There are legends about the courage, unbridledness and rebelliousness of the Chechens. But what made them so? Perhaps we should consider the history of the Chechen people in a historical context.
"Merciless as tigers"
The turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries was marked by numerous wars of Russia with Turkey, Persia, as well as with Crimean Khanate. Since our country was separated from enemies Caucasian Range, it was strategically important to seize control over it. But it turned out to be not so easy. The highlanders did not want to be conquered at all. So, in 1732, the Chechens attacked the Russian battalion, which was making the transition from Dagestan to Stavropol. From 1785 to 1791, Chechen gangs more than once treacherously attacked Russian military garrisons, peaceful farmers who were developing the lands of present-day Stavropol. The confrontation between Russians and Chechens reached its peak in 1834, when Imam Shamil stood at the head of the rebels. The Russian army, led by Field Marshal Paskevich, resorted to the tactics of "scorched earth": the villages, whose population was on the side of the rebels, were destroyed, and their inhabitants were completely destroyed ... In general, the resistance of the Chechens was broken, but individual "sabotage" against the Russians continued until the revolution 1917. “They amaze with their mobility, agility, dexterity. In the war, they rush into the middle of the column, a terrible massacre begins, because the Chechens are agile and merciless like tigers,” writes V.A. Potto in the book “The Caucasian War in Separate Essays, Episodes, Legends and Biographies” (1887). When, during one of the battles, the Russians offered the Chechens to surrender, they replied: “We don’t want mercy, we ask the Russians for one favor - let them let our families know that we died as we lived - without submitting to someone else’s power.”
"Wild division"
During civil war many Chechens and Ingush went to serve in the "Wild Division" under the command of General Denikin. In 1919, this "division" staged a real massacre in Ukraine, where they went to suppress the Makhno uprising. True, in the very first battle with the Makhnovists, the "savages" were defeated. After that, the Chechens announced that they no longer wanted to fight under Denikin and arbitrarily returned to their Caucasus. Soon, Soviet power was formally established in the Caucasus. However, from 1920 to 1941, 12 major armed uprisings against the Bolsheviks and more than 50 smaller scale riots took place on the territory of Chechnya and Ingushetia. During the war years, the number of sabotage by the local population led to the abolition of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the deportation of local residents.
"Come free!"
Why was it always so hard with the Chechens? Because the foundations of their culture are fundamentally different from ours. So, they still have blood feuds going on. Besides, a Chechen has no right to admit his mistakes. Having made a mistake, he will still insist on his own rightness until the very end. It is also forbidden to forgive your enemies. At the same time, the Chechen people have the concept of “nokhchalla”, which means “to be a Chechen”. It includes a set of ethical rules adopted in Chechen society. According to him, a Chechen should be restrained, laconic, unhurried, careful in his statements and assessments. The norm is the offer of help to those who need it, mutual assistance, hospitality, respect for any person, regardless of his relationship, faith or origin. But at the same time, "nokhchalla" implies the rejection of any coercion. Chechens from childhood are brought up as warriors, defenders. Even the ancient Chechen greeting says: “Come free!” Nokhchalla is not only an inner feeling of freedom, but also a readiness to defend it at any cost.4 In an old Chechen song, which later became the anthem of "free Ichkeria", it is said: Rather, granite rocks, like lead, will melt, Than hordes of enemies will force us to bow! Rather, the earth ignites in flames, Than we stand before the grave, having sold our honor! We will never submit to anyone, Death or Freedom - we will achieve one of the two. The Chechens themselves claim that among them there are true bearers of the "holy traditions of the Vainakhs" - adats - and there are those who have departed from these canons. By the way, the word "Vainakh" means "our man." And once upon a time, a person of any nationality could become “their own” for the Chechens. But, of course, subject to their customs. Those Chechens who are engaged in robbery and robbery, who become terrorists, are not “true Vainakhs”. They use their powerful temperament for unworthy purposes. But to judge the entire Chechen people by them is a big mistake.
From time immemorial, Chechens have been famous as hardy, strong, dexterous, inventive, severe and skillful warriors. The main features of the representatives of this nation have always been: pride, fearlessness, the ability to cope with any life's difficulties, as well as high reverence for consanguinity. Representatives of the Chechen people: Ramzan Kadyrov, Dzhokhar Dudayev.
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Origin of the Chechens
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the Chechen nation:
- Most scientists are inclined to believe that in this way the people began to be called around the 13th century, after the name of the village of Big Chechen. Later, not only the inhabitants of this locality, but also all neighboring villages of a similar type.
- According to another opinion, the name "Chechens" appeared thanks to the Kabardians, who called this people "Shashan". And, allegedly, the representatives of Russia simply changed this name a little, making it more convenient and harmonious for our language, and over time it took root and this people began to be called Chechens not only in Russia, but also in other states.
- There is a third version - according to it, other Caucasian peoples initially called the inhabitants of modern Chechnya Chechens.
By the way, the very word “Vainakh” translated from Nakh into Russian sounds like “our people” or “our people”.
If we talk about the origin of the nation itself, then it is generally accepted that the Chechens have never been nomadic people and their history is closely connected with the Caucasian lands. True, some scientists argue that in ancient times, representatives of this nation occupied larger territories in the northeastern Caucasus, and only then migrated en masse to the north of Kazvkaz. The very fact of such a relocation of the people does not cause any particular doubts, but the motives for the move are not known to scientists.
According to one version, which is partly confirmed by Georgian sources, at a certain moment the Chechens simply decided to occupy the North Caucasian space, where no one lived at that time. Moreover, there is an opinion that the very name of the Caucasus is also of Vainakh origin. Allegedly, in ancient times, that was the name of the Chechen ruler, and the territory got its name from his name "Caucasus".
Having settled in the North Caucasus, the Chechens led sedentary life and did not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. They lived in this territory for more than one hundred years (from about the 13th century).
Even when in 1944 almost all indigenous people was deported in connection with the unfair accusation of supporting the fascists - the Chechens did not stay on "foreign" land and returned to their homeland.
Caucasian war
In the winter of 1781, Chechnya officially became part of Russia. The corresponding document was signed by many respectable elders of the largest Chechen villages, who not only put their signature on paper, but also swore on the Koran that they would accept Russian citizenship.
But at the same time, the majority of representatives of the nation considered this document a mere formality and, in fact, were going to continue their autonomous existence. One of the most ardent opponents of the entry of Chechnya into Russia was Sheikh Mansur, who had a huge influence on his fellow tribesmen, since he was not only a preacher of Islam, but was also the first imam of the North Caucasus. Many Chechens supported Mansur, which later helped him become the leader of the liberation movement and unite all the discontented highlanders into one force.
Thus began the Caucasian War, which lasted nearly fifty years. In the end, the Russian military forces managed to suppress the resistance of the highlanders, however, extremely tough measures were taken for this, up to the burning of hostile auls. Also during that period, the Sunzhinskaya (after the name of the Sunzha River) line of fortifications was built.
However, the end of the war was very conditional. The established peace was extremely shaky. The situation was complicated by the fact that oil deposits were discovered in Chechnya, from which the Chechens received practically no income. Another difficulty was the local mentality, which was very different from the Russian one.
Chechens and then repeatedly staged various uprisings. But despite all the difficulties, Russia greatly appreciated the representatives of this nationality. The fact is that men of Chechen nationality were wonderful warriors and differed not only physical strength, but also courage, as well as an unbending fighting spirit. During the First World War, an elite regiment was created, consisting of only Chechens and called the "Wild Division".
Chechens have indeed always been considered wonderful warriors, in which composure miraculously combined with courage and the will to win. The physical data of representatives of this nationality are also impeccable. Chechen men are characterized by: strength, endurance, dexterity, etc.
On the one hand, this is due to the fact that they lived in rather harsh conditions, where physically weak man it was extremely difficult to exist, and on the other hand, the fact that almost the entire history of this people is associated with constant struggle and the need to defend their interests with arms in hand. After all, if we look at the events that took place in the Caucasus, both in ancient times and in our time, we will see that Chechen people always remained quite autonomous and, in case of dissatisfaction with certain circumstances, easily turned into a state of war.
At the same time, the combat science of the Chechens has always been very developed and fathers with early childhood they taught their sons how to use weapons and how to ride. The ancient Chechens managed to do the almost impossible and create their own invincible mountain cavalry. Also, it is they who are considered the founders of such military techniques as nomadic batteries, the technique of blocking the enemy or the withdrawal of "crawling" troops into battle. From time immemorial, their military tactics have been based on surprise, followed by a massive attack on the enemy. Moreover, many experts agree that it is the Chechens, and not the Cossacks, who are the founders of the partisan method of warfare.
National features
The Chechen language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch and has more than nine dialects that are used in speech and writing. But the main dialect is considered flat, which in the 20th century formed the basis of the literary dialect given people.
Concerning religious views, then the vast majority of Chechens profess Islam.
Chechens also attach great importance to the observance of the national code of honor "Konakhalla". Data ethical rules behaviors have been developed in ancient times. And this moral code, to put it very simply, tells how a man should behave in order to be considered worthy of his people and his ancestors.
By the way, Chechens are also characterized by a very strong relationship. Initially, the culture of this people developed in such a way that the society was divided into various teips (kinds), belonging to which was of great importance for the Vainakhs. The relation to this or that genus was always determined by the father. Moreover, to this day, representatives of this people, when meeting a new person, often ask where he comes from and from which teip.
Another type of association is "tukhum". This was the name of teip communities created for one purpose or another: joint hunting, farming, protection of territories, repelling enemy attacks, etc.
Chechen. Lezginka.
Special attention should be paid to the national Chechen cuisine, which is rightfully considered one of the most ancient in the Caucasus. From time immemorial, the main products used by Chechens for cooking were: meat, cheese, cottage cheese, as well as pumpkin, wild garlic and corn. Special meaning it is also attached to spices, which are usually used in huge quantities.
Chechen traditions
Living in the harsh conditions of the mountainous area left its mark on the culture of the Chechens, their traditions. Life here was many times harder than on the plain.
For example, the highlanders often cultivated the land on the slopes of the peaks, and in order to avoid accidents, they had to work large groups, binding himself with one rope. Otherwise, one of them could easily fall into the abyss and die. Often, half of the aul gathered to carry out such work. Therefore, for a true Chechen - holy are respectable neighborhood relations. And if grief happened in the family of people living nearby, then this grief is the grief of the whole village. If a breadwinner was lost in a neighboring house, then his widow or mother was supported by the whole aul, sharing food or other necessary things with her.
Due to the fact that work in the mountains is usually very hard, the Chechens have always tried to protect the older generation from it. And even the usual greeting here is based on the fact that they first greet an older person, and then ask if he needs help with something. Also in Chechnya, it is considered bad form if a young man walks past an elderly man doing hard work and does not offer his help.
Hospitality also plays a huge role for the Chechens. In ancient times, a person could easily get lost in the mountains and die from hunger or an attack by a wolf or a bear. That is why it has always been unthinkable for Chechens not to let a stranger into the house who asks for help. It does not matter what the name of the guest is and whether he is familiar with the hosts, if he is in trouble, then he will be provided with food and lodging for the night.
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Mutual respect is also of particular importance in Chechen culture. In ancient times, the highlanders moved mainly along thin paths encircling peaks and gorges. Because of this, it was sometimes difficult for people to disperse on such paths. And the slightest inaccurate movement could cause a fall from the mountain and the death of a person. That is why Chechens, from early childhood, were taught to respect other people, and especially women and the elderly.
This means that a column of Russian tanks is moving across Chechnya. They are met with fire there, several tanks are already on fire, it is clear that the rest will soon come to an end. The commander leans out of one tank and shouts:Someone tell the Chechens that we won the war!
Joke from 1996.
Lebed and Kulikov are talking.
Chechens - crush! All these Chechens and other apricots are all bandits in a row!
Mr Kulikov! Apricot is a dried apricot!
We know these apricots! During the day he is a peaceful apricot, and at night he is an armed apricot! ..
The shortest Chechen joke:
"The Russians are gone!"
As Interfax was told on Sunday in the press center of the United Group of Forces (OGV), in the area of the Chechen village of Bamut, a group of militants in the amount of FIVE people was destroyed by ARTILLERY AND AVIATION FIRE over the past day.
The Chechen bent the Chechen saber, comes to the master. He says, right now they say we will do it, puts it between two chairs, sits on it and straightens it.
He says:
Wow, what am I paying money for? so I can too!
He puts his sword between the chairs, sits down on it, and it breaks.
And the master to him:
WAH, the master's ass is also a master!!!
January 95th. "Plasticine" field east of Grozny. Dark and cold. Fire does not beat in a cramped stove. The officers turn to the chief of artillery:
Kohl, firewood ran out, throw us boxes.
Understood. "Vistula" stop! Targets 201,202,203, high-explosive, fragmentation fuse, twenty per target. Fire!
A few minutes later, the soldiers were dragging empty boxes of shells, and a flame danced merrily in the stove.
A Chechen terrorist seized a bus with Chechen terrorists.
At the crossroads of three roads in Chechnya stands the federal. In front of him is a stone:
“If you go to the left, they will kill you. If you go to the right, you will be killed. If you go straight, they'll kill you." "What to do?" he thinks. Here inner voice he says: “Think faster, otherwise they will kill right here!”
There is a gathering of Chechen terrorists.
Chairman:
And now let's honor the memory of our brother Ali, who died during the planting of the bomb.
- ….!? What happened? It seems that they also took a good American explosive and a cool Japanese timer…….
Chairman:
Yes, he translated the timer for summer time.
If you have a small jar with cut off parts of a captured soldier in your basement, then you are a Chechen.
“The President of America calls Russian President Putin and says:
Why don't you sit down at the negotiating table with the Chechens
To which Putin replies:
And with whom, pray tell, to talk, when Maskhadov is a separatist, Basayev is a terrorist, Yandarbiyev is a Wahhabist, and Zakayev in general is an artist.
Here is a column on the march - the sun is shining, armored personnel carriers, tanks are moving, led by a brave colonel (or, let's say, a batyanya commander). Here, from behind the nearest hillock, bearded Chechens led by an authoritative field commander come out.
Throw down your weapons and lie face down in the sand, otherwise we'll shoot, - the field commander demands.
The colonel begins to mutter something (that is, he expresses a strong protest), but the Chechens twitch the shutters. There is nothing to do, you have to obey. When the last armored personnel carrier is hiding behind a hill, the faithful combat ally of Pasha-Mercedes gets up, dusts himself off, and then (looking around) turns to the personnel with the question: “Do you know why they didn’t shoot us?” "Why?" - follows a timid question. “Yes, because we are the Army! Army! Army!"
Shamil Basayev hired an Arab super sniper for a lot of money, known not only for his accuracy, but also for his desire to unconditionally follow the instructions he received. In the evening, he brought the mercenary to the Russian positions and said: when it gets dark, start working - you will see a moving light, hit him right. In the morning the sniper returns and reports the destruction of five Prima cigarettes, three flashlights and two Zippo lighters...
Chechnya. Division headquarters. The officer after the next "cleansing" writes a report, saying aloud:
Today, 500 militants have been killed.
Near the general:
Write 1000
A man, apparently a Quaker, is walking along the bombed-out Grozny, with full weapons, a bazooka and other personal belongings, lost like this, meets a patrol:
Guys, I've been wandering here for 3 hours, no one is left, where is the next level?
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Night. Chechnya. The position of the federal troops. Two soldiers are sitting near the fire and, leaning on machine guns, they are playing cities:
Znamenka. Call on "A".
Arsan Yurt.
There is no such city!
Then Achkhoy Martan.
Ah, yes, there is still one.
Why are Russian politicians so eager to talk about negotiations with Chechnya?
Well, how! Great excuse to sit down!
Putin comes to Chechnya and talks like a father to the soldiers.
Well, guys, how will we defeat the bandits? - jokes Vladimir Vladimirovich.
We will win, Comrade Commander-in-Chief! the soldiers joke back.
Chechnya, the general reports to the commander:
After the shelling of the base of the militants, there was nothing left of it, I repeat: there was NOTHING left, I am spelling - Natalya, Yegor, Khariton, Roman, Emelyan, Natalya, Anatoly ...
About Grozny:
Little Vova found a machine gun
No one lives in Chechnya anymore.
Today, 47 corpses of Chechen fighters were destroyed.
A boy is sitting on a stone in Grozny, wiping some kind of optics.
Suitable old lady:
Milok, are you a photographer? Can you take a picture of me
I'll take it, I'll take it...
And can you take off my Valechka?
I’ll take a picture, grandma, and I’ll take a picture of Valechka… I’m not a photographer… I’m a sniper…
2065 year. An elderly commando makes riddles for his grandchildren.
Children who is the fastest animal in the world?
Chechen on the 600th volume. And who is the most dangerous animal in the world?
Don't know?
Chechen with a grenade launcher. And what is the name of the city of Grozny now?
Chechnya or what?
No, it's called Harmless City.
Putin, Clinton, Blair are flying in an airplane, the pilot is getting out:
We have a devil sitting on the wing, shooting at the skin from the Mauser, he will break through the khan to us.
Clinton to the pilot:
Say that I will give you money, the euro will make repairs in hell.
The pilot delivered. The devil does not let up, everything fires on the skin, Blair calls the pilot:
Say that I will give 3 islands and receive Ireland.
The devil does not let up, everything is firing, already aiming at the windows. Putin calls the pilot:
Say that he shoots well, he will go to Chechnya ...
(damn blown away by the wind)
There is a war in Chechnya. A family is walking along the road near Grozny. Mother-in-law ahead, several wives, children. And the head of the family trudges behind. At the checkpoint, the Russians ask the peasant:
And why are you walking behind everyone, it doesn’t work out somehow according to the Koran, you are a man!?
To which he replies:
Does the Quran say anything about minefields...
Buy journalists to exchange for Russian prisoners of war in Chechnya.
Somehow a Chechen comes to the David Copperfield show.
Ah, what do you have?
This is my spyglass, Stynger, call yourself...
And ... see how it flies ...
Nope, how it flies, I've already done it. And here's how it falls...
Dzhokhar Dudayev, Boris Yeltsin and Clinton are flying. As US airspace flies, an alarm and shelling of the aircraft begins, Clinton contacts his own and says:
Guys, it's me, Bill, we're just joking.
The shelling immediately stops, Russian airspace is flying past. The same shelling, Yeltsin also p% $ dit. They fly through the airspace of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Johar asks:
Did you bring parachutes?
And my kids don't like to joke.
And jumps out of the plane with a parachute.
A plane with paratroopers is flying - to bomb Chechnya.
Chechen terrorism seems to exist, but there are no Chechen terrorists themselves
In the village, the federals carried out a "cleansing operation". The highlander hid in a well.
One fed looked in there and shouted:
Hey, is there anyone here?
The highlander arranged an echo and answered him:
Is anybody here? Is anybody here?
Or maybe there is no one?
There is no one, there is no one.
Maybe throw a grenade?
So there is no one, there is no one!
Two highlanders are arguing in the center of the village. Both excited, ready to shoot each other with pistols. One of the disputants claims that it is day in the village, the other - night.
They stopped a man passing by, brought pistols to his head and asked:
Answer, is it day in the village or night?
But I don’t know, I’m not from your village, - the man answered and walked away.
The drunk highlander went to the cinema. A hefty kid sits in front, and his head obscured the entire screen. The highlander pushed the one sitting in front and asked:
Hey buddy, what's on there?
Jackie Chan.
Isn't that you Jackie Chan?
Why do you think so? - the spectator was indignant.
I swear I can't see anyone but you.
Where is your son, Abdurahman?
He flew to Moscow.
Released one?
Not afraid?
Why be afraid? For him, they say, the entire Moscow police are watching. Day and night they never take their eyes off him.
Strange people, these highlanders, - the inhabitant of the plain spoke out, - if you say: “you are worse than your wife”, they climb to fight, and if you say: “your wife is better than you”, they rejoice ...
A brick fell on the policeman's head. A Chechen passing by is indignant:
Ugliness! What if a person were walking?
The Chechen parked the car near the Kremlin. Policeman runs up
What are you?! The president's team is here!
And I have an anti-theft device.
The highlander leaned against the monument to the leader. Suitable policeman:
Don't play the fool. Go home.
I didn't put it on and I'm not going to roll it.
Real case from life.
One person came to his ancestral village. Walking around the neighborhood, he stopped on a hill and, looking around at the village spread out before him, said:
Tskhyan kheen sa de-da hillakh khuz tur tekhosh lelsh
To which they replied:
Tekhor dezar she size t1e dohnah
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About Grozny:
Oh, how I want to return, oh, how I want to break into the town ...
A Chechen, an Armenian and a Georgian argued over who would teach the wolf to speak. The Chechen took a whip, hit the wolf and asked: “Nokhcho vui?” ("Are you a Chechen"?). The wolf howled: "Woo" (that is, "Yes").
My favorite anecdote is about the beno who shot at Vedeno with a cannon: Benoy hilla Vedanchu top khussha. They stuffed it with everything possible, gunpowder, stones, and lit a fire under it. After a while, the fire got to the gunpowder, hyoara ikkhina. eheh bolu benoish x1allak besh.
The surviving beno alone said:
Hokhuzas otsu and dinkh, Vedankh h1umma a yitin khir yats.
running chicken
cock asks:
Hyo tayong yod?
Mare Yodush Yu, answers the cats
And ed x1und yodush yu hyo? asked the rooster
Yadin yugush yu so, she answered
Armenian radio:
Chem zakonchilsya sudebniy process mejdu chechencem i evreem?
Prokuroru dali 10 let.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Speaking…
Shut up...
Why should I be silent?
Because everyone loves quiet Chechens!
How tired of this noise! So you want to go somewhere to relax - in quiet place… To Ingushetia, for example…
national team Chechen Republic(Terrible)
We know how to get into Major League! It is necessary to approach Alexander Vasilyevich and say: “Alexander Vasilyevich, come to us in Chechnya!” And then he will definitely say: “No, it’s better you come to us, to the Festival!”
Team of the Chechen Republic (Grozny)
A Kazakh teacher asks her students who killed Patrice Lumumba. One of the students shakes his upraised hand violently. The teacher asks him:
So who killed the great freedom fighter Patrice Lumumba?
Chechen.
Why Chechen?
Because the Chechens kill everyone.
The Avars are asked:
How would you say “Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin will live” in your language?
Avars answer:
Lenin like, Lenin kick, Lenin kakiku.
The truth about Chechens - "real men" and "invincible warriors"
Not a single site took this article of mine, even the most frostbitten resources sent me nah. One man even said: “Are you crazy? Because of this text, a war can start.” Well, cool - the first banned article in my career.
On February 3, I, like most of the male population of Russia, raised a couple of toasts to the defenders of the Fatherland. I drank these glasses alone, but from the bottom of my heart, mentally congratulating all the soldiers who defended their Motherland. A most spent the day at the TV screen, clicking on the remote control. 70% of holiday broadcasts were dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, 10% to Afghanistan and 20% to Chechnya. After looking at the dead bearded faces of Chechen bandits and the ruins of Grozny, I thought: why did this Chechnya become such a thorn in the paw of the Russian bear, why wasn’t it slaughtered in a couple of days like a cockroach?
There are two reasons for this for me. First, through and through the corrupt top Russian army, which during the years of the Chechen campaigns was looking for personal gain, and did not work in the interests of the country. Secondly, the absence of all human qualities among the Chechen militias - I will not call them militants: for me it is a movie genre, besides, such a word implies at least some kind of nobility. The combination of these two factors led to the fact that too many Russians died in Chechnya for such an anti-terrorist operation of Russians. First-year soldiers went to fight in the mountains, they did not know how to properly hold a machine gun. The Chechens, under the leadership of mercenaries, fired back at these defenseless targets and began to consider themselves the best warriors in the world. In their opinion, Vainakhs = terminators. And this despite the fact that Chechnya was smashed stone by stone, and part of the population was not destroyed just because Russia is a civilized Christian country.
So after all, who are the Chechens and why have they always been a problem for Russia. Here you can not do without a cursory digression into history.
History does not know the exact origin of the Proto-Vainakh tribes. First written source O ancient period The history of the Vainakhs is the work of a prominent Armenian scientist and encyclopedist of the 6th century. Anania Shirakatsi "Armenian geography". There he mentions the self-name of the Chechens "Nokhchamatians" - people who speak Chechen: "Nakhchamateans (Naksamats) and another tribe live at the mouth of the Tanais River." Where they came from is not important to us. Their lifestyle matters. Nokhchi has always been a headache for the neighbors. While other tribes were engaged in cattle breeding or agriculture, the ancient Chechens did not recognize work as such and traded in robberies and horse stealing.
The history of the Russian-Chechen confrontation dates back to the end of the 17th - the beginning of the 18th century, when Russia waged numerous long and stubborn wars with Turkey, Persia, and the Crimean Khan. The Caucasian ridge was a natural barrier between Russia and its enemies, so it was strategically important for the Empire to keep it under control. At this time, the highlanders began their attacks. One of the first documented facts of an attack on Russian troops is an attack by Chechens in 1732 on a Russian battalion that was making the transition from Dagestan to Stavropol. From 1785 to 1791, gangs of Chechens treacherously (otherwise they could not) attacked Russian tillers who were developing the areas of the present Stavropol Territory. At the end of the victorious war with Napoleon, Alexander I began a series of Caucasian wars. This step was prompted by the constant Chechen robberies, robberies, massive cattle thefts, the slave trade, and attacks on military garrisons. These wars lasted until 1864, and acquired the greatest scope in 1834, when Imam Shamil became the head of the rebellious highlanders.
By the way, this character is now an example for every Chechen. About the enemy of Russia, on whose conscience more than one liter of shed Orthodox blood, these days young Chechen pop stars sing songs.
Shamil was caught and destroyed. Together with him, a number of rebellious imams were allowed to go to waste. When Field Marshal Paskevich took over the reins of the army, our army resorted to the tactics of "scorched earth" - the rebellious villages were completely destroyed, and the population was completely destroyed. There was no other way out - only this helped to break the resistance of the Chechens. However, individual bandit attacks were observed until the revolution of 1917. Well, “nohcho” cannot live otherwise.
Why did they last so long? Maybe because they are strong, brave and smart? The answer to this question will be given by the following historical fact- since the time of the Civil War.
Anton Ivanovich Denikin, one of the main leaders white movement- was under the command of the so-called Wild Division, formed from Chechens and Ingush. "Savages" went to fight him, thinking that in this way they oppose Russian Empire. In the memoirs of a certain person with the significant surname Breshko-Breshkovsky, the valor and invincibility of this division was mentioned. Like, they all showed themselves to be just John Rimbaud during the First World War. There is no information about the identity of this Breshko-Breshkovsky in history, but his myth about the Wild Division remained.
In 1919, Denikin sent these "terminators" under the leadership of General Revishin to Ukraine to suppress the Makhno uprising. The wild cavalry division, reinforced by several marching squadrons and artillery, was in the second echelon shock group. Moving through the territory of Ukraine, they really forced themselves to be afraid - they robbed the local population, raped women, slaughtered adults and children.
And in the very first real battle, the Chechen-Ingush "army" was practically destroyed. In that battle, the opponents repeatedly met in hand-to-hand combat, and at the end of the battle, the Makhnovists shot several native squadrons from wheelbarrow machine guns. The "Wild Division" lost more than a thousand soldiers, and the Makhnovist rebels - about forty. Here is how eyewitnesses of those events described the defeat of the Chechens:
- “with one blow, the head, neck and half of the body were cut, or half of the head was beveled as precisely as if they were cutting a watermelon.”
- “The wounds of the Chechens were mostly fatal. I myself saw chopped skulls, saw a cleanly cut off arm, a shoulder cut to the 3rd or 4th rib - only well-trained cavalry soldiers could cut like that.
After that, the surviving Chechens categorically stated that they did not want to fight anymore, arbitrarily abandoned their posts and Denikin's army and went to their place in the Caucasus. General Revishin later managed to create another Wild Division, but there was no semblance of discipline in it - there was only one primitive robbery - the main craft of the Chechens from century to century. The team was called the Chechen Cavalry and transferred to the Crimea. What they did there was excellently and succinctly described by General Slashchev-Krymsky:
- “Magnificent robbers in the rear, these mountaineers of the Red raid in early February on Tyup-Dzhankoy slept superbly, and then just as magnificently fled, leaving all six guns. There were so few Reds that the counterattack I launched did not even catch them, but found only guns that had fallen through the ice. I especially felt sorry for the two lungs: the castles and panoramas were carried away by the red and the corpses of the guns remained.
And the officer of the Wild Division Dmitry de Witte summed up the Chechen "exploits" of the times of the Civil War.
“The proportion of a Chechen as a warrior is small; by nature, he is an abrek robber, and, moreover, not one of the brave: he always plans a weak victim for himself and, in case of victory over it, becomes cruel to the point of sadism. In battle, his only drive is the thirst for robbery, as well as the feeling of animal fear of the officer. A stubborn and prolonged battle, especially on foot, they do not withstand and easily, like anyone wild man, at the slightest failure, they panic. Having served for about a year among the Chechens and having visited them at home in the villages, I think that I will not be mistaken in asserting that all the beautiful and noble customs of the Caucasus and the adats of antiquity were created not by them and not for them, but, obviously, by more cultured and gifted tribes."
At Soviet power Chechnya was presented with a lot of land, they recognized Sharia. The area began to develop. In 1925, the first Chechen newspaper appeared. In 1928 - Chechen radio. Illiterate Chechens began to learn the alphabet. Two pedagogical and two oil technical schools were opened in Grozny, and then the first national theater. True, it was not possible to create a Chechen intelligentsia. Why - but look who is the worst student in the institutes. In MGIMO, RGSU, RGGU, for example, Chechens, Ingush and, for some reason, Vietnamese are considered the most stupid.
How did the descendants of the Wild Division thank the Soviet authorities? Terror and pogroms of government institutions, the disruption of grain procurement in the lowland parts of Dagestan and Ingushetia, the demand to replace the elected bodies of Soviet power with elders Chechen teips. In total, from 1920 to 1941, only in the territory of Chechnya and Ingushetia, there were 12 major armed uprisings (with the participation of from 500 to 5000 bandits) and more than 50 less significant ones.
And now let's jump into the terrible years of the Great Patriotic War. From June 22 to September 3, 1941, more than 40 bandit rebellions were registered. Gang formations in 20 villages of Chechnya by February 1943 numbered more than 6540 people. And this is in the most difficult time for the country. So was it really unjustified the decision of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 5073 of January 31, 1944 on the liquidation of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the deportation of Chechens, Ingush, Karachays, Balkars from their places of permanent residence?
Only in 1957 The Supreme Council The USSR issued a decree on the restoration of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and allowed the repressed peoples to return to their historical homeland. The Chechen question arose again. Despite the fact that in as soon as possible the Russians brought the region to the pre-war level of oil production and industrial development, the attitude of the locals towards them did not change. The more natives came, the more Russian laborers left, not wanting to risk their lives. In the 90s - when there were almost no Russians left in Chechnya - production, economics, and science finally stopped.
Why not royal Russia, neither Soviet nor modern could finally suppress Chechnya? After all, the Chechens are still warriors. And try to remove cockroaches without the help of chemistry. You slam them with a slipper, and new ones crawl out from under the plinth, and even hiding behind female cockroaches. You think it's worth it to kill the females, it's a pity, but at this time, under the plinth, these insects are desperately copulating, dreaming that their children will quickly grow up and climb on you. Cockroaches do not have the morals of people, they are ready to go to any meanness and meanness. But you have a moral - you don’t want to take Dichlorvos.
It is also difficult to fight the Chechens because of their "code of male honor" - this code has nothing to do with chivalry. blood feud, for example, - monstrous archaism in the 21st century, in Chechnya it is the norm of behavior. A Chechen is not allowed to make mistakes. Having made a mistake, he will balk and insist on his own rightness to the end. This is hammered into them from a young age: I remember in the first grade Chechen boy took a pencil case from a classmate. She asked for it back and received the same pencil case on the head. The teacher tried to get the boy to apologize, but the little animal stood in the corner all day without uttering a word. They are also forbidden to look funny - so there will never be homegrown Petrosyans in Chechnya. They gradually have a KVN culture, but there is nothing funny about it. It is forbidden to forgive - this is absolute wildness, in Chechen language not even the words "mercy" and "forgiveness."
It is forbidden to lose. In the 90s, when I was boxing, bearded people approached me before sparring.
Hey, listen, right now you will fight with my nephew - lose to him, otherwise you will regret it.
Don't eat!
On that day, I thrashed the Chechen so that I received a scolding from the coach - do not cripple, they say, your own, because the competition is coming soon. I had to spend the night in the coaching room, without food. But the next day, when friends came for me in three cars, and there was not a single bearded face in the district, I received some moral satisfaction.
So should we restore Chechnya for them? Is it worth it to raise their culture? Is it worth showing the unfunny Chechen KVN team on television. Is it worth it to develop football and make the Terek club (which is not called a “political project” in the fan community) a full-fledged team?
By the way, about football: in the opening match of the 2008 season, the entire stadium in Grozny booed deafeningly Russian national anthem. Listening then to this whistle, I understood: Russia will have to take Tapok more than once. Today, in the background recent statements and Kadyrov's actions, I became stronger in this thought.
CHECHENS, Nokhchi(self-name), people in Russian Federation, the main population of Chechnya.
According to the 2002 Population Census, 1,361,000 Chechens live in Russia. According to the 2010 Census - 1 million 431 thousand also live in Ingushetia, Dagestan, Stavropol Territory, Volgograd region, Kalmykia, Astrakhan, Saratov, Tyumen region, North Ossetia, Moscow, as well as in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, etc.
Ethnonym
In Armenian sources of the 7th century, Chechens are mentioned under the name "nakhcha matyan" ("nokhchi speakers"). In the documents of the 16th-17th centuries there are tribal names of the Chechens ( Ichkerinians, okoks, shubuts, etc..). The name Chechens was a Russian transliteration of Kabardian "sheshei" and came from the name of the village of Big Chechen.
Language
Chechens speak the Chechen language of the Nakh group of the Nakh-Dagestan branch of the North Caucasian language family. Dialects: Planar, Akkin, Cheberloev, Melkhinsky, Itumkalin, Galanchozh, Kist. The Russian language is also widespread. Writing after 1917, first on the basis of Arabic, then Latin graphics, and since 1938 - on the basis of the Russian alphabet.
Religion
Believing Chechens are Sunni Muslims. Sufi teachings of two kinds are widespread - Nakshbandi and Nadiri. The main deities of the pre-Muslim pantheon were the sun and sky god Dela, the god of thunder and lightning Sela, the patron of cattle breeding Gal-Erda, hunting - Yelta, the goddess of fertility afterlife Estr. Islam penetrates Chechnya in the 13th century through Golden Horde and Dagestan. Fully Chechens converted to Islam in the 18th century. An important element of the Chechen society are the Sufi communities-virds, along with tribal clans (teips), although the priority social role currently playing regular civic institutions.
Traditional activities
Agriculture and cattle breeding. Chechens bred sheep, cattle, as well as thoroughbred horses for riding. There was economic specialization between the mountainous and lowland regions of Chechnya: receiving bread from the plains, mountain Chechens sold surplus livestock in return. Jewelry and blacksmithing, mining, silk production, bone and horn processing were also developed.
Cloth
Traditional men's clothing Chechens - shirt, pants, beshmet, Circassian. Men's hats are high, widening hats made of valuable fur. The hat was considered the personification manhood, knocking it down entailed blood feud.
The main elements of Chechen women's clothing are a shirt and pants.. The shirt had a tunic cut, sometimes below the knees, sometimes to the ground. The color of clothes was determined by the status of a woman, it differed among married, unmarried and widows.
