For centuries, she knelt down to collect olives, because bending over is not befitting a man. She carried the fruit for processing, took care of the animals that were the driving force, kept the mills clean, and kept the recipes. She was recognizable by the deep voice with which she called the livestock she kept in harsh conditions, and she was raised in the countryside like this since early childhood.
Such was the Montenegrin olive grover, a farmer. A woman from a village in Montenegro lived and survived in a society that was shaped throughout history by struggle, and dominated by the cult of masculinity, humanity and heroism.
In such a climate, as silent heroines of survival, women from Montenegrin villages across the country have managed to leave their mark - their olive-growing skills are practiced in various regions, living in lore, tradition, oil, and resilient trees.
This is what chroniclers wrote down, family members told each other, and "Vijesti" was told by female olive growers from different regions.
Maria Markoč, director of the Bar "House of Olives", PhD in quality management of olive oil production, pointed out that olive oil provided the basic means of livelihood for many families and initiated the commercial and industrial development of the entire country, which left an indelible mark on the overall development of the Montenegrin coast.
"A written record that deals with the phenomenon of women in agriculture, and therefore in olive growing, as the "golden branch of Montenegrin agriculture", is necessary in order to pay tribute to their predecessors and help today's Montenegrin women find their place between traditionalism and modernity. Montenegro lacks an integral historical narrative in the field of the importance of women in agriculture, in order to show how they, in different historical contexts, in relation to the extent that educational, economic and political circumstances allowed them, still found a way to change their position and emancipate themselves, but also the community, said Markoč.
Women's labor force has been mercilessly exploited throughout history. Trading goods, transporting goods, taking care of the home and family, as well as almost all agricultural work, were carried out by women. In some areas of the country, only mowing the meadows and plowing the land were considered "men's work."
Markoč emphasizes that the housewife or head of the cooperative could not be a woman. However, it was not uncommon for prudent and energetic women to attend cooperative meetings, and their opinions were respected.
In addition to earning a place in the community through their belligerence and perseverance, they brought local products to market, providing a livelihood, but also "luxury" to their poor homes.
The impetus for entrepreneurship was given by Montenegrin women - commission agents, who traveled from Cetinje to Kotor several times a week, transporting various types of agricultural products.
"The pearl of the intangible cultural heritage of our region, which certainly did not stimulate the production of quality olive oil, but was practiced in a better time, when the values of humanity and solidarity prevailed over human vanity and selfishness, is the stage, which was created precisely thanks to women," said Markoč.
Barrancas grew under the olive tree canopy
The olive tree is the symbol of Bar, so much so that in that town you can hear that it is its second name. They sing about Rumija, organize a traditional "Olive Festival" in her honor, and a house that has one in its yard is considered lucky.
He also comes from Bar. Ksenija Miranović (1932 - 2009), one of the most famous Montenegrin experts in olive growing. Miranović received her doctorate in the field of fruit growing, with a topic on olive growing, and is responsible for numerous research and findings in this field, which she has written about.
In her rich work, she also worked on establishing collection plantations in Sutomore, Šušanj, Lješkopolje, Ulcinjsko polje... The award that the House of Olives gives for the best quality oil is named after her. The people of Barana and Baranka, and especially the olive growers, still value and inherit the knowledge that Miranović acquired and passed on.
lamb Mirjana Babić from the company "Olivmont" which makes numerous olive oil products, she grew up under the olive tree, as she says, and she used to pick them as a girl.
"They are a part of me. Harvesting olives is difficult but it gives me pleasure," she said.
Babić heard from her elders how it used to be - olives were collected from the ground and this was done mostly by women, some of them for a daily wage in a special currency - a liter of oil.
The practice is somewhat different today, with payment per kilogram for their harvest, but women still pick the olives. However, she emphasizes, it is hard physical work, and women on the coast are able to find easier jobs, which is why they often lack the workforce.
"The olive growers from Bar are known for their skill in preparing green and black olives for consumption," says Babić.
Every housewife has a little secret that makes olives tastier or more durable.
"Bar's olive oil women still prepare many old dishes with olive oil. In the past, they made soap from olive oil. I have continued this tradition in a modern way," she said.
She passed on her love for olives and olive growing to her children. They grew up in the countryside, helping with the olive harvest and other chores. When Babić started producing olive oil soap, her daughter, Marija, was only nine years old. She would go to fairs with her daughters and they would help her pack the soap. Later, Marija became interested in chemistry and biology, graduated from the Faculty of Biotechnology and helped develop new products.
Babić believes that women everywhere, including in Bar, have sustained olive growing and the village in general. They were, in her words, the invisible strength of the family. Many of them did not have the money to earn. She notices that today there are more and more educated women who decide to engage in olive growing. She believes that olive growing requires female perseverance and patience, because olives grow slowly and there is a lot of work involved in order to get to the golden drops.
Oil for work and a song for the tree
""The simit has been eaten," a saying that is especially practiced in the Ulcinj olive-growing region, signifies that the olive harvest is over and the stage is set. Poorer producers harvested their own olives, while wealthier ones leased them out.
The daily wage for olive picking was a liter of oil, and the response was great, so the chosen one was considered lucky. When the north wind shook the last olives from the tree, the pozrnica (grape harvest) would begin. Then the owners of the olive groves would allow anyone, especially poorer families, to collect the remaining, rare olive kernels and thus earn ten or more liters of oil. The pozrnica was most often used by girls from less wealthy families to supplement their wedding attire.
The first pressed oil, i.e. the beginning of the mill, was always celebrated by "dipping simit in olive oil", again by women, who would smear the "egg" (halva with olive oil) on the depressions in the bark of the olive tree (guka or hyperplasia), and would sing to the trees: "May you give birth to us next year", "Mašalah", "With berić".
Markoč conveyed this and assessed that, because of all this and thanks to the woman, "Montenegrin olive groves did not only produce olive oil, but also produced very high-quality table olives, in various ways that were and remain different from local practices, as well as olive oil soaps, the quality of which could rival the world's highest-quality cosmetic products."
The olive tree "nourished and educated"
The economic contribution of rural women to their families was immeasurable. They were not just housewives, they were workers, economists, lawyers, doctors, saleswomen… They carried their products to the markets in Boka Bay and Montenegro on horses. They went and returned together. After hard work and a long day on the road, they socialized, talked, and consulted.
She told "Vijesti" that Vesna Djukic, director of the Olive Society “Boka”. According to her, Boka is adorned with a very narrow strip between the sea and the mountains. That is why every inch of arable land had to be used. Olive trees were planted along the borders, while in between they grew vegetables, vines and kept livestock.
"Land was not sold, except in dire need. Although it could fail, the olive tree nurtured and educated many generations, providing security for hard times," said Đukić.
The role of women in olive growing today, she estimates, is perhaps even more significant because they are involved in the process from cultivation to processing and marketing of the product.
"They are the bearers of agricultural activity, although, for the most part, they rarely own and manage land. They register agricultural farms, start family businesses, and there are more and more of them in olive growing because they are practical, responsible, and rational."
In Boka Bay, more and more women are members of the Olive Growers Association, says Đukić, although olive growing is not their only activity, because living in the countryside means also being involved in the production of other agricultural products.
Boka Bay is, in itself, different from the rest of the coast. The geographical position, relief, rugged terrain, structure and composition of the soil, among other things, make their oils different from those from other areas, Đukić said.
"It is known that beaten olives, a product made from the olives, are typical of Boka. A large number of our members are engaged in, in addition to the production of olive oil, the preservation of olives, and the production of hygiene and skin care products based on olive oil," she said.
Women in Boka, she believes, invest in knowledge, participate in workshops and professional lectures, even though it is very demanding for them, in terms of organization, due to their many obligations. They are heard at meetings with representatives of the local government and the competent ministry, proposing, asking and demanding answers to issues of importance to agriculture.
Recipes from grandmother to granddaughter
Selma Haxhi from Tuzi, president of the Regional Olive Growers Association (RUM), the first from the continental part of Montenegro, told "Vijesti" that the olive growers of that region are recognized for their patience, precision and special feeling for the land and the plant.
"Knowledge was passed on in quiet conversations by the fireplace, in hands that knew how to recognize a ripe olive without a word. We preserve old methods of oil processing, and ways of making balms, soaps and other olive products. We are especially proud of our approach - nothing is thrown away, every part of the olive has its purpose, which is how we developed the first Montenegrin olive leaf extract, which is a combination of knowledge and innovation," said the director of the "Lučka" oil mill.
Olive oil has been used in her family for generations, both in food and in making soaps and balms. Haxhi said she grew up with the smell of olive oil and her grandmother's stories about how every drop of it was once considered sacred.
"Although I could have chosen a different path, I felt a strong need to continue what the women in my family had started. In addition, I saw great potential in reviving olive growing in the continental part of Montenegro, where many did not even believe it was possible," she emphasized.
“Lučka”, in addition to being officially the best extra virgin olive oil in Montenegro for this year, is also known for the balm made from it, according to a traditional recipe. The balm was created, according to Haxhi, at a time when pharmacies were not available and nature was the only source of medicine.
"My grandmother got the recipe from her mother-in-law, and each successive generation perfected it and passed it down with strict dedication. The recipe was passed down exclusively to one person, and I am very proud that my grandmother chose me."
Olive growing is not just an agricultural activity, it is a culture, an identity and a link between the past and the future, she concluded, and women were and remain her strongest support.
"Odive" of olive knowledge
Throughout history, women have been the keepers of knowledge and practice. They knew when the fruit was ripe, how to harvest it, how to dry it, salt it, and preserve it. They were responsible for processing the oil at home, using stone presses, bottling it, and storing it. In numerous households on the Montenegrin coast, from Bar to Boka Bay, oil was made by women.
That's right Andrea Suškavčević Novović, director of the "Odiva" oil mill, the most awarded in the country, summarized the role of women in Montenegrin olive growing.
"For me, the connection between women and olive trees is no coincidence. In symbolism, philosophy and traditional culture, the feminine principle is more associated with intuition, creation, making connections and inner balance. The olive tree carries the feminine wisdom of nature - it is quiet, unobtrusive, but resilient and powerful. It is not aggressive, but persistent. It does not seek attention, but it requires dedication," said Šuškavčević Novović.
The name of their oil also carries a female story - odiva is the name given to a young woman in Montenegro who leaves her parents' home and brings happiness to a new one. This is exactly how they see their product, according to the interviewee of "Vijesti".
For Šuškavčević Novović, the idea of engaging in olive growing primarily arose from the love for the land that her parents passed on to her, and then from the need for the work to be tangible.
"An olive grove is a vast expanse. You look at it, but you can't take it in. But you can touch every tree, every fruit, and at the end of the day, the end product is tangible. Also, despite all the care you take about the olive groves, you know that they still live their own lives, which you can't fully influence," she said.
She believes there is a certain amount of beauty in this, in relinquishing control and connecting with nature, which is "truly healing for both mind and body."
He thinks that modern man has forgotten that he himself is a work of nature and has become alienated. She wanted him to return.
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