According to historians, philologists and archaeologists, on the territory of the modern Caucasus at the moment descendants live about 60 different language groups, And more than 30 nationalities. Over the centuries-long period of formation of nationalities in a territory bordering on constant wars and devastation, the ethnic group was able to carry its culture and customs through the centuries. Getting acquainted with each of them is backbreaking work, but learning about most of them will be at least interesting.
Conducting our excursion about the peoples of the Caucasus, I would like to determine the path along which we will go through getting acquainted with the general facts characteristic of a particular ethnic group. Let's start with the Western Caucasus, and the most western nationality - the Abkhazians. Let's finish our acquaintance in the east, together with the Lezgins. But let's not forget about the nomadic tribes.
Let's start with them in order to get acquainted with the geographical features of the Caucasus in order to understand the specifics of life of all other nationalities. The fact is that the North Caucasus predisposes people to farming. Therefore, many nomadic tribes settled down and began to build their own culture locally. Starting from Abkhazians and ending with residents Alanya.
Southern part of the Caucasus
But as for the southern part of the Caucasus, the soil in these places is barren. The water that comes from the mountains reaches the plain in a stagnant form, because the irrigation systems are far from perfect. Therefore, as soon as summer comes, nomadic tribes go higher and higher into the mountains. It all depends on the conditions for the livestock. If there is enough food, the height remains unchanged.
With the onset of cold weather, nomads descend from the mountains. Tatars, Nogais and Trukhmens live according to the principle of trampled grass: as soon as the grass underfoot is trampled, it’s time to move. And depending on the time of year, they decide whether to go up the mountains or go down.
Map of the settlement of nationalities:
Now let’s return to the tribes that settled in ancient times and chose agriculture as the basis of their livelihoods.
The most numerous peoples of the North Caucasus
Abkhazians
- the westernmost people of the Caucasus. The majority are Christians, but since the 15th century, due to the expansion of the territory, Sunni Muslims were added.
The total number of Abkhazians around the world is about 200 thousand people in 52 countries.
The cultural component of the Christian people is traditional to the area. They have long been engaged in and famous for carpet weaving, embroidery, and carving.
The next people heading east. The northern slopes of the Caucasus, as well as the plains near the Terek and Sunzha, are their habitat. The current territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, however, has nothing in common with the Karachais except territory. At the same time, there is a relationship with the Kabardians, but they, due to the administrative-territorial division, also share territory with the distantly related Balkars.
All of them belong to the Circassians. The cultural heritage of which has made a huge contribution to the world heritage of blacksmithing and jewelry.
Svans
- the northern branch of the Georgians, which has preserved its own language and cultural heritage. The territory of residence is the most mountainous part of Georgia, from 1000 to 2500 meters above sea level.
Characteristic feature cultural life Svans is the absence of serfdom and the conditional principle of nobility. There were no wars of conquest. In total there are about 30,000 Svans around the world.
Ossetians
- An ancient people of Iranian origin. The Ossetian kingdom of Alania is one of the most ancient and has carried Christianity in its original form through the centuries. Many republics, due to unsettled Christianity, converted to Islam, but Alania is the largest territory in the northern Caucasus that inherited Christianity. The moment of Islamization has passed.
and Chechens
- related peoples. The majority profess Islam, with the exception of those living in Georgia. The total number of peoples is about 2 million people.
Lezgins
The easternmost region is represented by the peoples of present-day Dagestan. And the most common not only in Dagestan, but also in Azerbaijan - they are distinguished by a rich cultural heritage.
Played a decisive role in the formation of the Caucasian peoples geographical location. Situated on the borders of the Ottoman Empire, Byzantium, Russian Empire- they were predetermined by a military past, the features of which were reflected in the character and specificity of the peoples of the Caucasus. However, it is worth noting that the cultural heritage was preserved despite the oppression of neighboring empires.
The indigenous peoples of the Caucasus prefer to live on their lands. The Abazins settle in Karachay-Cherkessia. More than 36 thousand of them live here. Abkhazians - right there, or in the Stavropol Territory. But most of all Karachais (194,324) and Circassians (56,446 people) live here.
There are 850,011 Avars, 40,407 Nogais, 27,849 Rutuls (southern Dagestan) and 118,848 Tabasarans living in Dagestan. Another 15,654 Nogais live in Karachay-Cherkessia. In addition to these peoples, Dargins (490,384 people) live in Dagestan. Almost thirty thousand Aguls, 385,240 Lezgins and a little more than three thousand Tatars live here.
Ossetians (459,688 people) settle on their lands in North Ossetia. About ten thousand Ossetians live in Kabardino-Balkaria, a little more than three in Karachay-Cherkessia and only 585 in Chechnya.
Most Chechens, quite predictably, live in Chechnya itself. There are more than a million of them here (1,206,551), and almost a hundred thousand are known only native language, about a hundred thousand more Chechens live in Dagestan, and about twelve thousand in the Stavropol region. About three thousand Nogais, about five thousand Avars, almost one and a half thousand Tatars, and the same number of Turks and Tabasarans live in Chechnya. 12,221 Kumyks live here. There are 24,382 Russians left in Chechnya. 305 Cossacks live here.
Balkars (108,587) inhabit Kabardino-Balkaria and almost never settle in other places in the northern Caucasus. In addition to them, half a million Kabardians and about fourteen thousand Turks live in the republic. Among the large national diasporas we can distinguish Koreans, Ossetians, Tatars, Circassians and Gypsies. By the way, the latter are most numerous in the Stavropol Territory; there are more than thirty thousand of them here. And about three thousand more live in Kabardino-Balkaria. There are few gypsies in other republics.
Ingush numbering 385,537 people live in their native Ingushetia. In addition to them, 18,765 Chechens, 3,215 Russians, and 732 Turks live here. Among the rare nationalities there are Yezidis, Karelians, Chinese, Estonians and Itelmens.
The Russian population is concentrated mainly in arable land Stavropol region There are 223,153 of them here, another 193,155 people live in Kabardino-Balkaria, about three thousand in Ingushetia, a little more than one hundred and fifty thousand in Karachay-Cherkessia and 104,020 in Dagestan. There are 147,090 Russians living in North Ossetia.
Hello, dear readers. In this article, we will understand what was the reason that the peoples of the North Caucasus today represent a scattering of completely different and, at the same time, such similar peoples (officially over 50) that are scattered throughout the territory of the modern Caucasus.
Also, I will answer the questions of many readers who were interested in what the Caucasian peoples can teach, for example, the same Russians. Although, the word “teach” here seems very indecent, even blasphemous.
After all, the peoples of the Caucasus have always been in the shadow of the Russian people. But believe me, there are many positive points in the character, culture and traditions of the Caucasians, which the Russians do not have, and which can be learned from.
The idea for writing this article was given to me by a regular reader of the Dinara blog, for which I express my deep gratitude to her. I don’t see the point of talking in more detail here about all the Caucasian peoples; it would take a very long time. But in the future I will definitely write large and interesting articles about each individual nation. It will be much better and more useful. Here I will give general certificate about the peoples of the North Caucasus, we will learn the reasons for cultural and ethnographic unity and, most importantly, I will tell you what you can learn from the Caucasians. The article is very interesting and, believe me, you just need to read it to the end. You will make many discoveries for yourself.
So, first, you and I need to clearly imagine who Caucasians even are? What are they? Are these brave guys really that “scary”? Well, it’s time to dispel the myth that “Russian girls like Caucasian guys more than Russian ones.” Oops, I probably hit a nerve here. Well, look further for answers to all this...
Peoples of the North Caucasus: brief background information
Remember, in the article I told you an anecdotal myth:
“God somehow decided to resettle people all over the Earth. He gathered all the peoples of the world into one bag and went to scatter them. Everything went according to plan, but when he reached the Caucasus mountains, he tripped over Elbrus and dropped the bag from his hands. At that moment, all the peoples who still live beautifully fell out of the bag.”
It seems like a funny read. But guys, for today territory of the Caucasus(North Caucasus and Transcaucasia) are home to over 100 (!) peoples and nationalities. Yes, you will say that a little higher I gave a figure to a friend - 50. But, think for yourself: more than 30 indigenous peoples live in Dagestan alone. And these are only the indigenous ones!!! Therefore, I believe that official statistics are disingenuous. At one time, the Arabs gave the Caucasus a very laconic, but fully reflecting reality, name - “Mountain of Languages”. And, indeed, if you were in the Caucasus, then in the same place (and at the same time) you could hear a dozen languages at once. For example, I find it “more enjoyable” to travel by public transport to. It feels like a few more trips like this and you can become a polyglot. As they say, thanks to the Russian language!!!
By the way, I will soon write a long article about how to properly travel around the Caucasus, what you must visit, and how to behave with the local population. A reader named Alexander asked me about this. Become a regular blog reader to receive all new articles to your e-mail ().
I decided to understand the classification of Caucasian peoples. I admit, it’s not just the devil here, but the little devil himself can break a leg. But, to make it clearer to you, I will try to explain everything in simple “human” language. The classification of the peoples of the Caucasus is most easily understood and presented on the basis of linguistic identity. This type of identity is also called linguistic. Well, I keep trying to get by without complex words and concepts, but it doesn’t work. I think you'll forgive me. I would like to note that today most historians and ethnographers share the same opinion. Or rather, I adhere to their opinion.
Peoples of the Caucasus: linguistic classification
In total, there are three large language groups, each of which consists of subgroups and branches.
1. Caucasian (Paleo-Caucasian) language group- the most numerous and ancient. In turn, the paleocaucasian group consists of three branches:
- Adyghe-Abkhazian (the second name is western). But this branch is also divided into the Adyghe subgroup and the Abkhaz-Abaza subgroup. The self-name of the Adyghe peoples is Adyghe. These include: Circassians, Circassians and Kabardians. It is logical that the second subgroup consists of Abazas and Abkhazians.
- Vainakho-Dagestan(eastern) branch, which is also divided into two subgroups: Vainakh and Dagestan. We talked about the Vanaikhs in the article and learned that this is a collective image, in fact, of the Chechens and Ingush. In addition to them, this also includes the Batsbis - residents of Georgia who speak the Vainakh dialect. By the way, during the population census in Georgia they were considered Georgians.The Dagestan group of peoples includes many peoples of Dagestan: Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Aguls, Tabasarans. Here it is only necessary to note that some peoples remained in Azerbaijan after the collapse of the Soviet Union. These are Lezgins, Tsakhurs, Avars.
- Kartvelian (southern) branch. This includes all Georgians. But we can’t say so unequivocally here either. After all, more than a dozen linguistic (ethnic) groups live on the territory of modern Georgia today. The most numerous: Adjars, Mingrelians and Svans. In fact, these peoples were very assimilated, but retained their language.
For clarity, I decided to schematically show you the classification of the Caucasian peoples. And this is what we got in the Paleo-Caucasian language group:
2. Indo-European language group. A very large group that is divided into four branches:
- Armenian group– in fact, the Armenians themselves (about 5 million live in Armenia, and about 8 million outside the country). I emphasize to your attention that the main driving force Armenia is located abroad: Russia, USA, European countries. The simplest example of the Armenian lobby is France's recent recognition of the Armenian genocide. I have my own opinion on this matter, but I will not voice it, since I have no desire to incite ethnic hatred.
- The Iranian group is the descendants of the ancient Iranians. The most numerous people in this group are the Ossetians living in Russia and Georgia. But, surprisingly, the Ossetian people are divided into two parts (we are not talking about a geographical division into South and North Ossetia) - Orthodox Ossetians and Sunni Ossetians. This group also includes the Talysh (live in Azerbaijan), Tats (mainly in Dagestan and Azerbaijan), Kurds, Yezidis and Mountain Jews.
Regarding the so-called Mountain Jews, I want to say the following: I have friends of this nationality. By the way, the famous singer Jasmine (real name is Sara Yakovlevna Manakhimova) is a prominent representative of Mountain Jews. So, these Jews are not much different from the classical representatives of this nation. I think you understand what I'm talking about. Moreover, my two-week trip to Israel allows me to compare them (read the article).
- Slavic group– these are Russians and Ukrainians. Russians (including Kuban and Terek Cossacks) live in all regions of the North Caucasus. In the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories they make up about 85-90% of the population. Although, to be honest, I would not classify the Krasnodar Territory as part of the North Caucasus. I wrote more about this in the article.
It remains to add that I will write an interesting article about the situation of the Russian people in the North Caucasus region. There has been so much yelling and screaming about this in recent years, but the reality is completely different. In order not to miss this article, subscribe to blog updates. Now let's look at the last branch of the Indo-European group.
- Greek group- Pontic Greeks. They have practically lost their Pontic language; now they speak either Russian or modern Greek. Currently they live in Georgia, Russia and Armenia. But, it should be noted that they are actively leaving Georgia. For example, in Perm there is a Pontic Greek nightclub called “Parnassus”. I admit, at one time I stood guard there with my friends. By the way, they come from Turkey, or rather from Asia Minor (Pontus region). That’s probably why they’re so SWANT... just kidding!
It remains for us to consider the last group of peoples, but before we do that, let's look at the graphic gradation of Indo-European peoples of the North Caucasus:
3. Altai language group (“Altai family”), which consists of two branches. In fact, it consists of many branches, but only two are represented in the North Caucasus. Although, some argue that there is generally only one branch in the Caucasus. Let's figure it out:
- Turkic branch (Turkic-speaking group). The brightest and most numerous representatives of this group are the Azerbaijanis (also the largest Muslim people in the Caucasus, they profess Shiite Islam). Total quantity There are approximately 60 million Azerbaijanis in the world: more than 9 million live in the republic itself, about 30 million in Iran, and approximately 3.5 million in Russia. By the way, those who trade in the markets are most often Talysh (citizens of Azerbaijan, but not Azerbaijanis). Now I’ll answer a question that I’ve been asked by blog readers probably 500 times. Guys, I am an Azerbaijani by nationality, living in Dagestan. To be even more precise, in, until 1846, part of Azerbaijan (Kuban Khanate). Although, for 7 years now I only return to my place from time to time hometown, but that's another story.
The Turkic-speaking peoples of the North Caucasus also include: Balkars (live in Kabardino-Balkaria), Karachais (Karachay-Cherkessia), Kumyks (mainly live in Dagestan, but some live in North Ossetia). There are also Turkmens, who are called “trukhmens” and Meskhetian Turks in Georgia.
- Turko-Mongol branch. I want to say right away that not everyone recognizes it, but I believe that it has a place. For example, it cannot be unequivocally stated that the Nogais belong to the Turkic-speaking peoples. For this purpose, a separate group was identified, which, in addition to the Nogais, also included some Kalmyks who profess Islam. As you probably already understood, the Turkic-speaking peoples, in addition to the similarity of language, have a single faith.
This is a brief description of the North Caucasian peoples. Yes, you got it right. I tried to explain very briefly. He said that the little devil himself would “break his leg.” Thank God, I am safe and I want, for greater clarity, to present a diagram of the Altai language group peoples of the Caucasus. I also wanted general scheme imagine, but it would take up too much space:
Friends, perhaps I missed some people. If you noticed this, I would be very grateful for additions in the comments to this article. Yes, I hope that I did not offend anyone with the information presented. Moreover, there is an opinion that everything Caucasian peoples have common roots. Let's look at this...
Do the Caucasian peoples have common roots?
Guys, do you know what is unique about the Caucasus? Remember what words I started the article with? If my memory serves me correctly, it said the following: “The North Caucasus is a territory of historical, national, religious, cultural and other contrasts.” Yes, yes and yes again! Look how many nations, how many interweavings, how many cultures and traditions there are. Believe me, even such related peoples differ not only in culture, but even in dialectics. However, Abkhazians, Ossetians, Georgians who preach Christianity, and Avars, Azerbaijanis, Lezgins, Kabardians (followers of Islam) call themselves Caucasians! And this is the uniqueness peoples of the North Caucasus.
Over the centuries, the common historical fate of the Caucasians was forged, which led to the formation of a pan-Caucasian ethnographic unity. And today we increasingly hear thoughts about the common origin of the Caucasian peoples, but Leonty Mroveli (11th century) was the first to write about this. He is the author of a work on the history of Georgia from mythical times. So, Mroveli compiled “ family tree peoples of the Caucasus" and put forward the theory that all Caucasian peoples have one common ancestor - Targamos. And all current nations are his descendants.
I will not evaluate the views of this respected person, but I agree that the unity of peoples is manifested in everything: in behavior (you can read more about this in the article), in the art of dance (one is worth it), in traditions. For example, kunachestvo, deepest respect for elders, and many other customs and traditions exist in the culture of all Caucasian peoples. The character traits of the “average Caucasian,” not to mention external identity, are also approximately the same. After all, remember how they usually say: “Hot Caucasian guy!” I have never heard anyone say: “Hot Ossetian (Azerbaijani, Avar) guy.”
By the way, this is precisely the reason why there is such a (I admit, even pleasant) myth about Caucasians that they are hot in EVERYTHING! They themselves don’t always think so. Or am I wrong? So, just the day before yesterday, a reader named Irina sent me the following question:
Hello Ali! You've probably heard of this expression: “Russian girls like Caucasian guys the most!” What do you think about this? If you agree with this, then state the reason. Thanks for the answer.
Dear Irina, I’m answering your question. I will not refute this expression (nor will I argue, I’m not a girl... a sense of humor is a good thing), but it seems to me that there is a reason for this. Remember, in the 90s, all sorts of Brazilian, Mexican and other southern “soap operas” (series), as well as Indian films, were shown in the country. The main actors in these series are always so dark (or tanned), athletic brunettes. No, don’t think that I binge-watched the series. So, Caucasians, most often, fit this description. Notice that I wrote that most often. That’s the whole mystery of why Russian girls like Caucasian guys. Although, in fairness, it must be said that guys do not always live up to girls’ expectations.
What do you think about this? What remains for us to consider is what we can learn from the Caucasians.
Peoples of the Caucasus: what can we learn from them (us)?
Today people have different attitudes towards representatives of the Caucasian republics. In some cases, the Caucasians themselves are to blame, in others, the media did a good job, but the essence is the same - you cannot take away from the people what is historically inherent to them. For some reason, the traditions there are still strong and that makes me happy. Especially when I see what is happening in the rest of Russia. No, I don’t rejoice when others feel bad. I am upset that others do not want to adopt our experience. Before we talk to you in detail, watch a short fragment of the program “To the Barrier” by Vladimir Solovyov (I already showed it in one of the previous articles, be sure to watch it):
Is it worth saying anything further? Here lies the answer to the question of skeptics regarding whether. I agree that there are marginalized people among Caucasians, but this is only 1-3%! The rest are normal people! And there is a lot to learn from them. No, I'm not saying that there is nothing to learn from the Russians. For 7 years I have been tirelessly learning from the great Russian culture, I find it interesting. But why aren’t Russians interested in finding out? But it is very traditional, which means it has been preserved almost in its original form. Mass culture has not yet had time to absorb the culture of the peoples of the Caucasus. I don’t understand why shout when millions of RUSSIAN children and old people are left to the mercy of fate. When war veterans cannot get the apartments that we are OBLIGED to provide them with. When there are people ready to put shoes on these old people.
Did you know that special windows have already appeared in Moscow and St. Petersburg where you can bring babies abandoned by their parents. Our professor (by the way, a doctor of psychological sciences) says that stem cells are obtained from such children. Once again I want to emphasize that all these processes also take place in the North Caucasus, but the traditions there are so strong that all this does not have such a strong impact on the life of society.
There was an incident in my life that I remembered for the rest of my life. In 2008, I arrived in Saratov, I had to wait the night so that I could go to Perm in the morning. So, at the station I met a granny who was holding her ears and crying! I approached and asked what happened to her. She said that the moment she fell asleep, someone ran up to her and tore the earrings off her ears. It just shocked me!!! In the Caucasus, all this also exists, but not on such a scale. Another example: when I lived in Dagestan, I knew my neighbors and my neighbors’ neighbors by name, we communicated and helped each other. In Perm, I rented an apartment for 2 years, but I was never able to meet my neighbors on the landing.
Therefore, let's learn from each other! We Caucasians must “pull up” our culture (first of all, the culture of behavior), the level, but we also have a lot to learn from. I am confident that today the peoples of the North Caucasus, for the most part, want to live in peace and have good neighborly relations with the Russian people.
Trubetskoy Nikolai Sergeevich (1890-1938)- one of the most universal thinkers of the Russian diaspora, a major linguist, philologist, historian, philosopher, and political scientist. Born in 1890 in Moscow in the family of the rector of Moscow University, famous professor of philosophy S.N. Trubetskoy. The family, which bore an ancient princely surname, belonged to the Gediminovich family, among whom were such outstanding figures of Russia as the boyar and diplomat Alexei Nikitich (d. 1680), Field Marshal Nikita Yuryevich (1699-1767), comrade-in-arms of N.I. Novikov, writer Nikolai Nikitich (1744-1821), Decembrist Sergei Petrovich (1790-1860), religious philosophers Sergei Nikolaevich (1862-1905) and Evgenia Nikolaevich (1863-1920), sculptor Pavel (Paolo) Petrovich (1790-1860). The atmosphere of the family, which represented one of the intellectual and spiritual centers of Moscow, was conducive to the awakening of the early scientific interests. Even from his gymnasium years, N. Trubetskoy began to seriously study ethnography, folklore, linguistics, and also philosophy. In 1908 he entered the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University, attending classes in the cycle of the philosophical and psychological department and then in the department of Western European literature. In 1912, he graduated from the first graduate of the department of comparative linguistics and was retained at the university department, after which he was sent to Leipzig, where he studied the doctrines of the neogrammatical school.
Returning to Moscow, he published a number of articles on North Caucasian folklore, problems of Finno-Ugric languages and Slavic studies. He was an active participant in the Moscow Linguistic Circle, where, along with issues of linguistics, together with scientists and writers, he seriously studied and developed mythology, folk studies, ethnography, and cultural history, approaching the future Eurasian theme closely. After the events of 1917, N. Trubetskoy’s successful university work was interrupted and he left for Kislovodsk, and then taught for some time at Rostov University. Gradually he came to the conclusion that the Proto-Slavs were spiritually more closely connected with the East than with the West, where, in his opinion, contacts were carried out primarily in the field of material culture.
In 1920, N. Trubetskoy left Russia and moved to Bulgaria, and began scientific and teaching activities at Sofia University as a professor. In the same year, he published his famous work “Europe and Humanity,” which brought him close to the development of Eurasian ideology. Subsequently, N. Trubetskoy’s activities developed in two directions: 1) purely scientific, dedicated to philological and linguistic problems (the work of the Prague circle, which became the center of world phonology, then years of research in Vienna), 2) cultural and ideological, related to participation in the Eurasian movement . N. Trubetskoy becomes close to P.N. Savitsky, P.P. Suvchinsky, G.V. Florovsky, publishes in “Eurasian Vremenniki” and “Chronicles”, periodically makes presentations in various cities of Europe. In the development of Eurasian ideas, the main merits of N. Trubetskoy include his concept of the “upper” and “lower” of Russian culture, the doctrine of “true nationalism” and “Russian self-knowledge”.
Due to their psychological characteristics N. Trubetskoy preferred quiet, academic work to politics. Although he had to write articles in the genre of political journalism, he avoided direct participation in organizational and propaganda activities and regretted when Eurasianism took a turn towards politics. Therefore, in the story of the Eurasia newspaper, he took an unambiguously irreconcilable position in relation to the left wing of the movement and left the Eurasian organization, resuming publications in updated publications only a few years later.
Recent years During his life, N. Trubetskoy lived in Vienna, where he worked as a professor of Slavic studies at the University of Vienna. After the Anschluss of Austria, he was subjected to oppression by the Gestapo. A significant part of his manuscripts was confiscated and subsequently destroyed. According to the testimony of L.N. Gumilyov, who received this information from P.N. Savitsky, N. Trubetskoy was not arrested only because he was “a prince, an aristocrat, but repeated, and very rude, searches were carried out in his apartment, which resulted in myocardial infarction and early death"On July 25, 1938, at the age of 48, N. Trubetskoy died.
The article was written in 1925.
All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them.
Ps. 117, 10
In Transcaucasia there are: Armenians who have always been and will adhere to the Russian orientation, no matter what the Russian government is. There can be no serious Armenian separatism. It is always easy to come to terms with Armenians. But betting on the Armenians would be a mistake. Strong economically, concentrating in their hands the leadership of the entire economic life of Transcaucasia, they at the same time have general antipathy, reaching the point of hatred among their neighbors. To identify oneself with them would mean to incur this antipathy and hatred upon oneself. The example of the policy of the pre-revolutionary period, which ultimately led to the fact that the Russians were left with only the Armenians and set all the other nationalities of Transcaucasia against themselves, should serve as a lesson. Moreover, the Armenian question is, to a certain extent, an international issue. The attitude of the Russian government towards Armenians in the Caucasus must be coordinated with relations between Russia and Turkey.
Since the February Revolution, Georgians have achieved recognition of their rights to at least autonomy, and these rights cannot be challenged from them. But at the same time, since this situation gives rise to Georgian separatism, every Russian government is obliged to fight it. If Russia wants to preserve Baku oil (without which it is hardly possible to retain not only Transcaucasia, but also the North Caucasus), it cannot allow independent Georgia. The difficulty and complexity of the Georgian problem lies precisely in the fact that it is now practically impossible not to recognize a certain degree of Georgia’s independence, and it is not permissible to recognize its complete political independence. Here a certain middle line must be chosen, and one that would not give rise to the development of Russophobic sentiments in the Georgian environment... It is also necessary to understand that Georgian nationalism takes harmful forms only insofar as it is imbued with certain elements of Europeanism. Thus, the right decision the Georgian question can be achieved only under the condition of the emergence of true Georgian nationalism, that is, a special Georgian form of Eurasian ideology.
Azerbaijanis, in terms of their numbers, represent the most important element Transcaucasia. Their nationalism is highly developed, and of all the peoples of Transcaucasia, they are the most constant in their Russophobic sentiments. These Russophobic sentiments go hand in hand with Turkophile sentiments, fueled by pan-Islamic and pan-Turanian ideas. The economic importance of their territory (with Baku oil, Nukha sericulture and Mugan cotton plantations) is so great that it is impossible to allow their separation. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize some, and quite a significant dose of independence for the Azerbaijanis. The solution here, too, depends to a large extent on the nature of Azerbaijani nationalism, and sets as a task of paramount importance the creation of a national-Azerbaijani form of Eurasianism. In this case, the assertion of Shiism must be put forward against pan-Islamism.
Three national problems of Transcaucasia (Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani) are intertwined with problems foreign policy. Turkophile politics could push the Armenians towards the English orientation. The same result would have been obtained by betting on the Azerbaijanis. England, in any sense, will intrigue in Georgia, realizing that independent Georgia will inevitably become an English colony. And due to the inevitability of this intrigue, it is unprofitable in Georgia to make the Armenians Anglophiles and thus strengthen the ground for English intrigue in Transcaucasia. But betting on the Armenians would also lead to the Turkophile orientation of the Azerbaijanis and the Russophobic mood of Georgia. All this should be taken into account when establishing relations with the peoples of Transcaucasia.
Complexity national question in Transcaucasia is aggravated by the fact that individual nationalities are at enmity with each other. Some of the reasons for hostility are eliminated under the curial-multi-parliamentary system and the management technique associated with it. With this system, it is possible, for example, in a number of aspects of life to differentiate management not by territory, but by nationality, which weakens the severity of disputes over belonging to one or another autonomous unit of regions with a mixed population. For example, the question of the language of instruction in schools in such areas loses all its urgency: in the same area there are schools with different languages, in which teaching is conducted, and each of such schools is under the jurisdiction of the corresponding national board of education. But, of course, there are a number of aspects of life where management should naturally be built on a territorial, and not on a national principle. Not only the old division into provinces, based on random and often artificial characteristics, but also the division into three main regions (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) must be abolished. The Transcaucasian ulus should be firmly divided into small districts, more or less corresponding to the previous districts, with the only difference being that the boundaries of these districts should be more accurately adjusted to the ethnographic-historical, everyday and economic boundaries.
The ancient motto of imperialist statehood, “Divide and conquer,” is applicable only where the state power or the ruling nation is dealing with a hostile foreign population. Where the task is state power is to create an organic union of the native population with the ruling nation to work together, this principle does not apply. Therefore, in the Caucasus, one should not try to deepen tensions and contradictions between individual nationalities. With all the variety of shades of democratic culture and life in different regions of Georgia, it still represents some ethnographic whole, which cannot be artificially divided into parts. Since ancient times, the Georgian language, as the language of the church and literature, has been the common language of the educated classes of Georgia, Mingrelia and Svaneti. While allowing at the same time the existence of the Mingrelian and Svan languages and not interfering with the development of literature in these languages, one should resist in every possible way the artificial creation of some new, historically insufficiently justified, independent and independent (in relation to Georgia) national units.
From the above, however, it does not yet follow that the desire of larger nations to absorb smaller ones can be encouraged. Such aspirations exist in some border areas between Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus: there is a desire to Georgian Abkhazia and South Ossetia, to conquer the southern districts of Dagestan and the Zakatala district. Since in these cases we are talking about the deformation of a certain national image, this phenomenon should be combated by supporting the national resistance of the relevant nationalities.
In an effort to prevent the secession of the outskirts, one should take into account all the psychological factors that feed the separatist aspirations of the outskirts. At the same time, one cannot help but notice that among the common people such aspirations are not developed at all or are developed very poorly, and the main bearer of separatist aspirations is the local intelligentsia. An important role in the psychology of this intelligentsia is played by the principle “it is better to be first in the village than last in the city.” Often the sphere of activity of some minister of an independent republic that replaced the previous province is no different from the sphere of activity of the former provincial official. But it is more flattering to be called a minister, and therefore the minister clings to the independence of his republic. When a province transitions to the status of an independent state, a whole series of new positions are inevitably created, filled by local intellectuals who were previously forced either to be content with minor positions in their province or to serve outside this province. Finally, independence flourishes especially in areas where the local intelligentsia is relatively small in number and therefore, previously, the main contingent of officials was made up of elements of newcomers: with the expulsion of the newcomer element, who fell into the category of “foreign subjects,” the young republic begins to feel a lack of intellectual forces and every local It is very easy for an intellectual to make a career. Independence is often a “class” movement of the local intelligentsia, who feel that they, as a class, have benefited from independence. But, of course, the local intelligentsia carefully hides this class nature of independence and disguises it with “ideas”: they hastily invent “historical traditions”, the local national culture and so on. There is no doubt that the population of this region is likely to suffer damage from such class-intellectual independence. After all, all this independence is aimed, on the one hand, at artificially increasing the demand for intellectual labor, at increasing the number of people receiving government salaries and thus living off taxes from the population, and on the other, at establishing competition among intellectuals from other areas, to a reduction in the field of competition, and, consequently, to a decrease in the quality of local officials. Naturally, therefore, the common people are often hostile to the independent aspirations of the local intelligentsia and show centralist aspirations, which, for example, the Bolsheviks certainly played upon in eliminating the independence of various republics of Transcaucasia.
In the North Caucasus there are Kabardians, Ossetians, Chechens, small nationalities (Circassians, Ingush, Balkars, Karachais, Kumyks, Turukhmen and Kalmyks, and finally, Cossacks).
Kabardians and Ossetians have always held quite firmly to the Russian orientation. Most small nationalities do not present any particular difficulties in this regard. Only Chechens and Ingush are definitely Russophobes in the North Caucasus. The Russophobia of the Ingush is caused by the fact that after the conquest of the Caucasus by the Russians, raids and robbery, which have always been the main occupation of the Ingush, began to be severely punished; Meanwhile, the Ingush cannot move on to other occupations, partly due to atavistic unaccustomment to manual labor, partly due to traditional contempt for work, which is considered exclusively a woman’s job. An ancient eastern ruler like Darius or Nebuchadnezzar would simply subject this small bandit tribe, which interferes with the calm and peaceful life of not only the Russians, but also all their other neighbors, to total destruction, or would take its population somewhere far away from their homeland. If such a simplified solution to the problem is discarded, then all that remains is to try through public education and improvement agriculture destroy the old living conditions and traditional disdain for peaceful labor.
The Chechen question is somewhat more complicated. Since, firstly, there are five times more Chechens than Ingush, and secondly, Chechen Russophobia is caused by the fact that the Chechens consider themselves financially left out: their best lands have been taken by Cossacks and Russian settlers and Grozny oil is being developed on their land, from from which they do not receive any income. It is, of course, impossible to fully satisfy these claims of the Chechens. Good neighborly relations, however, must be established. This can again be done by establishing public education, raising the level of agriculture and involving the Chechens in a common economic life with the Russians.
According to their social system, the peoples of the North Caucasus are divided into two groups: peoples with an aristocratic system (Kabardians, Balkars, some Circassians, Ossetians) and peoples with a democratic system (some Circassians, Ingush and Chechens). The first group enjoyed the highest authority, on the one hand, the elderly, and on the other, the Muslim clergy. The Bolsheviks are systematically working to destroy both social systems. If they succeed in this matter, then the peoples of the North Caucasus will find themselves deprived of groups and classes that would be authoritative in the eyes of the masses. Meanwhile, due to the properties of their characters, these peoples, without the leadership of such authoritative groups, turn into wild gangs of robbers, ready to follow any adventurer.
The North Caucasus also includes the Cossack regions - Terek and Kuban. There is no special Cossack issue in the Terek region: Cossacks and non-residents live together, recognizing themselves as a single nation, opposed to foreigners. On the contrary, in the Kuban region the Cossack issue is very acute. Cossacks and nonresidents are at enmity with each other.
In the east and west of the Caucasus there are regions that cannot be completely classified as either Transcaucasia or the North Caucasus: in the East it is Dagestan, in the West it is Abkhazia.
The situation of Dagestan is such that it needs to be granted very broad autonomy. At the same time, Dagestan is sparsely populated both in its own way ethnic composition, and according to its historical division. Before the Russian conquest, Dagestan was divided into a number of small khanates, completely independent of each other and not subordinate to any supreme authority. The traditions of this former fragmentation have been preserved in Dagestan to this day. The administrative unification of Dagestan is greatly hampered by the lack common language. In the past, things went so far that official correspondence and office work were conducted in Arabic, and Russian government announcements were published in the same language. There are too many native languages: in the Andean district, for 70 miles along the Andean Koisu, 13 different languages are spoken; In total, there are about 30 native languages in Dagestan. There are several “international” languages that serve to communicate between the mountaineers of different villages. These are the Avar and Kumyk languages in the northern and Azerbaijani in the southern part of Dagestan. Obviously, official language we should make exactly one of these “international” ones. However, it is far from indifferent which language to choose for this purpose. The Kumyk language is the “international” language of almost the entire North Caucasus (from the Caspian Sea to Kabarda inclusive), Azerbaijani dominates in most of Transcaucasia (except for the Black Sea coast) and, in addition, in Turkish Armenia, Kurdistan and Northern Persia. Both of these languages are Turkic. It must be borne in mind that with the intensification of economic life, the use of “international” languages acquires such importance that it displaces native languages: many villages in the southern districts of Dagestan have already become completely “Azerbaijani.” It is hardly in Russia's interests to allow such Turkification of Dagestan. After all, if all of Dagestan is Turkified, then there will be a continuous mass of Turks from Kazan to Anatolia and Northern Persia, which will create the most favorable conditions for the development of pan-Turan ideas with a separatist, Russophobic slant. Dagestan should be used as a natural barrier to the Turkization of this part of Eurasia. in the northern and western districts of Dagestan, the situation is relatively simple. Here we should recognize the official language as Avar, which is already the native language for the population of the Gunib and Khunzak districts and the international language for the Andean, Kazikumukh, part of the Dargin and part of the Zagatala districts. The development of Avar literature and the press should be encouraged, and this language should be introduced into all lower schools of the listed districts, as well as into the corresponding secondary schools as a compulsory subject.
The situation is more complicated in other parts of Dagestan. Of all the southern Dagestan tribes, the largest is the Kyurinsky district, occupying almost the entire Kyurinsky district, the eastern half of the Samursky district and the northern part of the Kubinsky district of the Baku province. Of all the non-Turkic native languages of this part of Dagestan, the Kyurin language is the simplest and easiest, it is closely related to some other native languages of the same region. Therefore, it could be made “international” and official for this part of Dagestan. Thus, Dagestan, linguistically, would be divided between two native languages - Avar and Kyurin.
Abkhazia should recognize Abkhaz as the official language, encourage the development of the Abkhaz intelligentsia and instill in them an awareness of the need to fight Georgianization.
The Caucasus, located between mighty mountain ranges and luxurious valleys, is one of the oldest regions with a multinational population. The peoples of the Caucasus, distinguished by traditions and ethnic characteristics, live here amicably. Despite the territorial limitations of the region, it has brought together about a hundred nationalities throughout its history.
Bearers of ethnic cultures in the region
Now the Caucasian mountain civilization, one of the oldest in the world, has a single type of culture. It consists not only of ethnic rituals, spiritual aspects, traditional features of production, but also of all the material concepts of culture and family, social values of proud highlanders. That is why the modern southern region of Russia is considered amazing and interesting.
For many centuries, common Paleo-Caucasian roots contributed to the unification and close partnership of speakers of different ethnic cultures living surrounded by mountain ranges. The peoples living side by side in the Caucasus have similar historical destinies and therefore very fruitful cultural exchange is observed in this region.
Today, the carriers of ethnic cultures that are autochthonous for this region are:
- Adygeans, Avars and Akhvakhs.
- Balkars and Ingush.
- Dargins.
- Ossetians and Chechens.
- Circassians and Mingrelians.
- Kumyks, Nogais and others.
The Caucasus is practically an international region. Most of it is inhabited by Russians and Chechens. As the history of the peoples of the Caucasus shows, the Chechens chose to take root in the lands of the Ciscaucasia, Dagestan, Ingushetia, as well as in the region of the Caucasus Range in Chechnya.
The central part of the region and North Ossetia are home to a very heterogeneous population. According to statistics, 30% of Russians and Ossetians, 5% of Ingush live here, the rest are represented by:
- Georgians.
- Armenians.
- Ukrainians.
- Greeks, Tatars and other nationalities.
By population within Russian Federation The third place is occupied by the Caucasus. This region has always been considered the region with the most intense influx of population. And if earlier the main flows of movement were formed by migrants from the city to the suburbs, then in lately the situation has changed in the opposite direction.
For five centuries, scientists have been carefully studying the history of the peoples of the North Caucasus. And, despite the fact that a huge amount of factual material has already been accumulated on this topic, there is still a lot of unknown in the fertile lands of the Caucasus.
Formation of ancient civilization
The formation of a multifaceted mountain civilization was influenced by complex processes of relationships among numerous nations. Traditional beliefs and religious movements also had a special impact on its development. Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism are just some of the religions of the peoples of the North Caucasus that contributed to the revival of a powerful civilization.
Cultures of the ancient countries of Urartu, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and medieval Iran, Ottoman and Byzantine Empire underlie the type of culture that is now relevant in the southern region of Russia. Historians also consider India and China to be other indirect sources of the cultural development of the mighty mountain civilization.
But the deepest and most lasting connection that was treasured ancient peoples Caucasus, there were relations with nearby countries: Armenia and Azerbaijan. But the deepening of North Caucasian culture during the time of the Eastern Slavs also had a strong influence on many other nationalities, making adjustments to their way of life and traditions.
The culture of the peoples of the Caucasus has become one of those “highlights” that make the mechanism of Russian culture more diverse. And the main qualities that make historical civilization very valuable for modern humanity are intolerance and tolerance.
Characteristic qualities of mountaineers
Tolerance still helps the North Caucasian nations to cooperate fruitfully with other nationalities, loyally overcoming problems and striving to resolve conflicts peacefully. And thanks to intolerance (and in this particular situation it concerns the unacceptability of anything else), the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus were able to avoid excessive external pressure and preserve their “author’s” identity.
And against the backdrop of the popularization of tolerance to solve the problem of successful contact between existing nationalities, the history and traditions of the North Caucasian highlanders began to attract scientists even more. They think that it is tolerance that contributes to the beneficial adaptation of mountain culture in the modern environment.
The Caucasus is both an amazing and complex region. And I mean not only religious features this mountainous region, but also ethnic relations, linguistic specificity. The peoples of the North Caucasus are speakers of more than three dozen languages and dialects. Therefore, historians sometimes call this amazing corner of Russia “Russian Babylon.”
Scientists were able to identify three main language directions, which became key for the formation of secondary ones. The languages of the peoples of the Caucasus are classified as follows:
- East Caucasian. From them came the Dagestan languages, which are divided into several groups (Avar-Ando-Tsez, Nakh, Dargin, Lezgin and others), as well as Nakh languages. Nakh, in turn, is divided into two branches: Chechen, Ingush.
- Western Caucasian (they are also called Abkhaz-Adyghe). They are used by the Shapsug people, who live northwest of the resort town of Sochi. The Abaza, Adyghe, Abkhaz, Kabardians, and Circassians also speak this language.
- South Caucasian (Kartvelian) - widespread mainly in Georgia, as well as in the western part of Transcaucasia. They are divided into only two types of languages: southern and northern Kartavelian.
Almost all languages used in the North Caucasus remained unwritten until 1917. Only with the beginning of the 20s did alphabets begin to be developed for the predominant part of the peoples of the region. They were based on the Latin language. In the 30s Latin alphabets decided to replace them with Russian-language ones, but in practice they turned out to be not so suitable for conveying all the sound diversity of the highlanders.
One of the features of the southern region and the population living on its territory is the ethnic group of the peoples of the Caucasus. What is characteristic of it is that numerous inconsistencies existed not only within a single established community, but also within each individual ethnic group.
Against this background, you can often find entire villages, towns and communities in the Caucasus that have become isolated from each other. As a result, “our own” local customs, rituals, ceremonies, and traditions began to be created. Dagestan can be considered a striking example of this. Here, established rules and order in everyday life were observed by individual villages and even tukhums.
Such endogamy led to the fact that the concepts of “one’s own” and “alien” had clear designations and boundaries. The concepts of “apsuara” and “adygag’e” became characteristic of the Caucasian peoples, with the help of which the mountaineers designated a set of moral standards of behavior for the Abkhazians and Adyghes, respectively.
Such concepts became the personification of all the values of the mountain peoples: conceivable virtues, the importance of family, traditions, etc. All this helped the mountain people develop ethnocentrism, a sense of predominance and superiority over others (in particular, over other peoples).
Three very famous mountain rites
Today, three traditions of the peoples of the North Caucasus are considered the most striking and famous:
- A cordial meeting. The concepts of the Caucasus and hospitality have long been considered synonymous. The customs associated with the warm welcome of guests are firmly rooted in the ethnic group of the mountaineers and have become one of the most important aspects their life. It is worth noting that the traditions of hospitality are still actively practiced in the modern South of the Caucasus, which is why tourists happily love to visit this region again and again.
- Bride kidnapping. This custom can be considered one of the most controversial, but widespread throughout the region. Initially, the staging was supposed to help the groom's relatives avoid paying the bride price. But subsequently the plot of the kidnapping, agreed upon by both sides, began to be used for different situations. For example, when parents do not approve of the feelings of their children or when the youngest daughter plans to get married before the other... In such situations, “stealing” the bride is an appropriate solution, as well as “An ancient and beautiful custom,” as one of the main characters of the famous “ Caucasian captive" By the way, now the heroes of the occasion can be punished by law for implementing such an idea, because the tradition of kidnapping is prosecuted by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
- Tradition of blood feud. The Caucasus is a region where many traditions contradict the secular and moral standards of the state. And the customs of blood feud are the most striking example. Surprisingly, this tradition did not cease to exist from the very moment the history of the North Caucasus began its independent formation. Having no statute of limitations, this tradition is still practiced in some regions of the mountainous region.
There are other traditions of the peoples of the North Caucasus. There are interesting wedding rituals that surprise with their beauty and originality. For example, the tradition of “wedding hiding”, which implies a separate celebration of the wedding. The newlyweds celebrate the event in different houses for the first days after the wedding and do not even see each other.
The culinary traditions that the mountain peoples of the Caucasus still practice are also interesting. It’s not for nothing that hot Caucasians are recognized as the most skilled cooks. Juicy, aromatic, bright, with harmonious tints of spices and tastes, the traditional dishes of the highlanders are definitely worth trying. Popular among them remain: pilaf, achma, kharcho, satsivi, khachapuri, lula kebab and everyone’s favorite baklava.
Tribute to ancient traditions is also observed within the family in the Caucasus. Recognition of the authority and primacy of elders is the main foundation of family organization. It is worth noting that many scientists explain the phenomenon of Caucasian longevity by the fact that age and wisdom are still revered in this region.
These and other extraordinary traditions of the mountain people change their world for the better in many ways. Perhaps that is why many representatives of modern humanity are increasingly paying attention to them, trying to apply them in their society.
The epic of the charismatic highlanders
The general epic of the peoples of the Caucasus also deserves special attention. Formed on the basis of legends about strongmen breaking mountains with swords, demigod heroes, heroes fighting giants. It originated over many decades and took into its heritage material from the 3rd century BC.
Ancient tales over time became cycles that were united by chronology and a common plot. Emerging in Caucasus mountains and valleys of legend formed the Nart epic. It is dominated by a pagan worldview, closely intertwined with the symbols and attributes of monotheistic religions.
The peoples living in the Caucasus have formed a powerful epic that has certain similarities with the epic works of other peoples. This leads scientists to believe that all the historical materials of the highlanders are the beneficial product of their interaction with other communities in ancient times.
One can continue to praise and extol the peoples of the Caucasus, who played an important role in the formation of the culture of the great Russian Power. But even this brief overview of the characteristics of the population of this region testifies to the diversity, value and richness of culture.
