The Orstkhoy, Historical ethnoterritorial society, among the
Chechen and
Ingush. Homeland - the upper reaches of the Assa and Fortanga rivers - the historical region of Orstkhoy-Mokhk (modern most of the Sunzha region of
Ingushetia, the Sernovodsky region of the
Chechen Republic
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
and the border part of the Achkhoi-Martan region of Chechnya,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
). In the tradition of the Chechen ethno-hierarchy, it is considered one of the nine historical
Chechen tukhums, in the
Ingush tradition - one of the seven historical Ingush shahars.
[Anchabadze, George. ''The Vainakhs''. Page 29][{{Cite book, last= Павлова , first=О. С., title=Ингушский этнос на современном этапе: черты социально-психологического портрета., year=2012, location=Москва]
Differentiation from Chechens and Ingush
The Russians and the Kumyks both seem to have called the Arshtins a separate people, but other people of the region seem to have considered them simply to be Chechens separated from their fellows by political boundaries, due to the division of Vainakh land between Kumyks and Circassians. However, both micro-Chechens and Arshtins overthrew their overlords, the former establishing the clan-based democratic "Ichkerian" (from Turkish, meaning the free people) state based around Tukhum loyalties. The Arshtins may or may not have been separate from this.
Downfall
The late 1850s saw the end of the Eastern and Central Caucasian resistance to Tsarist rule was defeated; and in 1865, the
Caucasian
Caucasian may refer to:
Anthropology
*Anything from the Caucasus region
**
**
** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region
*
*
*
Languages
* Northwest Caucasian l ...
cleansing operations occurred. Although they mainly targeted Circassians for expulsion or murder, the Arshtins also fell victim. In May–July 1865, according to official documents, 1366 Arshtin families disappeared (i.e. either fled or were killed) and only 75 remained.
These 75, realizing the impossibility of existing as a nation of only hundreds of people, joined (or rejoined) the Chechen nation as the
Erstkhoi tukhum.
[Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Page 259.] The land of the 1366 Arshtin families that "disappeared" was settled by
Cossacks.
See also
*
History of Chechnya
The history of Chechnya may refer to the history of the Chechens, of their land Chechnya, or of the land of Ichkeria.
Chechen society has traditionally been organized around many autonomous local clans, called taips. The traditional Chechen sa ...
*
Chechens
The Chechens (; ce, Нохчий, , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus in Eastern Europe. "Eu ...
*
Ingush
*
Caucasian Wars
The Caucasian War (russian: Кавказская война; ''Kavkazskaya vojna'') or Caucasus War was a 19th century military conflict between the Russian Empire and various peoples of the North Caucasus who resisted subjugation during the ...
*
Nakh Peoples
The Nakh peoples, also known as ''Vainakh peoples'' (Chechen/Ingush: , apparently derived from Chechen , Ingush "our people"; also Chechen-Ingush), are a group of Caucasian peoples identified by their use of the Nakh languages and other cult ...
*
Nakh languages
The Nakh languages are a group of languages within Northeast Caucasian family, spoken chiefly by the Chechens and Ingush in the North Caucasus.
Bats is the endangered language of the Bats people, an ethnic minority in Georgia.
The Chechen, I ...
*
Chechen language
*
Ethnic Cleansing of Circassians
The Circassian genocide, or Tsitsekun, was the Russian Empire's systematic mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and expulsion of 80–97% of the Circassian population, around 800,000–1,500,000 people, during and after the Russo-Circassian War ( ...
References
Chechnya
Nakh peoples
Ingushetia