Adyghe
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The Adyghe or Adygei are a people of the northwest Caucasus region, principally inhabiting Adygeya (now a constituent republic of the Russian Federation). Their language is also referred to as 'Adyghe or Adygeyan. Within the Russian Federation, the main communities are in Adygeya, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia.
While Adyghe is the name this people apply to themselves, in the West they are often known as the Circassians, a term which can also apply to a larger group of peoples.
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History
The Adyghe first emerged as a coherent entity somewhere around the tenth century A.D., although references to them exist much earlier. They were never politically united, a fact which reduced their influence in the area and their ability to withstand periodic invasions from groups like the Mongols, Avars, Pechenegs, Huns, and Khazars.
This lack of unity eventually cost the Adyghe their independence, as they were slowly conquered by Russia in a series of wars and campaigns in the late 18th and early to mid-19th centuries. During this period, the Adyghe plight achieved a certain celebrity status in the West, but pledges of assistance were never fulfilled. After the Crimean War, Russia turned her attention to the Caucasus in earnest, starting with the peoples of Chechnya and Dagestan. In 1859, the Russians had finished defeating Imam Shamil in the eastern Caucasus, and turned their attention westward, finally subjugating the Adyghe in 1864.
Like other ethnic minorities under Russian rule, the Adyghe were subjected to policies of mass resettlement. Collectivization under the Communists also took its toll.
Culture
The Adyghe were a warlike people. Grown men were expected to carry arms, and boys trained to be warriors. Familial ties were not strongly encouraged; parents fostered their children to other adults rather than raising them themselves. The Adyghe society was once matriarchal. Women fought in war alongside their husbands. Although the society is no longer matriarchal, women still give have a high place of respect and dignity.
Adyghe society prior to the Russian invasion was highly stratified. While a few tribes in the mountainous regions of Adygeya were fairly egalitarian, most were broken into strict castes. The highest was the caste of the "princes", followed by a caste of lesser nobility, and then commoners, serfs, and slaves. In the decades before Russian rule, two tribes overthrew their traditional rulers and set up democratic processes, but this social experiment was cut short by the end of Adyghe independence.
The primary religion among modern Adyghe is Sunni Islam.
The main Adyghe tribes are: Abzekh, Adamey, Besleney, Bzhedugh;, Hatukuay, Kabardey, Kemirgoey, Makhosh;, Natekuay, Shapsigh;, Zhane, Yegerikuay.
The Diaspora
Adyghe have lived outside the Caucasus region since the Middle Ages. They formed a tradition of joining foreign armies, including those of Persia, Rome, Byzantium, and the Golden Horde. They were particularly well represented in the Mamluks of Turkey and Egypt. In fact, the Burji dynasty which ruled Egypt from 1382 to 1517 was founded by Adyghe Mamluks.
Much of Adyghe culture was disrupted after their conquest by Russia in 1864. This lead to a diaspora of the peoples of the northwest Caucasus, mostly to various parts of the Ottoman Empire. The largest Adyghe diaspora community today is in Turkey. Significant communities live in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Libya, and the United States. The small community in Kosovo expatriated to Adygea in 1998.
References
- Amjad Jaimoukha, The Circassians: A Handbook, New York: Palgrave, 2001; London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2001. ISBN 0-312-23994-7
External link
- Circassian World (http://www.circassianworld.5u.com/Articles.html)
- Adiga.com (http://www.adiga.com/)
- Map of Circassia in 1840 (http://www.circassianworld.5u.com/CIRCASSIA1840.jpg)
- Map of the Diaspora (http://www.circassianworld.5u.com/exilemap.html)de:Tscherkessen
