The excursion to Pshavi (June 12^th and 13^th 2010) was particularly useful for my research project, which has its focus on the “sense of place” in the Georgian context as it emerges from oral narratives and cultural practices. This aspect has been developed in a very interesting way by the mountaineers of Eastern Georgia, and the Pshavian among them: here, the stories told about places (andrezi) are especially connected to sacred sites (jvari and khati) of which they tell the foundation and the meaning, and help understand the ritual practices performed on the day of the site’s patron.

During our stay in Magharoskari, in fact, I had the chance to interview Mr. Udzilauri, head of the village, and to collect from him some interesting information concerning the territorial organization of the Pshavian region in 16 villages connected to specific cultic sites (the main one being Lasharis Jvari), traditional myths regarding those sites and the values associated with the so-called adgilis deda, the “Mother of the place”. The visit to the village’s adgilis deda, and to the Kopalas Jvari on the following day, has given me the possibility to document, both orally and visually, some important elements that contribute to the generation of the local cultural landscape.

Picture: Adgilis Deda in Magharoskari