Gjokaj is an
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
surname of the Triesh clan of Malësia region of southeastern
Montenegro
)
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. Gjokajs from
Triesh trace their ancestral origins from the village of Muzheçku, Triesh. The name of Muzheçku comes from the ancient ancestor that bond Gjokajs and Nikollajs (also from Muzheçku) in their bloodline, Muzh Marashi. The name Gjokaj is derived from the ancient ancestor of Gjok Lumi, the grandson of Muzh Marashi. Most of the current descendants of the Gjokaj clan derive from Ivan Mali's three sons:
*Prel Ivani
*Gjek Ivani
*Lek Ivani
The Gjokajs of Triesh are direct descendants of the ancient ancestor, Ban Keqi. He is the brother of Lazër Keqi (
Hoti tribe).
Edith Durham
Edith Durham, (8 December 1863 – 15 November 1944) was a British artist, anthropologist and writer who is best known for her anthropological accounts of life in Albania in the early 20th century. Her advocacy on behalf of the Albanian cause a ...
’s book ''High Albania'' makes reference to the direct correlation between the Keqi brothers and the significance of the bloodlines. In her book, she describes what was said by a Malësor of the
Hot
Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to:
Food and drink
*Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality
*Hot, a wine tasting descriptor
Places
* Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand
**Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...
tribe in one of the many villages she explored in the highland regions of northern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
in 1909:
“And half the tribe of Triepshi, the stem of Bakechi, is of Hoti blood. We cannot marry them. The other half–the Bekaj–we can. They are not our blood; they come from Kopliku. Triepshi belongs to Montenegro now, but is all Catholic.” (Durham, 1909)
[Retrieved from http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/durham/albania/albania.html]
The direct descendants of the Gjokaj include:
*Prel, Gjek & Lek Ivani (Brothers and descendants of the majority of current Gjokajs)
*Ivan Mali
*Mal Prëgza
*Prëgz Gjoka
*Gjok Lumi (Ancestor of which the Gjokaj name derives)
*Lum Muzhi
*Muzh Marashi (The ancestor that the name of the town, "Muzheçku" is derived)
*Marash Pata
*Pat Bani
*Ban Keqi (brother of "Lazar Keqi" of the Hoti tribe of Malësi e Madhe)
Current members of the Gjokaj clan of Triesh predominantly live in parts of
Tuzi,
Montenegro
)
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and surrounding areas of Malësia. A large majority of Gjokajs have immigrated to the United States starting in the early 1970s in search of a better living for their families and the strive for the American dream. The majority of Gjokajs residing in the US live in close-knit
Albanian American communities throughout the US, predominantly in
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...
and within the
New York City metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Durham, E. (1909). ''High Albania''. London: Edward Arnold.
Albanian-language surnames