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HISTORICAL STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL SEEN ON FACES, HANDS AND SOULS OF THESE PROUD PEOPLE
Since coming to this area, to the poor soil of Dalmatian kast, and rich Adriatic sea, where beautiful coast offers everything for a good life, Dalmatian people have been struggling! Numerous enemies, from decade to decade, destroyed everything the people of Dalmatia created.
Hardworking hands made „mire“ (stone walls), putting stone by stone. Dry stone walls were built around the parcels, thus creating the pearls of grey stones, protecting the fields of olive trees, vineyards, corn, wheat and lavender fields. Potatoes, and even tobacco were grown on the hills of poor soil of Dalmatia.
Dalmatian people!
It is not easy to find the words to describe the persistence and wish for survival, the love and hospitality of these people. Lack of water on the islands, poor soil, but sun all year round. Each sun wrinkle tells its story – the story of hard work with the hoe on the shoulder, the story of picking stones from their lands…It was the constant struggle with the time, everything had to be done by noon. Main problem was always the sun, making it very hard to work on the fields.
The prize for this hard work was „marendin“, a piece of bread with olive oil, maybe a piece of meat or dried fish. After the hard work in the field, it was time for fishing. The sunset is time for their boats, and fishing till morning. Grilled fish and Dalmatian song – that touches everyone’s soul. All the troubles will be forgotten with a glass of quality wine, followed with the songs dedicated to this poor soil, this little piece of land, chosen by our ancestors.
Besides the hard work in the field, people in rural part take care about the animals, scattered on the hills looking for grass…People in rural part – resistent to all the hardship, people that don’t talk a lot, but who has time to talk anyway…
Just don’t touch their homeland – poor soil, karst fields, their stone houses, the history written in blood and sweat, their families or the taverns where friends and songs give the meaning to life.
DALMATIAN WOMEN – HARD WORKING BEAUTIES
Women have always taken care about their houses, children and husbands. Grace and beauty weren’t touched by poverty and worries.
However, their tired expression was seen in their older age, these beautiful women of Dalmatia had to work in the fields besides taking care about their houses. Side by side with their husbands, they knew how to use the hoe and work hard.
They would also go fishing, and work in olive fields. The right example are the women from the area of Sibenik, that had the fields on the islands of Kornati. They used to take care for olive trees and herds of sheep and goats. After the hard work on the land it was time for fishing.
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