The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-11-18
THE P!oMAks..

THE PoMAI<s. u. ..' q
"A Curious and Interesting People
Who Dwell In Eastern R0umolia.
The Parts Temps gives an interest
mig DESCRIPTION Of the Pomaks or Mus
,ulman inhabitants ofSthe territories Of:
'Rouftchos and Kirdjali. In Eastern
lRoumelia, which reverted to Turkey In.
accordance with the arrangement come
10 on the lat Of February last between
the sublime porte and the Bull garian5
governments. The territories Of Rouft-,
chos and Kirdjali are both Of them in
The south Of Reumelia; the former be-
ing in the upper valleys Of the Rhodope
mountain, while The latter; which lies
more to the east, and Is BY far the
more important Of the two. is situated
between the river Arda, which forms
the southern boundary Of Roumelias
tho Ulu-Dere, and the mountains Of
Hissardjk- Dagh, which are part Of the
Rodope chain The district Of Rouft-
phos contains GA villages, with popu-
lation. Of about twelve thousand, the
principal Of them being Dele Xiii, Bala-j
ban, Hirsova, and Nostankeuy. The
district Of Kirdjali; comprises 1888 villa
ges,. with about twenty-five Thousand
inhabitants, the principal of which are
Kirdjali, Karamanti,. Mersiler, Karagu-
snchIer, and Hassanbabalar. There is,
however, a dispute as to whether TWEEN
ty-four Of these villages should belong
TO Turkey Of. Bulgaria, and they are in
the meanwhile held by the latter. The
inhabitants Of these two districts are
all Mussulman Pomaks; these Pomaks
being descendants of The Bulgarians,5
who, Ike the seryian Begs,: the Alban-
Ian Arnauts, and Greek Vanalades,
embraced the Mohammedan faith at
the same time Of the Ottoman conquest
Or soon aftersin order to retain posses.
sion of their lands. These Pomaks,;
though living in nearly q savage:
state, are for the, most part Of
Every peaceable disposition. Confined
% their mountains, they live mainly BY
agriculture and by the manufacture Of
charcoal from the forests which cover.
the sides Of the mountains. The Po-
maks furnish the best arabadjis, or walg-,
orners, and the transport of goods be-
tween Maced onia and Roumelia is en-
tirely in their hands. The Pomaks Of
Kirdjali are much better off than those 81
Rouftchos, as their territory is extraor-
,dinarily fertile, and, being Irrigated by
various streams, the valleys and noun
tains slopes produce an endless variety
Of fruits. Grapes grow III abundance,
and these are dried as raisins, for the
Pomaks do not drink wine. Peaches,
apricots, pears, apples, and nuts are
very plentiful, and the quality ii the
tobacco grown in this district Is very
good. The Pomi.ks have preserved
ZONE very curious religious practices
and superstit;ons. and, though they, be-
long to the Mohammeda Ian faith, they
look upon the Bulgarian priests as ma
gicians possessing great power. When
u u they always go to- them for advice,
and do not hesitate to recite the prayers
y the Virgin which the priests instruct
them 10 offer. Ehens there Is a severe
drought they take a maiden from one
Of the villages, cover her with palms
and pour water over her, chanting in
Bulgarian appeals to the clemenncy Of
the diyinitiess in whom their ancestors
belieyed--the companions in arms Of
Asparuk, Kroum, and Boris. The Rouft-
chos Pomaks have never paid any tax
es either to the Ottoman or to the Bull.
garian authorities; and if tax-collect-
or eyer applied to them for payment
they politely requested him to return to
the place whence he came, while in the
event Of his refusing they shot him.
Two collectors and a posse Of Roume-
liam gendarmes were killed in this way;
50 that will perhaps explain the readi-
ness Of the Bulgarians to make over
these districts to Turkey after the Servo
Bulgarian war last winter.
3 I'D = -