A bë esh songs on Scande beg
as an Exp ession o Collec i e Memo y,
Longing, and Belonging
Lumnije Kad iu — Leon ina Gega-musa
ABSTRACT
Scande beg is he main cons i u i e igu e in he collec i e memo y o A be eshs in pa icula and
o Albanians in gene al. As such he also is he main igu e in he his o y o Albanians ha inspi ed
many a is ic and schola ly wo ks in di e en disciplines including o al adi ion, his o y, li e a-
u e, e hnology, e c.
The main aim o his pape , as indica ed in he i le, is o see how songs on Scande beg could be
ace ained as an exp ession o collec i e memo y, longing, and belonging up o he p esen imes.
In o de o comp ehend be e his p ocess au ho s will gi e in o ma ion on who was Scande beg,
who we e A bë esh and how did hey es ablish and main ained awa eness on hei dis inc i e cul-
u al and e hnic iden i y. Wha was he ole o Scande beg in his p ocess? Beside his he ole o olk
songs and his o ical da a on emembe ing Scande beg and in cons uc ing A bw esh/Albanian na-
ional iden i y will be juxs aposed. As a ool will be used h ee olk songs collec ed by A bë esh in el-
lec ual Je onim De Rada, which a e ela ed o wo main e en s o Scande beg’s li e, namely ma iage
and dea h, and hese will be compa ed wi h his o ical da a as ound o same e en s in he Ha y
Hodgkinson’s his o ical book abou Scande beg. This jux aposi ion will be analysed in he con ex
o An hony D.Smi h’s concep on e hno-symbolism in o de o enligh en he ini ia ion o A bë esh/
Albanian e hnic iden i y.
The inal a emp o his pape will be o heo ize on how his o ical ac s, ans o med in bo h
o al adi ion and schola in e p e a ions, a e used in shaping collec i e memo y-(ies) ha o ge
iden i y-ies o g oups in di e en empo al and spa ial le els, i.e. local, egional, e hnic and na ional,
in which case cons uc ion p ocess and selec i i y a e qui e p ominen .
The me hod used he e is compa ison o di e en li e a u e esou ces (his o ical, li e a u e, e h-
nog aphies) and in e p e ing hem in di e en heo e ical amewo ks such as e hnosymbolism,
collec i e memo y and cons uc i is na ional building.
KEYWORDS
Scande beg, Albania, collec i e memo y, iden i y, belonging
Gje gj Kas io Skënde beu (1405–1468) in Albanian his o iog aphy is acen al igu e
o na ional he o, o a alen ed mili a y leade which in he i een h cen u y, a ime
when O oman Empi e pene a ed Balkan e i o y and beyond, succeeded o uni e
se e al A bë esh/Albanian ibes i.e. p incipali ies in o de o igh O omans. This
uni y has enabled consolida ion o Albanian people, ini ially as e hnici y and la e as
amode n na ion.
In sho , he was he i h son o Gjon (John) Kas io i, an Albanian nobleman
based in K uja (no h cen al Albania), who acco ding o he adi ion o he O oman
OPEN
ACCESS
98 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
Empi e, was aken as ajanissa o se e he Sul an.1 Du ing his se ice he was dis in-
guished and p aised o his skills and b a e y so a one poin he was hono ed wi h he
name Skande beg. A e many yea s o se ice and splendo in he O oman Empi e,
he lea es o e u n o his bi hplace in K uja, om whe e he esis ed and ough back
Empi e o ces. He achie es i qui e success ully hanks o he alliance c ea ed wi h
he o he a bë esh ibes, bu also due o he e y s able alliance wi h King Al onso
o A agon, and occasional assis ance om Venice.
Many Albanian and o eign au ho s w o e abou Scande beg’s li e. Howe e , as
abasic w i en book dedica ed o he Scande beg’s his o y is known he one w i -
en by Ma in Ba le i (Ba le ius, 1504), he p ies om Shkodë , a he end o he 15 h
cen u y, sho ly a e Skande beg’s dea h. The i s edi ions dedica ed o Skande -
beg’s li e used as he sou ce a ious o ms o o al adi ion de o ed o his igu e, such
as: ballads, songs, s o ies, legends, and so on. Ramadan Sokoli, in his pape ‘Figu a
eSkënde beu në këngë popullo e’ ‘Skande beg’s Figu e in Folk Songs’ p esen s
ch onologically publica ions dedica ed o Skande beg, w i en by bo h domes ic and
o eign au ho s, and among o he hings he highligh s he impo ance he da a o he
o al adi ion had in c ea ing songs abou his deeds a e he o’s dea h. Sokoli poin s
ou ha Ba le o his wo k also used as asou ce popula songs and s o ies o people
1 In Hodgkinson (2004), comes ou ha he p ac ice o aking young Ch is ian boys o se e
as janissa ies was in oduced by Sull an Mu a II, a he ime when Scande beg was nea
16 yea old. See p.53.
OPEN
ACCESS
LUmNIJE KADRIU — LEONTINA GEGA-mUSA 99
who had known him, o /and ough wi h him (Sokoli, 1982, pp.260–276). Same opin-
ion was exp essed by Fan S.Noli in his wo k ‘Geo ge Cas io Skande beg”, published
in New Yo k in 1947, and by Ha y Hodgkinson in his book ‘Scande beg’ published
in 1999 (p.53). This was also e idenced by Ba le i himsel when he poin ed ou ha
Skande beg and his migh iness has had e e yone’s admi a ion, and acco ding o him,
‘ his is i mly es i ied by he ac ha among o he many he b igh es b a e ies o
he elde s and he glo ies o he o e a he s usually sung by ou people a eas s, as
equi ed by an ancien cus om, he young gene a ion has in oduced no wi hou
g a i ude especially his e en (Scande beg’s)’ (Ibid, pp.260–76). T h oughou Ba -
le ’s wo k a e men ioned he songs ha we e sang by Skande beg igh e s a e di -
e en ic o ies o e he O omans, and his, acco ding o Sokoli, is also he p oo ha
he oic epic among Albanians is qui e ancien . Anumbe o schola s who deal wi h
o al c ea ions de o ed o Skande beg ha e no ed hei impo ance bo h in e ms o
a and his o y o his pe iod.
The impo ance o olk songs, as a ecou se/suppo o he s o y o Skande beg’s
li e, was also s a ed by he esea che Qemal Haxhihasani in he olume ‘T egime dhe
këngë popullo e pë Skënde beun’/ ‘S o ies and olk songs abou Skande beg’. I is
a olume ha has assembled and a anged almos all he c ea ions/composi ions o
a ious o al o ms o Skande beg, and in which is highligh ed ha ‘… a he ime o
he he o, as well as a e his dea h, a e c ea ed songs and s o ies, which depending
on he wa dimesions and popula i y, we e widely sp ead’ (Haxhihasani, 1967, p.6).
These songs we e also associa ed and pa o he ce ain i es. Ba le ’s asse ion
ha ‘Albanians celeb a ed e e y ic o y wi h songs and dances’ was also suppo ed
by he a ele s who isi ed hese places many yea s a e Skande beg’s dea h, such
as, Sabeliko and Pouque ille, bu o pa icula impo ance is he es imony o F ang
Ba dhi, who in his epo in 1637 s a es ha : ‘people o Dukagjini egion2, acco ding
o hei old cus om, du ing hei pa ies and celeb a ions, as well as on he s ee and
a wo k, sing loudly abou he b a e ies o hei g ea men and especially hose o he
in incible Gje gj Kas io i, called Skande beg’ (Haxhihasani, 1967, p.6).
Gje gj Kas io i Skande beg is no only ana ional he o o Albanians, bu also
ahis o ical and poli ical igu e o Eu opean dimensions, who became impo an in
ce ain pe iods o Sou heas Eu opean his o ies such as ha o Hunga y and I aly,
and beyond. In ase ies o medie al wo ks by o eign au ho s, Skande beg’s igu e
appea s as he he o o he wa s agains O oman a mies, and he e o e as he wa io
and sa io o Ch is ian cul u e (Buda, 1969, pp.33; Senke iç, 1969, pp.35). In addi ion
o he his o iog aphic w i ings on Skande beg, some imes wi h g ea e and some-
imes smalle in ensi y we e also w i en wo ks o o he gen es, o en i ely ic i ious
cha ac e .3
All o hese da a oge he , i.e. olklo e, his o ical and li e a y da a, ep esen he
memo y abou ace ain pe sonali y, a ace ain ime, in ace ain cul u al, social, and
2 Dukagjini is a egion in No he n Albania and wes e n Koso o, which con ains he No h
Albanian Alps, an ex ension o he Dina ic Alps ange. The highes poin is Maja Jeze ce
(2693 m). h ps://enacademic.com/dic.ns /enwiki/5021505 [accessed 14 june2022].
3 Fo example, en i ely ic i e is Benjamin Dis aeli (1833).
OPEN
ACCESS
100 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
poli ical con ex . I , acco ding o collec i e memo y esea che Pascal Boye , ‘memo-
ies sus ain adis inc i e iden i y, as some hing ha social g oups need, main ain, and
ansmi o u he gene a ions’ (Boye , 2009, pp.9), hen we may asce ain ha due
o his memo y ( he opic o memo y oday is expe iencing eju ena ion and an in e -
es om his o ians, an h opologis s, and gene al public, in building common collec-
i e pas ) i is no su p ising ha Skande beg’s igu e a e his dea h, p ima ily by his
con empo a ies, bu la e also by o he gene a ions h oughou he cen u ies, became
asou ce o inspi a ion o ase ies o publica ions abou him and his glo ious e a.
ARBËRESHS AND ALBANIAN IDENTITY
I adi ions o people and a es o ci iliza ions a e p ese ed and eco e ed h ough
memo ies, hen hese memo ies o he pas , ansmi ed h ough he ime, can be
ead in he ealm o he u u e h ough an h opological lenses, o ms and concep s,
as ana ional and/o b oade iden i y (e.g. Ch is ian) (B uni, 2016). A bë esh is he
name Albanians used o hemsel es du ing medie al imes. La e , Albanians s a ed
o call hemsel es Shqip a , while he name A bë esh was p ese ed o he p esen
among people who mig a ed in di e en places du ing ha pe iod, such as in I aly
and C oa ia. Albanians emaining in he e i o ies o G eece a e called A ani s.
A bë eshs o I aly, known as Albanian his o ical diaspo a, ha s a ed hei mi-
g a ions since he medie al imes, o e came he assimila ion by p ese ing iden i y
o cen u ies, hanks o collec i e memo y ansmi ed in e gene a ionally. Based
on a ious a chi e documen s i is acknowledged ha he e we e se en wa es o A -
bë esh mig a ions owa ds he sho es o he Apennine peninsula. O hese, he i s
h ee wa es a e di ec ly linked o Skande beg. The i s occu ed in 1416–1446 and con-
sis ed o soldie s who we e sen by Gje gj Kas io i Scande beg, o help King Al onso
o A agon, wi h whom he had con inuous and e y good ela ions. The second wa e
occu ed again as a esul o he collabo a ion be ween Skande beg and Al onso du ing
1459–1461, when o he Albanian soldie s we e sen o p o ec he A agonese amilies.
A ha ime ala ge numbe o esiden s a ose agains Fe dinand I, he descendan o
Al onso. The hi d wa e occu ed du ing he yea s 1468–1506 and is associa ed wi h
he dea h o Skande beg (1468), when he Tu ks occupied almos he en i e e i o y
o Albania and in he mean ime ook qui e ep essi e measu es o hei su ende .4
The su i al o A bë esh diaspo a and he p ese a ion o hei iden i y o
cen u ies up o he p esen ime we e s ongly suppo ed in he i s place by he
collec i e memo y main ained i s ly because o he easons ha a ec ed hei
mig a ion o he sou he n I alian coas s, mainly Sicily and Calab ia, and secondly
due o he isola ed en i onmen s whe e hey es ablished hei new se lemen s.5
4 Fo mig a ion wa es see mo e in Ib ahimi (2008, pp.13–14). Fo ep essi e measu es a -
e he dea h o Scande beg see Hodgkinson (2004, p.217).
5 Mo e on he mig a ion wa es and se lemen o A bë eshs in I aly see Ba l (2017,
pp.69–74) (o iginal i le Albanien: om Mi elal e bis zu Gegenwa . Regensbu g: Pus e
1995); Ib ahimi (2008, pp.13–14).
OPEN
ACCESS
LUmNIJE KADRIU — LEONTINA GEGA-mUSA 101
Ce ainly, he iden i y was p ese ed hanks o he A bë esh language, which con-
inued o be ac i e wi hin A bë esh amilies and illages, bu he key ac o in he
p ese a ion and cul i a ion o he A bë esh language was he pe mi ion Va ican
ga e hem o use i since he 18 h cen u y as ali u gic language in he A bë esh
pa ishes. The need o p epa e and educa e young people o bo h eligious and cul-
u al pu poses was accomplished wi h he opening o wo A bë esh colleges: Ko-
legji Ko sini (1732) in Calab ia and Semina i A bë esh iPale mos in Sicily by Pope
Clemen XII (1730–1740). Howe e , he pe mission o he Second Va ican Council
o es ablish wo Epa chies, ha o he A be esh Unge and Ho a in he wen ie h
cen u y, opened ape spec i e o ins i u ional s eng hening o language knowl-
edge and i s ole wi hin eligious and cul u al li e (Ib ahimi 2008, p.157); (Al ima i
1980, pp.53–79).
I should be no ed ha du ing he Middle Ages, o he displaced A bë eshes, as
well as he en i e popula ions unde he Bizan ine Empi e, he main iden i ica ion
was based on eligion. The e o e, when hey mo ed o I aly hey we e iden i ied
simply as Ch is ians wi hou any o he cul u al o e hnic emphhasis. A ha ime,
wi h he name Romanoi, we e called O hodox Ch is ians ( ega dless o e hnici y)
in he inne wo ld o ‘G eeks/G eece”, while he same who li ed ou side, i.e. in he
‘La in’ o eign wo ld, i hey ollowed he Eas e n O hodox Chu ch (wi h ali u gy
in he G eek language), hey we e called G eek, and i hey a ended he Wes e n
Ca holic chu ch, hey we e called La inoi (Al ima i, 1980, pp.53). Bu , acco ding o
Al ima i, wi h he aised awa eness and ac i a ion o he I alian na ional mo e-
men (Riso gimen o) as well as ha o he G eek one, he need o A bë eshs p ac-
icing Byzan ine i e, ‘ o be libe a ed once and o all om iden i ica ion wi h he
G eeks’ has been accen ua ed. Thus, in he second hal o he eigh een h cen u y,
his si ua ion ‘encou aged he s ong in e es o A bë esh in ellec uals and cle ics,
ini ially o Sicily and hen Calab ia, o highligh he cul u al and linguis ic ea u es
o hei e hnici y, being called ‘i alo-albanesi”, while he G eeks o I aly began o
be called by he chu ch “i alo-g eci” (Al ima i, 1980, pp.58–9). Since A bë eshs, in
o de o aise iden i y awa eness among hem, used he same na ional cons uc ion
ajec o y as o he na ions did (i.e. ancien o igin o he cul u e and language), he
sea ch o oo s o o igin (ini ially Pellazgian and la e Illy ian) as well as he com-
mon cul u e and language we e pilla s o his cons uc ion. Meanwhile, adi ional
A bë esh cul u e con inued o be passed o e om gene a ion o gene a ion, bo h
wi h he canonical and mo al no ms, such as he concep s o : he neighbou (gji-
oni), iend (miku), hospi ali y, besa/oa h, as adi ional and iden i ying elemen s
o he A bë esh and he Albanians in gene al, and wi h adi ional women’s d ess
p esen and unc ional un il la e as A bë esh’s dis inc i e clo hing. As a esul ,
A bë esh li e a u e ep esen ed by wo ks o au ho s, such as Va iboba, Ke a, De
Rada, Se embe, San o i, Da a, Ski o, e c., was ele a ed a is ically based on ha
ich spi i ual cul u e, becoming s eadily an iden i ica ion li e a u e o A bë eshs
(Ib ahimi, 2008, p.187).
OPEN
ACCESS

102 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
DE RADA AND SONGS FOR SKANDERBEG
The wo k o Je onim De Rada (1814–1903), as one o he g ea es igu es o he Alba-
nian Renaissance in gene al and o he second A bë esh Renaissance in pa icula
(Al ima i, 1980, p.60), well known and highly ega ded by he w i e s o Eu opean
cul u e o he ime, is o special impo ance o Albanian cul u e, language, and li -
e a u e. In addi ion o his li e a y wo ks, as well as hose o heo e ical-aes he ic and
philosophical hough , he is also known in Albanian olklo is ics as acollec o o he
A bë esh o al wo ks, published in ‘Rapsodie d’un poema albanese / Rhapsody o an
Albanian poem’ in 1866, ga he ed in he colonies o he dis ic o Naples. This pub-
lica ion is he mos comp ehensi e and mos impo an edi ion o Albanian o al li -
e a u e. De Rada, di ec ly inspi ed by F ançesco A a i, he i s A bë esh olklo is ,
began collec ing olklo ic ma e ial, howe e when ha ma e ial ook he o m o he
ixed w i en ex in special edi ions, i o en p omp ed discussions abou hei au-
hen ici y. In his collec ion a e also 8 hapsodies which a e ela ed o he mos p om-
inen e en s in Skande beg’s li e.6 Gus a Meye , Augus Dozon, Dhimi ë Shu e iqi,
Ramadan Sokoli and F ancis Al ima i ha e discussed he issue o au hen ici y o De
Rada’s hapsodies. While he o me doub hei olk o igins ( hei genuini y), Sokoli
deba es on he issue o anonymi y o popula hapsodis s and highligh s he possibil-
i y ha e en he ‘ ilindësi ”7 hemsel es ha e ac ed as hapsods. Al ima i a gues ha
despi e he ac ha in De Rada’s hapsodies (and o he o he s) a e ob ious,
some his o ical elemen s (cha ac e s, e en s, e c.) ha undeniably p o e ha he
biog aphies o Skande beg and especially he wo ks o Ba le , Biemm, […] we e
aken in o conside a ion by he collec o s o hese songs […] we can no bu em-
phasize ha , besides hese ex e nal elemen s, which show us ali e a y in luence,
he con en o ‘ hapsodies,’ he a ious mo i s ha a e e lec ed he e, he lan-
guage s yle, also show asimple popula / olk poe y model ha has deep oo s in
he cul u al adi ions o he A bë esh o I aly (Al ima i, 1980, p.74).
De Rada ega ding hese songs has s a ed: ‘F om he songs ha ha e been collec ed so
a , i u ns ou ha he basic idea o hei en i e y is so close o he his o ical eali y
ha i seems ha he ab ica ion is sca ce and does no p e ail’ (de Rada, 1983, p.20).
He also ads ha ‘These songs b ough by ou o e a he s he e in I aly, ha e ag ea ed-
uca ional o ce especially o hose amilies who li e o he posi i e impac o ci ies.
Mo eo e , hese songs a e o e e yone mos ancien monumen o ou language and
ahigh model o simple, pu e, powe ul s yle’ (Kas a i, 2003, p.177).
6 such as: ‘T imi dhe asha/B a eman and he gi l”, ‘Mo a eSkënde beu /Scande beg’s
sis e ”, ‘Skënde beu dhe Miloshini Skënde beg and Miloshini”, ‘Ma esa eSkënde beu /
Scande begs ma iage”, ‘Skënde beu dhe Ballabani Scande beg and Ballabani”, ‘Vjeh a
ekeqe/Bed mo he -in-law”, ‘Skënde beu dhe Vdekja/Scande beg and Dea h’ and ‘Scan-
de begs dea h.’
7 Membe s o Albanian Na ional Renaissance.
OPEN
ACCESS
LUmNIJE KADRIU — LEONTINA GEGA-mUSA 103
In hese s a emen s an an agonism can be clea ly no iced. While ecen schola s
doub he au hen ici y o popula songs due o he p esence o accu a e his o ical
da a on hem, De Rada app ecia es he his o ical p esence and accu acy on hem, on
he one hand, and he lack o oo many h ills in hem (whose p esence is howe e
implici ), on he o he . We will elabo a e la e in he ex he dis inc ion be ween
his o ical and collec i e memo y and hei ele ance in cons uc ion o e hnic and
na ional iden i y in he con ex o An hony D.Smi h’s concep on e hnosymbolism.
The e o e i is impo an o highligh ha as ano he impo an elemen in he de a-
dian iden i y cons uc ion, is he ac ha De Rada, he 25 yea pe iod o Skande beg’s
powe in he Albanian lands calls Mo i imadh/ The G ea Time/Age, implying ape iod
o happiness and eedom as called by A bë eshs, which is iden i ied by he igu e o
Skande beg as asymbol o eedom, esis ance and exis ence as an e hnici y.
F om he abo e da a we see how Skande beg’s igu e as ahis o ical eali y comes
as asus ainable ac used in cons uc ing e hnic and na ional iden i y and also we
see clea ly he ole o De Rada as acons uc o in he p ocess o building his iden i y
consciousness. This is clea ly and qui e explici ly seen in he o ewo d o Rhapsody …
w i en by Nikola Jeno de Co onel who when speaking o he con en and he s uc-
u e o his collec ion s a es: ‘why did he choose exac ly hese h ee momen s: he
ic o ies, he ma iage and he dea h o Skande beg? In o de o no de ia e om ha
concep ha is he main poin o his goal, namely he Na ion. And indeed he ic o ies
show he ime when libe y was held and was won by he blood o he ci izens; he
ma iage shows he pe inen desi e o con inue ha esis ance, ga he ed a ound
acommon aim, wi h he descendan s o Skande beg; dea h, shows he los hope, ee-
dom u ned o , and so, by speaking in such away abou he indi idual, he poe inds
he oppo uni y o exp ess/explain he na ional de elopmen ” ( de Rada, 1983, p.181).
Based on all o he abo e, i seems in e es ing and challenging he analysis, bu
also he illus a ion, o his De adian selec ion and cons uc ion in he con ex o
collec i e memo y s udies. We will y o do his by aking on he popula songs Ma -
iage o Scande beg, Scande beg and Dea h, as well as Scande beg’s Dea h om De Rada’s
Rhapsody o an Albanian poem as wo impo an momen s o he he o’s and he com-
muni y li e, and jux aposing hem o he same momen s as his o ical ac s, as de-
sc ibed in Ha y Hodgkinson’s his o ical book ‘Scande beg’, which was published in
1999 (Hodgkinson, 2004).
SCANDERBEG’S MARRIAGE AND DEATH IN FOLK SONGS,
HISTORIOGRAPHY AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY CONTEXTS
As is w i en in many his o ical books, Skande beg had e u ned om O oman Em-
pi e o K uja in No embe 1443, when he had dese ed he Tu k comba agains Hun-
yadi in he Ba le o Nish (Hodgkinson, 2004, pp.65–68). In Ma ch 1444 he summoned
he Lezha8 Assembly and c ea ed an alliance wi h 9 p incely a bë esh amilies. In
his assembly he was nomina ed as he Gene al Cap ain, o as amili a y leade /com-
8 Lezha is a own in No hwes Albania.
OPEN
ACCESS
104 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
mande o all hese ibes. I can be said ha despi e his success, his coali ion was
a he agile conside ing he ibal medie al egula ion and he desi e o domina-
ion o ibes and hei leade s, especially in he no h (Dukagjini, Zaha ia, Spani and
Dushman— ibes). Pe haps p ecisely o his eason and he h ea ha hese ibes
may ha e el owa d Skande beg’s domina ion, his posi ion ( hough leade ) was, as
Hodgkingson says, ‘mo e i s among he equal han agene al commande ’ (Hodgkin-
son, 2004, p.74). Such a ole can be conside ed in line wi h he in e nal social cus-
oma y o de o he Albanian amilies and ibes, whe e he ole o he head o he
amily, he ibal chie , namely he pa ia ch, was desc ibed as ‘p imus in e pa es—
i s among equals— in he council o he household’ (R api, 1995. p.71; R api, 2003).
E en hough he es ablishmen o he alliance was ollowed by nume ous ic o ies,
Skande beg’s s a us could no ye be conside ed e y s able o some ime. In Hodg-
kinson’s book, i is alluded ha (despi e he insis ence o his neighbo s and allies)
his migh ha e been he eason why Skande beg had p olonged his decision o ge
ma ied. Aw ong choice could p omp he des abiliza ion and e en he unbundling
o he alliance, bu agood choice could ge him close o his majo goal, namely he
s eng hening o ana ional communi y, o which Ba le i had also spoken.9 A ha
ime, a anged ma iages be ween di e en ibes we e common, calcula ed s a egi-
cally o secu e powe and s eng hen he poli ical posi ions o he ibes. E hno-cul-
u al a ilia ion a hose imes was no he basis o he ma i al a angemen , consid-
e ing ha he p esen ime consciousness abou e hnici y and e hnic belonging was
s ill almos nonexis en . In 1450 Skande beg had success ully esis ed se e al ba les
agains Sul an Mu a II, so his he oism became mo e p ominen , hea d o , known,
and powe ul inside and ou side he coun y. The p essu e o iends upon him o
ma y was inc eased, bu Scande beg’s ea o he p inces’ jealousies was educed, so
he could a o d o seek ou he hand o Donika he daugh e o he migh ies sou he n
a bë esh p ince Gje gj A ani i. (p.114). Ma iage had occu ed in May 1451 in Kanina.
Bu in he olk song Scande beg’s Ma iage ga he ed by De Rada, Skande beg’s di-
lemma o choosing he b ide wi hin he a bë esh ibes can no be dis inguished.
Scande beg’s Ma iage
Mblodhi n’K ujë Skënde beu Scande beg in K uja ga he ed
buja ë edhe peshkopë Noblemen and Bishops
’këshilloj me a a se nga ç’ end To ask his b ide whe e om should be
a mi e nusen.
Buja i I Noblemen I
— Me e, zo , napului ane! — Take he , Lo d, om Naples!
Buja i II Noblemen II
— Po a je, në Anapul, — Bu he e, in Naples
9 Fo Scande beg’s delay o ma iage w i es Hodgkinson (2004, p.75, 103), his na ional mo-
i e and design was also implied by Ba le , Sab i Godo, e c. <h p://gaze ain op ess.com/
his o ia_a keologji/ma esa-e-skende beu -deshmi e%E2%80%A8-e- alla- e-ma in-
ba le i >. [accessed 25May 2018]
OPEN
ACCESS
LUmNIJE KADRIU — LEONTINA GEGA-mUSA 105
o ë njoma, n’limon i e y gen le, in apa ha y
Zgjohen asha edhe ng ysen, gi ls wake up and go o sleep
ku se puna esh’pi e ona imë zi , Whils cho es in ou homes make hem i ed,
ibën ë ëj u a. own
Buja i III Noblemen III
Janë në Pulje, më a ë . Those om Pulje a e close .
Buja i IV Noblemen IV
buja esha me plo hi e Noble and ull o g ace a e
Kanë Ba i dhe Ta an i, he ladies om Ba i and Ta an i
po , mësua n’ end ë hapu , bu lea n o be in he open
në sheshe gji hnjë me lule, in he squa es illed wi h lowe s
zem a cok do ’ungush ohe , hei hea will be s angled
n’ e hin emale e ona. by he high s o ou moun ains.
Të dë gojm’ në Sicili, We will send in Sicily
A je ika ’bija mb e i. Whe e he King has his dough e s
Buja i II Noblemen II
Nga apa e lladi de i , Comming om he wa m seasho es
Ku jen ndë male me bo ë zonja To ou snowy moun ains gi l will lose
ash’ ehumb shënde in. he heal h.
Skënde beu Scande beg
— Edi un’ se kë do ’ma . — Iknow who I’m gone a ake
A bë esh’ ashën edua A bë esh’Iwan he gi l
Si nga gjuha ezakone . by he language and cus oms.
P andaj, zo ë inj, në doni, hus, you mis e s, i you like,
Te palla i iA iani i , o A ani ’s Pallace
N’Ka a idë gojm e zonja we will send eques o lady
Te Donika Ma ineza! To Donika Ma ineza!
(de Rada, 1983, p.123)
Ins ead in hose e ses, iends p opose him o ma y ab ide om powe ul o eign
allies, like Naples, Ba i, o Ta an o, while Scande beg’s answe comes i m:
A bë esh’ ashën edua A bë esh’ Iwan he gi l
Si nga gjuha ezakone by he language and cus oms10
Bu he ques ion is whe he one can imagine apopula / olk song c ea ed wi h his
con en hen, when no only na ional consciousness, bu pe haps e en he e hnic
one was no ye p ope ly o med? I we make an in e p e a ion o his s a e o a -
ai s unde e hno-symbolism based on he concep o An hony D.Smi h, he e hnic
ies be ween he Albanian ibes o medie al imes can be desc ibed o ep esen
10 Fo Scande beg hesi a ing o ge ma ied w i es Hodgkinson (see p.75 and 103), while o
his conscious planning based on na ional mo i es aluded Ba le i, Sab i Godo, e c. h p://
gaze ain op ess.com/his o ia_a keologji/ma esa-e-skende beu -deshmi e%E2%80%A8-
e- alla- e-ma in-ba le i [accessed 25 maj 2018]
OPEN
ACCESS
112 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
o emembe ence o his igu e. Howe e , he e Iwould like o emphasize he s ag-
ing o he Skande beg’s Wedding in Kanina, nea Vlo a, whe e Scande beg’s ac u-
all wedding had happened. The e we e b ough wo ac o s who could acco ding o
Lowen hall be iden i ied as ‘human a i ac s’ ha ac ed and we e seen as Skande beg
and Donika; he e was ala ge numbe o olk ensembles, including A bë eshs om
I aly, and mo eo e among his g oup o A bë esh we e p esen di ec descendan s
o Skande beg. 15 I was apublic e en , which made g ea headlines; abou i was
w i en and i was b oadcas by many media, and o cou se i was in e p e ed in di -
e en ways, some glo i ying and some c i icizing he way o i s ealiza ion bu no
he ac ion i sel . 16 This illus a es Win e ’s concep o places o emembe ence as
a‘ma e ializa ion o na ional and […] poli ical iden i y’ (p.257).
CONCLUSION
This pape o e s asolid illus a ion o how impo an is he ole o Skande beg’s ig-
u e in iden i ica ion o Albanians in gene al and A bë eshs in pa icula , and why
his seems o be so simple and unde sandable. This wo k also e lec s on how com-
plex is his— s o y and igu e and his o ical, ideological, cul u al, and eligious im-
plica ions o his li e no only a local bu also egional and e en b oade le el (i his
iden i ica ion wi h eu opianism and ch i ianism is o be conside ed)17. I also o e s
an insigh abou he le el o nuances o imagina ion and accu acy p esen in di e -
en na a i es cons uc ed abou Scande beg and he ways hey in e wine, nego ia e
and in e play. We can conclude ha he igu e o Scande beg as ap ominen igu e in
na ional building o A bë eshs and Albanians inds asolid g ound in e hnosymbolic
in e p e a ion ollowed by mode n cons uc i is pa e ns in which we e in ol ed
nume ous A bë esh and Albanian in ellec uals o he eigh een h and nine een h cen-
u ies, including Je onim de Rada. The illumina ion o he p ocess is acili a ed by
heo y o collec i e memo y, and especially is suppo ed by he p ac ices on he ways
o emembe ing Scande beg in p esen imes, which ei y ha he old songs abou
Scande beg a e no only exp ession o collec i e memo y bu also exp ession o long-
ing and belonging o he ances al homeland.
15 ‘In he cas le in Kanina, he pa liamen a ian Fa e Velaj, ealizes his old d eam. In coope -
a ion wi h he Municipali y o Vlo a, he o ganized o he i s ime in his o y, ‘Scande -
beg’s Wedding/Dasmën eSkënde beu ”, same as could ha e been celeb a ed a hei imes.
Wi h delega ion consis ing o 60 pa icipan s, coming om he communi y o A bë esh
in I aly, among whom was also Lo is Cas io a Scande beg— he g andson o Gje gj Kas-
io i, was celeb a ed he 567 h anni e sa y o mos his o ical wedding o Albanian na ion
as well as 590 h bi hday anni e sa y o Donika Gje gj A iani i in Kanina.’ In h p://www.
ba you ube.com/wa ch? =DxuEshnmV-4 [accessed 1June 2018]
16 Ac i ic w i ing on he way his celeb a ion was o ganized; h p://www.shqipe iaime.in o/
dasma-e-skende beu -25-milion-lekeshe-qe-nuk-ju-pe sh a -as- eshja- o o-57633/ [ac-
cessed 1June 2018]
17 See mo e (Misha) 2002.
OPEN
ACCESS

LUmNIJE KADRIU — LEONTINA GEGA-mUSA 113
WORKS CITED
Al ima i, F ancesco. Naples, an impo an cen e
o he A bë esh-Albanian Renaissance in 19 h
Cen u y. STUDIA ALBANICA, ol.2. Ti anë:
Akademia eShkenca e eShqipë isë (Albanian
Academy o Sciences). p.53–79, ISSN:
0585-5047 o h ps://unical.academia.edu/
F ancescoAl ima i
Al ima i, F ançesko. 1980. Mbi igu ën
eSkënde beu në le ë sinë gojo e a bë eshe,
S udime ilologjike 2. Ti anë: Akademia
eShkenca e eRPSSH.
Ba le ius, Ma inus. 1504. The his o y o he li e
and deeds o Scande beg, he P ince o Epi us
(His o ia de i a e ges is Scande begi Epi o a m
p incipis). Venice.
Ba l, Pe e . 2017. Shqip a ë nga Mesje a de i në
di ë ona. Ti anë: IDK.
Bligh , Da id W. 2009. The Memo y Boom: Why
and Why Now?, Memo y in Mind and Cul u e,
ed. Pascal Boye and James V.We sch.
Camb idge Uni e si y P ess. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1017/CBO9780511626999
Boye , Pascal. 2009. Wha A e Memo ies Fo ?
Func ions o Recall in Cogni ion and Cul u e,
Memo y in Mind and Cul u e, ed. Pascal Boye
and James V.We sch. Camb idge Uni e si y
P ess.
Buda, Aleks. 1969. Gje gj Kas io i- Skënde beu
dhe epoka e ij, Simpoziumi pë Skënde beun—
Simpozijum oSkende begu (9–12 maj 1968).
P ish inë: Ins i u i Albanologjik iP ish inës.
B uni, Pie anco. 2016. Skënde beu si pe sonazh:
Le ë sia poli ike nga De Rada, Koliqi de i e
Kada eja, h p://www.mapo.al/skende beu-
si-pe sonazh-le e sia-poli ike-nga-de- ada-
koliqi-de i- e-kada eja/ [accessed 1June
2018]
de Rada, Je onim. 1983. Vep a: Rapsodi ë një
poeme shqip a e, 5, ed. A.Çe a eA.Be isha.
P ish inë: Rilindja.
Dis aeli, Benjamin. 1833. The ise o Iskanda .
h ps://www.gu enbe g.o g/ iles/7842/7842-
h/7842-h.h m, ebook.
Haxhihasani, Qemal. 1967. (ed.). T egime dhe
këngë popullo e pë Skënde beun. Ti anë:
Un e si e i Sh e ë o iTi anës, Ins i u i
iFolklo i .
Hodgkinson, Ha y. 2004. Scande beg. London:
I.B. Tau us [1999].
Ib ahimi, Mus a a. 2008. Shënime udhë imi mes
A bë eshë e ë Kalab isë. Shkup: In e lingua.
Ka acan, E. 2016. Remembe ing he 1980 Tu kish
Mili a y Coup d’É a . DOI 10.1007/978-3-
658-11320-9_2, © Sp inge Fachmedien
Wiesbaden.
Kas a i, Jup. 2003. S udime pë De Radën. New
Yo k: Gjonlekaj Publishing Co.
Lowen hal, Da id. 1985. The Pas is aFo eign
Coun y. Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
Misha, Pi o. 2002. In en ion o Na ionalism,
My h and Amnesia, in Albanian Iden i ies:
My h and His o y, S ephanie Schwandne -
Sie e s & Be nd J.Fische (ed), London: Hu s
& Company.
Pennebake , James W. & Amy L.Gonzales. 2009.
Making His o y: Social and Psychological
P ocesses Unde lying Collec i e Memo y,
Memo y in Mind and Cul u e, ed Pascal Boye &
James V.We sch, Camb idge, eBook.
Roedige , Han y L.III a al. 2009. Role o
Repea ed Re ie al in Shaping Collec i e
Memo y in Memo y in Minde and Cul u e, ed
Pascal Boye & James V.We sch, Camb idge,
eBook.
R api, Gje gj. 1995. Sa emene Albanske Zad užne
Po odice na Koso u. Beog ad: Ins i u za
Sociološka is aži anja Filozo skog akul e a
uBeog adu.
R api, Gje gj. 2003. Die albanische G oss amilie
in Koso o. Übe s. . K is ë Sh u i. Red. .
Helmu Ebe ha und Ka l Kase . Vienna,
Cologne: Böhlau, Zu Kunde Südos eu opas.
Albanologische S udien.
Senke iç, I ina. 1969. Gje gj Kas io i
Skënde beu— Udhëheqës ilu ës çli im a e
ë populli shqip a në shekullin XV,
Simpoziumi pë Skënde beun— Simpozijum
oSkende begu (9–12 maj 1968), P ish inë:
Ins i u i Albanologjik iP ish inës.
Smi h, An hony D. 2009. E hno-symbolism and
na ionalism— Acul u al app oach. Rou ledge
Tayle & F ancis. e-Lib a y.
Sokoli, Ramadan. 1982. Figu a eSkënde beu në
këngë popullo e, Çësh je ë olklo i shqip a .
OPEN
ACCESS
114 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
Ti anë: Akademia eShkenca e eRPSSH,
Ins i u i iKul u ës Popullo e.
We sch, James V. 2009. Collec i e Memo y,
Memo y in Minde and Cul u e, ed Pascal Boye
& James V.We sch, Camb idge, eBook.
Win e , Jay. 2009. His o ians and Si es o
Memo y, Memo y in Minde and Cul u e, ed
Pascal Boye & James V.We sch, Camb idge,
eBook.
SOURCES
On Scande beg’s Wedding:
h p://www.ba you ube.com/
wa ch? =DxuEshnmV-4 [accessed 1June
2018]
h p://www.shqipe iaime.in o/dasma-e-
skende beu -25-milion-lekeshe-qe-nuk-ju-
pe sh a -as- eshja- o o-57633/ [accessed
1June 2018]
D Leon ina Musa is a esea ch ad ise a he Depa men o Folklo e in he Ins i u e o Albanol-
ogy in P ish ina. She is he au ho o wo monog aphs, namely ‘In e - ex uali y o O al Li e a u e
wi h W i en Poe y o Child en’ and ‘The Poe ics o Riddle’ and one collec ion o wo ks ‘Folklo is ic
Re lec ions’. She pa icipa ed wi h he s udy pape s in di e en na ional and in e na ional con e -
ences, semina s and symposiums o ganized in Koso o, Albania, No h Macedonia, Bulga ia, C oa ia,
Hunga y and Czech Republic. She is amembe o edi o ial boa d o he jou nal ‘Gju mime Alban-
ologjike, Folklo dhe E nologji’ and ‘S udime Albanologjike’ in Skopje, while also being amembe a
K V and InASEA. He ecen in e es is ocused on he esea ch and compa ison o changes in he
olklo e as a esul o cul u al de elopmen o olklo e ca ie s.
Con ac : leon ina_gm@ho mail.com
Lumnije Kad iu is asenio esea ch associa e a he Ins i u e o Albanology, Depa men o E hnol-
ogy in P ish ina, Koso o. She has ea ned Diploma deg ee in E hnology and Gene al linguis ics a he
Uni e si y o Zag eb, Mas e ’s Deg ee in E hnology a he Uni e si y o P ish ina, and Doc o al de-
g ee in Eu opean E hnology a he Uni e si y o Vienna. He hesis was abou Koso o Albanian dias-
po a p ac icing holidays and hei keeping ies wi h amily and homeland. Since 2011 is pe iodically
engaged as an adjunc lec u e a he Depa men o An h opology, Uni e si y o P ish ina. She is an
au ho o he wo monog aphs ‘Glocaliza ion— e hno-cul u al pe cep ions’ and ‘Holidays, Family,
and Homeland in he P ac ices o Koso o Albanian Diaspo a”. She pa icipa ed in nume ous na ional
and in e na ional con e ences o ganized in Koso o, Albania, Macedonia, C oa ia, Hunga y, Bulga ia,
Is ael, e c. She is amembe o edi o ial boa d o he jou nal ‘Gju mime Albanologjike, Folklo dhe
E nologji’ published by he Ins i u e o Albanology in P ish ina and o ‘An opologji’ Published by
Ins i u e o An h opology and S udy o A s in Ti ana. She is also membe o SIEF and InASEA. He
ecen in e es s a e on he p ocesses o globaliza ion and ansna ionalism and e u n mig a ion.
Con ac : lume70@ho mail.com
OPEN
ACCESS