Population of the Caucasus: size and ethnic composition. Peoples of the North Caucasus

PEOPLES

PEOPLES OF THE CAUCASUS

The Caucasus is a mighty mountain range stretching from west to east from the Sea of Azov to the Caspian Sea. Georgia and Azerbaijan are located in the southern spurs and valleys, in the western part its slopes descend to the Black Sea coast of Russia. The peoples discussed in this article live in the mountains and foothills of the northern slopes. Administratively, the territory of the North Caucasus is divided between seven republics: Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

The appearance of many indigenous inhabitants of the Caucasus is homogeneous. These are light-skinned, predominantly dark-eyed and dark-haired people with sharp facial features, a large (“humpbacked”) nose, and narrow lips. Highlanders are usually more tall compared to the inhabitants of the plains. Adyghe people often have blonde hair and eyes (perhaps as a result of mixing with the peoples of Eastern Europe), and in the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan there is an admixture of, on the one hand, Iranian blood (narrow faces), and on the other, Central Asian (small noses).

It is not for nothing that the Caucasus is called Babylon - almost 40 languages are “mixed” here. Scientists distinguish Western, Eastern and South Caucasian languages. West Caucasian, or Abkhaz-Adyghe, is spoken by Abkhazians, Abazins, Shapsugs (who live north-west of Sochi), Adygheians, Circassians, Kabardians. East Caucasian languages include Nakh and Dagestan. Nakh languages include Ingush and Chechen, while Dagestan languages are divided into several subgroups. The largest of them is Avaro-an-do-tsezskaya. However, Avar is not only the language of the Avars themselves. There are 15 small peoples living in Northern Dagestan, each of which inhabits only a few neighboring villages located in isolated high mountain valleys. These peoples speak different languages, and Avar for them is the language of interethnic communication; it is studied in schools. Lezgin languages are spoken in Southern Dagestan. Lezgins live not only in Dagestan, but also in the regions of Azerbaijan neighboring this republic. While the Soviet Union was a single state, such a division was not very noticeable, but now, when the state border has passed between close relatives, friends, acquaintances, the people are experiencing it painfully. Lezgin languages are spoken by Tabasarans, Aguls, Rutulians, Tsakhurs and some others. In Central Dagestan, the dominant languages are Dargin (it is spoken, in particular, in the famous village of Kubachi) and Lak languages.

Turkic peoples also live in the North Caucasus - Kumyks, Nogais, Balkars and Karachais. There are mountain Jews - Tats (in Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria). Their language, Tat, belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family. Ossetian also belongs to the Iranian group.

Until October 1917 almost all the languages of the North Caucasus were unwritten. In the 20s for the languages of most Caucasian peoples, except for the smallest ones, they developed alphabets on a Latin basis; published large number books, newspapers and magazines. In the 30s The Latin alphabet was replaced by alphabets based on Russian, but they turned out to be less suitable for transmitting the sounds of speech of Caucasians. Nowadays, books, newspapers, and magazines are published in local languages, but literature in Russian is still read by a larger number of people.

In total, in the Caucasus, not counting the settlers (Slavs, Germans, Greeks, etc.), there are more than 50 large and small indigenous peoples. Russians also live here, mainly in cities, but partly in villages and Cossack villages: in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia this is 10-15% of the total population, in Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria - up to 30%, in Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea - up to 40-50%.

By religion, the majority of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus are Muslims. However, Ossetians are mostly Orthodox, and Mountain Jews profess Judaism. For a long time, traditional Islam coexisted with home-Muslim, pagan traditions and customs. At the end of the 20th century. In some regions of the Caucasus, mainly in Chechnya and Dagestan, the ideas of Wahhabism became popular. This movement, which arose on the Arabian Peninsula, demands strict adherence to Islamic standards of life, rejection of music and dancing, and opposes the participation of women in public life.

CAUCASIAN TREAT

The traditional occupations of the peoples of the Caucasus are arable farming and transhumance. Many Karachay, Ossetian, Ingush, and Dagestan villages specialize in growing certain types of vegetables - cabbage, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, etc. In the mountainous regions of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria, transhumance sheep and goat breeding predominate; Sweaters, hats, shawls, etc. are knitted from the wool and down of sheep and goats.

The diet of different peoples of the Caucasus is very similar. Its basis is grains, dairy products, meat. The latter is 90% lamb, only Ossetians eat pork. Cattle are rarely slaughtered. True, everywhere, especially on the plains, a lot of poultry is bred - chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese. Adyghe and Kabardians know how to cook poultry well and in a variety of ways. The famous Caucasian kebabs are not cooked very often - lamb is either boiled or stewed. The sheep are slaughtered and butchered according to strict rules. While the meat is fresh, different types of boiled sausage are made from the intestines, stomach, and offal, which cannot be stored for a long time. Some of the meat is dried and cured for storage in reserve.

Vegetable dishes are atypical for North Caucasian cuisine, but vegetables are eaten all the time - fresh, pickled and pickled; they are also used as a filling for pies. In the Caucasus, they love hot dairy dishes - they dilute cheese crumbles and flour in melted sour cream, and drink a chilled fermented milk product - ayran. The well-known kefir is an invention of the Caucasian highlanders; it is fermented with special fungi in wineskins. The Karachays call this dairy product “gypy-ayran”.

In a traditional feast, bread is often replaced with other types of flour and cereal dishes. First of all, these are a variety of cereals. In the Western Caucasus, for example, with any dishes, much more often than bread, they eat hard millet or corn porridge. In the Eastern Caucasus (Chechnya, Dagestan), the most popular flour dish is khinkal (pieces of dough are boiled in meat broth or simply in water, and eaten with sauce). Both porridge and khinkal require less fuel for cooking than baking bread, and therefore are common where firewood is in short supply. In the highlands, among shepherds, where there is very little fuel, the main food is oatmeal - wholemeal fried until brown, which is mixed with meat broth, syrup, butter, milk, or, in extreme cases, just water. Balls are made from the resulting dough and eaten with tea, broth, and ayran. All kinds of pies - with meat, with potatoes, with beet tops and, of course, with cheese - have great everyday and ritual significance in Caucasian cuisine. Ossetians, for example, call this pie “fydiin”. There must be three “ualibahs” (cheese pies) on the festive table, and they are placed so that they are visible from the sky to St. George, whom Ossetians especially reverence.

In the fall, housewives prepare jams, juices, and syrups. Previously, sugar was replaced with honey, molasses or boiled grape juice when making sweets. Traditional Caucasian sweet - halva. It is made from toasted flour or cereal balls fried in oil, adding butter and honey (or sugar syrup). In Dagestan they prepare a kind of liquid halva - urbech. Roasted hemp, flax, sunflower or apricot kernels rubbed with vegetable oil, diluted in honey or sugar syrup.

In the North Caucasus they make excellent grape wine. Ossetians have been brewing barley beer for a long time; Among the Adygeis, Kabardians, Circassians and Turkic peoples, it is replaced by buza, or makhsyma, a type of light beer made from millet. A stronger buza is obtained by adding honey.

Unlike their Christian neighbors - Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Greeks - the mountain peoples of the Caucasus do not eat mushrooms, but they collect wild berries, wild pears, and nuts. Hunting, a favorite pastime of the mountaineers, has now lost its importance, since large areas of the mountains are occupied by nature reserves, and many animals, such as bison, are included in the International Red Book. There are a lot of wild boars in the forests, but they are rarely hunted, because Muslims do not eat pork.

CAUCASIAN VILLAGES

Since ancient times, residents of many villages in addition to agriculture were engaged in crafts. The Balkars were famous as skilled masons; Laks made and repaired metal products, and at fairs - unique centers of public life - residents of the village of Tsovkra (Dagestan) often performed, who mastered the art of circus tightrope walkers. The folk crafts of the North Caucasus are known far beyond its borders: painted ceramics and patterned carpets from the Lak village of Balkhar, wooden items with metal incisions from the Avar village of Untsukul, silver jewelry from the village of Kubachi. In many villages, from Karachay-in-Cherkessia to Northern Dagestan, they engage in felting wool - making burkas and felt carpets. Burka is a necessary part of mountain and Cossack cavalry equipment. It protects from bad weather not only while driving - under a good burka you can hide from bad weather, like in a small tent; it is absolutely indispensable for shepherds. In the villages of Southern Dagestan, especially among the Lezgins, magnificent pile carpets are made, highly valued throughout the world.

Ancient Caucasian villages are extremely picturesque. Stone houses with flat roofs and open galleries with carved pillars are built close to each other along the narrow streets. Often such a house is surrounded by defensive walls, and next to it rises a tower with narrow loopholes - previously the whole family hid in such towers during enemy raids. Nowadays the towers are abandoned as unnecessary and are gradually being destroyed, so that the picturesqueness little by little disappears, and new houses are built of concrete or brick, with glazed verandas, often two or even three floors high.

These houses are not so original, but they are comfortable, and their furnishings are sometimes no different from those in the city - a modern kitchen, running water, heating (though the toilet and even the washbasin are often located in the yard). New houses are often used only for entertaining guests, and the family lives either on the ground floor or in an old house converted into a kind of living kitchen. In some places you can still see the ruins of ancient fortresses, walls and fortifications. In a number of places there are cemeteries with ancient, well-preserved grave crypts.

Caucasus - a mighty mountain range stretching from west to east from the Sea of Azov to the Caspian Sea. In the southern spurs and valleys settled down Georgia and Azerbaijan , V in the western part its slopes descend to the Black Sea coast of Russia. The peoples discussed in this article live in the mountains and foothills of the northern slopes. Administratively the territory of the North Caucasus is divided between seven republics : Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

Appearance Many indigenous people of the Caucasus are homogeneous. These are light-skinned, predominantly dark-eyed and dark-haired people with sharp facial features, a large (“humpbacked”) nose, and narrow lips. Highlanders are usually taller than lowlanders. Among the Adyghe people Blonde hair and eyes are common (possibly as a result of mixing with the peoples of Eastern Europe), and in residents of the coastal regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan one can feel an admixture of, on the one hand, Iranian blood (narrow faces), and on the other, Central Asian blood (small noses).

It is not for nothing that the Caucasus is called Babylon - almost 40 languages are “mixed” here. Scientists highlight Western, Eastern and South Caucasian languages . In Western Caucasian, or Abkhaz-Adyghe, They say Abkhazians, Abazins, Shapsugs (live northwest of Sochi), Adygeis, Circassians, Kabardians . East Caucasian languages include Nakh and Dagestan.To the Nakh include Ingush and Chechen, A Dagestani They are divided into several subgroups. The largest of them is Avaro-Ando-Tsez. However Avar- the language of not only the Avars themselves. IN Northern Dagestan lives 15 small nations , each of which inhabits only a few neighboring villages located in isolated high mountain valleys. These peoples speak different languages, and Avar for them is the language of interethnic communication , it is studied in schools. In Southern Dagestan sound Lezgin languages . Lezgins live not only in Dagestan, but also in the regions of Azerbaijan neighboring this republic . While the Soviet Union was a single state, such division was not very noticeable, but now, when the state border has passed between close relatives, friends, acquaintances, the people are experiencing it painfully. Lezgin languages spoken : Tabasarans, Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs and some others . In Central Dagestan prevail Dargin (in particular, it is spoken in the famous village of Kubachi) and Lak languages .

Turkic peoples also live in the North Caucasus - Kumyks, Nogais, Balkars and Karachais . There are Mountain Jews-tats (in D Agestan, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria ). Their tongue Tat , refers to Iranian group of the Indo-European family . The Iranian group also includes Ossetian .

Until October 1917 almost all the languages of the North Caucasus were unwritten. In the 20s for the languages of most Caucasian peoples, except for the smallest ones, they developed alphabets on a Latin basis; A large number of books, newspapers and magazines were published. In the 30s The Latin alphabet was replaced by alphabets based on Russian, but they turned out to be less suitable for transmitting the sounds of speech of Caucasians. Nowadays, books, newspapers, and magazines are published in local languages, but literature in Russian is still read by a larger number of people.

By religion, the majority of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus -Muslims . However Ossetians are mostly Orthodox , A Mountain Jews practice Judaism . For a long time, traditional Islam coexisted with pre-Muslim, pagan traditions and customs. At the end of the 20th century. In some regions of the Caucasus, mainly in Chechnya and Dagestan, the ideas of Wahhabism became popular. This movement, which arose on the Arabian Peninsula, demands strict adherence to Islamic standards of life, rejection of music and dancing, and opposes the participation of women in public life.

CAUCASIAN TREAT

Traditional occupations of the peoples of the Caucasus - arable farming and transhumance . Many Karachay, Ossetian, Ingush, and Dagestan villages specialize in growing certain types of vegetables - cabbage, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, etc. . In the mountainous regions of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria, transhumance sheep and goat breeding predominate; Sweaters, hats, shawls, etc. are knitted from the wool and down of sheep and goats.

Vegetable dishes are atypical for North Caucasian cuisine, but vegetables are eaten all the time - fresh, pickled and pickled; they are also used as a filling for pies. In the Caucasus, they love hot dairy dishes - they dilute cheese crumbles and flour in melted sour cream, drink chilled fermented milk product - ayran. The well-known kefir is an invention of the Caucasian highlanders; it is fermented with special fungi in wineskins. The Karachais call this dairy product " gypy-ayran ".

In a traditional feast, bread is often replaced with other types of flour and cereal dishes. First of all this various cereals . In the Western Caucasus , for example, with any dishes, they eat steep meat much more often than bread. millet or corn porridge .In the Eastern Caucasus (Chechnya, Dagestan) the most popular flour dish - khinkal (pieces of dough are boiled in meat broth or simply in water, and eaten with sauce). Both porridge and khinkal require less fuel for cooking than baking bread, and therefore are common where firewood is in short supply. In the highlands , among shepherds, where there is very little fuel, the main food is oatmeal - coarse flour fried until brown, which is mixed with meat broth, syrup, butter, milk, or, in extreme cases, just water. Balls are made from the resulting dough and eaten with tea, broth, and ayran. Various types of food have great everyday and ritual significance in Caucasian cuisine. pies - with meat, potatoes, beet tops and, of course, cheese .Among the Ossetians , for example, such a pie is called " fydia n". On the festive table there must be three "walibaha"(pies with cheese), and they are positioned so that they are visible from the sky to St. George, whom Ossetians especially reverence.

In the fall, housewives prepare jams, juices, syrups . Previously, sugar was replaced with honey, molasses or boiled grape juice when making sweets. Traditional Caucasian sweet - halva. It is made from toasted flour or cereal balls fried in oil, adding butter and honey (or sugar syrup). In Dagestan they prepare a kind of liquid halva - urbech. Roasted hemp, flax, sunflower seeds or apricot kernels are ground with vegetable oil diluted in honey or sugar syrup.

Excellent grape wine is made in the North Caucasus .Ossetians for a long time brew barley beer ; among the Adygeis, Kabardins, Circassians and Turkic peoples replaces him buza, or maxym a, - a type of light beer made from millet. A stronger buza is obtained by adding honey.

Unlike their Christian neighbors - Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Greeks - mountain peoples of the Caucasus don't eat mushrooms, but collect wild berries, wild pears, nuts . Hunting, a favorite pastime of the mountaineers, has now lost its importance, since large areas of the mountains are occupied by nature reserves, and many animals, such as bison, are included in the International Red Book. There are a lot of wild boars in the forests, but they are rarely hunted, because Muslims do not eat pork.

CAUCASIAN VILLAGES

Since ancient times, residents of many villages, in addition to agriculture, were engaged in crafts . Balkars were famous as skilled masons; Laks manufactured and repaired metal products, and at fairs - unique centers of public life - they often performed residents of the village of Tsovkra (Dagestan), who mastered the art of circus tightrope walkers. Folk crafts of the North Caucasus known far beyond its borders: painted ceramics and patterned carpets from the Lak village of Balkhar, wooden items with metal incisions from the Avar village of Untsukul, silver jewelry from the village of Kubachi. In many villages, from Karachay-Cherkessia to Northern Dagestan , are engaged felting wool - making burkas and felt carpets . Bourke A- a necessary part of mountain and Cossack cavalry equipment. It protects from bad weather not only while driving - under a good burka you can hide from bad weather, like in a small tent; it is absolutely indispensable for shepherds. In the villages of Southern Dagestan, especially among the Lezgins , make gorgeous pile carpets , highly valued all over the world.

Ancient Caucasian villages are extremely picturesque . Stone houses with flat roofs and open galleries with carved pillars are built close to each other along the narrow streets. Often such a house is surrounded by defensive walls, and next to it rises a tower with narrow loopholes - previously the whole family hid in such towers during enemy raids. Nowadays the towers are abandoned as unnecessary and are gradually being destroyed, so that the picturesqueness little by little disappears, and new houses are built of concrete or brick, with glazed verandas, often two or even three floors high.

These houses are not so original, but they are comfortable, and their furnishings are sometimes no different from the city - a modern kitchen, running water, heating (although the toilet and even the washbasin are often located in the yard). New houses are often used only for entertaining guests, and the family lives either on the ground floor or in an old house converted into a kind of living kitchen. In some places you can still see the ruins of ancient fortresses, walls and fortifications. In a number of places there are cemeteries with ancient, well-preserved grave crypts.

HOLIDAY IN A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE

High in the mountains lies the Iez village of Shaitli. At the beginning of February, when the days become longer and for the first time in winter the sun's rays touch the slopes of Mount Chora, which towers above the village, to Shaitli celebrate the holiday Igby ". This name comes from the word “ig” - this is the name given to yezy, a baked ring of bread, similar to a bagel, with a diameter of 20-30 cm. For the Igbi holiday, such bread is baked in all homes, and young people prepare cardboard and leather masks and fancy dress costumes..

The morning of the holiday arrives. A squad of “wolves” takes to the streets - guys dressed in sheepskin coats turned outward with fur, with wolf masks on their faces and wooden swords. Their leader carries a pennant made of a strip of fur, and the two most strong men- long pole. "Wolves" go around the village and collect tribute from each yard - holiday bread; they are strung on a pole. There are other mummers in the squad: “goblins” in costumes made of moss and pine branches, “bears”, “skeletons” and even modern characters, for example “policemen”, “tourists”. The mummers play funny siennas, bully the audience, they can throw them into the snow, but no one is offended. Then a “quidili” appears on the square, which symbolizes last year, the passing winter. The guy portraying this character is dressed in a long robe made of skins. A pole sticks out of a hole in the robe, and on it is the head of a “quid” with a terrible mouth and horns. The actor, unbeknownst to the audience, controls his mouth with the help of strings. "Quidili" climbs onto a "tribune" made of snow and ice and makes a speech. He wishes all good people good luck in the new year, and then turns to the events of the past year. He names those who committed bad deeds, were idle, hooligans, and the “wolves” grab the “culprits” and drag them to the river. More often than not, they are released halfway, only to be rolled out in the snow, but some may be dipped in water, though only their legs. On the contrary, the “quidili” congratulates those who have distinguished themselves by good deeds and hands them a donut from the pole.

As soon as the “quidly” leaves the podium, the mummers pounce on him and drag him onto the bridge over the river. There the leader of the “wolves” “kills” him with a sword. A guy playing “quidili” under a robe opens a hidden bottle of paint, and “blood” pours abundantly onto the ice. The “killed” is placed on a stretcher and solemnly carried away. In a secluded place, the mummers undress, divide the remaining bagels among themselves and join the merry people, but without masks and costumes.

TRADITIONAL COSTUME K A B A R D I N C E V I C H E R K E S O V

Adygs (Kabardians and Circassians) have long been considered fashion trendsetters in the North Caucasus, and therefore their traditional costume had a noticeable influence on the clothing of neighboring peoples.

Men's costume of Kabardians and Circassians developed at a time when men spent a significant part of their lives on military campaigns. The rider could not do without long burqa : it replaced his home and bed on the way, protected him from cold and heat, rain and snow. Another type of warm clothing - sheepskin coats, they were worn by shepherds and elderly men.

Outerwear also served Circassian . It was made from cloth, most often black, brown or gray, sometimes white. Before the abolition of serfdom, only princes and nobles had the right to wear white Circassian coats and burkas. On both sides of the chest on a Circassian sewed pockets for wooden gas tubes in which gun charges were stored . Noble Kabardians, in order to prove their daring, often wore a torn Circassian coat.

Under the Circassian coat, over the undershirt, they wore beshmet - caftan with a high stand-up collar, long and narrow sleeves. Representatives of the upper classes sewed beshmets from cotton, silk or fine woolen fabric, peasants - from homemade cloth. The beshmet for peasants was home and work clothing, and the Circassian coat was festive.

Headdress considered the most important element of men's clothing. It was worn not only for protection from cold and heat, but also for “honor.” Usually worn fur hat with cloth bottom ; in hot weather - felt hat with wide brim . In bad weather they would throw a hat over their hat cloth hood . Ceremonial hoods were decorated galloons and gold embroidery .

Princes and nobles wore red morocco shoes decorated with braid and gold , and the peasants - rough shoes made of rawhide. It is no coincidence that in folk songs the struggle of peasants with feudal lords is called the struggle of “rawhide shoes with morocco shoes.”

Traditional women's costume of Kabardians and Circassians reflected social differences. The underwear was long silk or cotton shirt, red or orange . They put it on a shirt short caftan, trimmed with galloon, with massive silver clasps And. Its cut was similar to a man's beshmet. On top of the caftan - long dress . It had a slit in the front, through which one could see the undershirt and the decorations of the caftan. The costume was complemented belt with silver buckle . Only women of noble origin were allowed to wear red dresses..

Elderly wore cotton quilted kaftan , A young , according to local custom, you weren't supposed to have warm outerwear. Only their woolen shawl protected them from the cold.

Hats changed depending on the age of the woman. Girl went wearing a headscarf or bareheaded . When it was possible to match her, she put on “golden cap” and wore it until the birth of her first child .The cap was decorated with gold and silver braid ; the bottom was made of cloth or velvet, and the top was crowned with a silver cone. After the birth of a child, a woman exchanged her hat for a dark scarf ; above a shawl was usually thrown over him to cover his hair . Shoes were made of leather and morocco, and holiday shoes were always red.

CAUCASIAN TABLE ETIQUETTE

The peoples of the Caucasus have always attached great importance to observing table traditions. The basic requirements of traditional etiquette have been preserved to this day. Food was supposed to be moderate. Not only gluttony, but also “multiple eating” was condemned. One of the writers of everyday life of the peoples of the Caucasus noted that the Ossetians are content with such an amount of food, “with which a European can hardly exist for any long time.” This was especially true for alcoholic beverages. For example, among the Circassians it was considered dishonorable to get drunk while visiting. Drinking alcohol was once akin to a sacred ritual. “They drink with great solemnity and respect... always with their heads naked as a sign of the highest humility,” an Italian traveler of the 15th century reported about the Circassians. J. Interiano.

Caucasian feast - a kind of performance where the behavior of everyone is described in detail: men and women, older and younger, hosts and guests. As a rule, even if the meal took place in the home circle, men and women did not sit together at the same table . The men ate first, followed by the women and children. However, on holidays they were allowed to eat at the same time, but in different rooms or at different tables. The elders and the younger ones also did not sit at the same table, and if they sat down, then in the established order - the elders at the “upper” end, the younger ones at the “lower” end of the table. In the old days, for example, among the Kabardians, the younger ones only stood at the walls and served the elders; They were called that way - “propping up the walls” or “standing above our heads.”

The manager of the feast was not the owner, but the eldest of those present - the “toastmaster”. This Adyghe-Abkhaz word has become widespread, and now it can be heard outside the Caucasus. He made toasts and gave the floor; The toastmaster had assistants at the large tables. In general, it is difficult to say what they did more at the Caucasian table: they ate or made toasts. The toasts were rich. The qualities and merits of the person they were talking about were extolled to the skies. The ceremonial meal was always interrupted by songs and dances.

When they received a respected and dear guest, they always made a sacrifice: they slaughtered either a cow, or a ram, or a chicken. Such “shedding of blood” was a sign of respect. Scientists see in it an echo of the pagan identification of the guest with God. It’s not for nothing that the Circassians have a saying: “A guest is God’s messenger.” For Russians, it sounds even more definite: “A guest in the house - God in the house.”

Both in ceremonial and everyday feasts, great importance was attached to the distribution of meat. The best, honorable pieces were given to guests and elders. U Abkhazians the main guest was presented with a shoulder blade or thigh, the oldest - half a head; at Kabardians the best pieces were considered to be the right half of the head and the right shoulder blade, as well as the breast and navel of the bird; at Balkarians - right shoulder blade, femoral part, joints of the hind limbs. Others received their shares in order of seniority. The animal carcass was supposed to be dismembered into 64 pieces.

If the owner noticed that his guest stopped eating out of decency or embarrassment, he presented him with another honorable share. Refusal was considered indecent, no matter how well-fed one was. The host never stopped eating before the guests.

Table etiquette provided for standard invitation and refusal formulas. This is how they sounded, for example, among the Ossetians. They never answered: “I’m full,” “I’m full.” You should have said: “Thank you, I’m not embarrassed, I treated myself well.” Eating all the food served on the table was also considered indecent. The Ossetians called the dishes that remained untouched “the share of the one who clears the table.” The famous researcher of the North Caucasus V.F. Muller said that in the poor houses of Ossetians, table etiquette is observed more strictly than in the gilded palaces of the European nobility.

During the feast they never forgot about God. The meal began with a prayer to the Almighty, and every toast, every good wish (to the owner, the house, the toastmaster, those present) - with the pronunciation of his name. The Abkhazians asked the Lord to bless the one in question; among the Circassians, at a festival, say, regarding the construction of a new house, they said: “May God make this place happy,” etc.; The Abkhazians often used the following table wish: “May both God and people bless you” or simply: “May people bless you.”

Women, according to tradition, did not participate in the men's feast. They could only serve those feasting in the guest room - the “kunatskaya”. Among some peoples (mountain Georgians, Abkhazians, etc.), the hostess of the house sometimes still came out to the guests, but only in order to proclaim a toast in their honor and immediately leave.

FEAST OF THE RETURN OF THE PLOWERS

The most important event in the life of a farmer is plowing and sowing. Among the peoples of the Caucasus, the beginning and completion of these works were accompanied by magical rituals: according to popular beliefs, they were supposed to contribute to a bountiful harvest.

The Circassians went to the field at the same time - the whole village or, if the village was large, along the street. They elected a “senior plowman”, determined a place for the camp, and built huts. This is where they installed " banner of the ploughmen - a five to seven meter pole with a piece of yellow material attached to it. Yellow symbolized ripened ears of corn, the length of the pole - the size of the future harvest. Therefore, they tried to make the “banner” as long as possible. It was vigilantly guarded so that plowmen from other camps would not steal it. Those who lost the “banner” were threatened with crop failure, but the kidnappers, on the contrary, had more grain.

The first furrow was laid by the luckiest grain grower. Before this, the arable land, bulls, and plow were doused with water or buza (an intoxicating drink made from cereals). They also poured buza on the first inverted layer of earth. The plowmen tore off each other's hats and threw them on the ground so that the plow could plow them under. It was believed that the more caps there were in the first furrow, the better.

During the entire period of spring work, the plowmen lived in the camp. They worked from dawn to dusk, but nevertheless there was time for cheerful jokes and games. So, having secretly visited the village, the guys stole the hat from a girl from a noble family. A few days later she was solemnly returned, and the family of the “victim” organized food and dancing for the entire village. In response to the theft of the hat, the peasants who did not go to the field stole a plow belt from the camp. To “rescue the belt,” food and drinks were brought to the house where it was hidden as ransom. It should be added that a number of prohibitions are associated with the plow. For example, you couldn’t sit on it. The “offender” was beaten with nettles or tied to the wheel of a cart thrown over on its side and spun around. If a “stranger” sat on the plow, not from his own camp, a ransom was demanded from him.

The famous game " shaming chefs." A “commission” was chosen, and it checked the work of the cooks. If there were any omissions, the relatives had to bring treats to the field.

The Adygs especially solemnly celebrated the end of sowing. Women prepared buza and various dishes in advance. For shooting competitions, carpenters made a special target - kabak ("kabak" in some Turkic languages is a type of pumpkin). The target looked like a gate, only small. Wooden figures of animals and birds were hung on the crossbar, and each figure represented a specific prize. The girls worked on the mask and clothes for the agegafe ("dancing goat"). Azhegafe was the main character of the holiday. His role was played by a witty, cheerful person. He put on a mask, an inverted fur coat, tied a tail and a long beard, crowned his head with goat horns, and armed himself with a wooden saber and a dagger.

Solemnly, on decorated carts, the plowmen returned to the village . On the front cart there was a “banner”, and on the last one there was a target. Horsemen followed the procession and shot at the tavern at full gallop. To make it more difficult to hit the figures, the target was specially rocked.

Throughout the entire journey from the field to the village, the agegafe entertained the people. He got away with even the most daring jokes. The servants of Islam, considering the liberties of the agegafe to be blasphemy, cursed him and never participated in the holiday. However, this character was so loved by the Adygams that they did not pay attention to the ban of the priests.

Before reaching the village, the procession stopped. The plowmen laid out a platform for communal meals and games, and used a plow to make a deep furrow around it. At this time, the agegafe went around houses, collecting treats. He was accompanied by his “wife,” whose role was played by a man dressed in women’s clothing. They acted out funny scenes: for example, the agegafe fell dead, and for his “resurrection” they demanded a treat from the owner of the house, etc.

The holiday lasted several days and was accompanied by abundant food, dancing and fun. On the final day there were horse races and horse riding.

In the 40s XX century the holiday of the return of plowmen disappeared from the life of the Circassians . But one of my favorite characters - agegafe - and now you can often find them at weddings and other celebrations.

HANCEGUACHE

Can the most ordinary shovel become a princess? It turns out that this happens.

The Circassians have a ritual of making rain, called "khanieguashe" . “Khanie” means “shovel” in Adyghe, “gua-she” means “princess”, “mistress”. The ceremony was usually performed on Friday. Young women gathered and made a princess out of a wooden shovel for winnowing grain: they attached a crossbar to the handle, dressed the shovel in women's clothing, covered it with a scarf, and belted it. The “neck” was decorated with a “necklace” - a smoked chain on which the cauldron was hung over the fireplace. They tried to take her from a house where there had been cases of death from lightning strikes. If the owners objected, the chain was sometimes even stolen.

The women, always barefoot, took the scarecrow by the “hands” and walked around all the courtyards of the village with the song “God, in Your name we lead Hanieguache, send us rain.” The housewives brought out treats or money and poured water over the women, saying: “God, accept it favorably.” Those who made meager offerings to Hanieguash were condemned by their neighbors.

Gradually, the procession increased: women and children from the courtyards where Hanieguache was “brought” joined it. Sometimes they carried milk strainers and fresh cheese with them. They had a magical meaning: just as easily as milk passes through a strainer, it should rain from the clouds; cheese symbolized moisture-saturated soil.

Having walked around the village, the women carried the scarecrow to the river and placed it on the bank. It was time for ritual bathing. The ritual participants pushed each other into the river and doused each other with water. They especially tried to douse young married women with small children.

The Black Sea Shapsugs then threw the stuffed animal into the water, and after three days they pulled it out and broke it. The Kabardians brought the scarecrow to the center of the village, invited musicians and danced around Hanieguache until darkness. The celebrations ended with pouring seven buckets of water over the stuffed animal. Sometimes instead of it, a dressed up frog was carried through the streets, which was then thrown into the river.

After sunset, a feast began, at which the food collected from the village was eaten. General fun and laughter had a magical meaning in the ritual.

The image of Hanieguash goes back to one of the characters in Circassian mythology - the mistress of the rivers Psychoguashe. They turned to her with a request to send rain. Since Hanieguache personified pagan goddess waters, the day of the week when she “visited” the village was considered sacred. According to popular belief, an unseemly act committed on this day was a particularly grave sin.

The vagaries of the weather are beyond human control; drought, like many years ago, visits the fields of farmers from time to time. And then Hanieguashe walks through the Adyghe villages, giving hope for a quick and plentiful rain, cheering the old and young. Of course, at the end of the 20th century. This ritual is perceived more as entertainment, and mainly children participate in it. Adults, not even believing that rain can be made in this way, gladly give them sweets and money.

ATALICITY

If modern man asked where children should be raised, he would answer in bewilderment: “Where if not at home?” Meanwhile, in antiquity and the early Middle Ages it was widespread a custom when a child was given to someone else’s family to be raised immediately after birth . This custom was recorded among the Scythians, ancient Celts, Germans, Slavs, Turks, Mongols and some other peoples. In the Caucasus it existed until the beginning of the 20th century. among all mountain peoples from Abkhazia to Dagestan. Caucasian experts call it a Turkic word "atalychestvo" (from “atalyk” - “like a father”).

As soon as a son or daughter was born into a respected family, applicants for the position of atalyk rushed to offer their services. The more noble and richer the family was, the more willing there were. To get ahead of everyone, the newborn was sometimes stolen. It was believed that an atalyk should not have more than one pupil or pupil. His wife (atalychka) or her relative became the nurse. Sometimes, over time, the child moved from one atalyk to another.

They raised adopted children almost the same way as their own. There was one difference: the atalyk (and his entire family) paid much more attention to the adopted child, he was better fed and clothed. When the boy was taught to ride a horse, and then horseback riding, wield a dagger, pistol, rifle, and hunt, they looked after him more closely than their own sons. If there were military clashes with neighbors, the atalyk took the teenager with him and stitched him up with his own body. The girl was introduced to women's housework, taught to embroider, initiated into the intricacies of complex Caucasian etiquette, and instilled with accepted ideas about female honor and pride. There was an exam coming up in his parents' house, and the young man had to show what he had learned publicly. Young men usually returned to their father and mother upon reaching adulthood (at age 16) or at the time of marriage (at age 18); girls are usually earlier.

The entire time the child lived with the atalyk, he did not see his parents. Therefore in home returning as if to someone else's family. Years passed before he got used to his father and mother, brothers and sisters. But closeness with the atalyk’s family remained throughout life, and, according to custom, it was equated to blood.

Returning the pupil, the atalyk gave him clothes, weapons, and a horse. . But he and his wife received even more generous gifts from the pupil’s father: several heads of cattle, sometimes even land. A close relationship was established between both families, the so-called artificial relationship, no less strong than blood.

Kinship by atalism was established between people of equal social status - princes, nobles, rich peasants; sometimes between neighboring peoples (Abkhazians and Mingrelians, Kabardians and Ossetians, etc.). Princely families entered into dynastic alliances in this way. In other cases, a higher-ranking feudal lord handed over a child to be raised by a lower-ranking one, or a wealthy peasant handed over to a less prosperous one. The father of the pupil not only gave gifts to the atalyk, but also provided him with support, protected him from enemies, etc. In this way he expanded the circle dependent people. Atalyk gave up part of his independence, but gained a patron. It is no coincidence that among the Abkhazians and Circassians, adult people could become “pupils”. In order for the milk relationship to be considered recognized, the “pupil” touched the breast of the atalyk’s wife with his lips. Among the Chechens and Ingush, who did not know the pronounced social stratification, the custom of atalism did not develop.

At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists offered 14 explanations for the origin of atalism. Anytime now serious explanations two left. According to the prominent Russian Caucasian expert M. O. Kosven, atalychestvo - remnant of avunculate (from Latin avunculus - “mother’s brother”). This custom was known in ancient times. It has been preserved as a relic among some modern peoples (especially in Central Africa). Avunculate established the closest connection between the child and his maternal uncle: according to the rules, it was the uncle who raised the child. However, supporters of this hypothesis cannot answer a simple question: why was it not the mother’s brother, but a stranger who became the atalyk? Another explanation seems more convincing. Education in general and Caucasian atalyism in particular were recorded no earlier than at the time of the disintegration of the primitive communal system and the emergence of classes. Old consanguineous ties had already been broken, but new ones had not yet emerged. People, in order to acquire supporters, defenders, patrons, etc., established artificial kinship. Atalism became one of its types.

"SENIOR" AND "JUNGER" IN THE CAUCASUS

Politeness and restraint are highly valued in the Caucasus. No wonder the Adyghe proverb says: “Do not strive for a place of honor - if you deserve it, you will get it.” Especially Adygeis, Circassians, Kabardians are known for their strict morals . They attach great importance to their appearance: even in hot weather a jacket and a hat are indispensable parts of clothing. You need to walk sedately, talk slowly and quietly. You are supposed to stand and sit decorously, you cannot lean against the wall, cross your legs, much less casually lounge on a chair. If a senior person, even a complete stranger, passes by, you need to stand up and bow.

Hospitality and respect for elders - the cornerstones of Caucasian ethics. The guest is surrounded with constant attention: they will allocate the best room in the house, they will not leave him alone for a minute - all the time until the guest goes to bed, either the owner himself, or his brother, or another close relative will be with him. The host usually dines with the guest, perhaps older relatives or friends will join, but the hostess and other women will not sit at the table - they will only serve. The younger members of the family may not show up at all, and forcing them to sit at the table with the Elders is completely unthinkable. They are seated at the table in the accepted order: at the head is the toastmaster, that is, the manager of the feast (the owner of the house or the eldest among those gathered), to the right of him is the guest of honor, then in order of seniority.

When two people walk down the street, the younger one usually goes to the left of the older one. . If a third person joins them, say someone middle-aged, the younger one moves to the right and a little back, and the new one takes his place on the left. They are seated in the same order on an airplane or car. This rule dates back to the Middle Ages, when people walked around armed, with an shield on their left hand, and the younger one was obliged to protect the older one from a possible ambush attack.

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 one hundred thousand know only their native language, another hundred thousand Chechens live in Dagestan, and about twelve thousand live 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 on the arable lands of Stavropol. 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.

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 the ancient princely surname, belonged to the Gediminovich family, among whom were such prominent figures Russia, as a 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 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 I came to the conclusion that the Proto-Slavs in spiritually were more closely connected with the East than with the West, where, in his opinion, contacts were made 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 Vremennik” and “Chronicles”, and periodically makes presentations in various European cities. 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 his psychological characteristics, N. Trubetskoy preferred calm, 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 turned 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 correct solution to the Georgian question can be achieved only if true Georgian nationalism arises, that is, a special Georgian form of Eurasian ideology.

Azerbaijanis in their numbers represent the most important element of 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.

The three national problems of Transcaucasia (Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani) are intertwined with foreign policy problems. 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 an 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.

The complexity of the 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 associated management techniques. 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. Thus, for example, the question of the language of instruction in schools in such areas loses all its urgency: in the same locality there are schools with different languages in which instruction is conducted, and each of these 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 of the state power is to create an organic association of the native population with the ruling nation for joint work, 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 Tatarize the southern districts of Dagestan and the Zagatala 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 the province transitions to the position independent state inevitably a whole series of new positions are 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”, local national culture, etc. 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 rejected, then all that remains is to try, through the establishment of public education and the improvement of agriculture, to destroy the old living conditions and the 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 ethnic composition and in 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 power. 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 of a common language. in the past, things got to the point where official correspondence and office work were conducted on 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 kept in mind that when intensifying economic life the use of “international” languages is acquiring such importance that it is displacing 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-Turanian ideas with a separatist, Russophobic slant. Dagestan should be used as a natural barrier to the Turkization of this part of Eurasia. northern and western districts In 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.

In terms of population within the Russian Federation, the Caucasus ranks third. 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 recently 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.

The cultures of the ancient countries of Urartu, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and medieval Iran, the Ottoman and Byzantine empires 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, sometimes historians amazing corner Russia is called “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 Latin. In the 30s, they decided to replace the Latin alphabets with Russian 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.

This endogamy led to the fact that the concepts of “one’s own” and “alien” had clear definitions and boundaries. The concepts of “apsuara” and “adygag’e” became characteristic of the Caucasian peoples, with the help of which the mountaineers designated the arch moral standards behavior of the Abkhazians and Circassians, 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 of 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 “Prisoner of the Caucasus” said . 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 shining 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 taste qualities, the traditional dishes of the mountaineers 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.