Shapsugs: Difference between revisions
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The Shapsugs speak a dialect of the [[Adyghe language]]. According to some indirect data, there were over four thousand Shapsugs in Russia in 1926, but the Shapsug people were not enumerated as a separate group in [[Russian Census]]es until [[Russian Census (2002)|2002]], when the population was recorded at 3,231. The Shapsugs are primarily [[Sunni Muslims]]. |
The Shapsugs speak a dialect of the [[Adyghe language]]. According to some indirect data, there were over four thousand Shapsugs in Russia in 1926, but the Shapsug people were not enumerated as a separate group in [[Russian Census]]es until [[Russian Census (2002)|2002]], when the population was recorded at 3,231. The Shapsugs are primarily [[Sunni Muslims]]. |
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The Shapsugs used to make up one of the biggest groups of the [[Black Sea]] Adyghe (причерноморские адыги; today's Adyghe people). They inhabited the region between the [[ |
The Shapsugs used to make up one of the biggest groups of the [[Black Sea]] Adyghe (причерноморские адыги; today's Adyghe people). They inhabited the region between the [[Dzhugba_River|Dzhugba]] in Adyghe means "The Valley of Wind" and [[Shakhe River]]s (the so called Maly Shapsug, or Little Shapsug) and high-altitude mountainous areas of the northern slopes of the [[Caucasus Range]] along the Antkhir, Abin, Afips, Bakan, Ships and other rivers (Bolshoy Shapsug, or Greater Shapsug). |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 11:04, 1 September 2010
Shapsugs (self-designation: Adyghe: Шапсыг-адыгэ; Arabic: الشابسوغ; [шапсуги] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) are a people of the Adyghe branch, who are currently living in Tuapsinsky District (Tuapse) of Krasnodar Krai, Lazarevsky City District of Sochi, and in the Republic of Adygea in Russia. These areas are a small part of historical Circassia, in addition to diaspora (Amman, Naour, Marj Al-hamam, Wadi Al Seer) Jordan, Turkey, Israel (Kfar Kama), Syria, Europe, United States of America). The first Circassians to settle in Amman were from the Shapsug tribe,"Official Website of Amman". Retrieved 2009-05-21. however later other Circassians from the Kabardian, Abadzekh and Bzadoug tribes also came to Amman.
The Shapsugs speak a dialect of the Adyghe language. According to some indirect data, there were over four thousand Shapsugs in Russia in 1926, but the Shapsug people were not enumerated as a separate group in Russian Censuses until 2002, when the population was recorded at 3,231. The Shapsugs are primarily Sunni Muslims.
The Shapsugs used to make up one of the biggest groups of the Black Sea Adyghe (причерноморские адыги; today's Adyghe people). They inhabited the region between the Dzhugba in Adyghe means "The Valley of Wind" and Shakhe Rivers (the so called Maly Shapsug, or Little Shapsug) and high-altitude mountainous areas of the northern slopes of the Caucasus Range along the Antkhir, Abin, Afips, Bakan, Ships and other rivers (Bolshoy Shapsug, or Greater Shapsug).
History
The Shapsyghs/Shapsighs/Shapsyghs are known to have supported the Adyghe in their struggle against the Crimean Khanate. During the Caucasian War, they were one of the most stubborn enemies of Imperial Russia, joining Shamil's alliance (which would last until 1859). In late 1860, a Majlis was assembled, which would unite the Shapsyghs, Ubykhs, and Natuqais aḓnd considered (Шъачэ) Sochi the last capital of the Circassians resistance. In 1864, a major part of the Shapsyghs and other Adyghes moved to the Ottoman Empire due to the Russian army occupation of the region (Circassia), beside the regular tsars policy during the era of the Russian Empire to cleanse the Circassian coast from Circassians (mainly physically then by expelling the remaining to the Ottoman Empire. (see Muhajir). In the Ottoman Empire the Shapsugs were partially assimilated or blended into the Cherkess community. Some 2,000 Shapsyghs remained in the Caucasus.
In 1924, the Bolsheviks established the Shapsygh National Raion with Tuapse as its administrative center (eventually moved to settlements of Krasnoaleksandrovskoye and then Lazarevskoye). In 1945, the Shapsygh National Raion was transformed into the Lazarevsky Rayon of the Krasnodar Krai. In 1990, the first congress of the Shapsyhg people took place, where they would adopt a declaration on the reinstatement of the Shapsygh National Rayon. On June 12, 1992, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation passed a resolution on the establishment of the Shapsygh National Raion.
Culture
The traditional Shapsug culture had much in common with the Adyghe culture. The Shapsugs were engaged in agriculture, cattle- and horse breeding, gardening, viticulture and bee keeping. In pre-Islamic times, the Shapsugs worshiped gods common among all the Adyghe peoples – Shible (god of thunder and lightning), Sozeresh (Adyghe: Созереш) (god of fertility), Yemish or Yemij (god of war), Akhin and Khakustash (protectors of cattle breeding), Tlepsh (god of blacksmithing),Keshkogwasaha (Adyghe: Хышхогуащэ) (god of the black sea),etc. The Shapsugs used to perform the Hantse Guashe (Adyghe: Хьэнцэ гуащэ) ceremony of rain calling during droughts by carrying a dressed doll through the aul and then drowning it in the river.
Notable people
- Karzeg Sait Bey (1887-1920) [1]
- Çerkes Ethem
- Hazret Sovmen
- Kyzbech Tuguzhoko