Horse as a Measurement of Economic Situation in the Albanian Tradition in The First Half of XX Century

Session

Management, Business and Economics

Description

Agricultural and livestock activity in almost 75% of the population throughout the Albanian area has been the main activity of households. But it is very striking the way how the economic status of a family was determined until the first half of the twentieth century, namely how households were ranked by economic status, was measured. Although the real estate of a family has not always been known, because the change of systems has made the wealth of a family not known to the public or to the environment in which the family lived. One of the measures of the economic status of a family, in our tradition, has been the number of horses in a household. But when counting the number of horses, one must keep in mind their classification such as saddle horses, working horses, mules and donkeys.

In this way, by determining the economic situation in many Albanian settings, marital relations have developed. So in many settings according to ethnographic memories, a middle-class family has refused to marry their daughter to a family that has not had a saddle horse, because it is estimated that that family that couldn't afford a saddle horse is not a wealthy family and their daughter cannot live well. While the girl's family was proud to have made a marriage alliance with a wealthy family if that family had more than two saddle horses, more than five working horses and 10 - 20 mortar horses. A poor family, according to ethnographic criteria for determining the economic situation, is considered the family, which had only a mule or a donkey at home.

Therefore, in supporting the data collected in the field through ethnological research methods, in this paper I will attempt, through the horse, in this paper to provide examples of determining the economic situation of Albanian families until the first half of the twentieth century in all Albanian space. Because the family economy, however primitive it was, it has kept Albanian families afloat and has evolved to this stage, where we are today and where we expect to arrive tomorrow.

Keywords:

Saddle Horse, Rich Family, Poor Family, Stucco, Engagement, Marriage.

Session Chair

Naim Preniqi

Session Co-Chair

Muhamet Gërvalla

Proceedings Editor

Edmond Hajrizi

ISBN

978-9951-550-19-2

Location

Pristina, Kosovo

Start Date

26-10-2019 5:15 PM

End Date

26-10-2019 6:45 PM

DOI

10.33107/ubt-ic.2019.389

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Oct 26th, 5:15 PM Oct 26th, 6:45 PM

Horse as a Measurement of Economic Situation in the Albanian Tradition in The First Half of XX Century

Pristina, Kosovo

Agricultural and livestock activity in almost 75% of the population throughout the Albanian area has been the main activity of households. But it is very striking the way how the economic status of a family was determined until the first half of the twentieth century, namely how households were ranked by economic status, was measured. Although the real estate of a family has not always been known, because the change of systems has made the wealth of a family not known to the public or to the environment in which the family lived. One of the measures of the economic status of a family, in our tradition, has been the number of horses in a household. But when counting the number of horses, one must keep in mind their classification such as saddle horses, working horses, mules and donkeys.

In this way, by determining the economic situation in many Albanian settings, marital relations have developed. So in many settings according to ethnographic memories, a middle-class family has refused to marry their daughter to a family that has not had a saddle horse, because it is estimated that that family that couldn't afford a saddle horse is not a wealthy family and their daughter cannot live well. While the girl's family was proud to have made a marriage alliance with a wealthy family if that family had more than two saddle horses, more than five working horses and 10 - 20 mortar horses. A poor family, according to ethnographic criteria for determining the economic situation, is considered the family, which had only a mule or a donkey at home.

Therefore, in supporting the data collected in the field through ethnological research methods, in this paper I will attempt, through the horse, in this paper to provide examples of determining the economic situation of Albanian families until the first half of the twentieth century in all Albanian space. Because the family economy, however primitive it was, it has kept Albanian families afloat and has evolved to this stage, where we are today and where we expect to arrive tomorrow.