Mythologies of the Tabasaran Tribe
Tabasarans are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern part of the North Caucasian republic of Dagestan. Their population is about 155,000. They speak the Tabasaran language. Tabasarans are famous for their culture, both spiritual and material. Tabasaran material culture includes architecture, winemaking, carpet making, and much more. Tabasarans are famous for their hospitality, high moral and spiritual values, respect, honor and bravery are valued among them. For Tabasaran, respect for elders is above all, this people has a huge number of traditions associated with honoring the older generation. Tabasaran has no right to sit in the room when an elder is standing next to him, tabasaran is obliged to shake hands with the elder with both hands, showing his respect for him, making an important decision, tabasaran must consult with his elders, whether they are siblings, parents, or grandparents. Tabasarans have revered girls from time immemorial and cherished them. The honor of the girl and her inviolability were secluded, a man who fell in love with a girl should contact her parents so that they, along with their daughter, would consent to marriage. The wedding ceremony of the Tabasarans, while remaining generally Dagestani, had a bright specificity and was distinguished by diversity. It consisted of three consecutive stages: pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding. Each of these stages was accompanied by certain customs and rituals that existed in different societies in different versions. As a rule, the parents themselves were looking for a bride ("shvush") for their son from a circle of families equal to them in social and economic status. Matchmakingwas usually started by the boy's parents themselves – father or mother. With the consent of the bride and her parents, the wedding day was immediately appointed, which took on the character of a celebration. In different villages, betrothal, as well as the whole wedding ceremony, had their own peculiarities and variants. These differences were caused by the peculiarities in the economic and cultural development of each local group. One of the main points in this cycle of rituals was the payment of a kalym, which was called "pol-puli". The size of the bride price differed in different societies, depended on the class affiliation of the parties and were fixed in the customs of rural societies. In addition to the kalim, the groom paid his bride the kebine money prescribed by Sharia, which was the wife's security in case of widowhood or divorce on the initiative of her husband.
Tabasaran (also written Tabassaran) is a Northeast Caucasian language of the Lezgic branch. It is spoken by the Tabasaran people in the southern part of the Russian Republic of Dagestan. There are two main dialects: North (Khanag) and South Tabasaran. It has a literary language based on the Southern dialect, one of the official languages of Dagestan. Tabasaran is an ergative language. The verb system is relatively simple; verbs agree with the subject in number, person and (in North Tabasaran) class. North Tabasaran has two noun classes (that is, grammatical gender), whereas Southern Tabasaran lacks noun classes / gender.
The Tabasaran Principality or Principality of Tabasaran was an independent monarchic state in southern Dagestan, existing from 1642 until the later 19th century. It emerged as one of many smaller states from the disintegration of the Shamkhalate of Gazikumukh in 1642. It was located in the Samur river valley, roughly coinciding with the region in which the Tabasaran people still reside today. Its location close to the main road between Derbent and Shirvan gave it some strategic importance. The population of the principality was mainly composed of Tabasarans and Lezgins, and minor Caucasian tribes such as Tsakhurs, Rutuls and Aguls. The state was governed by two sovereigns, one of which was called Ghāzī, the other Ma‘ṣūm. It could mobilize an army of 500 cavalrymen. The independence of the principality came to an end in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. Today the region is part of the Dagestan Republic within the Russian Federation.
The Tabasarans are an ethnic group of the former USSR; they live in southeastern Daghestan (the Khiv and Tabasaran districts, or raions ), and some have resettled in the lowlands (in the villages of Mamedkala and Daghestanskie Ogni in the Derbent District) and the foothills (of the Tabasaran District). Their neighbors to the north are the Kaitag Dargins, with the Lezgins to the south, the Aghuls to the west, and the Azerbaijanis to the east. The largest Tabasaran settlements are the villages of Khiv, Turag, Khurik, Mezhgül, Kondik, Tinit, Sïrtïch, and Khuchni. The Tabasaran territory comprises two natural geographic zones: the upper Rubas Basin in the north and the left bank of the central Chirakh-Chai and the upper Charchag-Su rivers in the south. For the most part the territory is foothills, but part of it is plains, mountains, and valleys. The climate is moderate to warm, with a relatively mild winter, a hot summer (especially in the valleys), and a rainy and humid autumn. The climatic conditions make the mountains favorable for summer pastures and the plateaus for winter pastures. The Caspian Sea also exerts a significant influence on the climate: in the summer it moderates the temperature and increases the atmospheric humidity, and in winter it insulates Daghestan against cold air masses from Central Asia and western Siberia. The Tabasaran language belongs to the Lezghian Subbranch of the Daghestanian Group of Northeast Caucasian (Nakh-Daghestanian). Other languages widely used in Tabasaran territory are Azerbaijani in the Tabasaran District and Lezgin in the Khiv District. Russian is also widely known. The development of writing in the Tabasaran area was connected with the spread of Islam. The first written documents in Arabic are dated to the tenth to eleventh centuries, and writing in Tabasaran (using Arabic script) to the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries. The Tabasarans are one of the indigenous groups of the Caucasus. In antiquity they were part of Caucasian Albania, and, when it fell, Tabasaran came to figure as an independent region in the historical sources. One of the first references to the Tabasarans is found in the writings of the Armenian author Fawstos Buzand (fourth to fifth centuries), who mentions an independent army of "Tabaspors." The classical Armenian author Egishe (fifth century), noting the peoples and tribes who were enlisted by the Armenian ruler Vasak, includes among them "the entire army of mountain and lowlands Tabasporan and the entire fortified inaccessible mountain country." They are mentioned in a seventh-century Armenian geography book under the name of "Tabaspars." Until the twelfth century there were two feudal estates on the Tabasaran territory, one in the north headed by a qadi (a judge in Quranic law) and one in the south headed by a maysum (a judge in customary or adat law). These were divided into smaller political units headed by begs. In addition to these feudal estates there were unions of village societies (Kïrakh, Churkul, Kukhruk, Suvak, Nitrig, Drich, and others). Tabasaran became part of Russia in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Tabassaran is a Northeast Caucasian language spoken mainly in the Republic of Dagestan in the Russian Federation, where it is one of the 14 official state languages. According to the 2010 Russian census, there are 126,000 speakers of Tabassaran in Russia. There are also Tabassaran speakers in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. There are two main dialects of Tabassaran: Southern Tabassaran and Northern Tabassaran, and written Tabassaran is based on the southern dialect. Tabassaran is also known Ghumghum, Tabasarantsky or Tabasaran. It is used in literature, newspapers and other publications. From the beginning of the 20th Century to 1928, Tabassaran was written with the Arabic alphabet, after which it was written with the Latin alphabet. Then in 1937 a version of the Cyrillic alphabet was adopted to write Tabassaran.
The Tabasarans are one of the indigenous groups of the Caucasus. In antiquity they were part of Caucasian Albania, and, when it fell, Tabasaran came to figure as an independent region in the historical sources. One of the first references to the Tabasarans is found in the writings of the Armenian author Fawstos Buzand (fourth to fifth centuries), who mentions an independent army of "Tabaspors." The classical Armenian author Egishe (fifth century), noting the peoples and tribes who were enlisted by the Armenian ruler Vasak, includes among them "the entire army of mountain and lowlands Tabasporan and the entire fortified inaccessible mountain country." They are mentioned in a seventh-century Armenian geography book under the name of "Tabaspars." Until the twelfth century there were two feudal estates on the Tabasaran territory, one in the north headed by a qadi (a judge in Quranic law) and one in the south headed by a maysum (a judge in customary or adat law). These were divided into smaller political units headed by begs. In addition to these feudal estates there were unions of village societies (Kïrakh, Churkul, Kukhruk, Suvak, Nitrig, Drich, and others). Tabasaran became part of Russia in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The Tabasaran people are often considered "the most hospitable of all Dagestani people." This claim might be argued by other Dagestani cultures, because once you are inside any Dagestani village culture hospitality functions at an amazingly high level. But for this new family, living among the Tabasarans as new 'friends of the Tabasaran people,' the Tabasaran assertion was hard to argue with in the midst of experiencing the remarkable and truly pleasant features of hospitality in the Tabasaran culture. Other salient features of ancient Tabasaran culture were also evident: respect to the elderly, mutual aid in daily life through the seven-generation 'tookhoom' structure, local artisanry such as carpet-making and Tabasaran music, the 'godekan'—the male collective decision-making body at the center of each village, societal care for the sick and the poor, and warm responsiveness to all weddings and funerals. Not all was easy, however, in Tabasaran culture. Male drunkenness has reached alarmingly high levels since the introduction of Russian vodka in the late 1800s. Lack of historical sources of grace, either in the culture or in Islam (which came to Tabasaran in the 8th Century), results in a noticeable harshness at many levels of society—both in the home and in the school. Fear and shame are widely felt as controlling forces of traditional conformity. Cycles of vengeance and violence beset the region, along with fierce power struggles—capped by the omnipresent corrupt bribery demands, emanating from those in power. This striking combination of factors yields the following observation, "The Tabasaran culture, like other mountain Dagestani cultures, has many outstanding cultural historical strengths, but also a tragic deficit of grace, forgiveness and agape love. Due to this redemptive deficit, in recent years even many of the historic strengths have been getting progressively dimmer due to the devastating effects of sin." But, for the Tabasarans, new hope is springing forth. In 1997 the first Tabasaran-speaking person came to Jesus. This was followed by dozens more in the decade following, both in village regions and in urban regions of Dagestan. There are now more than 100 Tabasaran believers—including in some regions outside of Dagestan. The New Testament has been published in Tabasaran (2010), and translation work is underway in the Old Testament. Two thrilling Tabasaran Christian music recordings, in authentic Tabasaran style, have also widely circulated through the culture. Amid the fierce Muslim tensions of Dagestan, loving relationships—coupled with widespread prayer—hold the hope for further redemptive impact into the Tabasaran world.
The people of Tabasaran nationality live in Southern Daghestan. Tabasaran nature is versatile and diverse with forests and mountains everywhere. This terrian is found to be steep and sharp, yet gentle in some areas. The languages they speak vary from Tabasaran and Lezgin to the Azerbaijanian and Russian languages. Tabasaran settlements are as versatile as the languages spoken. The Tabasarans build their houses on steep hills and mountain slopes where old-fashioned mud-houses still stand, while new ones are being built out of unprocessed stone. These building are not extremely attractive, but they are firm and reliable. National clothing of the Tabasaran people have almost disappeared from everyday life. Only on rare occasions may the women wear them. Not only is the national clothing vanishing, but the traditions and customs are as well. Most of the Tabasarans are engaged in the mixed economy comprising agriculture and cattle-breeding. The Tabasarans have some trades such as carpet-weaving which is well known beyond the boundaries of the Tabasaran region. The Tabasarans are of the Muslim-Sunnites faith.
High up in the Caucasian Mountains, in a valley between the Rubas and Chirakhchai rivers of Daghestan, live the Tabasarans. In all of recorded time merchants from many lands journeyed to the city of Oerbent to buy the famed Tabasaran carpets. Today, too, these beautiful, hand-made carpets are known far and wide. This small land is a land of Alpine meadows, orchards and nut groves. Ancient inscriptions on stones, the oldest to be found in all of Daghestan, tell us of the people's valiant struggle against countless foreign invaders. The Tabasarans have preserve if their ancient heritage and have carried their language, customs, legends, folk tales and songs down to the present day.
Most Tabasaran settlements are ancient. Whether settlements have a vertical or horizontal plan depends on geography. In the mountains, settlements were located on slopes. There were no straight streets, since the location of streets depended on such factors as topography and kinship ties. The oldest type of settlement is the small village in which a single kin collective ( tukhum ) lived. At some stage of historical development the kin-based settlements began to break up and were replaced by larger villages consisting of several blocks based on kin groups. By the nineteenth century the principle of kinship-based settlement was no longer dominant, yielding to purely territorially based settlements. Only the territorial principle is followed today. The social division of the village is into blocks. In many villages the name of the block corresponded to the name of a kin group; villages preserving no memory of kin-based blocks are in a minority. In addition to the division into kin-based blocks, every village also had a topographic division into a zaan mahal (upper quarter) and askan mahal (lower quarter). In every village there was a gathering place ( gim, godekan ), usually adjacent to the blacksmith's shop and later to the mosque, where important economic and social questions concerning the whole village were decided and where men met for conversation. Every village cemetery had plots for the individual tukhums, a tradition that persists to the present day. Some villages had cemeteries for each tukhum (Zildik, Chere, Tinit, Julzhag, and others). Structures belonging to the entire community included military towers and mosques. All villages changed in appearance during the years of Soviet power. Sometimes whole new blocks with special buildings for social and cultural activities arose next to old villages. A number of new villages have arisen in the lowlands, with wide straight streets, running water, electricity, and plantings. The traditional houses are made of stone and are usually two-storied, with living quarters on the second story and large loggias, a gallery with an arcade, or overhanging balconies; these buildings were joined with the other household work buildings into a single complex. Hay barns were constructed separately and placed next to the house or at the edge of the settlement. In mountain settlements there were three-story and occasionally even four-story buildings. Buildings were L-shaped, U-shaped, or square with a flat earthen roof and an internal court. Many had a central support column, the murkhval , often decorated with wood carving. The principal building materials were stone, wood, and clay. Houses were decorated with carved stone detailing with various signs and cosmological symbols—circles, rosettes, swastikas—and depictions of animals such as lions and deer. A good deal of wood went into the construction: wide window and door frames, corbels for cornices, column supports, the upper part of the wooden staircase leading to the second story, loggia, and window supports, all decorated with ornamental carving. The wooden elements of the facade, as well as the beams, were smeared with oil to prevent rot. The rooms in the living quarters had hearths ( gamu ), and the walls had niches for beds, dishes, and other household items. The interior decoration included rugs; chests (decorated with carving) for grain and other food products; wooden bed frames with shelves underneath; low stools; trunks; children's dolls; dishes; utensils of pottery, wood, or copper; and a loom for weaving rugs. During Soviet times two-story houses were built with large windows, slate or metal roofs, and yards (with orchards, vines, and/or gardens). National traditions are preserved in the plan and decoration of modern dwellings.
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