Kuд‡i Kuд‡i -

The Kuči were famously rebellious against rule, forming the "Union of the Mountains" with other tribes in the 17th century. Their strategic position on the frontier often saw them shifting between Venetian, Ottoman, and Montenegrin spheres of influence. They played a pivotal role in the expansion and eventual consolidation of the modern Montenegrin state after the Congress of Berlin in 1878.

The Kuči tribe is a prominent example of the ethnic fluidity of the . First appearing in historical records in 1330 as an Albanian brotherhood ( katun ), the tribe gradually underwent a process of Slavicisation . By the 17th and 18th centuries, shifts in political alliances and the influence of the Orthodox Church led many members to transition from Roman Catholicism to Eastern Orthodoxy and from the Albanian language to Slavic dialects. Today, descendants of the Kuči identify as Montenegrins , Serbs , or Bosniaks (among those who converted to Islam during the Ottoman era). Geography: The Kučka Krajina KuД‡i KuД‡i

Marko Miljanov (1833–1901), a tribal leader, national hero, and writer who chronicled the tribe's customs. Thematic Overview Ethnographic Evolution & Slavicisation The Kuči were famously rebellious against rule, forming