Who are the Chechens really? Chechen people: culture, traditions and customs.

RIA Novosti columnist Tatyana Sinitsyna.

The Chechens are sure that their deepest roots historically stretch to the Sumerian kingdom (30th century BC). They also consider themselves descendants of the ancient Urartians (9th-6th centuries BC). In any case, the deciphered cuneiform writing of these two civilizations indicates that many authentic words have been preserved in the Chechen language.

It so happened that throughout history the Chechens did not have their own state. The only attempt to create the kingdom of Sinsir in the XIY century came at the wrong time - this barely born idea was crushed by the cavalry of Tamerlane. Having lost two-thirds of his people in battles with Eastern conquerors, the Chechens left the fertile plains and went to the mountains - from there it was more convenient to continue the fight. Mountains for Chechens have forever become a haven, a refuge, a native, and even a holy place.

In addition to foreign conquerors, there were also enough local enemies - warlike detachments of other Caucasian ethnic groups attacked each other every now and then, such was the way of life. I had to be armed all the time. In order to more effectively protect their home, their village, the highlanders united in militia units, built defensive lines. Until now, hundreds of ancient fortress towers made of crushed stone are scattered across the Caucasian peaks. From here they watched the enemy, and, noticing him, they lit fires, the smoke from which was a signal of danger. The constant expectation of raids, the need to always be in full combat readiness, of course, militarized consciousness, but also brought up courage, contempt for death.

In battles, even one saber played big role, so every boy from the cradle was brought up harshly and harshly, like a future warrior. According to the scientist-ethnologist Galina Zaurbekova, mother of four children, to this day Chechen ethics forbids caressing, pampering children, indulging their whims. And today, ancient songs are traditionally sung at the cradles, praising military prowess, courage, a good horse, good weapons.

The highest peak of the Eastern Caucasus is Mount Tebolus-Mta, which rises to 4512 meters. The ascent of the Chechen people to this mountain, the heroic battles with the pursuing enemy - the theme of many ancient beliefs. The mountainous nature of the Caucasian landscape "shattered" the Chechen people - they settled autonomously, along the gorges, differentiated not according to the territorial, but according to the clan-clan principle. This is how Chechen teips arose, which are connected groups of families, each of which is headed by an elected headman. The most revered and respected are the root, ancient teips, others with a short pedigree, formed as a result of migration processes, are called "younger". Today there are 63 teips in Chechnya. The Chechen proverb says: "Teip is the fortress of adat", that is, the traditional rules and regulations of the life of the Chechen society (adat). But teip protects not only established for centuries customs, but also of each of its members.

Life in the mountains determined the whole range of social relations. The Chechens switched from agriculture to cattle breeding, the principle of lenient management was excluded, when you can hire workers, and this forced everyone to work. The prerequisites for the development of the feudal state, the need for hierarchy, disappeared. The so-called mountain democracy, where everyone was equal, but whose laws cannot be questioned. And if “birds of a different plumage” suddenly appeared - they were simply squeezed out of the communities - leave if you don’t like it! Leaving their clan, the "outcasts" fell into the borders of other peoples, assimilated.

The spirit of mountain freedom and democracy turned a sense of personal dignity into a cult. On this basis, the Chechen mentality was formed. The words with which Chechens greet each other from time immemorial reflect the spirit of personal independence - "Come free!".

Another set expression is "It's hard to be a Chechen." Probably not easy. If only because the proud, freedom-loving essence of the Chechen personality is literally shackled in the "iron armor" of adat - the norms of law, built into custom. Those who do not observe adat - shame, contempt, death.

There are many customs, but in the center is a code of male honor, which unites the rules of conduct for men, aimed at encouraging courage, nobility, honor, composure. According to the code, a Chechen must be compliant - the mountain roads are narrow. He must be able to build relationships with people, in no case demonstrating his superiority - a way to avoid unnecessary conflict. If a person sitting on horseback meets a footman, he should be the first to say hello. If the oncoming one is an old man, then the rider should get off the horse and only then greet him. A man is forbidden to “lose” in any life situation, to find himself in an unworthy, ridiculous position.

Chechens are morally afraid of insults. Moreover, not only personal, but also insults to one's family, teip, non-compliance with the rules of adat. If a member of the teip is seriously disgraced, then there is no life for him, the community will turn away from him. “I am afraid of shame, and therefore I am always cautious,” says the highlander, a fellow traveler of the poet Alexander Pushkin on his journey to Arzrum. And in our time, internal and external guardians of behavior force the Chechen to be extremely collected, restrained, silent, polite in society.

There are wonderful, worthy rules in adat. For example, kunachestvo, (twinning), readiness for mutual assistance - the whole world builds a house for those who do not have it. Or - hospitality: even the enemy who crossed the threshold of the house will receive shelter, bread, protection. And what can we say about friends!

But there are also destructive practices, such as blood feuds. Modern Chechen society is fighting against this archaism; procedures have been created to reconcile the “bloodlines”. However, these procedures require mutual goodwill, an obstacle on this path is the fear of being a "non-man", of being ridiculed.

A Chechen will never let a woman in front of him - she must be protected, there are many dangers on a mountain road - a collapse or a wild beast. Also, they don't shoot from behind. Women play a special role in mountain etiquette. First of all, they are the guardians of the hearth. In ancient times, this metaphor had a direct meaning: women were responsible for ensuring that the fire was always burning in the hearth, on which food was cooked. Now, of course, this expression has a figurative, but still very deep, meaning. Until now, the most terrible curse among the Chechens is the words "So that the fire goes out in your hearth!".

Chechen families are very strong, adat contributes to this. The format, the lifestyle is stable and predetermined. The husband never gets involved in household chores, this is the undivided sphere of a woman. It is unacceptable, impossible to treat a woman with disrespect, especially to humiliate and beat her. But if the wife nevertheless brought her character, behavior, the husband can divorce very simply, saying three times: "You are no longer my wife." Divorce is inevitable even if the wife disrespects her husband's relatives. The Chechens had no choice but to master the subtle art of getting along with their husband's relatives.

Adat forbids any "beautiful madness" for a Chechen, but they still dare, for example, to steal brides. In the old days, according to Galina Zaurbekova, girls were stolen, most often, because the family refused the groom, thus insulting his personal dignity. Then he himself restored the honor - kidnapped the girl and made her his wife. In another case, the reason for the thefts of the girls was the lack of money for the bride price (ransom), which is paid to the parents. But it happened, of course, that the passion of the heart simply leaped up. Be that as it may, the “point” in such a case was put in two ways: either the kidnapper was forgiven and a wedding was played, or he was pursued by blood feud until the end of his life. Today, the custom of "kidnapping the bride" is more of a romantic connotation. As a rule, it is performed by mutual agreement, being part of the wedding ritual.

A wedding is one of the biggest holidays for Chechens. Her procedure has hardly changed. The festivities last three days and in the evenings always ends with dancing. Chechen dance is unusually temperamental and graceful. This small people in the 20th century had a happy opportunity to show the beauty of their national dance to the whole world: the great dancer and "Chechen knight" Mahmud Esambaev was applauded in all countries. Motives of the main ethical and aesthetic values ​​are embedded in the plasticity, the meaning of the Chechen dance: men are brave and proud, women are modest and beautiful.

“I have seen many peoples, but such recalcitrant and unyielding people as the Chechens do not exist on earth, and the path to conquering the Caucasus lies through the conquest of the Chechens, or rather, through their complete destruction.”

" Sovereign! .. The mountain peoples, as an example of their independence, in the most subjects of your imperial majesty give rise to a rebellious spirit and love for independence».

N.F. Dubrovin, "History of the war and domination of the Russians in the Caucasus":

“Chechens are undoubtedly the bravest people in the Eastern Mountains. Campaigns in their lands have always cost us huge bloody sacrifices. But this tribe was never fully imbued with Muridism. Of all the highlanders, they alone forced Shamil, who ruled despotically in Dagestan, to make them a thousand concessions in the form of government, national duties and ritual rigor of faith.

A. Dumas. Caucasus. (Paris, 1859):

Chechens- magnificent riders - they can overcome one hundred and twenty, one hundred thirty or even one hundred and fifty miles in just one night. Their horses, without slowing down their pace - always at a gallop - storm such slopes, where, it would seem, even footmen cannot pass. A highlander riding on horseback never looks at the road in front of him: if there is a crevice on the way that his horse does not dare to overcome at once, the Chechen wraps the head of the horse with a cloak and, trusting himself to the Almighty, makes the pacer jump over an abyss up to twenty feet deep.

The unenviable state of affairs in the foothills of the Caucasus was described by Professor S.N. Rukavishnikov in his report, read on October 11, 1912 at a meeting of the Society of History Advocates:
“Although the Caucasus has been conquered by Russia, it is not completely peaceful. The Muslim peoples inhabiting it in the wilderness of their villages breathe irreconcilable hatred for Russia and are only waiting for an opportunity to stand up for Islam... geographic location, to this day is a completely isolated, impregnable, wild country ... ”According to Rukavishnikov, the authorities (then St. Petersburg) and the local Caucasian administration were to blame for everything, which does not even try to attach Chechnya to the benefits of modern culture, to connect it with the outside world any way. “Under the influence of all these circumstances, as well as due to the natural ardent and ardent nature of the Chechens, a militant, freedom-loving and fanatical tribe developed from the latter, easily amenable to propaganda of Muslim hatred for “giaurs,” the professor concluded.

General Mikhail Orlov, 1826:

“It is just as impossible to subdue the Chechens as it is to smooth out the Caucasus. Who, besides us, can boast that he saw the Eternal War?

Maxim Shevchenko:

“Chechens are the most educated people in the Russian Federation. By virtue of national characteristics, due to their closeness and conservatism, the Chechens were able to turn the Kazakh exile into an opportunity for an innovative breakthrough. While many peoples of the Caucasus and the Caucasus, having fallen into exile, practically died, the minimally Russified Chechens managed to intensify their lives and dramatically, abruptly, many times increase the level of education. The Chechens came to the situation of the 90s organically belonging to the high-tech part of the Soviet elite. Let me remind you that many ministers in the raw materials, oil and gas, and gas industries were Chechens and Ingush.”

V. Potto, 19th century:

“Someone rightly noted that in the type of Chechen, in his moral character, there is something reminiscent of a wolf. The lion and the eagle depict strength, they go to the weak, and the Wolf goes to a stronger one than himself, replacing everything in the latter case with boundless audacity, courage and dexterity. And once he gets into hopeless trouble, he dies in silence, without expressing either fear, or pain, or a groan.

Vadim Belotserkovsky, 22.02.08:

“As for the Chechens, in my opinion, for the most part they have an increased potential for courage, energy and love of freedom. At the end of the first Chechen war, I wrote in the then Nezavisimaya Gazeta that the Chechens, in terms of their qualities, including intellectual data, represent a certain fluctuation of positive properties. I am familiar with many Chechens of different status and age, and I am always amazed at their intelligence, wisdom, composure, perseverance. One of the components of the fluctuation mentioned above seems to me to be the fact that the Chechens, the only ones among the peoples Russian Empire, did not have an aristocracy, never knew serfdom, and for about three hundred years they have been living without feudal princes.

Jan Chesnov:

Chechens are a small people, their country does not take up much space on geographical map. But on the ethnic map, on the map of peoples and cultures, Chechnya is a civilization comparable in status to, say, Russia's. It sounds extremely unexpected, but it is true.

Prediction from an old manuscript of the 18th century:

“... Like a whip that fell from the hands of a horseman caught on the way by a sandstorm, the Chechens will disappear ... However, the same wind that blew in reverse side, will carry away the sand and the whip will again appear in the white light. So the Chechens will go into oblivion for a while, resurrect again for goodness and justice and live to the Day of Judgment.”

General M.Ya. Olshevsky:

“We tried to destroy the Chechens, as our enemies, by all means and even turn their advantages into disadvantages. We considered them to be an extremely fickle, gullible, treacherous and treacherous people because they did not want to fulfill our demands, which were inconsistent with their concepts, customs, customs and way of life. We defamed them so only because they did not want to dance to our tune, the sounds of which were too harsh and deafening for them ... "

Johann Blaramberg, "Caucasian Manuscript":

“... If there were no reasons for strife among them, the Chechens would become very dangerous neighbors, and it is not without reason to apply to them what Thucydides said about the ancient Scythians: “There is no people in Europe or in Asia who could resist them if the latter would join forces"

Joseph Kobzon:

... But there is education: respect for the elder, respect for a friend, respect for a woman, law-abiding. Respect for religion, and not feigned, not far-fetched, but real. I love and respect the Vainakhs very much. And they show me the kindest attitude, if only for the simple reason that I have for all my long life never by word or deed betrayed this people. Chechens are a courageous, invincible, morally pure people. And the bandits? So they are among Russians, bandits and Jews have enough ...

... And when my son or daughter starts to argue with me, I say: “You should have been sent to Chechnya for education, you would have learned to respect your parents ... I like this culture.

Dmitry Panin , a descendant of an ancient noble family, a Russian scientist and religious philosopher who spent 16 years in Stalin's camps. In the 70s, his book "Lubyanka - Ekibastuz" was published in the West, which literary critics called "a phenomenon of Russian literature, equal to" Notes from the House of the Dead "by F.M. Dostoevsky". Here is what he writes in this book about the Chechens:

“The most successful and witty was the escape (from the Special Camp in Kazakhstan - V.M.) of two prisoners during a heavy snowstorm. During the day, shafts of compressed snow piled up, the barbed wire turned out to be covered, and the prisoners passed over it like over a bridge. The wind blew at their backs: they unbuttoned their pea jackets and pulled them up with their hands like sails. Wet snow forms a solid road: during the snowstorm they managed to cover more than two hundred kilometers and reach the village. There they were arranging rags with numbers and mingled with the local population. They were lucky: they were Chechens; they gave them hospitality. Chechens and Ingush are closely related Caucasian peoples of the Muslim religion.

Their representatives in the vast majority are determined and courageous people. They viewed Hitler as a liberator from the shackles of Stalinism, and when the Germans were driven out of the Caucasus, Stalin deported these and other minorities to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Children, elderly and weak people died, but great tenacity and vitality allowed the Chechens to resist during the barbaric resettlement. The main strength of the Chechens was loyalty to their religion. They tried to settle in groups, and in each village the most educated of them took on the duty of a mullah. They tried to resolve disputes and quarrels among themselves, without bringing them to the Soviet court; girls were not allowed to go to school, boys went to it for a year or two to learn only to write and read, and after that no fines helped. The simplest business protest helped the Chechens win the battle for their people. Children were brought up in religious ideas, albeit extremely simplified ones, in respect for their parents, for their people, for their customs, and in hatred for the godless Soviet cauldron, in which they did not want to boil for any bait. At the same time, skirmishes invariably arose, protests were expressed. Petty Soviet satraps did dirty work, and many Chechens got caught behind barbed wire. We also had reliable, courageous, determined Chechens with us. There were no informers among them, and if any appeared, they turned out to be short-lived. I have had the opportunity to verify the loyalty of Muslims more than once. When I was a foreman, I chose an Ingush Idris as my assistant, and I was always calm, knowing that the rear was reliably protected and every order would be carried out by the brigade. In exile, I was in Kazakhstan at the height of the development of virgin lands, when, having received five hundred rubles for lifting. Representatives of the underworld poured in there. The party organizer of the state farm, fearing for his life, hired three Chechens as his bodyguards for a lot of money. To all the Chechens there, he was disgusting with his actions, but once they promised, they kept their word, and, thanks to their protection, the party organizer remained safe and sound. Later, when I was free, I many times set the Chechens as an example to my acquaintances and offered to learn from them the art of defending their children, protecting them from the corrupting influence of a godless, unprincipled government. What was so simple and natural for illiterate Muslims was shattered by the desire of educated and semi-educated Soviet Russians to give higher education their usually only child. It was impossible for ordinary people, in the face of impugned atheism and a bloodless, defeated, almost everywhere closed Church, to defend their children alone.

*****

“The administration of the chief of the Left flank of the Caucasian line included the space bounded by the main ridge of the mountains, pp. Andian Koisu, Sulak, Caspian Sea and rivers. Terek, Assy and Daut-Martan. The main population of this space is the Chechen tribe, the strongest, most violent and warlike of all the Caucasian peoples ... "

“The movement of the highlanders of the North-Eastern Caucasus in the 20-50s. 19th century". Makhachkala 1959, Dagestan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, p. 280, document No. 154. General Pullo's memorandum on the situation on the left flank of the Caucasian line from 1834 to 1840. and measures necessary to strengthen the power of the tsarist government over the highlanders. 1840"

Speaking about the settlement of these lands by Chechens, Professor P. I. Kovalevsky wrote that they “… little by little began to descend from the mountains and gradually occupy the Kumyk area under their auls. Thus, a whole series of auls was formed from the Kachkalykovsky ridge and almost to Kizlyar along the Terek, forming the Kachkalykovsky Chechnya ”(23). Their influence in Aukh and throughout the Tersko-Sulak interfluve was so great that, as General V. Potto wrote, "... none of the Kumyk princes ... dared to leave without being accompanied by a Chechen."

The plane or, more correctly, the sloping northern slopes of the Caucasian ridge, covered with forests and fruitful valleys and inhabited in the eastern part by the Chechen tribe, the most warlike of the mountain tribes, has always been the heart, granary and the most powerful hire of the coalition of mountains hostile to us.

E. Selderetsky. Conversations about the Caucasus. Part 1, Berlin, 1870:

Shamil, knowing well the price of these foothills and choosing his residence initially Dargo, and then Vedeno, apparently tried to stay closer to Chechnya than to all his other possessions. The significance of these foothills was also understood by the Commander-in-Chief, Prince Baryatinsky, who concentrated all our attacks on the Chechen lands, with the fall of which in April 1859, densely populated Dagestan could not resist even half a year, although it had a rest from our offensive actions, which had been stopped by Dagestan since 1849. .

Abstracts of reports and communications of the All-Union scientific conference June 20-22, 1989 Makhachkala, 1989, p. 23:

The Russian government commission, having studied the issue of recruiting them to serve in the Russian army, reported in 1875: “Chechens ... the most militant and dangerous highlanders of the North Caucasus, are ... ready-made warriors, which military service is hardly anything in the sense of a dashing ride and the ability to wield weapons... Chechens literally from childhood get used to dealing with weapons... Shooting at night at a glance: at the sound, at the light shows a clear advantage of the highlanders in this over trained Cossacks and especially soldiers.

.“Conquered Caucasus. Essays on the Historical Past and Modern Caucasus St. Petersburg. 1904 Kaspari):

“Chechens, both men and women, are extremely beautiful in appearance. They are tall, very slender, their physiognomies, especially their eyes, are expressive; Chechens are agile and dexterous in their movements; by nature they are all very impressionable, cheerful and witty, for which they are called the "French of the Caucasus", but at the same time suspicious, quick-tempered, treacherous, insidious, vengeful. When they strive for their goal, all means are good for them. At the same time, the Chechens are indomitable, unusually hardy, brave in attack, defense and pursuit. These are predators, of which there are few among the proud knights of the Caucasus; and they themselves do not hide this, choosing among the animal kingdom their ideal of the wolf.

Nemirovich-Danchenko V. Along Chechnya:

“The cute side of the Chechens is reflected in their epics and songs. Poor in terms of the number of words, but extremely figurative language of this tribe, as if created, according to knowledgeable researchers of the Andean Range, for legend and fairy tale - naive and instructive at the same time. Humiliated boasters, punished envious and predators, the triumph of the generous, although sometimes weak, respect for a woman who is an assistant to her husband and comrade - these are the roots folk art in Chechnya. Add to this the highlander's wit, his ability to joke and understand a joke, gaiety, which even the difficult current situation of this tribe has not mastered, and you, of course, with all due respect to uniform moralists, will agree with me that the Chechens are a people as a people, nothing worse, and perhaps even better than any other, who singles out such virtuous and merciless judges from his midst. The ability of this tribe is beyond doubt. Of the Caucasian intellectuals, there are already many Chechens in schools and gymnasiums. Where they study, they will not be praised. Those who arrogantly humiliate the incomprehensible highlander must at the same time agree (...) that when talking with a simple Chechen, you feel that you are dealing with a person who is sensitive to such phenomena of public life, which are almost inaccessible to our peasant in the middle provinces.

V.A. Potto. Historical sketch of the Caucasian wars ... (Tiflis, 1899):

The Chechens have always been a formidable adversary. They fought with us not for life, but for death.

S. Belyaev, diary of a Russian soldier who was held captive by the Chechens for ten months:

“Chechens are very poor, but they never go for alms, they don’t like to ask, and this is their moral superiority over the highlanders. Chechens in relation to their own never give orders, but say "I would need this, I would like to eat, I will do it, I will go, I will find out if God wills." There are almost no swear words in the local language ... "

A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky in "Letter to Dr. Erman":

“... Chechens did not burn houses, did not deliberately trample cornfields, did not break vineyards. “Why destroy the gift of God and the work of man,” they said ... And this rule of the mountain “robber” is a valor that the most educated peoples could be proud of if they had it ... "

From time immemorial, Chechens have been famous as hardy, strong, dexterous, inventive, severe and skillful warriors. The main features of the representatives of this nation have always been: pride, fearlessness, the ability to cope with any life difficulties, as well as high reverence for consanguinity. Representatives of the Chechen people: Ramzan Kadyrov, Dzhokhar Dudayev.

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Origin of the Chechens

There are several versions of the origin of the name of the Chechen nation:

• Most scientists are inclined to believe that in this way the people began to be called around the 13th century, after the name of the village of Big Chechen. Later, not only the inhabitants of this locality, but also all neighboring villages of a similar type.
• According to another opinion, the name "Chechens" appeared thanks to the Kabardians, who called this people "Shashan". And, allegedly, the representatives of Russia simply changed this name a little, making it more convenient and harmonious for our language, and over time it took root and this people began to be called Chechens not only in Russia, but also in other states.
• There is a third version - according to it, other Caucasian peoples initially called the inhabitants of modern Chechnya Chechens.

By the way, the very word “Vainakh” translated from Nakh into Russian sounds like “our people” or “our people”.

If we talk about the origin of the nation itself, then it is generally accepted that the Chechens have never been a nomadic people and their history is closely connected with Caucasian lands. True, some scientists argue that in ancient times, representatives of this nation occupied larger territories in the northeastern Caucasus, and only then migrated en masse to the north of Kazvkaz. The very fact of such a relocation of the people does not cause any particular doubts, but the motives for the move are not known to scientists.

According to one version, which is partly confirmed by Georgian sources, at a certain moment the Chechens simply decided to occupy the North Caucasian space, where no one lived at that time. Moreover, there is an opinion that the very name of the Caucasus is also of Vainakh origin. Allegedly, in ancient times, that was the name of the Chechen ruler, and the territory got its name from his name "Caucasus".

Having settled in the North Caucasus, the Chechens led sedentary life and did not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. They lived in this territory for more than one hundred years (from about the 13th century).

Even when in 1944 almost all indigenous people was deported in connection with the unfair accusation of supporting the fascists - the Chechens did not stay on "foreign" land and returned to their homeland.

Caucasian war

In the winter of 1781, Chechnya officially became part of Russia. The corresponding document was signed by many respectable elders of the largest Chechen villages, who not only put their signature on paper, but also swore on the Koran that they would accept Russian citizenship.

But at the same time, the majority of representatives of the nation considered this document a mere formality and, in fact, were going to continue their autonomous existence. One of the most ardent opponents of the entry of Chechnya into Russia was Sheikh Mansur, who had a huge influence on his fellow tribesmen, since he was not only a preacher of Islam, but was also the first imam of the North Caucasus. Many Chechens supported Mansur, which later helped him become the leader of the liberation movement and unite all the discontented highlanders into one force.

Thus began the Caucasian War, which lasted nearly fifty years. In the end, the Russian military forces managed to suppress the resistance of the highlanders, however, extremely tough measures were taken for this, up to the burning of hostile auls. Also during that period, the Sunzhinskaya (named after the Sunzha River) line of fortifications was built.

However, the end of the war was very conditional. The established peace was extremely shaky. The situation was complicated by the fact that oil deposits were discovered in Chechnya, from which the Chechens received practically no income. Another difficulty was the local mentality, which was very different from the Russian one.

Chechens and then repeatedly staged various uprisings. But despite all the difficulties, Russia greatly appreciated the representatives of this nationality. The fact is that the men of Chechen nationality were wonderful warriors and were distinguished not only by physical strength, but also by courage, as well as an unbending fighting spirit. During the First World War, an elite regiment was created, consisting of only Chechens and called the "Wild Division".

Chechens have indeed always been considered remarkable warriors, in which composure is surprisingly combined with courage and the will to win. The physical data of representatives of this nationality are also impeccable. Chechen men are characterized by: strength, endurance, dexterity, etc.

On the one hand, this is due to the fact that they lived in rather harsh conditions, where physically weak man it was extremely difficult to exist, and on the other hand, the fact that almost the entire history of this people is associated with constant struggle and the need to defend their interests with arms in hand. After all, if we look at the events that took place in the Caucasus, both in ancient times and in our time, we will see that the Chechen people have always remained quite autonomous and, in case of dissatisfaction with certain circumstances, easily went into a state of war.

At the same time, the combat science of the Chechens has always been very developed and fathers with early childhood they taught their sons how to use weapons and how to ride. The ancient Chechens managed to do the almost impossible and create their own invincible mountain cavalry. Also, it is they who are considered the founders of such military techniques as nomadic batteries, the technique of blocking the enemy or the withdrawal of "crawling" troops into battle. From time immemorial, their military tactics have been based on surprise, followed by a massive attack on the enemy. Moreover, many experts agree that it is the Chechens, and not the Cossacks, who are the founders of the partisan method of warfare.

National Features

The Chechen language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch and has more than nine dialects that are used in oral and writing. But the main dialect is considered flat, which in the 20th century formed the basis of the literary dialect given people.

Concerning religious views, then the vast majority of Chechens profess Islam.

Chechens also attach great importance to the observance of the national code of honor "Konakhalla". These ethical rules of conduct were developed in ancient times. And this moral code, to put it very simply, tells how a man should behave in order to be considered worthy of his people and his ancestors.

By the way, Chechens are also characterized by a very strong relationship. Initially, the culture of this people developed in such a way that the society was divided into various teips (kinds), belonging to which was of great importance for the Vainakhs. The relation to this or that genus was always determined by the father. Moreover, to this day, representatives of this people, getting to know a new person, often ask where he comes from and from which teip.

Another type of association is "tukhum". This was the name of teip communities created for one purpose or another: joint hunting, farming, protection of territories, repelling enemy attacks, etc.

Chechen. Lezginka.

Special attention should be paid to the national Chechen cuisine, which is rightfully considered one of the most ancient in the Caucasus. From time immemorial, the main products used by the Chechens for cooking were: meat, cheese, cottage cheese, as well as pumpkin, wild garlic and corn. Special importance is also attached to spices, which are usually used in large quantities.

Chechen traditions

Living in the harsh conditions of the mountainous area left its mark on the culture of the Chechens, their traditions. Life here was many times harder than on the plain.

For example, the highlanders often cultivated the land on the slopes of the peaks, and in order to avoid accidents, they had to work large groups, binding himself with one rope. Otherwise, one of them could easily fall into the abyss and die. Often, half of the aul gathered to carry out such work. Therefore, for a true Chechen, respectable neighborly relations are sacred. And if grief happened in the family of people living nearby, then this grief is the grief of the whole village. If a breadwinner was lost in a neighboring house, then his widow or mother was supported by the whole aul, sharing food or other necessary things with her.

Due to the fact that work in the mountains is usually very hard, the Chechens have always tried to protect the older generation from it. And even the usual greeting here is based on the fact that they first greet an older person, and then ask if he needs help with something. Also in Chechnya, it is considered bad form if a young man walks past an elderly man doing hard work and does not offer his help.

Hospitality also plays a huge role for the Chechens. In ancient times, a person could easily get lost in the mountains and die from hunger or an attack by a wolf or a bear. That is why it has always been unthinkable for Chechens not to let a stranger into the house who asks for help. It does not matter what the name of the guest is and whether he is familiar with the hosts, if he is in trouble, then he will be provided with food and lodging for the night.

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Mutual respect is also of particular importance in Chechen culture. In ancient times, the highlanders moved mainly along thin paths encircling peaks and gorges. Because of this, it was sometimes difficult for people to disperse on such paths. And the slightest inaccurate movement could cause a fall from the mountain and the death of a person. That is why Chechens, from early childhood, were taught to respect other people, and especially women and the elderly.

The question of the origin of the Chechen people is still debatable. According to one version, the Chechens are the autochthonous people of the Caucasus, a more exotic version connects the appearance of the Chechen ethnic group with the Khazars.

Difficulties in etymology

The emergence of the ethnonym "Chechens" has many explanations. Some scholars suggest that this word is a transliteration of the name of the Chechen people among the Kabardians - "shashan", which may have come from the name of the village of Big Chechen. Presumably, it was there in the 17th century that the Russians first met with the Chechens. According to another hypothesis, the word "Chechen" has Nogai roots and is translated as "robber, dashing, thieving person."

The Chechens themselves call themselves "Nokhchi". This word has no less complex etymological nature. The Caucasian scholar of the late XIX - early XX century Bashir Dalgat wrote that the name "Nokhchi" can be used as a common tribal name for both the Ingush and the Chechens. However, in modern Caucasian studies, it is customary to use the term “Vainakhs” (“our people”) in the designation of the Ingush and Chechens.

AT recent times scientists pay attention to another variant of the ethnonym "Nokhchi" - "Nakhchmatians". The term is first encountered in the “Armenian Geography” of the 7th century. According to the Armenian orientalist Kerope Patkanov, the ethnonym "Nakhchmatians" is compared with the medieval ancestors of the Chechens.

ethnic diversity

Vainakh oral tradition tells that their ancestors came from beyond the mountains. Many scientists agree that the ancestors of the Caucasian peoples formed in Western Asia about 5 thousand years BC and over the next several thousand years actively migrated towards the Caucasian Isthmus, settling on the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas. Some of the settlers moved outside Caucasian ridge along the Argun Gorge and settled in the mountainous part of modern Chechnya.

According to most modern Caucasian scholars, all subsequent time there was a complex process of ethnic consolidation of the Vainakh ethnos, in which neighboring peoples periodically intervened. Doctor of Philology Katy Chokaev notes that the arguments about the ethnic "purity" of the Chechens and Ingush are erroneous. According to the scientist, in their development, both peoples have done long haul, as a result of which they both absorbed the features of other ethnic groups and lost some of their features.

In the composition of modern Chechens and Ingush, ethnographers find a significant proportion of representatives of the Turkic, Dagestan, Ossetian, Georgian, Mongolian, and Russian peoples. This, in particular, is evidenced by the Chechen and Ingush languages, in which there is a noticeable percentage of borrowed words and grammatical forms. But we can also safely talk about the influence of the Vainakh ethnic group on neighboring peoples. For example, the orientalist Nikolai Marr wrote: “I will not hide the fact that in the highlanders of Georgia, together with them in Khevsurs, Pshavs, I see Chechen tribes that have become Georgianized.”

Ancient Caucasians

Doctor historical sciences Professor Georgy Anchabadze is sure that the Chechens are the oldest of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus. He adheres to the Georgian historiographic tradition, according to which the brothers Kavkaz and Lek laid the foundation for two peoples: the first is Chechen-Ingush, the second is Dagestan. The descendants of the brothers subsequently settled the deserted territories of the North Caucasus from the mountains to the mouth of the Volga. This opinion is largely consistent with the statement of the German scientist Friedrich Blubenbach, who wrote that the Chechens have a Caucasian anthropological type, reflecting the appearance of the very first Cro-Magnon Caucasians. Archaeological data also indicate that ancient tribes lived in the mountains of the North Caucasus as early as the Bronze Age.

The British historian Charles Rekherton in one of his works departs from the autochthonous nature of the Chechens and makes a bold statement that the origins of Chechen culture are the Hurrian and Urartian civilizations. The related, albeit distant, connections between the Hurrian and modern Vainakh languages ​​are indicated, in particular, by the Russian linguist Sergei Starostin.

The ethnographer Konstantin Tumanov in his book "On the Prehistoric Language of Transcaucasia" suggested that the famous "Van inscriptions" - Urartian cuneiform texts - were made by the ancestors of the Vainakhs. To prove the antiquity of the Chechen people, Tumanov cited a huge number of toponyms. In particular, the ethnographer noted that in the Urartu language, a protected fortified area or fortress was called "khoi". In the same sense, this word is found in the Chechen-Ingush toponymy: khoy is a village in Cheberloi, which really had a strategic significance, blocking the way to the Cheberloev basin from Dagestan.

Noah's people

Let's return to the self-name of the Chechens "Nokhchi". Some researchers see in it a direct indication of the name of the Old Testament patriarch Noah (in the Koran - Nuh, in the Bible - Noah). They divide the word "nokhchi" into two parts: if the first - "nokh" - means Noah, then the second - "chi" - should be translated as "people" or "people". This, in particular, was pointed out by the German linguist Adolf Dyrr, who said that the element "chi" in any word means "man". You don't have to look far for examples. In order to designate the inhabitants of a city in Russian, in many cases it is enough for us to add the ending “chi” - Muscovites, Omsk.

Are Chechens descendants of the Khazars?

The version that the Chechens are the descendants of the biblical Noah has a continuation. A number of researchers claim that the Jews of the Khazar Khaganate, whom many call the 13th tribe of Israel, did not disappear without a trace. Defeated prince of Kyiv Svyatoslav Igorevich in 964 they went to the mountains of the Caucasus and there laid the foundations of the Chechen ethnos. In particular, some of the refugees after the victorious campaign of Svyatoslav were met in Georgia by the Arab traveler Ibn Khaukal.

A copy of a curious instruction from the NKVD from 1936 has been preserved in the Soviet archives. The document explained that up to 30% of Chechens secretly profess the religion of their ancestors Judaism and consider the rest of the Chechens to be low-born strangers.

It is noteworthy that Khazaria has a translation in the Chechen language - “Beautiful Country”. Boss Archival management under the President and Government Chechen Republic Magomed Muzaev notes on this occasion: “It is quite possible that the capital of Khazaria was on our territory. We must know that Khazaria, which existed on the map for 600 years, was the most powerful state in the east of Europe.”

“Many ancient sources indicate that the Terek valley was inhabited by the Khazars. In the V-VI centuries. this country was called Barsilia, and, according to the Byzantine chroniclers Theophanes and Nicephorus, the homeland of the Khazars was located here, ”wrote the famous orientalist Lev Gumilyov.

Some Chechens are still convinced that they are descendants of the Khazar Jews. So, eyewitnesses say that during the Chechen war, one of the leaders of the militants, Shamil Basayev, said: "This war is revenge for the defeat of the Khazars."

Modern Russian writer- Chechen by nationality - German Sadulaev also believes that some Chechen teips are descendants of the Khazars.

Another curious fact: on the most ancient image of a Chechen warrior, which has survived to this day, two six-pointed stars of the Israeli King David are clearly visible.

It is necessary to pay attention to how quite different stories are in different Chechen communities, and this despite the fact that legends in Chechnya are usually transmitted without the slightest change. Apparently, individual communities really had different ancestral paths, i.e. they went from different places, but all for picking up in the Galanchozh area. Being the descendants of the Aryans, the Chechens are really the descendants of the newcomers, like the Aryans themselves, whose branches came to the region of the Armenian Highlands and brought the natives a higher culture of their civilization. In the dialects of the Armenian language, the word arii means to come, and hajr as a father and Hajrarat as the country of fathers.

Much water has flowed under the bridge after the Great Flood, and Roman (inverted) law and rulers have established themselves in this world, who all with a chok destroyed any mention of Aryan civilization and their special people's government, instead of which the domination of newcomers with an aggressive mentality, with a lower culture and an ugly form of minority power with a whole arsenal of suppression and subjugation, was established.

Only the Vainakhs, apparently due to the military way of life and strict adherence to the laws of their ancestors, were able to preserve until the 19th century moral norms and beliefs of the Aryans and the form of social structure inherited from their ancestors with popular rule .

In his previous works, the author was the first to point out that the essence of the Chechen conflict lies in the clash of two different ideologies of public administration and in the special flintiness of the Chechens, who do not completely submit to any losses.

In this unequal and cruel battle that the Chechen people inherited, the Chechens themselves have changed and have lost a lot over the past three centuries from what their ancestors had been protecting for thousands of years.

The sasens have left their mark not only in the North Caucasus. The Sasinid dynasty in Iran, removing the "new aliens" from power, restored the Aryan norms of morality and the religion of Zoroastrianism (Zero - zero, the starting point, aster - a star, i.e. stellar start). In Greater Armenia, the descendants of David of Sasun bravely fought against the troops of the Caliphate in the 8th-9th centuries, and the regular Turkish army and bands of Kurds in the 19th-20th centuries. As part of the Russian corps, the Chechen detachments of Taimiev (1829) and Chermoevs (1877 and 1914) stormed the Armenian city of Erzrum three times, freeing it from the Turks.

One of the modified names of the Chechens is Shashen, in the Karabakh dialect of the Armenian language sounds like "special to the point of madness and brave to the point of madness". And the name Tsatsane already clearly indicates the peculiarity of the Chechens.

Nokhchi Chechens consider (apparently, at the call of blood) Nakhchevan named by their ancestors as the settlement of Nokhchi, although the Armenians understand this name as a beautiful village. Slender, white, blue-eyed warriors on horseback among swarthy and undersized peasants were really beautiful.

There are traces of Nokhchi in southeastern Armenia in the region of Khoy (in Iran) and Akka in western Armenia in the interfluve of the Greater and Lesser Zab south of Erzrum. It should be noted that the Chechen people and the Vainakh communities that make it up are heterogeneous and include a dozen separate branches, with different dialects.

When studying Chechen society it seems that you are dealing with the descendants of the last defenders of the fortress, gathered in the citadel from different places. Moving in force different reasons, the great-ancestors of the Chechens did not go further than a thousand kilometers from Mount Ararat, i.e. they practically remained within the region.

And the great-ancestors of the Vainakhs came from different places - some quickly and with heavy losses, while others gradually and more safely, for example, like Nokhchi from Mitanni. Let those times (more than three thousand years ago) be long and stretch for tens and hundreds of years. Along the way, they left the settlements they founded, and some of them went further, moving north for a reason that is now inexplicable to us, and the rest merged with the local population.

Finding traces of the ancestors of the Chechens is difficult because they really did not come from one place. There were no searches in the past, the Chechens themselves were content with an oral retelling of the path of their ancestors, but with Islamization, there were no Vainakh storytellers left either.

Today, the search for traces of the great-ancestors of the Vainakhs and archaeological excavations must be carried out on the territory of as many as 8 states during the period of the end of the second millennium BC.

The arrival of the former Aryan guards separate detachments with families and households in the Galanchozh district laid the foundation Chechen tukhums and taips(tai - share). The main taipas still distinguish their plots (share) on the land of Galanchozh, since it was then first divided by the great-ancestors thousands of years ago.

Gala among many peoples means to come, i.e. Galanchozh can mean the place of arrival or settlement from it, which is true either way.

Both the name of the great-ancestors of the Chechens (Sasen) and the current name of their descendants (Chechens), and their whole history are special. The development of Chechen society differed in many features and in many respects has no analogues.

The Chechens turned out to be very refractory and difficult to change from their ancestors, and for many centuries retained their language and way of life, and social order their free communities governed by councils, without the admission of hereditary power. Legendary Turpal Nokhcho, who coped with the bull, harnessed it and taught the Nokhchi how to plow, overcame evil and bequeathed to keep the lake, from which the Nokhchi settled, clean, i.e. keep clean the foundations, language, laws and beliefs received from the ancestors (without polluting them with alien customs). As long as Turpal's commandments were respected, the Chechens were lucky in history.