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The Plani are a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in Pult of north Albania. The Plani tribe is not a traditional fis in the sense of a community that claims paternal descent from one common ancestor; rather, it is polyphyletic. During the Ottoman period it formed a single bajrak (military-administrative unit).
Plani tribal territory corresponds to the mountainous Pult region in the district of Shkodra, and it is situated at the upper end of the Kir river valley. They border Shala to the east, Boga to the north, Shkreli to the west, and Kiri and Xhani to the south. The main Plani settlements are the villages of Plan, Mëgulla and Gjuraj-Boks. [1]
Despite consisting of a single bajrak, the Plani tribe is considered to be a conglomeration of four different Albanian populations; one from the Kelmendi tribe, one from the Mërturi, one from the region of Malzi, and one from an indigenous anas population. The Plani in Gjuraj and part of Mëgulla are of Kelmendi origin from the village of Selcë, the Plani in Thana are from Mërturi, those in Gjinaj arrived from Malzi, and the anas population of the tribe is that of Boksh/Boks. The Plani of Boksh settled in the region prior to the Ottoman conquest of Albania, but were said to have been the group responsible for the downfall of the Castle of Boksh (Kalaja e Bokshit) by revealing the location of the castle's water supply to the besieging Ottomans. [2] [3]
According to local oral traditions, many of the brotherhoods of Plani trace their ancestry back to a man from Boksi who took a bride from Malësia (possibly Kelmendi). The couple had three sons; Prendi, Gjuri, and Manga. The three brothers would consequently father their own families and expand, founding the settlements and brotherhoods of Prendrejaj, Gjuraj, and Mëgulla. The Thani trace their patrilineal lineage back to a certain Gjin Berisha from Mërturi and, according to legend, took their name from the cornel plant (thanë in Albanian) under which one of their forefathers sought shelter during his first night in Plani. [4]
The native Boksi (alternatively, Boksa, Baksi) are attested in the Venetian cadastre of 1416-17 for Scutari and its environs as an Albanian tribal community spread across a number of settlements in northern Albania. A certain Pali Boksa is attested in the nearby settlement of Bishtrrjolla in the region of Rrjolli, while in Podgora a Nikolla Baksi is recorded as a pronoiar of the village alongside his brothers and others, including members of the Hoti tribe. [5]
In the later Ottoman defter of 1485 for the Sanjak of Scutari, Plani appears as the settlement of Blanda in the nahiyah of Petrishpan-ili with 21 households that produced 1500 ducats per annum. The register attests to a dominance of Albanian personal names (e.g., Mali, Gjergji, Gjoni) and also identifies a branch of the Prekali tribe in the village with a certain Gjon son of Prekali being recorded. It is also made clear Plani was not yet a fully formed tribal territory as Mëgulla (Dugul) is recorded as a separate community in the region with 5 households that produced only 500 ducats per annum. [6]
Plani is later recorded as Plandi Villa in 1628 and as Planti in 1671. In 1671–1672, the village of Plani was documented by Pietro Stefano Gaspari (an apostolic visitor) as having 52 homes and 312 inhabitants. In the first half of the 19th century, French consul Hyacinthe Hecquard reported that the Plani tribe consisted of 180 houses 1,135 inhabitants. In 1918, an Austro-Hungarian census recorded the Plani tribe as having 171 households with 980 inhabitants. During a conflict with Montenegro, the Plani standard-bearer was killed and the flag of the Plani was seized by a warrior from Gimaj in Shala - this shamed the Plani as their flag was in the possession of a family in Gimaj. [7]
Historically, the Plani tribe has been primarily Catholic with a Muslim minority. Saint Anthony the Abbot (Shna Ndou, Shnou) is the patron saint of the Catholics of Plani, with the feast day being on the 16th-17 January. The Catholic parish of Plani dates to 1839. In the 17th century, there was a stone church in Plani dedicated to Shna Ndou - this church also served the villages of Bukëmira and Dajca, which lacked their own church. [8]
Dukagjin Highlands is a mountainous region in northern Albania, east of Shkodra and north of the Drin. It is roughly equivalent to the northern half of the Shkodër District, with some minor parts in Malësi e Madhe District.
The Albanian tribes form a historical mode of social organization (farefisní) in Albania and the southwestern Balkans characterized by a common culture, often common patrilineal kinship ties and shared social ties. The fis stands at the center of Albanian organization based on kinship relations, a concept that can be found among southern Albanians also with the term farë.
Shala is a historical tribe and region of northern Albania in the valley of the river Shalë, in the Dukagjin highlands. At the end of the 19th century the tribe was Catholic and had c. 3,000 members and 700 households
The Nikaj are an historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in the Highlands of Gjakova of north Albania. The Nikaj tribe is a traditional fis in the sense of being a community that claims paternal descent from one common ancestor, consisting of a single bajrak during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Nikaj are directly related to the Krasniqi tribe. Today, the Nikaj are usually grouped along with the Mërturi tribe as Nikaj-Mërturi.
Shoshi is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region of northern Albania in the lower Shala valley. Shoshi is first recorded as a small settlement in 1485. The fis itself traces its origin to the brothers Gjol and Pep Suma. The community of their descendants gradually grew to control part of the Dukagjin highlands. In the 19th century Shoshi also became a bajrak.
Toplana is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and ethnographic region located on the northern banks of the River Drin in northern Albania.
Mavriqi was an Albanian tribe (fis) that lived in the Middle Ages. They were the anas tribe of the Shala valley, being gradually expelled by the incoming Shala. The tribe gave its name to the modern village of Nënmavriq as well as to a number of micro-toponyms in the highlands of northern Albania.
The Highlands of Gjakova or Gjakova Highlands, known colloquially as Tropoja, refers to the mountainous ethnographic region in the eastern Albanian Alps that sits between north-eastern Albania and western Kosovo, serving as the historical centres of the Albanian Gashi, Krasniqi, Bytyqi, Morina, Nikaj and Mërturi tribes. Traditionally, parts of the Gjakova Highlands that are now located in southern Montenegro were used as pasturelands by the local Albanian tribes.
The Rrjolli is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in Malësia of north Albania. The tribal region is centred along the banks of the Rrjoll river that stems from Mount Bishkaz and empties into Lake Shkodër. The Rrjolli tribe is not a traditional fis in the sense of a community that claims paternal descent from one common ancestor; rather, it is polyphyletic. During the Ottoman period it formed a single bajrak.
Pult or Pulat, is a region in northern Albania. It is bordered by the Malësia Region to its north and by the Dukagjin Highlands to its east and its south. The region has traditionally been inhabited by the Plani, Kiri, Suma, Xhani, Drishti and Rrjolli tribes. The Pult region is situated on the Kir river and extends beyond Drisht to Prekal.
Kiri is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and ethnographic region located on the eastern side of the upper Kir river in the wider region of Pulti, northern Albania.
The Suma are a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and tribal region in Pult of north Albania. During the Ottoman period it formed a single bajrak.
Boga is a region and former bajrak of the Kelmendi, a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and ethnographic region located in Malësia, northern Albania.
Xhani is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and ethnographic region located on the western side of the upper Kir river in the wider region of Pulti, northern Albania.
The Bulgëri are a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and tribal region in the districts of Lezha and Mirdita of northern Albania. It is one of the four traditional bajraks of the Highlands of Lezha, alongside the Kryezezi, Vela and Manatia.
The Manatia are a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and tribal region in the district of Lezha of northern Albania. It is one of the four traditional bajraks of the Highlands of Lezha, alongside the Kryezezi, Vela and Bulgëri.
The Vela are a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and tribal region in the districts of Lezha and Mirdita of northern Albania. It is one of the four traditional bajraks of the Highlands of Lezha, alongside the Bulgëri, Kryezezi and Manatia.
The Kushneni or Kuzhneni tribe are an Albanian tribe and one of the traditional bajraks of the Mirdita region in northern central Albania. The Kushneni tribe were one of the three traditional bajraks of Mirdita, which has now increased to five.
The Mërturi are an historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in the Highlands of Gjakova of north Albania. The Mërturi tribe is a traditional fis in the sense of being a community that claims paternal descent from one common ancestor, consisting of a single bajrak during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Mërturi are directly related to the Berisha tribe. Today, the Mërturi are usually grouped along with the Nikaj tribe as Nikaj-Mërturi.
The Oroshi tribe is an Albanian tribe and one of the bajraks of the ethnographic Mirdita region in northern central Albania. The Oroshi tribe was one of the three traditional bajraks of Mirdita, which has now increased to five.