How Many Wainakh and Adyg Nations Are There?

The word "Wainakh" means "our people" and is used by Chechens and Ingushs to denote both Chechens and Ingushs. Chechens and Ingushs have very similar languages and often consider that this is one language with different dialects. They often consider themselves as one nation. There are other Wainakh ethnic groups — Akkis who live in Daghestan, and Kistis and Batsbis who live in Georgia.

There is a common consensus that Batsbis are a separate Wainakh group. Most Batsbis consider themselves as Georgians, and not as Wainakhs. Unlike other Wainakhs who are Muslims, Batsbis are Christians. The Batsbi language is very different from other Wainakh languages because it contains many Georgian words. However, its grammar is similar to the grammar of other Wainakh languages. There is a Batsbi story that they originally lived in the same territory as other Wainakhs, but later moved to Georgia. Living in Georgia, they learned the Georgian language (all the Batsbis speak fluent Georgian) and borrowed many words from Georgian. So, originally they were a part of the Wainakh community, but then separated themselves from it. Now, they cannot be considered as a part of one Wainakh nation.

Most scientists consider Akkis and Kistis as two groups of Chechens and their languages as Chechen dialects. Most of Akkis, Kistis, and other Chechens think the same way. There are very few of Akkis and Kistis who consider themselves as different from Chechens. So, this matter is also quite clear.

However, the question whether Chechens and Ingushs are the same nation or not and whether they speak the same language or not, is not so simple. The problem is that most scientists consider them as two nations with two languages. However, many Chechens and Ingushs (not all of them) consider themselves as one nation with one language.

There are no definite criteria of the difference between a language and a dialect. According to N. F. Yakovlev, a well-known linguist who studied many North Caucasus languages, if people are able to understand one another speaking their native language, they speak the same language, though they may speak different dialects. Most Chechens and Ingushs are able to understand one another speaking their native languages.

In linguistics, in order to find out how close two languages or dialects to one another, scientists take 100 words of each of them and count how many of them match. However, this method is not used to make a difference between languages and dialects. The use of this method for Chechen and Ingush, for Chechen and Akki, and for Ingush and Akki gives similar results. This means that since Akki is considered to be a Chechen dialect, Ingush should not be considered as a separated language. Chechen and Ingush are two dialects of one Wainakh language. Chechens and Ingushs compose the same Wainakh nation.

The situation with Adygs (Circassians), another ethnic group in Caucasus, is somewhat similar. They consider themselves as one nation. However, scientists consider them as three national groups (Kabardians, Circassians, and Adygeans) with two languages (Kabardian (or Kabardian-Circassian) and Adygean).

Originally, Agygs (Circassians) were one nation in the northwest Caucasus. During the war with Russia that ended in 1864, they lost 95 % of their population and 90 % of their territory (Wainakhs lost 92 % of their population in that war). Most of the rest of Agygs were forced to migrate to Turkey. A number of Wainakhs migrated there also. Those Agygs who did not migrate, were forced to move from their villages to other territories that formerly were parts of Circassia. As a result, the number of Adygs decreased very significantly and they were scattered.

In the Soviet Union, Adygs had four (later three) national authonomous regions while Wainakhs had one. Agygs wer divided into three ethnic groups according to these three regions. This division was completely artificial. The division of the Adyg language was made also artificially. The difference between Kabardian and Adygean is about the same as the difference between Chechen and Ingush. Adygs are able to understand one another speaking their dialects. They are the same nation and speak the same language.

There is another ethnic group close to Adygs - Ubykhs. Adygs often consider them as a part of the Adyg nation. The Ubykh language is less similar to other Adyg dialects. In 1860s, all the Ubykhs migrated to Turkey. In 1992, the last Ubykh speaker reportedly died. However, there are also reports that there are other Ubykh speakers. I am not sure if Ubykh can be considered a dialect of Adyg. However, Ubykhs can be a part of Adyg nation even if their language is different. One nation can speak more than one language, and one language can be spoken by more than one nation. Probably, Ubykhs should be considered a part of the Adyg nation.