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GEORGIANS AND ABKHAZIANS: ETHNIC ORIGINS AND AN ETHNIC CONFLICTAlexander KRYLOV
Alexander Krylov, D.Sc. (Hist.), leading research associate, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation)
Like any other conflict anywhere in the world the conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia is deeply rooted in the past. Many authors have already tried to look into it to be able to assess the recent past. They drew widely differing conclusions which still can be reduced to two points: either the Abkhazians have the right to live in an independent state or they do not have this right.
So far nobody has looked at the Abkhazians’ and Georgians’ ethnic origins and has never analyzed their level of ethnic consolidation, yet without this it is impossible to understand what is going on in Georgia today and to identify the mechanisms behind the scenes.
Who are Georgians and Abkhazians? They are not kindred peoples—and this is important. The Abkhazians (there are about 100 thousands of them nowadays) speak one of the Abkhazo-Adyghe languages. Together with other kindred peoples living in the Western Caucasus (the Abazins, Adyghes, Kabardins, Cherkesses, Shapsugs and others) they identify themselves with the North Caucasian ethnic and cultural community. At the same time, their homeland on the south littoral slopes of the Caucasian range gave them a wider access to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean civilizations.
Their location (the Black Sea coast) imparted them with an important role to play in West Caucasian development as an economic and cultural bridge between the Northern Caucasus and the steppe to the north of it and the outside world.
Exodus of the sixties and seventies of the nineteenth century became a national tragedy. During the years following the Caucasian War Abkhazia lost over half of its population. The central part (the Gums) left for Turkey leaving the homeland vacant. The once densely populated coastal territory became divided into a northwestern part (along the Bzyb River) and the southeastern (or Abjui) part.
The vacant lands were promptly settled by Greeks and Armenians who arrived from Turkey, there were peasant migrants of different nationalities from the European part of Russia as well as Georgians (mostly Megrels). In this way the polyethnic population of today’s Abkhazia has taken shape.
For many centuries the Kartvelian peoples, who lived to the south of Abkhazia, and the Abkhazians have been neighbors, and this left a deep imprint on the latter. Part of them (living in Gali District, formerly Samurzakan Abkhazia) have been already assimilated by the Megrels. Those who lived in what today is Ochamchira District were also exposed to a strong Megrel influence. This influence can be traced down in dialects and everyday life that makes northwest and southeast of Abkhazia different. The differences are slight and are waning away quickly.
Today the former division into sub-ethnoses is mainly seen in everyday life. Still the republic’s government takes the factor into account when distributing posts among Bzyb and Abjui Abkhazians.
Today, the Abkhazian ethnos has been finally consolidated: it is not numerous yet closely knit by common ethnic awareness, goals, culture, language, and life style. Contrary to common delusion the Abkhazians share one religion and are neither Muslims nor Christians. The field research conducted by the Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS in 1994-2000 revealed they have remained loyal to………..
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