Though
most of the agricultural lands are on plains, it is observed that most of the population
in Daghestan has been settled in mountainous areas throughout the history. Being not only
a shelter for physical needs, the lands on which nations are settled, become a source of
historical and cultural values and a necessity for the existence of nations in time.
Daghestan people settled on these mountains with sharp hills and rocky places which gave
him highlander characteristics and culture of which they are proud.
Highlanders in Daghestan are equipped such customs on
cultural and religious values like, birth, circumcision, marriage, death, sacrifice,
Ramadan feast, holy days and nights, hospitality, fondness on family, visiting relatives
and friends, working together and helping others, solidarity, self-sacrifice, etc. On the
other hand, they had to endure severe and strong natural condutions such as climbing sharp
rocks, work hard to meet basic needs like clothing and nourishment, producing plants on
steep and unproductive rocks and finding a cup of water, etc. All these made them
determined and endurable people with strong will.
Highlanders make many handicraft works during long
winter nights. These art works show how they are sensitive and have an artictic aspect in
their inner world on contrary to their tough and rough appearance. Highlander tribes
settled on different hills and summits and thus developed different linguistic and
cultural characteristics apart from those common religious values above. Highlander
culture consists of these elements.
Settlement conditions have great effects on
economical, social, cultural and linguistic developments of societies. When societies with
different languages and cultures settle in a common place, these differences disappear in
time. In case this common life elongates, different cultures become a common culture.
More than 30 Daghestan tribes; namely Avar. Lezhi,
Khumukh, Tabasaran, Noghay, Azeri, Rutul, Aful, Shakur, etc. lived in different places due
to natural conditions. They were forced to become a common society having a common culture
by Sovied settlement policies.
Soviets tried to become common society by this
cultural change as well as economical developments and forced the highlanders settle in
plain lands in order to keep their control over these freedom lover tribes. According to
Lenin, it is a necessity of development process to move the population from villages to
cities so that those people could move from underdeveloped places and live a modern and
developed life. As highlanders moved to new cities and sites, they received economically
more comfortable life but this also decrease the social and cultural differences among
Daghestan tribest. Thus, colorful language and cultural characteristics of Daghestan was
the target of policy for making a common Soviet culture with single color, line and
language.
Cultural and customs characteristics like birth,
death, marriage, divorcement, underwent great changes in… and lives of inhabitants
changed… by basicly with the construction technology that built blocks of apartments,
new industrial centers, cities and worker sites… as well as educational and occupational
level was developed and women were also included more in industrial life. It is seen that
these factors for building a Socialist society effected Daghestan people deeply.
It wos one of the factors for moving to cities
that mountainous places were insufficient for the crowded masses. Highlanders were settled
in low quality apartments of 50-60 m2 and kept away from the characteristics of their
religious and custom based culture which was a great obstacle for development of the
soviet culture. The reason that Soviets gave importance to this policy is that the said
Highlander culture is still alive in these mountainous places despite the intensive
propaganda and oppression.
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