Adigean, Circassian or Kabardin — a single ethnic group

Quite often, in conversation with a representative of one of the three republics of the North-West Caucasus can hear these ethnic names belonging to its aboriginal people.

However, a person who is not prepared will easily be deceived when talking with any of them. The opponent can call himself Adyge, and at the same time Adygeyan. Or even more difficult — Adyge-besleneney, or seaside shapsug, for example.

How to understand what these ethnic concepts mean and where is the line between them? Let’s try to understand.

First of all, remember the most important rule: all the above-mentioned nationalities are essentially one big ethnos. They call themselves Adygs, and other peoples (ie, other peoples) call them Circassians. Adygee = Circassians in meaning. To write correctly Adyge (Circassians).

1. A little bit about the history of these words. The first mention of “Adyge” is found at Genoa traveler -Giorgio Interiano, who in the 15th century with the breeze swept along the Kuban. On the way, he stayed with the Circassians living here, recording their everyday life, customs and folklore. In 1502, Georgie released in Venice a book about his travels “The Life of Zikas, called Chirkas.” In it, he wrote that “Zikhs” (medieval ethnic name of Circassian ancestors) they call on the Greek and Latin languages, the Tatars and the Turks call them “Circassians”, and in their own tongue they are called “Adyga”.

Translation of the term “Adygs” has not yet been established. On this account, there are two versions — the People of the Sun (-a and -dyge) based on the theoretical language of the ancestor of the Abkhaz-Adygeans or “seashore people” (-adzyge), based on related Abkhazian and Ubykh languages. Both versions are controversial, but no other serious yet.

The term “Circassians” appears for the first time in 1240 in the Mongolian chronicle “The Secret Legend” in the form of Serkes (ut). According to one version, it comes from the ancient Iranian (Aryan) “Man of the Tsar”. The popular version was born in due time by the traveler Julius Klaprot about the Tatar origin of the name from the words Cher (road) and Kesmek (cut off), i.e. cutting off a path or simply a burglar from a big road. This version was supported by the Circassian prince Misostov, who in 1841, in the book The History of the Impure Chirakes, described the word “Circassian”, as Persian with the meaning “thug”. The bloodthirsty versions remained very popular for a long time. And now many of them use it by habit, especially since the issue of an exact translation has not yet been resolved. There are also two other versions of the Cherkess that draw parallels with the ancient Kerket tribe that migrated from the Anapa area to the east to the Shahe River and the name of the leader of the ancient seaside tribe from the Sochi district of Geniokhy, named Krekas, at the beginning of our era.

2. So, with the base figured out — Adyge = Circassian. But what does the meaning of Shapsug, Kabardin and so on mean then? Very simple. Due to the tribal (subethnic) division of the Circassian society, which never turned into a single nation, the conditional division of Adygs into separate tribal societies has still remained/ There are many of them, but the Adyge (Circassians) lived throughout the Krasnodar Territory (south of the Kuban), in the south of the Stavropol Territory (Pyatigorye region) and in the plains of Chechnya and Ingushetia (between the Terek and Sunzha) until 1864. Since then, several tribes managed to sink into history. Today, such a division is not as pronounced as before. It is represented most sharply, perhaps, between the Circassians from Adygea (and the Krasnodar Territory) on the one hand and the Adygs from Kabardino-Balkaria / Karachay-Cherkessia on the other hand, because of some difference in language. In science, it is customary to talk about the eastern and western dialects of the Circassian language, but practice shows that the habituation of the carriers of these two dialects takes 1–2 days between each other. The difference is only in the change of some basic sounds in words.

Let’s not go deep and note for ourselves: there are eastern Adygs (Kabardins in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, Besleney in Karachay-Circassian Republic) and Western Adygs (Shapsugs in Lazarevsky District of Sochi and Temirgoy / Hatukay / Bzhedug / Abadzekh / Mamhegh / Yegerukhuay / Adamiy / Mahosh in Adygea Republic). Of the latter, the main subethnoses are Temirgoy (whose subdialect is the official language of Adygea) and Bzhedug. Strict boundaries are not there, everyone lives intermittently, so in Adygea you can meet Kabardins, as well as in Kabarda Temirgoys, for example.

You may argue — and what about Abaza, who live in all the same places (but mostly in Karachay-Circassian Republic)? Do not get lost — Abazins are mixed people, whose language is close to the Abkhazian. In short, they were once evicted from Abkhazia to the plains of the Karachay-Circassia and Kabardin-Balkar Republics and mingled with the Circassians. But this is a completely different story.

3. Why then there is confusion in modern ethnic names? Why are the Adygs, Circassians, and Kabardians singled out — if they are all one ethnic group, divided into tribal (subethnic) groups?

Divide and rule. The old tradition of empires, which touched the Adyge (Circassians) in the early Soviet years. The fact is that in tsarist Russia Circassians did not have their own republics or autonomies. With the advent of Soviet power, they were generously given such an opportunity. But Soviet government were afraid that Circassians will feel understand themselves as a single nation and unite in a serious big republic from the Black Sea to the Terek. In several different ways, three republics were formed as a result: Kabardin-Balkaria — which included the largest eastern sub-ethnos of the Adygs (Circassians) — the Kabardins. To maintain their balance, they were united with the Turkish ethnos — Balkars. Adygea autonomy next founded, which included the aforementioned sub-ethnic groups along the Kuban coast (mountainous parts, capital Maikop, Lago-Naki plateau — all this was included in autonomy only in 1936). Shapsugs in the Lazarevsky district of Sochi received their district in the 20–40’s, but in 1945 it was liquidated and everything ended there. In 1957 the last Karachay-Circassian autonomy were given to Circassian-besleneys. Here, too, the authorities supported the balance with the Abazins and the Turkish ethnos of Karachai (full relatives to Balkars).

Since then, in the ethnic name began a complete mess, as ADMINISTRATIVE names began to replace the ETHNIC. That is, the Adyge from Karachay-Circassia began to be called Circassian regardless of tribal affiliation, and all the numerous Western subethnoses were replaced by the artificial term Adygeans, created at Communist party congresses in the 1920s.

So the next time you talk to the Adygean, Circassian or Kabardin — ask him from what tribe (subethnos) he is and you will learn a lot of life of Adygs (Circassians), and at the same time will gain confidence as an expert of amazing Circassian society.

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