The researches conducted for the purpose of this paper are connected to the analysis of the impact of geographical characteristics of the region on the population’s cultural practices in the southern Velebit region. Special attention is given to the study of mirila, a product of the population’s cultural practices. Studying the available literature, the first part of the paper centers on a historical overview of the southern Velebit settling, according to historical periods and using the systematic method. The aim of this paper is to determine the origin of mirila through the historical overview of the development of transhumance cattle breeding in this region. The beginning of the cattle breeding way of life dates from the period of habitation of Liburnian and Iapodian communities, which was later continued by the South Slav and finally the Vlach communities. At the beginning of the new era, the Liburns partially lost their identity in the process of Romanization and later on, in the 7th century in the process of Christianization and Croatization with the arrival of the South Slav communities. Despite this, they still managed to maintain their pre – Christian practices and beliefs, which is witnessed today in the form of mirila. The analysis of available statistical data on the active population from 1971 and 2011 revealed a marked deagrarization of the Velebit population due to the process of modernization and industrialization, which resulted in the growth of the tertiary and quaternary sectors. Since the second half of the 20th century, cattle breeding has lost its importance and has been replaced with a more modern way of life. Therefore, with the decrease of Velebit cattle breeding, the making of mirila has also ceased. In order to get an insight into the spatial distribution of mirila in the southern Velebit, it was necessary to perform a detailed field research and mapping of the observed region. It has been established that the distribution of mirila does not depend exclusively on the length of the trail between sheperds’ huts and the local cemetery, but also on the relief characteristics on the terrain and its convenience in determing the location of mirila. By combining the field research and the analysis of existing literature, an attempt was made to define the carved content and determine the source of inspiration in decorating mirila. The content found on mirila shows a partial compatibility with the Liburnian iconography, in which solarization was the main motive in the conception of the world and life. Thus, it is concluded that the simbolysm of mirila is, indirectly, about 3 000 years old.