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Glite Dictionary
📅 20-year period 🐑 A shepherd clan ⛺ A shepherd camp
katun

katun

9.9
A group of shepherd families who move with their flocks and live together in the Balkans in the Middle Ages
  • noun
  • Archaic
: katun
  • Historical documents describe how each katun managed its own grazing lands and resources.

Examples

  • The elders of the katun made important decisions for the entire community.

  • Many families belonged to the same katun in the region.

  • In medieval times, a katun would move seasonally with their flocks across the mountains.

  • The katun was known for its skilled shepherds.

  • In medieval times, a katun was a community of shepherds who moved seasonally with their flocks.

  • The leaders of the katun gathered to discuss the needs of their pastoral clan.

  • Each katun was responsible for the management of its grazing lands and livestock.

Synonyms

kula
vskatun
  • Indian
1 9.9

An extended family group who share the same ancestor

is specific to medieval Balkan culture rather than South Asian Hindu contexts

Surface Forms

katun singular
katuns plural

Etymology

Katun comes from local Balkan words like Albanian katund and Romanian cătun, which mean 'village' or 'small settlement'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine a moving 'village' or clan that travels with its flocks, because a katun was a pastoral community that made decisions together.