They're called...

First of all, there are Vlachoi in Greece, in Romania, in Albania and in FYROM.  The ones in Greece were given the name "Koutsovlachoi" from a misinterpretation of the Turkish word for "Little Vlachia," which is what the Turks called the area of Thessaly during the occupation, as opposed to "Big Vlachia," which was the area around the Danube River.  Vlachoi call themselves "Armani" in their dialect, which comes from the Byzantine and Roman times, and it was the name given to those who spoke latin in the eastern empire.  The word Vlachos, is thought to have come from the Slavic word Vlah (which meant foreigner) or the German word Walechen (which means non-German, Latin).

Location, location, location

Today, most Vlachoi live in Thessaly and Northern Greece.  They were nomads and herd-keepers, some of whom turned into wealthy merchants.  For these people the most important thing was keeping their herds of sheep well-fed, so that their families could live well.  This is why they grazed the mountainous villages of Northern Greece in the summer and in winter they started looking for new "virgin" land for their herd to graze.  Therefore, at the end of summer, they packed everything up and made the week or month-long trip down to the fields of Thessaly, where they eventually established other villages.  When the temperatures started rising again, they would head up to the mountain once more.  

Language and Descent

Where Vlachoi come from is a question whose answer has been much sought after by modern sociologists in the Balkans, but none seem to have reached a satisfying answer.  The matter is even more perplexed, as Vlachoi have their own language, whose root is Latin.  In hearing bits and parts of it, one who understands either Spanish, Italian or Romanian, can distinguish the resemblance.  It is a language that has been passed down from generation to generation, orally and although there have been attempts to develop it in writing, it has yet to be established.

When I asked an elderly Vlacho to tell me the story he has been taught about their descent, he started telling me about exactly how "Greek" they are.  This has to do with the fact that some sociologists have come out and said that Vlachoi are not Greek, but of Romanian descent.  This elderly gentleman said that Vlachoi were great merchants and travelled a lot throughout the Ottoman empire.  Because they wanted to communicate in ways that wouldn't be understood by their conquerors (the Ottomans), they were clever enough to develop their own dialect, which was then spread throughout their families and villages.  He says that the Vlachoi were some of the strongest and most resistent people during the Turkish occupation and that they suffered immensely along with the rest of the nation.  

However, there are also other historical accounts of their descent:

• It is said that they are descendants of Roman soldiers and herd-keepers, who were given land throughout the empire as payment for their work.
• Most Romanian sociologists claim that Greek Vlachoi come from Romania - they were supposedly a small group who came to Greece sometime between the 6th and 10th century to find better pastures for their herds.  But why would they leave the endless green valleys of Romania to inhabit the callous mountains of Greece?
• They may be descendants of ancient non-Greek peoples of Thrace, such as the Illyrians or Pelasgians.
• There is also some historical evidence that they might come from Greek soldiers of Macedonia, who were chosen by the Roman army to serve as border patrol or were incorporated in their army to protect the roads built throughout the empire.  Therefore, they had to learn Latin.

The Vlachoi of Greece are a proud and somewhat rough people, most of whom (especially the elderly) still speak their language to each other.  It is a society which did not allow marriage with other peoples of nomads of Greece until modern years, and it is one that is strongly dominated by the male.  It is worth visiting their villages in Grevena (Perivoli, Avdela, Samarina etc), Trikala, Ioannina, Metsovo and so on, as they tried to make every part of their villages and houses beautiful in order to show off to the rest of their neighbours.

Sources:

 http://www.vlahoi.net, 

http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Αρμάνοι