Gjon Karma, a Catholic clergyman, ethnographer, and folklorist, was born in the village of Guri i Zi (Shkodër). He completed all the school cycles, until he was ordained a priest on May 29, 1920. He pursued theological studies in Gorizia, Italy, and also studied in Rome and Austria. He served in Tirana (1932) and Shkodër as deputy director of the Saverian College (theological high school in Shkodër) until 1935. His most valuable contribution came during his journeys in the Northern Highlands, during which he wrote reports with significant findings for the history of these regions. Gjon Karma is also known for collecting treasures of folk culture: customs, language, folk songs, toponymy, aphorisms, etc., which he published in the magazines “Lajmëtari i Zemrës së Krishtit” (The messenger of the heart of Jesus) and “Leka,” and later compiled into the work “Ndër malet tona” (Through our mountains) (1940). He was arrested on November 10, 1946, under the pretext of discovering “weapons in the Franciscan church in Shkodër.” The Shkodër military court sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment. It is not certain when he died (probably in 1975) nor where he was buried. (In the photo: Father John Karma)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. IV , “West Print”, Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana, 2015, page 178.
Photo: © Xhoxhi L., personal archive
Graphic processing: AHCF
