There is not much interesting information about these peoples, because for a long time they preferred to live separately and in conjunction with nature. Who are the Highlanders? This will be the main topic of our study.
Big story
In past centuries, the Russian people wandered a lot in the vast expanses, opening horizons, edges and steppes, conquering new territories. The first mention of the mountaineers is deeply rooted in history. At the end of the XVIII century, our compatriots ancestors came to the right bank of the Kuban River - a river in the North Caucasus. And they saw a picture of the settlement of peoples calling themselves highlanders. So the designation of these people first appeared, which has been preserved to this day. It is often said that highlanders are people living in the mountains. This is undoubtedly true: for life they choose mostly high mountainous areas.
Territorial affiliation
A century later, the Caucasus stabilized. Its northwestern part was inhabited by a large number of peoples. They divided among themselves the entire territory of the picturesque region: the Black Sea coast, the upper and interfluve of the Belaya and Laba rivers. If, for example, the Tapantins chose the Kuban plains, then the Caucasian highlanders remained in the mountains. For a long time they were deprived of the opportunity to engage in familiar things in full. Powers still fought for the Caucasus. Periodically, areas covered epidemics, diseases raged. Cattle breeding remained one of the occupations. Not wanting to be in the center of the battle, at first the highlanders went around the central areas where they could fall under the bloody wars of the conquerors. Therefore, given the nature of their behavior, it is correct to say that the highlanders are residents of the mountain and foothill massifs.
Battles for land
But to say that they did not take part in the wars is impossible. Their most famous battle is the Caucasian War, which ran from 1817 to 1864. At that time, the highlanders occupied the main ridge, and when the Russians were getting closer to the Caucasus, they showed strong resistance. But if the Russian soldiers were trained and advanced slowly, but carefully, the mountaineers, who did not possess impressive defense equipment and weapons, often preferred to sit in mountain forests.
However, in the last years of the long war, the mountaineers more and more violently and actively defended their territories. They kept the Russian battalions in suspense, staged attacks and uprisings, took control of the Mikhailovsky fortification, the Lazarevsky and Nikolaev fort, and later built small factories for the manufacture of guns and weapons, which nevertheless remained one level lower than were at the disposal of the Russian army.
Stay free
In the 19th century, a mass census began. Abundance data were approximate. The Highlanders did not keep records, meeting such attempts very harshly. It is known that they did not like to let strangers in. The ideology of these peoples considered it a sin to recount. They were afraid that the data would go to the reigning authorities, who could increase tax oppression, introduce a mandatory military draft, or even take measures to destroy the highlanders. Their number has not been officially confirmed. But it is clear that it was undergoing changes due to the participation of civil strife and battles to defend the territory. Highlanders left their areas in search of a new life; adjoined to other nationalities, of course, without any documentation.
Past and present
In the modern period, ethnographers often wondered: "Who are the highlanders?" To trace the history of their development and formation, to compare with the current situation, they repeatedly went to the areas in which they lived. For example, near the city of Nalchik lived large colonies of Jewish highlanders. Travelers paid attention to the order in which they kept their modest dwellings. Cleanliness rightfully distinguished them from many European nations.
Carrying out the description, in a more generalized version, we can say that the highlanders are wild tribal peoples with their own life principles. They were often called "children of nature." At the same time, this does not in the least diminish their humanity, spirituality, but in places completely destroys the stereotype of hermits that has arisen. This people is known for its cheerful disposition. They were distinguished by their readiness for peaceful relations, which, however, were often violated by wars. Highlanders participated in exchange yards, fairs, bazaars, supported the traditions of kunakism, formed their customs and way of life.
