Mocani

{{Expand Romanian|Mocani|date=September 2021}}

{{Short description|Romanian shepherd subgroup from Transylvania}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}

{{Other uses|Mocan (disambiguation){{!}}Mocan}}

File:Nicolae Grigorescu - Mocanul.jpg]]

File:Mocans from Bretcu, Kingdom of Hungary.jpg]]

The Mocani ({{singular}} Mocan), sometimes referred to as Mocans in English,{{cite journal|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=46890|title=Traditions, identity and social institutions in Dobrogea (1880–1920)|first=Enache|last=Tușa|journal=Annals of the "Ovidius" University of Constanța – Political Science Series|volume=3|issue=1|pages=7–24|year=2014}} are an ethnic Romanian subgroup composed by shepherds from Transylvania traditionally practicing transhumance between southern Transylvania and the region of Dobruja.{{cite journal|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=511283|title=Ethnicity, nationality, and statistics. The Romanians from the Habsburg Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Tsarist Empire (1848–1850)|first1=Daniela|last1=Deteșan|first2=Ela|last2=Cosma|journal=Romanian Journal of Population Studies|volume=10|issue=2|pages=119–136|year=2016}}{{cite news|url=https://www.ziuaconstanta.ro/stiri/invitati/mocanii-care-au-devenit-mari-proprietari-crescatori-de-animale-comercianti-industriasi-dezvoltand-dobrogea-657842.html|title=Mocanii care au devenit mari proprietari, crescători de animale, comercianți, "industriași", dezvoltând Dobrogea|language=ro|date=2 May 2018|first=Lavinia|last=Dumitrașcu|newspaper=Ziua de Constanța}}

A large number of Mocani left the Habsburg monarchy to escape the oppression they were subjected to in their homeland and settled permanently in Dobruja, a region then under the Ottoman Empire where they had more freedom and could own more land. This region was then multiethnic, composed of native ethnic Romanians but also of many other peoples such as Turks or Tatars. Following the integration of Northern Dobruja into Romania in 1878, more Mocani migrated to the region. This phenomenon had an effect on the local Romanian dialects, which adopted many words typically belonging to the Transylvanian varieties of Romanian.{{cite news|url=https://adevarul.ro/locale/constanta/povestea-mocanilor-dobrogeni-ardelenii-fugit-austro-ungari-liberi-stapanirea-turca-li-s-a-spus-ia-atata-pamant-lucreze-1_594be19f5ab6550cb866d043/index.html|title=Povestea mocanilor dobrogeni, ardelenii care au fugit de austro-ungari ca să fie liberi sub stăpânirea turcă. "Li s-a spus că pot să ia atâta pământ cât pot să lucreze"|first=Mariana|last=Iancu|newspaper=Adevărul|date=25 June 2017|language=ro}}