Shapsug
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Circassia in 1840

Shapsugs (Russian: шапсуги; self-designation: адыгэ, шапсыгъ, or adyghe, shapsygh) are a people of the Adyghe branch, whom are currently living in Tuapsinsky District (Tuapse) of Krasnodar Krai, Lazarevsky City District of Sochi, and in the Republic of Adygea in Russia, those areas are a small part of historical Circassia, in addition to diaspora (Amman, Naour, Marj Al-hamam, Wadi-Alseer) Jordan, Turkey,(Kfar Kama) Israil, Syria, Europe, United States of America). The first wave of Circassian settled Amman/Jordan was from the Shapsug tribe,"Official Website of Amman" (2008). Retrieved on 2008-10-01.followed by continual of waves for their brother's, Kabardians, Abadzekh, Bzadoug. They speak a dialect of the Adyghe language. According to some indirect data, there were over four thousand Shapsugs in Russia in 1926 but the Shapsug people were not enumerated as a separate group in Russian Censuses until 2002 when the population was recorded as 3,231. The Shapsugs are Sunni Muslims. The Shapsugs used to make up one of the biggest groups of the Black Sea Adyghe (причерноморские адыги; today's Adyghe people). They inhabited the region between the Dzhugba and Shakhe Rivers (the so called Maly Shapsug, or Little Shapsug) and high-altitude mountainous areas of the northern slopes of the Caucasus Range along the Antkhir, Abin, Afips, Bakan, Ships and other rivers (Bolshoy Shapsug, or Greater Shapsug).

History

The Shapsyghs/Shapsighs/Shapsyghs are known to have supported the Adyghe in their struggle against the Crimean Khanate. During the Caucasian War, they were one of the most stubborn enemies of Imperial Russia, joining Shamil's alliance (which would last until 1859). In late 1860, a Majlis was assembled, which would unite the Shapsyghs, Ubykhs, and Natuqais. In 1864, a major part of the Shapsyghs and other Adyghes moved to Turkey due to the coming of the Russian army into the region (see Muhajir), where it would be partially assimilated or blended into the Cherkess community. Some 2,000 Shapsyghs remained in the Caucasus.

Circassia in 1830, Black Border: Shapsoug tribe area, Red Border: Historical Circassia in 1830

In 1924, the Bolsheviks established the Shapsygh National Raion/Region with Tuapse as its administrative center (eventually moved to settlements of Krasnoaleksandrovskoye and then Lazarevskoye). In 1945, the Shapsygh National Raion was transformed into the Lazarevsky Rayon of the Krasnodar Krai. In 1990, the first congress of the Shapsyhg people took place, where they would adopt a declaration on the reinstatement of the Shapsygh National Rayon. On June 12, 1992, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation passed a resolution on the establishment of the Shapsygh National Raion.

Culture

The traditional Shapsug culture had much in common with the Adyghe culture. The Shapsugs were engaged in agriculture, cattle- and horse breeding, gardening, viticulture and bee keeping. In pre-Islamic times, the Shapsugs worshiped gods common among all the Adyghe peoples – Shible (god of thunder and lightning), Sozeresh (god of fertility), Yemish, Akhin and Khakustash (protectors of cattle breeding), Tlepsh (god of blacksmithing) etc. The Shapsugs used to perform the Khantseguashe ceremony of rain calling during droughts by carrying a dressed doll through the aul and then drowning it in the river.

Notable people

• Karzeg Sait Bey (1887-1920) [1]
• Hazret Sovmen
• Kyzbech Tuguzhoko

External links

• Official site of shapsugs (Russian/Adyghe)