The Aromanians are a unique ethno-linguistic group with their own culture and language, who have existed for over two thousand years in the Balkan peninsula. They were, for centuries, considered a traditional
mountain people and the word
Vlach became synonymous with animal husbandry and herdsmanship throughout the Balkans. Although traditionally livestock herders, many began to emigrate to larger cities in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many Aromanians who fled from
Moscopole and the nearby mountainous Gramos region also helped develop
Kruševo (
Crushuva) and
Bitola (
Bituli, Bitule) into large, prosperous cities. Shepherds of the
Pelister region near
Bitola used to herd huge flocks of sheep from the summer pastures on Pelister to the winter lowlands near
Ghevgelia,
Giannitsa and
Salonica (
Sãruna). Typical Aromanian goods were cheese, meat, wool and wool garments, leather, rugs and carpets. Many Aromanians also entered the rug and carpet trade by selling
kilimi and
flocati. A part of Aromanians adhered to the
Bogomil faith around the 10th and 11th centuries and contributed to the spread of Bogomilism in Herzegovina. Wealthier Aromanians established themselves in
Bitola and
Štip (
Shtip) as innkeepers, artisans, caravan traders and merchants. An Aromanian market (
Macedonian: Vlaška čaršija) was established in Bitola's Aromanian quarter. The Aromanian element is still present in Bitola to this day. ,
IMRO activist and hero of the Krushevo Republic , the first leader of the first Aromanian band in the
IMRO. The Aromanian mountain villages of
Magarevo (
Magaruva, Mãgãreva),
Gopeš (
Gopish, Gopeshi), and
Trnovo () were founded on the foot hills of Mount Pelister. Other settlements with significant Aromanian population in the second half of 19th century were:
Nižepole,
Malovište,
Resen,
Jankovec,
Ohrid,
Struga,
Dolna Belica,
Gorna Belica,
Drenok,
Modrič,
Vevčani,
Višni,
Podgorci,
Labuništa,
Prilep,
Gradešnica,
Bešište,
Budimirci,
Kičevo,
Veles, and
Bogomila, and in fewer numbers in the regions of
Skopje,
Kočani,
Kumanovo, and
Gostivar. By the 1860s, many Aromanians had joined the agitation present in
Macedonia and supported the Macedonian Revolutionary movement. Many Aromanians had also identified with
Romanians or
Greeks, some with
Bulgarians. The first Romanian school was established in 1864 in the village of
Trnovo by the Aromanian
Dimitri Atanasescu and was followed by another 40
Romanian language Aromanian schools. Many of these schools provided an education in both the Romanian and
Aromanian languages. In the late 19th century a split between the Grecophile and Romanophile Aromanians occurred. This struggle became violent with schools burnt down, cemeteries desecrated and people assaulted. The Aromanian people participated in the
Ilinden Uprising and the establishment of the Kruševo Republic. The
Kruševo Republic is hailed by Aromanians as the
Ten Days of Freedom. The Prime Minister of the Republic was , with other Aromanians occupying high administrative positions too. Another notable Aromanian who participated was the heroic
Pitu Guli who was killed on the
Mečkin Kamen (Bear's Rock). After the
First Balkan War most of the Romanian schools were closed down. Many of the Aromanian villages were destroyed during
World War I. To escape the conflict many Aromanians fled to
Greece or
Romania. Aromanians who lived in what is now known as North Macedonia were subject to strict Serbianization along with the rest of the population. After the outbreak of
World War II most Aromanians once again found themselves subject to Bulgarian control. Many Aromanians joined the Communist Partisans. After the war many Aromanians began to assert their ethnic identity. High levels of intermarriage with Macedonians and urbanization also began to affect the community. In the 1970s new initiatives were started to create Aromanian social and cultural societies. The Society of Arts and Culture () was established in 1979 and in 1981 another cultural society was established. In 1985 the first Aromanian song was recorded by Risto Pulevski-Kicha. A tape was made for Macedonian television and this tape was used to support the request to create a cultural society. The Pitu Guli society of Skopje and the Manaki Brothers Society of Bitola were founded. After the Declaration of Independence from Yugoslavia, Aromanians were officially recognised as a minority group. They receive full minority rights from the Macedonian government. Currently, the Aromanians have two political parties on North Macedonia, the
Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia (DSVM) and the
Party of the Vlachs of Macedonia (PVM). Both have little political importance and have no seats in the
Parliament of North Macedonia. The only other Aromanian political party apart from these two is the
Party of the Vlachs of Albania (PVSH) in Albania. == Minority status ==