Rastoder

Rastoder is a Montenegrin Slavic surname. The bearers are predominantly Montenegrins originating from Bihor, a region in northern Montenegro, which encompasses parts of the municipalities of Berane and Bijelo Polje.

History

According to a legend, the ancestors of the Rastoder family were from Kuči. These ancestors emigrated from Kuči either in the 17th or 18th century. One part of the family went to Dupilo in Crmnica, and the other to the mountains of Plav, of which the Medunjani descend from. The family in Dupilo, because of a blood revenge (krvna osveta), emigrated north, but a part of the family (known as the Petrović at that time) decided to stay. The descendants of these Petrovićs claim that the Metropolitan of Cetinje told them that they couldn't be known as Petrović any longer, so they instead adopted the name Hrstoderi (later Hrastoderi) because they avenged and hung a man on an oak tree (hrast), hence their surname.

Another saying, not too different from the previous one, says that the ancestors of the Rastoders emigrated to Radmanci. They didn't have enough food when they arrived in Radmanci, so they peeled off the bark of oak trees (hrastovi) in order to enlarge the amount of flour for bread. It is not excluded that by that only oak valley came the surname Hrastoder.

A third story, more of a legend, says that before the coming of the Turks, there lived some Rasodijeri, however, it is not certain whether if they were Bogomils or others, maybe even Pagans.

The surname without the H (Rastoder) was realised during and after the period of the Kingdom of Montenegro, in the registers, instead of being located in mosques, were located in local town and the Hrastoderi were recorded as Rastoderi as the registrars were Montenegrins and even today, the phoneme H isn't pronounced by Montenegrins and wasn't either at that time.

Some descendants of Rastoder families of Bihor have changed their surnames, such as the Kršić and Nurković in Rožaje, as well as Medunjanin.

People

• Rifat Rastoder, Montenegrin politician and deputy speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro
• Šerbo Rastoder, Montenegrin historian and activist for rights in Montenegro.