Khwarshi people
Encyclopedia
The Khwarshi people are a 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 don't 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).
During August 1944 the Khwarshi were deported to Vedeno
and Rityalb, but by 1957 30% of them had returned to the traditional settlements again, while the rest had emigrated to the Kizilyurtovsky-
and Khasavyurtovsky districts
, meaning that today there is also Khwarshis to be found in Komsomolskoe and Kizilyurt
in Kizilyurtovsky, and in Oktyabrskoe, Pervomayskoe and Mutsalaul in Khasavyurtovsky. In fact, today the majority of Khwarshis, some 7,000, live outside the traditional settlements, while the remaining 1,500 live in the settlements.
They speak the Tsezic language
Khwarshi
and they are traditionally Sunni Muslims
, living off agriculture
.
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
, in several small settlements. The Khwarshi are originally from the southeastern part of Tsumadinsky District
Tsumadinsky District
Tsumadinsky District is an administrative and a municipal district , one of the forty-one in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the rural locality of Agvali. District's population: 20,632 ; Population of Agvali accounts for 9.8% of the...
, 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 don't have an ethnonym
Ethnonym
An ethnonym is the name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms and autonyms or endonyms .As an example, the ethnonym for...
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).
During August 1944 the Khwarshi were deported to Vedeno
Vedeno
Vedeno is a rural locality in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located some southeast of Grozny. It is the administrative center of Vedensky District. Population: 11,512 ;...
and Rityalb, but by 1957 30% of them had returned to the traditional settlements again, while the rest had emigrated to the Kizilyurtovsky-
Kizilyurtovsky District
Kizilyurtovsky District is an administrative and a municipal district , one of the forty-one in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the town of Kizilyurt . District's population: 70,440 ;...
and Khasavyurtovsky districts
Khasavyurtovsky District
Khasavyurtovsky District is an administrative and a municipal district , one of the forty-one in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the city of Khasavyurt...
, meaning that today there is also Khwarshis to be found in Komsomolskoe and Kizilyurt
Kizilyurt
Kizilyurt is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the Sulak River, northwest of Makhachkala. Population: It was founded in 1963 by merging the work settlements of Kizilyurt, Bavtugay , and Sulak ....
in Kizilyurtovsky, and in Oktyabrskoe, Pervomayskoe and Mutsalaul in Khasavyurtovsky. In fact, today the majority of Khwarshis, some 7,000, live outside the traditional settlements, while the remaining 1,500 live in the settlements.
They speak the Tsezic language
Tsezic languages
The Tsezic languages form one of the seven main branches of Northeast Caucasian language family. It branches into Tsez–Hinukh and Bezhta–Hunzib–Khwarshi, according to the latest research...
Khwarshi
Khwarshi language
Khwarshi, also spelled Khvarshi, is a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in the Tsumadinsky-, Kizilyurtovsky- and Khasavyurtovsky districts of Dagestan by the Khwarshi people. The exact number of speakers is not known, but the linguist Zaira Khalilova, who has carried out fieldwork in the period...
and they are traditionally Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, living off agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.