Malësi e Madhe District

Map showing Malësi e Madhe within Albania

The District of Malësi e Madhe (Albanian: Rrethi i Malësisë së Madhe) is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania. It has a population of 37,000 (2004 estimate), and an area of 897 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Koplik.

Malcia (pronounced Maltzia) as her inhabitants call it, is made up of five smaller regions, Hoti, Gruda, Kelmendi, Kastrati, Shkreli. The origins of Malcia people are dubious, but most of the scholars believe the five tribes migrated from the Croatian region, probably a congregation of Illyrian tribes pushed south by Slavs. Unlike other Albanian regions, the people of Malcia expaneded their territory by occupying unused lands in other regions. There are groups of Malcia villages by the Mati River, Shen Gjini Beach, Velipoja Beach, around Lezha City and most of Northern and Eastern Part of Shkodra Suburbs. However, the largest expansion of Malcia tribes is in the Rugova. The region of Rugova, which is mostly descendent of Kelmendi has developed its own heritage and some people do not even know the affinity between the two regions.

In 1913 when the European Powers established the borders of Balkan region, split Malcia in two parts. Gruda, Rugova, Part of Hoti and many villages around Shkodra Lake and Adriatic Sea that were descendants of Malcia were given to Montenegro, the rest of Malcia remained within the Albanian border.

Malcia has, arguably, the richest heritage amongst the Albanian regions. Probably the most distinguishable feature of Malcia people is their tendency to develop a micro-culture that resembles the heritage of a whole nation.

They adapted the Canon of Lek Dukagjini into the Canon of Mountains. The Canon worked in a way similar to a constitution. If two parties could not resolve a conflict, then they had to pay for the Elders to act as interpreters of the Canon of Mountains. The Elders has nothing to do with age, neither is it a title one inherits. Instead, the Elders were intelligent people who knew how to interpret the Canon and got paid for it.

The great imagination of Malcia people has created what is known as the Albanian Epic, in addition to legends, and monster tales. The main heroes of the songs accompanied by a one-string lute are called Gjeto Basho Muji, Sokol Halili, Gjergj Elez Alia, Zuku Bajraktar, Ajkuna, Omeri, etc. The events in the Epic involve Albanians, Slavs and Hungarians. There is no mention of the Ottoman rulers who were present in Balcans for five centuries. The songs are so well crafted that hold their own against the "Lute of Malcia", Albania's most irreplaceable book written by Gjergj Fishta, a Franciscan priest, whom some believe to be Albania's National Poet. The songs intended for enjoyment as well as for the education of the children are filled with themes and symbols of the Albanian Canon and heritage, but there is no preaching anywhere in the songs. The characters are well rounded and the stories are seen from multiple perspectives. One distinct feature of these songs is that the main hero almost always starts as the underdog, but ends up winning because he/she is either on the right or in love.

The region has attracted the attention of anthropologists, artists, writers and scholars more than any other region in Albania. The "Lute of Malcia" is as irreplaceable for the Albanian Culture as "Iliad" is for the ancient Greek Epics. It took father Fishta 35 years to write the book. Anton Harapi, Albania's most distinguished Christian philosopher dedicated his masterpiece "Andrra e Pretashit" (Pretash's Dream) to the people of Malcia. Foreigners from Edith Durham in 19th century to today's scholars have studied the region, written books and made movies about the region. The oldest book of modern Albania was written by a Malcia Priest five and a half centuries ago. He, John Buzuku, was a catholic priest, who in the tradition of Martin Luther had decided to bring Protestantism to Albania. The only copy of the book that survives has a few pages missing. Needless to say, soon after the book Albania was taken over by the Ottoman empire, converted to Islam and the Protestant Initiative of Buzuku was forgotten.

Malcia is a place of Heroes. The men of Malcia are called "Leket of Malcia" which means seasoned, tough, wise men. They never paid any taxes or gave any solders to the Ottoman Empire and yet were, probably, the richest region in the whole Albania with their lands stretching from Adriatic Sea to the Albanian Alps. But what is even more interesting, Malcia is the place of Her-oines too. Nora of Kelmendi, the Albanian Helen, was said to have been so beautiful that the chief representative of the Ottoman Empire in Albania, a Bosnian man, said, "I'll either marry her or I'll burn all Malcia". A great confrontation happened as a result of his attraction. To make a time-less story short, Nora, against her own people's will dressed like a bride and went to the Pasha who had sieged Malcia with his army. The Pasha is said to have fainted at Nora's sight because she is believed to have been as beautiful as a true fairy. What Pasha did not know, however, was that Nora was part of a bigger plan. She stabbed the Pasha, set is place in fire and without giving his army enough time to figure out what was going on, she escaped. Malcia attacked and the ottoman army was destroyed. The Pasha, however, put together a few men and chased Nora up in the Albanian Alps. There it is said that they had a duel where Nora chopped his head off. Pasha did not know that Nora was the only daughter of one of Malcia's most distinguishable noble warriors and was trained as a warrior herself.

Tringa Smajli, a girl from Gruda, according to "Lute of Malcia" was caring for her wounded brother when Montenegrins attacked the small village. She fought and defended her brother till she was herself wounded. At the very moment when she was about to die, the Leket of Malcia saved her, of course; great her-oes or heroes never die in Malcia Tales.

Another, more ordinary story, is the story of Drane of Kelmendi. A thug (cub) from Mirdita region, who according to the song had already killed 21 men , raped her while she was near her villa owned by her family near Mati River. She went home and told her family what had happened to her. According to the Albanian Canon, her husband was supposed to kill the rapist. Her father-in-law, however, had a different idea in mind. He took Drane up at the Alps, trained her how to shoot and then they came together down at Lezha City. Drane then was let on her own to find and kill Gjin, the rapist. She found him at a local bar, killed him using a pistol and ran away.

Ded Gjo Luli was the leader of Malcia in their war against Slavs and Turks at the break of 20th century. The book "Lute of Malcia" is dedicated to those men and women who raised Albania's National conscience after 500 years of oppression. They showed that it was possible for Albania to exist without the Ottoman empire, as an independent state. It was their war that made the news in the western world and raised the conscience of Euorpe too in regard to the Albanian nation.

After the communists took hold of Eastern Europe, Albania fell under the Russian influence (from Turks to Russians). Malcia, as they were relatively rich and relatively patriotic were declared "Enemies of the People" by the proletarian, internationalist, Stalinist government. They dared however to raise in the first Eastern European uprising against the communists. The uprising was crushed. The leaders either escaped to Montenegro, died in Jail or were executed. Prek Cali, the most distinguishable leader along with Llesh Marashi are today held as heroes that dared to fight the Albanian puppies of the big Russian Dogs.

There are still traces of ancient Illyrian Religion in Malcia.

The SUN being the most important Diety is worshiped and feared by the Malcia people. To this day they swear on the sun -- Pasha njate rreze diellit -- I swear on that ray of sunshine.

ORA is the god of bravery and wisdom. Ora does not exist as a deity similar to Christ, but as some being beyond human senses. However, her present is felt in a way that is similar to existence itself. Ora helps one in all endeavors. He does not protect you, instead he encourages you to protect yourself.

ZANA is the godess of beauty, imagination and dreams. She is what Norse and Celtic ancient religions would refer as a Fairy, but her main qualities are not beauty and sensualit. It is the lucidity of her mind and the nobelty of her feelings that makes her different from a traditional fairy. She inspires the sense of beauty and aesthetics.

TE LUMET (THE BLESSED), (aka shto-zo-vallet). Closer toe traditional fairies, they are young and beautiful girls that have magic and EVIL powers (more like a real beautiful girl). They celebrate existence and nature's fertility, by singing, dancing and eating. Their foods similar to ancient Greek Gods, meanin it comes fromt he essence of flowers and Honey. There is always a table where they live. If a human, unknowingly, (humans can neither see them nor their possessions) steps on any of their possessions, especially their table, he or she will be crippled, turned mad or caused to have great misfortunes in his life.

Most of Malcia people today have left their residence as their unique culture has not found a fertile land since the communists came to power in 1944 in Albania and Montenegro. They can be found today in New York, Detroit, Germany and Italy. The most distinguishable artist today is probably Angjelin Perljocal-http://www.preljocaj.org/Pages/uk/frame.htm and of course Malota, Malcia's own Hollywood Family-http://www.imdb.com/find?q=malota;tt=on;nm=on;mx=20 plus the Boss of Albanian American Politics himself Martin Vulaj http://www.naac.org