It honors their knowledge
of practical things that allow for food, shelter and clothing from their
own land and labor with little or no dependence on foreign industrial manufactures.
She also honors their strength and their courage and endurance as they struggle
to hold their families together, provide for their needs, and resist the
cruelty and prejudice of the Greek invaders and occupiers of their homeland.
If your heart has ever been moved by the
sight of some vulnerable child ganged up on and
made to feel worthless by the cruelty and ignorance of schoolyard bullies
(all of my fellow teachers know this experience all too well), then you have
some small hint of the fate of the
Aegean Macedonian village people who have since 1913 endured the loss of
their identity, their land, their history and even the evidence of that history
in old churches, tombs and place names. The process has been one of swift
and brutal repression when Macedonians have physically resisted, but it has
also been a process of slow, continual harassment and humiliation through
denial of opportunity to freely and openly be Macedonians right up to the
present day.
However, there is one thing that bullies
everywhere, Greek racists included, cannot endure.
That is public exposure of their misdeeds. Just as no one could have foreseen
the particular power of one elderly black woman named Rosa Parks, who merely
refused to yield her seat to
a white man on a bus in the American racist South and sparked a national civil rights movement, no one can know the long-term effect of books such as Kita Sapurma and Pandora Petrovska's on the conscience and consciousness of the world, and most particularly those in the Balkans who would rather not know anything about the lives of those they have injured.
Despite all of their efforts to crush the
spirits and erase all traces of such people from the face
of the earth, the children of the bird goddess endure and are finding their
voices. Although many were killed and far too many were bullied out of their
identities, others such as Kita and Pandora were not. Pandora has connected
her mother's Macedonian folk tales of Silyan the Stork and other myths, legends
and customs to an even older tradition of ancient earth religions and goddesses,
including the bird goddess from which the book takes its name, that never
fully disappeared from collective memory over thousands of years of Macedonian
village life. Astute observers of Macedonian language and culture, such as
linguist Odyssey Belchevsky, are today demonstrating how so much of that
rich history and lore is buried in plain sight within the words of the Macedonian
language.
Children of the Bird Goddess by Kita Sapurma
and Pandora Petrovska is available to readers
through the book section of the Macedonian History Canada website. An Australian
Pollitecon
Press publication, 168 pages, cost $29 Can. (well worth it) through the website.
Poetry
Ode to Canada
(For recognizing Macedonia by its proper name)
***
O Canada, my dear country, beautiful and rich,
You are my second fatherland,
You are a country of beauty and freedom,
You are a source of wealth and hope.
O Canada, my dear country,
You are my second fatherland.
O Canada, my dear country, beautiful and rich,
You are a country of beauty and freedom,
You are a country of nations and cultures,
You are a source of wealth and hope.
O Canada, my dear country,
You are my second fatherland.
You are a country full of nations,
You are the granary of the whole world,
With many lakes, rivers and gardens,
There is a lot of bread in you for the whole world.
O Canada, my dear country,
You are my second fatherland.
O Canada, my dear country,
You are my second fatherland.
O Canada my dear country,
You are the future of my children.
O Canada, garden full of flowers,
You are the future of my children,
In you, my dear country, we live freely,
We are happy, and proud of you.
O Canada, my dear country,
You are my second fatherland.
O Canada, my dear country,
You are the future of my children.
O Canada, my dear country,
We shall overcome for sure…
***
By George Phillip Theodore
From the Archives
Ilija Dimovski – Gotse’s Story
Part 4
Suspension of the Lebanon Agreement
By Risto Kirjazovski (Nova Makedonija)
Translated from Macedonian to English and edited by Risto Stefov
Under great pressure from the mass movement in Aegean Macedonia the politburo and the Central Committee of the Greek Communist Party agreed to suspend the Lebanon Agreement and immediately began to orientate themselves towards Yugoslavia’s People’s Liberation Army.
Here is what Andreas Dzimas, member of the Central Committee of the Greek Communist Party and commissar of the main headquarters of the Greek National Liberation Army of Greece, had to say: “…one of the contributing factors that drew the Macedonians in the war against the occupiers, besides the connections they had with Greek democratic movement, was the strong influence of the Macedonian Partisans of Yugoslav Macedonia. Their presence in Lerin, Kostur and Voden regions broke the last vestiges of the counter-bands and stirred the Macedonian peoples’ spirits into action against the occupiers…”
On July 20th, 1944 a conference was held in the village Belkamen, Lerin Region which was attended by the Partisans active on Vicho and Western Kajmakchalan. One of the resolutions reached was the re-organization of the Partisan forces into three detachments. The first lead by Aetos was assigned to operate in Vicho, the second lead by Ilija Dimovski – Gotse was assigned to Bigla – Koreshtata and the third was ordered to go to Western Kajmakchalan. In August 1943 Hristo Kolentsev was appointed detachment commissar for Vicho replacing Commissar Naum Shupurkovski – Leon who left for a new assignment.
In September 1943, with orders from the 28th regiment of the Greek National Liberation Army of Greece (ELAS), Ilija Dimovski – Gotse’s detachment was transferred to Gramos where it remained until December of the same year when it was again ordered to return to Vicho to help put down resistance movements in that region.
In the beginning of April 1944, during the course of operation against the Germans in the territory of Vicho, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse’s detachment was dispatched to Gramos.
In May 1944, a large group of Macedonian fighters and activists lead by Naum Pejov, separated themselves from ELAS in a symbolic protest against the NOF (Macedonian Peoples’ Liberation Front) reforms imposed by the Greek leadership. Ilija Dimovski – Gotse was suspended from duty because he was in support of the separation.
ILIJA DIMOVSKI – GOTSE IN COMMAND OF THE LERIN-KOSTUR MACEDONIAN BATTALION
On August 2nd, 1944 in the village Pozdivishcha, Kostur Region, the Lerin-Kostur Macedonian Battalion was formed. This was due to the persistent demands from the Macedonian people in Aegean Macedonia to have their own army and their need to have more involvement in ELAS matters.
There were many preliminary and significant conditions imposed on the formation of the Battalion but they did not last long.
It was common knowledge that the Greek resistance leadership signed an agreement on May 20th, 1944 in Lebanon to form a coalition government with other civilian parties from Greece which was unwelcome news to the Macedonian resistance movement prompting a revolt.
The agreement was viewed with suspicion. Much of its content was insulting and demeaning to the Macedonian people. The agreement called for the disarmament of the Macedonians which (by the Macedonian people) was interpreted as a means to destroy the Macedonian People’s Liberation Front and its armed wing the Macedonian Liberation Army in Lerin and Kostur.
DIVIDED UNION
The situation in Kostur Region became even more electrified by the attitude of Andonis Andonopoulos – Periklis, secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of Greece, during a party meeting in the village Dmbeni when he said: “The Macedonians as a minority will live in socialism, in northern Greece”. In other words, he was promoting the status quo under a Socialist system unacceptable to the Macedonians. A Macedonians present at that meeting challenged the secretary and said: “We Macedonians want our national freedom and we can get it without quarrel, force or war from Berlin…”
To counter the repressive measures taken by the Communist Party of Greece to suffocate the Macedonian resistance, Macedonians, as a symbol of protest separated themselves from the ranks of ELAS and left for Karaorman where they joined the ranks of the Peoples’ Liberation Army in Vardar Macedonia.
This Macedonian mistrust against the Greek Communist Party manifested itself in significantly lowering the induction of Macedonian volunteers in the ranks of ELAS and Greek political organizations. It also prompted many Macedonians already serving to desert. Ilija Dimovski – Gotse at that time was in Gramos, suspended from duty and very much disappointed in what was happening in Vicho.
In Greece, particularly in Aegean Macedonia, a mass movement was forming in protest against the Lebanon Agreement. Under pressure from the people, the central committee and leadership of the Greek Communist Party took measures to defuse the situation by canceling the agreement and re-orienting itself towards the Macedonian Liberation Army in Yugoslavia.
Opting out of the Lebanon agreement was an indication that the Greek Communist leadership was ready to accept revolutionary ideals and tactics in dealing with the enemy. In this endeavour the Greek party leadership turned its attention to forming a meaningful and trusting relationship with the Macedonians. This however, was done in order to engage the Macedonians in the Greek struggle and to fulfill Greek demands.
As a result of the new relationship between ELAS and the National Liberation Army of Macedonia, among other things, the Kostur Region Battalion at Karaorman was ordered to return to Kostur and continue its activities in its mobilization of new recruits from the ranks of the Macedonians and to form new Macedonian detachments, battalions and brigades commanded by Macedonians under the leadership of ELAS.
As was decided and agreed upon, the all Macedonian Kostur Region Battalion, in the last ten days of July returned to Korestata and on August 2nd, 1944 it arrived at the village Pozdivishcha, where its formation was formalized.
RENOS: “MACEDONIA IS YOURS TO SOLUN”
The task of forming the Macedonian unit and commanding nine ELAS divisions was entrusted to Ilija Dimovski – Gotse, who at that time was in Gramos fighting the largest German offensive against ELAS in northern Pindos in 1944.
On August 2nd, 1944, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse along with 30 Macedonian fighters arrived in Pozdivishcha and took command of the battalion as ordered.
(To be continued)
Feedback
Dragi Risto,
I would suggest that some of your contributors
study the true origin of the non-Slavic part of the ancestors of present-day
Greeks under the following theses. The non-Slavic ancestors of present-day Greeks
arrived in Greece in one or several waves:
- about 1900 BC from the Caucasus area, possibly
in form of proto-Armenians, as Minoan mercenaries;
- about 1750 BC from Egypt as refugees from Hyxos;
- about 1200 BC as different parts of the so-called
'Peoples from beyond the Sea' from the Caucasus area or even from Central Asia;
- about the time of the 'Exodus of Jews', from
Egypt as well;
- between 620 and 650 AD from Egypt, when Persians
and after them the Arabs conquered it.
Possibly some of these events would help to reconstruct
the reasons for diversity of Classical town states and their dialects, as well
as the present-day genetic situation.
And, are Albanians really the descendents of Chechens?
Lep pozdrav,
T.
In the Macedonian digest again several new texts by anonymous digest readers have appeared where most illogical and highly speculative/wishful methods of interpreting ancient names and words has been used. These individuals in almost each of these words see the name Iliy or Zeus, an Afro-Asiatic/Semitic deity known later in Middle Eastern scriptures as Elohim and Allah, a deity that was unknown to Indo-European peoples until the coming of Phoenicians and later the spread of Christianity (St. Elijah i.e. St. Iliya replaced ancient Slavic god Perun).
Among the Slavs there was an ancient god
called Veles which means The White One, but in Slavic languages the solar
god was Dazhbog (Dagon in Sumeria) and Svarog (Svarga in India heaven) and
the word for the sun was Sura and only much later Solnce.
So I must protest against these unprofessional
and uneducated individuals who in fact are harming the study of ancient history
instead of contributing to it. From their posts a clear nationalistic ideology
is obvious.
Slovak
RE: The recent e-mails from Nikolas Koravos
(My other article/s should be read first before reading this one).
Mr. Koravos I've read your past two e-mails in
the Macedonian Digest and they make me laugh. First of all you claim to be a
teacher! Personally, I don't know how you achieved that, going by what you have
written? To put it bluntly, you don't know what you are talking about my friend!
I do recommend that you read the Macedonian Digest in its entirety as well as
other
information at the www.maknews.com website.
A few points from your behalf:
1. You mention the term "Modern" 'Greeks'? (What's that? And/or
who are they supposed to be?)
2. "I am not a pure-blood 'Greek' and although I am related to them..."?
(What are you on about my friend? "Greek"? "related to them"?
Do you know who 'they', the "Greeks" were? Obviously not.)
Reply: The population of the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (NOT "GREECE")
(NOT "A(R)CHAEA"), in reality, is comprised of ethnic Vlachs, Albanians,
Turks, Turkish Christian Prosfigs, Jews, Gypsies, Armenians and Egyptians
who (mostly) have been artificially "E"llinized from 1831. The "mudbloods" being
a hybrid combination of these ethnic groups. (not that there is anything
wrong with that). The indigenous Macedonians (those so-called Slav
Speakers) who predominantly live in the northern part of the country were
officially and illegally incorporated in 1913.
The 'real' "Greeks" ("A(r)chaeans")
my friend were the Southern Aegean "(Z)helleni" (not "Ellines")
Pelasgians whom specifically lived on Morea (the territory of modern day Peloponnesus)
from at least 7,000 BC to approximately 1,600 BC before the Ethiopians and other
(subsequent) colonists/invaders arrived to the region thereafter!
The population figures of the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (NOT "GREECE")
(NOT "A(R)CHAEA") are therefore forged.
How can there be 98.5% Orthodox Christian Pelasgian "A(r)chaeans" ("Greeks")
and 1.5% Mulim Pelasgian "A(r)chaeans" ("Greeks")?!,
and no other ethnic minorities?!
How can your people (except yourself) claim they
are "pure-blood" descendants of the ancient "(Z)helleni" Pelasgian "A(r)chaeans" -the "Greeks"?!
To the contrary, the 1994 Council of Europe supervised
census of the Republic of Macedonia revealed the following:
66.5% Macedonians (predominantly Orthodox Christians)
17% - 22.9% Albanians (depending on their Citizenship
papers)
4% Turks
2.3% Gypsies
2% serbs
0.43% Vlachs
1.81% "others" (Croatians, "Bulgarized" non-Bulgarians,
Czechs, Slovaks, Russians, Romanians, artificially 'E'llinized non-'Greeks',
Ukrainians, Poles, Italians and Germans).
I do admire your curiosity though. Did you know
that your name is Slavic too?! (well "(Z)hellenic" at least, not "Ellines"/'E"llenic).
Ni-ko-las> "Na-ko(s), (i na tatko my), Iliu"/"to Zeus, (and
his father) Iliy".
Ko-ra-vo(s)> "Ko(s)-ro(den)-(zhi)vee"/"Zeus, the one born,
lives"
Why is that so? Please tell me?!
By Dusko L.
Re: Macedonia being the 'Center of Power in Hungary'
Reply: The Austro-Hungarian Empire was an anti-Slav
state. At Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia, on 28 June 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand,
heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were assassinated by a young
Bosnian Serb -Gabriel Princip (an event which led to WWI).
Austro-Hungarian officials were quick to blame
the Serbians. Anti-Slav Germany assured Austria-Hungary of German support against
Russia if the latter decided to aid Serbia.
Austria-Hungary and Germany formed the aggressor
Central Powers in WWI. They
were defeated.
Macedonia was referred to as the "Center
of Power in Hungary" because of its strategic position in the Balkans. The "Center
of Power" would have shifted if Macedonia became an independent state and
Russia gained access to the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. This never happened
anyway because of British and French opposition.
By Struja
Re: P.K's question inquiring on "any earlier historical reference
to "Greece" and "Greeks"?
(P.K: "According to my research, the word "Greek" first appeared
in the 12th century AD in reference to trade and commerce. Does anyone know
about this?)
Reply: It seems you P.K. have read some book which has been written by some
western author. These people have got no credibility. It appears that the
word "Greek" has been deliberately (cunningly) inserted in the
text to obscure its real meaning and origin.
-"Greece" is a pre-Christian 'religious'
based term. It is a proto-Balkan/proto-Slavic term and literally translates to "Archaea".
-"Ar" = Ra, the Sun God (or Iliy). -"chae" = Zhe/Zeus
-"(a)" = is a suffix referring to 'a land' Archaea = Land of Iliy
and Zeus. (for a "breakdown" of these terms, See Digest#19 -"Ahhijawa,
Achaea, The Unmasking of The Impostor Name of Greece And The Bogus Terms
Slav-Macedonians and Greek-Macedonians").
-The "real" Greeks were Slavs! The indigenous
proto-Balkan (white man)/proto-Slav Pelasgians who lived (for millennia) on the
territory of Morea (modern day Peloponnesus) were "literally" the "real" Greeks!!!
By Sash
Reply to Atanas' question (last issue).
The English (Anglo-Saxon Germanic tribes who arrived
to the British Isles from 449 AD), in reality, have no justification in calling
themselves British. It’s like a white man living in one of the African
countries calling himself an African. It’s like an ("artificially" "Ellinized")
Albanian citizen from the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" (Not "Greece")
calling himself a "Greek".
-The "Greeks", of course, were the ancient,
proto-"Slav" or "(Z)hellenic" Southern Aegean Pelasgians
that lived on Morea (modern day Peleponnesus).
Why did the Romans call the "territory" inhabited
by the Celts "Britannia"?
Consider the following: Britannia: (b>v) (t>d>"z(h)") > V(e)ri-zha-nnia > "Verizhani".
(*and/or "Britannica" > V(e)rita-nni-ka > "Vera na kos").
The Celts (at the time) were a proto-Slavic people who had "faith/belief
in Zeus".
They could even be of Macedonian decent! (See Digest #20 "Feedback Section"!!!)
Furthermore: Frigians/Phrygians/"Brygians" > (f>ph>v)(b>v).
Vrygi(ans) > V(e)ry-gi > "Veryzhjani". Phrygians/Brygians > A
people who have faith/belief in Zeus! The Phrygian or Brygian proto-Slavs
were the largest tribe in the Ancient Macedonian state!!! Bri-ti-(sh) > "Bry-gi-(ians)"!!!
How pathetic are you!!!
Message to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
(in particular): "Wake up to yourselves! Convince your so-called English
buddies that recognizing the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional
name is in "Great Britain's" best interests!
To hell with "artificial Greece"!
By Vasko
Reply to Atanas' other question (last issue).
The relatively modern countries of England, France
and Germany should be explaining to us their Slavic past and connections, but
they won't because not only were their ancestors influenced by the proto-Slavs,
their peoples' are carrying proto-Slavic DNA, which could even be of Ancient
Macedonian origin!
I said it before, and I'll say it again: "How pathetic are you"!!!
by Vasko
RE: Sash's Question (Digest 21)
"to which historical so-called "Greeks" are modern, ("artificially" "Ellinized")
("non"-) 'Greeks' so profusely claiming decent from? And why?
Reply: Modern, ("artificially" "Ellinized")
("non"-) 'Greeks' often boast about Achillies and the Trojan War, so
it would have to be the 'Greeks' from the Mycenaean times.
I would say point (c) on your table Sash:
-The 'later' (there after) bronze age - hybrid
- Mycenaean Ahhijawan "Ellines" of Morea (ie. fused indigenous "(Z)helleni" tribes
with invader/coloniser Zulu's).
Why do modern, ("artificially" "Ellinized")
("non"-) 'Greeks' prefer this period? Reply: Apart from being fascinated
with the glory of their "alleged" ancestors, its simply because they
can't handle the truth from the earlier period! We here at the Macedonian Digest
of course know what that is!
By Dusko L.
E-mail(s) of the Month
From: az azxd (azxd333@hotmail.com)
Sent: September 12, 2007 9:10:52 PM
To: rstefov@hotmail.com
Re: FYROM
You do know that your theories on etymology
on the toponyms and names that you believe are the greatest joke ever!
Main reason is because you try to make a connection with your Slavic language
by using the Latin form of these names!
Get real, in 300 b.c. there was no Alexander or
Aleksandar, his name was ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, ΑΛΕΞ - ΑΝΔΡΟΣ,
you cant even pronounce the name in its original form. Keep making a fool of
yourself.
Regards Αλέξανδρος (Aleksandar to you).
Quotable Quotes
The history of the world: Without the boring bits
“The story of mankind is one long tale of
greed, lust, debauchery and murder – if only you know where to look. Ian
Crofton trawls through the annals of history to find all the juicy bits” (Dimko-piperkata)
“The British made a 'Greek' State. They used Albanians and Vlachs to fight. They used a German monarchy to bless it. They used the Byzantine language to teach multi-ethnic population of the former Turkish provinces, how to speak. Then they changed the language again, and once more. Then they brought over the Turks in the 1920's to populate it.” (Paul)
“You only have to wish to be a Greek, and the miracle happens...” (Mk)
Question/Answers for the Readers
Question for the Readers:
(note: The following question should not be seen
as racially motivated.)
-I've seen some DVD's and read some books on the Trojan War. Why are the
Mycenaean invading soldiers on the boats depicted as being black men? Achillies
(depicted as a black man) is shown putting a sword to Hector -The Trojan
Prince (who is depicted as a white man). Why is this so?
Asked by Rob, Sydney, Australia
From the Un-answered Questions File
A. Z. asks: “When will Greece recognize the Macedonian minority living in Greece? Will it be in my lifetime, let’s say in the next 10 years? I don’t want to pass on not knowing and unhappy like my parents!
Humour
Two builders (Dimche (Dave) and Stevo (Stuart))
are seated either side of a table in a rough pub when a well-dressed man
enters, orders a beer and sits on a stool at the bar.
The two builders start to speculate about the occupation of the suit...
Dimche/Dave: - I reckon he's an accountant.
Stevo/Stuart: - No way he's a stockbroker.
Dimche/Dave: - He aint no stockbroker! A stockbroker wouldn't come in here!
The argument repeats itself for some time until
the volume of beer gets the better of Dave and he makes for the toilet. On entering
the toilet he sees that the suit is standing at a urinal. Curiosity and the several
beers get the better of the builder...
Dave: - Scuse me, no offence meant, but me and me mate were wondering what
you do for a living?
Suit: - No offence taken! I'm a Logical Scientist by profession!
Dave: - Oh! What's that then?
Suit: - I'll try to explain by example. Do you have a goldfish at home?
Dave: - Er mmm well yeah, I do as it happens!
Suit: - Well, it's logical to follow that you keep it in a bowl or in a pond.
Which is it?
Dave: - It's in a pond!
Suit: - Well then it's reasonable to suppose that you have a large garden
then?
Dave: - As it happens, yes I have got a big garden!
Suit: - Well then it's logical to assume that in this town if you have a
large garden then you have a large house?
Dave: - As it happens I've got a five bedroom house, built it myself.
Suit: - Well given that you've built a five bedroom house it is logical to
assume that you haven't built it just for yourself and that you are quite
probably married?
Dave: - Yes I am married, I live with my wife and three children.
Suit: - Well then it is logical to assume that you are sexually active with
your wife on a regular basis?
Dave: - Yep! Four nights a week!
Suit: - Well then it is logical to suggest that you do not masturbate very
often?
Dave: - Me? Never!
Suit: - Well there you are! That's logical science at work!
Dave: - How's that then?
Suit: - Well from finding out that you had a goldfish, I've told you about
your sex life!
Dave: - I see! That's pretty impressive, thanks mate!
Both leave the toilet and Dave returns to his mate.
Stuart: - I see the suit was in there. Did you ask him what he does?
Dave: - Yep! He's a logical scientist!
Stuart: - What's that then?
Dave: - I'll try and explain. Do you have a goldfish?
Stuart: - Nope
Dave: - Well then, you're a tinkach.
By Kczoran
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