Orstkhoy

Fragment of the map of the Caucasian region in 1842 showing the societies like the Orstkhoy as a part of the Ingush

Fargievs (Orstkhoy) in the family lists of the village of Sagopshi in 1862. Signed as Ghalghaï (Галгаевцы).

The first descriptions of the Orstkhoys by European authors in the second half of the 18th century identified them predominantly with the Ingush. The first author was J. A. Güldenstädt, who calls the majority of Orstkhoy villages as a part of the "Shalkha district" which Russians call "Little Ingushetia" and opposes them to Chechens.[7] In 1781, L.L. Städer, while making notes about the Karabulaks, mentions that several areas in Ingushetia consisted of a mix of Karabulaks and Ingush. Städer also provides a matching description to the unique details of typical Ingush vestments among the Karabulaks, which are not characteristic of any other of the people of the Caucasus.[8][lower-alpha 4] The German scientist Professor Johann Gottlieb Georgi, in his fundamental encyclopedic Description of all the peoples living in the Russian state wrote about Karabulaks stating that, "Before anything they were called Yugush (Ingush), but they call themselves Arshtas",[9] while another German scientist, P. S. Pallas, also states that the Karabulaks specifically come from the Ingush (Ghalghaï).[10] The German geographer and statistician Georg Hassel, in his geographical description of the Russian Empire and Dshagatai mentioned the territorial division of the Ingush as following way: 1. The Valley of Kumbaley where the Big Ingush live, which consists of Durdzuketi and Kisteti Districts, 2. District of Ghalgha, 3. District of Meesti, 4. District of Nashakhi, 5. District of Shalkha, 6. District stretching from Alkun till Galashki, 7. District of Datakh, 8. District of Akyurt, 9. village of Kasak-kesu, 10. village of Zaurova and lastly the Karabulaks (Ingush tribe).[11] Subsequently, S.M. Bronevsky confirmed the identity of the Orstkhoys with the Ingush.[12] Just like Güldenstädt, S. M. Bronevsky also mentioned many Orstkhoy ancestral villages as a part of the "Shalkha district" in 1823.[13] General Staff I.I. Nordenstamm stated in his "Brief Military statistical description" compiled from information collected during the expedition in 1832 that "the Kara-Bulakh language is similar to the Galash dialect, and the latter is similar to the Galgai and Kist dialects."[14] Nikolay Danilevsky stated that the Ingush, Kists and Karabulaks all speak the same language, and noted that the Chechen dialect differed from the root language.[15]

"To the tribe of the Ingush, occupying the plane and basins of the Caucasus Mountains on the right side of the Terek to the upper parts of the Argun and up to the Fortanga, belong: 1) Nazranians with the Kombulei society, 2) Dzherakhs, 3) Karabulaks, 4) Tsorins, 5) Closeby Kistins with a small community of Malkhins who have again submitted, 6) Galgaï, 7) Galashians, and 8) Distant Kists."

— Military Statistical Review of the Russian Empire // Caucasian Territory, 1851[16]

In the Russian Empire, on the basis of scientific, statistical and ethnographic data, the Orstkhoys, under the name Karabulaks, were officially classified as Ingush alongside Galashians, Nazranians, and other Ingush societies.[lower-alpha 5][17][16] The Orstkhoys were perceived as Ingush by Imperial Russia, as well as in the Imamate of Imam Shamil.[lower-alpha 6] In Soviet times, they were also officially included in the Ingush, as reflected on their passports.[lower-alpha 7] In the scientific community in the second half of the 20th to the early 21st century, the ethnicity of the Orstkhoys is defined as one of the Ingush societies.[lower-alpha 8] In Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Orstkhoy are indicated as Ingush.[19] Many authors of 19-21th centuries such as Ivanov,[20] Volkonsky,[21] Rzhevuskiy,[22] Maksimov, Vertepov,[23] Pantyukhov,[24] Kovalevsky,[25] Milyutin,[26] Martirosian,[27] Krupnov[28] and Pavlova[29] indicated that they believed the Orstkhoy to be a Ingush society.

From the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, some authors designated the Ingush and Chechens under the name "Chechens". Under this name, authors such as Adolf Berge[30][31][32] and Vasily Potto[33] designated Orstkhoy as one of the Ingush societies.

In the tribal villages Dattykh, Bamut and Gandalbos. In the censuses conducted before the Deportation, the vast majority of population was Ingush.[lower-alpha 9]

Karabulaks are according to Staehlin part of Chechnya which is referred to as "Kumiskaya Chechens" which is unrelated to Kumyk people as Shtaelin explains its due to the Tatar word for Sand.

The first descriptions of the Orstkhoys by European authors in the second half of the 18th century also identified them with the Chechens. The first author was the German Jacob von Staehlin who in 1771 made the first detailed map of North Caucasus. He included the "Karabulak" (Orstkhoy) people among the territory of "Kumitskay Chechens" (sand Chechens) which he explains comes from the tatar word "Kum" (meaning sand). [36] [37]. J. A. Güldenstädt mentions that Karabulaks (Orstkhoy) speak in a Chechen or Midzheg dialect of the Kistin language and that all Kists (in this case Nakh Peoples) are often called Chechens but can also be called Midzhegi (an old term for Chechens and Ingush), however he says that Kist is more suitable for Nakh peoples.[7] In 1781, L.L. Städer, while making notes about the Karabulaks, mentions that out of their neighbors the Chechens are closest to them in language and origin. [8] Johann Gottlieb Georgi also mentions that the Karabulak language consists of Kistin and Chechen dialects."[38]

Many Russian and European authors noted during the early and late 19th century that the Orstkhoy tribe was part of the Chechen nation, among them Baron R. F. Rozen who in 1830 believed that the Chechens are divided … into societies under the name of Chechens themselves or Mechigiz, Kachkalyks, Mechikovites, Aukhites and Karabulaks (Orstkhoy) …" Nordenstam also remarked in 1834 that "Karabulaki (Orstkhoy), Aukhites and Kachkalyk people speak dialects of the Chechen language".[39] Similar opinion was shared by the Russian-German general A.P. Berger who in 1859 connected the Chechen self name "Nakhche" to the Orstkhoy:

“Here is the calculation of all the tribes into which it is customary to divide the Chechens. In the strict sense, however, this division has no basis. It is completely unknown to the Chechens themselves. They call themselves Nakhche, i.e. "people" and this refers to the entire people who speak the Chechen language and its dialects. The mentioned names were given to them either from auls, like Tsori, Galgay, Shatoi, etc., or from rivers and mountains, like Michikovtsy and Kachkalyks. It is very likely that sooner or later all or most of the names we have given will disappear and the Chechens will retain one common name.[40]

The military historian A. L. Zisserman, who served 25 years in the Caucasus, also mentions the Karabulaks in his book, stating "All this valley up to the right bank of the Terek River is inhabited…. Karabulaks and Chechens, etc., belonging by language and customs, with insignificant differences and shades, to one Chechen tribe (Nachkhe)."[41] In the Bulletin of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society for 1859, Karabulaki-Orstkhois are noted as Chechens.[42] 19th Century Caucasian military historian V. A. Potto also attributed the Karabulaks to the Chechen people. [43] Historian N. F. Dubrovin in 1871 in his historical work History of war and dominion of Russians in the Caucasus states the following: in addition to these societies, the Chechen tribe is divided into many generations, which are named by Russians by the names of auls, or mountains, or rivers, in the direction of which their auls were located. For example, Karabulaki (Orstkhoevtsy), on a plain irrigated by the rivers Assa, Sunzha, and Fortanga, etc.[44] Several encyclopedias of the late 19th and early 20th centuries attribute the Karabulaks (Orstkhoys) to the Chechen people[45][46][47][48]

Over 20 native highland villages of all Orstkhoy: Tsecha-Akhke, Meredzhi, Gerite, Muzhgan, Yalkharoy, Galai etc. in 2 censuses conducted before the deportation (1891-1926) the whole population was Chechen.[49][50]

• 1807 — "Pacification" of the Orstkhoys by Russian troops led by Major General P. G. Likhachev. Military historian V. A. Potto called this act "the last feat of Likhachev's fifteen years of service in the Caucasus".[51]
• 1822 — Ingush and Karabulaks participate in the Uprising of Chechnya together with Chechens against Russian Empire.[52]
• 1822 — Ingush and Karabulaks yet again participate in the new Uprising of Chechnya together with Chechens against Russian Empire.[53]
• 1825 — Russian troops made a military expedition to the Orstkhoy settlements along the rivers of Assa and Fortanga.[54]
• 1827 — Another recognition of Russian citizenship by the Orstkhoys. Along with some other North Caucasian peoples, the Orstkhoys swore allegiance to Russia thanks to the actions of the commander of the troops on the Caucasian line, in the Black Sea and Astrakhan (as well as the head of the Caucasus Governorate) - General G. A. Emmanuel, who was rewarded for this accession, made not by force of arms, but smart orders, was granted the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.[55]
• 1858 — the Orstkhoys, together with the Nazranians, the Galashians and the inhabitants of the Tarskaya Valley, took part in one of the episodes of the Great Caucasian War - the Nazran uprising, which ended unsuccessfully.[54]
• 1865 — (after the end of the war) — several thousand Orstkhoys were evicted/resettled in Turkey , in particular 1366 families,[lower-alpha 10] in fact, the main part of them - in the ESBE it was even reported that the Orstkhoys/Karabulaks are a tribe that “completely moved to Turkey”.[56]