Ćići

Not to be confused with Istro-Romanians.
Drawing of a Ćić from 1891.

Ćić (plural Ćići, Slovene: Čiči, German: Tschitschen, Italian: Cicci, Chicchi, Ciccio), is an ethnonym and toponym used for people in the mountainous Ćićarija area in Croatia, with a northern part in Slovenia. Alongside the term Ćiribici, it is also an ethnonym referring to a community of Istro-Romanians in the village Žejane in a small part of eastern Ćićarija, and to villages around the former Lake Čepić west of the Učka range in Istria, Croatia.

Etymology

The first, and unspecified thesis of possible Romanian origin was given by Franc Miklošič in 1860 when all newcomers to karst, Čiči, proclaimed as Romanians.[1] Linguist and phonologist Josip Ribarić, a native of Vodice in Ćićarija, disapproved this thesis with the historical documents, anthroponyms and language dialects in the karst.[2] Ćići initially meant Balkan population who spoke Romance language and was identical to the term Morlachs (that is Vlach), and became an exonym for all newcomers to the karst plateau.[3]

Ribarić accepted the thesis given by Arthur Byhan in 1899, where Chichi (ch/ci=ć) comes from Italian word "cicaleccio" (from "cicalare"), which means insistent and confused (indistinct) talking.[4] They were called so by the Slavs as they couldn't understand them.[4] Ignaz Hermann Bidermann in 1877 interpreted it as a derivative "ćîć" from genitive plural of "čičā", which derives from Slavic word "čiko" or "čika" meaning old man, or uncle.[4] Ribarić opposed it, and noted "Ćìć" is in nominative singular.[4]

Ribarić noted another two terms that could answer the origin; Cincari for Aromanians in Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia, and Ćiribirci in Istria. In Istro-Romanian language was noted secondary palatalization, in village Šušnjevica t becomes ț ("c"), in Nova Vas and Žejane becomes č.[5] The term Cincari or Tsinstari comes from Vulgar Latin tsintsi, Megleno-Romanian ținți, meaning numeral five, and as such deriving tsintsi-ținți-cinci-činči-(n)-čiči-ćići.[6] The term Ćiribîrci derives from Čiribiri, from čire (lat. qui ne, ține-cine-țire-cire-čire, who/you) and bire from bine (lat. bene, good), meaning a greeting "hold well".[6][7]

Ćić or Čič, in Northern Chakavian Ćȉć is pronounced more softly then in Shtokavian, in Italian same as Shtokavian, while in Žejane as Čȉč.[4]

History

The term is mostly mentioned in Croatia, and first mentions date from the early 15th century as a surname in Istria, while in 1463 by priest Fraščić as a group who under Ivan Frankopan plunder Istrian territory beneath mountain Učka.[8] In 1499, the Carinthian parish priest Jakob Urnest mentioned a territory Czyschnlandt between Croatian and Bosnian kingdoms, which some consider to be the Cetina river region in southern Croatia.[9]

There are some individual cases, like the penal records of Trieste from the year 1500 which contain an inscription of an accused who, when asked of his home country, replied Ciccio da Segna (Senj), while another man declared himself as Ciccio da S. Michele di Leme (Lim valley in Istria).[10][11]

Villages in Western Ćićarija (Lanišće municipality), Golac (Slovenia), and Eastern Ćićarija, Vele and Male Mune, Žejane (Matulji municipality, and part of Rašpor or Podgrad estate), were mentioned in the 13th and early 14th century.[12] Those villages in early 15th century, as seen from 1414 and 1419 documents, in the war between Venice and Kingdom of Hungary and Croatia, became almost deserted and so exempted from taxation.[13] From 1469 till 1501 occurred many Turks raids in the karst, because of it, the possibility of migration and organized settlement is disputable.[13]

In the early 1500s, Krsto Frankopan was involved in the struggle between Venice and Austria at the borderland of eastern Istria, Rašpor (Croatian Ćićarija) and Podgrad (Slovenian Ćićarija) citadel estates.[14] It resulted with Frankopans destruction of Rašpor citadel because of peace agreement in 1521 that made Podgrad Austrian and Rašpor Venetian property.[14] Afterwards, western Jelovice, Novaki, Vodice, and eastern Vele and Male Mune, and Žejane village became Austrian property.[15]

It is known the exact date, 1510 until 1525, when by Frankopan were settled villages Vele Mune, Male Mune, and Žejane.[16] In the document were mentioned settled families and their surnames, of which the most were preserved until today.[17] In 1523 and 1527, in the estate of Lupoglav were settled Tschizen aus Krabatten. [18]

In 1528 Tschitschen were mentioned in regard of possible settling in Modruš and other lands as a resistance against Martolosi.[14] In 1539, royal commissioner Erasmo von Thurn submitted a request by Ćići to King Ferdinand I if they could be given some deserted land on karst and Istria.[14] It was only partially accepted.[14] In 1530, Ćići were prohibited to purchase grain in Novo Mesto and Metlika in Lower Carniola.[14]

The date of migrations are confirmed in 1594 when Rašpor captain sent a report to Venice about the affair between Morlachs and Poreč diocese, when the Morlachs (Ćići) didn't want to pay the tax to the diocese, although when they came seventy or eighty years ago were poor, by then they acquired a lot of wealth.[19]

Previously in 1530 general commander Nikola Jurišić mentioned Vlachs who are commonly called Ćići (Valachi, quos vulgo Zytschn vocant),[8] while Slovenian diplomat Benedikt Kuripešič in his travel through Bosnia mentioned his use of Zitzen and Zigen as exonym, along Vlach and Martolosi, for the Serbs and Orthodox immigrants in Bosnia.[8][20][21]

Language

In 1877, Jan Baudouin de Courtenay noticed that in Mune, Podgrad, and as all Ćići, they don't speak Slovenian, but Serbo-Croatian in Chakavian dialect.[22] In 1884, Viljem Urbas, and in 1891 Milan Rešetar, assumed the existence of Sthokavian elements in their speech, and areas with Sthokavian-chakavian sub-dialect.[23]

Ribarić, who is notable for making the first dialects map in Istria, noticed various varieties of dialects in karst. People from Slovenian part of karst mostly speak Kajkavian dialect, and were called by nickname Brkini, Šavrini or Kraševci.[24] The Kajkavian-chakavian dialect spoke people in lower part of Lanišće municipality, in villages Lanišće, Podgaće, Prapoće, Račja Vas, Klenovšćak, Kropinjak, Brest and Slum.[25] It was mainly used within village as many adults also spoke Shtokavian-chakavian.[26] In Istria, for Kajkavian and Kajkavian-chakavian speaking people was also used exonym Bezjak. People from those villages as lived in Ćićarija weren't called Bezjaci from other parts of Istria, but Ćići who spoke Shtokavian-chakavian, although they did not differ in lifestyle, scornfully sometimes used it.[25] Likewise, nickname Ćić was scornfully used by Bezjaks and other Istrians.[22]

Chakavian dialect of Ikavian accent, which previously was spoken in Dalmatia, Krbava and now parts of western Bosnia, is represented in villages of Matulji municipality, Lipa, Rupa, Šapjane, Pasjak, Brdce, Veli Brgud, Mali Brgud, Vele Mune, Male Mune and Žejane,[27] and in Slovenian villages of Ilirska Bistrica municipality, Podgrad, Starod, Račice, Podbeže, while Obrov, Poljane and Skadanščina in Hrpelje-Kozina.[28] Ribarić did not find traces of Istro-Romanian language in Vele and Male Mune, yet found Shtokavian-chakavian elements in Žejane.[29] Village Brgudac was included in Southern Chakavian ikavian dialect.[30]

Shtokavian-chakavian of Ikavian accent, is represented in upper part of Lanišće municipality, in villages Rašpor, Črnehi, Trstenik, Dane, Vodice and Jelovice, and in Slovenian Hrpelje-Kozina municipality, village Golac and smaller villages Gojaki, Zagrad, Brdo.[31]

Names

According the populations census done in 1911, prior the emigration after World War I and II, from each village will be listed tree most numerous surnames in Croatia.[32][33][34]

In Matulji municipality and eastern Ćićarija, Žejane (Sanković, Marmilić, Stambulić), Vele Mune (Peloza, Zatković, Juračić), Male Mune (Valetić, Ovčarić, Grubiša), Lipa (Simčić. Kalčić, Smajila), Rupa (Surina, Smajila, Valenčić), Šapjane (Šuštar, Simčić, Turković), Pasjak (Surina, Bratović, Sanković), and Brce (Turković, Sanković, Udović).

In Lanišće and western Ćićarija, Brgudac (Ivančić, Brajković, Turković/Klobas), Slum (Božić, Posedel, Zlatić), Brest (Mikac, Božić, Ivančić), Kropinjak (Brljavac, Črneha, Hlaj), Klenovšćak (Bradetić, Zlatić, Rabak), Račja Vas (Črnac, Klobas, Cerin), Prapoće (Šverko, Sinčić, Žudić), Podgaće (Šverko, Mejak, Kralić/Medica), Lanišće (Grbac, Žmak, Puhal), Črnehi (Črneha), Rašpor (Božić, Šverko, Poropat), Trstenik (Poropat, Rotar, Maglica/Brajković), Dane (Poropat, Brajković, Sanković), Vodice (Ribarić, Poropat, Rupena), and Jelovice (Čendak, Jurišević, Mamilović/Poropat).

In Slovenia tree most numerous surnames per village are, Podgrad (Stanič, Butinar, Šajina), Račice (Kreševič, Burlovič, Ladič/Jelenič), Obrov (Mavrič, Dodič, Valenčič), Poljane (Bubnič, Mršnik), Veli and Mali Brgud (Afrić, Stambul, Filipović, Kalčić), Golac and three near smaller villages (Grdevič, Ivančič, Juriševič, Mamilovič, Maglica).

Ribarić noted four surnames with clear Romanian origin, Stambul (Stambulić), Burul (Burlović), Mavrić (Maurić, maurós means Dark), and Poropat.[nb 1] Ribarić noted that Poropat is specific as it doesn't exist in eastern Ćićarija, yet only in Shtokavian-Chakavian oasis.[37]

Culture

Ćići are Roman Catholic and all village churches are dated in the 16th and very early 17th century.[38]

They made their living with shepherding, in semi-nomadic way, selling lambs and wool, and the received milk used to made various dairy products from it, mostly cheese.[39] Pastures and meadows were used as heyfields, in autumn for herds grazing, while for grazing in winter they went to southern Istria.[40] Farming covered personal needs, mostly potato, cabbage, beans, beet, and less wheat, barley, oat and corn.[40] Substantial source of income was acquired from forestry, cutting firewood, logs for sawmill for which transport were held draft horses, and most often making k(a)rbunica, a wood pile covered with soil from which would be obtained charcoal.[41][42] After 1945 agriculture and forestry weren't enough for living standard.[43]

Specificity of the Ćići in Ćićarija and in village Žejane is now almost extinct folk singing of folk songs bugarštice.[18] This way of signing in Istria is known as bugarenje, while in Ćićarija as rozgat, kantat, guditi (Vodice, Dane, Jelovice, Golac) or žaliti (mourn).[44][45] There exist male and female way of singing.[18] The guditi' or žaliti is laments singing performed mostly by women in everday opportunities, and when someone passed away.[46] In bugarenje are sang melancholic verses of lyric, lyric-epic and epic poetry, and verses are short decasyllabic.[18] Themes of epic poetry are mostly related to the Ottoman occupation, and in contrary to epic poetry in Dalmatia and other parts of Balkan, were only mentioned three Turkish words (harač, ćorda, delija).[47]

The tradition of rain ritual prporuša was also present until recent times.[48] It is known as Paparuda, and its variations, in Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, or Dodola in South Slavic countries.[49] While in dodola the ritual was performed by a girl,[49] in prporuša was by a boy,[49] in Ćićarija aged around 10-14,[50] decorated with greenery (sambucus or tilia leaves), and who goes through the village singing ritual song, stopping at every house, where the hosts pour water on him, and give gifts.[50]

Annotations

  1. ↑ Poropat, older Parapat, is a Rom. syntagm of fără (without) and pat (Rom. bed, Ancient Greek πάτος, pátos, path, walk, floor, ground), meaning "without bed", nomad.[11] Similar syntagm has surname Faraguna (without raincoat).[35] Another theory is from Ancient Greek par-ab-at-es, παραβάτης (transgressor) or ἀναβάτης (horse rider).[36]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 52:die Čičen überhaupt slavisierte Rumunen sind
  2. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 52, 62.
  3. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 62.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Ribarić 2002, p. 164.
  5. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 165.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ribarić 2002, p. 166.
  7. ↑ Radenko Vadanjel (2007). ""Cire bire" or hold tight ("Čire bire" ili drži dobro!)" (in Croatian). Glas Istre. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Ćićarija" (in Croatian). Istrapedia. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Ćići (Čići)" (in Croatian). Croatian Encyclopaedia. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  10. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 80.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Filipi, Goran (2013), Istroromanian loanwords in the dictionary section of Ribarić's study on Istrian dialects, Annales, Series historia et sociologia, 23, pp. 93, 96
  12. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 31-32.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ribarić 2002, p. 78.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Ribarić 2002, p. 79.
  15. ↑ Slaven Bertoša. "Rašpor" (in Croatian). Istrian Encyclopaedia. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 79, 78.
  17. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 61.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Ribarić 2002, p. 82.
  19. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 202.
  20. ↑ Đorđe Pejanović (2001). Putopis kroz Bosnu, Srbiju, Bugarsku i Rumeliju 1530 (in Serbo-Croatian). Beograd: Čigoja štampa. pp. 26–27, 36. There were done two Serbo-Croatian translations, by Petar Matković in 1891 used by JAZU in 1950s, and Pejanović in 2001. Kuripešič in Upper Bosnia mentions two constitutive nations, Turggen und Surffen. In Lower Bosnia three nations, Roman Catholic Bosnians (Wossner), Turggen, and Surffen, who, in Pejanović translation by Turks are called Wallachen while by "us" Zigen or Marthalosen, and that they came from Smederevo (Smedraw) and Belgrade (griechisch Weussenburg). In the Matković redaction Zigen and Zitzen were translated as "Cigani" (gypsies). Pejanović translated those terms as Ćići/Čiči, and controversally claimed that the Serbs and Orthodox immigrants were called so because all inhabitants of mountain Ćićarija in Istria were Vlachs of Orthodox confession. Also, isn't known if Kuripešić when mentioned the migration of Surffen, Zitzen und Marthalosen, mentioned them as different groups, or terms which indicate the same thing.
  21. ↑ Bosnien und Serbien unter osmanischer Herrschaft - ein Reisebericht aus dem Jahr 1530 (in German). Klagenfurt. pp. 139–140. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Ribarić 2002, p. 55.
  23. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 55-56.
  24. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 28.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Ribarić 2002, p. 31.
  26. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 43.
  27. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 50.
  28. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 51.
  29. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 49.
  30. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 63.
  31. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 76-77.
  32. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 51-53, 63, 76-77.
  33. ↑ Čargonja 2004, p. 32-37.
  34. ↑ Poropat 2006, p. 29-30.
  35. ↑ Milovan, Valter (2003), Faraguna Without a Raincoat and Poropat Without Bed, Novi List
  36. ↑ Ribarić 2002.
  37. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 50, 51, 201-204.
  38. ↑ Ivetac, Jakovljević 2002, p. 285-316.
  39. ↑ Poropat 2006, p. 17, 20.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Poropat 2006, p. 17.
  41. ↑ Poropat 2006, p. 22-24.
  42. ↑ Žmak 2004, p. 267-274.
  43. ↑ Poropat 2006, p. 22.
  44. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 82, 84.
  45. ↑ Pernić, Renato (1997). Meštri, svirci i kantaduri: Istarski narodni pjevači, svirači i graditelji glazbala (in Croatian). Buzet: Reprezent. pp. 40–46.
  46. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 84.
  47. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 83.
  48. ↑ Ribarić 2002, p. 84-85.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 Čulinović-Konstantinović, Vesna (1963). Dodole i Prporuše, narodni običaji za prizivanje kiše (in Croatian). Buzet: Narodna umjetnost. pp. 78, 93, 79.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Ribarić 2002, p. 206.
Bibliography

External links