Brsjaks () are an ethnographic group of Macedonians.

Etymology

There are several theories as to the origin of the name "Brsjaci" (

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

and

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

: Брсјаци), according to the folk etymologies of the

Mijaks Mijaks () are an ethnographic group of Macedonians who live in the region which is also known as ''Mijačija'' (), along the Radika river, in western North Macedonia, numbering 30,000–60,000 people. The Mijaks practise predominantly animal ...

recorded by Toma Smiljanić-Bradina the name comes from the Brsjak's great physical strength and endurance and propensity for violence and revolt with theories such as: "Brz i jak" (Брз и јак) meaning "fast and strong", and "Brziti" (Брзити) meaning "the fast ones" because of their supposed ability to run as fast as horses. Serbian writer

Grigorije Božović Grigorije Božović ( sr-Cyrl, Григорије Божовић}; 15 November 1880 Leposavić, Pridvorica, Ottoman Empire – 4 January 1945 in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia), was a writer, professor of the Prizren seminary, one of the leaders ...

also recorded similar findings which he ties to the Brsjaks ability to traverse mountains with ease and considers the name "Brsjak" (Брсјак) to be synonymous with "Highlander". According to Toma Smiljanić-Bradina the Brsjaks are named after the food that they gave their livestock which is called "Brst" (Брст).

Distribution

The Brsjaks mostly inhabit areas in the central and western part of Macedonia with the

Vardar River The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

forming the eastern boundary, bordering the

to the west with the Bistra as a boundary, and to the south to

Prespa Prespa (, , ) is a region shared between North Macedonia, Greece and Albania. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen in North Macedonia with 9,000 inhabitan ...

and

Pelagonija Pelagonia (; ) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Prilep, Mogila, Novaci, Kruševo, and Krivogaštani in North Macedonia ...

, the Brsjak identity is best preserved in the Azot Region due to settlements of a rival tribe the

References

{{reflist Ethnic groups in Macedonia (region) Slavic ethnic groups