Mijačija

Mijaks (Macedonian: Мијаци, Mijaci) are an ethnographic group of ethnic Macedonians who live in the Mijačija area (Dolna Reka), along the Radika river, in western Macedonia, numbering 30,000-60,000 people. The Mijaks practise predominantly animal husbandry, and are known for their ecclesiastical architecture, woodworking, icon painting, and other rich traditions, as well as their characteristic Galičnik dialect of the Macedonian language.

The Mijaks have traditionally occupied the Mala Reka region along with the Torbeš, Slavic-speaking Muslims and another sub-group of Macedonians. The area including the Bistra mountain and Radika region has been termed Mijačija (Macedonian: Мијачија). To the east is the ethnographic region of the Brsjaks.

As recorded by Jovan Cvijić in 1906, the Mijaks inhabited the villages of Galičnik, Lazaropole, Tresonče, Selce, Rosoki, Sušica, Gari and Osoj, while they also inhabited villages by the Radika, around the Monastery of Jovan Bigorski, where there are scarce predominantly Christian-inhabited villages, such as Bituše, Gorno Kosovrasti, Gorno Melničane, while the rest has mixed Christian-Muslim population, such as Trebište, Radostuš, and others.

However the majority of Mijak villages are uninhabited as the majority of the inhabitants left during the 20th century. Many villages in Mijačija are now uninhabited due to population shift towards the cities. Large Mijak concentrations can still be found in certain villages around Debar and Bitola. The villages Oreše, Papradište and Melnica () in the Veles region were populated by Mijaci during Ottoman rule in Macedonia. The village of Smilevo, in the Bitola region, is also considered to be a Mijak village, in regards to its architecture and history. The north-western quarter of Kruševo was populated by Mijaks.

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