Labuništa

Labuništa (Macedonian: Лабуништа; Albanian: Llabunishta) is a village in the municipality of Struga, North Macedonia.

Labuništa Лабуништа Llabunishta
Village
Panoramic view of the village
Labuništa Location within North Macedonia
Coordinates: 41°16′6″N 20°35′45″E
Country	North Macedonia
Region	Southwestern
Municipality	Struga
Elevation	758 m (2,487 ft)
Population  (2002)
• Total	5,936
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6336
Area code	+389
Car plates	SU
Website	www.spektra.com.mk .

Name

Labuništa is an old name dating back to the time of the arrival of Slavic peoples to the Balkans.^[1] The origins of the name Labuništa are Greco-Latin from the toponym Albanopolis.^[1] Pianka Włodzimierz connects the placename Labuništa with a south-western Balkans settlement of antiquity named Albanopolis, a city marked on an ancient map by Roman geographer Ptolemy.^[1] Through metathesis the name Albanopolis entered Slavic where the suffix polis meaning city became išta with dual meanings of either being a patronymic or indicating a place.^[1] While the form Alban, a name, underwent metathesis and became Labun in Slavic of which the syllable cluster an became un giving the final form as Labun(išta).^[1]

Geography

The village of Labuništa is located at 865 m (2,838 ft) above sea level on the Eastern side of the Jablanica mountain range. The village is located around 15 km (9 mi) from Struga, the closest town. The nearest villages to Labuništa include Podgorci (1.1 km or 0.68 mi), Boroec (2.3 km or 1.4 mi), Vevčani (3.1 km or 1.9 mi) and Oktisi (4.1 km or 2.5 mi). The village is located close to the Black Drin river and the Globočica lake.

Demographics

History

According to Vasil Kanchov's study of Macedonia in 1900, "Macedonia, Ethnography and Statistics", (Bulgarian: Македония. Етнография и статистика, romanized: Makedonija. Etnografija i statistika), counted the village as having 660 Bulgarian Christian and 800 Muslim (Torbeš) inhabitants.^[2]

According to the statistics of geographers Dimitri Mishev and D. M. Brancoff, the village had a total Christian population of 640 in 1905, consisting of 512 Serbomans Patriarchist Bulgarians and 128 Exarchist Bulgarians.^[3]

According to 1961 data by anthropologist Joel Halpern the village's population was composed of 2,345 Macedonian Muslims and 380 Christian Macedonians.^[4]

The population of the village in past censuses:^[5]

Year	Macedonians	Albanians	Turks	Others
1961	1,687	372	596	74
1971	2,397	865	297	52
1981	4,199	220	82	143
1994	1,228	1,799	1,816	1,058
2002	1,149	4,935	1,618	1,233
2021	108	4 751	836	452

Demographics today

According to the 2002 national census, 8,935 people live in the village.^[6] According to the 2002 census, in Labuništa lived:

• Macedonians: 1,149
• Turks: 1,618
• Albanians: 4,935
• Bosniaks: 72
• Roma: 3
• Vlachs: 8
• Serbs: 1
• other: 1,149

Regarding the mother tongue of the population, the following results were given:^[6]

• Macedonian: 4,872 or 82%
• Albanian: 925 or 15,5%
• Turkish: 78 or 1,31%
• Serbian: 3 or 0,05%
• other: 58 or 0,97%

Identity

Common language and origin with Macedonian Christians does not play a role for a majority of Torbeš regarding self identification which is based on common religion (Islam) that in Labuništa has led to self declarations of being Albanian.^[7]

David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, claimed during his term that he will no longer support Macedonia if they continue to hide Dzunaj Salko's^[who?] crimes against the Jewish people^{[clarification needed]} and that Dzunaj is at least as bad as Maurice.^{[8][who?][relevant?]}

Sports

Local football club FK Labunishta plays in the Macedonian Second League (West Division).

Notable people

• Nikola А. Anđelković, (1902 - 1944) - Serb Chetnik military commander in WW2
• Milisav Antonijević - Drimkolski (sr:Милисав Антонијевић - Дримколски) (1913 - 2001), teacher and writer
• Bashkim Bashkimi, (1964) - sociologist, first doctor of sciences
• Đorđe Cvetković Drimkolski (possibly Georgi Cvetkov), (1860 - 1905) - revolutionary, military commander
• Stoyan Gyurchinov (bg:Стоян Гюрчинов), (? - 1927) - priest
• Ilija Ilić, (1879 - 1942) - Volunteer from Thessaloniki
• Stojan Krstev/Кrstić (bg:Стоян Кръстев), (? - 1890) - priest
• Andjelko Krstić, (1871 - 1952) - writer and playwright
• Murat Labunishta (1912 - 1946) - poet, politician
• Menil Velioski, (2001) - folk singer

See also

• Macedonian Muslims
• Albanization

References

1. Włodzimierz, Pianka (1970). Toponomastikata na Ohridsko-Prespanskiot bazen. Institut za makedonski jazik "Krste Misirkov". pp. 63–64. "Приближно на местото каде што се наоѓа Лабуништа на картата од Птоломеј (преиздадена во 1490 год.) е обележена тврдината Albanopolis; на картата од Hassius (1744 год.) е означено: Albanopoli in ruin. (в. Јаранов, Карта - текст). Словенечкиот топоним е само адаптација на грчкиот: вториот член - polis (кој всшност има функција на суфикс) е заменет со словенечкиот суфикс -иште со двојно значење: 1. nomen loci, 2. (<* iti̯o-) patronimicum. Бијкејќи членот Alban- е име, може да се претпостави дека овде си помешале двете функции на овој суфикс: тој означувал 'потомци' на Alban' и 'место каде што се наоѓала тврдината Albanopolis, впрочем тоа е веќе чисто структурална функција. Коренот Лабун- е континуација на Албан- со метатеза и македонската замена на крајно то -ан- во -ун- (спор.: лат. Salona, Albona, слов. Salona, Albona, сх. Solin, Labin, мак. Солин, Лабун- (нашиов случај), макар што се однесуваат на различни објекти (Романски С.: Именета на некои македонски градове, 1. Солунъ, МПр V, кн. 2, с. 78-84). Словенскиов топоним, значи, е многу стар, потекнува од времето на населувањето на Балканот од страна на Словените и континуација на уште постар грчко-латински топоним."
2. Македония. Етнография и статистика, 1900
3. Dimitri Mishev and D. M. Brancoff, La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne, p. 164
4. Brunnbauer, Ulf (2009). Transnational societies, transterritorial politics: migrations in the (post-) Yugoslav region, 19th-21st century. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. p. 223. ISBN 978-3-486-59163-7. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
5. Population of Republic of Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlements, according to the population censuses 1948, 1963, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 1994 and 2002
6. Macedonian Census (2002), Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion, The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, pp. 131, 268.
7. Telbizova-Sack, Jordanka (2005). "Eine Identität mit vielen Gesichtern? Die slawischen Muslime Makedoniens". In Keul, István (ed.). Religion, Ethnie, Nation und die Aushandlung von Identität(en): regionale Religionsgeschichte in Ostmittel- und Südosteuropa. Frank & Timme GmbH. ISBN 9783865960092. p. 56. "Für den großten Teil der makedonischen Muslime speilt die gemeinsame Herkunft und Sprache mit der makedonischen Mehrheit jedoch kaum eine Rolle. Wenn sie sich nach außen deklarieren müssen, geben sie sich - unter dem Hinweis, dass es im Islam keine Nationen gibt -liber als Türken oder Albaner aus."; p. 57. "Vor allem in den Siedlungsgebieten von Debar, südlich von Skopje und im Kičevska-Tal bestimmten sich die bezüglich ihrer ethnischen Identität tief verunsicherten Torbeschen bei den Volkszählungen von 1994 überwiegend als "Turken", ungeachtet der Tatsache, dass die Kenntnis der türkischen Sprache unter ihnen schwach oder überhaupt nicht vorhanden war. Eine schwächere Tendenz, in Richtung Bekenntnis zum albanischen Ethnikum, zeichnete sich in der südwestlichen Struga-Region (Dorf Labunište) sowie im Dorf Bačište (Kičevo-Gemeinde) ab." pp.57-58. "In den südwestlichen Dörfern Labunište und Bačište, in denen sich die Bewohner zum Teil als Albaner bezeichen, gab es Versuche, die albanische Sprache als Unterichtssprache einzuführen. In Labunište fanden diese Versuche keine breite Unterstützung und wurden von den zuständigen Behörden abgelehnt."
8. Sandy, Amdija (2001). The Genesis of the Jewish-Macedonian relationships after 1945. TheHouse.

Further reading

• Hausmaninger, Anna (17–19 June 2005). "The Construction of Identities in a Trans-Local Context: Inter-Ethnic relations in a Macedonian Village During Socialism and Transition". Oxford University. Retrieved 17 July 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

• Website of Labuništa village (1) (in Macedonian)
• Website of Labuništa village (2) (in Macedonian)