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Prekali was anAlbanian tribe of the Middle Ages. Their origin was probably in theDukagjin highlands of northernAlbania. Since the 16th century, the Prekali tribe gradually became part of other communities in that region.
Prekali was a community based on kinship ties that can be traced back to one progenitor. In that sense, it was abashkësi (union of brotherhoods), but not afis, as for a tribe to be afis it has to have exclusive communal property rights in a given territory, which is part of their hereditary community. Their name comes from the Albanian personal namePreka. In the cadaster of VenetianShkodra, there were two villages namedPrekal on the modern Albania-Montenegro border and most of their inhabitants held the patronymic Prekali, an indication that the villages were communal settlements of this tribe. The village of Gaduçi was also mostly inhabited by this tribe. Prekali nën shkallë, headed by pronoiar Jonema Prekali was near theBuna river between the villages of Pentari and Luarzë. Prekali in the mountains (Prekali në mal) headed by Andrea Prekali was on the right bank of the river. Gaduçi headed by Gjin Prekali was nearVelipoja in the settlement of Malkolaj.[1]
In the defter of theSanjak of Scutari in 1485 Prekali appears spread throughout the lands north-east of Shkodër andDrisht. The village ofGur i Zi in which the tribe held property in 1416, appears as also having the name Prekal in 1485, an indication of their settlement there. A century later, in the defter of 1582, their village near the plains of the Buna river appears under two names Shul Prekala or Gjergj Bardhi.[2]
A branch of Prekali was on the process of becoming a feudal family in the early 15th century. For example, in the 1416-17 cadaster one of them Petro Prekali appears as ducal citizen ofBalec.[3] Others in the cadaster appear aspronoiars recognized by Venice in villages of the area. Many others lived in villages throughout the region south ofShkodra. The Ottoman conquest of the country stopped this feudalization process and as many in northern Albania, their community underwent a retribalization of social relations.[4] In this period, the village Prekal appears which still exists today on the banks of the river Kir in the municipal unit ofPostribë. Of the five brotherhoods of this village, the Lekçaj (also known as Ulqaj) are descendants of the Prekali founders. The other four descend fromShoshi, which is about 20km north of Prekal.[2]