Understanding Lebanese Armenians

ANI AMIRKHANIAN

Third in a three-part series.

In the past weeks I have been looking at the relationships between

Armenian sub-groups. Now, I want to turn my attention to the Lebanese

Armenians, the last sub-group I will be discussing in this series.

Like the other two Armenian sub-groups, the Lebanese Armenian

community is isolated in its own enclave and members tend to group

with their “own kind.”

Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic, in my opinion,

about Lebanese Armenians or “Arevmedahyes,” as they are known, is

their very distinctive dialect. Although the other groups speak in

their own dialects, the Lebanese Armenian dialect varies the most

from the other two.

I cannot remember a time when the three groups ever came together

for a mutual goal. There has always been a divide among the

sub-groups regarding their actions and understanding.

Lebanese-Armenians have always seemed to me to be the more

“patriotic” and most proud Armenians of their culture. That is not to

say that the other two groups are not proud of their heritage, but

the Lebanese-Armenian community has always been involved with

activism and progressive politics.

I recently spoke with a Lebanese Armenian college friend of mine

named Natalie who shared with me some of her observations about the

sub-groups and their relationship to each other.

“I always thought that Arevmedahyes and Barskahyes

[Iranian-Armenians] which are both Spurkahyes [Diaspora Armenians]

got along but were both doing their own thing to benefit the

Armenians acculturating as opposed to assimilating in the U.S.,”

Natalie said.

She said “own thing” referring to both groups working separately

but for the same cause. Natalie also said that the different dialects

and cultural differences of the two groups has fueled these Armenians

to go about upholding the Armenian culture in their own way --

separately.

Historically, Barskahyes and Lebanese-Armenians have had a

positive relationship even though they have gone about their own ways

-- knowing they were striving to succeed for a common cause.

I do agree with Natalie’s thoughts about these sub-groups, but

what strikes me the most is that they still remain apart and have yet

to establish long-term relationships outside of community and

cultural activism. What keeps them apart in particular is their

language or dialectical disparity.

The dialects of the Barskahye and Arevmedahye sub-groups are on

two separate ends of the spectrum. I also asked Natalie what she

thinks about the relationship between Lebanese-Armenians and

Hayastansis. She said it is one where they intermingle and get along,

but what sets them apart from Lebanese-Armenians and even Barskahyes

is their mind-set.

The former groups are “more westernized in their train of thought,

since they did not grow up under the controlled government of

communism, as Hayastansis did,” Natalie said.

Another Lebanese-Armenian I spoke with, my cousin-in-law Hrant,

also agreed that the sub-groups are more cooperative and have just

got used to each other. Hrant said he had difficulty in the past

understanding the Barskahye dialect.

“I remember when I first came to the U.S. my only real problem was

understanding my sister’s Barskahye friends,” Hrant said. “But then I

mostly figured out their dialect.”

He also said that as a Lebanese-Armenian, he has noticed that the

sub-groups intermarry a lot more. For example, more Barskahye women

are marrying Lebanese-Armenian men.

Despite greater interaction between all three sub-groups, there is

yet still a divide when it comes to “intimate socializing,” he said.

“Most people still prefer to be with their own group,” said Hrant.

“Language, happens to be a prominent reason why Armenians in general

stick with their ‘own kind.’”

There is no denying that to coexist, language plays an important

role with the Armenian sub-groups. The only time when language is not

an issue is when Armenians of any sub-group speak in English, which

in turn the subject of disparity among the sub-groups fades out.

It seems unusual that when Armenian sub-groups speak another

language other than their own, they all become “Armenian” as one

group. The disparity becomes irrelevant.

So then does belonging to a sub-group give people a sense of a

more focused identity?

According to Hrant, “Time still tends to blend everything together

... “