The Macedonian Digest
“From the readers for the readers”
Edition 6 – June 2006
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Editor’s Notes
Dear Readers,
We are starting to receive more and more feedback from you on the articles in the Macedonian Digest and others. Almost all of your comments are positive and encouraging and hopefully you will send us many more. One minor complaint was that some of the articles are too long. So when you write please keep it to a page or less. If you want to write long articles, please do it as a series.
Thank you for your participation and for your comments, please keep them coming.
To our Katerina fans;
Sorry, Katerina, our Greek friend, is taking some time off but will be back soon hopefully in time for the next issue.
Issues
The neo-Greeks or neo-Hellenes, as many of our Maknews.com forum members like to call them, are indeed intriguing to analyze. They are a unique sort of people who will be the subject of our discussion in this Macedonian Digest.
“GREEK” AND “GREECE”
The words "Greek" or "Greece" are used profusely in the teaching of ancient history. "Greek" ideas are said to have shaped modern, western concepts. "Greek" conquests spread civilization to the four corners of the world. "Greek" accomplishments changed Europe, Asia and, as time progressed, the entire globe by radically improving art, architecture and technology.
I challenge the widely-accepted idea of a united ancient Greece. We have grown too lax, in my view, with our definition of historic “Greece” or “Hellas”. There was no united Greek or Hellenic nation. There was no single Greece, bound by one flag or one leader. “Greece” at that time consisted of a large number of separate city-states that were governed internally with individual goals and needs in mind.
The subject, the word “Greek”, “Greece” or “Hellenic” is a relation to a time, place, in history. The philosophical history of the world and by this it must be understood not as a collection of general observation; respecting it; by the study of its records. I propose it to be illustrated by its facts; in the universal history itself. It seems necessary to begin with an examination of the other methods of treating history, place, and time. When referring to ancient times historians, then, change the events, the deeds, names, and the state of a society in which they are conversant into an object for the conceptive faculty. The narratives they leave in their range are misleading.
To quote Encyclopedia Britannica: “The name Greece (Latin Graecia) derives from Graeci, originally the Latin name of a Boeotion tribe (Graioi) that settled in Italy in the 8th century B.C., but later applied there to the Hellenic people as a whole.”
By Staro Selo
ANCIENT GREECE…BAA!
People that take an interest have known for a long time that there was something odd about the modern Greeks.
Modern Greeks, not to be confused with the ancient Greeks, have a lot of ideas about 'who' they are. I have discovered they are obsessed by two words, 'origins' and 'purity'.
Their 'origins' have always been controversial and a matter of curiosity among historians, but only a few have been brave enough to write candidly about it.
A Greek policy, since 1869, has been to officially try to make the diversity of that place disappear altogether. It has long been the policy to turn the people of Greece into 'ancient Greeks, and the new administration agreed that these new lands they governed were indeed anomalous and unspecified - and they must be at all costs attributed to the 'ancients' - this was and still is in keeping with the collective Greek 'wisdom' of the day, that Greece has only been 'pure Greek' since the dawn of time; an idea that has enormous currency but that is also about as wrong as a historical conclusion can get.
At all events, modern Greek history really does tell us a lot about history itself, how it can be re-written to remove the diversity of its territories - how peoples 'origins' can be imagined, how an entire people with an entire history can only be 'Slavs' - there is hardly a matter about Macedonia that doesn't involve these two 'words' - and this fancy theory - that is why I love anthologists - they find themselves in the enviable position where 'the Macedonians made sense'. It would be hard to believe that the continuous development of Macedonia down through the ages has no effect on the development of its people, or has not produced a culture unique to that land and found nowhere else in the world - it is an idea that escapes the modern Greek..
Self-determination for the Macedonians!.
By Paul.
GREEKS? BAA INDEED!
I have noticed the Greek reaction! When one establishes a conceptual thought it is dared to be analyzed and new questions asked, the monster of modern day Hellenism rises to keep the status quo.
It is typical Greek to disregard questions as ignorant, stupid, with an agenda and not worthy of discussion.
I have seen new knowledge and understanding applied well everywhere but always challenge the Greeks. Anything new and contrary to their beliefs becomes a declaration against their heart, spirit and mind.
By Frank
IF MACEDONIANS WERE HELLENES?
If the ancient Macedonians were Hellenes for example, it was a long time ago, a time long gone, let it be a footnote in history. What is certain is today’s Greeks are not ancient Hellenes, I really don't know what they want, here we have a situation in which people who are not Hellenes claiming for themselves that they are ancient Hellenes, and then insisting that they are descendants of the ancient Macedonians as well. There is a comical side to this don't you think?
If they left Macedonia as Macedonia and the so-called Hellas as Hellas, these nasty things would remain in their closet, shut and hidden. Now ironically by dragging Macedonia into it, they have hit the self-destruct button and all their dirty little secrets are out.
You are not really descendants of the ancient Hellenes, oops the secret is out, sorry.
By Agema
ANSWER THIS!
Don't avoid it now!
If we follow your [Greek] theories and definitions and if indeed the Macedonians were Hellenized then Romanized then Slavocised throughout history, why then is Macedonia Greek?
I look forward to an insightful answer!
By Risto the Great
WE ADMIT THE TRUTH! DO YOU?
Macedonia has seen a lot of changes down through the ages, as 'Risto the Great' put it ''the Macedonians have been Hellenized, Latinized and Slavocized'' and what we have at the end of the day are Macedonians, simply an ethnic group that most closely resembles the turbulent history of that land down through the ages.
Modern Greeks are doing more than simply whitewashing the region of the Slavic language of the Macedonian, but everything else about the Macedonian, their Thracian dances, their Illyrian tattoos their ancient Balkan sword dances, rites and rituals, even their Turkish coffee - all of it gone to be replaced by a new “stylized” modern Greek- that is none of the above.
By Paul.
GREEKS ARE CONFUSED
The Greeks are clearly so confused about their identity that they have been "purifying" themselves for the last 180 years. The country that my parents come from is now called Greece but will Greece welcome me? I don't think so, I don’t fit in with the ethnic agenda over there.
Mussolini tried to instill the recollection of ancient Rome in his followers. A winner of a man of equal import as some of your Greek heroes I would imagine. Seriously, can you name another country that has the same fascination with an ancient civilization as the Greeks? THAT IS THE ONLY TENUOUS CLAIM THE GREEKS TRY TO USE TO CLAIM THE MACEDONIAN NAME. Don't you get how stupid this is? Your responses clearly state that you accept as truth the idea that modern Macedonians are a synthesis of all that was there before them ... Hellenes, Romans, Slavs ... dare I say Turks as well?
By Risto the Great
GREEKS ARE SLAVS?
Listen Greeks, you are part Slavic, there is no denying that. If there is any connection between you and the ancient Macedonians is it based on the fact that your current country rests on a piece of the ancient Macedonian kingdom all populated with Slavs when you occupied it in 1912. Is it possible that there are some ancestral ties? Maybe, maybe not...but that clearly and obviously is not enough of a reason to have you monopolize the name "Macedonia" just because you believe there is some evidence that ties ancient Macedonia and the City States..
Who are you to tell me who and what I am? Since when are you experts in determining who I am, what language I speak and what that makes me? Speaking a Slavic language does not make me less Macedonian. Does speaking English make you less Greek? Get this through your thick heads I decide who I am not you. Guess what - I speak English does that make me English?
It may come as a surprise to you, but not everyone has the exact same opinions on every subject. We have individual freedoms in this forum, maybe that's not something you're used to since all you know how to do is tow the Greek government line like a mule.
You want evidence of our connection with the ancient Macedonians? Well you're out of luck because I have better things to do than write an essay especially for you so you can ignore it. This forum is FULL of that kind of stuff, look around, I am sick of your arrogant BS and don't you ever tell me what I am or am not understand?
By Makedonija e Vecna
AN HONEST GREEK OR A CORNERED GREEK?
According to one Greek “Macedonia is neither Greek, Slavic, or anything else. Thus, you [Macedonians], again, can't monopolize the name”.
It took some time but eventually you dealt with it. Well done. Your observations finally pointed out something that your colleagues will vehemently deny. The people of Macedonia are a result of a number of influences. We do not call ourselves Hellenes, Romans or Slavs. That would be wrong. It would also be stupid because we are more than that and we are none of them now, we have moved on.
Can you think of a country that clearly has not moved on?
HINT! It starts with a “G” and ends with an “E”. You got it, it calls itself “The Hellenic Republic” of Yunanistan.
But anyway, you say we cannot monopolize the name. I am looking at an atlas in my head right now. I don't see any other countries with the name of Macedonia. Can you? Oh, you mean some province in Greece? Well I am here to make a declaration on behalf of all of my people, feel free to pass it on to your friends next time you're sharing a raki with them. The Greeks can still use the name MACEDONIA to refer to the province that was handed to them on a platter by the great powers in 1913.
By Risto the Great
ARE GREEKS PURE? I THINK NOT!
There are studies that show genetic links for all the Balkan peoples, not including the one that links you Greeks to Africans and Ethiopians. You are dreamers if you think that you are descended genetically from the ancient Hellenes. Notwithstanding the fact that Greece was not spared from any of the Byzantine invasions that occurred in other Balkan territories also, even the southern tip of the Peloponnesus and the islands were affected. Given this, the purest claim (if one could call it that) to a genetic link has to be furthest south and on a few remote islands, certainly nothing above Corinth. Keep in mind “Mr purity” that 80 years ago 650,000 Orthodox Christians who were nevertheless genetically Asian people with more knowledge of Turkish than Greek, were dumped into Macedonia with many more all around the rest of "Greece". Before that, the numbers of so called “Greek-speakers” (even though only few spoke broken Greek) in Macedonia were insignificantly low, to the tune of 25-30,000. These genetically Turk peoples were taught how to be "Greek" in tune with what the Greek-speakers of "Greece" thought how a "Greek" should be. So, if you are a Greek-speaker in Aegean Macedonia today you are either an Asian, a Greek citizen of the ethnic Macedonian type, or a descendant from the insignificant 25-30,000 Greek-speakers of prior. Which category are you?
Otherwise if not, where are you from? Because even if it is south of Corinth then it still doesn't verify your so-called "purity", so what purity do you speak of? Some scientist went around and tested 100 blond Greeks while avoiding the 1,000,000 "darker" Greeks next to them? A genetic conversation is not a scholarly one when one is speaking of the Balkans, during the Ottoman Empire we all mixed as fellow-Christians.
If you want to portray yourselves as something serious then don't go chasing dreams, or selling them to us for that matter.
By Soldier of Macedon
ARE GREEKS POPULAR?
Britain idolized the "heroic" Greeks and this view still pollutes their outlook on ancient history.
As for the Elgin Marbles they were carved by the ancient Greeks and not Greek speaking Albanians, Vlach and Slavs, etc. Big difference!
I can't even begin to account for all the different ethnic groups that comprise the Modern Greek identity; which is a fairly recent fabrication in any case.
I don't have a problem with Modern Greeks not being racially pure and I agree none of us are. We could spend forever weeding out our ancestries but in the case of today's Greeks you don't have to dig too deep.
What I find ludicrous to the point of idiocy is that a motley crew of peoples who adopted a new language now believe they are the descendants of people who lived on that land 2500 years ago.
That kind of logic makes Hosni Mubarek the descendant of Tutankhamen and George Bush the descendant of the Apache.
You people are not the descendants of the ancient Greeks. That gene pool is distributed far and wide. Learning to speak a language, willingly or otherwise, will never change one's bloodline. Dream on.
As for the Elgin Marbles, why don't the British just give them to you? Do you have a better explanation?
By Maknews
LET WISE OSIRIS HAVE THE LAST WORD ON THE GREEKS
Being Greek is basing one’s identity on a myth, that’s why it is more than just an identity it’s a pathetic obsession.
We now don’t just have Greeks as an ethnicity we also have a Greek religion, a Greek Easter, a Greek coffee, a Greek bean soup, etc, etc.
Speaking of bean soup or “fasoulada” as they call it in modern Greek, in Australia they have a competition at one of their gatherings and interestingly enough the only Greeks who participate in that wonderful Greek competition are the so called Greek-Macedonians, the kind we would call occupiers of our land mainly form Pontus and Asia Minor. No Greeks form the Peloponnesus or Attica or any where else south of Olympus, ever compete.
Speaking of Greek inventions, another neo Hellene contribution to the world’s cuisine like Greek frappe is Tsatsiki and let us not forget Greek music, especially the bouzouki which is based on Turkish sounds. It must be wonderful being a neo Hellene where one can lay claim to ancient Greek, modern Turkish, Slavic and Albanian and whatever else one feels like, and call it all Greek.
By Osiris
Opinions
GREEKS SAY WE ARE NOT MACEDONIANS
Greeks say that we are not Macedonians because we speak a Slavonic language. So now that we speak English in Canada, the USA and Australia what are we English?
I have news for the Greeks! No matter what language we speak we are still Macedonians.
Some Greek says that Macedonia is 70% Bulgarian and 30% Serbian but that is their opinion. Just because we have been ruled by others for more then 1000 years does not make us less Macedonian. Just because other cultures have been added to ours does not diminish us. Just because Alexander the Great thought the “Greeks” were more cultured does not make us less Macedonian. Just because we were enslaved for a 1000 years and forgot to read and write in our own language does not make us Bulgarians or Serbians. It was the Bulgarians and Serbians who took advantage of our ignorance and gave us books and built schools for us so that they could teach us lies and steal what was ours. But I have news for you, in spite of all odds we still saved what is ours; our language, our culture and our heritage. Everyday more and more evidence is unearthed and discovered that proves that we, the Slav Speakers, lived on our territories long before the so called “Greeks”. Go ahead make your claims but remember this; time will prove that we the Macedonians were there before you. FIRST THERE WAS MACEDONIA in the Balkans BEFORE there was Bulgaria, Serbia or any Greece.
MACEDONIA AND THE MACEDONIAN PEOPLE WERE, ARE AND WILL BE MACEDONIAN FOREVER!
By Zoran-Saraf Dimitrov
THE GODFATHER: GREECE
Consider the assortment of name proposals from Greece for the Republic of Macedonia:
.Republic of Skopje
.Republic of Vardar
.The Central Balkan Republic
.Dardania
.Slav Macedonia
.Vardar Macedonia
.Upper Macedonia
.New Macedonia
.North Macedonia
.Gorna Makedonija
.Nova Makedonija
.Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)
.Republic of Macedonia -Skopje
.Republika Makedonija -Skopje
.What next?
Perhaps the only compromise solution should be;
-The Republic of Macedonia AND "AGPoFM" -Annexed Greek Province of Fake Makedhonia
By Zac I (Australia)
COLIN FARREL OR ALEXANDER?
After watching Oliver Stone's epic "Alexander" (Colin Farrel) which was Greek biased, inaccurate and confusing at times, Greeks would live in the hope that Macedonia and Alexander were Greek.
But they should instead take a look at pre-1913 Aegean Macedonia. All predominantly Slavic names of villages, people, rivers, mountains etc, before the Greeks ransacked then "Hellenized" the place. They even replaced the St. Kiril & Metodi-Solun church icons and Cyrillic inscriptions on grave stones with Greek characters as "finishing touches" to their falsification of Aegean Macedonia, calling it the "new territories" and later "Northern Greece" until 1988.
And why revere the Macedonian King Alexander? He would be the last person the Greeks would want to claim as their own. The real Alexander (not Colin Farrel / Hollywood) killed and enslaved thousands of them (Chaeronea, Thebes, etc). Are they proud of that?
By Zac I (Australia)
ANCIENT GREASE YOU SAY?
“Ancient grease” is the stuff I have on my mountain bike. It needs changing.
Ancient Greece on the other hand is far less real than my above observation. It is merely a collective term used to describe a time in civilization for a bunch of ancient countries situated in that part of Europe. It is an attempt to describe a number of competing concepts of nations that were bound by a significant level of economic interaction.
Ancient Greece is not terribly different than the term we now use for "Western civilization". We all kind of know what it means but as soon as we begin to describe it, we stumble and it begins to fade.
In short, it is a simple collective term that makes it easier to describe a place and time.
I prefer to call it Ancient Macedonia. It is far more accurate to describe it as such because it could only be considered a collective from the time King Philip subjugated the other races. Clearly this is the reason the antiquity obsessed, present day Greeks can't even smile when they meet a real Macedonian.
By Risto the Great
Concerns
HERE IS HOW IT IS!
Yes, I was wrong in claiming that a native born “Grkoman” was of Turkish origin. His background is far more sinister and explains how he has come to have the belief that he has.
His Grandmother is from Negus. As the Greeks would say she is an Endopa, meaning a native/aboriginal. So she is Macedonian. How would she have come to be Greek? Well, the answer lies in his grandfather.
Grandfather comes from Mani, Peloponnesus. The Peloponnesians themselves describe the people from Mani as "MAHERIVGALI", maheri meaning knife and vgali, to take out. They are known for their sinister knife wielding ways.
When Greece annexed its part of Macedonia, Athens sent up police from Crete, also known for their MAHERIVGALI ways. The Cretans were the uniform police. Their commanders were from Mani in the Peloponnesus region. The Cretans acted upon the instruction of those from Mani.
So how were the Greeks successful in converting many Macedonian families to become Greek? A policeman takes a Macedonian woman, an Endopa, as a wife. This sacrifice saved many Macedonian lives.
Think I am raising another conspiracy theory, is what some Greeks would say.
No theory here bud, I am giving you a piece of history from personal accounts. Ask your grandfather what it was he was doing so far away from Mani in Naoussa/Negus? Ask your relatives the hard questions, not the back slapping ones.
Here is how powerful these brutes were;
They could break your door down at any time of the night and demand you produce a Greek flag. If you didn't, (why would you when you're not Greek), the Cretan or Manian had the power to imprison you, beat you to death or kill you on the spot.
Many families encouraged their daughters to befriend these so called enforcers of the law so the family may be left alone.
It would have been around 1958 when Greece made it law that all citizens had to produce a flag of minimum dimensions 2m x 1.5m, if you didn't produce a flag by these minimum standards set your punishment was determined by the police making the request as set by their commanders.
Conspiracy? No, I think not!
By Mikail
SUFERING IS A NORM FOR MACEDONIAN WOMEN IN GREEK OCCUPIED MACEDONIA
It is so sad that Macedonian women suffered so much from these savages [Greeks]. I know of one girl who was taken from her home and forced to marry a Greek soldier. After her wedding she put on black clothing and never wore another colour. She hardly spoke to her children, but tried to take care of them because they were half hers, unfortunately they were very cruel to her and would often scream abuse at her and call her names when she spoke Macedonian to her relatives like "how dare you speak that filthy pig language!", her husband and children would call her names and shout at her even in public. Her husband would also lock her in a back room when he had Greek visitors because she could not speak Greek properly. He would lie to his visitors telling them she was visiting relatives when questioned of the whereabouts of his wife. Many of these Greek men were even ashamed to admit to other Greek soldiers that they had native slave-wives. Can you believe the father taught his own children to hate their mother? After her children married and had children of their own she refused to see her grandchildren who were even more Greek nationalists than her own children. She never spoke a word to her grandchildren and died an old broken woman.
By KM
Choices
STATES AND ETHNICITIES
The former Yugoslavia, as a single State, was comprised of various ethnic groups; Slovenes, Croats, Serbs, Macedonians, Albanians, Hungarians, etc. There was no single so called “Yugoslav ethnicity” or “Yugoslav language” but rather a number of individual languages in which Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, and Macedonian were official. When the country disintegrated these individual ethnicities naturally formed their own independent states.
Modern "Greece" like the former Yugoslavia is also a multi-ethnic state. The Greek government denies this and unbelievably says 98% of the population is "Greek", except for some Moslem Greeks in the far north-east of the country! And on top of that, it claims that the Greeks are direct descendants of the glorious ancient Hellenes that civilized the world! -However, they should know that the name "Greece" originated later during Roman times and probably has reference to "Agriculture" (Grci, or People of:). So the Hellenes or the people of the Ancient City states could not have been called "Greeks" before the term even existed!
Trying to define exactly what it means to be "Greek", this "identity" would constantly have been evolving over thousands of years when in 1832 the Modern Greek State was formed for the first time in history (about half its present size). Make sense? Consider this: "Modern Greeks" (in which they conveniently forgot) are the progeny of thousands of years of invasions, assimilations and conquests and are a mixture of the following races (and others): The indigenous ancient Aegean proto-Slav tribes the Pelasgians, Cretans, Venets etc. The Ancient Sub-Saharan Mycenaean settlers (first "Greeks" from across the Mediterranean and invaders of the Peloponnesus / Crete / Troy, etc from 1600bc), Egyptian and Phoenician (proto-Slavic) Colonists, Romans (centuries of occupation), Goths, Huns (and other barbarian invaders), Other Slavs, Turks (over 400 years of occupation), Turkish Christians (settlers from Turkey from the 1920's onwards thrown into Greek occupied Macedonian territory), Albanians, Roma, Vlachs, etc, etc!
Recent genetic experiments show "Modern Greeks" have a relationship with the Sub-Saharan ethnic groups (remember the Mycenaean invaders / settlers) now residing in Ethiopia, Sudan, and West Africa (Burkina - Fasso). Macedonians are not related to the geographically close "Greeks" and were there long before the arrival of the Mycenaean Greeks about 1600bc! -US scientists today are not counting on Greeks as even belonging to the Indo-European peoples.
When the Greek northern border was extended illegally by force in 1913 a section of the Slav speaking indigenous Macedonian population (formerly Ottoman occupied) fell within the borders of modern Greece for the first time in history (51% of the Macedonian territory). Ever since the modern Greeks (following in their tradition) have tried to convert this particular group of Macedonians into Greeks (remembering the Greeks are hybrids or Mongrels themselves) using illegal means. This warrants the urgent attention of International Human Rights Groups and the United Nations!
Technically calling yourself "Greek" is like calling yourself "Yugoslav". This is fine providing the individual constituent ethnic groups are recognized and have their human rights respected, rather than forcefully being assimilated into the larger and foreign melting pot. Then perhaps theoretically a Macedonian from "Greek occupied Macedonia" can call himself "Greek" from a Macedonian ethnicity. (Greek-Macedonian) but the Greek settlers (those Turkish Christians thrown into "Greek Occupied Macedonia in the 1920's and others) can't call themselves "Macedonians" because it doesn't refer to their ethnicity. -With Greece trying to deliberately confuse everyone (except the Macedonians everywhere and the US, Russia, China, Turkey and 115 plus other countries) by changing the name of its annexed province from "Northern Greece" to "Macedonia" in 1988, a Greek settler may theoretically call him/herself a Macedonian-Greek but not a Greek-Macedonian as that defies logic and would only apply to the indigenous Macedonians...
By Zac I (An Australian - Macedonian)
MACEDONIA
IS NOT CYPRUS
Who is Greece trying to kid? They are attempting to apply "Cyprus" style
terminology on Macedonia. The island's name comes from old Roman times meaning "copper".
On divided Cyprus we have "Turkish Cypriots" in the north and "Greek
Cypriots" predominantly in the south, whereby the Greek led government/portion
is internationally recognized as the "Republic of Cyprus".
Now Greece is saying that the name "Macedonia" is a "geographical" term
and not an "ethnicity". (like Cyprus-Copper). So according to Greek
terminology we have a "Greek-Macedonia" and a "Slav-Macedonia"!
Unfortunately for Greece the US, Russia, China, Turkey and just about everybody
else have rejected this nonsense and actually recognize "your" so
called "Slav-Macedonia" as "The Republic of Macedonia".
Tough Luck!!!
By Struja.
Free Advice
LET’S CREATE THE MACEDONIAN COMMONWEALTH GAMES!
We've just witnessed the recent and very successful 2006 Commonwealth Games (former British Empire) which were held in the city of Melbourne, Victoria: Australia. Why not have Macedonian Commonwealth Games?
Perhaps in the not too distant future the Republic of Macedonia can come up with a similar initiative and stage such an event also! The Macedonian government could then dispatch a series of warm and welcoming invitation letters and call upon the selected countries to assemble for the inaugural Macedonian (Ancient Empire) Commonwealth Games. Thereafter, to be held every four years. Invitations could be sent to the present day countries where the Ancient Macedonian Empire extended entirely or in part.
On the invitation list would be;
Albania, Lebanon, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Tajikistan,
BULGARIA, Iraq, Armenia, Uzbekistan,
GREECE, Egypt, Iran, Kyrgyzstan,
Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Israel, Republic of CYPRUS, Turkmenistan and India
This would symbolize Alexander the Greats’ vision of a united world where all the peoples could live together in harmony and equality regardless of their ethnicity (An inconceivable concept for the Modern and Ancient Greeks).
by Struja
ARE SOME MACEDONIANS HYPOCRITES?
By Alex Gulin
Before I begin, let me tell you a bit about myself. I am a man in my late 40’s and was born and raised in the City of Toronto, Ontario Canada.
My grandfather was Gicho Mitse Gulin. He came to Canada from the beautiful Village of Nevoleni, Lerinsko in 1908. The rest of the family joined him in 1948 just before the Greek Civil War ended in 1949.
As long as I can remember, my grandfather and grandmother or Dedo and Baba as we call them in Macedonian, lived with us above our restaurant. We always spoke Macedonian at home and when I was a preschooler that’s the only language I knew. Macedonian was my mother tongue. In fact my English was so poor that I failed my first grade. My teacher Mrs. Watson, thinking that I was an immigrant asked me when I came from Greece. I told her I did not come from Greece, I was not Greek, I was born in Toronto and I was Macedonian. She just laughed at my explanation and told me that “if you were born in Canada my son then you are Canadian and only Canadian”. I asked why? Why can’t I be Macedonian like my parents? I got no reply.
As the years wore on I insisted on telling everyone, who wanted to know, that I was Macedonian.
Back in the early 60’s when Macedonians heard me speak Macedonian they would ask what part of Macedonia did I come from? To which I replied “I was born in Canada”. More often than not they would say “you are Canadian then, not Macedonian”. Curious as usual they would ask “where are your parents from”? To which I would reply “they are both from the village Nevoleni, Lerin Region. Curiously some would say “oh, I see, they are both from the other side”. What other side? Was there another side? This was really confusing to me so one day I decided to investigate and did some research.
Surprisingly, Macedonians born in Greek occupied Macedonia want to call themselves Macedonian even though they live in Greece. Similarly, Macedonians living in the Bulgarian, Serbian and Albanian occupied part of Macedonia also want to call themselves Macedonians. So, why can’t I, a Canadian born, call myself Macedonian?
Is it not bad enough that Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs and Albanians deny my Macedonian ethnicity? Why do Macedonians have to do the same? What’s wrong with this picture?
Please don’t confuse country and nationality with ethnicity. An ethnic Macedonian born anywhere in the world is still an ethnic Macedonian. So, the next time someone tells you that you’re not Macedonian please tell them to go get educated and direct them to one of the many Metropolitan Toronto Libraries where they can research the word “ethnicity”.
Alex Gulin
PS. Please join me (Alex Gulin) at “Radio Makedonska Kafana” www.shoutcast.com
History
Vasil Chakalarov (1874-1913)
Vasil Chakalarov was born in the village Smrdesh, Kostur Region in 1874. He went to elementary school in his hometown Smrdesh where he learned to speak Greek and Bulgarian. Besides Macedonian, his mother tongue, and Greek and Bulgarian which he learned in School, Chakalarov also spoke fluent Albanian which came in handy during his revolutionary days.
In 1893 Chakalarov was imprisoned for assaulting a Greek teacher but escaped to Bulgaria where he worked in a quarry and learned the trade of cobbler.
While in Bulgaria, Chakalarov was recruited by the Vrhovist Sarafov into IMRO.
In October 1900 Sarafov sent Chakalarov to Greece to investigate ways to purchase arms. Then in July 1901, when Chakalarov returned to western Macedonia from Bulgaria, he was dispatched to Greece to start purchasing arms. Several previous attempts had been made but without success. The Greeks refused to sell arms to the Macedonians. This time, however, Chakalarov, fluent in Greek and dressed as an Albanian purporting to be from Jannina, fooled the Maltiniotis brothers in Athens and they sold him arms.
In February 1902 he again went to Greece and purchased more arms, which he personally made sure were delivered to Smrdesh.
During the winter of 1901-1902 Chakalarov, Kliashev and Moskov, assisted by Pop Trajkov, went to the villages, distributed whatever arms they had and organized two new Cheti.
Subsequently, Chakalarov was instrumental in organizing a number of village Cheti including the ones in Nestram and the Turkish held Chestnut Region southeast of Kostur.
At the end of June, early July 1902, Chakalarov with about two-hundred men went after the notorious Kote Hristov from Rula, Karangelis’s paid assassin. They attacked and managed to take the lower half of Rula but Kote with some thirty men held the upper half and managed to survive. Chakalarov, with the aid of Kliashev, went after Kote again at the end of August and yet again Kote managed to escape. During his second trip to Greece in 1902, Chakalarov had learned that Kote was in the employ of Karavangelis.
At the end of August 1902 a new menace arrived in western Macedonia, the Vrhovist Colonel Yankov. Upon his arrival with seventy men, at the village Zagoricheni, Yankov, as a representative of the “Exterior Movement”, summoned all the Cheta chiefs in the Kostur and Lerin Regions for a meeting. At that time Gruev had given orders to disarm Yankov, but Chakalarov and the other Chiefs decided to meet with him with a view of reaching a peaceful resolution. To be safe, they picked a place near the village Blatse and scheduled the meeting during daylight. The Turks, however, got wind of it so the bands had to flee. The meeting was re-scheduled for September 15th when they again met near Sisani. Yankov made it clear that he was in Macedonia to raise a rebellion. He said “all was ready. The date was fixed for September 20th, 1902 and the signal would be the ringing of the church bells. The Russian Generals of Skipka will come with Tsonev [Yankov’s superior] and the Bulgarian army and that Macedonia would be free within two weeks”. His appeal was made directly to the fighters and to the villagers. When the Cheta Chiefs refused to follow his plans, he publicly humiliated them by calling them cowards.
Chakalarov immediately sent dispatches warning the villages not to trust Yankov and went in pursuit. Chakalarov caught-up with Yankov just outside of Kolomnati as Yankov was about to address an assembly of fighters. Chakalarov however, cut his speech short by denouncing him in front them. No rebellion was raised on September 20th.
Since then Yankov tried to publicly discredit Chakalarov by inventing all sorts of misdeeds, but without success. He then resorted to assassination attempts, which were unsuccessful.
During the August 2nd, 1903 Ilinden Uprising, the Kostur Cheti, under the command of Lazar Pop Trajkov and Vasil Chakalarov, staged successful raids liberating Klisura and Neveska. They then turned southward and, with the support of over three thousand villagers, attacked Kostur but were unable to take it.
Subsequent to the Ilinden Uprising, Chakalarov fought against Turkish and Bashi-Buzuk retaliations and arms searches trying to keep the villages and civilians safe.
Chakalarov was a cruel but brave and competent leader and a notable revolutionary. He once cut off a man’s tongue for informing on the Cheti to the Greeks. The man pleaded that Greece gave him what he needed, his explanation for why he did what he had to do. Upon cutting his tongue, Chakalarov told him Macedonia gave you this tongue because you needed it, but since you decided to use it against her I am now taking it back. You can go to Greece and ask them to give you a new tongue. Let them help you since you so much want to help them.
In 1912 Chakalarov and his Cheta joined the fight to help the League (Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia) get rid of the Turks. The League’s victories and intense propaganda were so convincing that even Chakalarov bought into them and welcomed the “liberators” with open arms.
Vasil Chakalarov died in 1913 near the villages Bel Kamen and Neveska, Lerin Region.
By Risto Stefov
Stories
ARE VLACHS GREEK?
At an EBLUL meeting in Solun a bunch of Vlach delegates decided to declare that all Vlachs are Greek and that the Vlach language is Greek. Disappointed at this declaration, this very old man in the audience asked if he could speak to the panel? When the chairperson agreed to allow him to speak, the old man asked; “may I say a few words in Vlach?” The chair person agreed and exclaimed that “I see no harm in letting the old man say a few words, does anybody object?” Seeing that there were no objections, he allowed the old man to approach the microphone. Slowly the old man, keeping his balanced with his crluk (shepherd’s crook), crept up to the microphone and started talking. He talked, talked and talked and when he was finished he asked the Vlachs in the panel “if Vlach is Greek, what did I say then?”
There was only silence.
True story; by Nase P.
Words
ZEUS AND ILIY
In the book "The Super Gods" by Maurice M Cotterell 1997, Cotterell talks about the Maya people of Central America and the relationship they had with their Sun God. Their calendar and everything else in their lives was centered on the sun and its electro-magnetic effects, the impact it had on the earth and living things. For example, the 28 day rotation of the sun affected fertility levels (the menstrual cycle in women). The sun through its radiation affected bio-rhythm levels which in turn had an effect upon cancer rates, mortality rates, etc. Research shows sun-spot activity can be responsible for drought, ice-ages, earthquakes and even Earth pole tilts, etc...
The Illyrians were a proto-Slavic people who worshiped their sun god Iliy. In case Greeks are wondering, Macedonia - Make-don-ija means "mother’s-domain”, the territory where a selection of ancient "northern" proto-Slav tribes united. The descendants of those “united proto-Slavs” are the modern Macedonians who live in all of geographic Macedonia which was divided in 1913.
Like their ancestors, the modern Macedonians too speak a Slavic language. The Turkish Christians (Settlers from Turkey) and others thrown into the Greek occupied part of Macedonia from 1913 and from the 1920's onwards who call themselves Macedonian are in fact "imposters"! Spurred on by the Greek government these "imposters" falsely bellow out loudly proclaiming to be “Macedonians" or "Greek-Macedonians" and they do this at the expense of the true Macedonians, the oppressed Slav speaking indigenous people.
The sixteen ray sunburst is an ancient Macedonian symbol, an indication that the ancient Macedonians revered the sun. The ancient Macedonians also worshiped the god Zeus who supposedly lived on Mount Olympus which sounds like Iliy's mountain. (Probably meaning Oh Iliy, mountain as in Ohrid, Oh hill).
In Mythology Rea (mother river) gave birth to Zeus who symbolizes life. According to legend Cronos (probably meaning "koren" or root/seed in Macedonian) was Zeus's father and supreme god. For growth to take place "photosynthesis" is necessary and for that to happen light from the sun is needed and this is where Iliy comes into the picture. A seed nourished by water sprouts and gives birth to new life which is sustained by the light of the sun.
From Zeus and Tira "Macedon" was born (which is associated with "mother’s domain" as mentioned earlier). Next to be born was "Greacus" Zeus's second son born from his daughter.
Cecrops, the founder of Athens and the “Greek Civilization” sat on the throne in Athens before Greacus was born. But how can this be? Does that mean Athens and the “Greeks” existed before “Greacus” “the first Greek” was born?
Further, Zeus is clearly of Indo-European origin. US Scientists today do not consider the ancient Greeks as entirely Indo-European because the Ancient Greek language has so many Arabisms! (It is more likely that the ancient Greeks are mainly Mycenaean invaders from across the Mediterranean who came to this region at about 1600 BC and who were assimilated with the indigenous proto-Slav "southern" Aegean Pelasgians and who were then followed by Egyptian colonists who in turn fused with them, and who were further followed by other barbarian invaders and who also fused with them, etc, etc! So much for modern Greek claims to unbroken lineage going back 4000 years!)
Consider the Macedonian word "Zivili". If we break it down to Ziv - ili, we get Ziv (Zeus), meaning life in Macedonian and Iliy meaning the sun god. Perhaps, Zeus is a product of the “life giving” Iliy.
Now, if we consider the English word Live/Life, which is probably a Latin word from Romans times derived from the Illyrians word for god Iliy (Li-ve/Li-fe) and the word Zeus (Ziv) meaning life in Macedonian, we can hypothesize that "Christianity is a continuation of ancient Macedonian mythology" where the Jews are "Zevs" meaning life from which Jesus or Ze-Zeus flowed or was born from.
Please note the presence of “Iliy” in the following words;
Civilization: Zivil-ization
Aleksandar : Ale/ile and Dar/gift (Gift of the sun god Iliy)
or: Ale/ile - San/"sonce"/sun - dar/gift (Gift of Iliy, the sun god)
Philip: Friend of Iliy (as in Phil-Hellene)
Achilles: Could he have been an Aegean proto-slav Pelasgian?
Aristotle; Totle - le - ile (at least half Macedonian)
Hellen: elle - ile - (a proto-Slavic name?)
Ptolemy: Tole - ole - ile. And Ptole - Bitole - Bitola
Clietus: Klit - Li - ile
What about Trajan: Traj - Troj - Troy (a proto-Slav people)
Cleopatra: Cleo - leo -iliy
Following are some post 6th century to 11th AD names;
Cyril : Cyr - il (Sir/zemja/soil and il. Perhaps, fertilized soil from Iliy)
Samoil : Samo/only - il/iliy (only Iliy)
Basil : Vasil - Perhaps Vas/vash//your, as in the peoples iliy
Leo 1 : Iliy Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty.
If we can hypothesize that Iliy is also Leo, who in turn symbolizes a lion which is a symbol of the modern Macedonian coat of arms, a two tailed lion with a crown on its head. This too was the symbol that depicted Tsar Samoil's emblem of the 42 year old medieval Macedonian state, "Macedoniae" (976 - 1018AD). Unfortunately due to bad politics, Samoil's state was destroyed by another fellow Macedonian, the Byzantine emperor Basil II of the Macedonian dynasty.
The symbol of the lion was also present in ancient Macedonian art (pottery, architecture design, art, etc). Anyone who saw the movie "Alexander" would have noticed a lion’s head molded in Alexander’s helmet.
So, going by the above we can deduce that not only were the ancient Macedonian names proto-Slavic and have references to Iliy, but Macedonian names one, two, three, four centuries after the so-called 6th century AD (fabricated) Slav invasions of the Balkans, also have reference to Iliy! So which is it? Are Macedonians Slavs that lived over the Carpathian Mountains and worshiped Iliy or have the Macedonians always been where they are today!
By Zac I -Australia
ON THE NAME “GREECE”
The name Greece is derived from the Slav word “gora” which in English means “hill”; Goraci=Hillman. I believe it was received in this form by the Romans who built their civilization on the Slavic tribes of Italy. So Greece means Highland.
I just call ancient Greece 'Southern Balkans', or more precisely Morea since that was the Goraci's mainland - Peloponnesus.
Pelop-Belov, neese-niz. Belov's lowland?
By Slovak
Book Reviews
NEW BOOK
Walking on the Edge: Consolidating Multiethnic Macedonia, 1989-2004
(Paperback)
Product Details:
* Paperback: 244 pages
* Publisher: Globic Press (March 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN: 0977666239
List Price: US$24.99 (Amazon.com), Barnes and Noble Price: US$19.99.
Book Description:
The publication is a pioneering attempt to engage political scientists and analysts working on Macedonia with some of the most controversial subjects of recent Macedonian history. The book scholarly defines some of the basic terms and definitions of the Macedonian democratization and provides intellectually challenging account of the issues of democratic consolidation. It answers questions such as: What was the nature of the Macedonian democratization? What was the most problematic aspect that prolonged the consolidation to democracy? Were the Albanians integrated into the system? Why did Macedonia experience a brief conflict in 2001?
Who were the members of the National Liberation Army and what was their agenda? What was the reaction of the international community? Is the European Integration a real perspective?
About the Author:
Mr. Zidas Daskalovski holds a Ph.D from the Political Science Department, Central European University. He has published a number of articles on politics in the Southeast European region, as well as co-edited the book Understanding the War in Kosovo (London: Frank Cass, 2003). Daskalovski is the recipient of a number of distinguished fellowships including the CEU/Lord Dahrendorf Fellowship, the School of Slavonic and East European Studies Macedonian Studies Fellowship, and the SSRC-CSS Fellowship. His expertise is prominent in the fields of political analyses, democratization, multicultural issues, conflict prevention, and conflict management. Daskalovski has worked in Macedonia in various capacities, undertaking empirical research for Proekt za Edinstvena Vizija Makedonija (Project for Common Vision)/ War Thorn Societies Project, and European Stability Initiative. At the moment he is a senior analyst at the Center for Research and Policy Making (www.crpm.org.mk).
You can contact Dr. Zidas Daskalovski at: daskalovski@hotmail.com
Poetry
Znate Mojata Majka
Moja majka e mnogu stara
Toku stara e pishena o biblia
Cveti Pavle a ima bareno
Golem Alexander a ima oglaveno
Moja majka ima mnogu detsa
Detsata mu se odeleni
Odeleni i isprsheni
Edni blizo, drugi deleko
Edni slobodni, mnogu ne
I edni kaszhe da se chushi
Plachi, majka Makedonija
Nashata majka ima teshka istoria
So godini drugi sake da a oglave
Lazhe kazhe da e nina
Sega mestoto mu e odeleno
Odeleno i macheno
I srtseto na majka, mu e skrsheno
Majka saka nina detsa da mu se sobereni
Sobereni i slobodeni
Tia sho zhive druzhe da mozhe da a vide
Da a vide bes zabrane
Nina ta mila majka, Makedonija
So Gospo, detsata da oslabode nina majka
Makedonsko ime, ezik, glas da se slushi
Tsel svet da nauchi nasha istoria
Kako beshe od drugi dlgo skriena
Na nasha, mila Makedonija
Tsela edna da bidi nasha Makedonija
Tsel svet da znae kako
O chetiri, beshe odelena
Odelena i okradena
Okradena i skriena
Nasha mila majka, Makedonija
Tsela Makedonija pa da bidi edna
Tsela Makedonija da bidi slobodna
Tseli Makedontsi da slave
Stari, mladi i pomenani
Alexander, Samual, Goche,
Od Gospo ke nauche
Za sloboda, za Makedonija
Imeto na Makedonija da mu ostani
Nikoga da mozhe da mu zabrani
Makedonija da bidi za nina detsa
Tseli da znae za nasha majka
Moja, tvoja, nasha, Makedonija
By Lita (Leta) Grakini
SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODY
Saints Cyril and Methody
Macedonian brothers from Solun
This minute our hearts are filled with joy
Celebrating, spiritually, with you
The Macedonian Literature and Culture
Saints Cyril and Methody
We know the hardships you went through
From the Greek Church
We know how many times the unjust Greek Propaganda
Tried to clip your admirable snow-white wings
Saints Cyril and Methody
You are have not only survived
But you have thrived to eternity
You are the enlightenment for Christianity
For the Macedonian Nation and many, many other Nations
Saints Cyril and Methody
Rejoice and Rejoice
Today is your day and as every year Mother Earth is all smiles
The flowers, the blooming fruit trees salute you
By sending you their sweet fragrance
The migratory birds and the Canadian Macedonian Society as well
Sing melodious songs, just for You, they Honor You
Saints Cyril and Methody, our prayers have been answered
Soon the rest of your children (under Greek Rule)
Will be able to celebrate with us, your Literary Legacy
This is the Law of the European Union.
Apri1 10, 2006
By Patsy Sider-Aspassia Bossota
From the Archives
A CLIMATE OF FEAR
Of considerable relevance to questions about the number of Macedonian speakers in Aegean Macedonia is Karakasidou's description of the terror of many Slavic speakers when asked if they know the language. After several generations of persecution, she says, they are hesitant to share their knowledge with outsiders, explaining that even today when inhabitants of some villages sing in their mother tongue, the "local" Greek policeman comes over and compels them to stop. Other commentators see the prosecution of Macedonian human rights activists as part of a process aimed at continuing the climate of fear. "By denying the existence of any minority group, except the Turkish community in Western Thrace, the government apparently hopes to extinguish any nationalist feeling among its ethnic Macedonian population." The Spectator magazine published an article on the same theme on August 15, 1992. The article, by Noel Malcolm, was titled, "The New Bully of the Balkans." The article discusses the plight of the main ethnic minorities in Greece, including the Macedonians, the Vlachs, and the Turks. On the Macedonians, Mr. Malcolm noted, "How many of these Slavs still live in Greece is not known. The 1940 census registered 85,000 'Slav-speakers.' The 1951 census (the last to record any figures for speakers of other languages) put it at 41,000; many who had fought on the losing side in the civil war had fled, but other evidence shows that all the censuses heavily underestimate the Slavs' numbers. The lack of a question on the census-form is not, however, the only reason for their obscurity." Mr. Malcolm says, "One group of these Slavs has started a small monthly newsletter, with an estimated readership of 10,000. But they have great difficulty finding a printer (even though it is in Greek), and they say that if copies are sent through the post, they tend to 'disappear.' 'Even if we find a sympathetic printer,' one told me, 'he's usually too scared to take the work: he's afraid of losing his other contracts, or perhaps of getting bricks through his window.'" The following message was distributed to all subscribers to a Macedonian discussion group on the Internet. It followed a debate between a number of Aegean Macedonians and a person of "Greek" origin concerning the numbers of Macedonian speakers in Greece. A number of Macedonians with Aegean connections tried to explain the great disadvantages that could be suffered by Aegean Macedonians who publicly stated that they were not of Greek birth and who .indicated that by preference they spoke a different language. They emphasized the deep distrust of Macedonians toward the Greek authorities, and their constant fear of punishment.
Shea, John. Macedonia and Greece The Struggle to Define a New Balkan Nation. London: McFarland & Company Inc., 1997., Pg 129.
Feedback
Dear Editor,
As a fellow Macedonian, born in Macedonia, now residing in Australia, I would like to congratulate you on the article you publish in the Australia-Macedonian newspaper (Big Fat Greek Lies), and congratulate you on being a proud Macedonian and publicizing our identity and culture for the world to see.
It is about time that someone exposed the truth and I am very happy that you are playing a role, whether minor or major, in exposing the crimes committed against the Macedonian people for almost one hundred years by the Greeks. It is time that somebody stood up and told the rest of the public that we are Macedonian, that’s all we have been and nothing can take that away from us, it is our god given right to call ourselves Macedonians, proud decendents of the Ancient Macedonians and our great King Alexander the Great 'Aleksandar Makedonski'.
I have read plenty of what I like to call 'Greek propaganda' based on the same nonsense saying we're Slavs, Macedonia is Greek and I’m sure you've heard it all. I think you and your article have correctly and emphatically emphasized the ridiculous nature of such claims, especially in the articles you published about the Bucharest Treaty, and how we were mercilessly partitioned without any regards for the Macedonian people who to this day are forced to defend their identity.
It was also interesting to read your article on the creation of the artificial Greek state and their imposed language, and it is especially ridiculous the claim that they are 98% homogenous. That’s another claim out of the Big Fat Book of Greek lies and the Greek Propaganda Machine. Here are people ridiculing our identity, when their origins and history is artificially related. It just doesn’t make sense.
In the 1980's the Northern Greek Province, and the Council of Northern Greece, suddenly changed their name to Macedonia, in the face of the imminent independence of the Republic of Macedonia. They even changed the name of their airport. For years Greeks have claimed Macedonia doesn’t exist, and now they're claiming its theirs. I have two words for that, absolute stupidity.
I read some of those e-mails from the 'Greek intellectuals' that you published. It is obvious to see that they have been fed more nonsense than they can chew and some of the stuff that I read was absolute rubbish. But you stuck to your guns and presented both sides of the story, and highlighted the ridiculousness of their claims.
The only fear I have is that this issue will be resolved by political compromises, and we may lose the thing we have been fighting for all these years, our identity. Those politicians in Macedonia have the fate of the people in their hands and I’m afraid they may make a compromise that is unacceptable for our people and lose what we have been fighting for. We cannot compromise on our name and identity. We are Macedonians, that’s what we always have been and that’s what we will be.
We do want to have good relations with the Greeks. There has to be a point where we have to move forward for the sake of peace and prosperity. We have good economic relations with them. We want stability in the region and cooperation between our two nations can produce even more benefit. This does not mean that we will sacrifice our identity. Compromises do have to be made, but not over our identity and our god given name.
I don’t want to come off as some Greek hater. I have many Greek friends and we get along fine. We are peaceful people and that’s all we want. We do not want to go and reclaim Solun and the rest of Aegean Macedonia. That region is dear to our hearts, but it is not our intention whatsoever.
There is no such thing as a Greek Macedonian. You’re either Greek or Macedonian. These fools claiming they’re Greek Macedonians should realize they will never be Macedonian, just plain Greeks.
I have to congratulate you for publishing the truth, not propaganda or state brainwashing, the truth. You should be proud of yourself and the rest of the Macedonian people and have pride in our name, identity and nation. I read you articles every week and looks like you have a very wide audience. I am eagerly waiting your coming issues and to hear more of the truth. Good on you mate.
Your fellow Macedonian,
Aleksandar M.
Dear brainwashed Greeks,
I'm a history professor in the US. I recently did some research and came up against an article on maknews.com where I was able to read some of the email that Risto Stefov received.
Firstly, I'd like to say that not in my 25 years as a History professor have I seen someone as brainwashed as you. I understand people who like their own country and dislike other peoples’ countries, but you go into such extremes and without much knowledge that frankly scares me. What I've also found out is that "Greeks" who are born in the US and Australia seem to be much more hostile than Greeks that come from Greece. The Greeks who live in Greece hardly care about Macedonia, whereas most of the ones living abroad and are not even able to find it on the map, are all obsessed with it. And it doesn't help that your little heads are filled with false information about Macedonia (perhaps that is how you were raised).
Here are some facts, which I'm sure you don't know about, which the Greek Government has failed to mentioned in their books;
1. Macedonia has been a country and always will be a country.
2. Macedonians are the oldest living people of Southern Europe, not the today’s "Greeks"
3. Macedonians' DNA is the same as the one of the Basque and North Italians which once again proves they are the most ancient people living in Europe today.
4. Greek DNA taken from modern Greeks is an exact match to the one of the Iraqis and Iranians.
5. The Ancient Spartans are long gone (they were wiped out by Alexander of Macedonia's army, yes Alexander was Macedonian, just like his father Philip).
6. The "Greek" language is not "Greek" rather it is Koine; the language that the Government of Greece adopted 100 years ago, talk about stealing eh!? That would be like the Macedonians adopting French and call it a Macedonian language.
7. Macedonia was not supposed to be part of Yugoslavia. The Macedonian representative (Metodija Chento) who attended the meeting where the new Yugoslavia was going to be carved up was assassinated by Tito's people because Tito found out that Chento wanted Macedonia independent. Yugoslavia was carved up without Macedonia's representative.
8. The Greeks should love Tito for several reasons:
- Greece still has Solun (or as the Greek Govt. renamed it Thessaloniki, together with 60 other cities and villages)
-in 1945 a contingent of 140,000 soldiers from Macedonia boarded trains to go to Thessaloniki and take it back, however Tito rerouted the trains to Croatia/Bosnia to fight the Germans.
9. Check with the city museum of Athens why the Greek Govt. has hidden over 1200 pieces of documents and transcripts from Alexander of Macedonia where it clearly states that Alexander spoke this "barbaric" language, yes, Macedonian, the language still exists today, widely spoken in Macedonia, and Aegean Macedonia, North America, Australia, etc.
10. Ever wonder why the Greek Govt. renamed the north province "Macedonia" only in 1992? Why not earlier, why when the Republic of Macedonia declared independence?
The good thing of all of this is that the Greek Govt. has spread such vicious propaganda that even the Greek believers started to question the rhetoric that comes out of Athens. Yes, there is a thing called 'too much', which is why I applauded the US Government recognition of the Republic of Macedonia.
Imagine, the Greeks have the strongest lobby in the US Congress and the Senate, so strong in fact that most people believe it is stronger than the Israeli lobby. Think for a second, only for a second, how much false information the Greek Govt. has been spreading over the years, for the US Govt. to react in the way it reacted?
By James Farrington
FROM ANDREAS L.
Zdravo,
My name is Andreas I'm from Makedonija, but live in Denmark and I try to honor Makedonija, its history, language etc, as much as I can. I just love to read your articles. Love THEM! I have gained a lot of knowledge (and are still gaining) and use it to discuss with people who say that there is not such a thing as Macedonians or a Macedonian Language. I will keep reading them and think you are all great. Hehe
From your "fan" Andreas L.!
CAO
DA ZIVEJ MAKEDONIJA!
FROM BASIL STEPHANOFF
I read with interest the article "One Does Not Need To Go To Macedonia To Find Macedonians, By Eugene Borza."
I live in the area of Akron, Ohio and one day while driving through one of the cemeteries I happened to notice a large headstone with the surname of a once prominent Macedonian. I stopped to read the inscription. The deceased's name and birth date and date of death were noted along with his place of birth. Prilep, Macedonia. The deceased was the son of the prominent Macedonian.
Deceased's name
Rodom ot Grad Prilep, Macedonia
Born Nov. 28, 1903 Died Nov. 1, 1922
I can furnish the name of the deceased and cemetery if necessary.
Yes, Steelton was noted for having very many Prilepchani living there. A few years ago I met a gentleman much older than I and he mentioned that he was born in Steelton and he did not learn to speak English until he entered grade school.
My father was born in Prilep.
Basil Stephanoff
FROM ZORAN
Dear Mr. Stelios Koutsouris (Responding to his e-mail in Digest # 4)
My name is Zoran Saraf Dimitrov, I am Macedonian and I want to say something to you.
I live in Slovenija, one of the ex-Yugoslav countries and like you I am very interested in history.
Let me ask you this; how can Macedonia and Greece be one and the same? Also, if you grew up in Yugoslavia like I did and like Kiro Gligorov did you would know that we were not allowed to be anything other than Yugoslav. We were taught to believe that we were “Slavonic” people and we were discouraged from asserting our individual ethnicities.
Now that we broke away from Yugoslavia and have our own country I can freely tell you that I am Macedonian and not Yugoslavian. Unfortunately, that was not good enough for your country Greece so President Gligorov had to say what he had to say to save his people from the choke hold and the crippling embargo your country imposed on the Macedonian people.
I don’t need you to tell me who I am. I now live in Slovenia but I was born in Macedonia and still have relatives there. My 89 year old grandmother told me we are Macedonian and when I asked her “how do you know we are Macedonians?” she says “MY GRANDFATHER WAS MACEDONIAN, MY FATHER WAS MACEDONIAN AND THAT MAKES ME MACEDONIAN TO! If my grandmother is Macedonian so is my father and so am I. We are what we are, MACEDONIANS.
Unfortunately, for more then 800 years Macedonians did not have the strength to assert themselves so we were picked on by the likes of you, and more recently by your Greek State and your Greek Church. Even after all that happened to us we still have not forgotten who we are and we don’t need you to tell us who we are and who we are not. In spite of all that happened we are still MACEDONIANS and we will remain Macedonians whether you Greeks like it or not.
I have nothing against you and in fact we have many things in common but you have to understand that we are neither Greeks nor Slavs, we are Macedonians.
I can go on writing forever but I know you Greeks will never admit to the existence of MAKEDONIJA, so what is the point.
One last thing, did you ever ask yourself how did Greece get the 51%of Macedonia?
ZORAN
In Memoriam
Gotse Delchev (1872-1903)
Gotse Delchev, the son of Macedonian patriots Nikola and Sultana Delchevi, was born on February 4th, 1872, in Kukush, a town 35 km north of Solun.
Gotse completed his elementary education in Kukush, then attended high school in Solun where he studied literature and social studies. He then attended the Sofia Military Academy where he furthered his knowledge in military and scientific discipline. He was always keen to learn and kept up with Macedonian national affairs. He played an active role in the political clubs of Solun and Sofia and kept in close contact with others like himself, especially the socialists. They greatly contributed to Gotse's involvement in IMRO and helped shape the course of the Macedonian national liberation movement. The years 1894 to 1903 represented the final revolutionary stage of Gotse's short life. His career as a teacher took him to Novo Selo (near Shtip) and Bansko from 1894 to 1896, and later he became involved with the revolutionary cause, preparing the Macedonian people for the armed uprising.
Gotse was a realist as well as an idealist who loved people, hated tyranny and saw the world as a place of many cultures living together in peace. The international and cosmopolitan views of Delchev were far ahead of his time and could be summarized in his proverbial sentence: "I understand the world solely as a field for cultural competition among nations".
As a realist Gotse knew that in order for a revolution to be successful it had to be a "moral revolution" of the mind, heart and soul of an enslaved people. They needed to feel like people with rights and freedoms, not like slaves. With that in mind Gotse set out to build a revolutionary conscience in the Macedonian population thus setting the revolutionary wheels in motion.
Tragically, the Turks killed Gotse Delchev who devoted his life to the Macedonian national revolutionary movement and to the Macedonian revolution. His figure cannot be separated from the glorious epic of Ilinden, although an enemy bullet had cut short his life on the eve of the uprising.
On May 4th, 1903, on his return from Solun after a meeting with Damian Gruev, Gotse was surrounded by Turkish soldiers in the village Banitsa in Seres Region. In this unequal battle Gotse was shot in the chest from which he died.
May he rest in peace assured that we will not forget him for the ultimate sacrifice he made for Macedonia and the Macedonian people. We will not rest until his Macedonia is free.
Gospo da go prosti.
By Risto Stefov
E-mail of the Month
From Sammy B. Comments on your article "Greeks are a Superior race"
Reading your article I was really disappointed as you thought that the best way to solve and comment on the problems within your state was to offence the Greek culture and history. I am not going to get into historical facts because these are written in books and they are there for you to carefully study, but I’d rather comment on the way that you are using all these historical inaccuracies to state your disappointment on the fact that you are not Macedonians.
It was decided by the court of Law that the name of your country should be FYROM and I don’t think it is really wise for you to use in public the term MACEDONIAN.
Thank you for your time
Quotable Quotes
Morning Risto! Pozdraf!
A suggestion: Many magazines use the "quotable quotes" to highlight bits of thought that are worth thinking about. I wonder if you might use quotes from Macedonians, past and present?
For example, I frequently think of Gotse Delchev having written or said somewhere, "If we must have wars let us have Cultural Wars", or words to that effect.
Gladstone: Macedonia for the Macedonians (worth repeating and repeating often, I think)
And here's one from Dedo Kire: "We are not yet as good as our human hearts -- that exchange the bad for the good with every beat"
And there are thousands of Macedonian sayings, nuggets of human wisdom, like: Every valley knows the weight of its own mountain. (As I understand it these expressions closed off conversations, sort of summed them up, and made one thoughtful. Great Wisdom there. Can we pass some of those on in the Digest?
Well that's my thought for the morning. May the sun warm you more as spring moves ahead..
As ever, Dedo Kire
Yes Dedo Kire keep them coming. A wise man such as yourself must have millions of them.
Humour
WAS THERE ANYBODY IN THE BALKANS BEFORE THE GREEKS?
Oxi, there was nothing before the Glicks jus animals the Glicks are the firs uman beans who discuver evritings inda wirl. Hokay?
By Osiris
GREEK MAGIC AND THE HEALING OF A SICK MAN
Once upon a time there was a sick man. He was so sick that all the doctors of the world could not cure him. Then came a Doctor, a healer above all healers and started to treat him in a radical way: performing all sorts of plastic surgery. He cut, sewed, grafted, stitched from one place to another, used traditional medicine, witchcraft and many other healing techniques which not many people possess in this world, and finally in a miraculous way the sick man recovered and was reborn.
QUESTION 1: Who was the sick man?
QUESTION 2: Who was this exceptional Doctor?
After the entire class failed the test, one student named Kostas put his hand up.
"Kirie daskale"(Sir), called Kostas.
"Ne pedy mu” (Yes, my boy), replied the teacher
"O arostos itane i ELLADA!” (The sick man was ELLADA!), replied the boy.
"Bravo, vre pedy mu", (good on you, my boy) replied the teacher.
And now, for a perfect score, continued the teacher.
“Pios ine avtos o axios giatros?” (Who was this capable doctor?) Asked the teacher.
"Avtos o axios giatros itan o Kirios Ioanis Metaxas!” (The capable doctor was Mr. Ioanis Metaxas!) triumphantly replied Kostas.
"Bravo, vre pedy mu", (Bravo my boy) Again answered the teacher, "you are a true follower of Aristotle the Philosopher."
Even to this day Greece is still portrayed as the sick man of Europe and the EU is pouring billions of dollars to keep the man who died 2,500 ago stay alive.
By anonymous
Lord Byron in “Childe Herald” wrote:
Fair Greece, sad relic of departed worth,
Immortal though no more,
Though fallen great.......
WHAT NEIGHBOURS?!
Look at Macedonia's neighbours;
HELLas to the South
BULL(SH*T)garia to the East
ALLbania to the West
BEkosovo to the North-West
SERVia to the North-East
Poor old Macedonia is the meat in the sandwich!
Montenegro looks li