Pontians, Who are they ?

[Pelister]

In 1923, the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Chrysanthos, lead 164,000 Pontians to Greece.

Neal Ascherson writes that it was "a country alien to them physically, climatically, politically and linguistically". p.186

The identity of Pontians:

"For the first time, intellectuals set out to give the Pontians an ethnic national consciousness. That required "origins" and "roots". Anythony Bryer relates how 'Triantaphyllides, a Chaldian school master ... christened his son Pericles and sent him to Athens, whence he returned after 1842 to teach Xenophon and classical Greek at the Trebizond Phrontisterion ... By 1846, schoolmasters had renamed [the Pontian town] Gumushane to a fancy 'Argyropolis'. In a typical example of cultural nation invention, the teachers proceeded to graft the Pontos people onto the stock not just of Byzantium but of Periclean Athens itself. All around the black sea the same process was going on." p.186

Greek attitudes toward Pontians (what they don't tell you in the history books):

Greeks resent the Pontians, because the Pontians insist they are different. The Pontians still dream about their "dead Romania" in folk songs and proclaim that "Romania is taken". They insist on the Catholic tradition of walking the Madonna every August down the procession ...etc.

Greeks hate them, but they hate the Macedonians more.

[Macedonian_Nationalist]

How can....

How can a Turkish speaking people from Asia Minor who arrived in Macedonia only 70-80 years ago as a result of a population exchange now be considered "Greek" or "Greek Macedonian"?

Has the world forgotten about the indigenous people of the region?

[makedonche]

How can a Turkish speaking people from Asia Minor who arrived in Macedonia only 70-80 years ago as a result of a population exchange now be considered "Greek" or "Greek Macedonian"?

Has the world forgotten about the indigenous people of the region?

Macedonian Nationalist

Very good question indeed! Seems the world has forgotten many indigeneous peoples in many regions!

BTW - - ot deka si?

[Macedonian_Nationalist]

Macedonian Nationalist

Very good question indeed! Seems the world has forgotten many indigeneous peoples in many regions!

BTW - - ot deka si?

Hello Makedonche

I live in Melbourne but was born in Stip.. My mother is from Voden in Aegean Macedonia and my father is from Bukovo, Bitolsko.

[makedonche]

Hello Makedonche

I live in Melbourne but was born in Stip.. My mother is from Voden in Aegean Macedonia and my father is from Bukovo, Bitolsko.

Good to have another genuine Macedonian here! enjoy your stay and tell all your Macedonian friends and family to take a tour through the forum! BTW I'm from Kotori - before that our forefathers were from Voden as well!

[George S.]

welcome aboard MN.

I don't think forgotten is the word id use more like ignored..you look at greek propaganda of what it tries to say about macedonians.Apart from a few slip ups of where they have actually acknowledged us by mistake as endopi.They have chosen to ignore our existence.Our existence has allways been there even when sees the huge differences of greek & macedonian.They have dliberately ommitted to mention our identity is as seperate as chalk & cheese.You look at greek identity ithas never been called macedonian & the land it took in 1912 was illegal so to justify that they are trying to say that they are macedonians.That's why they are mudying the waters with references like slav macedonian,name issue,greek macedonian,greek macedonia.All the time trying to legitimse their claim by referring to the past 2000 years ago.I have got relos back in bukovo ,love the jagotki bukovo piper.also kisela voda.

[Macedonian_Nationalist]

Good to have another genuine Macedonian here! enjoy your stay and tell all your Macedonian friends and family to take a tour through the forum! BTW I'm from Kotori - before that our forefathers were from Voden as well!

Oh yes I know Kotori. My tetka actually married a man from Tresino.

Actually I was confused with another village. Kotori is lerinsko right?

[Macedonian_Nationalist]

welcome aboard MN.

I don't think forgotten is the word id use more like ignored..you look at greek propaganda of what it tries to say about macedonians.Apart from a few slip ups of where they have actually acknowledged us by mistake as endopi.They have chosen to ignore our existence.Our existence has allways been there even when sees the huge differences of greek & macedonian.They have dliberately ommitted to mention our identity is as seperate as chalk & cheese.You look at greek identity ithas never been called macedonian & the land it took in 1912 was illegal so to justify that they are trying to say that they are macedonians.That's why they are mudying the waters with references like slav macedonian,name issue,greek macedonian,greek macedonia.All the time trying to legitimse their claim by referring to the past 2000 years ago.I have got relos back in bukovo ,love the jagotki bukovo piper.also kisela voda.

Hi George!

Yes they sure are a weird bunch aren't they? Quite possibly the most racist people in the world today.

Yes, we are renowned for our piper the whole of Maceonia and some parts of the Balkans call it Bukovska piper.

[makedonche]

Oh yes I know Kotori. My tetka actually married a man from Tresino.

Actually I was confused with another village. Kotori is lerinsko right?

MN
Kotori is Lerinsko!

[Phoenix]

How can a Turkish speaking people from Asia Minor who arrived in Macedonia only 70-80 years ago as a result of a population exchange now be considered "Greek" or "Greek Macedonian"?

...i have no problem with them being 'greek' or even 'greek macedonian' or any hybrid classification of their own making and imagination...my problem is that they're now calling themselves... 'Macedonian'.

The original langauge (Turkish) spoken by these people is pretty well documented, the lesser known fact is the widespread Turkish customs that had to be stripped from them...perhaps forum member 'Voltron' can tell us how the 'hellenization' policies of the early 20th century in modern greece, transformed his Christian refugee grandparents of the former Ottoman Empire into first, 'greeks' and now 'Macedonians'...???

[Risto the Great]

Welcome Macedonian_Nationalist.
Some of these Prosfigi/Madziri will try to tell you that Alexander took a dump in their backyard and as a consequence, they have a right to be called Macedonian. I believe they were simply other nationalities or ethnic identities that were not allowed to thrive in racist Greece.

[Voltron]

Welcome Macedonian_Nationalist.
Some of these Prosfigi/Madziri will try to tell you that Alexander took a dump in their backyard and as a consequence, they have a right to be called Macedonian.

Thats pretty rich since your treating Roma looking Hunza's as next of kin.

Phoenix, its been explained to you a million times wont even bother to make another attempt. Read a book and lay off the bath salts ffs didnt you see what happened in Miami ?

[Risto the Great]

Thats pretty rich since your treating Roma looking Hunza's as next of kin.

No, I don't. They are called Hunza I believe.
Rich is former Turkish nationals who could not speak the Greek language calling themselves Greek and then starting to call themselves Macedonians. Actually it is poor.

[George S.]

voltron another name for the hunza people is the kalash or kaleshi people If they are greek can you tell me what kaleshi means i bet you know bugger all .I'll give you a hint it's a macedonian word & not a greek word at all..
On the hunza people or kalash as they are known the greeks sent missionaries supposedly to help the people of the Hunza valley.They built schools etc tried to tell them that buildings were of greek design tried to teach them greek as well as tried to brainwash them to say they are greek they refused to do it.It has been drummed in them father to son etc they are descended from the macedonians. There's no way these people will say they are greek.

[George S.]

Also how can you rename people once they are turkish,then greek then macedonian.No such thing as greek macedonian.Unless you made your propaganda in the last 70 to 80 years greek macedonian has never existed it is something new all made up. recently.The movement of populations was done forcible agains't the macedonian people's will do you know that.So when they bought in the prosfiges they altered the demographics.What right did greece to do that & then claim the prosfeges were macedonian.??