Children Of The Bird Goddess: A Macedonian Autobiography

by Kita Sapurma and Pandora Petrovska

Children of the Bird Goddess: A Macedonian Autobiography of Kita Sapurma is an oral history that spans over 100 years and explores the lives of four generations of Macedonian women from Aegean Macedonia (northern Greece).

Commencing in the 19th Century when Macedonia was under the Ottoman Empire, the family’s story is interwoven with the upheavals of the Balkan Wars, the Greek takeover and colonization of half of Macedonia, the two World Wars, and the Macedonian struggle for independence during the Greek Civil War.

Amid this historical turbulence, the book is a detailed portrayal of Macedonian village life and culture as practised over the centuries. It offers a personal account of Macedonian women’s culture, giving a women’s perspective on the Macedonian lifestyle, its spirituality of the land, and many of the most important Macedonian customs and rituals which have been passed from mother to daughter down the generations.

The story is also a moving account of political and cultural oppression and the tragic effects on the family’s lives and fortunes. This legacy becomes an integral part of Australia’s history as the family, along with thousands of other Macedonians, eventually flees Greece and must manage the joys and difficulties of setting up anew in Australia.

One of the first autobiographies in English of a woman from Aegean Macedonia, Children Of The Bird Goddess will intrigue and enlighten. Its telling is about healing, and breaking the silence and invisibility of Macedonian women.

Children of the Bird Goddess is $20 including postage in Australia. Overseas airmail is A$30.

Children of the Bird Goddess, Paperback, 168 pages, A5 size, Four colour celloglazed cover, Published by Pollitecon Publications, 1997, ISBN 0 9586789 X