For the past five centuries, the territory of the Caucasus has been inhabited by Cossacks. Terek people skillfully owns a saber and dzhigitovka, wears gazyrs and dances a traditional lezginka. He retains his identity and culture. However, how many people know about the history of the Terek Cossacks?
History of occurrence
The Russians opened the way to the Caucasus during the time of Ivan the Terrible, after the kingdom of Astrakhan was annexed to the territories of Russia. Three years after joining the governor, Pleshcheyev, along with his shooters, ended up on the Terek River. Immediately after this, the Volga Cossacks arrived there, which always bothered the territory of the Nogai steppe (today it is the western Caspian).
After that, the Russians decided to build the city of Terek in the Caucasus, which they then had to leave due to pressure from the Turkish state. Later it was settled by Cossacks, who were forced to leave their homes due to repression by Ivan Murashnik. This event can be considered the beginning of the story. At that time, the coat of arms of the Terek Cossacks appeared. The people began to learn.
After settling the lands, the Cossacks established their seniority on the Terek. It was here that the famous Ilya Muromets began to gather his first strength.
The times of the Caucasian war
The Terek Cossacks received their fame precisely at this time. It was then that they showed all the skills of warriors. For the exploits shown in the war, some representatives of this people were even sent to protect the emperor himself. A year later, the Terek Cossacks were recognized as part of the Russian army.
Thanks to this, the people received rights to land, forests and fisheries. Then the first chieftain of the Terek Cossacks was appointed - Lieutenant General Pyotr Verzilin. Many representatives of this army received honors for their exploits.
After the war, there were approximately 10, 000 Cossacks in the Russian army. To simplify control, the commander-in-chief of the Caucasian troops decided to create a separate Terek Cossack army.
Russian-Turkish and civil wars
During the time of these battles, the Terek Cossacks also showed themselves, but not from the heroic side. During this period, there were already about 250, 000 people in their territory who lived in 70 villages.
In the war, they opposed the Red Army, and in 1920, when it ended, Terek troops left Russia.
The tragedy of 1921
Around the beginning of 1921, Chechen leaders demanded the eviction of Cossacks from Terek lands. A harsh ultimatum forced the people to obey. As a result of this, on March 27, 1921, 70, 000 Terek Cossacks left their homes during the day. Half of them were shot on the way to the railway stations by Chechen troops. The villages were burned.
All Cossacks at this time were divided into three groups:
- White. Representatives of this male group were immediately shot, and women and children were allowed to flee.
- Reds. Everyone was evicted, but not killed.
- The communists. They were allowed to flee and take all moving property with them.
Even Stalin himself, who advocated repression against the Cossacks, said that the brutal acts carried out by Chechens (execution, etc.) were superfluous.
Then Ordzhonikidze said that hunger was the reason for the eviction of the Terek people. He himself said: "Because of land hunger, a decision was made to evict 18 Cossack villages (70, 000 people), whose lands had already come close to the mountain lands. Such actions were supposed to relieve the mountain people from hunger and eliminate the skirmish." Despite the fact that the eviction of the Cossacks was recognized as an erroneous decision, 20, 000 Chechens already occupied the Terek lands.
In the same 1921, the Mountain Republic received a decree "On the introduction of Sharia legal proceedings in the Mountain ASSR." The escaped Cossacks asked the Russian government to allow them to return to the Terek, but these requests were ignored.
Giving freedom to the highlanders, Stalin declared: “By providing you with autonomy, Russia gives you the rights that the bloodsuckers the tsars and generals took away from you. This means that now you can live according to your old customs, mores and traditions, unless, of course, they go beyond the framework of the Constitution of Russia"
Resistance and emigration
After the Terek Cossacks were forced to leave their lands, they began to collectively write letters where they said that the Russian people were unarmed in relation to them. The auls, on the contrary, were literally crowded with weapons. According to the Cossacks, even 12-year-old children often had a revolver or a rifle. Despite these appeals, the repression did not stop.
When the former residents of Terek realized that they were unlikely to receive an answer to their letters, they decided to create several gang units, which in total included about 1, 300 people. They were engaged in the defeat of the villages where the Chechens lived. It is worth noting that such groups included not only Terek Cossacks, but also Kabardins and Ossetians. However, the Chechens gave a stern rebuff, and members of the detachments began to surrender.
Most of the emigrating Cossacks settled in Bulgaria. The rest were scattered across the lands of the Balkans. Later they moved to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the United States. Surprisingly, the Cossacks received quite warmly in the new places of residence.
For example, in France, a large farm was allocated to former Terek residents, and in Peru, the president was so surprised by the Cossacks' disciplinary education that he raised the budget for their emigration.
Terek Cossacks today
March 23, 1990 created a council dedicated to the revival of nationality. 500 delegates representing Terek Cossacks took part in it. Their number at the time of the council was 500, 000.
In 1991, ethnic cleansing began in Chechnya. This negatively affected the position of the Terek Cossacks. The first Chechen war that worsened further worsened the condition of the people. A series of catastrophic events led to the frequent change of atamans of the Cossacks. First it was Konyakhin, then Starodubtsev, who was later replaced by Sizov.
In 2005, the Terek people began to revive rapidly. This was especially noticeable in the lands of North Ossetia and the Stavropol Territory. In 2006, a new chieftain was chosen - V.P. Bondarev. A few years later, the Terek Cossack army was created, which was part of the Union of Cossacks of Russia.
The dialects of the Terek Cossacks have changed several times throughout history. At first it was a Scythian language, then - Old Slavic, Tatar, Russian. Today you can hear these words:
Anadas - not so long ago.
Well, if only.
Of course - yes, of course.
Ayahka is my dear.
Ah, my dear.
Ah! - interjection call.
Aichka - interjection response.
Womanizer - a type of female hairstyle.
Baglay - a couch potato.
Kaydik - a shepherd’s or old man’s staff, a stick for support.
Bayrak is a ravine.
The bed is the side edge of the sleigh.
Gryadushka - headboard.
Cry - raise.
Zen is the earth.
Zoe is a cry.
