Karata people

Last updated
Karata
Khkhiridi
Total population
about 4,787
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 4,787 [1]
Languages
Karata, Avar (literary)
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Tindi people and other Northeast Caucasian peoples

The Karata or Khkhiridi people are a small ethnic group from Dagestan, North Caucasus. The Karata mainly reside in the Akhvakh and Khasavyurt district. They primarily speak the Karata language.

Contents

History

The Karatas and Avars share a close history. By the 18th century, the Karatas formed an autonomous "free community". There was frequent conflicts between the Karata and neighbouring peoples over control of grazing lands and pastures. In the early 19th century, the region was conquered by the Russians although an administrative structure did not emerge until the 1870s. [2]

Culture

The Karatas have historically engaged in raising livestock, farming, and bartering. Common animals raised were sheep, horses and cattle. Terraced farming was done due to adverse natural conditions and lack of cultivable land. Rye, flax, wheat, potatoes, and vegetables are staple crops grown. [2]

The Karatas are Sunni Muslims. Islam first arrived in the region as early as the 8th century but the locals only adopted the religion around the 16th century due to the influence of Sufi missionaries. [2] [3]

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The Akhvakhs are one of the Andi–Dido peoples of Dagestan and have their own language. They call themselves Atluatii or Ashvado. Prior to 1930 Soviet ethnologists considered them to be a distinct ethnic group. Since that time they have often been classified as Avars.

The Botlikh people are an Andi–Dido people of Dagestan. Until the 1930s they were considered a distinct people. Since that time they have been classified as Caucasian Avars and have faced a campaign to have them assimilate into that population. The Botlikh are primarily Sunni Muslims. They adopted the religion by the 16th century due to the influence of Sufi missionaries.

The Bagvalal are an Avar–Andi–Dido people of Dagestan, speaking the Bagvalal language. Since the 1930s they have been largely classed as and assimilated by the Avars. However there were still some people reported separately in the 2002 census.

The Bezhta are an Andi–Dido people living in the Tsuntinsky region in southwestern Dagestan. In the 1930s along with the rest of the Andi-Dido peoples they were classified as Avars. However, some people identified themselves as Bezhta in the 2002 census of Russia. They speak the Bezhta language, but many of them also speak Avar, Russian or other Tsezic languages of their region. They numbered 1,448 in 1926. According to the Russian census in 2002, there were 6184 self-identified "Bezhtins", though the real number is probably higher.

The Godoberi are one of the Andi-Dido peoples of Dagestan. They numbered 1,425 in 1926 and about 4,500 in 2007. They live mainly in the three villages of Godoberi, Ziberkhali and Beledi in the Botlikhsky District. About 1800 Godoberis live on the plains of Dagestan in Terechnoye.

The Khwarshi people are a North Caucasian people living in Dagestan, in several small settlements. The Khwarshi are originally from the southeastern part of Tsumadinsky District, where seven Khwarshi settlements are located: Upper- and Lower Inkhokwari village (iqqo), Kwantlada village (kʼoλoqo), Santlada village (zoλuho), Khwarshi village (aλʼiqo), Khonokh (honoho) and Khwayni village (ečel). They do not have an ethnonym for themselves as a united people, but instead they refer to themselves according to the settlement they are from. Thus they call themselves the Inkhokwari people (ixizo), the Kwantlada people (kʼoλozo), the Santlada people (zoλozo), the Khwarshi people (aλʼizo), the Khonokh people (honozo) and the Khwayni people (ečezo).

References

  1. Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  2. 1 2 3 "The Karatas". www.eki.ee. The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire . Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. Yemelianova, Galina M.; Broers, Laurence (2020). "The Muslim Caucasus: the role of 'adats and shari'ah". Routledge Handbook of the Caucasus. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-351-05560-4.