Tribes and Dialects
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Administratively the Hunzib inhabit three villages (Hunzib, Gorbutlj and Nakhada) in the Tsunta District of Dagestan. Some Hunzib families live on the plains of Dagestan and in the Kvareli District of Georgia. The closest neighbours of the Hunzibs to the north, east and south are the Avars and in the west the Bezhtas. As regards geography the three Hunzib villages are situated in a mountain area with a harsh climate, on the upper reaches of the River Avar-Koisu.
Population. Data concerning the Hunzib population is patchy and incomplete. They were officially counted only in the census of 1926. Subsequent censuses have listed the Hunzib as Avars. The data below is taken from academic reports and the numbers are only approximate.
Anthropologically the Hunzibs are of the Caucasian type of the Balkano-Caucasian race, characterized by light pigmentation and tall stature. Certain features characteristic of the Caspian type are also discernible.
Ethnic culture. The Hunzib are associated with the Ando-Dido culture which can also be generally regarded as Dagestan culture. The only differentiating ethnic feature of the Hunzib is their language and in all other spheres the differences are only in minor details -- some Georgian and Kakhetian influences exist in Hunzib architecture.
The origin of the Hunzibs is closely connected with the origin of all the Ando-Dido peoples. This is a matter that has caused extensive academic debate and a consensus has yet to be reached. In 1980 M. Aglarov suggested that the ethnic diversity of the mountain areas of Dagestan is due to the local polystructural political system, where the stability of independent political units and social order promoted the formation of a variety of languages.
Religion. The Hunzibs are Muslim (Sunnite). Islam was introduced to the area in the 8th century by the Arabs. In the 10th century Christianity started to spread from Georgia and Kakhetia. After the military campaigns of Timur in the 14th century, Islam became predominant in the mountains of Dagestan. The consolidation of Islam within Hunzib society occurred in the 16th--17th centuries. The pagan traditions which existed long before the coming of Islam underwent major transformations but still retained their importance in Hunzib society.
The history of the Hunzibs should be viewed in the context of the history of the Ando-Dido peoples as a whole. The mountains of Dagestan, inhabited by the Ando-Dido peoples, have for centuries been organically linked with Avaria, tempered in the eastern regions with the influence of the Kakhetians. Avaria was first mentioned in the writings of ancient Greeks and Romans where it was recorded as Seriri. In the 11th century an independent political unit was formed in the area. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Avar Khanate was mentioned. The area of the Hunzibs was a part of the Khanate. In the 17th century the Hunzib community belonging to the Antsukh free community joined the Antlritlya association of communities, whose dependence on the Avar rulers was only nominal. For many centuries the mountains of Dagestan have attracted foreign attentions -- usually unwanted. In the 8th century the region was invaded by Arabs, in the 12th--13th centuries by Mongol and Tatar hordes and in the 16th--17th centuries by Turks and Persians. In 1806 Avaria, including the Hunzib villages, was joined to Russia. The new power was consolidated only after the suppression of an uprising led by Shamil in the 1870s. This annexation brought about the development of commercial and monetary relations, but at the same time it was also the of brutal colonial oppression.
The specific features of the Hunzib economy have been determined by the natural conditions in the mountains. The shortage of arable land and the existence of good pastures created favourable conditions for seasonal animal breeding. Sheep and goats formed the bulk of the livestock but cattle and horses were also kept as draught animals. The shortage of land was compensated to some extent by the use of terraced fields, but still additional grain had to be bought from the plains villages. The main crops of the Hunzibs were wheat and rye and in the second half of the 19th century the potato was added. The Ando-Dido peoples developed a well functioning system of economic integration, where different goods were produced in different areas and exchanged between the various ethnic groups.
At the beginning of the 20th century nationalist and religious ideas became widespread in the mountains of Dagestan. The Hunzib had no separatist intentions but they were active in the all-Dagestan movements. In the early decades of the century the Ando-Dido area was a stronghold of nationalist ideas in Dagestan. Bolshevism was rejected outright. From 1917 to 1920 several factions fought in Dagestan striving to gain supremacy in the Caucasus. In 1917 the local mountain people fought the troops of Denikin, in 1918 the Turks and then the Caspian coast was occupied by the British. At last Dagestan was conquered by Bolshevist Russia and in 1920 Soviet power was established in the Ando-Dido area. The Soviets were only able to consolidate their power in the course of collectivization in the 1930s when the local nationalist elements were physically exterminated. After World War II the methods of Soviet subjugation became more subtle and the new ideology was promoted through education and culture. The greatest changes were in the field of material culture, where European urbanism quickly came to dominate. This was particularly visible in clothing (especially in the case of men), household appliances, architecture and in different eating habits. Changes in the intellectual sphere were not as evident. Old customs and traditions are still observed, but this is only amongst the older generation. With the younger generations Soviet customs are attaining increasing popularity. The number of mixed marriages is increasing and more people are migrating to other areas of Dagestan or Georgia. As a result there is a growth of consolidation between the Avars, the Didos and the Hunzibs.
The changes in Hunzib society have ocurred as a direct result of the following actions of the Soviet power: