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The Sarakatsani (Greek: Σαρακατσάνοι, Bulgarian: каракачани, karakachani) are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds across the Southern Balkans. Historically centered around the Pindos mountains but since urbanised to a significant degree, most now reside throughout Central and Northern Greece. Smaller numbers also exist in Bulgaria.

Contents 1 Pastoral tribe 2 History and controversy 2.1 19th century accounts 2.2 20th century accounts 2.3 Sarakatsani in Bulgaria 3 Sarakatsani and Vlachs 4 Rootlesness and ritualization 5 Summary of theories 6 Notable Sarakatsani 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

The Sarakatsani traditionally spent the summer months in the mountains and returned to the lower plains in the winter. The migration would start on the eve of Saint George's Day in April and the return migration would start on Saint Demetrius' Day, October 26. However, according to a theory, the Sarakatsani were not always nomads but only turned to harsh nomadic mountain life to escape Ottoman rule.^[1][2] Yet many of the Sarakstasani residing in Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace, provinces that remained under Ottoman control until 1913, developed subsequently amiable relationships with the Turkish officials who were among the purchasers of their dairy products as well as of lamb and mutton.

As national states appeared in the former domain of the Ottoman Empire, new state borders came to separate the summer and winter habitats of many of the Sarakatsani groups. However, until the middle of the 20th century the crossing of borders between Greece, Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia was relatively unobstructed. In the summer, some groups went as far north as the Balkan mountains while the winter they would spend in the warmer plains in vicinity of the Aegean sea. After 1947, as inter-state borders were sealed with the beginning of the Cold War, some Sarakatsani were not able to migrate anymore and were subsequently settled down outside Greece.

The Sarakatsani speak a northwestern Greek dialect containing many archaic elements which have not survived in other variants of modern Greek.^[3] They are Eastern Orthodox Christians. Almost all Sarakatsani in Greece have abandoned their nomadic way of life and assimilated to mainstream modern Greek life. Their traditional clothing, songs, traditions, and folklore are considered part of the general Greek heritage.

The name Sarakatsani/Karakachani is probably derived from the Turkish word karakaçan/kırkaçan meaning those who flee to uncultivated lands or perhaps from the Aromanian word sarac-tsani meaning poorman.^[4] The Sarakatsani were first recorded under this name for the first time only at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century thus the quest for their true origins gave place to a lot of speculative theories among the scholars.

Much of the 19th century descriptions of the Sarakatsani do not differentiate between them and the other great shepherd tribe of Greece, the Vlachs. In many instances the Sarakatsani were simplifyingly described as "Vlachs" which was a generic term for pastoral people. In his Monograph on Koutsovlachs (Μονογραφία περι Κουτσόβλαχων, 1865, reprinted in 1905), an Epirotan Greek named Aravantinos discussed how the Arvanitovlachs were erroneously called Sarakatsani although the latter were of clearly Greek origin.^[5]

In another work of the same author titled Chronography (Χρονογραφία), he elaborates more on the Sarakatsani and discusses about the existence of the Sarakatsani. He also states that the Arvanitovlachs were called Garagounides or Korakounides increasing the differences between Arvanitovlachs and Sarakatsani, who according to one theory originated in the Greek village of Saraketsi.^[6]

There were other names the Sarakatsani were referred to such as Roumeliotes (by authors such as Georges Kavadias) even though the Sarakatsani did not use that name themselves, or Moraites (according to Fotakos) when they migrated to Thessaly from Morea after 1881.

A multitude of 20th century scholars have studied the linguistic, cultural, and racial background of the Sarakatsani. By now, they clearly distinguished the Sarakatsani as a distinct entity, and the linguistic, cultural, and racial background of the Sarakatsani started to be meticulously researched.

Among these, the Danish scholar Carsten Hoeg who traveled twice to Greece between 1920 and 1925 is arguably the most influential. He visited the Sarakatsani in Epirus and began studying their dialect and narrations. Hoeg published his findings in 1926 in his book entitled The Sarakatsani. In his work, he stated that there are no significant traces of foreign loan words in the Sarakatsani dialect. These foreign linguistic elements are neither found phonetically nor are they found in the overall grammatical structure of the dialect. Hoeg was criticized by Georges Kavadias for exaggerating the link between the 20th century Sarakatsani populace and the ancient Greeks and ultimately Hoeg's classical Greek background was thought of having influenced - sometimes in a biased way - the conclusions he outlined as to the origins of Sarakatsani.

In 1987, the London based scholar John Nandris, who observed the Sarakatsani "on the ground" continuously since the 1950s, summarizes his account of this tribe by inserting them in a more complex context of nomadic people interacting with one another. Interestingly, he alludes to the Yoruk or "Yuruk" connection though he is keen not to jump to any definitive conclusion.

In Bulgaria, according to the 2001 census, 4,107 individuals identified as Sarakatsani.^[7] In the census, this identification is considered separate from the identity of the Greeks in Bulgaria.^[7] Local organizations, however, estimate the number of Sarakatsani at up to 20,000.^[8] In Bulgaria, they are regarded as a distinct group of possible Vlach or Slavic origin.^[7] Most live in the vicinity of Sliven and are by now most of them Bulgarized. Another Bulgarian theory states that the Sarakatsani are descendants of Hellenised Thracians, who because of their isolation on the mountains did not became slavicised.^[9] According to the Italian anthropologist Pizzicaro who did extensive research in the villages inhabited by Sarakatsani:

“

Sarakatsans have strong affiliation with Greece but they don’t identify themselves as Greeks. A lot of young Sarakatsans go to Greece for seasonal jobs, as they are entitled to unlimited entries yearly visa to Greece, while some of them often decide to settle permanently. Today, more than 500 people only from Cocovo village live in Greece.[10]

”

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. This section has been tagged since December 2007.

During the 20th century and up to the present day, Romanian and pro-Romanian Vlach and Aromanian scholars have tried to prove the supposed common origin of Sarakatsani and Vlachs. These attempts were based mainly on speculations, over-generalizations, and vague assumptions based on the similar nomadic way of life of the two groups. Moreover, these attempts were based on assertions that the Sarakatsani simply gave up their supposed former language during the 18th century in favour of assimilation into a Greek-speaking environment. The presumption that a secluded, endogamic society in the multicultural world of the Ottoman Empire would abandon its language for no obvious reason at all, then translate all of its verbal tradition into Greek and create within a few generations a separate Greek dialect, has to be examined with caution.

The Sarakatsani speak a clearly northern Greek dialect with no more Latin words than other Greeks of the region. Many of the foreign words used in the dialect are of Turkish or Slavic origin, but these could have been loanwords. It is claimed that Sarakatsani traditions, as manifested in their songs, proverbs, dress, customs and way of life are apparently different from that of Pindeni Vlachs, but are significantly related to that of the Farseroti Vlachs.

The Farseroti Vlachs regard the Sarakatsani as a distinct ethnic group and called them "Greci" (i.e. Greeks) and even today officially deny having any relation to the Sarakatsani^{[citation needed]}. Some even assert that a rivalry often existed between the two groups as to who would have use of the pastures (both were shepherd people)^{[citation needed]}. The Sarakatsani themselves (both in Greece and in Bulgaria) have always stressed their Greek identity and denied having any relationship with the Vlachs^{[citation needed]}. Yet, it is prudent to keep in mind that the term Vlach has been an umbrella term describing both the Latin speaking people (latinogenoi) and the pastoral occupational niche.

There were groups of Sarakatsani in the 20th century with no fixed villages, whether in summertime or in winter traced as such by Hoeg. He also found the Sarakatsani in other parts of Greece, in the Pindos Mountains, Thessaly, Macedonia, Pelagonia, Serbia, Rhodope, as well as in Thrace, the Vermion Mountains, and around Lake Copais in Boeotia. Hoeg attempted to find examples of nomadism in Classical Greece as an equation for that of the Sarakatsani, but another German scholar, Beuermann, rejects Hoeg's rationalizations of these facts, which is relevant to the claim frequently put forward that the Sarakatsani are the 'purest of the Ancient Greek' population. There appears to be no written mention of the 'Sarakatsani' previous to the 18th century. From this, one can conclude that the term Sarakatsani is a relatively new generic name given to a quite an old populace that lived for centuries in isolation from the other inhabitants of what is today Greece.

The travel writer Sarah Wheeler in her book An Island Apart traces scions of the Sarakatsani in Euboea. They can also be found in the island of Poros. She writes:

“

I was fascinated by this elusive, aloof transhumant tribe with beguilingly mysterious origin. They fanned out all over the Balkans and have most closely associated with the Pindus and the Rodopi mountains in the northern mainland: in the fifties there were about 80.000 of them. They spent half of the year in their mountain pastures and the other half in their lowlands. Their rootlesness was balanced by an elaborate ritualization of almost every aspect of their lives, from costume to the moral code. Evia was the only island used by the Sarakatsani except Poros which was the furthest south they ever got (and perhaps Aegina too). In Evia they were, until this century, only found in the chunk of the island from the Chalkis-Kymi axis northwards about as far an Ayianna, and the cluster of villages around Skiloyanni constituted the most heavily settled Sarakatsani region on the island. There were 50 Sarakatsani families living on Mount Kandili, working as resin-gatherers encased in layers of elaborate costume. Photographs taken only few decades ago of Sarakatsani women in traditional costume sitting outside their wigwam-shaped branch woven huts. Many of them had quite an un-Greek looks, and were fair; perhaps that explains the blond heads you see now. The Sarkatsanoi were known by various names by the indigenous population, usually based on where they were perceived to have come from, and in Evia they were generally called Roumi, Romi or Roumeliotes after the Roumeli region. People often spoke of them misleadingly as Vlachs. They are settled now, mainly as farmers, with their own permanent pasture land. Their story is one of total assimilation.

”

The anthropologist Georges Kavadias summarizes some of the theories about the Sarakatsani in Pasteurs-Nomades Mediterraneens: Les Saracatsans de Grece as follows:

1. The Sarakatsani are the lineal descendants of the Dorian tribes who lived in what is today Greece over three thousand years ago. This theory is endorsed by Greek historians and by Western European scholars.
2. They are an indigenous nomadic people dating back to Neolithic and therefore pre-Hellenic times.
3. They are a branch of the nomadic Vlachs who became Hellenized. The Sarakatsani have similar socio-political patterns of organizing themselves as the Vlachs. Each socio-political unit was called a celnicat, in which each unit was lead by a leader known as a celnic (in Vlach) or tselingas (in Greek). The word celnic/tselingas is of Slavic origin meaning 'forehead'. This theory is endorsed by Romanian propaganda and Romanians of Vlach descent scholars such as Nicolaie Iorga, Tache Papahagi and Theodor Capidan, as well by the Austro-Hungarian scholar Lajos von Thalocy.
4. They are a Christianized branch of the nomadic shepherd tribe of the Yoruk Turcomans (according to Arnold van Gennep).

• Military figures
  • Katsantonis (1775 - 1809) - famous klepht leader in the pre-revolutionary period
  • Lepeniotis - brother of the former, also a klepht.
• Elected officials
  • Georgios Souflias - Member of Parliament (1974-1996, 2000-present), Minister in various cabinets since 1977 (currently Minister for the Environment and Public Works)
  • Georgios Sourlas - Member of Parliament (1981-2000, 2004-present), formerly Minister for Health, currently Vice-President of the Parliament.
  • Nikolaos Katsaros - Member of Parliament (1981-2004), formerly Vice-President of the Parliament (1989-2000), author of the book «Αρχαιοελληνικές ρίζες του Σαρακατσιάνικου λόγου» ("Ancient Greek roots of the speech of the Sarakatsani")
  • Ioannis Printzos - Prefect of Magnisia (elected: 2002-2006)
  • Loukas Katsaros - Prefect of Larisa (elected: 2002-present), formerly Prefect of Kozani (appointed).

• J.K. Campbell, Honour, Family, and Patronage: A Study of Institutions and Moral Values in a Greek Mountain Community, Oxford, 1964. ISBN 0-19-519756-9
• Kavadias, G. 1965. Pasteurs-Nomades Mediterranéens: Les Saracatsans de Grèce. Paris: Gauthier-Villars.
• Patrick Leigh Fermor, Roumeli — Travels in Northern Greece - London 1966 (for more on Sarakatsanoi see the whole chapter I "The Black Departers").
• A. Beuermann, Formen der Fernweiderwirtschaft (Transhumanz-Almwirtschaft-Nomadismus). Verhandlung des Deutsches Geographentages, Vol.32; 277-90, 1960.
• Sarah Wheler, An Island Apart, Abacus Press, London, 1992.

• The Sarakatsani folklore museum in Serres, Greece
• Greek Folk Dance Regions: Sarakatsani
• Sarakatsani — The Oldest People of Europe
• The Sarakatsan organization of Evros prefecture (in Greek)
• The Sarakatsan association of Drama prefecture (also in Greek)
• Angeliki Hadzimichali on the Sarakatsani (in Greek language)
• Bujduveanu, Tănase — Saracacianii, Editura Cartea Aromână 2005
• Karakachani at OMDA.bg (Bulgarian)