Milli

Milli (Millî) is a large Kurdish tribe frequently mentioned in Ottoman archival documents and classical sources, whose area of life and activity extends to Yukarı Mezopotamya, primarily around Diyarbekir and Mardin.

Historical Origins

The tribe's name is mentioned in the oldest sources along with the geography dominated by the Mervânî dynasty. The region where the Mervânîs, who ruled in Kuzey Mezopotamya between 983-1085 and are ethnically linked to the Çehârbuxtî branch of the Humeydî tribe of Kurds, established their dominance; housed important Kurdish tribes such as Humeydî, Lârî, Hezbânî, Mihrânî, Hakkârî, Buxtî, Beşnevî, Çûpî, and Millî (Volume 1, p. 129).

Ottoman Archival Records

The tribe's existence during the Ottoman period is most concretely reflected in archival documents. From the earliest volumes of the Mühimme defterleri, it is seen that problems periodically arose between Kurdish tribes and administrators responsible for tax collection; in this context, there are records concerning a dispute arising from a tax issue between the Milli tribe and their kethüda Kadı Mahmud (Volume 3, p. 14).

The Milli tribe's relations with settled communities have not always been peaceful. In an archival record dated 1116/1705, complaints were raised that about two hundred horsemen from the Şeyh Bızini Aşireti, affiliated with the Mardin voyvodalık, and the Milli Aşireti raided Kurdish households settled in Mardin and committed great injustices against these families (Volume 3, p. 32).

Economic Life

Economically, the tribe engaged in agriculture and trade, similar to other communities in the region; indeed, it was stated that the agriculture and trade of the Dakori tribe, residing between Rasülayn and Mardin, was "like the Milli tribe," thus Milli was cited as an example of the region's agricultural and trading tribes (Volume 4, p. 272).

Relations with the State

At the end of the 19. yüzyıl and the beginning of the 20. yüzyıl, the tribe entered into an institutionalized relationship with the state. Correspondence regarding the provision of morning and evening meals to Hacı Mahmud Efendi, one of the chiefs of the Milli Aşireti within the Diyarbekir vilayeti, and his companions in 1900 is an example of this; this record points to the position acquired by tribal chiefs in the eyes of the state, in the context of banquets given to tribal chiefs who were members of the Hamidiye Alayı (Volume 3, p. 86).