Kfar Kama ( he, כְּפַר כַּמָא, ar, كفر كما, ) is a
Circassian town located in the
Lower Galilee The Lower Galilee (; ar, الجليل الأسفل, translit=Al Jalil Al Asfal) is a region within the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. The Lower Galilee is bordered by the Jezreel Valley to the south; the Upper Galilee to t ...
of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
's northern district, located along road 767, that leads from
Kfar Tavor
Kfar Tavor ( he, כְּפַר תָּבוֹר, ar, كفر تافور) is a village in the Lower Galilee region of Northern Israel, at the foot of Mount Tabor. Founded in 1901, it was awarded local council status in 1949. In it had a population ...
to the
Kinneret. It is one of the only two
Circassian towns
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in Israel, the other being
Rehaniya
Rehaniya ( he, רִיחָנִיָּה, ar, الريحانية, ady, Рихьаные ) is a Circassian town in northern Israel. It is one of the only two Circassian towns in Israel, the other being Kfar Kama. Located about 8 km north of ...
. The residents of the town are descended from the
Shapsug
The Shapsug ( ady, шапсыгъ , russian: шапсуги, tr, Şapsığlar, ar, الشابسوغ, he, שפסוגים) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe ...
tribe exilees from
Circassia
Circassia (; also known as Cherkessia in some sources; ady, Адыгэ Хэку, Адыгей, lit=, translit=Adıgə Xəku, Adıgey; ; ota, چرکسستان, Çerkezistan; ) was a country and a historical region in the along the northeast ...
. In 2008, the town had a population of 2,900.
History
Antiquity
Archaeologists have proposed that Kfar Kama was the village
Helenoupolis that
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
established in honor of his mother
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
.
[Tsafrir, Di Segni and Green, 1994, 142] Excavations carried out in 1961 and 1963 revealed 4th century tombs.
[Dauphin, 1998, p. 727] Two churches dated to the early 6th century, one dedicated to Saint
Thecla
Thecla ( grc, Θέκλα, ) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal ''Acts of Paul and Thecla''.
Church tradition
The ''Acts of ...
, were uncovered, with multicolored mosaics of floral, animal and geometric patterns.
In the
Crusader period it was known as ''Kapharchemme'' or ''Capharkeme.''
[Pringle, 1997, p. ]
117
/ref>
Ruins and parts of five limestone column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
s were found in addition to a circular basalt olive-press and cistern
A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...
s.
In 2020, a team of archaeologists led by Nurit Feig of the Israel Antiquities Authority
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...
discovered 6th-century church remains. The excavators also revealed painted floor mosaics showing geometric shapes and blue, black, and red floral patterns. The dimensions of the main part of the church are 12 by 36 metres. Several other rooms were unearthed near the church. According to archeologist Shani Libbi, additional rooms in the area have been revealed by ground penetrating radar.
Ottoman Empire
In 1596, Kfar Kama appeared in Ottoman tax registers as a village in the ''Nahiya
A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
'' of Tiberias in the '' Liwa'' of Safad. It had a population of 34 Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
households and paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on agricultural products, which included wheat, barley, summer crops, cotton, and goats or beehives; a total of 5,450 akçe
The ''akçe'' or ''akça'' (also spelled ''akche'', ''akcheh''; ota, آقچه; ) refers to a silver coin which was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. The word itself evolved from the word "silver or silver money", this word is deri ...
.
A map from Napoleon's invasion of 1799 by Pierre Jacotin
Pierre Jacotin (1765–1827) was the director of the survey for the ''Carte de l'Égypte (Description de l'Égypte)'', the first triangulation-based map of Egypt, Syria and Palestine.
The maps were surveyed in 1799-1800 during the campaign in Eg ...
showed the place, named as ''El Hadaci.'' In 1838, it was mentioned as a village in the Tiberias district.
In 1870s, the village was described as having basalt stone houses and a population of 200 Moslems living on a plain of arable soil.[Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p]
360
/ref>
In 1878, a group of 1,150 Circassian immigrants from the Adyghe tribe Shapsugs
The Shapsug ( ady, шапсыгъ , russian: шапсуги, tr, Şapsığlar, ar, الشابسوغ, he, שפסוגים) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe ...
who were exiled from the Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
by the Russians to the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
due to the Russian-Circassian War
The Russo-Circassian War ( ady, Урыс-адыгэ зауэ, translit=Wurıs-adığə zawə; ; 1763–1864; also known as the Russian Invasion of Circassia) was the invasion of Circassia by Russia, starting in July 17, 1763 ( O.S) with the Ru ...
settled in the village. Initially they made their living by raising animals, but later became farmers. The first school was established about 1880.
A population survey in 1887 found 1,150 inhabitants, all Circassian Muslims.
British Mandate
At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine
The 1922 census of Palestine was the first census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine, on 23 October 1922.
The reported population was 757,182, including the military and persons of foreign nationality. The divisi ...
by the British Mandate authorities, Kfar Kama had a population of 670 Muslims and 7 Christians,[Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Tiberias, p]
39
/ref> decreasing slightly in the 1931 census to 644, one Christian and the rest Muslims, in a total of 169 houses.[Mills, 1932, p]
84
/ref>
In 1945 census by the Mandate, the population was 660 people (all Muslims)[Department of Statistics, 1945, p]
12
/ref> and the land area was 8,819 dunams.[ Of this, 8,293 dunams were allocated to cereal farming,][ while 108 dunams were built-up (urban) land.][
]
Israel
Kfar Kama is one of two Circassian villages in Israel. The other one is Rehaniya
Rehaniya ( he, רִיחָנִיָּה, ar, الريحانية, ady, Рихьаные ) is a Circassian town in northern Israel. It is one of the only two Circassian towns in Israel, the other being Kfar Kama. Located about 8 km north of ...
. The Circassians are Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, who unlike the main Israeli Arab
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
Muslim minority, perform military service in the Israeli Defense Forces
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
. The village school teaches in Circassian, Hebrew, Arabic and English.
A Center for Circassian Heritage is situated in the village.
Notable people
* Izhak Nash (born 1989), a Circassian Israeli footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
currently playing for Hapoel Ironi Baqa al-Gharbiyye
* Bibras Natcho
Bibars Natcho ( Adyghe: Пыйпэрыс Натхъо, he, ביברס נאתכו, ; born 18 February 1988) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serbian club Partizan and captains the Israel national team ...
(born 1988), a Circassian Israeli footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
currently playing in Europe and the captain of the Israeli national football team
* Nili Natkho
Nili Natkho ( he, נילי נאתכו; February 18, 1982 – November 5, 2004) was a Circassian-Israeli basketball player who played for Maccabi Raanana and Elitzur Ramla. Natkho died in a car accident at the age of 22.
Her cousin is the promi ...
(1982–2004), a Circassian Israeli basketball player
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
who played for Maccabi Raanana
Maccabi Ra'anana () is a professional basketball club that is based in Ra'anana, Israel. The club plays in the Israeli National League, the second-tier division league of Israel.
History
Maccabi Ra'anana was founded in 1980. The team won the Isr ...
and Elitzur Ramla
Shapsug families
* Abrag ( ady, Абрэгь)
* Ashmuz/Achmuzh ( ady, Ацумыжъ)
* Bghana ( ady, Бгъанэ)
* Bat ( ady, Бат)
* Blanghaps ( ady, БлэнгъэпсI)
* Batwash ( ady, БэтIыуашъ)
* Jandar ( ady, Джэндар)
* Gorkozh ( ady, ГъоркIожъ)
* Zazi ( ady, Зази)
* Kobla ( ady, Коблэ)
* Qal ( ady, Къал)
* Qatizh ( ady, Къэтӏыжъ)
* Lauz ( ady, ЛъыIужъ)
* Libai/Labai ( ady, ЛIыпый)
* Nago ( ady, Наго)
* Natkho ( ady, Натхъо)
* Nash ( ady, Наш)
* Napso ( ady, Нэпсэу)
* Thawcho ( ady, Тхьэухъо)
* Hazal ( ady, Хъэзэл)
* Hutazh ( ady, Хъутӏэжъ)
* Hadish ( ady, Хьэдищ)
* Hako/Hakho ( ady, Хьэхъу)
* Shamsi ( ady, Чэмшъо)
* Choshha/Shoshha ( ady, Цушъхьэ)
* Shogan ( ady, Шэугьэн)
* Shaga ( ady, Шъуагьэ)
* Sagas/Shagash ( ady, Шъэгьашъ)
* Shhalakhwa ( ady, Шхьэлахъуэ).
Other families
* Abzah ( ady, Абзах)
* Boshnakh ( ady, Бущнакъ)
* Bazdug/Bzhedug ( ady, Бжъэдыгъу)
* Yadig ( ady, йадиг )
* Hatukai ( ady, Хьэтыкъуай)
* Tsai ( ady, Цэй)
* Shapsugh ( ady, Шапсыгъ).
* Zoabi ( ady, Зуабй)
* Masharqa ( ady, мэщаркъа )
See also
* Kfar Kama Adyghe dialect
The Shapsug dialect ( ady, Шапсыгъабзэ; kbd, Шапсыгъэбзэ) is a dialect of Adyghe. The Shapsug dialect is spoken by the Shapsugs, which are one of the largest Circassian population in the diaspora outside Republic of Ady ...
* Circassians in Israel
Circassians in Israel (; he, הצ'רקסים בישראל) are Israelis who are ethnic Circassians. They are a branch of the Circassian diaspora, which was formed as a consequence of the 19th-century Circassian genocide that was carried out b ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
Kfar Kama local council
The World Circassian Heritage Center
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 6
IAA
Wikimedia commons
{{North District (Israel)
Circassian communities
Circassians in Israel
Populated places established in 1878
Local councils in Northern District (Israel)
1878 establishments in Ottoman Syria
Circassian diaspora
Villages in Israel
Lower Galilee