Kfar Kama

Kfar Kama

כְּפַר כַּמָא‎
كفر كما
Кфар Кама
Kfar Kama כְּפַר כַּמָא‎; كفر كما; Кфар Кама
Local council (from 1950)
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Kfar Kamaˀ
• Also spelled	Кфар Кама (Adyghe) (official)
	Flag
	Kfar Kama Kfar Kama
	Coordinates: 32°43′19″N 35°26′27″E / 32.72194°N 35.44083°E
Grid position	191/236 PAL
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Founded	1878
Area
• Total	8,854 dunams (8.854 km2 or 3.419 sq mi)
Population (2022)
• Total	3,500
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Name meaning	The village of truffles

Kfar Kama (Hebrew: כְּפַר כַּמָא, Arabic: كفر كما, Adyghe: Кфар Кама) is a Circassian town located in the Lower Galilee of Israel's northern district, located along road 767, that leads from Kfar Tavor to the Kinneret. It is one of the only two Circassian towns in Israel, the other being Rehaniya. The residents of the town are descended from Shapsug tribe exiles from Circassia. In 2008, the town had a population of 2,900.^[3]

Name

The town's name has an uncertain origin, and several possible interpretations exist. It could potentially signify a heap of wheat, derive from "qama" meaning grain, or even have roots in Arabic, such as "kama," signifying a hilltop or a hilltop village, or "qama", denoting a fertile pasture for sheep and cattle.^[4]

History

Antiquity

The modern village of Kfar Kama is built on an ancient site. Ruins and parts of five limestone columns were found in addition to a circular basalt olive-press and cisterns.^[5] In 2020, a team of archaeologists led by Nurit Feig of the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered 6th-century church remains. The excavators also revealed painted floor mosaics showing geometric shapes and blue, black, and red floral patterns. The dimensions of the main part of the church are 12 by 36 metres. Several other rooms were unearthed near the church. According to archeologist Shani Libbi, additional rooms in the area have been revealed by ground penetrating radar.^[6]^[7]

Archaeologists have proposed that Kfar Kama was the village Helenoupolis that Constantine established in honor of his mother Helen.^[8] Excavations carried out in 1961 and 1963 revealed 4th century tombs.^[9] Two churches dated to the early 6th century, one dedicated to Saint Thecla, were uncovered, with multicolored mosaics of floral, animal and geometric patterns.^[9]

Middle Ages

In the Crusader period it was known as Kapharchemme or Capharkeme.^[10]

Ottoman Empire

Circassians in traditional garb, Kfar Kama

In 1596, Kfar Kama appeared in Ottoman tax registers as a village in the Nahiya of Tiberias in the Liwa of Safad. It had a population of 34 Muslim households and paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on agricultural products, which included wheat, barley, summer crops, cotton, and goats or beehives; a total of 5,450 akçe.^[11]^[12]

In 1838, it was mentioned as a village in the Tiberias district.^[13]

In 1870s, the village was described as having basalt stone houses and a population of 200 Moslems living on a plain of arable soil.^[14]

In 1878, a group of 1,150 Circassian immigrants from the Adyghe tribe Shapsugs who were exiled from the Caucasus by the Russians to the Ottoman Empire due to the Russian-Circassian War settled in the village. Initially they made their living by raising animals, but later became farmers. The first school was established about 1880.^[15]

A population survey in 1887 found 1,150 inhabitants, all Circassian Muslims.^[16]

British Mandate

At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine by the British Mandate authorities, Kfar Kama had a population of 670 Muslims and 7 Christians,^[17] decreasing slightly in the 1931 census to 644, one Christian and the rest Muslims, in a total of 169 houses.^[18]

In 1945 census by the Mandate, the population was 660 people (all Muslims)^[19] and the land area was 8,819 dunams.^[20]^[19] Of this, 8,293 dunams were allocated to cereal farming,^[21]^[19] while 108 dunams were built-up (urban) land.^[22]^[19]

Israel

Kfar Kama is one of two Circassian villages in Israel. The other one is Rehaniya. The Circassians are Muslims who, unlike the main Israeli Arab Muslim minority, are obligated to perform military service in the Israeli Defense Forces.^[23]^[24] The village school teaches in Circassian, Hebrew, Arabic and English.^[25]

A Center for Circassian Heritage is situated in the village.^[23]

Notable people

Izhak Nash (born 1989), a Circassian Israeli footballer currently playing for Hapoel Ironi Baqa al-Gharbiyye
Bibras Natcho (born 1988), a Circassian Israeli footballer currently playing in Europe and the captain of the Israeli national football team
Nili Natkho (1982–2004), a Circassian Israeli basketball player who played for Maccabi Raanana and Elitzur Ramla

Shapsug families

Abrag (Adyghe: Абрэгь)
Ashmuz/Achmuzh (Adyghe: Ацумыжъ)
Bghana (Adyghe: Бгъанэ)
Bat (Adyghe: Бат)
Blanghaps (Adyghe: БлэнгъэпсI)
Batwash (Adyghe: БэтIыуашъ)
Jandar (Adyghe: Джэндар)
Gorkozh (Adyghe: ГъоркIожъ)
Zazi (Adyghe: Зази)
Kobla (Adyghe: Коблэ)
Qal (Adyghe: Къал)
Qatizh (Adyghe: Къэтӏыжъ)
Lauz (Adyghe: ЛъыIужъ)
Libai/Labai (Adyghe: ЛIыпый)
Nago (Adyghe: Наго)
Natkho (Adyghe: Натхъо)
Nash (Adyghe: Наш)
Napso (Adyghe: Нэпсэу)
Thawcho (Adyghe: Тхьэухъо)
Hazal (Adyghe: Хъэзэл)
Hutazh (Adyghe: Хъутӏэжъ)
Hadish (Adyghe: Хьэдищ)
Hako/Hakho (Adyghe: Хьэхъу)
Shamsi (Adyghe: Чэмшъо)
Choshha/Shoshha (Adyghe: Цушъхьэ)
Shogan (Adyghe: Шэугьэн)
Shaga (Adyghe: Шъуагьэ)
Sagas/Shagash (Adyghe: Шъэгьашъ)
Shhalakhwa (Adyghe: Шхьэлахъуэ).

Other families

Abzah (Adyghe: Абзах)
Boshnakh (Adyghe: Бущнакъ)
Bazdug/Bzhedug (Adyghe: Бжъэдыгъу)
Yadig (Adyghe: йадиг)
Hatukai (Adyghe: Хьэтыкъуай)
Tsai (Adyghe: Цэй)
Shapsugh (Adyghe: Шапсыгъ).
Zoabi (Adyghe: Зуабй)
Masharqa (Adyghe: мэщаркъа)

References

^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^ Palmer, 1881, p. 127
^ "Population of Localities Numbering above 2,000 Inhabitants and Other Rural Population" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008-12-31.
^ Hareuveni, Imanuel (2010). Eretz Israel Lexicon. CET. p. 507.
^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 391
^ "Sixth-century church found by Circassian village near Mount Tabor". Haaretz. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
^ Amanda Borschel-Dan. "Large 6th century church compound uncovered near site of Jesus' transfiguration". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
^ Tsafrir, Di Segni and Green, 1994, 142
^ ^a ^b Dauphin, 1998, p. 727
^ Pringle, 1997, p. 117
^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 190
^ Note that Rhode, 1979, p. 6 Archived 2020-03-01 at the Wayback Machine writes that the register that Hütteroth and Abdulfattah studied from the Safad-district was not from 1595/6, but from 1548/9
^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd Appendix, p. 131
^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 360
^ Nirit Reichel (2010). "The role of the educational system in retaining Circassian identity during the transition from Ottoman control to life as Israeli citizens (1878–2000)". Israel Affairs. 16 (2): 251–267. doi:10.1080/13537121003643896. S2CID 143844303.
^ Schumacher, 1888, p. 185
^ Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Tiberias, p. 39
^ Mills, 1932, p. 84
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 12
^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 72
^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 122
^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 172
^ ^a ^b Gilad, Moshe (2012-07-05). "A Slightly Rarefied Circassian Day Trip". Haaretz.
^ Muslim revivalism and the emergence of civic society. A case study of an Israeli-Circassian community
^ Yulie Khromchenko (22 March 2005). מדברים פה בהרבה שפות? נקרא לזה "בית ספר רב לשוני [They talk a lot of languages? Called it 'a multilingual school']. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 25 August 2014.