Аршишттиб | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Archi language and Archi villages. | |
| Total population | |
| 5,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia | 12[2] |
| Languages | |
| Archi | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Northeast Caucasian peoples | |
TheArchi people (Archi: аршишттиб,arshishttib,Lezgian:Арчияр,archiyar) are an ethnic group who live in eight villages in southernDagestan,Russia.Archib is the 'parent village' of these, because three months a year the whole community used to reassemble in Archi to engage in communal work.[3] Their culture is one of the most distinct and best-preserved of all the cultures of Dagestan.[4]
They have a total population of about 1,200, and speaktheir own language. Their habitat is about 2,000 meters above sea level in theKara-Koisu basin in theCaucasus.[3]
The origin of the Archi people is unknown. Their name was first mentioned in the historical chronicles written by Muhammed Rafi fromShirvan in the 13th or 14th century.[5] They were part of theAvar communityDursakh (orRissib) and from time to time paid tribute to theGazikumukh Khanate.[6] They became subjects of theRussian Empire afterDagestan was annexed by Russia in 1813. According to theBrockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary there were 802 Archis in GazikumukhOkrug in 1886.[7] Since 1899 they were part of the Gunib Okrug,Dagestan Oblast.[5]
In 1921 they became part of theDagestan ASSR. According to theFirst All-Union Census of the Soviet Union in 1926 there were 863 Archis in theSoviet Union.[8] In the next censuses they were not considered a separate ethnic group, but rather as a subgroup ofAvars. According to theGreat Soviet Encyclopedia in the1959 Soviet Census, all Archis declared themselves as Avars, though still preserving their native language and some ethnographic features.[9] The2002 Russian Census registered 89 Archis in Russia, which were again considered to be a subgroup of Avars.[10] In the2010 Russian Census there were only 12 Archis.[11]
The Archi language is aNortheast Caucasian language of theLezgic branch. It is colloquial, unwritten, and spoken only in several villages.Avar andLak are widely spoken.
The first information about Archi language was a letter fromPeter von Uslar toFranz Anton Schiefner dated June 11, 1863, which was published in the "Grammar of the Lak language" book as an appendix.[6]Peter von Uslar tells an Archi legend about their language:
The God created nations and peoples; there were much less languages than peoples. The God was giving one shared language to several peoples, but all peoples were refusing to accept the most difficult language in the World, which finally became the language of the least numerous people in the World: Archi language and Archi people.[12]
TheethnonymArchi originates from the name of the villageArchib inLak.[5] The main paradox with the Archi people is that although they are a subgroup of theAvar people by ethnic self-identification, their language is similar to theLezgian people, and culture to theAvar people andLak people.[13] They were considered to be a subgroup ofAvars in all Soviet censuses, and are still considered to be so in Russian censuses.
The Archi people are overwhelminglySunni Muslims. The existence of monuments written inArabic in theKufic script suggests that theyconverted to Islam not later than the 10th century.[13]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Caucasian (areal) |
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