THE VELEBIT MIRILO IN THE RESEARCH OF ANTE GLAVIČIĆ AND OTHERS AND SEVERAL THEMES ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHICH THE VELEBIT MIRILO BELONG TO TOGETHER WITH THEIR DUAL FAITH

U središtu istraživačke pozornosti je južna padina Velebita, njezin uzdig s "dva svijeta" velebitskih stočara: prostor života u zimi i prostor ljetnog uzdiga s velebitskim ljetnim stanovima. Istraživački interes usmjeren na jedinstvenu pogrebnu tradiciju, poznatiju kao velebitska mirila u zonama ljetne stočarske i agrarne privrede. Prve obavijesti o mirilima kao "grobovima duša"nastaju tek 1929. pa se u prvom dijelu studije želi obavijestiti pažljivoga čitaoca o brojnim radovima koji su nastali u velikom vremenskom luku od skoro stotinu godina. Najstariji prilozi ( J. Poljak i I. Krajač) imaju doista trajnu vrijednost. Njihovi zapisi (1929. - 1934.) utemeljeni su na autentičnim iskazima starijih stanovnika, posljednjih svjedoka pogreba, preminulih oko ljetnih velebitskih stanova. Već je poodavno nastupio trenutak kada se u povijesnoj znanosti počela osjećati potreba historiografsko kritičkog osvrta na radove o dvostrukom pogrebu velebitskih stočara:. jedna na mirilu i druga na mjesnom groblju. Svjestan da se objavljeni radovi o stoljetnome nomadskom životu na Velebitu i njegovim mirilima mogu – u ovom prilogu – razmatrati samo kroz najvažnije dijelove, stoga sam propitivao što bi se još trebalo učiniti, a manje što je i kako činjeno. Jedno od tih pitanja je kojem narodu pripada geneza jedinstvene velebitske pogrebne kulture na ljetnom staništu velebitskog uzdiga. Na istoj crti razmatra se pitanje sličnih pojava u svijetu i zaključuje tanka sličnost u Europi samo u nekim dijelovima alpskim zemljama, dok je ona daleko jača na Tibetu i u Nepalu u Aziji. U zaključnom dijelu priloga daje se nekoliko novih zapažanja, među kojima je najvažnije: kojem narodu pripadaju velebitska mirila, prastari pogrebni običaj duša. Tu se radi o starim Ilirima, supstratu romaniziranih Ilira, koje su doseljeni Hrvati tijekom dva prva stoljeća od svojega doseljenja kroatizirali i kristijanizirali, dajući im novo ime Starohrvatski Vlasi, dakako katoličke vjere. Njima, očito, pripada geneza velebitskih mirila. Oni već zarana imaju i svoja "počivala" kao mjesta na kojima se odmaraju noseći ili prevozeći karavanske terete od mora prema sjeveru i obrnuto, kao najbolji poznavaoci velebitskih karavanskih putova prema Jadranu i Sredozemlju. Na drugoj strani, tj. u Istočnom rimskom carstvu, od predrimskog povijesnog razdoblja pa sve do pojave Turaka, živi i djeluje jedan drugi supstrat romaniziranih Ilira s Balkana, odnosno s područja Bizantinskog i Turskog Carstva. U povijesnoj znanosti taj drugi supstrat romaniziranih Ilira poznatiji je kao Starobalkanski Vlasi. U trenutku kada se na velebitskoj Planini i oko nje odigrao doista dramatičan ratni susret Starobalkanskih i Starohrvatskih Vlaha, u vrijeme turske agresije, ispisuje Petar Zoranić naš prvi roman s naslovom "Planine", 1536. godine.In the centre of the research is the southern slope of Velebit, its rise of “two worlds” of Velebit’s cattle breeders: the living space in winter and summer space rises with the Velebit summer homes. The research interest was focused on the unique funeral tradition, known as the Velebit mirilo in zones of summer cattle-breeding and agricultural economy. The first information about the mirilo as “graves of the soul” become known in 1929 and so the first part of the study wishes to inform the attentive reader about the numerous works which were created in the large time span of almost a hundred years. The oldest contributions (J. Poljak and I. Krajač) have truly lasting value. Their records (1929-1934) are based on the authentic testimonies of the elderly residents, the last witnesses of the funerals, of the deceased around the summer Velebit homes. Long ago the moment was already apparent that in historical sciences there was a need for a historiographical critical review of the works of the double funerals of Velebit’s cattle breeders: one about the mirilo and another about the burial places. Aware of the published works about the centuries-old nomadic life on Velebit and its mirilo discussions in this paper are limited only to the most important parts of individual research contributions, questioning more what should be done and less about how it is done. One of these questions is to which people the genesis of the unique Velebit funeral culture in the summer habitat of Velebit’s slopes belongs. On the same lines the same question is discussed about similar phenomena around the world and the similarities in Europe in some parts of the Alps, whilst it is even stronger in Tibet, Nepal and Asia. In the concluding part of the work there are several new observations, amongst which the most important are: to which people do the Velebit mirilo, the ancient funeral custom of the soul, belong: this is to do with old Illyrians, a substrate of Romanised Illyrians, who the settled Croats over the first two centuries of their settlement Croatisized and Christianised, giving them the new name of Old Croatian Vlachs, of course of the Catholic faith. The genesis of the Velebit mirilo obviously belonged to them. They already had their own early “počivala” as a place where they rested carrying or transporting loads from the sea towards the north and vice versa, as the most knowledgeable people of the Velebit caravan routes towards the Adriatic and Mediterranean. On the other side, i.e. in the Eastern Roman Empire, from the pre-Roman historical period all the way to the appearance of the Turks, there was living and working a second substrate of Romanised Illyrians from the Balkans, i.e. from the region of the Byzantine and Turkish Empire. In historical science this other substrate of Romanised Illyrians was known as the Old Balkan Vlachs. Petar Zoranić writes our first novel with the title Planine, in 1536, at the moment when on the Velebit Mountain and around it a real dramatic war game was being played out of Old Balkan and Old Croatian Vlachs, in the time of Turkish aggressions