On the last weekend of May, within the premises of the Bigorski Monastery “St. John the Baptist,” two significant events took place, marking the “Cynological Weekend of Macedonian Indigenous Cynology.”
Specifically, on May 27th, in the grand monastery synodikon, a presentation on the zootechnical morphometric study of the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman was delivered by the renowned cynologist from Belgrade, Prof. Dr. Milivoje Urošević, who has been preparing this study since 2018 in collaboration with veterinary doctor Darko Drobnjak.
The following day, on May 28th, in the Bigorski Skete dedicated to the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius above the village of Bituše, the largest cynological event to date in the context of indigenous cynology took place. Specifically, fifty participants and around five hundred visitors from all over Macedonia formed the jubilee Tenth National Championship for the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman.
The judge of the exhibition was the esteemed Prof. Dr. Urošević, with our very own Daniel Kolevski serving as his trainee, which brings us great joy considering that Kolevski took his first steps in cynology through the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman.
The event’s delegate was international judge Mr. Jane Serafimov, who years ago was the first cynological judge to pass the first FCI group examination, including the Karaman breed before the expert committee at the Cynological Union of Macedonia.
And of course, Mr. Deniz Selim once again ensured that everything in the ring ran smoothly, taking on the role of secretary.
The evaluations were conducted in an orderly manner according to the strict criteria of Prof. Urošević.
We must publicly express our gratitude to the members of the KKMOCK who selflessly helped make this event possible: Vlatko Kostovski (honorary president of the club), Vlatko Simonovski, Nikola Krbalevski, Goran Kolev, Fidan Kolev, Ilija Blaževski, and Stojče Dimovski.
Mr. Vlatko Kostovski, who is also the first president of KKMOCK, presented a painting to Elder Partenij from his rich collection featuring the Karaman dogs.
The President of the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman Cynological Club (KKMOCK), Ilija Iko Karov, opened the event with the following words:
“There are breeds that hold high values for various reasons. However, in my opinion, the greatest respect is owed to those breeds with moral value. The Macedonian Karaman is one such breed with moral value because the Karaman is an inseparable part of the nature of the Macedonian mountains. Specifically, the Karaman is an inseparable, indispensable piece of the mosaic called Macedonia.”
This tenth jubilee exhibition was intentionally held above the village of Bituše, at the foot of Mount Krčin, on the slopes of the Deshat Mountain, which forms the westernmost part of the Shar Planina massif. On the Bistra-Deshat route in the last decade, the best Karaman specimens were located, still actively working with the mountains and the herds. Thus, in memory of the legendary dog Kaljoš and in honor of Crni, who is still alive and enjoying his old age with the Karov family, this year’s event branding featured portrait photos of these two Karamans. The photographer is Dorian Milovanović. It was a great honor for us that the brothers Ramazan and Serbaj Belo, who wholeheartedly donated Kaljoš to the Bigorski kennel, were present at the exhibition. In gratitude for this, the Belo brothers received a plaque for their significant contribution to the Karaman breed, as did Prof. Urošević and our honorary members Rahman Vojka and Ivica Zdravkovski, without whom this event would not have been possible. Since KKMOCK was constituted in 2004, a total of 15 such plaques have been awarded for significant contributions.
The event was also attended by the mayor of Mavrovo and Rostuše municipality, Mr. Medat Kurtovski, for whose cooperation we are particularly grateful. Likewise, we express our deep gratitude to the police and the healthcare institution in Rostuše for their support.
Among the important guests was one person without whose patronage and above all, without whose blessing, none of what took place in Bituše would have been possible. That person is His Grace, Bishop Antaniski and Abbot of the Holy Bigorski Monastery, our Elder, Father Partenij—a man of great stature, yet so humble and simple.
It is undeniable that in the Orthodox world, all local churches have cared for all matters related to the lands and peoples from which they originate, and thus national breeds have found their place in the noble missions of Orthodox monasteries. However, the distance between the breeds and their patrons has always created insurmountable differences, but fortunately, our example is diametrically different from the others.
Elder Partenij of Bigorski is a person whose name is an inseparable part of the Macedonian spirit. There, high on the mountain, right under the light of “the new sun of freedom,” under his watchful eye, many things that make our people beautiful and rich are preserved in the rich Bigorski treasury. In this rich treasury, the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman has found its irreplaceable and important place. Thus, it is no surprise for us to see our ecclesiastical patron among us, among the Karamans, just like all of us who are part of this historical process, which, besides its cynological significance, also holds great cultural value, both for us Macedonians and for the whole of Europe.
Bishop Partenij was present in the ring, closely following the first quarter of the evaluation and ranking until the first Karaman from the Bigorski kennel appeared for evaluation. Aware of the need for objective evaluation and not wanting his presence to influence anyone, he quietly withdrew as he had quietly arrived.
Bishop Partenij was welcomed and accompanied in the ring by the President of the Cynological Union of Macedonia, Mr. Jordan Hristovski, who is also responsible for the international policy of the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman project. Before the selection of the winners, he stated:
“Today, all those present here are undoubtedly winners on a higher level than just evaluation, because we are all part of this history, of the process of revitalization and preservation of the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman.”
At the end of the event, Mr. Hristovski awarded certificates of appreciation to the youngest Karaman enthusiasts present at the exhibition, emphasizing that “a tree without young saplings quickly withers…”
The rankings by Prof. Dr. Milivoje Urošević at the 2023 National Championship were as follows:
- Arija from Bigorski Monastery, junior club champion
- Lara, owned by Ivan Cvetkovski from the village of Tromeđa, Kumanovo, senior club champion
- Babuš, owned by Valentin Mitanov from Prilep, junior club champion
- Bleki, owned by Dame Stojanovski from Skopje, senior club champion
Every generation has its bridges. The modern bridge for the Karaman, through which it once again steps toward the secure embrace of the church, is undoubtedly Father Porfirij of Bigorski, and the foundation of that bridge will undoubtedly remain the blessing of his Elder, Father Partenij.
“All of this is due to a non-coincidental coincidence—coincidences in God do not exist, everything is divine providence. In 2016, Marijan Dimovski-Ker introduced us to Iko, and he introduced me to the mission of protecting the Karaman… The rest is history connected to nature and full of dedicated work. Glory to God!”—stated to the media the monk responsible for the Bigorski kennel, Father Porfirij.
In recent years, Father Porfirij has been greatly assisted by the novice Oliver, who knows the entire genealogical record of the monastery’s kennel by heart. Whenever you ask him about a dog’s birth date, you will hear a response like: “Last year on St. Peter’s Day, or perhaps on St. George’s Day, or Easter,” etc.
We hope that next year, at the same place, we will jointly celebrate the conditional recognition by the World Cynological Federation.
We sincerely hope that the efforts of our cynological generation will serve future generations to maintain the breed as we found it—as it has always been. Because the only infallible measure for the Karaman is the mountain, so it is our duty to strive for the Karaman to persist on the mountain, and for the mountain to persist with the Karaman, even when the dog lives on the asphalt.
Written for the Bigorski Monastery by: Ilija Iko Karov,
President of the Macedonian Shepherd Dog Karaman Cynological Club
