Petrit Latifi

Edith Durham’s observation about the Vasojevic tribe, noted in her writings, highlights the suggestion made by an Austrian envoy in 1788 to ally with Albanian Catholic tribes rather than Montenegrin ones. This assertion indicates that tribes such as Palabarhdët, Bjellopavllic (associated with Milo Đukanović), Piperi, and Vasojević (linked to Slobodan Milošević), along with a portion of the Kuçi tribe (including Rada Trajković and Oliver Ivanović), underwent conversion to Orthodox Christianity and Slavic assimilation within the last two centuries. This historical context sheds light on the complex ethnic identities in the region.

On the Vasojevic tribe, Edith Durham writes :

“The Austrian envoy in 1788 suggested that instead of the Montenegrin tribes, we should cooperate with the Albanian Catholic tribes: Bjellopavllic, Piperi, Kuçi, Vasojević, Kelmendi, Hoti, etc.”

This proves to us that the Palabarhdët, the “Bjellopavllic” (Milo Đukanović belongs to this tribe), Piperaj, Vasojević (Slobodan Milošević belongs to this tribe) and half of the Kuçi tribe (Rada Trajković, Oliver Ivanović and many well-known Albanians on the Albanian side belong to this tribe) converted to the Orthodox religion and were Slavized no earlier than two centuries ago.

Reference

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