Rrjolli
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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 (military-administrative unit).
Geography
The Rrjolli tribal region is located around 15 km east of Koplik. Rrjolli borders the Shkreli to the north, the Plani, Xhani, Suma and Mëgulla past Mount Bishkaz to the east, and the Lohja, Reçi and Grizha tribes to the northwest. Most of the Rrjolli settlements are located on the left side of the river, along the northern slopes of Mount Maranaj.[1] The Rrjolli tribe occupies the Rrjoll valley between Mali i Kurrilës to the west, Tarabosh to the north, Mali i Bishkazit and Maranaj to the east.[2]
Origins
Rrjolli is not a tribe of common patrilineal ancestry, it is made up of different brotherhoods and lineages. According to Giuseppe Valentini, Rrjolli can be divided into two main groups: the brotherhoods who arrived from the tribal territory of the Kuči in eastern Montenegro during the 16th or 17th century, and the anas who represent the native population of the region. Among the anas are the Çangaj, Keqani, Kokaj, Toskaj, and Vitaj.[3] Alternatively, the French consul Hyacinthe Hecquard (1814–1866) recounted an oral tradition which maintained that the Rrjolli trace their ancestry back to two families from Drisht. The legend states that the two families had fled Drisht prior to the Ottoman siege of the citadel in hopes of escaping persecution and conversion to Islam.[4]
Several Albanian tribes inhabited Rrjolli during the Middle Ages up until the Ottoman period, when they were grouped into a single military-administrative unit. These include the Egçi (Egreshi), Lepuroshi, and Linaj (Feralinaj). The Dara tribe also inhabited Rrjolli in the Middle Ages. The Dara family was one of the first to migrate from Albania to Italy and Greece after Skanderbeg's death. When they migrated to Greece they named their settlement Dara after their own surname. The Dara family in southern Italy exist as a part of the Arbëreshë community in Palazzo Adriano, a town in Sicily. Gabriele Dara, was an Arbëreshë politician and poet of the 19th century. He is regarded as one of the early writers of the Albanian National Awakening.