Dagestan

I was recently perusing the shelves of a bookstore (the children's section) and a particularly beautiful book caught my eye. Pulling it out, I was immediately drawn into the watercolor world of the illustrations. The landscapes were mountainous with counterintuitive colors, and the animal characters were dressed in costumes I didn't recognize. It felt Middle Eastern, but yet completely different. The title was, "Folk Tales of Dagestan". I fell so in love with it that I bought it, even though I had no idea what Dagestan actually was. 

As soon as I got home, I looked it up to find that it was a small republic of Russia on the shores of the Caspian Sea. I read the entire book that evening and found the stories to be very different from traditional Russian tales, and surprisingly refreshing. I was fascinated by this world and read the tales over and over again, and I also read more and more about Dagestan. 

Dagestan means "Land of the Mountains" from Turkish 'dag' meaning 'mountain' and the Persian suffix 'stan' meaning 'land'. It is located in the northern Caucases, with the Caspian Sea to the east, Chechnya to the west, Georgia and Azerbaijan to the south, and the Kalmykia republic to the north. The geography is very mountainous, especially in the north. Very little of the land is suitable for cultivation, due to the terrain, thus most of the population relies on raising livestock for a living. The region is one of the most ethnically diverse in Russia with over thirty separate groups and languages. It is also unusual that no ethnicity forms a majority. The city of Derbent, on the Caspian Sea, is a very interesting city and regarded as the oldest in Russia (8th century B.C.), with some buildings being over 5,000 years old. The fortress and walls surrounding the city have been continually maintained longer than any other on earth--more than 1,500 years. 

The area of what is now the Republic of Dagestan began as a state of Albania in the first centuries A.D. The area has always been a war torn, conflicted area being conquered by the Huns, the Persians, the Arabs, the Mongols, and then the Persians again. It remained under Persian control until the Treaty of Gulistan (signed in 1813) established it, along with modern day Azerbaijan and Georgia, as part of Russia. From the beginning of Russian rule, the people of Dagestan have struggled for their independence, which resulted in the Caucasian War that continued for about three decades from 1828 to 1864. In 1917, Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya declared independence from Russia and created the state: United Mountain Dwellers of the North Caucases. They were forced to join the Soviet Union in 1921 and Dagestan quickly became the poorest region in Russia. Renewed violence and uprising sprang up in the 1980s and again between 2010 and 2012. The troubled violence stems mainly from tension between various ethnic and religious groups within the republic or from attacks and invasions from Chechnya, whose Islamist extremists continue to try and make Dagestan an Islamic state. The Russian military has been involved trying to suppress the violence and to this day it remains a very troubled region. 

Below is a translated (as best I could) tale from the book I bought. I found it, and the others, very interesting and different from traditional Russian tales. Traditional Russian folk tales have many story elements grouped in threes and are usually about the evil witch Baba Yaga or the Tsar's young son Ivan. It was interesting to see another side of Russia, one we rarely think about. Russia is actually a very ethnically diverse place, and due to its sheer size, traditions and lifestyles can be drastically different from one place to another. 

I found the tales unique in that I couldn't predict the ending.  They all had odd twists at the end that left me thinking, "Huh?" Some of them seemed to have no plot at all, and it was hard to determine whether or not they were supposed to illustrate a moral. In general, they were fascinating and refreshing to read. Here is one of them entitled, "Culmalaguza": 

There once lived in this world a rich and important beetle by the name of Culmalaguza. Culmalaguza had everything except a faithful friend. 

"Life is not sweet without a friend," thought Culmalaguza. "I will go throughout this world to find him."

He took with him Moroccan slippers and a wrung Astrakhan fur cap* and went out of his white stone palace and set off on his way. 

Whether a long way, whether a short way, Culmalaguza went along the road and met Frog. 

"Eyes like a lake, slippers from Morocco, an Astrakhan fur cap, which road are you keeping Culmalaguza?", asked Frog. 

"I am going, Frog, to find myself a friend. But not just any kind of friend. A friend sincere, equal to me in mind and wealth", answered Culmalaguza.

"I have heard of your dignity and I am ready to become your friend", said Frog. 

"And what? Are you rich? And what can you do?"

"All springs--mine! All lakes--mine! All rivers--mine! I can swim in the water and jump on the land and sing beautifully", answered Frog. "And most importantly, I am ready to become your faithful friend, in trouble and joy."

Culmalaguza looked on the nondescript Frog and laughed proudly. 

"You boaster, Frog! All of your wealth and all your abilities are not worth even my cap!", said he and went on. 

Whether a long way, whether a short way, Culmalaguza went along and met Mouse. 

"Hello Culmalaguza!"

"Hello to you too, Mouse!" 

"Eyes like a lake, slippers from Morocco, an Astrakhan fur cap, which road are you keeping Culmalaguza?", asked Mouse. 

"I am going, Mouse, to find myself a friend, but not just any kind of friend. A friend sincere, equal to me in mind and wealth." 

Mouse's heart leapt for joy. 

"You are rich, and I am rich. There you go! You and I will be faithful friends, sincere!" 

"And what? Are you rich? And what can you do?", asked Culmalaguza. "Are you worthy to be a friend to one such as I?"

"All shops--mine! All store rooms--mine! All hay stacks in the field--mine! Barns full of grains--mine! Pitchers full of honey--mine! Jugs with smetana*--mine! Wine barrels--mine! All sweets, any kind in the world--mine!"

"Pretty! Pretty!", cried Culmalaguza, who had once heard how many sweets were in the storerooms of mouse. "I agree to be your friend!"

Out of joy he even forgot to ask what Mouse was able to do. So decided Culmalaguza to become friends and live together. They lived, eating and drinking together, and were satisfied with each other. 

Once Mouse was invited to a wedding in the neighboring ayul* beyond the great River. Mouse got ready, and stepping out onto the road said to Culmalaguza,

"My sincere friend! If I do not return in three days, harness the cart and come to me."

"Okay, my faithful friend! Go to the wedding, but just take care of yourself. Don't eat and drink too much."

Mouse took a gift for the bride and went to the wedding. Three days went by and Mouse did not come back. Homesick Culmalaguza harnessed the cart and went after his friend. He went along and when he reached the banks of the great River he fell into the water-filled track of a horse hoof and began to sink. Culmalaguza cried with all his might, but couldn't get out. A fly flew above him and he called out to it,

"Dear fly! I ask of you, report to my faithful friend Mouse that I am sinking in an ocean!" 

The fly flew to the wedding, sat on a plate of plov*, and told Mouse what had happened. Mouse was at this time eating plov with such an appetite it gnawed at his bones. But when he heard that his friend had fallen into trouble, he forgot about his appetite and quickly rushed to help. Mouse rushed to the place where Culmalaguza was sinking. He rushed and bustled about but could not help him as he himself was afraid of sinking. 

Completely in despair, Culmalaguza cried more than ever. Mouse cursed and scolded. But then up ran Frog. He saw Culmalaguza and seemed to be his saving hope.

"Merciful Frog! Whether or not we are friends, save me! I will give you all my wealth!", he pleaded.

"Give Frog all your wealth? You are crazy!", cried Mouse.

"Yes. I will give you all if you only save me, Frog!", prayed Culmalaguza desperately.

"How can I not help one in such trouble?", thought Frog, and rushed to help Culmalaguza. 

But there was Mouse who clung to him, and with his sharp teeth, held him tightly. Hardly able to manage, Frog finally grabbed his tail and threw Mouse into the raging current of the great River. Frog was exhausted from his wounds.

And there was no one to save Culmalaguza.

Only the curious fly spun above him as he went to the bottom. 

The End

*Astrakhan fur cap: while Astrakhan is another republic of Russia, also situated on the Caspian Sea, in this case it refers to a special kind of fur used to make karakul hats, which originated in Afghanistan. The fur is from the qaraqul breed of sheep. The hats became popular in Russia during the Soviet Union, but is part of the traditional costumes in the southwestern republics of Russia. 

*smetana (сметана) is the traditional Russian sour cream, but is much thinner and sweeter than that found in the United States. It a staple in their diet and is traditionally eaten with Blini (Russian pancakes) and pelmini (Russian dumplings).

*ayul is a mountain top village in Dagestan. They are literally perched on the summit of a mountain or hill. The houses are made of stone and are grouped closely together. 

*plov, ploff is a traditional Russian dish made of rice, meat, and maybe some vegetables. 

Another aspect of Dagestani culture that I found very interesting was their traditional dance, the Lezginka. The music is lively and fast paced, and the dance is incredibly acrobatic. 

This is a link to a Lezginka performance. This is done by the Georgian Ballet, but is a great short clip. 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ry67AnEklVM 

This is done by a group from Dagestan, and while it is longer, gives a great idea of costumes and the dance.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1deFVudZhsc