#albanianplayingcards

[artatheartist]

It's Femër Friday! This week's focus is on Nora e Kelmendit 👐🇦🇱👐 • Nora was a 17th century Albanian woman from the Kelmendi tribe in Northern Albania. Born in 1684, not much is known about her early life as she has become a legendary figure over time and a symbol for Albanian ferocity in the face of adversity. • Referred to as the “Helen of Albania,” legend has it that Nora’s beauty was so renowned it caused a war between Ottoman forces and the Albanian Highlanders. • Having seen Nora’s beauty for himself, Vutsi Pasha set out to marry her. The proposal was refused by Nora’s father, and the Pasha, incensed, lay siege to Malësia. • Nora, calculating and ruthless in her patriotism, seemingly accepted the Pasha’s proposal and after presenting herself to him in her bridal finery (in this case, a “xhublete,” the traditional clothing of that area), stabbed the Pasha and fled. • Having survived his wounds, the Pasha and a regimen of Ottoman soldiers set out after Nora, only to be met by 300 fierce Kelmendi warriors. The battle ensued, and Nora, meeting the Pasha on the battlefield, finally put an end to her would-be-suitor. • There are countless paintings of Nora slaying the Pasha, and ballads are sung, praising her beauty as well as her intellect. Nora e Kelmendit lives on as a symbol of patriotic pride and feminine strength. • Albanian Playing Cards available on my website, www.artatheartist.com • • • #artatheartist #albanian #art #noraekelmendit #femerfriday #xhubleta #albanianheroes #albanianheroines #albania #womenshistorymonth #albanianplayingcards #queenofspades #queenofswords #albanianlegends #albanianwomen #albanianart #albanianartist https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5RrFkO1KO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artatheartist]

Qerime Radisheva aka Shote Galica was born in Drenica, Kosova, on November 10th, 1895. She was the only sister of 6 brothers (how’s that for a çike hasretit? 😏) • She is one of the most prominent Albanian figures, gaining fame for her ferocity in battle as well as her wisdom. She is credited with saying, “Jeta pa dije është si një luftë pa armë” (Life without knowledge is like a war without weapons). • At 20 years old, she married Azem Galica and in 1919, at the age of 26, she and her husband joined the Albanian uprising and fought Yugoslav forces in Junik. • After Azem’s death in 1925, she took control of his band of kaçaks (soldiers) and fought with Bajram Curri (shoutout to my Tropojane mom’s side of the family 😆) in Prizren (Kosova) and Lumë (Albania). • She eventually moved to Fushë-Krujë in Albania and in 1927, and at the age of 31, died. • She was posthumously awarded the title Heroinë e Popullit (“Heroine of the People”) in Albania. • Her legacy lives on, in songs, novels, legends, and even imagery. Her plis and braid have become synonymous with femine strength amongst Albanian people and is often replicated as a nod to Shote.   • • • #artatheartist #albanian #art #womenshistorymonth #femerfriday #shotegalica #albania #kosova #plis #albanianartist #albanianart #albanianplayingcards #folkart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0BlXDuNyA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artatheartist]

I've compiled the images from my playing cards into a fun (and chunky) coloring book!

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114 pages, featuring all the face cards from my three decks of Albanian Playing Cards, as well as additional illustrations and rules on how to play five traditional Albanian card games!

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5.5"x8.5"

330 ppi uncoated white paper

(Perfect for colored pencils & thick enough to be used with markers)

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Available on my website, www.artatheartist.com

[artatheartist]

♠️❤️♣️♦️

All 3 editions of my Albanian Playing Cards, featuring the badass women of each deck!

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Scientists, artists, warriors, politicians, martyrs, writers, every single one of these people have left their indelible mark on our history

👐🇦🇱👐

[artatheartist]

Femër Friday!

This week’s focus is on the Illyrian Queen, Teuta

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After the death of her husband, Agron in 231 BC, Teuta assumed regency and made quite a name for herself. Proving a force to be reckoned with, she quickly garnered a reputation as a pirate queen; ordering raids on neighboring states and continuing a tradition of piracy on the Illyrian coast (the Balkan Peninsula).

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This eventually grabbed the attention of the larger, more powerful Roman Empire as it directly affected their shipping and trade routes across the Adriatic Ocean and Ionian Sea. After meeting with Roman officials and settling this dispute, Teuta reportedly had one of them murdered for insulting her and the other imprisoned.

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As a result, in 229 BC, Rome declared war on Illyria and Teuta was later betrayed by her governor to the Romans.

She eventually signed a treaty with Rome in 228 BC and reigned over a small region north of modern-day Lezhë

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Unfortunately, there are only a few written accounts of Teuta from that time, most of which are blatantly colored by misogyny and Roman nationalism. Reading between these lines, however, one thing remains clear, historically there were a handful of women that openly challenged the Roman Empire and Teuta was one of them (Boudica the Celtic Queen is another fascinating person worth reading up on).

It takes a powerful person to leave a great enough impression on their enemy that they are written about and remembered, millennia later.

[artatheartist]

Femër Friday! 👐🇦🇱👐

This week's focus is on Dora d'Istria:

Elena Gjika, also known by her pen name Dora d’Istria, was born in Romania on January 22nd, 1828. She was a writer and feminist that spearheaded the Albanian National Cause during the 19th century.

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She traveled across Europe, working towards the emancipation of women and in 1873 published “Gli Albanesi in Rumenia. Storia dei principi Ghika (The Albanians in Romania. The history of the Gjika Princes).

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This began a lifelong passion of hers of campaigning for Albanians. In 1866, she became the main advocate in Western Europe for the Albanian cause.

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She passed away on November 17th, 1888, and is fondly remembered as being a champion for the Albanian people.

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Albanian Playing Cards available on my website, www.artatheartist.com

[artatheartist]

Sabiha Kasimati was born on September 15th, 1912, in Turkey. Originally from Libohova, Albania, her family moved back to Albania when Sabiha was a teenager. She excelled in school, and in 1930 was the first woman to graduate from the Albanian National Lyceum.

She immediately started teaching and soon after took a teaching post in Kavajë where she taught biology.

In 1936 she was awarded a scholarship and studied at the University of Turin, in Italy. In 1941 she defended her doctorate thesis, “Freshwater fish fauna of Albania.”

He returned to Albania in 1947 and was appointed as a zoologist specialist at the Institute of Scientific Studies and began her work as an ichthyologist, a zoologist who specializes in the study of fish.

She published ichthyological articles regarding different areas of Albania, natural conditions, breeding problems, sustainable fishing practices, etc in reference to multiple species of fish. She submitted a 200 page volume for publication to the Institute entitled, “Fishes of Albania,” which summarized over 200 different species of fish. Unfortunately, Sabiha was arrested prior to its publication.

A staunch anti-communist, Sabiha took great issue with the disappearances and murders of academics and other anti-communists and was very outspoken about it. After the imprisonment of writer Musine Kokalari, Sabiha met in person with Albania’s communist leader Enver Hoxha. They had both attended the Lyceum together in their youth and she demanded to know how he planned on building Albania if he continued to kill all the intellectuals that disagreed with him.

Shortly afterwards, on February 19th, 1951, Sabiha, the only woman, and 21 men were falsely accused of bombing the Soviet embassy, arrested, tortured and executed without trial a week later on February 26th, 1951.

Her work “Fishes of Albania” was published in 1955 under another name.

In 1994 the bodies of her and the 21 other victims were exhumed from the mass grave they were left in, and reburied in the National Martyr’s Cemetery.

The National Museum of Science in Albania was renamed after her in 2008, and a display showcases her life and work upon entering the museum.

Even though her brilliant life was cut short by a violent and oppressive regime that attempted to erase her from history, her memory lives on as a testament to intellectual freedom and the ongoing fight against oppression.

[artatheartist]

THEY'RE FINALLY HERE!!

♠️❤️♣️♦️

My 2nd deck of Albanian Playing Cards, National Heroes Edition, has finally arrived and are available on my website, www.artatheartist.com

Pre-orders will be shipped out by Friday.

👐🇦🇱👐

[artatheartist]

Marigo Poçi Posio was born in 1882 in Korçë, Albania. She is credited with embroidering the flag that was raised by Ismail Qemali during Albania’s Declaration of Independence on November 28th, 1912. • Marigo and her husband Jovan were active members of various Albanian Independence movements like Rilindja and the Labëria Patriotic Club, utilizing their home as ground zero for meetings. • In 1921, she published a newspaper, “Shpresa Shqiptare” (Albanian Hope) and was involved in multiple educational endeavors. She passed away from tuberculosis in 1932. • She is considered one of the most prominent female figures in Albanian history, not only for being the "mother" of the Albanian flag, but also for her leadership in Albanian women's organizations and endeavors. • Albanian Playing Cards available on my website, www.ArtaTheArtist.com • • • #ArtaTheArtist #womenshistorymonth #Albanian #albanianwomen #femerfriday #albanianplayingcards #marigona #albanianartist #albanianart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp22PSYrwRl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artatheartist]

**I'm having some difficulty uploading a longer video, but here’s a closer look at the cards and booklet** • As I mentioned in my earlier post, it was difficult to edit the list of historic figures included, so I went for a more chronological route. • I also felt it was imperative to include academics and politicians that were trailblazers in their respective fields, not just kaçaks and warriors. • All these people are Albanian heroes; their weapons merely differ from sword to pen. I also included an extensive list of figures that, had I had an inexhaustible number of cards, I would have included every single one! People worth knowing, researching, and learning about. Albanians who have sacrificed their lives, and who have worked tirelessly for the freedom and emancipation of their fellow compatriots. • This deck was a labor of love that has been in the works for a long time (I initially started it during the pandemic), and I hope you all enjoy the cards as much as I've enjoyed making them! • Albanian Playing Cards, National Heroes Edition Now available for pre-order on my website, www.artatheartist.com • • • #ArtaTheArtist #Albanian #albanianartist #albanianart #albanianplayingcards #shqiperiaetnike https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpu9_wQODAL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artatheartist]

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!! 👐🇦🇱👐 My 2nd deck of Albanian Playing Cards is finally here! • This is my “National Heroes” Edition, inspired by Albanian heroes & heroines. A complete deck of 52 cards, featuring prominent men & women from the past who fought for their freedom, were artistic & academic trailblazers, & enriched Albanian history & culture. It’s also important to note the foreigners that have not only aided & befriended the Albanian people over the years, but campaigned for the Albanian cause as well, which is why I included non-Albanians in this deck as well (the Aces). • This deck includes full color front & back printed cards, a 24-page booklet w/a brief bio of each historic figure, as well as instructions on how to play the traditional Albanian card game “Rrenash.” • The cards are casino quality card stock (linen finish), black-core center layer w/air pockets embossed onto the surface (for more durability & better handling), standard poker size (2.5" x 3.5"). Available for pre-order on my website now (will be shipped out in 2-3 weeks). **PLEASE NOTE** Due to the limited amount of face cards within a standard 52 card deck, I was forced to make executive decisions about exactly who would be included. As much as I felt it necessary to have vital figures like Ibrahim Rugova & Adem Jashari present, I also felt it prudent to start with Rilindas figures & other heroes that pre-dated the war in Kosova in 1999. In the future, I may create an additional Heroes deck to supplement this one, but for the purposes of this particular project, I limited the figures to a more chronological timeline. • • • #ArtaTheArtist #albanianplayingcards #Albanian #albanianartist #albanianart #womenshistorymonth #rilindas https://www.instagram.com/p/CpstLgJumjm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artatheartist]

In Honor of International Woman's History Month, I'm bringing back my "Femër Friday" series, where each week I focus on an historic Albanian female figure.

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This week's focus is on Musine Kokalari, one of the 1st published female Albanian writers & political dissident whose staunch anti-communist views & free speech advocacy led to her imprisonment.

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Musine Kokalari was born on February 10th, 1917, in Adana, Turkey. Originally from Gjirokastër, her family returned to their hometown when Musine was 3 years old. Having been raised in an educated family (her grandfather studied theology and philosophy, while her father studied law), Musine and her 3 older brothers also followed in their footsteps by making names for themselves in the literary field; owning the bookstore “Venus” in Tirana, as well as the publishing house, “Mesagjeritë Shqiptare” (Albanian Messengers), which published works from international writers like Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Omar Khayyam, Edgar Allen Poe, Walter Scott, and Shakespeare.

After graduating in 1937, she began publishing articles under the pseudonym “Muza” (Muse), in the newspaper “Shtypi” (The Press). The following year she moved to Rome to continue her studies, and in 1939 she published her first novel, “Siç Me Thotë Nënua Plakë” (As My Old Mother Used to Tell Me), which was eventually published in Tirana in 1941. This garnered the interest of other Albanian influential writers who served to influence her writing.

In 1943 Musine co-founded the magazine “Shqiptarja e Re” (The New Albanian Woman), which served as the first outlet for Albanian women to share their stories. She went on to publish several her own works the following year, including a collection of short stories titled “Sa u tunt jeta” (How Life Swayed), and “Rreth Vatrës” (Around the Hearth).

This was around the same time that she opened a bookstore and became a member of the “Lidhja e Shkrimtarëve dhe Artistëve të Shqipërisë” (Albanian League of Writers and Artists), a non-profit organization that was founded in 1945 with the goal of promoting and advancing the literary and artistic creativity of talented Albanians.

Musine continued to speak openly against the communists, calling for free elections and freedom of expression, which resulted in her arrest on January 17th, 1946. At her trial, wearing mourning clothes in memory of her executed brothers, she gave an impassioned speech where she stated her love for Albania and the fact that she was being punished for her ideals and speaking out against the government. She was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and labeled a saboteur and enemy of the people.

She served 18 years in prison and in 1964 was relocated to an internment camp in Rrëshen, Northern Albania where she spent the rest of her remaining 19 years of life, working as a manual laborer. Although forbidden to publish any more work, Musine continued to write in secret, and passed away on August 14th, 1983, after being denied cancer treatment by the communist government.

She was posthumously declared a “Martyr of Democracy” by the President of Albania, Sali Berisha, in 1993. Her memory and achievements serve as a fierce example of resilience in the face of tyranny, not just for Albanian women, but for all people experiencing oppression from their government.

Then, on November 12, 1944, tragedy struck when Musine’s brothers were executed without trial by the communist government. She was very outspoken in her demands for justice and retribution.

[artatheartist]

Parashqevi Qiriazi, one half of the iconic “Motrat Qiriazi” duo, was born on June 2nd, 1880 in Monastir, Macedonia. One of ten children, she quickly followed in her brother Gjerasim’s and sister Sevasti’s footsteps by helping them teach students the written Albanian language at the Girl’s School (“Shkolla e Vashave”), that Gjerasim and Sevasti opened, when Parashqevi was only 11 years old.

After studying in Istanbul, Parashqevi worked as a teacher in Korçë, Albania with her sister Sevasti. In 1908, she was the only woman to participate in the Congress of Monastir (“Kongresi i Manastirit,” an academic conference held in Manastir from November 14-22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet), and the following year, in 1909 she published a primer (“Abetare”), for Albanian elementary schools.

That same year, she helped found “Yll' i Mëngjesit” (Morning Star), a periodical which focused on politics, culture, history, literature, etc in Albania. She also organized local libraries as well as teaching sessions for children and night schools in southern Albanian villages.

Due to the fact that she was so out-spoken and politically active, Parashqevi traveled often, becoming a prominent figure in the Albanian-American community, after moving to New York. She even partook in the “Conference of Peace” in Paris, as a representative of the rights of Albanians, in 1919.

After returning to Albania in 1921, she and her sister founded the “Kyrias” institution, an all-girls foundation located in Tiranë that provided teachers for the newly developed schools in Albania.

In October of 1928, Parashqevi founded the organization “Gruaja Shqiptare" (The Albanian Woman). This was incredibly impactful, not only because it was it was backed by the Royal Albanian Family, but also because it promoted the idea of raising Albanian women to a higher level through charitable activities, education, etc. This organization pushed against the traditional conservative way of thinking and advocated for the emancipation and rights of Albanian women, both socially and politically.

Due to her staunch anti-fascist stance, Parashqevi and a number of her family members were imprisoned during WWII. She was eventually released and returned to Albania, where she died on December 17th, 1970.

Her legacy lives on in the organizations that still function to this day and carry her name, as well as the Abetares that are still used in Albanian schools across the globe.

[artatheartist]

Tringë Smajl Martini Ivezaj, more commonly known amongst Albanians as Tringë Smajli, and as “Janica” to outsiders, was born in 1880. A member of the Grudë tribe of Malësia, she was the daughter of the clan’s leader, Smajl Martini, who was himself very active in Albanian protests and rebellions; after joining The League of Prizren, he was arrested in 1886, and his sons were killed, leaving Tringë an only child.

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Due to the harsh lifestyle and fierce patriarchal code amongst the Highland Albanians, Tringë became a “burrneshë”(sworn virgin), taking a vow of chastity, and taking on the guise and mannerisms of a man. Burrnesha never marry & never have children but serve as the head of the family. This was done to ensure the rest of the household remained under the protection of a de facto male.

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Tringë continued to fight for Albanians and joined the Battle of Deçiq in Montenegro in 1911. A landmark battle where Dedë Gjo Luli, another Albanian guerrilla leader and clan chieftan of the Hoti tribe, raised the Albanian flag on the mountain of Deçiq for the first time in over 400 years, after the Albanian victory over the Ottomans.

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Often referred to as “The Albanian Joan of Arc,” Tringë not only fought battles but also participated in important meetings like the Greçë Memorandum on June 23rd, 1911, which recorded the 12 requests for the establishment of an autonomous Albanian province within the Ottoman Empire. It was written by Ismail Qemali and Luigj Gurakuq, & signed by 22 Albanian chieftains.

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Tringë died on November 2nd, 1917, & was buried in her family’s plot in Montenegro.

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Her valor is recorded in epic songs, streets across Shqiperia Etnike are christened in her name & she remains one of the most iconic figures in Albanian history.

[artatheartist]

Coming soon!

My Albanian Heroes Deck

52 standard playing cards

Each face card will feature an Albanian hero or heroine

I'm really excited about these 😁

[artatheartist]

Me and Who?? 🤣🤣🤣 • Custom Zadrima King and Queen tattoos for @natomartini • • • #artatheartist #tattoo #art #matchingtattoos #Albanian #illyrian #albaniantattoo #albanianplayingcards #zadrima #plis #lineart (at Zadrima Park , Dajç , Lezhe) https://www.instagram.com/p/CerOWn7uMdW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=