View source for Chechens

{{Lead too short|date=April 2013}}

{{Infobox ethnic group
|group=Chechens<br>Нохчий<br>''Nokhchiy''
|image=
|poptime=1.5 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/orc/resources/politics/conflict/baylis_strategy3e/01student/cases/chechnya.pdf |title=The War in Chechnya |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2014-02-04}}</ref> to 2 million<ref>http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27599836</ref>
|popplace=
|region1={{flag|Russia}}
|pop1=1,431,360<ref>[http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/tab5.xls Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424000000/http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/tab5.xls |date=April 24, 2012 }} {{ru icon}}</ref>
|region2={{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Chechnya}}
|pop2=1,031,647<ref name="census">[http://www.perepis2002.ru/index.html?id=17 Russian Census of 2002] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006000000/http://www.perepis2002.ru/index.html?id=17 |date=October 6, 2014 }} {{ref-ru}}</ref>
|region3      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Ingushetia}}
|pop3         = 95,403<ref name="census"/>
|region4      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Dagestan}}
|pop4         = 87,867<ref name="census"/>
|region5      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Rostov Oblast}}
|pop5         = 15,469<ref name="census"/>
|region6      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Moscow Oblast}}
|pop6         = 14,465<ref name="census"/>
|region7      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Stavropol Krai}}
|pop7         = 13,208<ref name="census"/>
|region8      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Volgograd Oblast}}
|pop8         = 12,256<ref name="census"/>
|region9      = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Tyumen Oblast}}
|pop9         = 10,623<ref name="census"/>
|region10     = {{nbsp|4}}{{flag|Astrakhan Oblast}}
|pop10        = 10,019<ref name="census"/>
|region11     = {{flagcountry|European Union}}<br>{{nbsp|5}}{{flagcountry|France}}<br>{{nbsp|5}}{{flagcountry|Austria}}<br>{{nbsp|5}}{{flagcountry|Belgium}}<br>{{nbsp|5}}{{flagcountry|Germany}}<br>{{nbsp|5}}|{{flagcountry|Finland}}<br>{{nbsp|5}}|pop11        = 130,000<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Hit_Men_Strike_Concern_Grows_Among_Chechen_Exiles/1508931.html As Hit Men Strike, Concern Grows Among Chechen Exiles], RFE/RL, March 12, 2009</ref>–200,000<ref>{{cite web|last=Rothkopf |first=David |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/24/the_wanderer_chechnya_dudayev?page=0,0 |title=The Wanderer |publisher=Foreign Policy |date= |accessdate=2014-02-04}}</ref><br>30,000<ref name=ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.refworld.org/country,,,,AUT,,5139cf902,0.html |title=Continuing Human Rights Abuses Force Chechens to Flee to Europe |publisher=Refworld |date= |accessdate=2014-02-04}}</ref><br>25,000<ref name=ref/><br>17,000<ref name=ref/><br>12,000<ref name=ref/>
|region12      = {{flagcountry|Turkey}}
|pop12         = 100,000<ref name="host">[http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/12785/chechens_in_the_middle_east.html Chechens in the Middle East: Between Original and Host Cultures], Event Report, Caspian Studies Program</ref><ref>Kristiina Markkanen: [http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Chechen+refugee+came+to+Finland+via+Baku+and+Istanbul/1135246619648 Chechen refugee came to Finland via Baku and Istanbul] (Englisch)</ref>
|region13      = {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
|pop13         = 37,000<ref>{{cite web|author=Joshua Project |url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=11317&rog3=KZ |title=Chechen of Kazakhstan Ethnic People Profile |publisher=Joshuaproject.net |date=1991-10-27 |accessdate=2014-02-04}}</ref>
|region14      = {{flagcountry|Jordan}}
|pop14         = 15,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/russian-federation/jordan-willing-assist-chechnya-king |title=Jordan willing to assist Chechnya – King|publisher=Reliefweb.int |date=2007-08-28 |accessdate=2013-04-20}}</ref>
|region15      = {{flagcountry|Iraq}}
|pop15         = 10,000+<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Ahmet Katav |author2=Bilgay Duman |title=Iraqi Circassians (Chechens, Dagestanis, Adyghes) |journal=ORSAM Reports |date=November 2012 |issue=134 |url=http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/20121116_134ingtum.pdf |accessdate=15 April 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403142200/http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/20121116_134ingtum.pdf |archivedate=3 April 2013 |df= }}</ref>
|region16      = {{flagcountry|Georgia}}
|pop16         = 10,000 (including [[Kist people]])
|region17      = {{flagcountry|Syria}}
|pop17         = 5,000–6,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/circassian-ossetian-chechen-minorities-solicit-russian-help-to-leave-syria/24674280.html |title=Circassian, Ossetian, Chechen Minorities Solicit Russian Help To Leave Syria |publisher=Rferl.org |date= |accessdate=2013-04-20}}</ref>
|region18      = {{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
|pop18         = 5,000<ref name="host"/>
|region19      = {{flagcountry|Egypt}}
|pop19         = 5,000<ref name="host"/>
|region20      = {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
|pop20         = 2,877<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/|title=About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian census of the population 2001|work=Ukraine Census 2001|publisher=State Statistics Committee of Ukraine|accessdate=17 January 2012}}</ref>
|region21     = {{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}
|pop21        = 2,100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11317/KG|title=Chechen population in Kyrgyzstan|work=Kyrgyzstan|}}</ref>
|region22     = {{flagcountry|Spain}}
|pop22        = 2,100<ref name="host"/>
|region23     = {{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}}
|pop23        = 1,500<ref>{{cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11317/UZ|title=Chechen population in Uzbekistan|work=Uzbekistan|}}</ref>
|region24     = {{flagcountry|Turkmenistan}}
|pop24        = 800<ref>{{cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11317/TX|title=Chechen population in Turkmenistan|work=Turkmenistan|}}</ref>
<br><small>Data figures from 2001 to 2013;<br> see also [[Chechen diaspora]].</small>
|rels=  Predominantly  [[Islam]] ([[Nondenominational Muslims]] and [[Shafi'i]] [[Sunni Muslim]])<ref name="gwu.edu">http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/pm_0388.pdf</ref>


|langs= [[Chechen language|Chechen]]<br> <small>See Language section</small>
|related=  [[Nakh peoples]] ([[Ingush people]], [[Bats people]], [[Kist people]]) and other [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian people)]]
}}

'''Chechens''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|tʃ|ə|n}}, {{lang-ce|Нохчий}} ''{{transl|ce|Noxçiy}}''; Old Chechen: Нахчой ''Naxçoy'') are a [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian]] ethnic group of the [[Nakh peoples]] originating in the [[North Caucasus]] region of [[Eastern Europe]]. They refer to themselves as '''Vainakhs''' (which means "'''our people'''" in Chechen) or '''Nokhchiy''' (pronounced {{ipa|[no̞xtʃʼiː]}};  singular Nokhchi, Nakhchuo or Nakhtche.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Chechenzes|volume=6|page=21}}</ref> Chechen and [[Ingush people]]s are collectively known as the [[Vainakh]]. The majority of Chechens today live in the [[Chechnya|Chechen Republic]], a [[Subdivisions of Russia|subdivision of the Russian Federation]].

The isolated terrain of the [[Caucasus mountains]] and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Chechens has contributed much to the Chechen community [[ethos]] and helped shape its fiercely independent national character. Chechen society has traditionally been [[Egalitarianism|egalitarian]] and organized around many autonomous local clans, called [[teip]]s.

==Origins of the word Chechen==
The term "Chechen" first occurs in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] sources from the 8th century. According to popular tradition, the Russian term "Chechen" comes from the name of the village of Chechen-Aul. The word "Chechen", however, occurs in Russian sources as early as 1692 and the [[Russians]] probably derived it from the [[Kabardian language|Kabardian]] "Shashan".<ref>Jaimoukha p.12</ref>

==Geography and diaspora==
{{Main|Chechen diaspora}}
The Chechen people are mainly inhabitants of [[Chechnya]], [[Russia|Russian Federation]]. There are also significant Chechen populations in other [[subdivisions of Russia]] (especially in [[Dagestan]], [[Ingushetia]] and [[Moscow Oblast|Moscow]]).

Outside Russia, countries with significant diaspora populations are Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Arab states (especially Jordan and Iraq, where they are mainly descendants of people who had to leave Chechnya during the [[Caucasian War]], which led to the annexation of Chechnya by the [[Russian Empire]] around 1850) and the 1944 [[Stalinism|Stalinist]] deportation in the case of Kazakhstan. Tens of thousands of [[Chechen refugees]] settled in the European Union and elsewhere as the result of the recent [[Second Chechen War|Chechen War]]s, especially in the wave of emigration to the [[Western world|West]] after 2002.<ref>Chechnya's Exodus to Europe, ''North Caucasus Weekly'' Volume: 9 Issue: 3, [[The Jamestown Foundation]], January 24, 2008</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Chechnya|Nakh peoples}}
[[File:Krieger in Kettenpanzer.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Chechen warrior in chain mail]]

The Chechens are one of the Vainakh peoples, who have lived in the highlands of the North Caucasus region since prehistory.<ref>[http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/sympo/Proceed97/Arutiunov5.html Vainakh peoples]</ref>

In the [[Middle Ages]], the lowland of Chechnya was dominated by the [[Khazars]] and then the [[Alans]]. Local culture was also subject to [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Kingdom of Georgia|Georgian]] influence and some Chechens converted to [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]]. Gradually, [[Islam]] prevailed, although the Chechens' [[Vainakh mythology|own pagan religion]] was still strong until the 19th century. Society was organised along feudal lines. Chechnya was [[Mongol invasions of Chechnya|devastated by the Mongol invasions]] of the 13th century and those of [[Tamerlane]] in the 14th.<ref>Jaimoukha pp. 33–34</ref><ref>Dunlop p.3</ref> The Vainakh bear the distinction of being one of the few peoples to successfully resist the Mongols, but this came at great cost to them, as their state was utterly destroyed. These events were key in the shaping of the Chechen nationhood and their martial-oriented and clan-based society.

In the late Middle Ages, the [[Little Ice Age]] forced the Chechens down from the hills into the lowlands, where they came into conflict with the [[Terek Cossacks|Terek]] and [[Greben Cossacks]] who had also begun to move into the region. The Caucasus was also a major competing area for two neighbouring rival empires: the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Persian Empire]]s ([[Safavids]], [[Afsharids]], [[Qajar dynasty|Qajars]]). Starting from [[Peace of Amasya|1555]] and decisely from [[Treaty of Zuhab|1639]] through the first half of the 19th century, the Caucasus was divided by these two powers, with the [[Ottomans]] prevailing in Western [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], while [[Safavid Persia|Persia]] kept the bulk of the [[Caucasus]], namely Eastern Georgia, [[Dagestan]], [[Azerbaijan]], and [[Armenia]].<ref name="books.google.nl">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=5MOYzS3IDTQC&pg=PA272&dq=Caucasus+divided+between+persia+and+turkey&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=IdibVI7HMMOz7gahoIHgDg&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Caucasus%20divided%20between%20persia%20and%20turkey&f=false|title=Conflict and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> The Chechens, however, never really fell under the rule of either empire. As Russia expanded slowly southwards as early as the 16th century, clashes between Chechens and the Russians became more frequent, and it became three empires competing for the region. As Russia set off to increase its political influence in the [[Caucasus]] and the [[Caspian Sea]] at the expense of [[Safavid Persia]], [[Peter the Great|Peter I]] launched the [[Russo-Persian War (1722-1723)]], in which Russia succeeded in taking much of the Caucasian territories for several years. Notable in Chechen history, this particular Russo-Persian War marked the first military encounter between Imperial Russia and the [[Vainakh]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=IGj4B1rdcu0C&pg=PA53&dq=russo+persian+war+1722+vainakh&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=tsibVKDgGoGVaunhgegH&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=russo%20persian%20war%201722%20vainakh&f=false
 |title=The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad
 |accessdate=25 December 2014
}}</ref> [[Sheikh Mansur]] led a major Chechen resistance movement in the late 18th century.

Following mainly due to Russian [[Russo-Persian Wars|conquests]] of [[Qajar Iran|Iran]]'s territories in the North Caucasus and [[Transcaucasia]] in the first half of the 19th century,<ref name="books.google.nl" /> and to a much lesser extent those of [[Russo-Turkish Wars|Turkey]], Russia embarked on full-scale conquest of the North Caucasus in order to protect the route to its new territories in Transcaucasia, in the [[Caucasian War]]. Much of the campaign was led by [[Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov|General Yermolov]] who particularly disliked the Chechens, describing them as "a bold and dangerous people".<ref>Dunlop p.14</ref> Angered by Chechen raids, Yermolov resorted to a brutal policy of "[[scorched earth]]" and deportations; he also founded the fort of [[Grozny]] (now the capital of Chechnya) in 1818. Chechen resistance to Russian rule reached its peak under the leadership of the Dagestani leader [[Imam Shamil]]. The Chechens were finally defeated in 1861 after a bloody war that lasted for decades, during which they lost most of their entire population.<ref>Jaimoukha (p.50): "The Chechens suffered horrific losses in human life during the long war. From an estimated population of over a million in the 1840s, there were only 140,000 Chechens left in the Caucasus in 1861..."</ref> In the aftermath, large numbers of refugees also [[Ethnic cleansing of Circassians|emigrated or were forcibly deported]] to the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="nichols">{{cite web |url=http://iseees.berkeley.edu/articles/nichols_1995-chechen.pdf |title=Who are the Chechens? |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915080123/http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~bsp/caucasus/articles/nichols_1995-chechen.pdf |archivedate=2006-09-15}} by [[Johanna Nichols]], [[University of California, Berkeley]].</ref><ref>Dunlop p.29ff. Dunlop writes (p.30): "In 1860, according to Soviet-era figures, 81,360 Chechens left for Turkey; a second emigration took place in 1865, when an additional 22,500 Chechens left. More than 100,000 Chechens were thus ethnically 'cleansed' during this process. This was perhaps a majority of their total population..."</ref><ref>Jaimoukha p.50</ref>

Since then, there have been various Chechen rebellions against Russian/Soviet power (including during the [[Russian Civil War]] and [[World War II]]), as well as nonviolent resistance to [[Russification]] and the [[Soviet Union]]'s collectivization and anti-religion campaigns. In 1944, all Chechens, together with several other [[peoples of the Caucasus]], were ordered by the Soviet leader [[Joseph Stalin]] [[Operation Lentil (Caucasus)|to be ruthlessly deported ''en masse'']] to the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh]] and [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic|Kirghiz]] SSRs; and their republic and nation were abolished. At least one-quarter—and perhaps half—of the entire Chechen population perished in the process, and a severe blow was made to their culture and historical records.<ref name="nichols" /><ref>Jaimoukha p.58</ref><ref>Dunlop, Chapter 2 "Soviet Genocide", particularly pp. 70–71 ("How many died?")</ref> Though "[[Rehabilitation (Soviet)|rehabilitated]]" in 1956 and allowed to return the next year, the survivors lost economic resources and civil rights and, under both Soviet and post-Soviet governments, they have been the objects of both official and unofficial discrimination and discriminatory public discourse.<ref name="nichols" /><ref>Jaimoukha p.60</ref> Chechen attempts to regain independence in the 1990s after the [[fall of the Soviet Union]] have led to the [[First Chechen War|first]] and the [[Second Chechen War|second]] war with the new Russian state, starting in 1994.

==Language==
{{Main|Chechen language}}

The main language of the Chechen people is [[Chechen language|Chechen]]. Chechen belongs to the family of [[Nakh languages]] ([[Northeast Caucasian languages]]). Literary Chechen is based on the central lowland dialect. Other related languages include [[Ingush language|Ingush]], which has speakers in the neighbouring [[Ingushetia]], and [[Bats language|Batsbi]], which is the language of the people in the adjoining part of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. At various times in their history, Chechens used [[Georgian alphabet|Georgian]], [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] and [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] alphabets; as of 2008, the official one is now the [[Cyrillic script]] of Russia.

Most Chechens living in their homeland can understand Ingush with ease. The two languages are not truly mutually intelligible, but it is easy for Chechens to learn how to understand the Ingush language and vice versa over time after hearing it for a while.

In 1989, 73.4% spoke Russian,<ref>Mikhailov, Valentin. ''Chechnya and Tatarstan''</ref> though this figure has declined due to the wars for a large number of reasons (including the lack of proper education, the refusal to learn the language, and the mass dispersal of the Chechen diaspora due to the war). Chechens in [[Chechen diaspora|the diaspora]] often speak the language of the country they live in (German, [[Arabic language|Arabic]], Polish, [[Georgian language|Georgian]], etc.).

==Origins and genetics==
[[File:Chechense. Match. a wedding match. George Kennan. 1870-1886.jpg|thumb|upright|Five Chechen men dressed in the [[chokha]] male dress of the Caucasus, late 19th century]]

The Chechen are black-, brown-, red- or fair-haired (with darker hair predominating) and eyes can be brown, blue or green, while skin is usually light. George Anchabadze notes that the physical traits of Chechens, which includes being taller than average, are typical of the "Caucasian type" which many other [[peoples of the Caucasus]] exhibit.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anchabadze|first=George|title=The Vainakhs|publisher="Caucasian House"|location=Tbilisi|date=2001|page=8|url=http://www.circassianworld.com/pdf/The_Vainakhs_George_Anchabadze.pdf}}</ref><ref>Чеченцы // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона: В 86 томах (82 т. и 4 доп.). – СПб., 1890–1907.</ref>

===Origins===
{{see also|History of Chechnya#Theories on origins}}
Chechens are a [[Nakh peoples|Nakh people]], and discussion of their origins is intertwined with the discussion of the mysterious origins of Nakh peoples as a whole. The only two surviving (and fairly numerous) Nakh peoples are Chechens and [[Ingush people|Ingush]], but they are thought by some scholars to be the remnants of what was once a larger family of peoples.

Linguistically, Nakh peoples are distantly related to Dagestani peoples (such as [[Caucasian Avars|Avars]], [[Dargins]], [[Lezghins]], [[Lak people (Dagestan)|Laks]], etc.), as they all speak languages in the Nakho-Dagestanian family, or Northeast Caucasian language family. However, this relationship is not a close one: the Nakho-Dagestani family is of comparable or greater time-depth than [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]], meaning Chechens are only as linguistically related to Avars or Dargins as the [[French people|French]] are to the Russians or [[Iranian peoples|Iranians]].{{cn|date=February 2016}}

Nakh peoples such as Chechens are thought to either be descended from original settlers of the Caucasus (North and/or South)<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite journal |author=Bernice Wuethrich |date=19 May 2000 |title=Peering Into the Past, With Words |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=288 |issue=5469 |pages=1158–1158 |url=http://www.sciencemag.org/content/288/5469/1158.full |doi=10.1126/science.288.5469.1158}}</ref><ref name=berkeley>{{cite web |url=http://ingush.berkeley.edu:7012/ingush_people.html |title=The Ingush (with notes on the Chechen): Background information |accessdate=2007-02-10 |author=[[Johanna Nichols]] |date=February 1997 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311090332/http://ingush.berkeley.edu:7012/ingush_people.html |archivedate=March 11, 2008|work=[[University of California, Berkeley]]}}</ref> or supposedly Nakh-speaking ethnic minorities in the north-eastern regions of the ancient state of [[Urartu]] (whose people also spoke a language that was possibly related to the Nakh languages).<ref name="Jaimoukha. Chechens. Page 29">Jaimoukha. ''Chechens''. Page 29.</ref> The two theories are not mutually incompatible, and there has been much evidence that seems to link both of the two together (either by dual origins or the "return" theory, in which the Nakh peoples originally lived in the Caucasus and then returned). It should be noted that Chechen genetics show a high level of genetic diversity (see section below).

Proposed Nakh placenames have been found in numerous areas of the [[South Caucasus]], most prominently in eastern Georgia, north-central Georgia/[[South Ossetia]], [[Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic|Nakhichivan]], and eastern Armenia (i.e. the modern Republic of Armenia). There are also a span of Nakh placenames in the North Caucasus outside modern Nakh territory, particularly in [[North Ossetia]] and [[Kabardino-Balkaria]] (the [[Balkars]] are suspected by some to be partial Nakh descendants, later [[Alans|Alanized]] and then [[Turkification|Turkified]]).

In particular, the Chechens are descended from the ''Dzurdzuks'', a group well known in the Georgian chronicles (''Dourts'' in the Armenian version). Other groups linked Amjad Jaimoukha traces the name Dzurdzuk to an ancient city north of [[Lake Urmia]], near Nakhichevan (Nakhichevan is thought to be a Nakh placename by some). Other groups attributed to being the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush include the ''Kists'' (in the Georgian chronicles), ''[[Gargareans]]'' (from the Nakh root ''gergara''; reported by [[Strabo]] to have "returned" from the South Caucasus to the North Caucasus, fleeing the wars in the south) and the ''Nakhchmateans'' (Armenian chronicles).

===Genetics===
Genetic tests on Chechens, though sparse and not sufficiently thorough so far, have shown roots mostly in the Caucasus  as well as slight connections to and influences from the Middle East as well as Europe. As is the case with many other Caucasian peoples, Chechens are connected with Europe on the [[J-DNA]] side, but closer to Western Europe in terms of [[mitochondrial DNA]].<ref name = "Nasidze2004">I. Nasidze, E. Y. S. Ling, D. Quinque ''et al.'', "[http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Caucasus_big_paper.pdf Mitochondrial DNA and Y-Chromosome Variation in the Caucasus]," ''Annals of Human Genetics'' (2004) 68,205–221.</ref>

The most recent study on Chechens, by Balanovsky ''et al.'' in 2011<ref name="Balanovsky2011">Oleg Balanovsky ''et al.'', "Parallel Evolution of Genes and Languages in the Caucasus Region," ''Molecular Biology and Evolution'' 2011</ref> sampled a total of 330 Chechens from three sample locations (one in [[Malgobek]], one in [[Achkhoy-Martan]], and one from two sites in Dagestan) and found the following frequencies: A weak majority of Chechens belong to [[Haplogroup J2 (Y-DNA)|Haplogroup J2]] (56.7%<ref name="Balanovsky2011"/>), which is associated with [[Mediterranean race|Mediterranean]], [[South Caucasian peoples|South Caucasian]] and [[Fertile Crescent]] populations, with its peaks at 87.4% in Ingushetia and 72% in Georgia's [[Kazbegi Municipality]]. In the North Caucasus, the largest frequencies are those of Nakh peoples (Chechens (56.7%) and Ingush (88.8%).<ref name="Balanovsky2011"/> Other notable values were found among North Caucasian [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] peoples ([[Kumyks]] (25%)<ref>Yunusbaev 2006</ref> and Balkars (24%)<ref name = "Battaglia2008" >{{cite journal|last1=Battaglia|first1=Vincenza|last2=Fornarino|first2=Simona|last3=Al-Zahery |first3=Nadia |last4=Olivieri|first4=Anna|last5=Pala|first5=Maria|last6=Myres|first6=Natalie M|last7=King|first7=Roy J |last8=Rootsi |first8=Siiri |last9=Marjanovic |first9=Damir |title=Y-chromosomal evidence of the cultural diffusion of agriculture in southeast Europe|journal=European Journal of Human Genetics |volume=17 |pages=820–830 |date=24 December 2008 | doi= 10.1038/ejhg.2008.249|pmc=2947100|pmid=19107149|issue=6|url=http://www.draganprimorac.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Battaglia.pdf}}</ref>). It is notable that J2 suddenly collapses as one enters the territory of non-Nakh Northeast Caucasian peoples, dropping to very low values among Dagestani peoples.<ref name="Nasidze2004"/><ref name="Balanovsky2011"/><ref>Yunusbaev 2006.</ref><ref name="Caciagli 2009">Caciagli et al, 2009. ''The key role of patrilineal inheritance in the genetic variation of Dagestani highlanders''.</ref> The overwhelming bulk of Chechen J2 is of the subclade J2a4b* (J2-M67), of which the highest frequencies by far are found among Nakh peoples: Chechens were 55.2% according to the Balanovsky study, while Ingush were 87.4%. Other notable haplogroups that appeared consistently appeared at significant frequencies included [[Haplogroup J1 (Y-DNA)|J1]] (20.9%), [[Haplogroup L (Y-DNA)|L]] (7.0%), [[Haplogroup G (Y-DNA)|G2]] (5.5%), [[Haplogroup R1a (Y-DNA)|R1a]] (3.9%), [[Haplogroup Q-M242 (Y-DNA)|Q-M242]] (3%) and [[Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA)|R1b-M269]] (1.8%, but much higher in Chechnya itself as opposed to Dagestani or Ingushetian Chechens). Overall, tests have shown consistently that Chechens are most closely related to Ingush, [[Circassians]] and [[Georgians]], occasionally showing a kinship to other peoples in some tests. Balanovsky's study showed the Ingush to be the Chechens' closest relatives by far.<ref name="Balanovsky2011"/><ref name="Caciagli 2009"/><ref name="Nasidze 2004">Nasidze et al. "Mitochondrial DNA and Y-Chromosome Variation in the Caucasus", ''Annals of Human Genetics'' (2004)</ref>

A 2004 study of the [[mtDNA]] showed Chechens to be extremely diverse in the mitochondrial genome, with 18 different haplogroups out of only 23 samples.<ref name="Nasidze2004"/> Chechens clustered closest to [[Azeris]], Georgians and [[Kabardins]]. They clustered closer to European populations than Middle Eastern populations this time, but were significantly closer to [[Western Europe]]an populations (Basques and Britons) than to [[Eastern Europe]]an populations (Russians and other [[Slavs]], as well as [[Estonians]]), despite living in the East. They actually clustered about as close to [[Basques]] as they did to Ingush (Chechens also cluster closer to many other populations than Ingush, such as  [[Abazins]]), but the Chechens were the closer to the Ingush than any other population, the imbalance probably largely being due to the uniqueness of the Ingush on the mitochondrial DNA among those tested.<ref name="Nasidze2004"/>

==Culture==
[[File:RIAN archive 908389 Victory Day parade in Russian Regions.jpg|thumb|upright|Chechen World War II veterans during celebrations on the 66th anniversary of Victory in the [[Great Patriotic War]].]]
{{see also|Chechen cuisine|Vainakh mythology|Nakh architecture}}

Prior to the adoption of Islam, the Chechens practiced a unique blend of religious traditions and beliefs. They partook in numerous rites and rituals, many of them pertaining to farming; these included rain rites, a celebration that occurred on the first day of plowing, as well as the Day of the Thunderer Sela and the Day of the Goddess Tusholi. In addition to sparse written record from the Middle Ages, Chechens traditionally remember history through the ''illesh'', a collection of epic poems and stories.

Chechen society is structured around ''tukhum'' (unions of [[clan]]s) and about 130 ''[[teip]]'', or clans. The teips are based more on land and one-side lineage than on blood (as [[exogamy]] is prevalent and encouraged), and are bonded together to form the Chechen nation. Teips are further subdivided into ''gar'' (branches), and gars into ''nekye'' ([[patronymic]] families). The Chechen social code is called ''nokhchallah'' (where ''Nokhchuo'' stands for "Chechen") and may be loosely translated as "Chechen character". The Chechen [[code of honor]] implies moral and ethical behaviour, generosity and the will to safeguard the honor of women. The traditional Chechen saying goes that the members of Chechen society, like its teips, are (ideally) "free and equal like wolves".<ref>Jaimoukha. ''Chechens''. Page 83</ref><ref>Gammer, Moshe. ''The Lone Wolf and the Bear: Three Centuries of Chechen Defiance of Russian Rule''. London 2006. Page 4</ref>

Chechens today have a strong sense of nation, which is enforced by the old clan network and ''nokhchalla'' – the obligation to clan, tukhum, etc. This is often combined with old values transmuted into a modern sense. They are mythically descended from the epic hero, Turpalo-Nokhchuo ("Chechen Hero"). There is a strong theme of representing the nation with its [[national animal]], the wolf. Due to their strong dependence on the land, its farms and its forests (and indeed, the national equation with the wolf), Chechens have a strong sense of affection for nature. According to Chechen philosopher Apty Bisultanov, ruining an ant-hill or hunting Caucasian goats during their mating season were considered extremely sinful.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chechen.8m.com/history/bisult_brnfree.html |title=Chechen Republic – History – Born to be free |publisher=Chechen.8m.com |date= |accessdate=2013-04-20}}</ref> It is notable that the [[glasnost]] era Chechen independence movement, ''Bart'' (unity) in fact originated as a simple environmentalist organization in the republic's capital of Grozny.<ref>Wood, Tony. ''Chechnya: The Case for Independence''. Page 46</ref>

Chechen culture puts a strong value on the concept of freedom. This asserts itself in a number of ways. A large majority of the nation's [[Folk hero|national heroes]] fought for independence (or otherwise, like the legendary Zelimkhan, robbed from the nation deemed the oppressor in order to feed Chechen children in a [[Robin Hood]]-like fashion). A common greeting in the Chechen language, ''marsha oylla'', is literally translated as "enter in freedom". The word for freedom also encompasses notions of peace and prosperity.

Chechens are sometimes referred to as the "French of the Caucasus", for a number of reasons (it is notable that the Circassians are the "English of the Caucasus", and the Georgians are the "Italians of the Caucasus"). This comparison may refer to either political/historical traits, or to personality characteristics. Like the French, who overthrew their age-old monarchy in the [[French Revolution]], the Chechens had [[History of Chechnya#Ichkeria|a similar revolution a century or two earlier]],<ref>Jaimoukha, Amjad. ‘’The Chechens: A Handbook’’. Page 14</ref> and like the French, they bore the distinction (for a period) of being the only egalitarian society in an area full of monarchic states. Like the French, the Chechens preferred swift, revolutionary (and often violent) methods to realize the change they wished to see – unlike the Circassians (called the "English of the Caucasus" both for their political and personality characteristics) who preferred more gradualist methods.<ref>Manning, Paul. ''[http://www.circassianworld.com/pdf/Paul_Manning.pdf Just Like England: On the Liberal Institutions of the Circassians]''</ref>

==Religion==
[[Image:Evstafiev-chechnya-prayer3.jpg|thumb|upright|A Chechen man prays during the [[Battle of Grozny (1994–95)|Battle of Grozny]]. The flame in the background is from a gas line hit by shrapnel. (January 1995)]]

Chechnya is predominantly [[Muslim]].<ref name="gwu.edu">http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/pm_0388.pdf</ref>
Most Chechens belong to the [[Shafi'i]] school of thought of [[Sunni Islam]].<ref name="martinfrost">{{cite web |url=http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/sept2008/chechnya-info.html#Demographics |title=Chechnya:Demographics|archiveurl=//www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/sept2008/chechnya-info.html|archivedate=2008-09-15}} by [[Martin Frost]].{{dead link|date=September 2014}}</ref> Some adhere to the mystical [[Sufi]] tradition of [[murid]]ism, while about half of Chechens belong to Sufi brotherhoods, or ''[[tariqah]]''. The two Sufi tariqas that spread in the North Caucasus were the [[Naqshbandiya]] and the [[Qadiriya]] (the Naqshbandiya is particularly strong in Dagestan and eastern Chechnya, whereas the Qadiriya has most of its adherents in the rest of Chechnya and Ingushetia).

A stereotype of an average Chechen being a fundamentalist Muslim is incorrect and misleading.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=13&&issue_id=590 |title=Shattering the Al Qaeda-Chechen Myth: Part 1 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040129132549/http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=13&&issue_id=590 |archivedate=2004-01-29}}, by [[Brian Glyn Williams]], The Jamestown Foundation, October 2, 2003</ref><ref>Wood, Tony. ''Chechnya: the Case for Independence''. pp. 127–145.</ref><ref>Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Throughout book.</ref> By the late 2000s, however, two new trends have emerged in Chechnya. A radicalized remnant of the armed Chechen separatist movement has become dominated by [[Salafi movement|Salafis]] (popularly known in Russia as [[Wahhabi movement|Wahhabis]] and present in Chechnya in small numbers since the 1990s), mostly abandoning nationalism in favor of [[Pan-Islamism]] and merging with several other regional Islamic insurgencies to form the [[Caucasus Emirate]]. At the same time, Chechnya under Moscow-backed authoritarian rule of [[Ramzan Kadyrov]] has undergone its own controversial counter-campaign of [[Islamization]] of the republic, with the local government actively promoting and enforcing their own version of a so-called "traditional Islam", including introducing elements of [[Sharia]] that replaced Russian official laws.<ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=topic&tocid=4565c2252&toid=45d0822f2&publisher=&type=&coi=RUS&docid=4dcb91762&skip=0 |title=Kadyrov Exploits Ties with Moscow to Build Islamic State |publisher=Refworld.org (UNHCR) |date= |accessdate=2013-04-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/29/virtue-campaign-women-chechnya-under-ramzan-kadyrov |title=Virtue Campaign on Women in Chechnya under Ramzan Kadyrov &#124; Human Rights Watch |publisher=Hrw.org |date=2012-10-29 |accessdate=2013-04-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120028549 |title=Chechen Leader's Islamic Policies Stir Unease |publisher=NPR |date= |accessdate=2013-04-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Tom Parfitt, Grozny, Russia |url=http://pulitzercenter.org/articles/islamic-republic-chechnya |title=The Islamic Republic of Chechnya |publisher=Pulitzer Center |date= |accessdate=2013-04-22}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{portal-inline|Chechnya}}
* [[List of Chechen people]]
* [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian people]]
* [[Nakh peoples]]
* [[Ingush people]]
* [[Vainakhia]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
* Amjad Jaimoukha, ''The Chechens: A Handbook'' (London, New York: Routledge, 2005)
* Lechi Ilyasov, ''[http://www.zhaina.com/history/205-the-diversity-of-the-chechen-culture.html The Diversity of the Chechen Culture: From Historical Roots to the Present]'' (Moscow, 2009)
* John B. Dunlop, ''Russia Confronts Chechnya: Roots of a Separatist Conflict'' (Cambridge University Press, 1998)

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Chechen people}}

{{European Muslims}}
{{Peoples of the Caucasus}}
{{Ethnic groups of Russia}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chechen People}}
[[Category:Chechen people| ]]
[[Category:Peoples of the Caucasus]]
[[Category:Nakh peoples]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Dagestan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Iraq]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Jordan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Russia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Syria]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Turkey]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Russia]]