Resilience at the border: traditional botanical knowledge among Macedonians and Albanians living in Gollobordo, Eastern Albania

Abstract

BackgroundEthnobotany in South-Eastern Europe is gaining the interest of several scholars and stakeholders, since it is increasingly considered a key point for the re-evaluation of local bio-cultural heritage. The region of Gollobordo, located in Eastern Albania and bordering the Republic of Macedonia, is of particular interest for conducting ethnobiological studies, since it remained relatively isolated for the larger part of the 20th Century and is traditionally inhabited by a majority of ethnic Macedonians and a minority of Albanians (nowadays both sharing the Muslim faith).MethodsAn ethnobotanical survey focused on local food, medicinal, and veterinary plant uses was conducted with 58 participants using open and semi-structured interviews and via participant observation.ResultsWe recorded and identified 115 taxa of vascular plants, which are locally used for food, medicinal, and veterinary purposes (representing 268 total plant reports). The Macedonian Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) was greater than the Albanian TEK, especially in the herbal and ritual domains. This phenomenon may be linked to the long socio-cultural and linguistic isolation of this group during the time when the borders between Albania and the former Yugoslavia were completely closed. Moreover, the unusual current food utilisation of cooked potatoes leaves, still in use nowadays among Macedonians, could represent the side effect of an extreme adaptation that locals underwent over the past century when the introduction of the potato crop made new strategies available for establishing stable settlements around the highest pastures. Additionally, the difference in use of Helichrysum plicatum, which is popular in the local Macedonian folk medicine but absent among Albanians, confirms the particular significance of this taxon as it relates to the yellow colour of its flowers in South Slavic folklore.ConclusionBotanical studies with an ethnographic approach are crucial for understanding patterns of use of plants within given cultures. Importantly, such studies can also allow for analysis of the dynamics of change in these TEK patterns over the time. The results of this study may be important as baseline data set to be used in rural development programs in Gollobordo, aimed at fostering community-based strategies of management of natural resources.

Folk food and medicinal botanical knowledge among the last remaining Yörüks of the Balkans

“…As expected, the largest proportion was used for treating gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tract disorders, and this is consistent with data obtained from previous studies relating to everyday minor ailments [6,15,17,18,[20][21][22]36].…”

“…Some wild plants are semi-domesticated (SD, W/ SD; 7%), and from the listed taxa, significantly fewer are cultivated plants (C; 31%). Cultivated plants are much less prevalent than wild plants compared to similar studies undertaken for the plain regions [22], but this is also true of some other isolated communities located in the nearby mountains [17,18,20,21]. One possible reason for this is the preservation of the nomadic mode of life -simplicity, pragmatism, and the ability to conserve important key elements (including the plants used) despite changes, both natural and social, to their immediate environment.…”

“…Sempervivum has not been reported in studies of Macedonians and Gorani in the Shar Mountains (northwestern Macedonia); the plant also occurs on hilly or mountainous terrains [17,18], mountain villages of Preshkopia, eastern Albania [20], western Macedonia [21], and on Mount Korab [46]. These areas and communities are geographically close and similar in terms of environment and degree of isolation.…”

“…Raki is an alcoholic drink distilled from the pulp of different fruit. Yörüks do not produce homemade raki, as reported by many informants, but they often cite it as a homemade remedy for internal and external uses, and this is commonly used in most of the Balkans [7,17,[20][21][22]36].…”

“…Most of the previous studies were mainly aimed at medicinal and edible plants and traditional handicrafts [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] and shed new light on existing ethnological and anthropological data. Some studies investigated small ethnic groups living in more or less isolated communities and provided new and very important data about the characteristics, storage, and transfer of the region's traditional knowledge [6,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. These not only addressed the specific features of the region, but also contributed to the understanding of complex historical and social processes that by far exceed the limitations of the mechanical documentation of botanical data.…”