CONTENT

Introductıon

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND(North Caucasian Society)

Circassian Flag(1992)

Circassians Exile(1864)

SOCIAL BACKGROUND(Interview)

Circassians Belief System

Woman in society

Woman Clothes

CIRCASSIANS FOODS

CIRCASSIAN WEDDING AND DANCING

FAMOUS CIRCASSIONS

Circassians is my final searching topic,I want to start with ‘Why am I choose this topic as my final topic?’I choose this topic because I’m the one of assimilated Circassian and I believe that Circassians has very interesting features and I will try to show you with the help of my searching,interviews and videos. Description of the flag

The flag is not new, because it was firstly drawn by David Urquhart, a Scottish scholar sent by British Government to substain Cirkassyan people against Russia. He created a flag, that is very similar to the current flag adopted on 23 March 1992. The 12 golden stars stand for the nine “aristocratic” tribes and the three “democratic” tribes, while the three arrows represents peace. The background is green and represents both Islam and life (or freedom).Giuseppe Bottasini

12 gold stars correspond to 12 main tribes of the Adyghe nation. Three crossed arrows symbolize union of 12 Adyghe tribes.Nikolay Khimenkov, 20 Mar 1999

The colour of the flag is in fact Aquamarine Green, a dark blueish green, so says the flag law. The colour given in art. 2 of the law is green. But not only the illustration to the law, but also the description of the details of the flag give deep aquamarine. The supplement to the law prescribes the size of each flag element and the colourshade. (Published in Sovetskaja Adigeja 63 of March 31st, 1992)Ralf Stelter, 04 Mar 1999 and 27 Jun 1999

History of the flag

Circassia (1830’ies)

image by Nikolay Khimenkov and Ivan Sache, 18 Jun 2003

In the 1830s, a Briton called Urquhart designed green flag with 7 stars above three crossed arrows on a green background. This flag was used by the Circassians in the fight against Russian occupation.Stuart Notholt, 17 Sep 1995

The first Adygeyi flag was created in 1834. It was green with three yellow arrows and seven stars. Green symbolized Islam, the arrows the union of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the stars the seven allied peoples from Caucasus.Ivan Sache, 18 Jun 2003, quoting from [lux01]

Lux-Wurm’s image in [lux01] differs from the current Adygeya flag by its proportions of 2:3 and the number and arrangement of the stars, an arch of five and two more stars placed among the arrows.Ivan Sache, 18 Jun 2003

North Caucasian League (1940’ies)

image by Nikolay Khimenkov, 05 Jul 1999

Both the flags of Cherkess and Adygei are clearly evolved from this flag, a version of which (with 12 stars) being also used by the pro-German North Caucasian League set up during World War II.Stuart Notholt, 17 Sep 1995

Flag laws

Constitution of the Republic of Adygei

Clause 59. The National flag of the Republic of Adygei is a rectangular green panel, with the pictures of twelve gold stars and three gold crossedarrows with the tips directed upwards. The ratio of the flag length and its width is 2:1.

Law of the republic of AdygeiOn the National flag of the Republic of AdygeiMarch 24, 1992

Clause 2. The National flag of the Republic of Adygei is a rectangular green panel, with the pictures of twelve gold stars and three gold crossed arrows with the tips directed upwards. The length of the flag is 180 cm, the width is 90 cm.quoted by Nikolay Khimenkov, 20 Mar 1999

The problem is to choose: either we respect word for word the text (only it matters), and the flag is green, or we respect the picture in the law and the flag is dark aquamarine (source: [cdd], 17th June 1992).Pascal Vagnat, 31 Mar 1999

The colour given in art. 2 of the law is green. But not only the illustration to the law, but also the description of the details of the flag (published in Sovetskaja Adigeja No. 63, of March 31st, 1992) give deep aquamarine. For Adygeja the supplement to the law prescribes the size of each flag element and the colourshade!Ralf Stelter, 27 Jun 1999

Medium green variant

image by Nikolay Khimenkov, 20 Mar 1999

A friend of mine, just returning from a foot trip across Adygeya (from Krasnodar thru Maykop up to the southern border), reported to me that all adygeyan flags in sight were medium green, not (dark) aquamarine.António Martins, 10 Sep 1999

In fact some flags are manufactured in a normal shade of green, and I know an institution in Germany who received an original flag in green, with a letter added: «note that the gren shade is wrong, it should be darker».Ralf Stelter, 04 Mar 1999

This flag is listed under number 103 at the chart Flags of Aspirant Peoples [eba94] as: «Adyge Republic (Adygei) - North Caucasus, Russia, based on written description».Ivan Sache, 15 Sep 1999

Different star arrangement variation

image by Nikolay Khimenkov, 20 Mar 1999

I know a variant with 3 stars are located on an arch.Nikolay Khimenkov, 20 Mar 1999

The arrangement of the flag’s elements is prescribed in the same supplementary to the law as the colourshade. There is only one correct arrangement possible!Ralf Stelter, 27 Jun 1999

Coat of Arms

In the coat of arms of the Russian republic of Adygei (adopted 24 March 1992) is shown Sausryko with a torch in his right hand and riding a firehorse. His story is told in the national epic Nart of Adygei.Jos Poels, 29 Nov 1995

Official description is in the official website, but it is in Russian. The coat of arms is adopted March 24th 1992. Author is D. M. Meretukov. There is not a word about the colours of the arms in the document, so probably that is a reason why there are different interpretations.Valentin Poposki, 25 Nov 2005

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ru-01.html

Background Information

The Circassian people have their origins in a land historically described as Circassia, in the

north-western part of the Caucasus region, named after the Caucasus mountain range that runs

along the border between Russia on the north and Georgia and Azerbaijan on the south

(Encyclopaedia Britannica 1989, 326). Another historical name for the north-west Caucasus

is "country of the Kuban" (Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 21). The Circassians call themselves

"Ad²ghe" or "Adyge" or "Adige" (Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 21; Caucasian Association

18 June 1999c; ibid. 18 June 1999d). The Circassian language has many dialects, from which

two literary versions emerged after the creation of the Soviet Union; and written in the

Cyrillic alphabet since the 1930s: Eastern Ad²ghe, (also called high Ad²ghe, or Kabard), and

Lower Ad²ghe (also called K'akh, or simply Ad²ghe) (Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 22)

History

A Sunni Muslim people, before the introduction of Islam the Circassians practised

Christianity, which was introduced by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and Georgia

(Encyclopaedia Britannica 1989, 326; Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 22). Islam was first

introduced to the Circassian nobility in the 16th century, and in the early 18th century the

religion spread to the rest of the population (ibid.). Even after the Islamization of Circassian

society, remnants of ancient pre-Christian polytheistic worship remained (Encyclopaedia

Britannica 1989, 326; Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 22).

During the 12th and 13th centuries Circassia came under the control of Georgian princes, and in

the 16th and 17th centuries Circassian leaders asked for Russian support against attacks from

Turkey and Iran (Encyclopaedia Britannica 1989, 326). In 1785 the northern Caucasus was

brought under Russian control, and the Russian conquest of Circassia was completed in 1864

(ibid.; Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 25). Before the Russian conquest the main tribes of the

Circassians were the Natukhay (Natkuadj), the Shapsug, the Abadzekh, the Mokhosh, the

Temirgoy (Kemgui, Čengui), the Khatükay, the Besleney, the tribes of the Great Kabarda, the

tribes of the Little Kabarda, the Ubekh (upside-down "e" in the original) and the Abaza

(Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 21).

After the Russian conquest many Circassians left the country: the vast majority of the total

population, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1989, 326); the majority of the

Western tribes, according to the Encyclopaedia of Islam  (1991, 21). Ottoman records indicate

that 595,000 Circassians left Circassia for the Ottoman Empire (which includes what is now

Turkey) between 1856 and 1864, and in 1945 there were still over 66,000 native Circassian

speakers in Turkey (Encyclopaedia of Islam 1991, 25). There are smaller Circassian

communities in Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Iran (Encyclopaedia Britannica 1989, 326).

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,49709c792,3ae6ad7d2c,0.html

Circassions culture seem to be like a parts of mosaics.Circassians are comprise of seven

branches in Caucasia.These are Adyge,Abkhasian,Ubih,Ossetian,Karachai,Chechen and

Daghistan.

Ersoy,HAYRİ.KAMAGI,Aysun.Çerkezler tarihiPg 29,112

They were live in Caucasia and after Russian invasion they came to the Otaman Empire.

Circassian Exile(1864)

Blue arrows is the migration land and migration destination of the Circassians and

Abkhazians.

Red arrows migration destination to Middle east and Anatolia of the Circassians and

Abkhazians who settled initially in the Balkans

http://www.circassianworld.com/exilemap_1.html

Loreenna Mckenitt is a Circassian who is the known all around the world,and she refers

Circassions Exile with her’ Night Ride Across The Caucasus ’ song.It is still mourning Day

which they didn’’t forget. I find Loreenna Mckenitt photographs videos,when she joined a

Circassian wedding in Duzce. From Loreenna McKennitt’s ‘The Book Of Secrets’Album

‘Night Ride Across the Caucasus’song lyric.The song also translated in Turkish by Çetin

Öner who is the member of North Caucasia Association.I copy this song for my searching.

From FEDERATİON of caucasion Associations

www.kafkasyafederasyonu.org

Night Ride Across The Caucasus Lyrics

Artist(Band):Loreena McKennitt

Ride on through the night, ride on

Ride on through the night, ride on

There are visions; there are memories

There are echoes of thundering hooves

There are fires; there is laughter

There's the sound of a thousand doves

In the velvet of the darkness

By the silhouette of silent trees

They are watching, waiting

They are witnessing life's mysteries

Cascading stars on the slumbering hills

They are dancing as far as the sea

Riding o'er the land, you can feel its gentle hand

Leading on to its destiny

Take me with you on this journey

Where the boundaries of time are now tossed

In cathedrals of the forest

In the words of the time is now lost

Find the answers; ask the questions

Find the boles of the clear ancient tree

Take me dancing; take me singing

I ride on too waits the sea

I ride on

In cathedrals of the forest

In the words of the tongues now lost

Find the answers, ask the questions

Find the roots of an ancient tree

Take me dancing, take me singing

I'll ride on till the moon meets the sea

Ride on through the night, ride on

Ride on through the night, ride on

Ride on through the night, ride on

Ride on through the night, ride on

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Night-Ride-Across-the-Caucasus-lyrics-Loreena-

McKennitt/23421F9ED84849D648256BDC001026C1

If Adygheans (Circassians) wasn’t forced to live this inhumane exile and genocide, today the

Adyghean population in the Caucasus would be more than 18 millions.

According to F. Kanits’s, a German scientist and ethnographer, writings 1300 Circassians out

of 2100, lost their lives in the sea while they were taken from Ottoman Empire to Cyprus. It

was such a disaster that if you followed the dead bodies on the sea, you could easily find out

the course of the ship.

Only 7.000 Adygheans out of 22.000 survived who disembarked to Batum region and were

settled there. At the same time only 100 Adygheans survived from out of another 30.000

group and they were settled to Samsun region.

According to A. P. Berge’s writings, daily on avarage 180 to 250 Adygheans lost their lives

who were disembarked to Samsun and Trabzon region. The situation they were forced to live

in was really suffering.

In 1860 Yevdokimov, the Russian army commander for Psij region, prepared a plan for the

occupation of Caucasus in order to end the war in a shorter time. Up to this plan the

Adygheans would be exiled from their lands to the Psij region or to the Ottoman Empire.

And then Kazaks would be settled to their places that Adighas forced to leave.

As a first step of this politicy, 10,000 Adygheans were chosen from the most resistant

Adyghean tribes and exiled to the Ottoman Empire.

After 1860 the number of Adygheans exiled from their lands to the Ottoman Empire were

increased rapidly. The Russian Tsar was anxious about the probability of the Ottoman

Empire would not accept anymore Adygheans. For that reason the Tsar and his generals in

Caucasus send Loris Malikov, an official who is responsible from Terek region, to Istanbul

for making an aggreement with the Ottoman Empire.

For his mission Loris Melikov made secret negotiations and agreements with the Ottoman

Empire to ensure that in no condition the Adygheans would be refused and returned to their

lands.

According to the newspaper Vsemirniy Puteshestvennik published in 1871, during the

Circassian Exile two out of three Circassians were perrished during the exodus.

One of the Russian officials who was in charge during the Russo- Caucasus War said: “I can

not forget an atrocious scene that I saw with my own eyes. The dead bodies that were eaten

and broken into pieces by dogs was spread all around and almost all of them were children,

women and elderly people.”

“People were so exhausted because of the famine and the epidemic that they were trying to

save their lives before becoming dog bait. The survivors weren’t able to bury the dead bodies

and they knew their end will be the same as others.”

In 1872, 8,500 exiled Adyghe families appealed to return back to their homeland and they

declared that they would accept wherever they would be settled in North Caucasus.

But when the Tsar saw these applications, it was noted on them by himself : “Returning back

to Caucasus must not be discussed even!”. At this time Psij region and many other regions

were emptied and there was nobody settled there yet.

Y. Abramov made an true comment about exile: “There is no doubt that Russian officals did

their best to remove Adygheans from Caucasus and send them to the Ottoman Empire. At the

same time Russian officials did absolutely nothing for impeding the Ottoman Empire officials

who were serving for the same aim with them in Caucasus.”

Besides obvious Russian activities, there were Adygheans in cooperation with Russian Tsar’s

secret services who were working hard to convince Adygheans to immigrate into Ottoman

Empire. For instance Ishak Efendi who had a great credit between Shapsough tribe, was one

of the collaborators’ that had secret activities.

Again it is well known that two thousand gold coins were promised to one of the leaders’ of

Natuhach tribe to convince Natukhach tribe to immigrate to the Ottoman Empire.

The first condition for joining Ottoman Empire Army was being unmarried or have no family.

For that reason some Adygheans left their wifes to the mansions as servants and put their

children up for adoption. By that way they could save their lives before dying from famine or

poverty. Then they joined the army.

The shores of the Ottoman Empires were filled with corpses that couldnt be burried. Since the

bread was distributed according to the number of people, they kept the corpses of the dead in

the sheds lying next to them.

Between 1858 and 1863 the number of Adygheans exiled from Blacksea shores of Caucasus

was nearly 500,000. Despite that there was no other information about the number of exiled

people from other regions or ports, it is estimated that their numbers wasn’t less.

http://www.circassianworld.com/new/history/war-and-exile/1144-brief-information-

circassian-exile.html

And we can see their trouble feelings,they reflect their feelings in their songs ,dances Kafe.

We can listen many examples of Kafe on net.They call this exile as a genocide also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yRq-ZNqyA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buG-BHtdFc4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB5WT6jC7wA&feature=related

Circassion Woman Beauty

Circassian beautiesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme of a veiled Circassian

Circassian beauties is a term used to refer to an idealized image of the women of the Circassian people of the Northern Caucasus. A fairly extensive literary history suggests that Circassian women were thought to be unusually beautiful, spirited and elegant, and as such were desirable as concubines. This reputation dates back to the Ottoman Empire when Circassian women living in the Sultan's Imperial Harem started to build their reputation as extremely beautiful and genteel, and then became a common trope in Western Orientalism.

As a result of this reputation, in Europe and America Circassians were regularly characterised as the ideal of feminine beauty in poetry, novels and art. Cosmetic products were advertised, from the 18th century on, using the word "Circassian" in the title, or claiming that the product was based on substances used by the women of Circassia.

In the 1860s the showman P. T. Barnum exhibited women whom he claimed were Circassian beauties. They wore a distinctive Afro-like hair style, which had no precedent in earlier portrayals of Circassians, but which was soon copied by other female performers, who became known as "moss haired girls". These were typically presented as victims of sexual enslavement among the Turks, who had escaped from the harem to achieve freedom in America.

Literary allusions

Inspection of New Arrivals, a typical Orientalist fantasy painted by Giulio Rosati (1858-1917).

The legend of Circassian women in the western world is at least as old as 1734, when, in his Letters on the English, Voltaire alludes to the beauty of Circassian women:

The Circassians are poor, and their daughters are beautiful, and indeed it is in them they chiefly trade. They furnish with those beauties the seraglios of the Turkish Sultan, of the Persian Sophy, and of all of those who are wealthy enough to purchase and maintain such precious merchandise. These maidens are very honorably and virtuously instructed how to fondle and caress men; are taught dances of a very polite and effeminate kind; and how to heighten by the most voluptuous artifices the pleasures of their disdainful masters for whom they are designed.– Letter XI, On Inoculation.[1]

Their beauty is mentioned in Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1749), in which Fielding remarked, "How contemptible would the brightest Circassian beauty, drest in all the jewels of the Indies, appear to my eyes!"[2]

Similar erotic claims about Circassian women appear in Lord Byron's Don Juan (1818–24), in which the tale of a slave auction is told:

For one Circassian, a sweet girl, were given,Warranted virgin. Beauty's brightest coloursHad decked her out in all the hues of heaven.Her sale sent home some disappointed bawlers,Who bade on till the hundreds reached the eleven,But when the offer went beyond, they knew‘Twas for the Sultan and at once withdrew. - Don Juan, canto IV, verse 114

The legend of Circassian women was also repeated by legal theorist Gustav Hugo, who wrote that "Even beauty is more likely to be found in a Circassian slave girl than in a beggar girl", referring to the fact that even a slave has some security and safety, but a "free" beggar has none. Hugo's comment was later condemned by Karl Marx in The Philosophical Manifesto of the Historical School of Law (1842) on the grounds that it excused slavery.[3] Mark Twain reported in The Innocents Abroad (1869) that "Circassian and Georgian girls are still sold in Constantinople by their parents, but not publicly."[4]

[edit] Advertising of beauty products

A poster from c.1843 advertising Circassian Hair Dye "for changing light, red or grey hair to a beautiful brown or black"

An advertisement from 1782 titled "Bloom of Circassia" makes clear that it was by then well established "that the Circassians are the most beautiful Women in the World", but goes on to reveal that they "derive not all their Charms from Nature". They used a concoction supposedly extracted from a vegetable native to Circassia. Knowledge of this "Liquid Bloom" had been brought back by a "well-regarded gentleman" who had traveled and lived in the region. It "instantly gives a Rosy Hue to the Cheeks", a "lively and animated Bloom of Rural Beauty" that would not disappear in perspiration or handkerchiefs.[5]

In 1802 "The Balm of Mecca" was also marketed as being used by Circassians: "This delicate as well as fragrant composition has been long celebrated as the summit of cosmetics by all the Circassian and Georgian women in the seraglio of the Grand Sultan". It claims that the product was endorsed by Lady Mary Wortley Montague who stated that it was very helpful "for removing those sebacious impurities so noxious to beauty". The article continues, "Any

lady must be as great an Infidel as the Grand Sultan himself, who, after receiving such authority can doubt that her skin will become as superlatively smooth, soft, white and delicate, as that of the lovely Fatima, whatever may have been its feel or its appearance before. What fair one but must yield implicit faith, when she has the honour of the Countess De --- fairly pledged, that all sepacious [sic] impurities will be at once removed by this wonder-working nostrum. And above all, who but must long for an article, from the seraglio of the Grand Turk, which produces a near resemblance to the Georgian and Circassian beauties?"[6]

"Circassian Lotion," was sold in 1806 for the skin, at fifty cents the bottle. "A sovereign remedy for surfeits, scorching from the heat of the sun, freckles, blights from cold and chills of winter, scorbutic, pimples or eruptions of the face and skin, however violent or disfigured, animalcula generated under the cuticle or outer skin, prickley heat, shingles, ring worms, redness of the nose and chin, obstinate cutaneous diseases, and for every impurity or unnatural appearance with which the skin may be affected; to be used as a common wash for clearing and improving the complexion, and in a superior degree to preserve, soften, cleanse and beautify the skin".[7]

"Circassian Eye-Water" was marketed as "a sovereign remedy for all diseases of the eyes",[8] and in the 1840s "Circassian hair dye" was marketed to create a rich dark lustrous effect.[9]

Circassian Foods

Circassian chicken with walnut sauce :Circassian Chicken is a classic Turkish dish

typically served cold as an appetizer, or meze (pronounced MEZZ-eh). It  consists of chicken

in a thick walnut sauce and is the type of recipe that only gets better with time, allowing all

the flavors to seep into each other.

Potato Ravioli (HINGAL)

This Hingal a Circassian food which is also cooked in Cantral Anatolia area of Turkey.

The difference from the usual turkish ravioli is ; hingal bigger than regular turkish ravioli,

there are some different shape variations, you can do whatever you like.

Circassian Cheese: Circassian Cheese is a cultural cheese and staple for Circassians that is

very famous in Russia (Republic of Adyghea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia,

Shapsugia in the southern part of Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, North Ossetia, Moscow,

and Saint Petersburg), and the Middle east countries (Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel)

and worldwide (mainly countries that have a North Caucasians and Circassians

Diaspora/s).The Circassian Cheese is a very mild type of cheese that does not melt when

baked or fried, and can be crumbled similarly to feta cheese.There is an annual special festival

for the Circassian Cheese in Maikop the capital of the Republic of Adyghea held during the

Circassian cultural festival with a participants from different regions in the North Caucasus,

competing in producing the best types of the Circassian Cheese. The last one took place on 4

October 2010.

Circassian Pie: Ficcin, a Circassian Borek with little similarities to the ubiquitous Turkish

flakey pastry. Instead, it fluffily rises up like a cake after baking, with layers of dough piled

on top of richly seasoned ground beef.

http://yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com/

http://www.naturelsut.com/index.php?

action=12&no=26&ref=93c014785ab9ff3116c3a817e88a10150a3f6b37

Famous Circassians

There are many famous Circassians all around the world,actress,actors,writers,politicians etc.

Ayşe KULİN Ediz HUN Gülse BİRSEL Halit KIVANÇ

Hıncal ULUÇ Kenan IŞIK Loreenna MCKENİTT Mehmet ASLANTUĞ

Meltem CUMBUL Murathan MUNGAN Nazım HİKMET Ömer SEYFETTİN

Rutkay AZİZ Türkan ŞORAY Ahmet Nejdet SEZER Abdüllatif ŞENER

Azra AKIN Hadise AÇIKGÖZ Tan SAĞTÜRK Belgüzar KOREL

Mehmet ÖZ Sanem ÇELİK Müşerref AKAY Pelin BATU

Halide Edip ADIVAR Fahri KORUTÜRK Orhan PAMUK Kazım KARABEKİR

Mehmet OKUR Vatan ŞAŞMAZ Janset PACAL Nefise KARATAY

http://video.google.c om/videoplay?docid=6638317189627139109#

Religious Beliefs. The Circassians have been Sunni Muslims for the past three or four hundred years, though as late as the first half of the nineteenth century some of the woodland Abadzekh seem to have retained a form of Christianity. The Circassianized Armenians of Armavir (Yermedls) are Christian, and there were some Jewish Circassians in the bodyguard of Chaim Weizmann, the founder of Zionism. Nevertheless, many pagan relics are to be found in their oral traditions, particularly the heroic Nart sagas or Nart epics, which are myths of great antiquity with many striking parallels to the mythologies of ancient India, Greece, and Scandinavia. Herein are a host of pagan gods, each dedicated to one simple function, such as the god of cattle, the god of forests, the god of the forge, a female fertility figure, etc. The gods held Olympian banquets, led by their own t'hamata, at which they drank a sacred brew, sana (wine). They conducted war and intrigues. The gods themselves had gods, but these were nameless. Also evident from the folklore is a belief that the universe was self-creating, that the world had no boundary and is made up of nine layers. In the myths are numerous monsters, cyclopean giants, lizard men, demons, giant eagles, and dragons. Heroes are defined by slaying these monsters, by thrusting their weapons into all nine layers of the earth and then by being the only ones capable of extricating them again, and by their prodigious appetites and thirsts. Certain groves and large trees were held to be sacred.

Various individuals were thought to be warlocks or witches, with the power of the evil eye and control over the weather and the well-being of livestock. A woman could not cross a man's path if she was carrying an empty pail without running the risk of being labeled a witch. There was a belief in ghosts as well, demonic forms that lurked in cemeteries. Eclipses of the sun were thought to be caused by a devil.

Religious Practitioners. Old engravings show that the prince conducted religious ceremonies among the Christian Abadzekh. Today the community elects an imam.

Ceremonies. Some Circassians would shoot arrows at nearby lightning bolts and then look for blood to see if they had made a hit. The Abadzekhs conducted a dance around a tree to the god of thunder, offering sana "(the Peaceful One)". Abadzekh princes would also sacrifice

cattle before the cross. Other rites seem to have been conducted in sacred groves or before a sacred tree. Funerals were accompanied by wailing among the women. The deceased's clothes were displayed, and, if a man, his weapons were also laid out. Much effort was expended to retrieve for burial in tribal soil the bodies of those killed on raids. Today the usual Muslim holidays and rituals are observed.

Arts. Oral lore is of paramount importance among the Circassians. They view it as the chief monument of their civilization. Their folklore is extremely rich and varied. There are tales of battles with the Goths, the Huns, the Khazars, and the early Russians. Both men and women can be bards. This folklore has served in the twentieth century as a base for a modern literature both of poetry and prose. It has been collected in seven volumes, Nartkher (The Narts) by A. M. Hadaghat'la (Gadagatl). Some writing exists from the nineteenth century, but most is a product of this century. Some material has been produced in Jordan, most notably by the late Kube Shaban, and this has now been published in Maikop. Most Circassian literature, however, is a Soviet product. Some of it is extremely good and deserving of translation, especially such works as A. Shogentsuk(ov)'s (1900-1941) Kambot and Liatsa (1934-1936, in Kabardian); A. Shortan(ov)'s (born 1916) Bgheriskher (The Mountaineers) (1954, in Kabardian), or Yu. Tliusten's (born 1913) Wozbaanuquokher (The Ozbanokovs) (1962, in Chemgwi). The collected works of major writers are still appearing, such as those of T. Ch'arasha (1987-1989, in Chemgwi). Bards are still active and their output recorded, such as Ts. Teuchezh's The Uprising of the Bzhedugs (1939, in Bzhedukh). Active playwrights include I. Tsey (1890-1936), Dzh. Dzhagup(ov), and M. M. Shkhagapso(ev), among many others. For an ethnic group of its size, the Circassians' literary output has been prodigious.

Circassian song had a lead singer accompanied by a chorus, either on the same melodic line or in a counterpoint. Syncopation and triplets were abundantly used. Today in Jordan and the Circassian republics there are Circassian composers writing in variants of Western polyphonic styles, such as N. S. Osman (ov), D. K. Khaupa, and U. Tkhabisim(ov), to mention just a few, as well as Circassian musicians and conductors, such as K. Kheishkho and Iu. Kh. Temirkhan(ov).

Pictorial arts are based upon folk motifs, which are pleasing scrollwork designs of floral and cuneiform patterns on open backgrounds. It might be added here that the elegant folk costumes of the men's cherkeska, a caftan-like tight coat with cartridges across the chest, worn with a sheepskin hat, and the women's flowing gown with long, oblate false sleeves have spread throughout the Caucasus and have even been adopted by the neighboring Turkic and Slavic Cossack peoples as festive dress.

Finally, wood, usually a tree stump, is sculpted to produce a bust or totem-polelike representation of a god or heroic figure. For example, outside Maikop, in a children's playground on the edge of a wooded area there are several such figures—knight in armor, mushroom with a distorted face on its stem, and a totem-polelike representation of the god of the hunt, She-Batinuquo, with a wolf or dog sprouting from his right shoulder and an eagle soaring atop his head.

Science. The Circassians have produced a notable number of outstanding linguists, such as Z. I. Kerash(eva), G. V. Rogava, A. A. Hatan(ov), M. A. Kumakh(ov), and Z. Iu. Kumakh(ova), among others, who have helped establish literary norms Sfor their dialects by producing

dictionaries and grammars while at the same time writing a wide range of theoretical articles. Prominent among native folklorists is A. M. Hadaghat'la, who has also written plays. Native archaeologists are making interesting finds on a steady basis, one of the latest ones being rich in gold and golden armor, along with fragments of what seem to have been an ancient Circassian script.

Medicine. Traditional medicine was the provenance of the women, who were highly esteemed for their skills and knowledge. Healing and medicinal springs were also prized; They were associated with a warrior princess, Amazan, "the Forest Mother" (the source of the Amazon myth), who was skilled in medicine and from whose blood the first healing spring arose.

Death and the Afterlife. After a life spent largely outdoors, Circassians viewed paradise as a comfortable, well-stocked room. The more virtuous the life led, the bigger and more sumptuous the room of eternity. It was said that the afterlife room of an evil man would be so small that he would not be able to turn over in it. From the Nart sagas, the realm of the dead appears to have been under the grave mound. The souls of the dead were guarded from supernatural depredations by a little old man and woman. Links with the dead were maintained by setting a place for them at the table for one full year after death. Feasts were held in their memory and toasts were offered to them by the t'hamata. A particularly illustrious warrior could serve as the head of a t'lawuzhe ("the successors to a man") and thereby be remembered by name even if his lineage did not achieve the status of a clan.

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/Russia-Eurasia-China/Circassians-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html#ixzz1NhHrCiLT

MADINA SHERIEVA is modeller-designer. She works in the style of national Circassian clothes. She has several collections for most various trends which were displayed at the exhibitions, museums and educational institutes. She is a teacher of special composition and history of costume in School of arts in Nalchik and also psychologist. She gives private lessons for modelling and sewing and performs orders for manufacture of exclusive models.

- I consider plastic national Circassian clothes so aesthetic, elegant and laconic that they don“t require changes of lines, proportions, details. Stylizing them I, however, dare to transform details, break lines, change proportions in order to touch the beautiful and unclaimed in the modern interpretation of costume. You see, Circassian style od clothes was always inimitable. Representatives of many peoples tried imitate Circassian clothes but its essence always escaped

them. I try preserve the essence of clothes only changing their general aspect. I like to work by intuition listening to my internal voice but simultaneously I comprehend that a risk of self-

delusion is great. I like to alternate sewing with psychology in order to percieve

more acutely what I work on. I don“t like narrow professionalism when work is done automatically. In this case I stop to detect leaps in consciousness (if it concerns psychology) and hardly have time to catch fashionable trend (if it concerns clothes). . I believe that skills in various spheres are base for applied arts and so I like to pass myself all stages of clothes“ manufacture. I don“t think that there are people who create new trends in arts, science, literature. I think that there are people who perceive more acutely already existing information and interprete it more skilfully. I am glad that I manage to achieve something in this connection.     http://abazapress.chat.ru/stilen.htm

The Circassians   The Circassians are a fascinating part of Israel’s ethnic mosaic. They live in two Israeli villages, 3,000 in Kfar Kama in the Lower Galilee, and 1,000 in Rekhaniya in the Upper Galilee. The

Circassians, who arrived in this country in the 19th century, originated in the northern Caucasus Mountains, the region where Europe and Asia meet. Their neighbors called them Circassians which means mountain dwellers, but their original name is Adigai, meaning noble. The Circassians converted to Islam from Christianity in the mid-17th century, when they encountered the Tatars and the Turks along the silk route through their region. Following defeat in a long war against the Russian Empire, the Circassians were exiled to Ottoman Turkish areas, including the Mediterranean, where they practiced their famed martial skills in the service of the Ottoman Empire.

 The village of Kfar Kama is a proud showcase of Circassian culture. The highlight of a visit here is the Circassian Museum, located in a traditional old basalt house. The exhibits bring alive the agricultural roots, language and customs of this community, which is working to meet the challenge of preserving its traditions despite its small numbers, while taking pride in its contribution to the state of Israel. A special treat is a village tour, taking in some of the old preserved homes and hearing colorful tales of the first settlers who arrived here in 1878.

Marriage. Circassians are preferentially endogamous within the ethnic group but descent-group exogamous. Tradìtionally, marriage to kin, up to five generations bilaterally, was prohibited. This has led, in diaspora, to far-flung marriages across communities and settlements but is becoming difficult to maintain. More and more, the rule of exogamy is being ignored, although cousin marriage, which is a preferred form of marriage among Arabs, is still extremely rare among Circassians. A prevalent form of marriage is through elopement, erroneously seen as bride-capture by neighboring groups. Intermarriage with Arabs and Turks does occur, but interesting differences are found between communities. For example, in

Jordan, Circassian women marry Arab men, but the reverse (Circassian men marrying Arab women) is rare, whereas in the Kayseri region of Turkey the opposite appears to hold.

Domestic Unit. The domestic unit used to be the patrilineal extended family, with each conjugal family living in a separate dwelling within a common courtyard. Circassians are largely monogamous; polygyny and divorce are rare, although remarriage after the death of a spouse is common. In general, family size—usually three to five children—is small as compared with that of the surrounding society.

Inheritance. Islamic Sharia precepts of inheritance are followed. In Syria and Jordan women inherit their share of property according to Sharia. In rural Turkey, despite the replacement of Sharia with civil codes that stipulate equal division of property among the progeny regardless of sex, it appears that women often give up this inheritance in favor of their brothers, which is common practice in the Middle East.

Socialization. Circassian families traditionally emphasize discipline and strict authoritarianism. Avoidance relationships are the rule between in-laws and between generations and different age groups. It is a source of shame for a man to be seen playing with or showing affection to his children (but not his grandchildren). Although tempered by necessities of everyday life, the same holds for relations between mothers and children. In the past, paternal uncles played an important role in instructing children in proper behavior. This behavior, both public and private, is codified in a set of rules known as Adyge-Khabze ( adyge = mores) and is reinforced by the family as well as the kin group and the neighborhood as a whole. Nowadays ethnic associations sometimes make attempts to discuss the Adyge-Khabze with young people, and the term is almost always invoked at public gatherings. In Jordan, a Circassian school has been operating since the mid-1970s and has become an arena for socialization and reproduction of Circassian identity.

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Circassians-Marriage-and-Family.html#ixzz1NhXzeo6D

Kin Groups and Descent. In the past, the basic kin units among the Circassians were the patrilineal extended family and a wider patrilineal descent group. In the Caucasus, each descent group tended to live in a separate hamlet. Emigration and settlement broke up these groups, and the new villages included many different descent groups but were often comprised of families of the same dialect group, which, in turn, represented their original region in the Caucasus. Nowadays, in places such as Jordan, descent groups are being organized in formal family associations.

Kinship Terminology. Circassian kinship terminology is extremely descriptive and distinguishes matriline from patriline for both consanguineal and affinal kin. The terms used for "father-in-law" and "mother-in-law" mean "Master" and "Lady," the same terms used to refer to members of the nobility, illustrating the strict hierarchical relations involved between in-laws. The new bride is traditionally given a new personal name upon becoming part of her husband's household and gives new names to all the members of this household, by which she henceforth calls them. Nowadays Arabic or Turkish kinship terms are increasingly replacing Circassian ones, some of them "Circassianized" through a particular pronunciation.

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Circassians-Kinship.html#ixzz1NhYL8wBC

http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Circassians-Kinship.html

Subsistence and Commercial Activities. Upon settlement, the Circassians were mainly engaged in agriculture, although they gradually became drawn into the network of internal trade controlled by merchants from nearby towns and cities. In Bilād ash-Sham, although Circassians were engaged in transporting goods such as barley cultivated by Bedouins, they remained essentially suppliers of agricultural goods and did not control trade. The construction of the Hejaz railway to Mecca provided wage-labor opportunities. A few Circassians were also employed in the Ottoman administration.

The changes wrought in the geopolitics of the region in the early twentieth century, with the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire into present-day Turkey and several mandate governments (the French in Syria and the British in Jordan and Palestine), changed the economy and nature of Circassian settlements. New opportunities, notably in the armies and bureaucracies, became available to them and their settlements become more heterogeneous. Amman, for example, became the capital of the new Jordanian state. Later, with the transformation of the peasant economy, Circassians, as others, participated in the new avenues for wage labor in industry, agro-business and so on, although the military and bureaucracy remain the main occupations for the communities in Syria and Jordan.

Industrial Arts. Circassian traditional crafts included agricultural implements, especially their distinctive two-wheeled carts, silversmithing and other metalwork, and leatherwork. Very few are still involved in crafts production today, except in the form of "folkloric" items and attempts at the revival of traditional arts.

Trade. The Circassians in the Middle East have largely not engaged in trade and attribute this to national character, saying that Circassians make good military personnel but bad traders. More likely it has to do with the nature of the opportunities that were available to them in their new environments. The Anatolian Circassians were engaged in some horse breeding and cattle trading, and some continue to work as truckers of meat and animals. Furthermore, in some places, such as Jordan, they are heavily engaged in real estate because their lands have gained in value as urban residential areas continue to expand into formerly agricultural land. The new opportunities opened up by the possibility of commercial links with the Caucasus have led some, especially in Turkey, to establish import-export companies as well as travel agencies.

Division of Labor. Previously, the division of labor reflected the nature of agriculture in the areas of settlement. Women do not seem to have worked in the fields, although they cultivated orchards and gardens and raised animals. Where herding was an important activity, women also played a role in managing herds. Young men and women had well-defined duties serving elders at formal gatherings and ceremonies. Where a more urban economy is in place, such as in Syria and Jordan, the former peasant households have been transformed; men work mostly in the military and the bureaucracy. Within the sectors made available to them by the wider economy, women have also entered the urban workforce.

Land Tenure. At the time of settlement, land was allotted to each household according to its size. In Jordan, this amount of land was 60 donums (6 hectares) for households of up to five people and 80 donums (8 hectares) for larger ones. Land was registered in the name of the head of the household. Later, each state undertook different types of land registration and distribution. In Jordan, land is generally privately owned, and until the 1980s, and especially in rural settlements, land was often held by the father until his death, whereupon it was divided among the children, according to Islamic inheritance rules. In those areas where land became valuable commercial property, younger family members pressured elders to divide the property among them. In a rather widespread phenomenon, many elderly women who own vast tracts of land inherited from their fathers are refusing to divide or sell them.

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Circassians-Economy.html#ixzz1NhYoBbjG

http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Circassians-Economy.html

Circassian Dances

Dances Instruments

Circassian music is characterized by certain instruments, including:

Pshina, an accordion which is played in a specific way to produce Circassian tunesPxachach, 2 sets of "wood blocks", each set containing about six pieces of wood held by hand; when a player strikes them together they produce a pure sound of wood to indicate the beat rhythm of the song.Baraban, a drum known as 'Dhol'; in Adyghe it is called "Shontrip".Pkhetaw, made from wood looks like a small table and it is used for hitting it with sticks for tempo.Apa-pshina, a three string guitar look alike.Qamlapsh, the Circassian flute.

In Circassian music, there are several dances that are performed differently.

Kafa is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and usually this piece demonstrates the relationship between the Challa (male) and the Pshasha (female), this relationship which is built out of love, cooperation and strength. Usually 'Kafa' is the main piece to be played in a 'Djagu' (a Circassian wedding or any Circassian gathering) and there are more than 100 kafas written by different Circassian artists.

Wuig is a piece with (8:4) time signature, and usually this piece is played before Challas are going to war, but nowadays it is played at the end of the Djagu and usually it follows this rhythm each eight time intervals a new musical phrase is introduced, and this piece may be repeated several times since more than ten different Wuigs are available.

Tleperush is a dance which originates from the Black Sea coastal area. It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and the word "Tleperush" means "leg kick" and usually this piece is faster than Kafa and Widj, almost equal in tempo to known "Lezginka" but different in style and follows this rhythm (1&2..3&4) and this rhythm is produced by Pshina and Pxachach and Pkhetaw (a wood hitting instrument for tempo). Abkhazians have this dance too, and they call it "Apsua Koshara"

Zefauk means "approach to each other". It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and very similar to Kafa; the word "Zefauk" means (forward and backward) and it defines how it is danced by going 4 steps forward and another four backward exactly as the Kafa but with different musical taste.

Shishan means "horse behaving". The dance is a fast piece with (4:4) time signature; this particular piece is played differently by pulling the Bellows of the Pshina in and out rapidly to create an Off Beat Rhythm which produces a Rhythm two times faster than its time signature, and the word shishan is a Circassian word and it is not linked to Chechen.

Tlepechas is a fast dance and it is an improvisation dance it is considered to be one of the ancient dance of the Circassians, "Tlepechas" means "stick toes in the ground" the dance is based on the Nart sagas legends that used to dance on their toes.

Zighalat means "be the top". The dance is very energetic and fast, and it considered to be the most fastest dance in the Caucasus in its origin, it is danced in pairs, the male dance fast and strong show his skills, and the woman dance gentle but moves fast.

Hakulash means "lame man move". At the beginning it was a joke and comedy dance to make the viewers laugh, but with time it became part of the Circassian repertoire; its leg moves look like lame moves but the dance is a fast dance.

Yislamey was named after the man who first danced it, "Islam". "Yislamey" means belong to Islam. A young man called Islam danced by imitating the moves of an eagle he saw flying in the sky, and the female who danced with him, understood his intention and danced with him as he did, there two kinds of "Yislamey", this one is the "Bjedough Yislamey".

Qamachas is the dagger dance. The dancer shows his skill with the "Qama", the Circassian dagger, it is a fast dance and it is a competition dance between men, and sometimes it is danced as solo.

Oshha ches or Bighris is the mountaineers dance. It is a very fast dance, danced by men showing their skills, the moves are hard and strong moves shows the character of the mountaineers.

Apsni Apsua is the famous Abkhaz dance. Abkhazians are considered part of the Circassians[citation needed]; they are very close in blood, language, culture, traditions with the Adyghe, in time Adyghe adopted their brothers' and neighbors' dance.

Circassian artists

The Adyghe Anathem was originally composed by Iskhak Shumafovich Mashbash and Umar Khatsitsovich Tkhabisimov, but after the diaspora almost all Circassians immigrated to different countries such as Jordan, Syria, Turkey and many more.

Notable artists from Turkey include:

Şhaguj Mehmet Can, musician Thazpel Mustafa, musician Oğuz Altay, musician Semih Canbolat, musician

Syria include:

Tambi Djemouk, musician

Germany include:

Murat Kansat, musician

Jordan:

Firas Valntine Ivan Bakij Orhan Bersiqu Rakan Qojas, musician Blan Jalouqa, musician Muhannad Nasip, musician Httoqay [1]

http://wn.com/circassians_dancing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassian_Music

Marriage Customs

Circassian usually get married by kidnapping, the groom wait the bride on the border of the village riding his horse. After that he should fire three shots as a sign to let the entire village know. The groom should be accompanied by two married women from his relatives, and they took the bride to one of those women's house. After that men should go to the bride home to let her father agree about the marriage.Usually the bride's family give their agreement. If not, the bride should go back to her home. After all the village know about the kidnapping , the groom should hold a big party with circassian songs and dances.Circassians care about music alot. There are many musical instruments in their songs such as occordion, violin, and flute, but the most important one and its used in all songs is the Occordion.Circassians have two types of songs. The first one is for daily life, love, and imagination. The second one is for war, countries, and martyrs. Circassians have special rules of dancing. The first rule is that men and women involve in dancing, and they should dance together. The dance consist only from two people and it's for specific period of time. The dance can't start without a signal from the supervisor of the dance, and only the women who have the ability to end the dance.The second rule is that the married women should not dance Each song have different dance such as:

1 – Kafa : It's a fast dance

2- Zafako: Its a calm dance for old people.

3- Shahshan

4- Weg

5- Khoshamaf

Dress

Circassians have their own dress which considered the oldest dress in the world that have never changed. They designed their dress based on their life style. There are two types of the circassian dress. The first one for men and the second one for women. Men's dress is consistent with their way of living as horsemen and fighters. Men's dress consist from

1. Long jacket that made from thicj fabric and its usually black.

2. pants3. White shirt4. Boots5. Head covor which called "Kalbak"6. Belt

7. Dagger

On the other hand, women’s clothes have several features such as unobtrusiveness, Beauty ,Contains a Embroidery from the circassian arts. It consist from :

1. The outer dree that made from velvet or satin. Its open from the front.

2. Shirt that have some incription on it. Its color should be diffrent from the outer dress color.

3. Belt that made from glod or selver.

4. Headdress that made from silk. They should put it over the hat

Those traditional dresses are not used any more. It's used only in the circassian bands or special occasions.

About Circassians

Circassians lived in the north Caucasus between the Black Sea in the West to the borders of the Chechen Republic in the East. The highest peak in the Caucasus is 5633 m which is called Mount Elburs. They

consist from 12 tribes.Those tribes are represented as 12 starts in their

flag.

1. Abadzeh:( Is the biggest circassian tribe , their number are 260 000).

2. Besleney:( They live in the valley of Big and Small Laba and on the coast of Urup)

3. Bzhedug:(They divided in 2 groups: those who lived close to the black Sea and those who lived in territory of Kuban river).

4. Yegeruqay:(They lived between rivers White and Laba).

5. Zhaney :( After the Russian war, this tribe was wholly destroyed).

6. Kabarday :( It is also the connecting point between the Western and Eastern Caucasus).

7. Mamheg:(They consist from three big families: Shnah , Mami, and Tlizhho).

8. Natuhay: ( The first tribe that establish trade connection with turkey).

9. Temirgoy:( is the strongest and most powerful tribe).

10. Ubyh: (This tribe is assumed to be fist mentioned in the sources of 5th-7th century as a tribe Bruh).

11. Shapsug :(They composed 2/3 of Circassian population).

12. Hatukay:(Is the smallest tribe).

The circassians have three main languages.

1- Adyghabza: This language is composed of two branches: eastern and western Adghabza. It consists from 52 letters. There are 500,00 circassians who spoke this language. This is a website dictionary that translate words from Arabic to Adyghabza and vice versa. Carcassian Dictionary

2- Abkhaz-Abaza: This language was spoken in the Abkhaz republic and in the Karachai-Cherkess republic. There are 100,00 people who spoke this language.

3- The Ubykh Language: It’s an extinct language; its no more exist since 7th of October 1992.

After the war Carcassian people immigrate to many countries. The table below shows the counties as well as the populatuion of carcassians in each country.

Place Population

Turkey 2000,000

Russia 900,000

Jordan 126,000

Syria 30,000

Germany 15,000

USA 5000

Palastine 3000

Holland 2500

http://circassianculture.blogspot.com/2010/04/circassian-dress-is-oldest-dress-on.html

Lezginka from Tbilisi

by kaveh on Mar.05, 2009, under Dance, Georgian

The player will show in this paragraph

Lezginka or Lezghinka (Lezghi: Лезги къуьл), is a national dance of Lezghins popular among many people in the Caucasus Mountains. It derives its names from the Lezgin people; nevertheless, Lezghins, Circassians, Georgians, Abkhazians, Kabardins, Chechens, Mountain Jews, Ossetians, the Russian Kuban and Terek Cossacks and the various ethnicities of Dagestan have their own versions. Lezginka can be a solo, couple or group dance. Men and

women are dressed in traditional costumes; men wear a sword adorned on their side and women in long, flowing dresses. The man, imitating an eagle, dances in quick, concise steps; falling to his knees and leaping up quickly. The woman dances quietly, taking light, small steps – giving the appearance of her floating around the floor. When the dance is performed in pairs, the couples do not touch; the woman acknowledges the man, and dances discreetly about him. (Source Wikipedia)

http://music.globenations.com/?cat=6