The Drekalovići ( cyrl, Дрекаловићи; sq, Ndrekalorë) are a historical union of brotherhoods of
Kuči with an
Albanian origin.
Their patron saint (
slava) is
St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...
(Nikoljdan).
They were part of a wave of settlement in the mid 16th century in the area of Kuči, and came to form an important part of it. Unlike the brotherhoods that form Old Kuči (the families that already lived in the area before their arrival) the Drekalovići all claim ancestry from a single ancestor,
Drekale after whom they are named.
Originally, a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Albanian-speaking
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
,
they gradually became Orthodox and Slavic-speaking, in particular after the conversion of their leader
Lale Drekalov }; sq, Lala Drekali) was a vojvoda of the Kuči tribe in eastern Montenegro in the first half of the 17th century.
Life
His father was Drekale and his mother was the daughter of a vojvoda of Old Kuči. He had a brother, Nikolla who died with ...
in the 17th century when
Rufim Njeguš
Rufim Njeguš ( sr-Cyrl, Руфим Његуш; 1594–1631) was the Metropolitan of Cetinje between 1594 and 1636. He succeeded the Metropolitan duo of Nikanor and Stevan (s. 1591–93). Rufim Njeguš and Metropolitan Visarion of Trebinje (s. ...
was
Metropolitan of Cetinje.
[Ivan Jovović, 2013, Dvooltarske crkve na crnogorskom primorju, https://www.maticacrnogorska.me/files/53/06%20ivan%20jovovic.pdf #page= 69] The Drekalovići marry within Kuči, but historically form no marriage with
Berisha or a large part of
Kastrati, fis which they regarded in their tradition as patrilineally related to them.
Notable people
*
Drekale
*
Lale Drekalov }; sq, Lala Drekali) was a vojvoda of the Kuči tribe in eastern Montenegro in the first half of the 17th century.
Life
His father was Drekale and his mother was the daughter of a vojvoda of Old Kuči. He had a brother, Nikolla who died with ...
*
Iliko Lalev
*
Radonja Petrović
Radonja Petrović ( sr-cyr, Радоња Петровић; b. 1670, Kosor, Kuči – d. 1737 Stari Vlah), known as Vojvoda Radonja (војвода Радоња) was the vojvoda of the Kuči tribe and a commander of the Drekalovići during the ...
*
Marko Miljanov Popović
References
{{reflist
Kuči