Svan people. The Svans fled from the war, leaving behind weapons, cows and Russian farm laborers.
One for all and all for one. Everyone is part of a big family. Georgian mountaineers live by this principle, protecting the values of their family as carefully as freedom.
It's easy to identify us by our last name. Among the Svans it ends in -ani. We also have blond hair and eyes that are atypical for Georgia. I believe that it is in Svaneti that those Georgians live whose blood did not mix with the blood of the Turks and other conquerors.
We also have our own language. It is not at all similar to the Georgian language that our children are taught in schools. We always speak with Georgians in the state language, with Russians in Russian, and among ourselves in Svan.
The main thing for us is freedom. We have never been ruled by anyone, the Svans were not subjugated by princes, nor were they enslaved by feudal lords and enemies. My ancestors chose an independent life away from civilization. That is why Free Svaneti (aka Eastern Svaneti - the territory from Latali to Ushguli) is often rightly called a “community of free clans”.
The symbol of our region is the Svan towers. They were erected in the 8th-13th centuries, mainly for defense. Now they are turning into tourist attractions. But until now, these tall stone structures protect us from avalanches: like breakwaters, they “cut off” the force of snow blows. And once upon a time, the towers warned neighbors about danger; they hid church utensils, which were brought from all over the country during enemy invasions. Families took refuge in towers from enemies.
Svan lands were divided between communities. In the community they were distributed among clans, and within clans - between families. I come from an ancient Parjiani family. The first mentions of it date back to the 12th century, and they are associated with the name of the great Queen Tamara, who, on her way to her summer residence in Ushguli, stopped for the night in the house of my distant ancestor Vakhtang Pardzhiani. Like him, I also live in Latali. I’ve been living here for 39 years now, not counting periodic trips to other countries.
There was a time when I left my region and got a job in Russia. There he met Ksenia, whom he eventually transported to native home, when I realized that in Svaneti I see the future of the family. I have two daughters so far, but in general Svan families have many children. Typically, by the age of 30, a man already has three children. Five in a family is not the limit, sometimes there are ten.
Several generations live under one roof, just like in the old days. Our ancestors lived in a machubi - a spacious stone house with one room, in the center of which there was a fire. In winter, livestock also joined the large family, so that everyone would be warmer together. Now, of course, our houses are modern, equipped with all the necessary appliances, and we have moved the animals into the yard.
Every man should have a son. He will inherit the house and lands. Daughters always move into their husbands' houses, which means that if there is no son, Father's house doomed to destruction. I know cases where men took a second wife if the first one could not give birth to a boy. But this is the exception rather than the rule. At a traditional Svan feast, the third toast is dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of Georgia. During this toast, we wish a son to those who do not yet have one.
I work a lot, like most of my fellow tribesmen. We always have something to do: take the cows out to pasture, clean the barn, build a fence, prepare firewood for the winter. Our women work no less. The house and kitchen are on their shoulders. We teach our children to work too. The daughters help with cleaning and cooking, and the sons herd cattle in the mountains all summer. That is why there are so many climbers among local men. We feel at home on the peaks!
I start the day at six in the morning with oatmeal with Svan honey - the most delicious in the world. From early morning, women knead the dough - here they don’t buy bread in stores, but bake it themselves. An average family of 6-7 people eats about 10 pita breads a day. Once the dough is mixed, the women milk the cows and prepare cheese and matsoni from fresh milk.
We grow mountain herbs near our houses. We set aside a corner of honor for them in the garden. We add cilantro, utskho-suneli, Imeretian saffron to traditional dishes and Svanetian salt. The one that is ground for 2-3 hours in a large wooden mortar along with herbs and spices that grow only in Svaneti. This special art and a special tradition that is passed down from generation to generation through the female line, along with the mortar. Ours is already 400 years old.
Svans are similar to Sicilians. We have always been characterized by blood feud. It could have flared up because of an insult or the ground. History knows an example when a vendetta between two clans lasted more than 300 years, and during this time 12 people were killed on each side. My people believed that blood feud helps maintain order in the region. The fear of death is strong, especially since the entire community could be punished for crimes. Therefore, we are responsible for our actions not only to ourselves, but also to our ancestors and future children. Although today people mostly make amends for past grievances with money or livestock.
Everything is changing... Her mother, who is now 73 years old, often talks about what Svaneti was like in her childhood - without electricity and roads. Like 500 years ago. And now we dress like everyone else, we live in houses with amenities. In 2011, an excellent road was built here from Zugdidi, and an airport was built in the village of Mestia, from where you can get to Tbilisi. Life has become different. Therefore, it is important not to lose the most valuable thing - our traditions.
One of the most mountainous and inaccessible regions of Georgia is Svaneti. The first plane was seen there in the middle of the last century, and the first modern road was built four years ago. Kirill Mikhailov looked into why the Svans are respected and why they are feared.
Svans - small mountain people, which lives on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range in northwestern Georgia. According to the current Soviet time Svan traditions are classified as Georgians, although they speak their own language, which forms an independent branch in the Kartvelian language family.
Presumably Kartvelian language family broke up into Georgian-Zan and Svan branches at the turn of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, so the Svans have reason to claim that they are a separate people, although all Svans speak Georgian, and native language remains the language of everyday communication. According to various estimates, 30-35 thousand Svans now live on the territory of Georgia.
The history of this people can be traced from sources since the time of Queen Tamara (late 12th - early 13th centuries), although there are references to the Svans even among ancient authors. Thanks to several important factors - a common Christian faith, a common written language - the culture of the Svans was largely formed Georgian culture and forms part of it. At the same time, the small mountain people, living in relative isolation, retained, unlike the Georgians, tribal system
This is how Korniliy Borozdin, who served as an official in the Tiflis province in the middle of the 19th century, describes the Svans in No. 4 of the “Historical Bulletin” for 1885: “Tall, muscular, with a type reminiscent of our crests, they were dressed in light chokhas (upper men's clothing made of cloth, reminiscent of a Circassian coat. - approx.
ed.), on thick hair, cut into brackets, instead of hats, there were some small circles made of cloth, tied with laces under the shaved chins; Such a headdress served at the same time as a sling, from which the Svaneti throw stones with extraordinary dexterity. The shoes, reminiscent of ancient sandals, consisted of leather (kalaban) shoes with the wool up, tied with straps.”
Blood feud
Blood feud for the Svans has long become a tradition - the film “Svan” (2007), based on real events events happening in our time clearly demonstrates this. For an hour and a half people different ages
they kill each other with frantic passion. Georgians like to say that when the question of whether to send this film to one of the European film festivals was being decided, the main argument against it was that if now the main thing for Georgia is to join the European Union, then after this film they will have to forget about membership in a united Europe.
Colonel Ivan Alekseevich Bartolomei in the “Notes” of the Caucasian Department of the Geographical Society in 1855 describes his trip to Svaneti: “As I became more and more familiar with the Free Svaneti (Free Svaneti is one of the parts of Svaneti - ed.), I became convinced how unfair and rumors of their ossified cruelty are exaggerated; I saw before me a people in my childhood, almost primitive people, therefore, very impressionable, unforgiving in bloodshed, but remembering and understanding goodness;
I noticed good nature, cheerfulness, gratitude in them...” In fact, rumors about the cruelty and savagery of the Svans still circulate. Georgians like to say that on the slopes of Elbrus, the bodies of soldiers of the First Mountain Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht, better known by its emblem as “Edelweiss,” are still preserved frozen in the ice. This division is also known for the fact that its fighters hoisted fascist flags on both peaks of Elbrus on August 21, 1942. So, in Georgia they say that supposedly it was the Svans who drove out the mountain shooters from the peaks of the Caucasus, killing many, but Soviet propaganda was silent about this, because the Svans with the same fury killed other strangers who came to their mountains - the communists. The Edelweiss division did not report any serious losses inflicted by the Svans. There is a story on the Internet from one climber who was given a chance to shoot a perfectly preserved German Mauser 98k rifle in a Svan village, but most likely this was not a battle trophy: at the beginning of 1943, the division was hastily removed from the front due to the threat of encirclement and sent to Greece. And some of the weapons and equipment simply had to be abandoned in the mountains.
Svan towers
One of the most famous characters Svaneti - Svan towers. Most of them were built several centuries ago according to the same architectural plan: height up to 25 meters, base 5 by 5 meters, four or five floors with wooden ceilings, on each floor one narrow window, usually facing south, on the top floor several windows, but all of them are not suitable for archery or firearms. There are still debates about the purpose of Svan towers: whether they are military or sentinel structures, or economic, but certainly not residential. To imagine how the Svans lived a century and a half ago, let us turn again to the memoirs of Korniliy Borozdin: “Imagine people, no more than three thousand in number, who settled in an area shaped like a box, open only three months a year, and in the remaining nine months hermetically locked. The soil here will not give birth to anything except rye, which sometimes does not ripen, from which stinking vodka (araki) is distilled, and within three months the mountains are covered with grass, which at this time can feed on the baranta (a herd of rams and sheep. - K.M. ) and cattle and then, except for a small amount of honey, game, foxes, small animals, there is nothing - literally nothing.
Three months have passed, the box has slammed shut, that is, the snow has covered everything, and if people have not made provisions for the coming nine months, they will inevitably find themselves in a worse situation than blocked in a fortress and driven to exhaustion by hunger; there you can still run out to the enemy, but here you can’t run out anywhere. Consequently, it is impossible to exist without reserves, and where can you get them from, if not from your neighbors, and, moreover, without giving anything for them for a very simple reason, since there is nothing of your own to give. After that, how can you take from your neighbors, if not secretly and not by force? Call the free Svanetians whatever sentimental nicknames you want, but, nevertheless, this does not interfere with the essence of their predatory profession at the expense of their neighbors: Karachay, Mingrelia, Princely Svaneti.”
Judging by the conditions in which the Svans lived, the towers were primarily sentinels and signals: in case of danger, a fire was lit on the tower, then on the next one, and so the entire gorge could quickly learn about the approach of the enemy. The towers still remain a sign of the wealth and prosperity of the clan, since they were mostly built next to residential buildings, not in the wilderness, and are owned by families who strive to preserve these structures.
Svaneti is one of the highest mountainous regions of Georgia. It is located on the southern slopes of the central part of the Main Caucasus Range and on both sides of the Svaneti Range, in the northern part of Western Georgia. Zemo (Upper) Svaneti is located in the gorge of the Inguri River (at an altitude of 1000-2000 meters above sea level), and Kvemo (Lower) Svaneti is in the gorge of the Tskhenis-tskali River (at an altitude of 600-1500 meters above sea level). In the southeast, Svaneti borders on Racha-Lechkhumi, in the west on Abkhazia, and on the south is Imereti and part of the territory of Samegrelo. In the north, the border of Svaneti runs along the Main Caucasus ridge, on the other side of which are Karachay and Kabarda.
The population of Svaneti is the Svans - Georgian highlanders, an ethnographic group of Georgians who speak Georgian and in everyday life the Svan languages (the Svan language belongs to the Kartvelian languages and has four dialects and a number of dialects). Svans are an extremely colorful people. They have always been famous for their stateliness and courage. The Svans were considered the best warriors in Georgia. The ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo wrote: “The Svans are a powerful people and, I think, the bravest and bravest in the world. They are at peace with all neighboring nations.” Pliny, Ptolemy, Appius, and Eustathius of Thessalonia wrote about the hospitable, enlightened and strong Svans.
The history of the proud, courageous and freedom-loving people of Svans, who have preserved their language, goes back several thousand years. He was never enslaved by enemies, maybe that’s why the people who once inhabited the coastal strip of the Colchis Lowland and present-day Abkhazia, after numerous wars, chose for themselves free life in the mountains.. It is noteworthy that the Svans never had serfdom, and the nobility was of a conditional nature. After all, every Svan is a person who does not accept domination over himself. The Svans never waged aggressive wars, this is evidenced by historical facts, one of which is the construction in ancient times of watchtowers and defensive towers called “Svan towers”. Since ancient times, the Svans have traditionally been fond of creating picturesque products from copper, bronze and gold. Famous Svan blacksmiths, stonemasons and woodcarvers made dishes and various household utensils from silver, copper, clay and wood, as well as Svan caps - the national Svan headdress and unique “kanzi” from tur horns.
Beekeeping was traditional for the Svans - an ancient Georgian occupation, especially widespread in the mountainous regions of Western Georgia. But the most respected and revered professions for Svans are hunting and mountaineering. The Svans were and remain professional hunters and climbers. Hunting for the Svans is actually equivalent economic activity, and mountaineering - national species sports of Svaneti. The Svan mountaineering school produced many outstanding athletes. The most famous person in Svaneti there is a mountaineer and rock climber - “Tiger of the Rocks” - Mikhail Khergiani, who tragically died in the Italian Dolomites on the wall of Su Alto in 1969. The conquerors of the peaks of Ushba, Tetnulda and Shkhara were natives of Svaneti: Gabliani, Japaridze, Gugava, Akhvlediani and many others. Svan was a Hero Soviet Union, captain 3rd rank Yaroslav Konstantinovich Ioseliani, who during the war years made more than a dozen military campaigns and torpedoed many enemy ships. Another famous Svan is the famous film director Otar Ioseliani, who directed the films “Falling Leaves”, “Once Upon a Time There Lived a Song Thrush”, “Pastoral”, etc.
Svans.
Illustrated encyclopedia of the peoples of Russia. St. Petersburg, 1877.
Historical information
The Svans now, as before, occupy the highlands of the Caucasus near Elbrus, to the southwest of it. They are of Iberian origin and speak Georgian. Strabo placed them nearby
with Dioscuria, and Pliny wrote: “The Kobi River from the Caucasus Mountains flows through the lands of the Svans.” Even today the Svans live in the upper reaches of the Khobi River, the name of which is more accurately written by Arrian than by Pliny. Ptolemy calls these people Svano-Colchians. Here is the information left about this people by Pliny and Strabo.
Pliny's text:“Once upon a time Subop reigned in Colchis, who, having first conquered the Svans, mined a lot of gold and silver there, just like in the kingdom famous for the Golden Fleece. It is said that the beams, columns and reliefs in his palace were made of gold and silver. Sesostris, the king of Egypt, defeated him..."
It seems that the expedition of Sesostris had the same goal as the journey of Phrixus and the campaign of Jason, and that the owners of the golden fleece were not the Egyptian Colchians at all, but the Svano-Colchians, or Svans (Soans). Let's see what Strabo says about this people.
Strabo's text:“The Svans are neighbors of feteirophages and are no less unclean than them, but they surpass them in power and courage.
They live on the peak of the Caucasus, located above Dioscuria, and in areas forming a circle with this peak in the center. They have a king and a council of 300 people. Since all their men bear arms, they are said to be able to field 200,000 infantry.
They claim that gold flows in their rivers and they collect it in troughs with holes (something like a sieve) and put it in sheep skins. It is because of this that the legend of the Golden Fleece was born, or perhaps we are talking about the Western Iberians, who bear the same name as these, whose lands are also very rich in metals. Among the Svans, arrows are dipped in poison, which penetrates the wounds and causes an unbearable stench.”
It is clear from the text that the Svans living in the highlands of the Caucasus are real Georgians, since Strabo also gives them the name “Iberians”. And indeed, they speak one of the dialects of the Georgian language, and their appearance the same as that of the Georgians.
The treatise on the embassies of Menander (Protector) says that the Byzantines and Persians fought in 562 for the capture of Svaneti, and Khosrov told the ambassadors that the country of the Svans was completely unworthy of the attention of the Byzantines and they would not be able to receive any profit from it.
In Svaneti there is a mountain pass that was used before and is still used to cross the Caucasus. In 569, Zemarkh was returning from his ambassadorial trip to the Turkish Khan Ektag (Altai), the Sarodiyalan (Ossetian) prince advised him not to go through the country of the Mindians, since the Persians had set a trap for him in the neighborhood of Svaneti, and it would be better to choose the Darinyan (Daryal) road. to be sure to return home.
They say that the Svans were once subordinate to Georgia, but at least it is known for sure that they were part of the Laz kingdom. Those who live on Tskhenis-tsgali are subject to the Mingrelian prince Dadiani. On the contrary, those who live on the Enguri have their own more or less independent princes.
The Svans have professed Christianity since very ancient times; in their mountains there are still churches in good condition; Svans from Tskhenis-tsgali recognize the jurisdiction of Bishop Lechkumi.
Name
The Svans call themselves “Shnau”, and the Georgians, Imeretians and Mingrelians call them “Svans”, or “Sons”, and their country - Svaneti. The Svans now occupy the southern alpine meadows of the Caucasus; first they can be found east of Mount Jumantau, located about 40 versts south of the Karachai settlement.
Location
A narrow valley, irrigated by Teberda, stretches to the snowy mountains, the road through these mountains crosses the Caucasus and leads to the sources of Tskhenis-tsgali (Horse River) - the river that the ancients called the Eastern Gippius, and further, on the other side of the mountains, to Imereti and Mingrelia. The Svans live in the upper reaches of this river, which flows through their lands called Lashkhuri, as well as in the upper reaches of the Hopi and Inguri rivers, which flow into the Black Sea at Anaklia. In the west, the Svans border with the Abkhazians.
On Lashkhuri they have the settlements of Lasheti, Choluri, Ralashi and Ienta. Lasheti is located one short walk from the village of Sard Meli, located in the Racha region on the Ritseauli stream, which at some distance from here flows into the Rioni on the left side.
The villages located on Inguri, or Enguri, are as follows: Uchkur, Kaya, Adish, Migat, Ipar, Bogresh, Tsirmi, Yeli, Milokh, Lengor, Lateli, Bechi, Dol-Zebut, Tskhumar, Yezer and Lakhmura.
Appearance of residents
The Svans are tall, handsome, well-built people, but one of the most unclean in the entire Caucasus. Outwardly, the Svans are similar to Georgians, however, their dialect is very different from Iberian and Mingrelian and contains a large number of other people's words. This is probably due to the fact that the Svans have been separated from these peoples for such a long time, and their numerals, pronouns and other words are similar to Mingrelian and Georgian.
Dwellings
Svan houses are built of stones without fixing mortar or of wickerwork coated with clay; they have no windows. Through a hole in the center of the roof light comes in and smoke comes out. The roof is made of thick beams laid horizontally on the four walls; the roof is covered with earth.
The whole family sleeps with the cattle on straw.
Cloth
The Svans do not have the custom of wearing shirts; they wear two or three narrow beshmets one on top of the other, leaving their chest, forearms and knees exposed. An apron replaces their trousers, and strips of cloth wrapped around their legs from ankles to thighs serve as stockings. They wrap the feet in raw leather, folding the front into a pointed toe. Some of them wear an Imeretian hat, although often their heads are not covered, and most of them never comb their hair.
Svan girls never wear anything on their heads, and women, when they get married, cover their heads with a red scarf, covering not only the crown and back of the head, but also the face, leaving only the ears open.
Svan women wear long narrow dresses, usually made of red linen, tied in the front; In winter they throw a cloak made of coarse cloth over their dresses, and in summer they wear capes made of red canvas.
Svanetki are considered very pretty, and their morals are not very harsh: it was once considered shameful for a woman if she did not have several lovers.
They cook very dirty, in ash. Bread is baked from wheat and barley, and in the summer it is replaced with very thick millet, boiled in water. The Svans have large herds of goats and a lot of poultry. Despite their uncleanliness and poverty of clothing, they all - both men and women - love to decorate themselves, as far as their means allow, with gold and silver chains. In every home and in every family there is, as a rule, only one drinking vessel, which is used by everyone together in turn; usually the vessel is silver. Their guns are decorated with silver plates, some more, some less.
The land of the Svans is rich in deposits of lead and copper, which they know how to smelt; the same cannot be said about iron. They make gunpowder themselves, having all the substances included in its composition, and sell it to the Karachais, from whom they receive salt in exchange, which they exchange in Russia. They produce coarse cloth, which they sell in Imeretin. They have everything necessary for life, with the exception of salt, but since they need both clothing and all kinds of haberdashery, they are forced to go in droves to Mingrelia and Imereti at the beginning of summer to offer their hands to work on the plain. They return after harvesting and bring as payment for their labor not money, which would be useless to them, but plates of copper, iron, cauldrons, linens, fabrics, carpets and salt.
Population
The population of Svaneti is generally about 25 thousand people, they can put up 3 thousands of armed infantry. The territory of Svaneti is divided into 4 districts, namely:
1. Tsioho - 7 thousand inhabitants.
2. Tatarkhan - 5 thousand inhabitants.
These two districts are ruled by two princes with the same names - Tsiokho and Tatarkhan - from the Dadeshkilyan family; the first of them submits to Russia, and the second is going to follow the example of the first, listening to the entreaties of the ruling prince of Mingrelia Dadiani.
3. Free Svans - 8 thousand inhabitants, some of whom again converted to Christianity in 1830. Prince Dadiani persuaded them to submit, and they sent a deputation to Tiflis to negotiate this.
4. Svans belonging to Mingrelia and called “Svans-Dadiani”, since they obey the ruling prince of Mingrelia Dadiani - up to 5 thousand souls.
New information about the Svans (received in April 1834): borders and location
The Caucasian massif in the direction from northwest to southeast forms, near Mount Elbrus, called Ingistav by the Svans, an angle, the top of which faces the Kuban, and the eastern side runs along the peaks of Naka and Parist, where it ends.
The branches of the ridge, connecting with the mountains Supis-ta, Kitlash, Kugub, etc., form the snow chain of the Caucasus and, resting on high mountain called Pazis-mta, are the north and south boundaries of the lands occupied by the Svans, and separate them from the Alanets, Karachais, Kabardians of the highlands (Balkars and Chegems) and Ossetians.
From Mount Pazis-mta (this is the name in the Svan language, and in Ossetian Bassian-gog), where the sources of two significant rivers are located - Rioni and Inguri (ancient Singamis) - a large spur departs, which stretches to the southwest in the direction of almost parallel to the snow chain. Most high peaks this spur - Satskhen, Atskhi, Tabera, Lashkhet, Leshniul, Omiash and Namjogu; they are the southern border of the Svans and separate them from Mingrelia and Imereti; between them and the snowy ridge a wide and very deep gorge is formed, along the bottom of which the Inguri flows in the direction from east to west, then the river flows into the Black Sea near the Anaklia fortress. On the western side, the lands of the Svans are separated from Abkhazia by a large spur extending from the Caucasus Ridge in a southwestern direction and called the Jodesyuki ridge.
The steep slopes of the mountains, surrounding the country of the Svans on all sides, are cut by deep hollows and give rise to countless streams and streams that flow into the Enguri; the main ones flow with right side rivers, following the flow, are Shikhra, Dakhmara, Kedlera, Khene, Tubi, Tskhemara, Mailera, Geshterg, Maulash, Nikara, Chuber, Udi.
On the left side, Lakudra, Bakari, Marchkhob, Kumpurra, Makhashir, and Vedera flow into the Enguri.
Length
Svaneti stretches in length from Mount Pazis-mta to the Jodesyuki ridge (from east to west) for about 110 versts, in width (from north to south) from Mount Ingistav to Mount Leshniul - 50 versts; the total area of the territory inhabited by the Svans is approximately 3,700 square versts. If we take into account the great height of the mountains of Svaneti, their slopes should occupy an area much larger than the bases, and therefore the ratio of the number of inhabitants and the area should not be considered only taking into account the territory occupied by the Svans, judging by the map.
Division
The Svans are divided into three tribes, namely:
1. The land of independent Svans, who call themselves “Upusta” (without masters), extends west of Mount Pazis-mta for 45 versts along both banks of the Inguri and borders on the territory of Tatarkhan Dadeshkilyanov. Here is a list of villages in this district: Latani, Lashli, Sola, Lensker, Mestia, Tsiormi, Mulakh, Muzhalua, Bograshi, Lagust, Lenja, Ipari, Mebzager, Kusroli, Zarglesh, Klal, Ushkul, Mumi-kur, Lessu, Lam, Enash, Lajusata, Chuanas.
The number of houses in these villages reaches two thousand.
2. The territory of Prince Tatarkhan Dadeshkilyanov is located between the lands of the free Svans and the lands of Prince Tsiokho Dadeshkilyanov, from which it is separated by a tributary of the Inguri - Khene. The length of this area does not exceed 17 versts, 30 villages are known here, here is a list of them: Iskari - is the residence of the prince, located near the left bank of the Upper Kedlera; Labekal, Magauder, Lezgara, Tuberi, Sut, Uebaddo, Kalyash, Ladrer, Lashher, Lanteli, Tselyanar, Pkhatrer, Ugval, Berge, Chalir, Moil, Kurash, Genut, Lyankuri, Kartvani, Debt, Chkhidonar, Ushkhanar, Nashtkol, Thebish, Bagdanat, Mazer, Gul, Keledkar.
There are up to 750 households in these settlements.
3. The territory of Prince Tsiokho Dadeshkilyanov occupies the westernmost part of Svaneti and is limited in the east by the Khene River, and in the south by Mingrelia. The Svans of Prince Tsiokho occupy an area of 2250 square versts on both banks of the Inguri, they have 21 villages. Here is a list of these villages: Pari - the residence of the prince on the right bank of the Tubi; Big Lakhmula, Small Lakhmula, Big Lykha, Malaya Lykha, Lamhera, Katskha, Supi, Lakuri, Geshtera, Khofua, Paleda, Kich-Hildash, Chuberi, Tsaleri, Lashkherash, Tavrar, Dzhukhrani, Geruhash, Kudano, Gaish.
There are about 500 households in these villages.
Population
Assuming that there are 7 people in each family, we can count 23,200 people in Svaneti, but the new data gives the number of inhabitants at 26,800 people, namely:
Svans Tsiokho Dadeshkilyanova - 7000
Svans of Tatarkhan Dadeshkilyanov - 5000
Free Svans -14800
Total: 26800
Note. There is also a fourth tribe of Svans numbering about 5,000 souls, but since they live in the high mountain valleys of Mingrelia, south of their relatives, and are dependent on the prince of Mingrelia Dadiani, we will talk about them, but not when describing this region.
Climate, economic activities and crafts
The climate of Svaneti is very harsh, since this region is one of the highest in the Caucasus and is surrounded by mountains, some of which are covered with eternal snow, while others are open to cold, merciless winds. Fogs here are very frequent and so thick that a pedestrian suddenly caught in the fog does not dare to continue on his way for fear of falling into the abyss, but is forced to stop and stand until the winds clear the clouds.
From all of the above, we can conclude that nature here is not very generous with its gifts. Winter begins in October and lasts until May, when the Svans sow barley, in June they cultivate the fields of millet and flax, in August they lay wheat on the threshing floor, and in early September - the rest of the grains. Without the slightest idea about agriculture and having become accustomed to poverty since childhood, the Svans grow only the amount of wheat that is necessary for the meager food of the family; they are so accustomed to hunger that one libre of bread a day is enough for them, and when they go on a campaign, one small loaf of bread (churek) is enough for them to eat for three days.
Field work in Svaneti is very difficult both in summer and winter; All transportation of grain, timber and other things is carried out using sleighs, similar to the sleighs of our peasants. They plow the land with a plow drawn by oxen, but happy is he who owns such a plot of land where the oxen can pass, since the rest must cultivate small patches of land with their own hands.
The severe cold that reigns in Svaneti most of the year prevents residents from actively raising livestock, however, they sell it to Mingrelia and Imereti, receiving salt and iron in exchange. They also exchange cloth that they make themselves for silver.
The princes of the Svans are almost as poor as their subjects, but they sometimes have the right to sell one of the people under their control. They charge 200 sheep for a man, and beautiful woman- 300 sheep. Some of the sheep are used for food, and the other is sold in Mingrelia, where silk fabric and other luxury items are bought in exchange.
The free Svans are richer than the subjects of the Dadeshkilyanov princes, since they often organize predatory raids on their neighbors. Those of the free Svans who come on trade to the village of Lenteli on the territory of the Mingrelian prince Dadiani, instead of tax, give a two-calibre measure of gunpowder and several sheep.
Mount Lakura on the territory of Prince Tatarkhan Dadeshkilyanov is rich in lead; several times ingots of native silver were found there, which the Residents use to decorate their weapons. Mount Latli on the territory of the free Svans has the same properties.
Ingistav produces sulfur, and the Svans make good quality gunpowder.
The appearance and character of the Svans
The Svans are similar in face to the Russians, most of them have blond hair, they leave it on and do not shave it off their heads, as do the Circassians, whom they resemble in the way they dress. On their checkmen, on each side of the chest there are twelve tubes for inserting cartridges. Their weapons are the same as the others, and of excellent quality.
The Svans are brave, their morals are rude and they are characterized by unbridled licentiousness, which makes them courageous and enterprising. They dedicate themselves to achieving their goals. The Svans are ready to take revenge for the slightest insult inflicted on them, and often some trifle causes the death of an entire family and its neighbors; In addition, Svans are secretive and deceitful by nature:
Having cultivated his field, the Svan takes part in some kind of robber raid or develops a plan for it and spends his days dreaming of happy times when he was not afraid to meet Russian bayonets and he was allowed to kidnap people and then sell them wherever he wanted.
Svans consider it shameful to sit near their wives; they don’t even like talking about beautiful field and, as a result, they do not know the lifestyle of women in the family circle.
Svans build their homes like huts from horizontal beams and untreated stones. Their houses are pressed against some protruding cliff or are placed under a rock that hangs low and serves as a roof. In the houses you can find only the most necessary furniture, but in the poorest hut there is an excellent gun, decorated with silver, a good saber, a pistol and a dagger - their integral weapons, always attached to a belt around the Svan’s slender waist.
The steep and rocky mountains of Svaneti do not allow the use of horses, and the Svans are able to walk 60-70 versts a day without much fatigue, and this along a path that always runs along deep gorges, where fast streams constantly block the path, threatening to carry the traveler away with their rapid currents. Inguri.
Like other mountain peoples, the Svans do not store hay for the winter; at this time of year they leave their flocks of sheep to graze at the southern foot of Elbrus, where the animals find their own food along with the herds of Karachai sheep and goats.
Language
The language of the Svans does not have the slightest resemblance to any of the dialects of the mountaineers North Caucasus; its pronunciation is very difficult, but, in any case, the Svan language has something in common with Georgian language. Svans trading in Mingrelia and Imereti speak Georgian in order to be understood, but very few of them speak it well, since in general the Svans maintain little relations with the regions subject to Russia.
Religion
Although the Svans consider themselves Christians and they have churches (from the time of the Georgian Queen Tamara), they do not have the slightest idea about the tenets of religion. During the division of the Georgian kingdom in the middle of the 15th century, the Svans finally separated from Georgia, and, being surrounded on three sides by pagan peoples who later converted to Islam, they escaped the influence of fanaticism and actually now have practically no religion.
Svan can marry as many times as he wants, but does not have the right to have several wives at the same time. He must send away his previous wife if he takes a new one. Svans do not know either baptism or communion, they do not observe any sacraments of religion. Nevertheless, among them there are priests, chosen by common consent, they read some prayers on holidays, but the flock behaves in a peculiar way, and does not even cross themselves.
Form of government
The Svans cannot recognize higher power without disgust, and although the princes Tatarkhan and Tsiokho have arrogated to themselves the right to life and death of their subjects, they cannot do anything without the general consent of their subjects. Disputes not related to blood feud are settled by princes or elders, who are universally respected.
Free Svans on important occasions turn to Prince Dadiani from Mingrelia; with matters of lesser importance they come to the Dadeshkilyanov princes. In general, their form of government is a mixture of despotism and republic.
Warriors
Since the Svans have few horses, they could never make long marches, but the location of Svaneti is very advantageous for a defensive war and is excellent for creating all kinds of obstacles to the enemy, and no one has yet dared to attack them in their almost inaccessible gorges. In case of danger, a quarter of the population is ready to take up arms and defend the initial boundaries of their mountain settlements.
Communication routes
From everything that is said here about Svaneti, we can conclude that communication here is extremely difficult and its means are represented only by narrow paths, suitable only for pedestrians.
Note. Information about Svaneti was collected on the spot by captain General Staff Prince Shakhovsky and handed over to the author by the Chief of the General Staff of the Caucasian Corps, Mr. General Volkhovsky.
