The ARBERESH

History and Culture History of the Arberesh

Who are the Arberesh?

A member of an Albanian speaking people inhabit- ing parts of southern Italy and Sicily, descended from emigrants from Albania in the Middle Ages.

Language

- lion people, primarily in Albania, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia,The Albanian and language Greece, but is spoken also in byother over areas five milof southeastern Europe. Added to this are the Albanian dialects spoken in Greece, Ukraine, southern Italy, and Sicily. A modern diaspora of Albanians now occurs in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North and South America. The Albanian language is an Indo-European lan- guage and is a branch by itself, sharing its branch with Albanians in the mountainous area called Contanzaro. no other current language. Arberesh derives from the A generation later, the Kingdom of Naples once Tosk dialect spoken in southern Albania. It is spoken again needed Albanian military assistance. This time, Calabria, Molise, Apullia (Puglia), Basilicata, Campania, the legendary Albanian leader, Skanderberg, dispatched Abruzzi, and Sicily. All the dialects are closely related, his troops to Italy to end a French-supported insurrec- but over time are now not entirely mutually intelligible. tion. Until the 1990’s Arberesh was commonly called The skilled Albanian soldiers effectively saved the ‘Albanese’ in Italy. Until the 1980’s Arberesh was an kingdom and were rewarded with land east of Taranto exclusively spoken language, except for a written form, in Apullia (Puglia). A stronger alliance was formed used in the Italo-Albanian church. between the two nations and Skanderberg became the Since the 1980’s, some efforts have been organized new commander of the Neapolitan-Albanian army. to preserve the culture and linguistic heritage of the The success of Skanderberg and the powerful Al- language. Arberesh has been in slow decline in recent banian army eventually came to an end. Like much of decades, but is currently experiencing a revival in many the Mediterranean area, Albania became subject to the villages in Italy. In certain communities instruction in the schools is in both Italian and Arberesh and regional the invasion to Italy. signage is in both languages. invadingThroughout Ottoman the Turks. 1500’s Many Venice of itsand people southern fled Italy from were a refuge to Albanians. During those periods of History in Italy concentrated Albanian immigration, many Albanian villages were formed in Calabria, Basilicata, Brindisi, The origin of the Albanian people remains uncer- and Sicily. The new immigrants often took up work as tain, they are possibly descended from a prehistoric mercenaries hired by the Italian armies. century Byzantine records and had by then accepted History in America Christianity.Balkan population. They first appear in history in 11th Beginning in 1448, the king of Naples enlisted the After the American Civil War, as the former slaves help of General Demetrios Reres, of the Albanian army converted to free labor, they were still treated as second to help him defeat a rebellious uprising in Naples. In ex- class citizens and subject to abusive laws. In the early change for their aid, Naples’ king declared the Albanian 20th Century, African Americans began migrating north general the Governor of Calabria, granting land to the to escape Jim Crow and other forms of discrimination. The southern states recruited Italians to come to the United States to work to take their place, mainly as agri- cultural laborers. Large numbers of Italians, including Arberesh, emigrated to the United States toward the end of the 19th century. This resulted in an anti-Italian reaction in many parts of the country where they were viewed a perpetual foreigners, restricted to manual labor. Many became victims of prejudice, economic exploitation, and at times violence. Ethnocentric chauvinism was a major factor, espe- cially in the American south. In reaction to the mass immigration from southern and eastern Europe, the U.S. Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, and Immigration Act of 1924, restricting immigration from those regions but not from the northern or western European countries. Anti-Italian prejudice was associ- ated with the anti-Catholic tradition in the United States inherited from Protestant regions of northern and west- ern Europe. Competition with earlier immigrant groups for Arberesh Villages in Italy lower paying jobs and housing resulted in hostility. The largest mass lynching in American history was eleven Abruzzo Italians in New Orleans in 1891. More lynching of Ital- Villa Badessa ians followed in other southern states. Hundreds of Ital- Molise ian immigrants were arrested on the false pretext that Campomarino they were all criminals. Montecilfone Theodore Roosevelt, prior to his presidency, re- Portocannone marked that the lynching was indeed “a rather good Ururi thing”. J.M. Parker, an organizer of the New Orleans Campania lynch mob and future governor of Louisiana in 1911, Greci said of Italians that they were “just a little worse than Apulia - Casalvecchio di Puglia less, and treacherous”. Chieuti the Negro,Still to comebeing wasif anything the targeting filthier of in Italians their habits, and other law San Marzanodi di Giuseppe Roman Catholics by hate groups such as the Ku Klux Basilicata Klan. Barile Ginestra Maschito Modern History San Costuntino Albanese San Paolo Albanese Today, most of the Arberesh communities in Calabria Italy preserve the Byzantine rite of the Italo-Albanian Andali Church of Eastern Rite. They belong to two religious Caraffa de Catanzaro provinces: Lungro in Southern Italy and Piana degli Marcedusa Albanesi in Sicily. These religious provinces are now Vene di Maida the most important factor for the maintenance of the Acquaformosa characteristic religious, ethnic, linguistic, and traditional Cantinella identity of the Arberesh community. Cerzeto The Arberesh constitute one of the largest linguistic Castroregio minorities in Italy. In the United States they have dis- Cavallerizzo persed throughout the entire country. Civita Eianina Falconara Farneta Firmo Frascineto Lungro Macchia Marri Mongrassano Plataci San Basile San Benedeto Santa Catarina Albanese San Cosmo Albanese San Demetrio Corone San Giorgio Albanese San Giacomo di Cerzeto San Martino di Finita Santa Sophia di Espiro Spezzano Albanese Vaccarizzo Albanese

Pallagorio SanCarfizzi Nicola dell’Alto Sicilia Contessa Entelliana Piana degli Albanesi Santa Cristina Gela

Acknowledgements

1. Best of Sicily Magazine 2. British World & English Dictionary 3. The Italo-Albanian Villages of Southern Italy by G. N. Nasse 4. Wikimedia Commons 5. Wikipedia 6. World Heritage Encyclopedia

Assembled by Don Agostinelli for the Arberesh Club of Sacramento The Latham Times, Latham, Kansas (1891), negative coverage of Italians illustrates the anti-immigrant and anti-Italian feelings prevalent in the United States in the late 1800s.