Mani History, Tradition and Culture.

The Mani Peninsula, the middle finger of the Peloponnese, is divided into two regions, outer and inner Mani. The dividing line runs between Oitylo and Gythio with outer Mani being to the north and inner Mani being to the south. The peninsula extends from Kalamata in the north to Cape Tainaron in the south.The area is dominated by the vast bulk of the Taygetos Mountains which run down the centre of the peninsula.

The area is rich in history, the caves at Pirgos Dirou providing evidence of Stone Age occupation and Homers Iliad lists the towns of the region that sent men and ships to the Trojan War. The area was under the control of the city state of Sparta around the beginning of the 1st Century until they were defeated by the Romans. Later the Mani became part of the Byzantine Empire under the Emperor Constantine. The Slavic invasions of the Peloponnese resulted in the Mani becoming a refuge for displaced people.

Some of the Crusaders of the 4th Crusade (1204) conquered the southern half of the Peloponnese, (a land they called Morea). In 1460 the Turkish army occupied Mistras, the Byzantine capital of the Peloponnese and remained in occupation for the next 360 years. The Turks invested power in local clan leaders, granting them the title of ‘Bey’. In 1821 three of these clan leaders, Mavromichalis, Troupakis and Koloktronis gathered an army at Kardamyli and rose up against the Turks thus starting the Greek war of Independence which ended in 1827 with the Turks finally being defeated and the modern State of Greece being established.

However the Maniat idea of independence was centred on themselves and not the whole of Greece and they did not take kindly to the control and taxation by the Government and revolts against the new Government continued for some time.

Mani was not very different to the rest of Greece in ancient times. The differences occurred after the demise of the Roman Empire and the invasions centuries later which precipitated the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and then the domination of Greece by the Turks.

Ownership of land and water resulted in those landowners having power and in this environment a unique but violent culture with its own traditions evolved. The elite families (known as ‘Nyklians’) developed fortified enclaves which controlled part of or entire villages. The land was so barren and the population so great that for the next few hundred years the families (clans) fought long and violent feuds for the control of the few resources. The method of defence that evolved was the Tower. There were three types of ‘Towers’. A Tower House was a dwelling reinforced by a defensive tower which was only occupied in emergencies. A Tower Dwelling is a much wider tower which was built to be permanently lived in but retained the defensive characteristics of a tower and a War Tower was built purely for that purpose, was freestanding and would not be lived in except in times of conflict.

This violent culture established rules as to the conduct of the feuds between families/clans, the main objective being to kill as many of the opposing clans male members as possible, to wipe them out or force them to surrender. As a result Maniats acquired a reputations for ferocity and courage and all men were constantly ‘armed to the teeth’. The protagonists in any feud had to ensure the normal cycle of life continued. The harvest was essential and a truce was called to enable crops of wheat and olives to be gathered. Feuds could end in a truce, this was done to prevent the extinction of both families.

The Maniats were feared as pirates and shipping avoided the coastline whenever possible. Piracy was considered a legitimate trade and provided goods which otherwise would not have been available. Pirate boats were blessed by Priests who frequently accompanied boats on their raids.

Such a violent existence took a heavy toll on the male population and the greatest asset to any clan was the number of men who could fight. The result was large families and if the wife failed to produce sons the husband could marry again, without a divorce from his first wife. Women however played a significant role in warfare especially in 1826 when the women of Pirgos Dirou repelled a force of 1500 Turks.

In spite of all the violence there was a tradition of hospitality. The Earl of Carnarvon writes during his travels in the Mani in 1839 ‘they would accept any privation or make any sacrifice for the humblest stranger who might claim their assistance’

Superstition was part of life in the Mani and mainly took the form of demons which haunted certain places. Belief in vampires was also rife. Superstition still exists as it is considered unlucky to give a lift to a Priest in one’s car or boat.

The violent times produced many widows and in nearly every family there would be a widow wearing black. A tradition, which is as old as Greece herself, is the funeral dirge or Miroloyia, which is still practised today. The women express their grief in spontaneous poetry. The poem which was sung would relate the strengths and weaknesses of the dead person and his achievements and failures.