Duf, Mavrovo i Rostuše

Duf (Macedonian: Дуф, Albanian: Duf) is a village in the municipality of Mavrovo and Rostuša, North Macedonia.

Duf Дуф
Village
Airview of the village Duf
Duf Location within North Macedonia
Coordinates: 41°45′11″N 20°47′07″E
Country	North Macedonia
Region	Polog
Municipality	Mavrovo and Rostuša
Population  (2021)
• Total	30
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Car plates	GV
Website	.

History

Although located in the Upper Polog region the village has at times also been considered as belonging to Upper Reka, due to linguistic affiliations and cultural connections. The village has 5 neighbourhoods, Çejlani, Ballaboni, Arqevishi, Brezoveci, and Tojlani.^[1][2][3]

In statistics gathered by Vasil Kanchov in 1900, the village of Duf was inhabited by 860 Orthodox Albanians and 270 Muslim Albanians.^[4]

In 1916, according to the researcher Stefan Mladenov, in the district of Galičnik it was difficult to accurately count the Albanians, especially in Upper Reka, because there were Christian villages that spoke Albanian and Bulgarian, such as: Beličica, Duf, Sence and Kičinica. According to him, the Muslim Albanians in this area still kept their Christian traditions and lived as brothers with the Christian Albanians of Upper Reka.^[5]

The newspaper "Vreme" published on May 20, 1927, the report "Through Southern Serbia : Under Sharr and under Korab". The journalist writing about the region, sees "Serbs who only speak Albanian".

"We are in the district of Galičnik, in the pure Serbian villages: Duf, Gorno Jelovce, Vrben, Kičinica, Beličica, Brodec, where even under Turkey they kept their Serbian names and Orthodoxy, but the residents there do not know a single word of Serbian. They all they speak only Albanian and call themselves Serbs. Their names and surnames are pure Serbian, their dress is like that from our Mavrovo, they celebrate the holidays, but they do not know any language other than Albanian. Now that the schools are open, the children can for the first time learn Serbian and teach in their mother tongue even their parents, who have forgotten it over the centuries"."^[5]

However, Salihi notes that this identification is due to the fact that the local Albanians adhered to the Orthodox Christian church. As opposed to reflecting ethno-linguistic identity.^[5]

According to a 1929 ethnographic map by Russian Slavist Afanasy Selishchev, Duf was a mixed Albanian-Bulgarian village.^[6]

According to the 1942 Albanian census, Duf was inhabited by 710 Serbophone Orthodox Albanians and 164 Muslim Albanians.^[7]

Demographics

As of the 2021 census, Duf had 30 residents with the following ethnic composition:^[8]

• Albanians 22
• Macedonians 4
• Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources 4

According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 39 inhabitants.^[9] Ethnic groups in the village include:^[9]

• Albanians 37
• Macedonians 2

Prior censuses:^[10]

Ethnic group	census 1953		census 1961		census 1971		census 1981		census 1994
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Albanians	214	28.8	244	40.1	286	69.2	207	89.6	50	90.1
Macedonians	518	71.2	363	59.9	117	30.8	23	10.4	5	9.9
Total	742		608		413		231		55

References

1. Islami 2011, pp. 137–138.
2. Mirčevska 2007, p. 22."Село кое по сите етнички карактеристики е во групата на овие села (јазик, носија, брачни врски) е селото Дуф, кое во постојната етнографска поделба спаѓа во Горни Полог. [The village with all the ethnic characteristics which belongs to these villages (language, dress, marriage relationships) is the village Duf that in the current existing ethnographic division belongs to Upper Polog.]";
3. Osmani 2012, p. 9. "Gjithashtu ka fshatra që nuk shtrihen buzë lumit Radika, si: Dufi me 5 lagjet e shpërndara: Çejani, Ballaboni, Arqevishi, Brezoveci, Tojlani. Ky fshat me lagjet e shpërndara traditën, veshjen, folklorin dhe të folmen e kanë të përbashkët me atë të Rekës së Epërme. Fshati Jellovcë e Epërme, ka tradita, veshje dhe gjuhë e dialekt të përbashkët, edhe pse janë në distancë të largët me Rekën e Epërme. [Also there are villages that do not near the mouth of the river Radika, like: Duf with its 5 scattered neighborhoods: Çejani, Ballaboni, Arqevishi, Brezoveci, Tojlani. This village with scattered neighborhoods tradition, dress, folklore and dialect have in common with that of Upper Reka. Upper Jelovce village, has traditions, costumes, language and dialect in common, although are some distance from Upper Reka.]"
4. Vasil Kanchov (1900). Macedonia: Ethnography and Statistics. Sofia. p. 264.
5. Salajdin SALIHI. "DISA SHËNIME PËR SHQIPTARËT ORTODOKSË TË REKËS SË EPËRME". FILOLOGJIA - International Journal of Human Sciences 19:85-90.
6. Афанасий Селищев. „Полог и его болгарское население. Исторические, этнографические и диалектологические очерки северо-западной Македонии“. – София, 1929, стр. 26.
7. "Ethnic/Religious composition of Dibër and Tetovë prefectures".
8. Total resident population of the Republic of North Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlement, Census 2021
9. Macedonian Census (2002), Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion, The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 135.
10. Censuses of population 1948 - 2002

Works cited

• Islami, Abaz (2011). "Aspekte Demografike të Rekës nga shekulli XV - 2002 [Demographic Aspects of Reka from the 15th century - 2002]". Studime Albanologjike. 3: 137–164.
• Mirčevska, Mirjana P. (2007). Verbalni i neverbalni etnički simboli vo Gorna Reka [Verbal and non-verbal ethnic symbols in Upper Reka]. Skopje: Institut za Etnologija i Antropologija. ISBN 978-9989-668-66-1.
• Osmani, Edibe Selimi (2012). Veshja autoktone e femrave të Rekës së Epërme [Authentic clothing of women from Reka e Epërme]. Skopje: Arbëria design. ISBN 9789989578281.