Eurasian Frontier final exam

NOTICE WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT

RESTRICTIONS

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the ~aking of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific "fair use" conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Electronic reserves are for non-commercialJeducational uses and are limited to faculty, staff, and students at UW-Green Bay.

310 TRA VELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND G~ORGI A. Ch.26.] historiar

by the 1

assertior comingCHAPTER XXVI. have ad,

OP THE TSCHERKESSIANS-THEIR NAME AND ORIGIN-FORMER SETTLEMENTS guage, t DF THAT PEOPLE-KABARDAH-GENEALOGY OF THUR PRINCES-REMARK­ In the' ABLE TRADITION-VARIOUS CLASSES-PRINCES, NOBLES, AND BOORS-RE­ Tartars .LATIONS BETWEEN THE PRINCES AND THE NOBLES-FORMER PREROGA- The~. . TIYES.QF THE PRINCES-PROPAGATION OF MOHAMMEDANISM A~fONG THEM turages -.-THEY ARE BUT NOMINAL VASSALS TO RUSSIA-THEIR WAY OF LIVING­ Kuma. REVENGE-PRIDE OF BIRTH-MARRIAGE-DIVORCE-,-CONJUGAL RELA­ and Ab: TIONS-EDUCATION OF CHILDREN-BURIAL CEREMONIES-PUNISHMENT northw~

-OF THEFT-EXTENSION OF. THE TSCHERKESSIAN NATION-FIGURE AND smaller ,COMPLEXION- DRESS-ARMS-TRADES-STYLE OF BUILDING-DOMESTIC maunta A.N;l:MALS--,-AGRICULTURE-FOOD-BEES-LANGUAGE OF THE TSCHERKES­ blishmE SIANS OF THEIR SECRET LANGUAGES-NAMES OF MEN AND WOMEN-AP­ limits, PELLATIONS GIVEN BY THEM TO THEIR NEIGHBOURS. T~eir F

Jekater ,rrHE rem8l'kable people of the Tscherkess, called by the Russians Ts~herkessi, Mouth: and by the Europeans erroneously Gircassians, style themselves Adige*, and now to the I

.inhabit the country known by the name of the Great and Little Kabardah, and the It w districts bordering on several of the rivers that fall into the left of the Ckuban as the del f8l' as Anapa and the Black Sea. The name Tscherkess is of Tartar origin, and is secan !laidta be composed of the words Tscher, road, and Kessmek. to cut off. T~cher­ still d( kessan or Tscherkessidshi must therefore be synonymous with Jol Kessidshi,' which Tambi is still used by the Turks, imd signifies ,a cutter-off or intercepter of the roads, that guage is, a highwayman, a robber. Kessech or Kasaeh is the appellation given to the are of Tscherkessians by their neighbours. the Oss,etes; and as the Kasachia of the Byzantine to the

Tsehe

. lit ;Some ,writers have asserted ,that ithis ;name is derived from the Turco-Tartar ada, adak or "'Mathah, island; but to this etymology the Tscherkessians them.selves are total strangers, and have not

come ~,even a word ror island in th,eir I~.guage. In Pro,copius, Strabo, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, the se;the Tscherkessiansinhabiting the ,coast of the Black Sea are called ZVXOI; and Georgio lnteriano, a the TaGenoese who wrote about the year 1502, begins his account of the manners of the Zyches with these

t I-words: Zychi in lingua .vulgare, .Greca et Latina, cosi chiamati, et do. Tartari et Turd dimandati Ciar­ t 1.fasn ct in lora proprig linguaggio appellati Adige, habitano dalfiume della Tana $U Lafia tulta quel .or/l

:mu.nt.ima, verso ~lEos'pllPTO ,Cimerio.-RamusiQ na~. ii.. 19~.

Ch.26.] THE TSCIIERKESSIANS. 311

historians must be sought in the country contiguous to the Lower Ckuban inhabited by the Tscherkessians, it is possible enough that the Ossetes may be correct in their assertion t.~at the nation of the Tscherkessians styled itself Kasach '*' anterior to the coming of the Kabardian princes from the Krym. The Tartars therefore seem to have adopted the word 'Ckasac!r, which has no further signification, into their lan~

,EMENTS guage, to denote a man who leads a martial and roving life like the Tscherkessians. .EMARK­ In the old Tartar and its kindred Turkish dialect it is not to be found, and many 'RS-RE­ Tartars even know nothing of this signification. REROGA~ The Tscherkessians were formerly spread much further northward, and their pas-­ -G THEM turages extended beyond the Kuma, called by them the Gum'ysch, that is,. the Old. IVING­ Kuma. So lately as about forty years ago; the N ogays, Kumucks, Tscherkessians, L RELA­ and Abasses went annually to fetch their salt from the salt-lake of Dshanseit, lying SHMENT northward of the mouth of that river, with which, together with the produce of a RE AND smaller lake at the source of the Manytsch, they supplied the inhabitants of all the­ OMESTIC mountains. By the extension of the Russian territory, and especially by the esta": HERKES­ blishment of the Caucasian Line in 1777, they have been cooped' up within narrower EN-AP­ limits, and confined to the other side of the Terek, the MaIka; and the Ckuban.­

T~eir principal passage over the Maika was near the site of the present fortress of Jekaterinograd, in the fertile plain called by the Tar-tars Besch~tamaGk,- the- Five­

~herkessi, Mouths; and this is still the spot where the river is uSl1ally forded, by persoo& going.~

and now to the Great Kabardah.

, and the It would be a difficult matter to ascertain the origin of the name KllJbatdah';: for

kuban as the deriv.ation of Reineggs fi'om the river Kabar in the Krym, and Dah,. villaget, ..

a, and is can scarcely be deemed worthy of adoption. Many of the Tscherkessians are

Tscher­ still denominated Kabardah, and particularly an usden (nobleman) of the race of

hi, which Tambie, on the little river Kisehbek, which falls into the Baksan. In their lan­

lads, that guage also Kabardiesch signifies a Kabardian Tscherkesst.. Reineggs and Pallas

;n to the are of opinion that this nation was formerly settled in the Krym r whence it emigrated

3yzantine to the country which it now occupies. The ruins of a castle, called by 'the Tartars Tscher.kess-kjennan, are indeed still to be seen there; and the tract between the

'Ct, adah or Ld have not .. Massudi, an Arabian geographer who wrote about A.D. 947, says: " Mohammedan traders' Byzantium, come annually from Rum, Armenia, and the country of the Kaschek, to Trebisonde, which lies on nteriano, a the sea of Constantinople." (Notices et Ettraits, i. 16.)- Here, however, he may perhaps allude to, with these the Tartar inhabitants of" Southern Georgia, in the districts of Kasachi, Bortschalo, and Bambak•.

ndati Ciar­ t I know not in what language; for in Tscherkessian Kuadshe signifies a village. ta quel 0111 't The TscheIkessians are also denominated Ghabartie by the Tschetschenzes.

·1!·1~ oJ _T,RAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS A~D GEORGIA. [Ch.26. Ch. ~ rivers Katscha and Belbik, the upper half of which yet bears the name of Kabardah, but a is denominated by them Tscherkess-tiis, or the Plain of the Tscherkessians. Never­ in the theless, I can see nothing in all this to authorize the conjecture respecting the mi~­ Thus tion of the Tscherkessians from the Krym. It appears, on the contrary, most pro­ derive bable that they dwelt at one and the same time in the plain to the north of the natior -Caueasus and in the Krym, whence they were perhaps expelled by the Tartars reside under Batu-chan. Jehoshaphat Barbaro, whQ was the Venetian ambassador to the Tsche Persian court so far back as 1474, calls the present Kabardah by that name; and its as< Strabo' places the Kerketes in this country. conse<

From the verbal communications of the elders of the nation I have collected the Ac< following particulars concerning their origin, or rath.er con"erning the genealogy: of the fo their princes. Their progenitor, named Arab-chan, is said to have been an Arabian :pri.nce, who at a remo·te period came with a small retinue from his native land to -Schantschir, a town; long since destroyed, which was situated not far fr0Nl Amapa il'l! the countyy of the N antuc'bas'ch, and whence the princes of the Temirgoi and I

Tau-S :.all the Tscherkessians, according to· their own accounts, derive their extraction. 1!hel'ein fact are stin to be seen a rampart and ditch about half a (German) mile "im diameter, which surrounded this ancient to"\vn, and extend eastward to the rivulet Psiff, and westw"ard to the Nefil. To the north of this spot, towards the morasses .of the Ckuban, are several small hills, which S~1l1 to have been forts. Arab-chan was succeeded by his son Churpataja, who left a son, Inal,' surnamed Nif, or the :S<iJ.uin4ieT; and is regarded by the princes of both Kabardahs as their progenitor. lnal had five sons, Tau-Ssulthan, Achlau, Mudar, Beslen, and Komuqua, who parted ·after his death, and divided the people among them. Tau-Ssulthan* was the elde.st, and had the strongest party, and from him is descended the princely family of

I

the same name that -still possesses the west part of the. Little Kabardah, which is MiSE named after it Taltostanie. Achlau and Mudar continued together, and were the founders of the two fa:milies who inhabit the eastern division called Gilachstanie. I

Bekm Beslen and Komuqua,. though they separated from their brothers, remained in union with one another, and from them are descended the princes of the Great Kabardah or Kabardah- proper, which is thence denominated Beslan-keh. It is evident that these accounts relate solely to the pedigree of their princes, which goes no further back than between five and six centuries. That these should have come from Arabia is highly improbable, though their progenitor may have been named Arab-chan;

::Ch.26.

1l:bardah) Never­

l Ite migra­ 10st pro­ Ia of the I~ Tartars

1

1)[ to the ne; and

:cted the :alogyof Arabian ,land tD ] Ana:pa

rgoi and traerion. an) mile .e rivulet norasses ~ab-chan

~ or the . 1genitor.

o parted e eldest, :tmily Df which is vere the ~hstanie.

in union abardah ent that , further 1 Arabia

.b-chan ;

Ch.~6.j OF "THE T8CHERKE$SIANS.

but a disposition to derive the names of persons and places fi'om events is a feature in the genius of the Asiatics: of this we find frequent instances in the Old Testament. Thus an old Tartar lTIulla once told me quite seriously, that the name Tscherkess is derived from Tsclzehltr, four (in Persian), and Kess, man (in Tartar), because the nation was descended from four brothers or founders. That the Tscherkessians resided at an earlier period in these parts we know from history; and about 13S2 Tscherkessian Mamelukes founded in Egypt a particular dynasty which maintained its ascendancy till 1517, and in which so early as 1453 occurs an Inal, who must consequently be more ancient than the progenitor of the Kabardian J:lrinces.

According to Pallas*, the Kabardian princes deduce their pedigree from Inal in . the following manner:

INAL. (,- -fi~-- ~\

. Kanuka. Kasi. rr---A.-------., t

Tau-SsultM.n. Gilachstan. r,-------------------'.A'-----~\

Attashuk. Schambulat. Missost.

I Ka~ka; -----,...A-----B-·-ek-,·~ursa. -I. Kurgok. ,...-A---:- . \ Attashuk.

. '/. .Arslan,bek. Kana/at. Schambulat. ., .

Mambet. Elbusduk. . KaSSa!. ~ . He served under Peter 1. in the

Isslam. Chamursa. campatgn agains,t Penia.

~ Tatajrchan. I ,.---.-A------., Attashuk. Beslen.

Missost. Temruk.

I . lCu:gok.-A Scha~got. I Bekmursa. I I

Uzmee.,,- , --. A.-,--..,,

Bekmursa. Dewletgerai. Jettagesch. ,Beslen. Dewletmursa. I .

Kaplangerai.

" Siidl. Statthall. i. ~75.

~ S

Ch.2( 314 TRAY ELS I~ THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch.26.

the fOl Here it may not be improper to introduce the remarkable tradition CUlTent among absolu

the Tscherkessians, that in their country once resided Frengi or Europeans, to whom might they were themselves in some measure subject. One of their princes, as they relate, ment l had a very beautiful wife, whose charms made such an impression upon the r~ler of kessial the Frengi, dming a visit, that he demanded her for himself. The Tscherkess made and tb some excuse to gain time, and consulted with his family how he should act. At Baksa: length he consented to give her up, on condition that the Frankish prince would by the promise to comply with a reqnest""hich he should make. He himself took his wife mastel to the,enamoured Frank, who swore to grant his petition; on which the Tscherkess Am required the cession .of the country occupied by the Frengi. This story, though it busioe has a fabulous air, I was ~lnwilling to pass unnoticed, as the Kab!irdians have still . opuler a proverb, which seems to allllde to it, and which is: . For this land tre gave our abund wives. They also assert that Tartar-tup "was formerly illhabitedhy Frengi. statut£

The Tscherkessian nation is properly divided into five classes. To the first belong andm the princes, called in Tscherkessian Pschech or Pschi, and in Tartar Bekor By, It i. who were formerly sty.led in the Russian annals TVladelzy~or rulers,' hut are no~ these: intitled Kt~j(jsor princes. The second consists of the TVork, or ancient nobles, whom of the the Tartars and Russians can Usden. The third comprehends the freedmen of 'the well a princes and usden, who by theii- manumission have tnemselves become us den, but withdl in regard to military service. are still under the authority of their former masters. that h To the fourth belong the freedmen of these new nobles; and to the fifth the vassals, attend Tscho'lc0htl, denominated by the Russians Chalopy. Theselast are subdivided into many such as are engaged in agriculture, and those who are employed as menial servants When by the superior classel? '., .

throu~ The number of the princes was formerly muclCmare considerable than it is at the ot

present, becaJ.-lse the last plague has made great havoc among this :rJ.atlon. To each .of thl branch of the pru1cely ho.uses belong several families of the usden, who consider

they: the boors inheriteclby them '{rom their forefathers as their property, because the their 1 transfer of them from' 'one usden to another is prohibited. The prince" is therefore agrict the feudallotd bf-his-npbles, and these again are masters over·-thevassals; but it usden often happens that noble families pass from one prince to all0ther, and itis' chiefly

The I in this rut-nner that the Great Kabardah has attained its present consequence. The· preda -boors have no specific taxes to pay to the usden; but though they are obliged t~ Kara furnish the latter with all that they want, this applies only to the most necessary .. Be articles: for if the usden oppresses his vassal too timch he runs the risk of losing

every him entirely. The princes and the nobles are upon nearly the same footing: w11a'

CIr.26.J OF THE TSCHERKES8IANS. 315. the former require for their use they demand from the latter, but not more than is

tamli)~l" absolutely necessary. If we would assign a name to this form of government, we o WbO~lf'Y might call it an aristocratic republic; though there is, strictly speaking, no govern­ y relat~"c,~

ment at all, (or each individual acts as he pleases. The authority of the Tscher­ rGlerof>"·

kessian princes formerly extended over the Ossetes, the Tschetschenzes, the Abasses, 5S made',

and the Tartar tribes in the high mountains at the sources of the Tschegem, the .ct. '.At

Baksan, the MaIka, and the Ckuban; and though they have lost their ancient power e woulg .

by the successive occupations of the Russians, they still consider themselves as the hiswif~ .

masters of those nations. ~herkes~

Among these people age procures the highest consideration. When therefore any Lough it

business is to be transacted, the oldest of the princes, usdens, and also of the most ave stitl·

opulent boors, assemble and discuss the matter, but always with a great noise and a,)e our

abundance of words. They have neither regular trLbunals nor any written laws and statutes. According to ancient custom, certain punishments are attached to theft

; belong and murder; concerning which I shall have occasion to speak presently. or B!J~' It is customary for the prince to make presents now and then to his nobles:

Ll'e now these are transmitted from father to son, and the story of the reason and occasion

;,whom of them is handed down from generation to generation in the family of the giver as

1 of 'the well as in that of the ·receiver. . But when a nobleman, without sufficient cause,

len, but withdraws his allegiance from his prince, he must return to the latter all the presents

nasters. that himself or his forefathers have received from him. The. usden l!:re bound, to

vassals, attend the prince to war whenever he requires them; and to equip as auxiliaries so

led into many of their vassals as the prince has occasion for,' and they are, able to furn~sh.

lervants When the prince contracts debts, ei~ther through too expensive a way of living or through misfortunes, his nobles are obliged to pay them for him. Both the oneand

it is at the other possess the power of life and death over their vassals, and may sell any

fa eaAl .of their menial servants if they please. The latter frequently obtain their liberty;

:onsider they are then denominated Begaulia, and it is their duty to execute the orders of

LUBe.the,­ their master both upon his nobles and his vassals. Such vassals as are' engaged in

lerefore agriculture must not be sold singly. They are obliged to pay the debts of their

; but it usden, and to repair all the loss~s which they may sustain from thieves and robbers.

chiefly The prince takes the command in war, and with his horsemen and vassals undertakes

e. The­ predatory expeditions into the Russian territory, or against the Ossetes, Ingusches,

iiged to Karabulaks,. and often against the tribes residing in. the vicinity-ef the Ckuban.

:cessary . Before the introduction of the Mohammerlanreligion among the Tscherkessians,

f losing every prince and his sons had a right to take one sheep from each flock when driven

'. whai £ s ~

:316 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch. 26~ Ch.26 in spring to pasture on the mountains, and another on its return thence at the begin­ Caucal

ning of autumn. It was also customary to give the prince a sheep when in his ex­ least it

cursions he stopped for the night at a shE'ep-fold. If he passed a herd of horses (in Effend

Tartar Tabun) he had a right to select any of them that he pleased, to take him or priE

(l."my, and make use of him as long as he had occasion. If he passed the night Thaba title 0'Where such a herd was kept, he might order a foal to be killed as a repast for him- Mohal· MW and his retinue; for they still retain the custom of eating horse-flesh, but only. Russia'When the animals have been killed, and not when they have died of disease. The selvesskin of the horse and the sheep belonged on these occasions to him who prepared any tzthe entertainment. contraSuch were the prerogatives of the princes from the most remote antiquity. Though they ( these privileges were so dear to them, and so well adapted to their way of life, they coromnevertheless relinquished them on embracing the Mohammedan faith. A con­ of the siderable change has since tal~en place in the manners of the people alw. Like all

LlOcivilized nations, the Tscherkessians were addIcted to the immoderate ilse of genen order,brandy, tobacco and snuff, ate swine's flesh, and particularly that oC wild boars, aboutwhich abound in their country, and are the principal objects of their pursuit in themhunting. They have now accustomed themselves to abstain from brandy, as well govenas tobacco and pork; and many of them suffer the whole beard to grow, instead by thtof confining it as formerly to the point of the chin. mandSo lately as forty years since the Tscherkessians 'lived almost ~'ithout religion, ferrinthougn they calleq themselves Mosslemin, according to their pronunciation Bussur­ St. Ptman. They were not circumcised, and had neither messdsheds nor priests, with Russithe exception of a few simple mullas,· who came to·· them fran! Axai and Endery. how iThey proved themselves Mohammedans by little else than by their abstinence from rightsswine's flesh and w~ne. They buried their dead· indeed ~fter the Mohammedan

·fashion, and their marriages were performed in the same mann'er. Polygamy, mann theirthough allowed, was rare; and tlle princes and chief usdens, at stated timE'S of the in.va1 day, repeated their Arabic prayers, of which they understood not one word. The penSlcommon people, on the other hand, lived without any religious observances, and

:all days were alike to them. Of Greek christianity, which was propagated in the ment At plKabardah in the time of the Zar Iwan vVassiliewitsch, no traces are left, at least

. evem · among the people, though ruins of ancient churches and grave-stones with crosses If oryet exist in the country. and 1Ever since the peace of Kiitschuk Kanardshi in 1774 the Porte has endeavoured

to spread the religion of Mohammed, by means of ecclesiastical emissaries, iJ). the Kab~ at lit

Ch.26.) OF THE TSCHERKESSIANS. ~17

Caucasus, and especially among the Tscherkessians; and in regard to the latter at least it has attained its aim; to the accomplishment of which the celebrated Isaak Effendi, who was in the pay of the Turks, principally contributed. Their mullas or priests ar(O in general freedmen of the princes or usden, 'who go to the Tartars of Thabasseran or to Endery, 'where they learn to read and write a little, assume the title of Effendi, and return to their native countl'y to instruct the people in the IVlohammedan faith, and to detach them more and morc fi'om the connexion with Russia. The Kabardians indeed have for these sixty years acknowled~ed them­ !ielves vassals of that empire; but they are so' merely in name, as they neither pay tlny taxes nor are accountable for their conduct in their own country. On the contrary, they make every year frequent incursions into the Russian territory, whence : TIT they carry off men and cattle. They were formerly under the jurisdiction of the.life, :ifi:~& commandant of Kislar, but now under that of the Kabardinski Pristaw, or Inspector 'Aco'i):;.{. of the Kabardians, an office held at the time of my visit to the Caucasus by :Mnjor­Like':mF general Del Pozzo. It \lIould not be so very difficult a task to keep this nation in ie. l'1se)f8f' order, but the Russian officers commanding on the frontiers seem to care very littleild bo·h.r~): about the matter. Upon the whole, a wrong system is now pursued in regard to pursuit iii

y, as weil' the mountaineers, namely, that of clemency and humanity, with which the Russian government will assuredly not be able to accomplish its object, since it is consideredW', instead

~-.

by them as a sign of weakness and fear. 'When Paul Sergeitsch Potemkin com­ manded on the Line, he tried to keep the Kabardian prin<~es within bounds by con­t religion~ ferring on them distinctions of rank and presents, and prevailed upon the court ofmBussUr~ St. Petersburg' to place them, their nobles and vassals, upon the same footing as the-iests, with. Russian princes, nobles and boors; which was equally impolitic and useless; for ld Endery. ., how is it possible to confer on .~ nation which has for ages lived by p}under, equal aence from, rights with those whom it is incessantly plundering? The Tscherkessians, after the hammedan' manner of the Asiatics, interpreted this equalization as an acknowledgement ofPolygamy, their extraordinary superiority; for they imagine that they far surpass the Russians imes of the in valour and intelligence. In the time of Lieutenant-general von Gudowitsch, the vord. The' pensions granted by the crown of Russia to the Tscherkessian princes were aug­'ances, 'and mented; but yet nothing was gained by it, for they still continue their depredations, ,'ated in the At present such is the insecurity on the Line. that you can scarcely venture towards ~ft, at least evening a few wersts from Georgiewsk without running the risk of being attacked. ",ith crosses If on such an occasion you apprehend a robber, he is imprisoned for a few days, and the matter is compromised through the mediation of some wealthy Nogay ormdeavoured Kabardian prince resident in the Russian territory. The culprit is then guietly $etlries, i1). the at liberty, with the injunctionnev.er to show his .face again on the Line.

TRA VELS IN TIlE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. Clz.52

In the time of Count Markow and Prince Zizianmv the Kabmdians 'were treated legitil,dth the greatest rigour, and the pensions assigned to them were withheld. At first at thEthey sought indeed' to indemnify themsel yes by incursions into the Russian territo­ respe'ries; but, as they could not escape the vigilance of those commanders, were fre­ or PI' quently caught in the fact, and without respect of persons tied to a cannon and thraupunished 'with severe corporal chastisement, their military ardour soon cooled again. TheiiThe usual occupations of the higher classes are the chase and military exercises~ the 1"and they frequently undertake' excursions of several days in the woods and moun­ familtains, taking with' them no other provisions than a small quantity of millet. This

Askind. of life and liberty has such charms for them, that they 'would not exchange it so thlwith any other, . but cheerfully make any sacrifices to return to it again, as the fol­ takeslowing instances evince. Colonel Atashuka Chammursin, who served as a volunteer tain twith the Russians in the last war against the Turks, having fallen under suspicion whiclfor various reasons and been sent to Jekaterinoslaw, afterwards returned home, ject t"renounced the .Russian manners, and resumed in every respect the hapits of his

. only, countrymen, who deem "the militmy service ignominious, but consider their .. inde­ such pemlent roving life as the highest earthly happiness.---:-Colonel Iss~ael Atashuka, prinewho has served in the army, is a Knight of the Order of St. George, and waS like­

TI:wise sent to Jekaterinoslaw, who resided several years a't St. Petersburg, who <;an speak Russian and French, who enjoys a pension of 3000 ruules, and has -been ~OOO

intrwloaded with f~vours by Russia, lives to be sure at Georgiewsk, but keeps his wife kalirr.at a village in the Kabardah, intrusts his sou to the care of an usden there, instead brideof sending him to Russia where he would certainly receive a much better educa­

Wtion, and maintains a secret intelligence with all the leadi~g freebooters among his sendlcountrymen.-----,-Lastly, Temir Bulat Atashuka was sent in his earliest youth to soldSt. Petersburg, and educated there in the corps of Mountain-cadets, served in a has Iregiment of dragoons till he attained the rank of captain, and returned to his coun­ her Itry without knowing a word of his native language. He has nevertheless forgotten her.all his acquired habits, lives 'with the Tscherkessians as a Tscherkess, and never friencould be prevailed upon to send his two sons to be educated in Russia.

TThe Kabardian has a haughty and martial air, commonly possesses great physical pres

~trength, is tall in stature, and has expressive features. He is a most scrupulous to Ciobserver of the laws of hospitality; and when he has taken any person under his whieprotection or received him as his guest, the latter may repose implicit confidence in he rhIm, and trust his life in his hands: never will he betray or deliver him up to his theenemies. Should these prepare to carry him off by force, the wife of the~host gives

} the guest some milk from her own breast to drink, after which he i8 regarded as her

Clz.26.} OF THE TSC'ItERKESSIANS. 31-9 treate'd

legitimate son, and his new brethren are bound to defend him against his enemies At Or-£t[ ten-ito!: at the peril of their lives, and to revenge his blood. This revenge of blood, in every

~refre~ respect similar to the practice of the Arabs, is called by the Tscherkessians Iti'laassa,

e>n .anff Or Price of Blood, and by the Tartars Kangleh, from Kall, blood. It is universal again: .. throughout the Caucasus, and is the usual occasion of the feuds of the inhabitants.

ercises; Their implacable enmity to the Russians partly originates in the same cause; for the revenge' of blood is transmitted from father to son, and involves the whole

This family of him who roused it into action by the first murder.

lange it As no nation carries the nride of birth to such a height as the Tscherkessians,

the fol~ so there are no instances of u~equal marriages among tbe7n.The prince'invariably Ilunteer takes to wife the daughter of a prince; and his illegitimate children can nevcrob­

spicion tain their father's title aodprerogatives, unless they marry a legitimate princess, by

home, ",-hich tiley become princes of the third class. As the Abasses were formerly sub­

of his ject to the Tscherkessians, their princes are considered eqmi.l to Kabarclian usdens

r· inde~ . only, and can obtain in marriage females of no higher rank than the daughters of

ashuka, such usdens; while the latter, on the other hand, marry the daughters of Abassian as like~ princes.

ho «an The price given for a bride (in Tartar Kalim) by princes may be valued at about tS ·been 2000 rubles in silver. The person to whom the education of a young prince is lis wife intrusted likewise marries him, and, in association with the other usdens, pays the

instead kalim in muskets, sabres, horses, horned cattle, and sheep ;' and the father of the educa­ bride makes an optional present of a few vassals to his new son-in~law.

oog his When a new-married man finds that his bride is not a virgin, he immediately mth to sends her back to her family, and the kalim is returned to him. The woman is ei tber ~d in a sold or put to death by her relatives. If a wife commits adultery, her husband s coun­ has her head shaved, slits her ears, Cllts off the sleeves of her garments, and sends 'rgotten her home on horseback to her parents, who in this case also either sell 01' dispatch i never her. Certain death awaits the adulterer at the hands of the i1uured husband orhis

friends.

lhysical They have two kinds of divorce. Either the husband parts from his wife in the Jpulol1s presence of witnesses, giving up the kalim to her parents, and then she is at llbei-ty ,del' his to contract a second marriage; or he merely commands her to go from him, in ence In which case he has a right to take her back again at the expiration of a year. Should p to his he not do so in two years, the wife's father or her relations go to him and complete st gives the actual separation, after which i3he may marry a second husband. i as her A husband cannot publicly visit his wife in the day-time without being ":G",mccl

moun~

Ch. 26.~

oJ ... TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUs' AND GIWRGIA. [CII.2.6. horse~+°°0 of the c

guilty of a breach of decorum. Common people, hO'Never, live together with their The Ts(

wives, especially when they are grown oid. in batthAs soon as a prince becomes the father of a child, he celebrates the event 'with sb-aight

extraordinary festivities. If it be a boy, he consigns him on the third day to the ran, for

care of one of his usdens, who commonly vie with one another for the honour of best hOJbringing him up. A nurse is then provided for the boy; she gives him a name;

Acco and it is not till his third or fourth year that he is circumcised, for which operation

prince,the mulh is presented with a horse. The father never sees his son till his marriage. and as'

and hence results the utmost indifference between the nearest relations. A prince and a vreddens with indignation when he is asked concerning the health of his wife and thirty 0children, makes no reply, and commonly turns his back on the inquirer in con­ Gudow

tempt. nished'The sons of the usdens remain under the paternal roof till they are three or four

Theyear,:; olu, and are then committed to a preceptor, who needs not be of the same purity irank. The parents' pay him nothing either for his trouble or for the hoard and while tJclothing of their child. On the other hand, when his ward is grown up, he receives Black:as long as he remains with him the best part of the booty which he makes. in preda~ contairtory excursions or in war. the pnThe Kabardians formerly did not marry till they were thirty or forty years old; collectbut now they enter into the married state between the ages of fifteen and twenty­ cond v nve, and females between the twelfth and sixteenth year. A girl who continues

Thesingle beyond the age of seventeen scarcely ever meets with a husband. comm<The foster-father seeks a wife for his ward; and if the inclinations of the female

Thewhom he selects are not pre-engaged, ari.d there is no prior suitor for her hand, he men IIcauses her to be carried off by stealth. Should there be two rivals, they either possib

i

fight themselves for the bride, or their friends fight for them, and strive to kill the' size; :opponent.. The s,urviving lover then obtains the lady. breast'Vhen the father dies, the mother superintends the domestic concerns, and the brownproperty continues undivided. At her death the wife of the eldest son generally fal:t.hEsupplies her place; but if the brothers determine to divide the inheritance, she­

makes the allotment, taking care to assign the largest portion to the eldest and the comm unfollleast to th\youngest brother. Illegitimate children have no claim upon the patri­ the Tmony, but are commonly supported by the family.

The dead are deposited in ~raves lined with boards, in such a manner that the come the 1

face may Qe turned towards Mecca. In case of death, the women setup a dismal .howliDg~ and formerly eVrin the male mourners beat themselVes about the head with

Cit. ~6.] OF THE TSC.f.£ERKESSIAN8. 321 horsewhips, to express their grief. Some time ~go they n.sed to bury all the effects of the deceased along with him, but novi they give him nothing but his usual dress. The Tscherkessians wear black mourning a whole year; but never for those who fall

in battle with the Russians, because they believe that the spirits of such persons gomt ~'it1 . straightway into paradise. At funerals the Mulla. reads some passages from the Ko­'! to the ran, for which he is amply remunerated,. and is commonly presented with one of themour of best horses of the deceased. /L name;

peration According to the presen.t laws of the Tsch~rkessians, theft, if committed upon a

larriage•. prince, is punished 'by the forfeiture of nine times the value of what has been stolen,

\. prince and a slave. Thus the thief who steals a horse is obliged. to give nine other horses

I,ite and and a vassal. He who robs an usden must return what he has taken, and 'forfeits In con~ thirty oxen besides. According to the regulations made by Lieutenant-general von

Gudowitsch, offences of this kind, committed against the Russians, were to be pu~

l or four nished in the same manner; but this law has scarcely ever been enforced.

1e same The Tscherkessian language is totally different from every other, and is spoken in

ard and purity in the Great and Little Kabardah, and by the tribe of Beslen on'the Laba;

receives while the other Tscherkessian tribes beyond the Ckuban, between that river and. th~

n preda~ Black Sea, employ dialects deviating more or less from the genuinestandard~ It contains a great number of hissing and harsh lingua~palaticoonsonants, which render

ars old; the pronunciation almost impossible for a foreigner. . I took •• particular pains to

twentY':' collect words and phrases in it, which shall be given at the conclusion of the ~e- cond volume. - ­:ontinues

They have no books or manuscripts in their native language; butin writing they

e female commonly employ the Tartar, which is understood all over the. Caucasus.

land, he The Tscherkessians upon the whole m~Q.~ terl!!ed~J~a:,]]d§QlP_JU1Jttion; _an~ the

~y either m~niiip~ticulaI"_"~~_clis~iil!i.?h~d QyJhe. e.l~~an~e._()L..t£cir2.b(l.eel which they use all , kill the' possible meansT6 preserve and improve. Their stature does not exceed the middle

size; but they are extremely muscular, though not corpulent. The sbonldetLand

and the breast are broad, but the waist is always extremely small. T~ have In general

generally brown hair and eyes, rather long faces, and thin straight noses. Their women are by

mce, she­ fal:- the mostbeautifUlof any in the wholeCauc~us; but I should observe that the ; and the common notion, that the Turkish seraglios are chiefly supplied with them, is totany .

the patri- unfounded; for the Tscherkessians very rarely sell people- of their own country to the Turks, but only captive slaves. Most of the handsome females sent to Turkey

. that the come from Imerethi and Mingrelia; on the other hand the slave-trade carried on by

a dismal the Tscherkessians is almost exclusively confined to the male sex. -The young un­

1ead with 2T

TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch.2f .. Ch. !!(

married Tscherkessian females compress their breasts with a close leather jacket, in learnesuch a manner that they are scarcely perceptible; and mothers, on the contrary, suffer of thethem to be stretched to such a degree by their infants in suckling, that they soon but exbecome pendulous. For the rest, the fair sex among the Tscherkessians is by no r--­

~ . at 20Cmeans under such restraint as among the other'Asiatics. arms,The dress of the men resembles that of the Kumuck Tartars, but it is licrhtero , best Imade of better materials, and in general richer. The shirt (Yana) is either of ·white sabre ~linen, ~£;. agreeably to tbe Georgian fashion, of -fi'~e red tafftj:y, and buttons at

jury flthe bosom. Q!.er this ,they wcaE~l1,Elilk wa.ist~Q,at,wh,j~h,i.s.genex§,UY,~!l:lQrQid~red; and above that a sh~.IU.a.ckeJ. (in Tscherkessian Zieh, in Tartar Tschekmen), ~1~Irh ~_2JD.~

CQY~Il ssal:~el Y.E~~~~~~_E~ay-..down.the...back,. ,and~buttonLYery-_c1os_e.....OY..eLtb.e._beUy.

suppo O~!.,~~!h~E_§i(;le,iLis.. prQyLded_with_a_slllallelUbIQill~If!:LP-9!2J~t,. ht1Y.i!!g,. seveI~ciiyi­

TurkssJons for,_~.n!Jdges. ~he men crop the hair of the head quite short,jeaving..Qll!y_ a lock of thele~h.,Qf,JLfingeLhanging-do1cVILfrom.the an~ p...cm.wn, which is called Haidar;

are ra The Tartars and Kist~ on th~~QntraIY-1-.~.hE-ve the whUltLoLthe.-b.ea.d. Th.eJ.,.gher- ~ .~~".,.~----_. ---.- ~ the C

~~~~~£tn..slQnn~dy--'shaYe,d_Jbe_beard~_leayiIJK_,musta.c.hes....o_nly4~_but.n.9.F_. !!!~BY.l'_~fT~r (Gin­the.JVIlQle.togrow. Both sexes remove the hair from the privities, partly by cutting tural:it off, partly by eradicating it, and partly by means of a caustic ointment composed soil ojof un slaked lime and orpiment. On the head they wear a small wadded and em­ thesebroidered cap in the shape of a half melon. Their feet are commonly. small; and make

th~:r:: appear in neat red' boots with very high heels, which makes them appear much. taller than th~ reaUy are. ... , ....." - ...' , , '., - latter

the h .L\..Ischerkessian nevergo€s abroad llnanned.: at least not without hi~ sahre and

metal a dagger in his girdle, aI!d !lis coarse felt-cloak (in Tscherkessian Dshako, in Tart~

frolllJamatsclze, in Armenian Japindshi,) lhrown over his shou]derS'd 'yhen 'completely ,equipped he has also,.l~ besides a musket and pistols, a coat of maiL ('4ffehL a small Th

formE h~lniet (Kii/ha), o~ large'r one (Tasch), gauntlets (Aschteld1 and brassets (Abchu1n7

ever j buch). ~.r~n these peQ,p-le ride out in s.t..a.te, or pay visits, t!l~.Are-Provided moreov~r

of th'with b9w; quiver, and arrQ:w.s; bJ,lcLLlLe.y......are sJraJ;l..ger.l;l to the 1lS£ of t,he shield. Theil: rally'

cgats of mail are ing§!)~'.:~_IJ:_~9~!!y, and there are said to be some of such ex~ Kab(1

cellent quality, that if they are laid upon. a calf, and a loaded pistol is dischal~d fence]

,\atthem, the ball produces no other effect than to make the anim~ stagger a}it~!~, ofab<

U.nder this cuirass ~ey wear, in war, a w~dded coat.,.which helps by its' elasticity to formE

r~el bullets the more effectually. Their best armour they procure from the Ku­ and r.

betscha in Daghestan; but it is said to be manufactured of excellent quality in the folds.

country of the Abchass, contiguous to the Black Sea. T~~9~Q...ho..\£.e.YfLh!!.):..tL a.nd c

Ch.~6.] OF THE TSCHERKESSIANS.

le~.!Q.gs:l thEljlrtl-even when ridin.g ever so swiftly, of raising the.-9Jirmts"'ith the J?oint of_~he_pike, ~nd transfixing)he.,:v_~~er. ~peir arms in general are of superior qualit:x~' b!l,t extremely dea,I; for the value of the w'hole equipage of a prince is estimated at 2000 rubles in silver. One of their chief employments consists in cleaning their arms, and keeping them in order; and in truth they are alw~ys in the brightest and is lighter; best possible condition. T~ first thin~ they do in the morning is to gird on their

~ of white s~2.~e_an..9~~~~nd_tu.ee whether the test uL1h.eir arms have suffered any in­uttons at jury from the ~~P Ilight~ir. In their excursions their little saddle serves them for )roideredi

~'---., ·~_o~~ , ~. R.iUo~J the piece of felt la;-id uR®meatb_itior a be.d, and their felt-cloakfu;' a'1), ~hich ~Qyeri!~. -i~~-'b~d-"~~eathe~-they ~lso construct a small tent with the felt, V'.-hich· is:be belly.' supported by branches of trees. TEeir other weapons they: procure partly from the

~Il!.l clivi:: Turk§.L~nd parlkiL~I!LQ_~2!@a; byt mally ancientYeneti~l!f!nsLQ.~T!2-~,se,§~~~~5!2~Qlli,y_a: an(:lJl!~!6.!~,_'YJ~i~h_are verybighlyprized, are stin to.b~met~ith.l:lIn()ng,toh~m. Ui,uts1 Haidar; ar~:~e, an<L!.~~LI.:?W receive. m~~fth.~m fr,om th~ '. R~~ns. Like almost all .e.J~­ the Caucasians, t!:ey manufactur~~.-l~~~gunE9..wder (Gin) thel~selves. Saltpetre~l}y. st~f!..:r (Gin-chusch, or Gin-schuch, that is, powder-salt) is said to be found partly in a na­by cutting fural state in the mountains, and they make the rest by the application of ley to thecomposed soil of their sheep-folds.. There are very few handicraftsmen among them, and ofI and em~ these only smiths, some of whom work in iron, and the others in silver; the former nall; and make scarcely any thing else than daggers, sickles, and bits for bridles,and thelear much.. latter than arms or armour. The wife performs the part of tailor to her family,ahd the husband makes all the household furniture and utensils, in which there is nosabre and metal. . For cooking they. commonly use large copper pots, and· these are brought in Tartav froln Georgia. D.IDpletelj-·

Their houses are of the very same construction as those of the Kumiicks, being ), _a small formed of plaited osiers, and plastered both within and without. They differ how­(Abchum, ever fwm the others, in being covered with straw, because the clay in the country moreover------.--­ of the Tscherkessians is not sufficiently tenacious.. From forty to fifty houses gene­~d. Theil; rally form a circle, which is called a village (in Tscherkessian Kuadshe, in Tartarf such ex­ Kaback), into the' area of which the cattle are driven at night, and where the de­lisch~d fenceless people are secured in case of attack. Without tlJ.e circle, at the distance8r a little,

-_.~

of about twenty paces, are erected huts, which serve for privies.' The hedges are' as ti{:i ty.to formed, like the houses, of plaited oziers. In winter sheds are run up near the rivers1 the Ku­ and meadow-grounds; these are called Chuter, or ](utan, and are used as sheep­lity in the folds.The utmost cleanliness prevails in all their buildings, as well as in their dress

:ey.er.J:m~tL and cookery.' . .

,fa T S.

324 TRA VELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [e!l. 26. CIz. <:2 To the domestic animals of the Tscherkessians belong horses, horned cattle, buf­ of Cal

faloes, sheep, goats, dogs, and cats. Their horses are always turned out loose into from the fields, and never kept in stables. They sell them to the Russians and Georgians. is thu These animals are of the middle size, and in general of a chesnut or bay colour; 1 into t have never seen any black ones among them. The best breed are called Schalocll, kept· and have a particular mark burned upon the hinder leg. The horses of this breed plain are in general bay, and a few white. They are constantly out at grass in the hot mals months towards the mountains between the rivers Feag, Arredon, and U rsdon, (in keep Tscherkessian Pse-chusch,) and during the rest of the year in the country bordering In th on the Terek between Tartartup and Dshulat. A foal of this breed is deemed equal they' in value to a slave; but if one of them is stolen, the thief is liable to no greater pe­ and 1 nalty than for any other article belonging to the prince, that is, nine times its value, Th and qne slave. , For the rest, very fine .horses are not so common among the, Tscher­ nevel kessiapsas .is, gen~rallysupposed: forsuperi()r animals you must frequently pay so mean much as 100 rubles in silver, but ordinary ones maybe purchased at from15 to 25 turag rubles. , ' ',­ after Th~ herds of the Tscherkessians aTe not numerous,!lnd they usually keep no the s

mOre ,cattle than are ~necessary for, the supply of their own wants. They employ upa oxen for wheel-carriages and for the plough; the milk of the cows they commonly of so eat curded, and also make from it indifferent cheese and butter, which is always

The~ used melted, and without salt. They very seldom kill any of their oxen, and sell they but very few of them to the people of Mosdok. Buffaloes' are very rarely met with, makl and sell at the rate of from ,12 to 18 rubles; yet a buffalo will do more work than -chUb two oxen, and the milk of the females yields a much larger quantity ~f but~er than dene that of cows. _Sheep: cO,nst~tute alrnost. the whole wealth of the Tscherkessians, or n and are the most important branch of their <Bconomy. The flesh of these ani­ men mals is their usual food, and they eat it boiled without salt or bread~ With the cut i wool the women manufa~ture the cqarse cloth for the dress of the men, likewise mille felt-coverings (in RUSSIan T¥oilok) and felt-cloaks (in,Tscherkessian Dshako, in Rus­ grou sian Burka), and with the skins they make furs. They barter sheep and their skins, fing{ wool and cloth, with tlleRussians-and Georgians, for salt, linen, Russia hides, sul­ pare phur, iron, copper utensils, cottons, and silks. The Tscherkessian sheep are much mill. smaller than the Calmuck, and their skins are not 50 fine by a great deal. The tail fom also is far inferior in size, and seldom weighs more than four pounds. They have littl. frequently four and six horns. Their flesh is better flavoured than our mutton, and hanl it is scarcely possible to be tired of it. The usual price of a sheep is six arscllines­ hou

325 'k.i€);.. Ck.26.} ··-OFTHRTSCHRRKESSIANS., ~" ~ ;"~V e,,91tfr of coarse linen, which cost about eight copecks. The ewes are also niilked, and e iot<i from their milk is made cheese, part of which being sewed up in linen, and smoked, • ~ ..~.I' ·gjans.~

· ., .,.\, is thus rendered harder, and may be kept longer. In summer they drive the sheep IUr.;::r: into the mountains to the Ossetes and Dugores; in January and February they are

, """', zaJocll;. kept in chuters, and fed with hay; and during the rest o{ the year they graze in the bre~q c plain and on the low ranges of hills. Goats are not frequently met with; these ani­

he hot. · ~k:;: mals are generally brown, and are kept at the villages. The Tscherkessians likewise

on, (~I! keep dogs and cats in their houses, and they have a very fine breed of greyhounds.~ 'dering' In the forests of the Kabardah wild cats are not uncommon. As Mohammedans, . leqq~ they breed no swine. Stags, (but neither {allow-deer nor elks,) roebucks, wild hogs, leI' pe;' and hares are in great abundance. . \ value­

· 1 The system of agriculture pursued by the Tscherkessians is very simple, for they fscher­

never manure. In spring they burn away all the herbage from the land which they paY,~2~ mean to sow; as well as from all the rest, whether it be designed for meadow or pas­

5 ·to 25 turage: this is the only manure that it receives. The ground is then once ploughed, after which the seed is harrowed in with trees 5tripped of their foliage. They sow

:eepo? the same land two or three successive years, and when it is impoverished they break

emplo,y. up a fresh piece. When, they have in this manner exhausted the soi1 to the distance

nmo~l)' of some wersts ro~nd the village, they remove with all. their ,effects to a fresh spot. . alway~ ­

They ra.ise nothing but millet and a small quantity of barley. With tb.e miil.et and sell

--', they feed their horses in cases of necessity; it also serves them for bread, and they let w·ith...

make with it a kincL of half·fermented beverage, called by them FarIa, or Fada­ ,rk than

,chuGsn, that is, white fada, but in Tartar Braga, and likewise brandy, which they t,er thaI;l

denominate Arka or Fadqfitza, signifying black fada. Mead is termed Fada piisch, ceSSIans,

Or red fada. Braga is ";ery common, but brandy is now rare. They have no fer­ lese aro­

mented bread; instead of it they eat millet in the bran, boiled in water, and then lith the

cut in thick slices: this is called Pasta. Hatlama is the same thing, only made of likewise

millet separated from the bran. It is very seldom indeed that the millet is actually , in Rus­

ground, made into unleavened dough, and baked in cakes of the thickness of flo 3ir skins,

finger, which are namedjJ;lerIshaga. Such are the three ·ways in which they pre­ ides, sul:­

pare millet; and of these the first is the most common, because they have no water­ lre much

mills. They separate the millet from the bran by means of oak-blods cut into the The tail

form of mill-stones, which are worked by hand, after the grain has been bruised a hey have

little by a stamper, which is raised with the foot. It is £nally ground by means of tton, and

hand-mills with small stones, which however are to be met with in but very few arscmnes­

houses. They grow no more millet than just what they want, yet they sometimes

Ch. '326 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch..26.

bee exchange it with the Russians aDd Georgians for twice the quantity of salt, though but that article is scarcely ever used by the common people. They dip their meat, intt> as'they eat it, into sour milk instead .of salt. Millet, milk, cheese, and mut­ brOl ton constitute their principal diet, and their beverage is water and Braga. For hiVE seasoning they use Turkey pepper (Capsicum), onions, and garlic. They are like­ stutc wise fond of hard..;boiled eggs, especially in a dish that is called Chtnkal. This and is composed of sour milk with a little butter, new cheese, lumps of barley­ han meal dough boiled in water, resembling our dumplings, hard eggs cut into four kee} pieces, onions, and garlic'. This is provided for all great entertainments, and is a calc very favourite dish. Schiraldama is the name given to flat cakes of wheat-flour 1 .mixed up with eggs and milk, and fried in butter., Small tarts of the same kind of rav< dough, filled with new cheese and onions, are called Haliva. These are both eaten to f. with honey, and are far from tasting amiss. ' They employ honey'in various ways. esta "When mixed with butter it is called Fau'tgo, and meat is dipped in it. . Fat/us is obli water sweetened with honey, which serves for drink Upon the,whole, the rearing eha -of bees forms an important branch of the <:economy of the Tscherkessiarls. The agl bee-hives are made of osier-twigs, and externally plastered with a mixture of cow­ the: dung and clay. They are of an oval form, about 18 inches high, and at the base ace not above a foot in diameter. The bottom is not joined to the hive, but consists of a board, upon which the hive is placed; so that it may be raised to remove dead in 1 bees and impurities, and to cut out the honey-combs, which are constructed obliquely red by the bees. In the interi,Or two small sticks are placed across, to assist them in the tral construction of the combs for the wax. About an inch and a half above the lower Tu, edge is a small circular hole, not much more than large enough to admit a bee. On ere the top of the hive are laid wisps of straw, to protect it, from the rain. In every IS 1 hive are from eight to ten cakes of wax, which stand in a vertical position. In winter, such of these hives as are intended for breeding the following year are placed under wa cover. For this purpose the strongest and healthiest are selected, and they are not by deprived of any portion either of the wax or honey. These swarm about the end of hei :March or the beginning -of April, and the produce of one hive is divided among two CUi or three. A conical hat is formed of the bark of trees, and fastened to the end of a pole about eight yards long, and into this the young swarm is enticed by the con­ tinual rattling of small pieces of wood at the extremity of the pole. The queen is then sought for, and put, into a piece of reed a span long, that is laid in the middle {)f the new hive into which the young swarm is admitted. When there is. a super­ -abundance of queens, some of them are killed. The Tseherkessians style the queen­

Ch. ~6.] OF THE TSCHERKESSIANS'.

bee Pshech, that is, the prince. Till IVlidsummer the hives are kept at the v:Ep-gcs ; :l:;Io,ug~;-. but in July and August, when the plants in the ~teppes are viithererJ, they are carried m~a.tit· in~l) ~)le 'woods on the lower ra~lges of hills. They are conveyed thither, and also

lmut:r brouQ'ht back in autumn, in arbas, clumsy two-..."heelecl carriages drawn by oxen. rflJe , fOE­ hives 11'0111 which the honey and \Yax are intended to be taken m:e placed over lighted

'e like:;< stubble, by which means the bees are suffocated. The honey-combs are removed, This and set over the fire in a pot; the mel ted honey settles to the bottom, and the wax

)arleY7"~ hardens on the top. A hive is usually sold entire for two or three shirts. Many o four keepers of bees possess no fe\rer tllan 300 hives. Their honey is of a light yell01v :ld is -,i.'~ . colour, and exceUent flavour. tt-flour! The Tscherkessians, as I have already observed, formerly went in numerous ca~' dud of. ravans to the lakes situated between Klslar and Astrachan, on the road' to the latter." 1 eaten to fetch salt, of which they took as much as tlley pleased for nothing; but since the

ways.. establishment of the Line this practice has been prohibited, so that they ,are now , . U us IS obliged to give the Russiaps cattle, cloth, and other indigenous productions in ex­ :earing change for it. By them chiefly the Ossetesand Dugores are suppl'ied with salt. To

The a great salt-arbathey commonly harness six or eight oxen. They frequently give f cow­ their horned cattle, horses, and in particular sheep, some salt to lick, and on that ie base account their. cons~mption of this article is very considerable. 3ists of. Brug is an Indi~n beverage but little known among the Ts'cherkessiims, and made 3 dead in the following manner: They take the hemp-plant in seed, and; when dried and liquely reduced to powder, they suspend it in a sm~ll bag in a vessel full of water, which ex­ 1 in the tracts the strength. This water is sweetened with honey, and produces intoxication. ~ lmver Tuschag-tgo is another beverage made of water,in which grape-juice boiled and con­ oe. On creted to the hardness of stone, and called Tuschag, has been dissolved. This drink

every is much less common among the Tscherkessians than it is in Persia. winter" The Tscherkessians generally sit cross-legged on the bare ground. The men al­ l under

ways travel onhor.seback, but the wQm~n in arbas (in Tscherkessian Gkuh) drawn are not by oxen. Their meals are served up on small tables, which are scarcely a foot in end of

height, about, 18 inches square, and have thr-ee legs. Flesh-meat, .cheese, and pasta ng two cut in pieces, are laid upon the table. Plates, knives, and spoons are never used by ad of a them . .1e con­

The Tscherkessians, though they have a great dislike to labour, are nevertheless, ueen ]8

lively and officious, but at the same time selfish and crafty, ,and deceitful in their middle

dealings. They are principally engaged in war, hunting, and plunder; and such . super­

persons as distinguish themselves most in these occupations p,ossess the greatest_ queen­

TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch.26. Cit. 26

influence. In their predatory expeditions they use secret languages, founded on a Thepre-concerted arrangement. The two most commonly used are termed Schakobsche,

by therand not as Reineggs writes it Sikowschir, and Farschips~. The first of these seems to be a totally distinct language, as it bears no resemblance to the ordinary Tscherkessian. I was not able to p,ocure any specimens of it. I shall therefore subjoin only the words furnished by Reineggs, with the Tscherkessian synonyms.

Schakouschci' Tscherkessian. English.

Paphle Nne Eye Baetao Takhumah Ear Kaepe Tsche Horse

TotPtschakokaff Gjem Cow are corTkemeschae Bshan Goat

Naeghune Mapha Fire Uppe Fiss Woman Paschae Achsche Money Schuwghae Dshako Felt-cloak Bru.gg Schab Head ","up Topang Gun Ptschakoaentsche Machsche Camel I Fogabbe Mall 'Sheep Scheghs Pse Water Aelewsae TschaHah Child Naekuschae Schakua Bread

The Farschipse language is formed from the ordinary Tscherkessian, by the in­ troduction of ri or fe between each syllable.

Tscherkessian. Far;chipse. English.

Schah 1risch'chari Head Tdl'e Tl'arukquari Foot 180 1riari Hand Takhumah Tarimariquari Ear Nne 1rinneri Eye Peh 1ripehri Nose Dshe 1ridsheri Mouth Bbse Iri,bbserigueri Tongue _ Dshake Dsharikeri Beard

by the in­

CIt.20.J OF TIlE Tg.CRERKESSrANS.

The week, as well as Sunday, which begins it with the Tscherkessians, is styled by them T'/za mac/ma. The names of the days of the week are as follow;

Sunday T'ha machua- Monday Buschha: Tuesday Gubsh Wednesday Bereshia' Thursday Machuk Friday Meirem Saturday Schabat

To the months they give the same appellations as the Tartars. The following are common names of men, with their significations:

CllZtbdschuqua-Son of the sickle. Bairam-aloe-Son of the feast of Bairam. (This is of Tartar origin). Inal-a very common name of princes. Meirem-ki1l~Son of Friday (Tartar). Baitan, Papai, Mahomet, Gilachsan, Botuqua.­ De'tvletuqua-Son of riches. J{andshaua-Son of. blood. (Tartar, with a Tscherkessian termination). Missost- Moses. Arslan-beg-Lion-prince (Tartar),. SchaChmiirsch-Cow's lowing. Petak-Branch. Temiir-Iron (Tartar). Ssassaruqua-Son of the feast of Ssassa. ­ Ch'ammursa-Prince of dogs .

. Temiiruqua-Son of iron (half Tartar). Goinuqua-Son of hides, skins~ Keltschuqua-Son of wool. Koituqua-Reclaimed son. Meiremaqua-Son of Friday. Kelemet, Dudm'uqua, Botasch, Hassane. Dol-Slave. BalzalY1·-Giant. (Of Tartar derivation), Thahaschine-Lamb of God. Hadiaqua-Little dog without'tail.­

2U

330 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [CIl.26. Machara, Bilrau. Tamassa-Thomas. Tha-gelek- Fear of God. Togdschuqua-Son of a fat man. Nedscha-How much? Dshaurnaqua, Dshabirei, Schauloch-Taussultlian. Tewadschuqua-Son of progress. Chod, Hussein Hadzug-Puppy. Kasbulat-Goose-stealing (Tartat). Tschechi, Chetek. Uressai-Fast-month. Taustanim, Kandu, Issmail. Koschbasch-· Double-head (Tartar). Ssagastoqua-Son of the feast of· Ssaga. Manedshuqua, Tambie, Ansor, Chemnesch, Terol. Babadschipa--Duck's-bilL ­ Dshantemir-Iron-soul (Tartar). Tschabas-girci-Tschabas is Arabic, and signifies a falcon.

I have noted but few names of women, which are mostly Arabic. K eflSha-cnan, De'Wlet-chan, Dshennet, that is, Happiness (Arabic) :-Tepsike~

Faterna, Kistaman, Goscho}J ho churaja, that is, Roundness ofa princess's daughter.

I shan conclude this subject with a list of the appellati~n~ given by the Tscber­ kessians to their neighbours: - -

Tartars N ogay Armenians Ermelleh The Krym Gerim Persians Chadshar Russians Druss . Lesgians Hhanniosch, or Hhannoatsche Ossetes Kusch'ha. They are thus named because they in­

habit the highest comb-shaped mountains, which are also called Kusch'ha by the Tscherkesslamt.-

Ch. £(

I ']

I 1 r , (

331 Ch.26.] OF THE TSCHERKESSIANS. Dugores Digor Kusch'ha Tagaurian Ossetes Tegel Kusch'ha Karatschai Karschaga Tartars on the Tschegem-Tschegem Kusch'ha Tartars on the MaIka . BaIkal' Kllsch'ha Georgians Kurshe Jews Dshut. The usden family of Kudenet is reported

to be of Jewish origin.

•

·Tepsike~

llincess's

Tscher­

theyih~

1S, whicb . kessiamt· .

TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND 'GEORGIA.

CHAPrER XXVII.

GEORGE INTERTANO'S ACCOUNT OF THE TSCI-lERKESSIANS-THEY ARE ~ALLED

ZYCHI BY THE GREEKS-SITUATION OF THEIR COUNTRY-CHRISTIANITY

--DIFFERENT 'CLASSES AMONG THEl\I-JHAKNERS AND CUSTOMS-MANY

TSCHERKESSJANS SOLD AS SLAVES ARE CARRIED TO EGYPT-DRESS-CUS­

TOMS IN WAR-GENEnOSITY AND HOSPITALITY-WARS WITH THE TARTARS

--THEIR PERSONAL BEAUTY-THEIR HABITATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS-­

BURIALS-EXTRAORDINARY CEREMONIES ON THOSE OCCASIONS.

THE people called in the Italian, Greek and Latin languages Zychi, by the Tartars ;and Turks Tscherkessians, and in their own tongue Adiga, inhabit the whole sea­ coast above Lasia, from the rivei' Tanais, or Don, to the Cimmerian Bosphorus, which is at the present day denominated Vospero, or Bocca (Muuth) of St. John, Mouth of the Sea of Tschaabathi,- or of the Sea of Tana, and in ancient times bore the name of Palus Mreotis; and further, beyond the Mouth, along the sea­ -coast, to Cape Bussi, towards the river Phasis; and here they border on Avogasia, a district of Colchis. The wJlOle extent of coast possessed by them within and

without the Palus may be about 500 miles. Their territory runs about eight days journey inland to the east, in which direction it is the broadest. They live in vil­ lages scattered over the face of the whole country, without any city or walled town. Their largest and best settlement is a small valley, situated in the centre of -the district cailed Cromuk, which is more populous than any other part. On the land-side they border ·on the Scythians or Tartars. Their language is totally dif­ ferent from that of the neighbouring nations, and tl1e pronunciation very guttural. They profess the Christian religion, and have Greek priests. They are not bap­ tized till they are eight years old or more, and the ceremony consists in a mere sprinhling with consecrated water, and a short benediction from the officiating eccle­

siastic. . The nobles never enter the church before they have attained the age of sixty years; for, as they live by pIunder.,· they have a notion' that their presence would profane the sacred edifice. vVhen they are about the age above mentioned, they desist from robbing, and go to divine service, which as boys they attend with­ out the church-doors, but no otherwise than on horseback. Their women are deli­

vered upon straw, which, they say, ought to be the first bed of man. They the,n.

Cll.2i

-carry t which strangl or of ,

thus F no lett way, 1 to any

in He anothl

.Am (lobleE

not su - take i:

are fit ackno tion 0 -city, ( to kill

in-Ia'" wives:

Wi -care ( his hE peast, pursu arnVl: anum

Th

from

the g: Capr as hE fords ceed from

333

ULlm

ANITY

MANY

-CUs­

RTARS

~NTS~

Tartars Jle sea­ phorus, t. J uhn, ,t times

:he sea­ ~-ogasla,

lin and

~ht days e in vil­ ~d town. ~ of the On the :ally dif­ guttural. .lot bap­ 1 a mere

19 eccle­ Ie acre ofo presence ontioned, ~nd with­ aTe deli­

'hey thep,

Ch.27.] OF THE TSCRERKESSIANS •

.carry the children to the river, and there wash then'!, in spite of the ice and cold which are peculiar to those regions. They give to the child the name of the first stranger \rho enters the house alter its birth; and let the name be Greek, or Latin, or of whatever foreign country it may, they always add to it the te~-mination uk: thus Peter is transfonned into Petruk, Paul into Pauluk, &c. They make use of no letters, either native or foreign. Their priests perform divine worship, in their way, in the Greek language, without understanding it. "\tThen they send a letter to any person, whi~h they very rarely do, they ha,\'e it written in general by JeWS, in Hebrevv characters; hut it is much more usual to send verbal messages to one a.nother.

Among these people there are nobles and vassals, and servants or slaves. The llobles are highly honoured, and spend most of their time on horseback. They do not suffer their inferiors to keep horses; and if one of their vassals rears a foal, they

- take it from him when it is grown up, and give him oxen instead; saying, "These are fit for you, but not a horse." Many of the nobles are lords of '-assals, and they acknowledge no other superior than God. They have no officers for the administra· tion of justice, nor any written laws. Their disputes are terminated by force, saga­ -city, or mediation. Among the nobles it is customary for one relation, one brother, to kill another; in the latter case the murderer sleeps the next night with his sister­ in-law, the wife of the deceased; for it is allowed among them to have several wives, all of whom are considered as lawfuL

When the son of a nobleman is two or three years old, he is committed to the .care of a vassal, who takes him out a-riding with him every day, puts a bow into his hand, and teaches him to shoot with it at the first fowl, pig, or oth.er bird or ):least, that falls in his way. When the boy is grown bigger he goes by himself in pursuit of these animals in their villages, and no vassal dares oppose him. On. arriving at m~,?od, they are continually engaged in carrying· off wild and tame animals, and even men.

Their counh'y is for the greatest part swampy, covered with reeds and rushes; from the roots of which is obtained the calmus. These morasses are occasioned by the great rivers Tanais, which. yet bears that name, the Rhombite, likewise called Copro, and several .ather large and small streams, that have several mouths, and, as has just been observed, form almost boundless swamps, through which many fords and passages have been made. By these secret ways th~y clandestinely pro­ ceed to attack the poor peasants, whom they carry off with their cattle and children from one country to another, and sell or barter them away.

334 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch. £7. Ch.27 As there is no current coin in their country, they make all their contracts by insist t

Boccassines, or pieces of linen, sized and calendered, each of which is sufficient to disp for a shirt; and thus· in all their bargains they calculate the value of their commo­ lity arE dities by Boccassines. The greatest part of the slaves sold by them are calTied to They: Cairo in Egypt; and there fortune elevates them from the lowest rank to the posseso highest honours and dignities, as to the rank of Sultan, Admira.l, &c. not O1i

Their upper garment is of felt, and made like an ecclesiastical habit (peviale di particl chiesa), and they wear it open on one side to leave the right arm at liberty. On son sil their heads they wear a cap, likewise of felt, in the form of a sugar-loaf. Under as a pI the mantle above mentioned they wear terliks (ter:licd) , as they are called, of silk willing or linen, ·which are folded and plaited from the waist downward, almost like the ·the do skirts of the ancient Roman milItary toga. They wear boots and buskins, which the hai are drawn the one over the other and are very neat, and wide linen trowsers.They are air have very long mustaches, and never stir without fire-arms by their side in a case of boots, smooth leather, which is made and worked by their wives. They carry about them consisl razors and a stone to sharpen them upon, and with these they shave one another's take a heads, leaving only a long ~ lock of hair upon the crown. Some assert that cellent this is done in order to allow a firm hold to be taken of the head if it should be cut any ot off, that the face may not be soiled and stained by the dirty and bloody hands of the bowls, murderer. They also shave the hair from the breast when they go to battle, as they espeCI consider it a disgrace for hair to be seen upon that part when they are dead. They t'eside set fire with lighted matches to the houses of their enemies, which are all of straw. Thl: They have in their houses, that is to say, .the principal people, large gold bowls of sides, the weight of from SOO to 500 ducats, and also silver ones, and drink out of them countl with great ceremony, of which indeed they are ~noreprofuse in drinking than on and tl any othei' occasions; for they always drink either in the name of God, or of the inhabi saints, or of their· deceased relatives and fi-iends, at the same time relating the most becau: remarkable actions or circumstances of their lives, bare-headed and. ·withall possible coura, dernonstratioris of veneration and respect. those

·'When they retire to rest, they lay their armour, a cuirass composed of iron plates, the d under their heads by way of a pillow, and place their arms beside them; and the Tarta moment they rise they put on their cuirass, and resume their weapons. Husband surpn and wife lie in bed with their heads to each other's feet; and their beds are of lea­ into ther, filled ·with calmus flowers or rushes. most]

They have a notion that no man is of noble blood whose family is ever known Tl to have been ignoble, even though it may have given birth to several kings. They and l

Ch. ~7.] OF TtIE TSCItERK:ESSIANS. ~35 insist that a nobleman ought to have nothing to do with trade or accounts, except to dispose of his booty; and maintain that the only employments' befitting the nobi­

nmo­ lity are the government and protection of the people, hunting, and military exercises~ ed to.· They are great admirers of generosity, and cheerfully give away any thing they. J the possess except their horses and their arms. In respect to their apparel, they are

not only liberal, but profuse; and hence they in general cut a worse figure in this ale di particular than their vassals. "Whenever they put on new clothes, or shirts ofcrim­

On :;on silk, which are commonly worn by them, their vassals immediately beg them Jnde~. as a present; and it would be deemed a great disgrace if they denied or seemed un· If silk willing to comply with such a request. If therefore ariy person solicits the gift of ke the the clothes upon their backs, thefimmediately pull them off, and change them fOf which the habiliments of the meanest applicant, be they ever so squalid. Thus the nobles They are almost always worse equipped than the ·common people, except" in regard to

:ase of· .. boots, arms, and horses, which they never part with, and in which their chief pride ; them consists. They often give all their moveable property for a horse to which they Jther's take a fancy, and there is nothing in the world which rhey prize so highly as an ex­ -t that cellent horse. When they get possession of gold or sltver, either by robbery or in be cut any other manner, they spend it immediately in the purchase of the above-mentioned of the bowls, or harness, or military equipments. At home the habits of these people,

lS they especially of those in the middle of the country, are not expensive; for such as They reside near the sea are more corrupted by traffic.

straw. They have daily engagements with the Tartars, by whom they are on almost all )wls of sides surrounded. Theyaiso cross the Bosphorus to the Taurian peninsula, in which f them country is situated Kafa, a colony established at a remote period by the Genoese; han on and they pass the streight in winter, when the sea is [rozen, to carry off the Scythian of the inhabitants. A small number of them will put a large body of the latter to flight, e most because they are much more active, better armed and mounted, and show greater 'ossible courage. The helmets which they wear are peculiar to the Pontus; they resemble

those represented on the monuments of antiquity, and have thongs which go over plates, the cheeks and are fastened under the chin, after the manner of the ancients. The

J1d the Tartars, on the contrary, are more inured to all kinds of hardship, and that to a usband surprising degree, which often ensures them the victory; for if they can but retreat of lea- into a distant svvamp, or into snow, ice, or places destitute of every thing, they

mostly conquer by their perseverance and obstinacy. known The Zychi are in general well shaped and handsome, and among the l\iamelukes

They and admirals at Cairo (who~ as bas been ah'ead)' observed. chiefly belong. to this

Ch. 2~ 336 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Clt. 2'i..

Thl nation) are to be found figures of uncommon symmetry. The same remark applies

they s also to the women, 'who, even in their own country, are very familiar with strangers.

the dE They ful;]l the duties of hospitality with the most scrupulous attention, and both the

eight ~ host and his guest style one another conacco, which is synonymous with lwsjJes in

preser Latin. On the departure of the latter, his host escorts him to another lodging,

bed st protects him, 'and if necessary risks his own life in defence of his guest. Though,

stick; as it has been observed, robbery is so general in this counh'y that it may be consi­

her he dered as a regular profession, they nevertheless manifest the utmost fidelity to their

be the conacci or guests, and lavish on them the fondest caresses, both at home and abroad.

head ( Parents allow them, even in their presence, to take every possible liberty with the fixed ( persons of their unmarried daughters, from head to foot, excepting only that of

This i sleeping with them; and when the stranger lies down to rest, or when he wakes,.

he is these girls will fondly go and pick off him the vermin, which are quite peculiar and

largesl natural to this country. These females publiciybathe naked in the rivers, and you;

pieces may then feast your eyes on an infinite nllmber of the fairest and mostelegant, of the figures. this IT

They chiefly subsist on the species of fish still called Anticei, as it was named, numbt by Strabo of old; it is properly a kind of sturgeon, thicker and shorter than the­ conse( common sort. They drink the water of their rivers, which tendll to promote digestion. they n They eat also the flesh of all kinds of tame and wild animals. They have no defray wheat or grapes, but great quantities of millet and such-like grain, of which they portio make bread and other sorts of provision,' as well as a beverage named boza. They the dE likewise drink mead. bring

Their houses are all of straw, reeds, or wood;· and it would be deemed a great to the disgrace- to a prince or nobleman, if he were to build a fortress or a habitation with­ behalJ solid walls; such a person would be stigmatized as a coward, and as incapable of he tur defending himself. For this reason they all live in the above-mentioned houses, and They in villages: throughout the whole country there is not a single fortified place; but. many as some ancient towers and w&Ils yet exist in it, they are used by the country-people

... ]V;for some p~u'pose or other, for the nobles vrould be ashamed to occupy them. Their; wholearrows they make themselves, and work at them even on horseback; they are of people

peculiar excellence, pointed with iron of admirable workmanship and temper) so. tion.

that there are few 'which equal them in exeGut~on. The wives of the nobles are engacred in embroidery· and they also make leather cases for tire-arms, as mentionedb , . above, and gir?les of the same material,which are polished to an extraordinary

degree.

337 Ch.27.J OF THE TSCHERKESSIANS. It .21";

Their funeral ceremonies are extremely singular. On the death of a nobleman, ppliesi they set up a high wooden bed in the open air, upon which they place the body of ngers~ . the deceased in a sitting attitude, after the bowels have been taken out. Here during th th& eight successive days he is visited by his relatives, friends, and·vassals, who make him IJes in presents of silver goblets, bows, arrows, and other things. On either side of the dging,: bed stand the two relations who are next to him/in age, resting with one hand on a lough, stick; and on the left side of the bed stands an unmarried female, with an arrow in consi­ her hand, at the end of which is fastened a silk handkerchief, to drive away the flies, ) their

be the weather ever so cold, which it generally is there all the year round. At the broad.

head of.the deceased is seated the first of his wives, who keeps her eyes steadfastly th the

fixed on her late husband, but without weeping ; which would be deemed indecorous. hat of

This is done the greatest part of the day during the whole eight days, after which wakes,. he is buried in the following manner. They take a very thick tree, and from the ar and.;

largest part of the trqnk they saw a piece of sufficient length, and split it in two 1d you-,

pieces; these they hollow out till the cavity is capable of holding the body and part ~legant, of the above-mentioned presents. They then lay the corpse in· the hollow, and in

this rude coffin it is deposited in the place fixed for the interment, where a great named)

number of people assemble, and throw up a barrow over him; and the greater his an the:­ consequence, and the more friends and dependents he had, the larger and higher ~estion. they make the hill. After the nearest relations have collected all the presents, and ave no defrayed the expenses of the guests, they bury with the body a greater or less pro­ ;h they portion of the articles that have been presented, according to the degree in ""hich

They the deceased was beloved and respected *. For several days after the funeral they bring out at meal-times the best horse of the deceased, and send a servant with it

a great to the grave. The man calls his late master thrice by his name, and invites him on on with behalf of his relatives and friends to the repast. As he of course receives no reply, .able of he turns back with the horse, and informs the family that he can get no answer. ;es, and; They now think that they have done their duty, and fall to without further cere­ ce; buL mony. '.people· . Their: . ". M. von Klaproth has given, on the authority of Interiano, from whom he has borrowed thi!!

whole chapter, the details of another custom Baid by the Italian writer to have been practised by theseyare of p~ople at funerals: but they were deemed too offensive to modejty to be admitted into the transla­1per, so. tion. T.

bles are ~ntioned.

ordinary

338 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGI A'- Ch.!~ 'Came make north.CHAPTER XXVIII. or Gil

" THE AUTHOR'S DEPARTURE FROM MOSDOK-PASSAGE OF THE TEREK-HILLS prince OF ARACK-ACHLAU CKABACK-GRIGORIPOL, A FORTRESS ON THE RIVER ated £ KUMBALEI-SCHALCHA, A COLONY OF THE INGUSCHES ON THE KUMBALEI preeee -SETTLEMENTS OF THE INGUSCHES-THEIR SIMPLE WATER-l\ULLS-WAY About OF LIFE ANI) MANNERS-THE GREAT OR OLD INGUSCHES-NARROW PASS­ which ROAD TO THE UPPER TEREK-GALGA, THE ORIGINAL ABODE OF THE IN­ be as GUSCHES-SACRED ROCK ON THE RIVER ASSAI-ROAD TO THE INGUSCHES

range IN THE V:ALLEY OF SCHALCHA-CAVERN WITH AN IRON CROSS-BEAUTY

it is a OF THE VALLEY-THEIR AGRICULTURE AND DOMESTIC mCONOMY-1't1AN­ had IT NERS-THEIR INTREPIDITY, TEMPERANCE, OATHS-.-MARRIAGES AFTER

~ frequE DEATH-THE FAIR' SEX, AND THEIR DRESS-DANCES OF THE INGUSCHES­ ated. THEIR AVERSION TO FOREIGN JlELIGIONS-RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES PER­ treme FORMED AT AN ANCIENT CHURCH ON THE UPPER ASSAI-DESCRIPTION OF Thl THE EDIFICE-HIGH-PRIESTS OF THE INGUSCHE8-MANNERS OF THE GREAT it is n INGUSCHES-.NAMES GIVEN BY THE INGUSCHES TO THEMSELVES AND THEIR at nig NEIGHBOURS-THEIR SEVEN TRIBES. had c,

ABOUT nine in the morning of Sunday the £2d of December we at length, left the nE

Mosdok with an escort of fifty Don Cossacks. We were ferried over the Terek of the

on two hollowed trees or kajllks, as they are called, which are held together by to pa,

wicker-work of plaited osiers laid upon them, and rowed across. A float so had n

loosely joined is liable to frequent accidents; and in such cases the baggage with and tl

which it is loaded is usually lost, though the men and horses may perhaps save frozer

their lives by swimming. In July and August, when the water is deep, thE: ferry­ morn! boat is obliged to make frequent tacks in going and returning; and as no more than Th

three horses can in general be transported at once, the passage of the Terek neces­ Don

sadly takes up a considerable time. W'e had to wait long on the left bank of the a fell'

river till our whole party and baggage had crossed. On this side is a small redoubt, roofs

which mounts four guns, to protect the communication. light.

At length we started again about four o'clock, and ascended the acclivity of the and t steppe, which in this plate is elevated about sixty feet above the river. The road at 110at

first led through woods; but when these were passe?, the beautiful and fertile plain gaup

of the Little Kabardah opened upon us. After travelling about twenty wersts, we oppo,

fULLS"

aVER

3ALEI

-WAY

'ASS­

~E IN­

seRES

~AUTY

-MAN­

AFTER

HES­

S PER­

[ON OF

::mEAl'

THEIR

Dth left ::l ,

~ Terek ther by ioat so ge with cps save

It ferry­ )re than k neces­ : of the redoubt,.

Y of the road at

ile plain :r5ts, we

Cit. !S.J Q-RIGORIPOL. 339 'Came to the hills of Arack, which are covered with wood; sand, clay and marIe make their appearance upon these hills, which have a gentle declivity toward the north. About a (German) mile further we reached the village of Achlau-Ckaback, or Gilachstanieh, which was formerly the capital and residence of the Gilachstan princes of the Little Kabardah, but is now depopulated by the plague. It is situ- • ated at the northern foot of a second range of hills, which exactly resembles the preceding, in a fertile tract watered by the three small rivulets called Psedache. About a werst on our left lay the Tscherkessian village of Kurgokqua, the dogs of which attacked us, and struck no small telTor into our Cossacks, who begged us to be as quiet and ride as softly as possible. On the southern declivity of the second range of the Arack lay the now deserted redoubt of Grigoripol, and on the left of it is a rivulet without a name. At midnight, heartily tired and very thirsty, for we had met with no fresh water by the way, we arrived at the fortress of Grigoripol, frequently also called Kumbalei from the river on the left bank of which it is situ­

~ted. In crossing that stream in the dark, both ourselves and our baggage got ex­ tremely ·wet.

The distance from Mosdok to Grigoripol is accounted sixty wersts; and in truth it is not a very agreeable excursion to perform in the middle of December, partly at night, over the steppe covered with hoar-frost, and besides at a foot-pace. ,"Ve had con~oled ourselves with the idea of resting and warming ourselves at least till the next morning at Grigoripol, but were grievously disappointed ;' for on account of the lateness of the hour we were not admitted into the fortress, and Were obliged to pass the night in the open air. Hungry, thirsty, and benumbed with cold, we had no other resource than to refresh ourselves with tea, biscuit, and French brandy; and then, covered with our excellent Lesgian felt-cloaks, to lie down to sleep on the tiozen ground. The night was rough and windy, but yet we found ourselves next morning much more recruited than we could have expected.

The fortress, which I afterwards visited, is well built, garrisoned by Hgers and Don Cossacks, and mounts twel ve guns; its only inhabitants are the garrison and a few suttlers, almost all of whom live in semliankas, or subterraneous huts, with roofs projecting above ground, in which are small windows for the admission of light. These habitations are extremely damp and unwholeson~e; and both clothes and provisions soon spoil in them. It would be easy, when the ;vaters are high, to tloat timber-trees from the upper regions of the Kumbalei do-wn that river to Gri­ goripol, and to employ them in the erection of regular houses; but for the obstacles opposed to such an attempt-by the Ingl1sches. The Kumbalei, as it is c2Jlcrl by th~

Z X 2

340 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS'AND GEORG-IA. [Ch.28. Tscherkessians, is named Galun by the Kistian tribes, and rises in the Sla'ce-moun­ of an

tains about three (yerman) miles to the east of .Stephan Tzminda, or Ckasbeck, of a 1

on the Upper Terek, and runs through the valley inhabited by the Great Ingusches, or, as the Russians style them, Starye Inguschi, that is, Old Ingusches. The range perfor

of hills "vhich borders it is elevated and woody; it first runs northward, and then for th Thl.takes a north-west direction, through a plain of forty wersts, till it comes to the

second range of the Arack in the Little Kabardah; past the foot of which it pursues they I

nearly a west course till it empties itself, about four wersts above Tartartup, into every

the right side of the Terek. Its bed is level and stony; the current when low is into t with Inot very rapid, so that in many places it may be forded on horseback; but, like all

the rivers in the plain, it has little wood, and in some parts none at all, as that is the m cellenfrequently destroyed by the alterations of its course.

About forty years since, a colony of Ingusches, caned Schalcha, settled at the same Theyfoot of the hills on the Kumbalei. Their increased popUlation, in valle)'s of no shieldgreat fertility, compelled them to remove to the plain. The extensive plain of the shortKabardah would long have been inhabited and cultivated in a similar manner by the glthe Ossetes, had not the rapacity and cruelty of the Kabardians detained the moun~ surertaineers in their rugged dales, lest they should be sold as slaves, or given by those the mpeople a,s vassals to their boors. Perhaps also they might have spread as far as the cpithlKabardah, had not inaccessible rocks and a love of independence kept t.'-lem qispersed itself.in smaller communities; and weakened them in proportion. The colony of Schalcha,

. which on account of its valour and numbers was capable of making a more effectual woun few 1"stand, repeatedly threw off the yoke which the Kabardians attempted to irnposc.r but hand resolutely defended themselves against those oppressors. bloodOn the left bank of the Kumbalei, just at the foot of the hills, ~eside about two the ehundred families, who are sufficiently protected on the side next to the river by an lies;abrupt precipice. The other villages are situated in the plain, on the right side, the rnear small brooks, on which almost every family has its ,vater-mill, the construction levelof which is extremely simple. I know not if any other people have accomplished their

Tl,9bject with w()rse materials, and with fewer circumstances, so effectually as to be theyable to carry their mills home with them, and to put them up again every time they clOSEare used. A small mill-stone is turned round rapidly by the axle of the little hori­ to b~zontal wheel, against which the. water is discharged in a very obtuse angle from a in C2hollow tree or gutter. The funnel-spaped hopper of birch bark is suspended by whicfour cords, and is shaken when needful by a stick which is fastened to it and touches poorthe stone. A sharp-pointed stone, moving in the cavity of another, serves instead

)

Ch.28.] OF THB INGUSCHES. 34l of an iron pintle to the axle-tref', and the mill-stone is raised or lowered by means of a forked stake and a stone placed underneath it. The whole machine is con'­ structed without iron; the mills are attended by the women, who have likewise to perform all· the labours both of the field and house, and to make clothes besides for themselves and their families.

These people may be termed wealthy in comparison of other mountaineers; for

pursue$. they have abundance of cattle and bread-corn, and yet live very moderately. For

lp, ·irith every repast they bake small cakes of Bour, oat- or barley- meal. The dough is formed

l1 lmv:is into the requisite shape, laid upon a round stone, and, when it is half baked, covered

, like all with hot ashes till it is done. It is slack-baked and heavy, but ea1ily digested by s that is the moderate stomachs of the Ingusches. They also brew, like the Ossetes, an ex­

cellent kind of beer, resembling porter, for extraordinary occasions. They dress in the I at the same fashion as the other Caucasians, but their apparel and arms are of better quality. ·s of DO They aione among all their neighbours have retained the use of the shield. These ] of the shields are of wood, covered wi th leather, and strengthened with oval iron bands. Their

llliler by short knotty spear is not only used for defence, but when the point is thrust into e moun~ the ground the forks serve as a support for the gun, and thus enable them to take a by those· SUTer aim. They fight most commonly on horseback, contrary to the practice of ar as· the the mountaineers, and employ the shield with admirable de..xterity. Acontumelious

[ispersed epithet is considered by them as the greatest insult, and is often expiated with life ~chalcha~ . itself. In their renCOl1nters. you would expect most of them to be dangerously effectual· wounded at least; but they parry the strokes of sabres with such address, that very impose~ few receive the slightest injury. On the most trivial occasions they seize the sabre;

but have recourse to fire-arms only in cases of the utmost necessity, as to revenge bout two< blood or to repel enemies. The social connexion is kept up among the people by 'er by an the elders, who are distinguished by their wealth or the consequence. of their fami.. ight side" lies; but they. possess greater influence over the lower classes in. the plain than in .struction the mountains, where. the' universal indigence places all ranks more nearly upon a, ,hed their level. as to be. The habitations of the Ingusches in the plain are miserable wooden huts; which time they they forsake when attacked, because they are without towers. They maintain the lttle hari­ closest family connexion with those in the mountains, and are the more soliritous te from a to be upon ti:iendly terms with them, that they may obtain an asylum among them ~nded by in case of necessity, When they remove to the plain, they let the lands and houseg. d touches which they leave behind in the mountains to their relatives, or give. them in.fee to, ~s illBtead poorer persous) who thus become their vassals.

3"42 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch.28. Ch.£ simila

The road to tIle valley of the Great Ingusches leads over the woody hills, at first For wfor a few wersts on the right, and afterwards on the left bank of the Kumbalei. leads

The pass may be about eighty fathoms broad, and six wersts in length; it is eyery bearin

where level, passable for carriages, and has some wood. On both sides are high, fur the steep, wooded hills, on whose summits grows a beautiful red wood, the taJiUS, to ruii

,or yew". At the extremity of the pass is a stone image, fixed upon a rock, to in bn

which they p~ay and offer sacrifice. Here opens the valley of the Great Ingusches, the eJi

which runs south-east above six wersts by four broad. Most of the villages are On tl~

situated on the north side of the valley, partly on the declivity of the hill and partly an iro

on the river. On the west side of the rivulet Gerge also lie some detached villages. in thE

At the entrance of the valley stands a tower, surrounded by a wall, which might The v

serve to defend the pass. The valley itself is level, and furnishes sufficient pasturage which

for the cattle of the inhabitants; it is watered by brooks: on the east and north andpside winds the Kumbalei, and on the south and west the Gerge; and both unite at hills,

the pass, after they have received several small streams. The Gerge ri~es in the clows

south, among the lofty snow-mountains, and rushes impetuously dow·n the rugged suchhill on the south side of the valley. Along this river runs a foot-path to Stephan whostTzminda on the Terek. embnThe arable lands of the Great Ingusches lie chiefly on the southern "dec"livity of rouncthe northern range of hills, and they keep their sheep on the southern and eastern to th woody chain. At the foot of the western hills is situated the village of "Wapi) on a the s:

brook called by the Ossetes Makaldon) which falls into the right of the Terek, mid­ constway between Balta~ch and Lars. The Kumbalei issues from the eastern bills in t\yO from arms, on the right side of which runs the road to the valley of the river Assai and barrethe Inner Ingusches. A foot-way' behveen the eastern and northern range leads to land,

the Schadigo and Ckarabulacks. themProceeding still higher from the sources of the Kumbalei, and crossing the- hill~ foot

which separate it from the ,lalley of the Assai or Schadjir, you come, not far from long,

"it, to a place called Galga, which is considered as the original abode of the Ingusches, 1'1

and lies just seven miles south of the sources of the Ssundsha. From this spot a toilsome road leads over a miserable bridge to the right bank of the Assai, which is

quen here contTacted between hills, whence its current is the more rapid, and full of fragments of rocks. It often ""vashes the perpendicular rocky base of an inaccessible

labol hill, and compels you to change your route from one side to the other. Not far

that from a sacred rock, upon which the Ingusches from motives of piety throw horns of

oftb animals and sticks, i::; a second bridge conducting to the left bank. Places where

343 ~. 28~ Ch.28.] OF THE INGUSCHES. similar offerings are made occur at many of the dangerous passes in the mount;jns.t first For want of bridges you pursue a foot-path on the side of the western hills, which.. balei. leads in steep places over narrow fascines covered with earth, scarcely capable ofevery bearing a man, but over which loaded asses and mules are conducted. Ten ,Yerstshigh, further south you gradually descend to the river, where you find a wall partly fallen 'aJ:us, to ruin, with a tower, built right across the narrow pass, not more than forty. yards :k, to in breadth, between inaccessible hills. To the south-west of this pass now opens· sches, the extensive valley of the Ingusches, who also denominate themselves Schalcha.. 25 are On the west side,- before you enter it, near the village of 'Vapila, is a cavern wi thpartly

b.ges. an iron cross, in the middle of a steep rock, to which a general pilgrimage is made in the month of June. On. the rock are to be seen traces of former habitations..might

:urage The valley is large, uneven,. and inhabited along the sille of the hills. The views

north which it affords are truly pleasing and romantic: ancient castles seated upon rocks and precipices-, conical towers like pyramids, sloping fields on the sides of the highest· lite at

in the hills, ton-eots rushing down between them in foaming cascades, and luxuriant mea­

ucraed dows through which a thousand small channels are cut for the purposes of irrigation­ C'O .

ephan such are the prospects that greet the eye on every side. Inclosed with rocks

whose topmost crags crown this valley with everlasting snow, it seems in sUmmer to

"ity of embrace within its compass all the fOUf seasons of. the year. The fields are sur­

asterri rounded with stones, and the Ingasches are so anxious to convert every spot of land

) on a to the purposes of agriculture, that they grudge even the space for paths, and for

, mid­ the sake of a foot of land whole families often exterminate one another. They are

in two constantly employed in removing from their fields the stones that have rolled down

,d and from the hills upon them, in c~tting new channels for irrigation, and in' improving

leIS to barren soils. Notwithstanding' the pains which they take in the cultivation of the land, it scarcely supplies the wants of the inhabitants; for which reason many of

e· hill:!! them removed to the valley of the Great Ingusches, and afterwards as far as the.

I' from foot of the hills to Scha1cha. The straw of wheat never grows here above a foot

lsches, long, but the ears are large and hea.vy.

spot a The Ingusches are industrious, especially the women,whQ not only attend'to the hich is domestic concerns, but make clothes for their husbands, fetch home fire-wood fre-·­ fuB of quently from the distaace:of eight wersts, und carry very heavy burdens over the hills ..

essible Almost all the elevated valleys are destitute of wood which must be broull'ht with O'reat , u b ~ ot far labour from the lofty mounta.ins. This, as I should suppose, is the chief reason, Jrns of that their hou.ses are built of stone, with Bat roofs. They whitewash the exterior'

where of their buildings and tOIH'rs, though thev are not very. tenacious of cleanliness within.. ~,;

344 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Cit. ~8. Cll. / TThey build together in families, and often fortify their villages with walls and conical rt seto'....ers from sixty to ninety feet in height. Their fields lie contiguous 10 their habi­

tations; the animals. which they keep are hogs, sheep, asses, mules, a few horses, mon Ossiand horned cattle; for the deficiency of pasturage admits of a small number only an IIof the latter. For the rest, their wants are few. "Wretchedly clad in the Tartar credfashion, wrapped winter and summer in telt-cloaks, they have often no other food the (than raw roots, and are nevertheless very temperate when the chase affords them threlbetter cheer. The oldest persons of the family sit down first to their repast, and nporleave those who follow them so much that enough remains, after they have done, andfor the children.· In the observance of the rights of hospitality,.- in the possession

of their property in common, in the equitable division of what fortune or accident On1 andthrows in their way, they lose the appearance of savage life, and seem actuated by withmore humane s~ntiments than we rapacious Europeans who style ourselves polished theirand civilized. They are very meagre, but well grown, swift of foot, strong anl in­ whel-rlefatigable. Freedom, wildness, and gravity, are expressed in their looks. In of d:temper they are violent, but soon pacified again; . and all their passions are dis­ whoplayed without disguise or restraint. They consider the contempt of life as a in tbvirtue, and the slightest symptom of fear as the greatest of faults; for which reason Sudthey choose rather to lay violent hands on themselves than to submit to the will of thirt

another. Their women show the same heroic firmness, of which the following in­ stance came to the knowledge of Count John Potocki during his residence on the

son may

Jjne.-An Ingusch carried a young female of his OV',7n COlnltry to Endery with the presintention of selling her. A Jew from Schirwan offered 240 rubles in Persian stuffs

for her, and the'bargain was concluded. The buyer and seller withdrew for a mo­ not 1

ment to lock at the goods; on which the girl thus addressed the by-standel's: "I the

am but a poor orphan, whom anyone may abuse with impunity. My conductoi' promised me marriage, and now he is selling me, that he may have silk, clothes.

cre~

But I ·will,take care that he pever shall wear them." "With these words she went ove Thl

out into the garden and hung herself upon a tree. 8ho

Hunting, war, and marauding, are deemed by the Ingusches the most reputable onl

employments of youth; and they rob as much for the sake of honour as from ne­ it s

cessity. They have heads of families without authority, and eloquence and abilities mil

alone have any influence over them. To laws and a state of subjection they are utter rib

strangers $ and in all their transactions they are governed solely by ancient custom. The father arms his son as soon as he is able to defend himself, and then abandons him to 'his fate and his inclinations,

:lz. ~8~ Cit. 28.] OF THE INGUSCHES. 345 :Qnidl­ -' The Ingusches borrow their names from animals: thus,. one is named [Tst, ox;

, habi- It second Chaka, hog; a third Poe, dog; and so forth. The women have still

10rses, more singular appellations, for instance, Assir 'tcachara-she who rides a calf;

;1' only Ossiali wachara-she who rides a bitch, &c. Should an Ingusch be indebted to

Tartar an individual belonging to any of the neighbouring tribes and not pay him, the

:1' food creditor goes to his J(unack, or guest, among the Ingusches, acquaints him with

them the circumstance, and solicits him to procure the payment of the debt, with this­

t, and threat: "If thou dost not comply, I have brought with me a dog which I will kill done, upon the graves of thy family."-Every Ingusch trembles at this dreadful menace;

,ession and if the debtor denies the debt, he is 'obliged to. swear that he does not owe it.

~cident On this occasion dogs' bones are mixed with the excrements of the same animals,

.ted by and carried to the sacred rock Jerda. I-Iere the person charge~ with the debt says

)lisl)ed with a loud voice, " If I deny the truth, may the dead of my family carry upon ml in­ their shoulders the dead of the family of my accuser, and that too on this road s. In when it has rained and the sun scorches!" The same ceremony takes place in charges

1'e dis- of theft, for the Ingusches steal oftener than they lend.-If a man's son dies, another ~ as a who has lost his daughter goes to the father, and says, "Thy son will want a wife

reason in the other world; 1 will give him my daughter; pay me the price of the bride ..'> ",·ill of­ Such a deinand is never refused, even though the purchase of the bride amount to ling in­ thirty cows. They take five and more wives, and after the father's death the eldest

on the ~on marries th~m all except his own mother, whom however any of his brothers

'ith the may take on the same footing. "Then this scandalous custom is reprobated in the

II stuffs presence of an ~ngusch, he replies, "My father lay with my mother, and why should

. a mo­ not I lie wi th his wife?"

rs: "I The women of the Kists and Ingusches are small, strong; and tolerably handsome;: lductot the girls, adorned with the glow of health, are very lively, inquisitive and merry

:lothes. creatures. Their hair in front is cut so short as to cover only half the forehead,

e went over which they spread it with great care, making it adhere together with white lead. That on the hinder part of the head they plait ill several braids, which fall over the shoulders and down the back; but married women have it done up in two braids putable only, each being- tied with a silk, woollen or cotton fillet, which.is passed round Jill ne­

tbilities it so often that it is an inch thick near the llead, and diminishes to the other extre­

I'e utter mity, which just reaches to the top of the shift, where both are tied together with a

:ustom. ribband. The rest of their head-dress consists of a Tscherkessian hat, which looks

landons very well before, and brass, copper or glass ear-rings. The shift is worked at the ~houlders and breast, with silk, WQol or yarn of different colours, to the depth of rive

5Z. y

· '346 TRA VELI; tN THE CAUCASUS AND GEOttGlA. [Ch.28. Ch. 'inches. Over it they wear a jacket which reaches to the waist and is fastened with eithE .R girdle, and under the shift long trowsers. The5e trowsers mark their condition; holy married women wear red, widows and old 'women blue, and young unmarried females the 4 'White trowsers; but all of them are neatly worked at the ancles in a variety of duec colours bordered with black. In winter, females of all~classes'wear boots, and in occa summer go barefoot. When their household business is finished, they employ them­ knm selves in making carpets, or felts. They manufacture' also a slight woollen stuff and (Zoka), which serves to clothe themselves as well as their husbands and children. Afe

Their method of dancing seems peculiar to themselves, as it is not to be met with Of( :among the other inhabitants of .the Caucasus. A party sitting down in a large circle tern} -sing, and accompanied by hautboys or bagpipes challenge the youngest and ablest Kab dancers to show their activity. Such as choose then throw themselves into a variety but: .of dangerous postures, and perform all sorts of antics, one after another. 'When all o the dancers have taken their turn, amidst loud and general plaudits, they join hands. upor sing, and dance in long files. They frequently form with great dexterity in one large circle, open and close again, and conclude with the same dangerous antics with which they began. That the fair sex may not be deprived of this diversion, they KiTTG

tribe,-seek some blind musician with whom they may amuse themselves in some spot at a distance from the men, without violating the custom which enjoins them to conceal their persons from strangers of the other sex.

The art of writing is considered by the Ingusches as a miracle wrought by the Christian and Mohammedan religions in favour of their professors; they neverthe4

less continue averse to those religions, though the Russian missionaries employed by the Ossetian Commission took great pains to convert them to the Greek church. Two brothers of this nation were sold as slaves to the Turli:s. embraced the Moham· med,an faith, visited Mecca, and at length recovered their liberty. Returning to

Th no p:

their native land, they found their mother yet alive, and, having converted hpr, began whol---' . to preach ,'vith pious zeal against the veneration paid by their countrymen to rocks. " Ye preach a doctrine," said the Ingusches to them, "which ye learned while slaves; we'll have nothing to do with it; therefore begone, and never show your faces here again." The two brothers withdrew unmolested to another country; a proof that the religion of the Ingusches is far more tolerant than the Christian.

The religion of the Ingusches is extremely simple; for they worship one God, w:hom they name Dale, but no saints or other illustrious persons. They celebrate

+ Sunday, not by religious worship, but by rest from labour. In spring they observe fJf th a long fast, and in summer one of shorter duration. They have no particular customs of til

OJ' THE INGUSCHES .. 347 either at the birth or death of man, but annually perform general pilgrimages to

,tion;; . holy places, mo~t of which are remains of Christian churches erected in the time of males ~ the celebrated Georgian queen Thamar, who reigned from A. D. 1171 to 1198, sub~ ~ty' of dued most of the Caucasians, and converted them to Greek christianity*. On such

nd in ~ occasions they make offerings of sheep, beer, and other things. An old man of them- known sanctity, whom they term Zanin stag, or pure man, who is their only priest, l stuff and unmarried, has alone the right to offer sacrifices and prayers at the holy places. 'en. A festival of this kind is celebrated with a general feast upon the animals sacrificed. twith Of Christianity they retain nothing but a veneration for ancient churches and a. con~ circle. tempt for the Mohammedan religion. Those who resided nearest to the plain of the ablest Kabardah suffered themselves to be baptized in the time of the Russian missionaries, mriety but since the suppression of the Ossetian Comn1ission this has totally ceased. len all On the south side of the valley of the Ingusches that has just been described, hands, upon an eminence at whose foot the two anris of the Assait unite, and on the right e large ~s with 'I/< The Ingusches, like most of the Caucasians, still have a week of seven days, which they call 1, they Kirra, or Sunday. The names given to the days of the week by them, as well as by the kindred

lribes, the Tschetschenzes and Tuschi, are as follow: ,ot at a. 11lguschiall. Tilschian. Tschetschen:r.ian.~onceal

Sunday Kirende Kwira Kirra Monday Orschoat Zaenahe Orschoet

by the Tuesday Schinara Schinahae Schinara ~verthe~ Wednesday Kare Kohe Kare

lyed by Thursday Jere Beuch Jere Friday Baraske Baraske Baraskechurch. Saturday Schaat Schabat Schalit.

rfobam­ The name· of" Saturday is certainly derived f"rom Sabbath. On the other hand, the Ingusches have

:ning to no particular names fOr the twelve months of the year; but their neighbours the Tschetschenzei,

" began who. speak a kindred language, give them. the following appellations: o rocks. January, Antehera but. July, Schilim but d while February, Baiste halcharill'l but August; Gunne hal£harim but ,ur faces March, Mort but: September, Gurine jukerim but.

April, Dalal. but October, Gurine taharim but, a proof May,. Basti but November, Ainihalcharim but June, Jukere but December, Tschile but•.

oe God, Bur signifies moon or month •.

:elebrate + The Assai or Assi, called in Tscherkessian Schadjir, and by the Russians Ossaja or Ossai, is one:

observe flf the principal mountain-streams of the Northern Caucasus, and rises in the slate-hills at the foot. customs of the high snowy range~ on the n01"th side of which are the sources of the Dokon Argun (Great.

2y ~

~48 1'RA VELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch. !~. :Ch.

arm, is an ancient building, the object of the great annual pilgrimages of the whole thos nation. The Zanin stag, or holy old man, resides near it, and slaughters the ani­ Osse

mals presented for sacrifice, which are consumed by the pilgrims; the head, horns .gue~ and bones only being preserved in the building. The latter is partly sunk in the and earth, and is twenty-three paces in length, seven in breadth, and eighteen feet in to t

height. It is built of smooth hewn stone, but the roof has fallen in. On the west they and east side is to be seen a small court-yard. The enb'ance by a gate was on the notb

west side, but is 'now blocked up with stones: the present entrance is by a lo,v door with

on the south side. Over the principal entrance are some rude figures cut in stone wan in alto relievo. A man is represented sitting on a chair, and over him on the left pel's a hand proceeds from the clouds holding a rule; by his side stands another figure exte

holding a cross in ,the left hand and a sabre in the right. On the other side another whi(

figure is carrying bunches of grapes on a pole over his shoulder; at the side are Dort

heads of cherubs, which are also introduced byway of oi'nament at the corners. just

Over the principal figure is seen the fa~ade of. a Greek church; but the ancient side

Georgian inscriptions, which Pallas has mistaken for Gothic, are now wholly ille­ and

gible. On the east side of the building are two narrow windows, and in the south yiele

wall small triangular holes are left instead of windows. The interior of the edifice is twel

dark, dirty, and without pavement; and in the middle is a heap of ashes accumu­ pay,

lated from the sacrifices. Heads with horns, bones, and broken arrows, are laid up For

against the sides. On the east side are some arches walled up with stone, which l\iitl

are said to communicate with vaults where books and other articles belonging to the half

church are deposited. These places the Ingusches will not suffer any person to law

explore. During my second visit to Mosdok, however, I procured two tattered defE

Greek manuscripts on the Liturgy, on smooth cotton paper, which had been brought chui

away by a Capuchin missionary \vho had Ollce penetrated to the country of the SlOn

Ingusches: they properly belonged to the Catholic mission, but were exchanged with cavt

~:ne by the Jesuits for sOl1~e other books of more utility to them. the~

The Great Ingusches are much more hospitable and sociable with strangers than' is b WhE

Argun) and the Koissu, and from whose south side issue the Jor, Alasani, and Ssamura. It flows at first mar

nearly due west, and then turns northward. Upon this river and its tributary streams, the Soslanchi llnd Basseren (the Yellow), are situated several villages, the highest of which border on the Georgian th~i district of Chewssurethi, all the rivulets of which also join the Assai. Below Chewssurethi, on the Assai, are the Kistian districts of Meesti, Galgai, or Halha (the lngusches) , which ext~nd from the Kumbalei, across the S.undsha, to the Assai; the district of Meredshi, with metallic ores, Galaschka, ~Ild lastly Dabach. On the Basserctl there are salt-springs. See GUldellstadt, i.171.

\

1

:. ~~;. 'Ch.28.) O'FTItE ING USCItES.

lhole 'those residing on the Assm, and have borrowed their manners and customs fi'om the

~ anl­ Ossetes and Tscherkessians~ At entertainments the host always waits upon his lOrns ~uests, and eats only what the latter throw to him.. He\ sets before them the head l1 the and· breast at once; of these each is expected to partake, but the ears are allotted ,et in to the boy to remind him of the duty of obedience. After eating the flesh,

west they drink the broth. They squat round in a circle to the repast, at which they use

n the nothing but their fingers: Their burial-places are vaults of masonry above-ground,

door with a small aperture 6n the west side by which the corpse is introduced; it is after­

stone wards closed with stones, and the women fasten to it the braids of their hair. For

Ie left persons killed by lightn:ing, they erect poles to which they attach the head and

figure extended skin of a goat. Rtispecting the time of their settlementiri the country lother which they now inhabit they are totally ignorant; but the ruined church on the Ie are northern hills, at which those offer sacrifice who do not go on pilg,Timage to that

mel's. just described, evinces a pretty high antiquity. Their flocks and herds are con­

1cient siderable, and they have a good breed of horses. The more opulent let their cattle,

y ille­ and find this method both safer and more advantageous. Ten sheep with ten lambs

south yield every three years a profit of eight head, so that the owner must receive back

fice is twenty-eight head. Should the farmer have the misfortune to lose the sheep, he

cumu­ pays a cow every three years in their stead, till he can return the proper number.

:tid up For a cow with a calf a sheep is annually given; and for a mare a cow, together

which with half the foals she drops; or in ten years three sheep, the mare 'Yith foal, and

to the half the foals dropped during that time. This practice has the authority of a tacit

;on to law among these people. For a certain tribute also they take the indigent and

lttered defenceless under their protection. They observe the great fasts of the Greek

rought church, but that is the extent of their knowledge of Christianity. On these occa­

of the sions they perform their pilgrimages to the holy places, and after harvest to the

d with cavern with. the iron cross. ,They relate many extraordinary sto~'ies concerning these sanctuaries; and, among the rest, of a vault in the valley of Schalcha, which

's than' is built of stone. Here a passage is said to lead through nine do61'S to a cavern, where large books, a gold candlestick, a chest full of valuables, and a man and wo­ man are preserved sound and uninjured. s at first

oslanchi The Galgai, Balha, or Ingusches, call themselves Lamur, or mountaineers; and ieorgian th~ir neighbours, , on the The Tscherkessians, Ghabartie. i'om the

Ossetes, Hhiri. Iaschka,

Lesgians, - Suele.

I

~50 TRAVELS IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA. [Ch.28.

The Russians, - U russi. Georgians, -.... Gurdshi. Armenians, .. .. .. .. Ermelei. Tschetschenzes, .. - ­ .. N achtschui.

The nation of the Ingusches is composed of seven tribes, bearing the following DEPl names :-1. Tergimcha; 2. Agi; 3. Cham-hoi-y; 4. Charatoi; 5. Zimkai-boch; DE

6. Ge-ula-wy; 7. Wapi.. They are very easily won by kindness and indulgence; DI and so long as you do not deceive them, you are sure of their confidence. At pre­ SIj

sent they live OQ a tolerably amicable footing with the Russians, by whom they are 'CR

considered as subjects. The selfishness of the Russian civil officers gives occasion. T.A

to much resistance, and the cheats of Armenian traderi to many complaints. . BA RI

'I'll

were becal 'WIa( plac{ thes kin, seem corn· its CI cliffe basa mas~

siIicl T

gtan k'iss they mOll

351 ~. 2S.

owmg boch; ~ence ; It pre­ eyare casion.

THE RIVER TEREK.

CHAPTER XXIX.

DBPARTURE FROM GRIGORIPOL, OR KUMBALEI-POTEMKIN REbOUBT, NOW

DEMOLISHED-ARRIVAL AT THE TERRK-STONES IN THAT RIVER"'-ITS

DIFFERENT GEORGIAN N AMES-TERGI~LOMEKISS-MDINARE-ARAGWI­

SINGULARITY OF THE LATTER APPELLATION-WLADIKAWKAS, ORTERK­

CKALLA-COUNT IWELITSCH-PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW MILI­

TARY LINE ALONG TH.E CKUBAN AND THE SSUNDSHA-THE LITTLE KA­

BARDAH DESCRIBED-DOUBLE CHAIN OF MOUNTAINS INTERSECTING 1'1'­

RIVERS-ELEVATION OF THE STEPPE A~T]) ITS FERTILITY-VILLAGES IN

THE LITTLE KABARDAH-FREQUENT CHANGES OF THEIR SITES AND NAMES

-THEIR FOR~IER SITUATION-NARROW PASS ON THE RIVER NASSIRAN

AND THE SSUNDSHA-PRESERVED CORPSES-ANCIENT TARTAR SEPULCHRE

ON THE JAMAN-CKUL.

ON the morning of the Q3d of December we quitted our frozen ·encampment, lll1d were furnished with a more numerous escort, compo~ed of Cossacks and Jagers, because the Ingusches and Tschetschenzes rendered the road fi.-om Kumbalei to vVladikawkas very unsafe. Near Grigoripol, and seven "versts to the south of that place, as far as the Terek, you see great numbers of dwarf oak-trees scattered over the steppe. Half way to Wladikawkas formerly stood the small redoubt of Potem­ kin, of which nothing is now visible but part of the earthen ramparts. The soil here seems to be extremely fertile, and if it were under tillage it would make excellent corn-land. The water of the Terek was clear, and had a greenish blue appearal~ce; its cun~ent flowed with rapidity over the greatest variety of stones belonging to the different Caucasian species of rock, among which I observed gray and very compact basaltic porphyry, a darker and less compact kind, brown red porphyry the principal mass of which is allied to basalt, the same of a brighter colour and more porous, siliceous slate, coarse black slate, and lime-stone of different colours.

The T€rek bears the same name among all the neighbouring tribes, and the Geor... gians also now call it Thergi, though it was formerly denominated by them Lome­ k'iss-mdinare

J that is, the river of Lomek'i. But it is not a little remarkable that

they give to its upper part, from its source to the place where it leaves the Caucasian, mountains and entel~S the plain of the Kabardah, the appellation of Aragwi r t~