Lak people (Dagestan)
Encyclopedia
The Laks, self-designation Lak, are an indigenous people of Dagestan, speaking the Lak language
. There are about 170,000 ethnic Laks.
on the Lak territory
was the principality of Gumik
. Gumik was the residence of some of the most influential rulers in the history of Dagestan.
The early history of the Lak people is unclear; they have lived in Daghestan since at least the Bronze Age. Although Christianity had been introduced by Armenians and Georgians starting in the sixth century, in 777, according to legend, the Laks were conquered by the Arabs under the leadership of Abu-Muslim.
and Kulinsky District
s) and have called their territory Lakia.
The practice of transhumant sheepherding required that for several months each year, males migrate to the lowlands to pasture their animals. Here they came into contact with different Daghestani peoples. Other Daghestani mountaineers grazed their sheep along with those of the Laks in the lands of the Kumyks. This is the reason most Lak males were multilingual. Many villages specialized in artisanry and crafts. Kumukh was famed for its jewelers and coppersmiths; Kaya was known for its merchants and markets; Unchukatl for saddle and harness makers; Ubra for masons and tinsmiths; Kuma for candy makers; Shovkra for shoe- and bootmakers; Tsovkra for acrobats; and Balkar for ceramics and jug makers. Lak women also engaged in cottage industries such as rug weaving, spinning, textile making, and ceramics, whereas the men engaged in leather working and tool making.
Many of these traditions survived during the Soviet period because it was difficult to develop the Lak territories, which are isolated and have few resources. Textiles and clothing, leather working and shoe making, and the production of meat, cheese, and butter are still the dominant industries in this region. Many Laks continue to migrate (both permanently and seasonally) to other areas of Daghestan (and in particular to the cities) and to other surrounding areas to find employment. Whereas in the traditional pattern of transhumant animal husbandry Lak males and their animals walked over the treacherous mountain passes and forded rivers, the herds are now taken by truck to their winter pastures in the lowlands and similarly brought back in the spring. Traditionally, extended families held the limited amount of agricultural land, the pastures, and the herds in common and did not have a strong sense of individual ownership. The Laks nevertheless resisted Soviet collectivization policies.
. Lak is a member of the highly diverse Northeast Caucasian language family
. Within the family, its position is highly debated, but it is generally thought to be an isolate, which either developed separately from an early point or, alternatively, all whose close relatives have gone extinct.
Lak language
The Lak language is a Northeast Caucasian language forming its own branch within this family. It is the language of the Lak people from the Russian autonomous republic of Dagestan, where it is one of six standardized languages...
. There are about 170,000 ethnic Laks.
History
An ancient polityPolity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
on the Lak territory
Lakia (Dagestan)
Lakia — the name of ethnic territory of Laks in the mountainous Dagestan. The administrative center of Lakia is Kumukh – the political center of Laks over a thousand-year history of their state...
was the principality of Gumik
Kumukh
Kumukh is a village and the administrative center of Laksky District in Dagestan. It is located on the banks of the river Kazikumukhskoye Koysu.Previously known as Kazi-Kumukh .- History :...
. Gumik was the residence of some of the most influential rulers in the history of Dagestan.
The early history of the Lak people is unclear; they have lived in Daghestan since at least the Bronze Age. Although Christianity had been introduced by Armenians and Georgians starting in the sixth century, in 777, according to legend, the Laks were conquered by the Arabs under the leadership of Abu-Muslim.
Land
Laks historically have lived in the central part of mountainous Dagestan (LakskyLaksky District
Laksky 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 Kumukh...
and Kulinsky District
Kulinsky District
Kulinsky 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 Vachi...
s) and have called their territory Lakia.
Religion
Laks belong to the Shafi school of Sunni Islam. Sunni Islam encouraged group solidarity and provided protection from the government apparatus; their members help each other find work and housing, arrange marriages, pay the kalïm, maintain burial societies, resolve disputes, and so forth. Rural Laks still observe many pre-Islamic planting, harvest, animal-breeding cycle, shearing, and rituals.Economy
Because the traditional Lak lands are mountainous and very dry, agriculture was of secondary importance in the traditional economy. In the mountainous regions, the economy was dominated by the raising of sheep and goats, and also some horses, cattle, and mules. Meat and milk products were major components of the Lak diet, although they also grew barley, peas, wheat and some potatoes. Most animal husbandry was the responsibility of males, whereas agriculture was mostly that of women. The Lak territory had no forests, and there was a chronic shortage of wood for building and fuel. Wheat and fruits and vegetables were grown in the lower areas, especially in the new Lak areas in northern Daghestan.The practice of transhumant sheepherding required that for several months each year, males migrate to the lowlands to pasture their animals. Here they came into contact with different Daghestani peoples. Other Daghestani mountaineers grazed their sheep along with those of the Laks in the lands of the Kumyks. This is the reason most Lak males were multilingual. Many villages specialized in artisanry and crafts. Kumukh was famed for its jewelers and coppersmiths; Kaya was known for its merchants and markets; Unchukatl for saddle and harness makers; Ubra for masons and tinsmiths; Kuma for candy makers; Shovkra for shoe- and bootmakers; Tsovkra for acrobats; and Balkar for ceramics and jug makers. Lak women also engaged in cottage industries such as rug weaving, spinning, textile making, and ceramics, whereas the men engaged in leather working and tool making.
Many of these traditions survived during the Soviet period because it was difficult to develop the Lak territories, which are isolated and have few resources. Textiles and clothing, leather working and shoe making, and the production of meat, cheese, and butter are still the dominant industries in this region. Many Laks continue to migrate (both permanently and seasonally) to other areas of Daghestan (and in particular to the cities) and to other surrounding areas to find employment. Whereas in the traditional pattern of transhumant animal husbandry Lak males and their animals walked over the treacherous mountain passes and forded rivers, the herds are now taken by truck to their winter pastures in the lowlands and similarly brought back in the spring. Traditionally, extended families held the limited amount of agricultural land, the pastures, and the herds in common and did not have a strong sense of individual ownership. The Laks nevertheless resisted Soviet collectivization policies.
Kinship
Traditional Laks, like most Daghestani highlanders, lived in patriarchal clan units (tukhums) consisting of a large extended family having a common ancestor, either recently deceased or still living. All members had the same patronymic and all property was owned mutually by the clan; decision making was the responsibility of either the elder patriarch or the elder males. Clan members were expected to provide mutual assistance in work and in family affairs, and to assume collective responsibility in vendettas, as prescribed by adat (traditional Daghestani customary law that predates Islam). The term for close family members within the tukhum is kk'ul , and they refer to each other as usursu (sibling). The importance of tukhums is today being eroded by modernization and continuing out-migration.Marriage
Marriages were traditionally arranged by the families of the couple, with the oldest women taking the most prominent role in the decision making. The bride and groom were most likely to be from the same clan. The custom of paying kalïm (bride-price) persists to a limited degree but the transaction is more symbolic than financial.Feudal System
The Laks are reported to have been the first Daghestani people to establish a feudal system. Their feudal society consisted of the khans; the bagtal (beks), who were the khan's family and the nobility; the chankri (children of marriages between beks and women of lower social orders); the uzdental (uzden), who were free peasants (numerically the largest of all classes); the rayat (serfs); and the laghart (slaves). This feudal system coexisted with a system of free societies, which were composed of the more democratic tukhums. These free societies were military and economic arrangements that were fluid in structure and worked on a democratic and voluntary basis. The laws governing the relations of groups within these free societies were codified in adat.Language
The native language of all Laks is the Lak languageLak language
The Lak language is a Northeast Caucasian language forming its own branch within this family. It is the language of the Lak people from the Russian autonomous republic of Dagestan, where it is one of six standardized languages...
. Lak is a member of the highly diverse Northeast Caucasian language family
Northeast Caucasian languages
The Northeast Caucasian languages constitute a language family spoken in the Russian republics of Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, northern Azerbaijan, and in northeastern Georgia, as well as in diaspora populations in Russia, Turkey, and the Middle East...
. Within the family, its position is highly debated, but it is generally thought to be an isolate, which either developed separately from an early point or, alternatively, all whose close relatives have gone extinct.
See also
- History of the Lak peopleHistory of the Lak peopleLak people , self-designation – Lak . Native language - Lak. Laks name their place of settlement "Lakral Kanu" . Historical capital of Laks is Kumukh — one of the ancient cultural and religions centres of Dagestan...
- DagestanDagestanThe 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...
- Laks of DagestanLakia (Dagestan)Lakia — the name of ethnic territory of Laks in the mountainous Dagestan. The administrative center of Lakia is Kumukh – the political center of Laks over a thousand-year history of their state...
- History of DagestanHistory of DagestanThe oldest period in the history of Dagestan is associated with the present-day mountainous Dagestan. Historically, Dagestan was a federation of mountainous principalities. Located at the crossroads of world civilizations of north and south, Dagestan was the scene of clashes of interests of many...
- Northeastern Caucasian languages
- Lak languageLak languageThe Lak language is a Northeast Caucasian language forming its own branch within this family. It is the language of the Lak people from the Russian autonomous republic of Dagestan, where it is one of six standardized languages...
- Lak song, in Lak language. By Arslan Shahmardanov
- Different songs of the people of Dagestan