His paternal family descended from Dobrsko Selo near Cetinje, and were originally surnamed Radišić, however, after a krvna osveta (blood feud), the family changed its name into Kavaja. One of the Radišić brothers had killed a Turk bey, and was forced to flee in order to save his life. The feud brought him as far as Kavajë, in Albania, and when the situation had calmed down he returned to Dobrsko Selo, where the villagers began calling him Kavaja, from where a new brotherhood (bratstvo) emerged, the "Kavaje".
His family's ancestral ties came from Dobrsko Selo near Cetinje, and were initially known as Radišić, but after a violent conflict, they changed their surname to Kavaja. One of the brothers was forced to flee after killing a Turkish nobleman, leading him to seek asylum in Kavajë, Albania, where he later returned to Dobrsko Selo, earning the moniker Kavaja and giving rise to a new brotherhood.