Authored by Petrit Latifi
Bëkaj tribe
The Albanian Benkaj (srb. Banjkani) tribe is mentioned in Zatrijepče. The following toponyms are:
– Pusi i Gašait
– Ograja e Rušit
– Maja e Bogdonit
– Bregu i Pljonit
– Barzanji
– Fusha te Bubit
– Gropa te Delait
Others:
– T’buta te drenikvet
– Kodra prapa drenikvet
– Nardrobo Skja
– Rapshice
– Briđeza
– Brinja Raz
– Rezi jugisht
– Kroni i Blinit
– Ograja e Marezës
– Maja e Cukait
Banjkani is a settlement in Zatrijepče, an Albanian tribe within the wider ethnically majority tribe of Kuči, and all the inhabitants of that village are called by that name. The current Albanian name of the village is Bekaj (Bëkaj), while according to sources from the early 20th century, the names Benkaj (Bënkaj) and Bekai were used in Albanian at that time.
The official name of the settlement in the population censuses from 1948 to 1991 was Benkalj , and starting from the 2003 population census, the official name is Benkaj . To make the situation surrounding the name of this village even more complicated, incorrect versions of the name can be found in the literature both in Serbian (Banjkanji, Benjkanji, Bankanji, Benkanji) and in Albanian (Begaj, Benkai).
Micakaji tribe
The Micakovićs (Micakaji in Albanian) descend from Micak, the son of Leka, who, according to tradition, moved from Rijeka to Crnojević together with Marko. Bogišić, whom Jokanović quotes in his work, states that the Paljuševićs also descend from Leka, who, according to established tradition, are a branch of the Markovićs, however, according to Jokanović, this information is not correct. They worship Zoja Zatrijebačka. They have not yet been genetically tested.
Pecaji tribe
The Pecovići (Pecaji in Albanian) moved from Selce to Klimenti in 1920 and were the last brotherhood to move to Zatrebač. They celebrate the Little Virgin Mary. The Selčani have been identified as belonging to the Klimenti clan and branch E-FT19186 , which is why the same can be expected for the Pecovići, who have not yet been genetically tested. In Selce they celebrated St. Nicholas Day, and upon their arrival in Zatrebač they took the tribal slava of Zoja Zatrebačka.
In addition to the Marković-Banjkan and Gašović clans, the Cijevnjani clan also includes the Ljuljđurović clan from Grude and the Maraš clan from Zeta, who are originally from Hot. It can be concluded that the Marković and Gašović clans originate from an older clan that spread along the Cijevna River.
Based on the ethnicity and traditions of the other brotherhoods that make up this clan, it is most likely an originally Albanian clan, which is why the tradition of the Marković clan’s origin from the Crnojević clan can be rejected, and the tradition of Marko Petrovi’s migration from the Crnojević clan to Rijeka, where it is not known that Albanian brotherhoods ever lived, has also been largely questioned.
Čolovićs came from Kuči
According to tradition, the Čolovićs came from Kuč. This DNA research shows that the Čolovićs are not from Kuč (E1b1b), but probably belong to the Zatrijebčani branch who lived with the Kučs for a time. The ancestors of the Kučs and Zatrijebčani – Illyrians – converted from paganism to Catholicism. The ancestors of the Čolovićs migrated to Biševo – Novi Pazar Sandžak – Bosnian Vilayet, probably at the time they converted to Islam, where they adopted the language and culture.
According to DNA research, the closest relatives to the Čolovićs are the Redžovićs and probably also the Mukovićs and Omerovićs, as tradition says.
Some of the Čolovići were nobles, such as Šemsi Paša Biševac. He was educated at the military academy in the Bosnian Vilayet. Šemsi Paša was the closest general to Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The son of Šemsi Paša Biševac gave his life defending the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Çanakkale in 1915.
Bruçaj
Bruçaj (Serbian truncation: Bručaj/Bručević) – they are descendants of a Catholic Albanian named Bruç Nrrelaj, son of Nrrel Balaj, and are originally from Vukël in northern Albania.
References
Balkan Academia 