Morina tribe (Albanian: fisi Morinë or fisi Marin) is a small tribe and historical region of the Highlands of Gjakova in Kosovo. The border post between Albania and Kosovo called

Qafë Morinë Qafa e Morinës is a mountain pass through the Albanian mountains along the border between Albania and Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr ...

(Morina Pass) lies on Morina territory, however the Morina have settled various parts of Kosovo, in particular Gjakova,

Kamenica, Kosovo Kamenica or Dardana ( sq-definite, Kamenicë or Dardanë), or Kosovska Kamenica (Serbian Cyrillic: Косовска Каменица), is a town and municipality located in the Gjilan District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of K ...

and

Gjilan Gjilan, or Gnjilane ( sr-cyr, Гњилане) is the eighth largest city in Kosovo and seat of Gjilan Municipality and Gjilan District. Name Ottoman chronicler Evliya Çelebi mentions ''Morava'' as a settlement of the Sanjak of Vučitrn. � ...

Etymology

According to an article by Nikoll Kimza in 1937, published in the

Hylli i Dritës ''Hylli i Dritës'' ( en, The Star of Light) is an Albanian periodical first published in 1913 by Gjergj Fishta, one of the most notable writers and poets of Albanian literature. It is regarded as one of the most important Albanian magazines of t ...

, called "Hetime mí vjetersín e rrjedhen e Derës Gjomarkaj e të Mirditës", the Morina tribe was also called Marin which leads to believe that the name comes from the same Albanian first name " Marin (name)" of Latin origin meaning "marine; of or pertaining to the sea".

Geography

Morina tribal territory bordered the traditional tribal lands of Gashi (tribe) to the west, Bytyçi to the southwest and Has (municipality) to the south. There are two villages named Morina on the Kosovo-Albanian border.

History

Origins

The Morinas were a tribe in the sense of a fis, i.e. a community that is aware of common blood ties and of common history reaching back to one male ancestor. According to oral tradition, they seem to trace a common origin with the

Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other ...

tribe. The

ns, Shala (tribe) and

Shoshi (region) 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 ...

trace their origin to the Pashtrik mountain on the Kosovo-Albanian border, not far from Morina territory which leads to assume that while the Mirditans left their original home, the smaller Morinas stayed closer.

Middle Ages

During the 15th century, all of Morina's inhabitants had Albanian anthroponomy, indicating that Christian Albanians inhabited the village and its surroundings.

Balkan war

During the

battle of Lumë The Battle of Lumë, also referred by the Albanians as the Uprising of Lumë (''Kryengritja e Lumës''), was a series of clashes between the Albanian locals of the Luma (region), region of Lumë in Ottoman Albania against the invading Serbia ...

in 1912, among the first battles on the border of Luma (region) took place in the Albanian village of

Morinë Morinë is a settlement in eastern Albania, on the border with Kosovo. The Kosovo side of the border is Vërmica. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Kukës. Morinë is an important stop on the highway that conn ...

Kosovo war

During the Kosovo War, several tens of thousands of Albanian refugees crossed the border in

every day. At the time,

was the only border crossing between Kosovo and Albania. On 13 June 1999, Bundeswehr troops crossed the border near

from Albania after NATO and Yugoslavia agreed on a withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo. Furthermore, the Kosovar village of Morina, near Gjakova was a stronghold for local

Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...

soldiers and multiple battles were fought there.

Religion

The Morinas were originally Catholic before mostly converting to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

in the later Ottoman Empire period due to social and economic reasons. In light of their connection to the

ns there is also evidence for influence by

Orthodoxy Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...

in earlier times.

Notable people

* Fitim Morina, Icelandic footballer *

Geldona Morina Geldona Morina (born 8 November 1993) is a Kosovan-born Albanian footballer who plays as a midfielder and has appeared for the Albania women's national team. Career Morina appeared for the national team during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup ...

, Kosovar footballer *

Ismail Morina Ismail Morina (born 1 April 1990) is a Kosovar-Albanian footballer, who currently plays for German amateur side TSV Wörth/Donau. Football career Club career He has previously played in the German Lower Leagues for a variety of different club ...

, Kosovar footballer *

Mario Morina Mario Morina (born 16 October 1992) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Club career Tirana 2010–11 season Morina made his début for Tirana on 3 November 2010 in an Albanian Cup fixture at home against Skrapari. Mo ...

, Albanian footballer

Sources

{{reflist Tribes of Albania