Draft:Denko Cuma

Todor Krstić-Algunjski and Denko Čuma (1934)

Denko Božinović-Čuma also known as Denko Mladonagorički aka Čuma (Serbian Cyrillic: Денко Чума; 1870 - after 1934) was a Serbian voivode who fought for the liberation of Old Serbia and Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire, Albanas Kachaks and invading Komitaji (sent from Thessaloniki by of the terrorist organization VMRO). Čuma was a member of the Serbian Chetnik Organization from its earliest beginnings as a courier. He fought along side with most of the voivodes until the time of the Young Turk Revolution in 1908.

Biography

Denko Božinović was born into a family that carried the nickname "Čumljavci", hence Denko "Čuma". There were about 30 to 35 members of that family in Mlado Nagoričane and in the surrounding villages. Denko's house had family ties with Dovezenci. Denko grew up in a patriarchal, Serbian Orthodox family home, and when he was 17 or 18 years old, he would habitually cross the Serbian-Turkish border illigally. Once over the border undetected, he would go to Smederevo and find employment as a gardener in the summer, and returned to his home in Mlado Nagoričane in the fall. That way, he crossed the border many times in the spring and worked over the summer and returned in the fall, becoming more familiar with the landscape. During his stay in Serbia, he fell in love with the country and the people, and remained loyal to his kindred folk in body and soul. His village of Mlado Nagoričane, was invaded and infiltrated by Bulgarian Exarchists who appeared in the region with an Exarch priest and teacher before 1897. The village was quite large and had about 300 or more homes, where Exarchists never failed to knock on each door and try to convert the people inside. Denko and his family remained loyal to the Serbian Orthodox Church and that made his family stand out among some of the villagers who had already converted. When the Chetnik organization appeared in 1897 and a great movement against the Turks arose in Kumanovo, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Štip, Veles and in the villages of Ovče Polje, eventually (1912) all were liberated from the Ottoman Turks and from traitors who wanted to keep them in power. Denko Čuma was among the very first to join the Serbian Chetnik Organization where he was first deployed as a courier under the command of voivode Algunjski. Later, he befriended two others like-minded freedom-fighters, Serafim Smiljanac of Staro Nagoričaneand Milan PalankaThe three voivodes went on to favour the 1908 Young Turk Revolution and stopped their field activities for a period of time, before the First Balkan War broke out.

Background

In the Balkans, the Chetnik campaign was first started by the Bulgarians. In 1893 and 1894, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) was founded in Thessaloniki with the aim of annexing the entire territory called Macedonia and Thrace to the then Kingdom of Bulgaria with the help of armed guerilla groups (Komitaji). However, the Greek guerrilla groups, better known as Andarts, operated in disputed Slavic-Greek areas against companies of Bulgarian organizations since 1902 had their ideas, too. Also, those calling themselves Serbian Macedonians in 1902, focused their Chetnik Action on protecting Serbian lives and interests in the Ottoman Empire from the oppressive Ottoman regime, terror of Muslim gangs and VMRO companies raiding Serbian villages and towns.

See also

• List of Chetnik voivodes