The Circassians are a collection of tribes of Caucasians, living in the northwestern Caucasus region in southwestern Russia (see Russians: nationality). The two main groups of Circassians are the Adyghians (Kiakhs or Lower Circassians), who live mostly in the republics of Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia in Russia, and the Kabardians (Upper Circassians), who live mostly in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria to the east. The Adyghians, since the 1930s and the Soviet period, are further subdivided into Adyghians proper and Cherkess. Circassia is the historic name for the entire region. Many Circassians live in the plain immediately to the north of the mountains, others live in the piedmont, and the rest in the high mountains. Circassian communities also exist in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran.
ORIGINS
Caucasic-speaking peoples are considered indigenous to the Caucasus. The Circassians are thought to be descended from a group of Caucasian tribes along the Kuban River who called themselves Adygey and who have possibly maintained tribal identity since the second millennium b. c.e.
LANGUAGE
The Circassians spoke dialects of the NorthWest (Abkhazo-Adygheian) branch of North Caucasic, related to dialects of the Abazians, Abkhazians (of Asia), and Ubyks. Their two principal dialects are Kiakh and Kabardian.
CIRCASSIANS
Location:
Northwestern Caucasus Mountains in southwestern Russia
Time period:
Second millennium b. c.e. to present
Ancestry:
Caucasian
Language:
Caucasic
Circassians time line
C. E.
Sixth century Christianity reaches Circassians.
17th century Circassians convert to Islam.
1834 Most Circassians remain neutral in Shamil Rebellion against Russians. 1864 Many Circassians emigrate to Turkey after defeat by Russians.
1930s Reshuffling of Circassian identities by Soviet authorities
HISTORY
The Circassians had early contacts with the Greeks, who did not hold territory in Circassia but who established colonies to the south and traded along the coast of the Black Sea as early as the sixth century b. c.e. The Romans also later secured territory to the south of the Ubyks. Invading peoples who controlled or wielded influence in Circassia in the Middle Ages were the Khazars and Mongols. After the breakup of the Mongol Empire in 1382 the Tatars and Turks (see Turkics) became dominant in the region. In 1785 the North Caucasus was designated a Russian province.
During the Shamil Rebellion of 1834 against Russian rule in Dagestan, led by Shamil, said to be descended from the Avars, most Circassians remained neutral. In 1864 during a period of contesting the region with the Turks in the last of the Russo-Turkish Wars the Russians defeated the Circassians, after which many were expelled or chose to relocate, mostly to Turkey During the period when the Caucasus was under the dominion of the Soviet Union (USSR), the various ethnic groups were reorganized in the 1930s along with political boundaries. The Adyghians are the titular people of Adygea; the Cherkess share Karachay-Cherkessia with the Turkic Karachay; and the Kabardians share Kabardino-Balkaria with the Turkic Balkars. There are also large Circassian groups in Turkey, Jordan, and Syria.
CULTURE (see also Caucasians)
The Circassians traditionally have practiced herding of livestock, farming, and fruit growing. Hunting and fishing help provide sustenance.
The Circassians formerly practiced an ani-mist religion. They were Christianized in the sixth century but adopted Islam in the 17th century when under the rule of the ottoman Empire of the Turks.
The name Circassians has been mistakenly used for all peoples of the North Caucasus.
Further Reading
Amjad Jaimouka. The Circassians (London: Routledge, 2001).
World History
