Adyghe people: culture, traditions and customs. Adyghe people: brief description History of the creation of Adyghe autonomy

The Adyghe people belong to the Adyghe peoples. Initially, the Adyghe tribes had many other names: Zikhs, Kaskas, Kasogs, Circassians, Kerkets and Meots. Also, historical data point to other ethnonyms of the Adyghe people - Dandria, Sinds, Doskhs, Agris and others. The Adyghe sign “settler” confirms that the people belong to the Cossack society.

That is why some call the Circassians Kasogs or Khazars, as a derivative of the word “braid”. Today, many Adyghe living in the Caucasus preserve ancient customs and grow long braids.

Culture and life of the Adyghe people

In ancient times, the Circassians lived in large family settlements with more than 100 inhabitants. At the same time, one could meet very small family communities of 10 people. From time immemorial, the head of the family was the father, and in his absence all responsibilities passed to the eldest son. Women never decided important issues and did not even have the right to sit at the same table with representatives of the stronger sex in order to taste the prepared food. At that moment, while men hunted, fought, traded, women cleaned the house, raised children, and prepared food. Young girls with early age were trained in needlework, housekeeping and other women's duties. Boys with early years trained in military affairs.

The dwellings of the Circassians were built from tree branches. In such buildings, a foundation was not used so that the house could be quickly built and assembled just as quickly - in war times this was simply necessary. The Circassians built a fireplace on the floor of their houses, which provided them with warmth and food. If guests came to the house, a special room was allocated for them - kunatskaya, and in wealthy communities entire houses were erected for guests.

The national clothing of the Circassians was very colorful and picturesque. Women wore floor-length dresses and harem dresses. A beautiful belt was tied at the waist, and the dress itself was decorated with various embroidery. This silhouette and style of the dress emphasized the beauty of every woman.

But the men's suit was even more colorful. Men wore a beshmet, a cherkeska - a long caftan without sleeves and with a cutout on the chest, a bashlyk, a burka and a hat. The Circassian had sockets for cartridges sewn on it. Wealthy and powerful Circassians wore white Circassians, and ordinary men wore black ones.

The national and most favorite dish of the Circassians was lamb, and there was practically no bread in the houses. People ate their own products - cheese, butter, milk and fruit.

The Adyghe people were famous for their embroidery skills. They beautifully decorated their clothes with gold threads. Many made beautiful glasses from bull horns, decorating them with silver and gold. Military science was reflected in the skill of creating saddles for horses; they were very durable and light. Also, the Adyghe people are masters of making ceramic dishes - cups, jugs and plates.

Traditions and customs of the Adyghe people

The traditions of the Circassians are connected with their way of life and their very attitude towards it. It is impossible not to talk about the wedding customs of this people. Weddings were performed exclusively according to class equality. The young prince could not marry a simple girl - only a princess.

As a rule, there was one wife, but in some families polygamy was allowed. There was one rule in both the female and male lines - the eldest should tie the knot first. The groom's friend looked for the bride, after which the groom's family paid the bride's family a bride price. Most often, horses, sheep and other animals were used as bridewealth. If an Adyg entered into a marriage, then this marriage should be eternal. Bride theft, or rather kidnapping, was quite common among the Circassians. This custom took place in a rather humorous manner, and the whole family knew about the upcoming abduction.

Another interesting Adyghe custom is atalystvo. According to this custom, parents could give their minor child to be raised by another family and return to native home he could only after reaching adulthood. The main goal of such a custom is not education, but a friendly alliance between families.

Adygeis are a people in the Russian Federation. The number in the Russian Federation is 122,908 people. They speak the Adyghe language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian family.

Adygeis, Adyghe (self-name) - people in Russia, indigenous people Adygea. They also live in neighboring areas of the Krasnodar Territory. Some live in Turkey and the Middle East. Until the 20th century, there were subethnic groups: Abadzekhs, Besleneevtsy, Bzhedugs, Zhaneevtsy, Yegerukhaevtsy, Mamkhegs, Makhoshevtsy, Natukhaytsy, Temirgoyevtsy, Khatukayevtsy, Shapsugs, Khakuchi.

They speak the Adyghe language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian family, dialects: Temirgoyevsky (underlies literary language), Abadzekhsky, Bzhedugsky, Shapsugsky. The Russian language is widespread. Writing on a Russian graphic basis.

Believers are Sunni Muslims. Traditional beliefs are characterized by a branched pantheon, veneration of trees, groves, forests, etc.

The Adygeis, like other Adygs - Kabardians and Circassians, are descendants of the autochthonous population of the North-Western Caucasus. After the territorial isolation of the Kabardians in the 13th - 14th centuries, ethnic processes among the rest of the population led to the formation of modern Adyghe people. Social development Adyghe population proceeded unevenly. The Shapsugs, Natukhais and Abadzekhs (the so-called democratic tribes) managed to limit the rights of their nobility; they were governed by elected elders. The so-called aristocratic tribes (Bzhedugs, Temirgoys, Khatukaevs, etc.) were ruled by princes.

Since the 1820s, the Russian government began the systematic conquest of Adygea. Climb liberation movement during the Caucasian War, it stimulated the Islamization of the Adyghe people, was accompanied by the internal self-organization of the Adyghe people, and the foundations of a military-state union of all groups of Adyghe people were formed. The last centers of resistance of the Adyghe people were suppressed military force in 1864. Several hundred thousand Adygeis in the 1860s were deported and scattered throughout the countries of the Middle East; a minority of Adygeis moved to the lowland areas.

In 1922, the Adygea Autonomous Region was formed, since 1937 as part of the Krasnodar Territory, since 1991 - the Republic of Adygea.

Traditional occupations are arable farming, gardening, viticulture, and cattle breeding. Home crafts include weaving, weaving, drilling and tanning, stone and wood carving, gold and silver embroidery.

Clothing of the general North Caucasian type. For men - an undershirt, a beshmet, a Circassian coat, a belt with a silver set, trousers, a felt cloak, a hat, a bashlyk, narrow felt or leather leggings. For women - trousers, an undershirt, a tight-fitting caftan, a long swinging dress with a silver belt and long sleeve pendants, a high cap trimmed with silver or gold braid, and a scarf.

Traditional settlements consisted of individual farmsteads, divided into patronymic parts, and on the plain - street-block layout. The traditional dwelling was turluchny, single-chamber, to which additional isolated rooms were added with a separate entrance for married sons.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when small families were transformed, large-family communities (up to several dozen people) were preserved. Family life was determined by patriarchal customs and norms. However, in general, women's position was quite high. Atalism was widespread.

The food uses grains, meat, dairy products, and vegetables are widely consumed. Adyghe cheeses and flour products are especially famous and popular.

Folklore includes the Nart epic, various songs - heroic, lyrical, everyday and others. Folk dancing is widespread.

Adygeis (self-name - Adyghe), together with related peoples - Kabardians and Circassians, who also call themselves Adyghe, belong to the Adyghe group. However, due to historical reasons, the Adyghe people became isolated and now represent a separate people. The Adyghe Autonomous Region of the Krasnodar Territory is located along the lower reaches of the Laba and Kuban, a strip from 8 to 60 km wide and 250 km long (area 4654 sq. km).

Adygea is divided into lowland and foothill parts. The lowland part, constituting the main territory of the autonomous region, is located in the valleys of the Kuban and Laba rivers. The foothills of Adygea, reaching 500 m above sea level, are dissected by the valleys of numerous rivers.

The climate is moderately warm, with sufficient rainfall, mainly in the warm season of the year. The average annual temperature ranges from 10.4 to 10.9°C. Annual precipitation averages 600-800 mm.

The Kuban and its tributaries flow through Adygea - the Belaya, Pshish, Psekups, Afips rivers. To regulate the flow of water from the Kuban, two reservoirs were created - Tshchikskoye (between Laba and Belaya) and Shapsugskoye (at the mouth of the Afips). Oil, gas and healing waters such as Matsesta are the main ones Natural resources areas.

Two thirds of the territory of Adygea are chernozem soils. In the foothills they are replaced by leached soils. South part The region is covered with forests, mainly oak, beech and hornbeam. In the valleys of the Kuban, the forest is represented by small deciduous groves of oak, ash, maple and other tree species. In the forests of Adygea there are many wild fruit trees. Meadow and floodplain grasses grow on the floodplain terrace.

In addition to the Adyghe Autonomous Region, Adyghe people within the Krasnodar Territory also live in the Lazarevsky and Tuapse districts. There are Adyghe villages in the Uspensky district.

According to the 1959 census, the total number of Adygeis is 80 thousand. Many Adygeis live abroad. There are 130 thousand of them in Turkish cities alone.

The Adyghe language belongs to the Adyghe-Abkhaz branch of the Caucasian languages ​​and is most close to Kabardian. Along with the unified literary Adyghe language, a number of dialects have been preserved, of which there used to be even more. Currently, the main dialects are Shapsug, Bzhedugoki, Temirgoev, Abadzekh. Besides the usual spoken language, in the old days there were jargons in use. So, for example, during raids, the feudal nobility spoke a special jargon that was not understandable to others.

With the accession to Russia and especially in Soviet time The vocabulary of the Adyghe language has undergone significant changes. Along with the withering away of individual words and concepts, a new understanding of the old terminology appeared, many new terms emerged, socio-political, technical, scientific, etc. There was a significant increase in lexical borrowings from the Russian language. The Adyghe literary language is based on the Temirgoy dialect.

The Adyghe people, like the Kabardians and Circassians, are descendants of the Adyghe tribes - the aborigines of the northwestern Caucasus. After the separation of the Kabardians from the bulk of the Adygs, the tribes of the Natukhais, Shapsugs, Abadzekhs, Bzhedugs, Temirgoys, etc. remained in their former places - in the Kuban basin and along the Black Sea coast. Later, the Adyghe people were formed from them.

In the first half of the 19th century. the Adyghe people continued to split into big number tribes The seashore from the lower reaches of the Kuban to the river. Dzhubga: (or Pshad) was occupied by the Natukhais. The most numerous tribe - the Shapsugs - lived south along the coast to the river. Shah (Small Shapsug) and to the southeast on the northern slope of the Main Caucasus Range (Big Shapsug). The Abadzekhs occupied a large area in the mountains in the upper reaches of Psekups, Belaya and Laba. The Bzhedugi were located east of the Shapsugs on the left bank of the Kuban - opposite Ekaterinodar (now Krasnodar). Even further east lived the Khatukaevites and Temirgoevites (the latter between Belaya and Laba in their lower reaches). South of the Temirgoyevites, along the river. Labe and its left tributaries were inhabited by Egerukaevites and Makhoshi. To the west of them - in the middle reaches of the river. Belaya - Mamkhegs were located. This entire chain of tribes was completed by the Beslenevites, who settled along the middle reaches of the Laba, its tributary Khodzyu and along the Urup River.

The number of Adyghe tribes in the first half of the 19th century. cannot be precisely determined. According to the data available in the literature, it ranges from 500 thousand to 1 million people.

After the Caucasian War and the resettlement of a significant part of the Adygeis^ to Turkey, the tribes remaining in the North Caucasus were concentrated in a relatively small area of ​​their former habitat - along the middle reaches of the Kuban and in the lower reaches of the Laba. A small part of the Adyghe people remained in the mountains of the Black Sea coast in the Tuapse region. Before the revolution, Kuban Adyghe were part of the population of the Ekaterinodar and Maikop departments Kuban region, and Tuapse - to the Black Sea province.

After the Great October Revolution socialist revolution and endings civil war The question of separating the Adyghe people into an autonomous region was raised. It was formed by a resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of July 27, 1922. In August 1936, the territory of Adygea was significantly expanded as a result of the annexation of Maikop and the Giaginsky region. In this regard, the center of the region moved from Krasnodar to Maykop (by the beginning of 1959, 82 thousand inhabitants).

According to the 1959 census, 286 thousand people live in the Adygea Autonomous Region, including 191 thousand rural residents and 95 thousand urban residents. The vast majority of the region's residents are Adyghe (23.5%) and Russian (70%), with Adyghe living mainly in rural areas.

The bulk of the Adyghe population of the autonomous region are descendants of the Bzhedugs and Temirgoys. The former live mainly in the Teuchezhsky district, the latter - in the Shovgenovsky, Krasnogvardeysky and Koshekhablsky districts.

The descendants of the Shapsugs live in five villages of the Oktyabrsky district (Afipsip, Natukhai, Panakhes, Khashtuk, Pseituk). Most of them inhabit the Lazarevsky and, to a lesser extent, the Tuapse districts of the Krasnodar Territory. The descendants of the Abadzekhs live only in the village of Shovgenovsky Shovgenov-<жого района. Они говорят на особом абадзехском диалекте, который постепенно вытесняется литературным языком. Потомки бесленеевцев.расселены главным образом в Карачаево-Черкесской автономной области ("гак называемые зеленчукские бесленеевцы), в двух аулах Успенского.района Краснодарского края и составляют часть населения аулов Блечепсин и Уляп в Адыгейской автономной области. Они говорят на бесленеев- «ском наречии кабардинского языка. Бесленеевцы Карачаево-Черкесии консолидируются с черкесами. В аулах восточной части Адыгеи живет значительное число кабардинцев, которые постепенно сливаются с адыгейцами.

The formation of the Adyghe Autonomous Region was the largest event in the political history of the Adyghe people throughout their existence. Tribal disunity in the past, the conservation of the feudal-patriarchal system and colonial oppression prevented the national consolidation of the Adyghe people, the conditions for which were created only by the victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Currently, the tribal division has disappeared and is preserved only in the memory of the population, having practically lost its meaning.

Adygeis are a people in the Russian Federation. The number in the Russian Federation is 122,908 people. They speak the Adyghe language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian family.

Adygeans, Adyge (self-name) - a people in Russia, the indigenous population of Adygea. They also live in neighboring areas of the Krasnodar Territory. Some live in Turkey and the Middle East. Until the 20th century, there were subethnic groups: Abadzekhs, Besleneevtsy, Bzhedugs, Zhaneevtsy, Yegerukhaevtsy, Mamkhegs, Makhoshevtsy, Natukhaytsy, Temirgoyevtsy, Khatukayevtsy, Shapsugs, Khakuchi.

They speak the Adyghe language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian family, dialects: Temirgoevsky (underlies the literary language), Abadzekhsky, Bzhedugsky, Shapsugsky. The Russian language is widespread. Writing on a Russian graphic basis.

Believers are Sunni Muslims. Traditional beliefs are characterized by a branched pantheon, veneration of trees, groves, forests, etc.

The Adygeis, like other Adygs - Kabardians and Circassians, are descendants of the autochthonous population of the North-West Caucasus. After the territorial isolation of the Kabardians in the 13th - 14th centuries, ethnic processes among the rest of the population led to the formation of modern Adyghe people. The social development of the Adyghe people was uneven. The Shapsugs, Natukhais and Abadzekhs (the so-called democratic tribes) managed to limit the rights of their nobility; they were governed by elected elders. The so-called aristocratic tribes (Bzhedugs, Temirgoys, Khatukaevs, etc.) were ruled by princes.

Since the 1820s, the Russian government began the systematic conquest of Adygea. The rise of the liberation movement during the Caucasian War stimulated the Islamization of the Adyghe people, was accompanied by the internal self-organization of the Adyghe people, and the foundations of a military-state union of all groups of Adyghe people were formed. The last centers of resistance of the Adyghe people were suppressed by military force in 1864. Several hundred thousand Adygeis in the 1860s were deported and scattered throughout the countries of the Middle East; a minority of Adygeis moved to the lowland areas.

In 1922, the Adygea Autonomous Region was formed, since 1937 as part of the Krasnodar Territory, since 1991 - the Republic of Adygea.

Traditional occupations are arable farming, gardening, viticulture, and cattle breeding. Home crafts include weaving, weaving, drilling and tanning, stone and wood carving, gold and silver embroidery.

Clothing of the general North Caucasian type. For men - an undershirt, a beshmet, a Circassian coat, a belt with a silver set, trousers, a felt cloak, a hat, a bashlyk, narrow felt or leather leggings. For women - trousers, an undershirt, a tight-fitting caftan, a long swinging dress with a silver belt and long sleeve pendants, a high cap trimmed with silver or gold braid, and a scarf.

Traditional settlements consisted of individual farmsteads, divided into patronymic parts, and on the plain - street-block layout. The traditional dwelling was turluchny, single-chamber, to which additional isolated rooms were added with a separate entrance for married sons.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when small families were transformed, large-family communities (up to several dozen people) were preserved. Family life was determined by patriarchal customs and norms. However, in general, women's position was quite high. Atalism was widespread.

The food uses grains, meat, dairy products, and vegetables are widely consumed. Adyghe cheeses and flour products are especially famous and popular.

Folklore includes the Nart epic, various songs - heroic, lyrical, everyday and others. Folk dancing is widespread.

Adygeans currently live in compact groups on the territory of Adygea, along the valleys of the Kuban and Laba rivers. The Adyghe people are direct descendants of the most ancient inhabitants of these places. The anthropological type of the local population has remained virtually unchanged since the Early Bronze Age. The insignificant Mongoloid admixture is explained by the presence in the region in the 12th-13th centuries. Polovtsy-Kipchak.

In the XII-IV centuries. BC. Tribes of the so-called Koban culture lived here. They were characterized by a high level of metalworking in the production of weapons, jewelry, and metal-plastic items. From the 3rd century BC. to the 4th century Sarmatian tribes appeared on the territory of Adygea, which had a certain influence on the Sinds, Meots and Kerkets, who are the ancestors of modern Circassians.

In the 9th century On the territory of modern Adygea, the Kasozh union of tribes formed. In the 12th century. The formation of the multi-tribal Adyghe people was completed. In the XI-XII centuries. Polovtsians appear on the territory of Adygea; in 1237-1238 the region was devastated by the Mongol-Tatars. After their departure, part of the Circassians began to move east. After territorial isolation in the XIII-XIV centuries. ethnic processes among the rest of the population led to the formation of modern Adyghe people. Since the XVII-XVIII centuries. On the territory of Adygea lived the tribes of Abadzekhs, Besleneys, Egarukais, Mokhoshevts, Khatkokaevs, Temirgoyevs, Bzhedukhs.

By the end of the 18th century. all Adygians were already Sunni Muslims. At the same time, faith in Allah did not prevent them from largely adhering to traditional cults and worshiping pagan deities. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. Adygea was part of the sphere of influence of the Ottoman Empire and, in the middle of the 18th century. Russia's military positions have strengthened. In the Caucasian War of 1817-1864. Western Circassians offered fierce resistance to the Russians. Meanwhile, they did not want to obey Shamil, preferring to fight on their own.

After the end of the Caucasian War, several hundred thousand Adyghe were deported and scattered throughout the countries, a small group moved to the lowland areas. In 1922, the Adygea Autonomous Region was formed, since 1937 as part of the Krasnodar Territory, since 1991 - the Republic of Adygea. According to the 2002 population census, in the territory Russian Federation More than 128 thousand Adyghe people live there.

Since the Middle Ages, Adyghe people have also been engaged in sedentary cattle breeding. They grew millet, barley, corn, wheat, and were engaged in gardening and viticulture.

The Adyghe people raised large and small cattle and attached great importance to horse breeding. There was no shortage of nearby pastures and meadows; cattle were driven to the foothills only from the end of May to the beginning of October in order to protect them from the heat and blood-sucking insects. Millet, onions, garlic, and peppers were grown in household plots.

In the 19th century began to grow wheat and corn in the 20th century. – rice, tobacco, sunflower, tomatoes. Fruit trees were also grown. Beekeeping was developed: initially beekeeping, in the second half of the 19th century. hives began to appear. Household crafts were limited to the manufacture of weapons, belts, harnesses, stone and wood carving; women spun and weaved, and were engaged in gold and silver embroidery.

Although formally each peasant family had its own allotment, the constant threat of robbery from the workers led to the fact that all agricultural work was carried out only jointly, under the protection of “their” work. Violation of this rule was considered a crime, even if it was caused by extreme necessity. An essential element of everyday life that contributed to the unification of the Adyghe ethnic group was “Adyghe Khase” - a kind of all-Adyghe conference of representatives of all territorial divisions of the people, which, however, lost its significance after joining Russia. Currently, the idea of ​​Khase is widely used in promoting pan-Adyghe unity.

The Adyghe people had a certain class hierarchy. At the head were the Pshi princes: often each village had its own prince, who traced his origins to the “Sun and “.

The Natukhais and Abadzes (the so-called democratic tribes) managed to limit the rights of their nobility; they were governed by elected elders. The so-called aristocratic tribes (Bzhedugs, Temirgoys, Khatukaevs, etc.) were ruled by princes.

Warkis, nobles of lower rank, were also considered a noble class. The basis of Adyghe society were free peasants. There were also serfs, freedmen (azats), and household slaves (kuls). Those belonging to the noble class had to seize other people's lands and crops and defend their possessions and the possessions of the peasants under their subordination.

Works made up approximately a quarter of the male population; they often had no other means of subsistence other than robbery and extortion from the peasants. All this led to the emergence of severe social conflicts in Adyghe society, sometimes ending in mass beatings and expulsion of the “nobles”. There were often cases when Adyghe peasants preferred to accept the protectorate of Russian military fortresses, perceiving them as a kind of “collective feudal lord,” rather than remain under the rule of “their” princes.

Adyghe settlements stretched along rivers or roads and usually consisted of one street. There was no specific layout: everyone built a house where they wanted. The houses were built in the form of a manor and consisted of a house, a courtyard and outbuildings.

The traditional dwelling of the Adyghe people is turluchny, single-chamber, covered with a thatched roof and reeds. Sometimes additional isolated rooms with a separate entrance were added to it, in which the families of married sons lived. The house featured a kitchen with a fireplace and a wooden chimney coated with clay. In the courtyard there was a storeroom, a stable, and a cart for oxen.

Among the outbuildings, the kunatskaya stood out - a room for guests, fenced off with a fence with a separate hitching post. The custom of hospitality among the Adyghe people was very widespread, so in the kunatskaya they usually collected the best things that were available at home: blankets, mats, carpets, dishes. Sometimes the kunatskaya was part of a house with a separate entrance.

The clothing of the Adyghe people corresponds to the general North Caucasian type. Men wore an undershirt, a beshmet, a belt with a silver set, trousers, a felt cloak, a hat, a bashlyk, narrow felt or leather leggings, and duvets. An integral part of the equipment was a gun, saber, dagger, bipod, and weapon care equipment. Women wore trousers, an undershirt, a tight-fitting caftan, a long swinging dress with a silver belt and long sleeve pendants, a high cap trimmed with silver or gold braid, and a scarf. Every day the woman wore the same dress and pair of underwear. The festive women's outfit was quite complicated.

In food, the Adyghe people preferred grains, meat, dairy products, and vegetables. Instead of bread, the Adyghe people ate the so-called pasta, hard-cooked millet porridge, which could be cut into slices. Millet was used to prepare (soup with lamb) and maxym (mash). In summer, Adyghe people ate dishes made from millet and milk, in winter - dishes from cheese, millet, salted lamb, beef, horse meat and pumpkin. Usually the Circassians ate very little. Feasts were held on the occasion of the arrival of guests, only then was the common table set. In these cases, they slaughtered a sheep, cooked it with pins and vegetables, ate chetlibzh (chicken cooked with spices), etc.

At the beginning of the twentieth century. The Adyghe people still had large family communities (up to several dozen people). Family life was determined by patriarchal customs and norms. However, in general, women's position was quite high. Atalism was widespread. Traditional beliefs are characterized by a branched pantheon, veneration of trees, groves, forests, etc.

The folklore of the Adyghe people is represented by legends of the general art cycle and local legends. The Nart epic is the same for all the peoples of the Caucasus; Only in Dagestan is it relatively rare. In all national and regional versions of the epic, similar plots are repeated, and the same legendary heroes act - mythical ancestors - Narts, who closely interact with the gods, and some of them are children of the gods.

The total number of Nart heroes reaches 100, but the most popular among them are the mother of all Narts Satan, the youngest of the Narts Soslan (Sosruko), Atsmaz (Ashmez), etc. Ultimately, all the Narts die, which reflects in mythological form the process of collapse of traditional social institutions and beliefs.

Adyghe people speak the Adyghe language, which belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian family, dialects: Temirgoevsky (underlies the literary language), Abadzekhsky, Bzhedugsky, Shapsugsky. The Russian language is widespread. Writing was introduced in 1929 on a Latin, then on a Russian graphic basis.