
Vitsbil-Matsbil
(Men’s names).
This song depicts the fighting of several Upper
Svaneti villages for their independence from their
landlords — the Dadeshkeliani family. Many inhabitants
of Upper Svaneti are proud that they never
had landlords and call their region ”Free Svaneti.”
Their battles with the Dadeshkeliani family had
several climaxes.
In this song two brothers — Vitsbil and Matsbil —
are portrayed as heroes in the fight against the
Dadeshkelianis. When three villages in Upper
Svaneti (Becho, Tskhumar and Etser) decided to
fight for their independence from the
Dadeshkelianis, they gathered ammunition over
the course of three years. They then sent Vitsbil
and Matsbil to take a strategic tower in the village
of Ladrer. From this tower they could fire on the
Dadeshkelianis’ homes, making it impossible for
them to go out safely.
#part 1
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