blood feud custom

The most striking norm of customary law in the North Caucasus in past centuries was the ubiquitous blood feud. The reason for blood feud was the murder, injury, kidnapping of a girl, seizure of land, insult to a guest, honor, home, revered by the highlanders, etc. Being a custom of the tribal system, blood feud has been preserved among some peoples to this day - in particular, among the Dagestanis and Vainakhs. In Dagestan, according to A.V. Komarov, adats in the late XIX - early XX centuries. allowed to kill their natural enemy, the attacking robber, the thief caught at the crime scene, the kidnapper of the woman.

Blood vengeance was allowed between persons of the same class; for the murder of a slave, the perpetrator paid only a fine. The right and duty to pursue the murderer or to reconcile with him, as a rule, belonged to the closest relative of the murdered. Reconciliation could take place not earlier than a year after the crime, and during this time the murderer had to be in exile and hide from revenge. Blood feud was a duty and a matter of honor for all members of the victim's clan, there were cases when it stopped - in case of non-reconciliation - only after the complete destruction of one of the warring clans.

In pre-revolutionary literature, a paradoxical example is given when, according to adats, in one of the Dagestan villages, blood feud between two clans - Tokhums lasted more than 200 years, and it began in a quarrel over a chicken.

Blood feud is not a romantic exotic. These are the norms of self-regulating customary law developed over the centuries, based on the wisdom of the people and enabling a worthy reconciliation even of blood enemies. We are hardly exaggerating if we say that the effectiveness of the customary law of the highlanders was undoubtedly higher for them than modern, frequently changed state laws.

Traveling in the North Caucasus in 1781-1783. the quartermaster in the Russian service Shteder wrote about the blood feud among the Ossetians: “Bloody feud and unauthorized actions were mandatory among families; shame and contempt continued until this duty was fulfilled. Revenge, robbery and murder were considered virtue, as a result of which it was considered glorious to die.

The custom of blood vengeance is universal for societies that are at the stage of the tribal system or the preservation of its residual phenomena, as M.O. Indirectly: “Care for self-preservation makes the whole clan stand up for defense, even if only one of the members of the clan was offended. Revenge becomes a duty, a matter of honor, a sacred duty. The existence of this custom in the Caucasus, although in modified forms, speaks of the archaism and persistence of traditional social life among some mountain peoples of the North Caucasus.

What has been said is objectively confirmed by the Chechens of our days by the existence of the phenomenon, by the same M.O. Indirectly qualified as "war - robbery": the pursuit of other people's goods, the thirst for enrichment. The form of its embodiment is a raid on near and distant neighbors, for which a squad led by a military leader (among the Chechens "byachcha") will be created from warlike men. The facts of such predatory raids, especially in the Stavropol Territory, are well known. According to Kosven, this phenomenon is characteristic of the system of military democracy, i.e. for the period of gradual decline of the tribal system.

High battle towers in the mountain gorges of Balkaria, Ossetia, Checheno-Ingushetia, and Dagestan can be a vivid material expression of some features of the tribal system and the dangers associated with it, including blood feuds. Visible from afar tower on a rock - characteristic mountain landscape, and this was noticed by M.Yu. Lermontov:

In the deep gorge of the Darial, Where the Terek digs in the darkness, An ancient tower stood, Blackened on a black rock.

In case of danger, they took refuge in the tower, raised a wooden staircase from the first floor, and the tower became impregnable. There are also stone castles in the mountains, for example, Vovnushki in Ingushetia and Tsamad in Ossetia, in the mountain gorges their own specific and rational folk architecture is developed. It should be noted that the Circassians did not develop their stone architecture, the only exception may be the tower of the 16th-7th centuries. Adiyuh on the bank of the river. B. Zelenchuk in Karachay-Cherkessia (although its Circassian origin has not been proven). Environmental and social conditions, in which the Circassians and Kabardians lived on the Ciscaucasian plain, were different.

If in most countries a quarrel is a common occurrence, and often it does not end in anything terrible, then in the Caucasus things are somewhat different. There, offenders can expect blood vengeance for death for his desecrated honor, humiliation, etc. It is precisely this interesting, but very terrible rite that will be discussed in this article.

What it is?

First of all, it is necessary to define the concepts. So what is blood feud? According to the dictionary, this is a special custom that developed even during the tribal society as a kind of way to protect even the property of one's own family by killing the offender. It should also be said that, according to the legislation of the Russian Federation, blood feud in most cases is classified as

A bit of history

It will also be interesting that even before the laws of Moses, blood vengeance was protected by law and was not punished. In the Bible, there is even such a term as "goel", which means "redeemer". This means that a person who inherited property could redeem his enslaved relative from slavery, as well as his redeemed land allotment. And for the death of a man from his family, he had to avenge by shedding the blood of the murderer. It will also be interesting that for people who committed an unintentional murder and were afraid of blood feud, cities of refuge were created at that time, where they could hide. If a person came out of it, and blood feud overtook him, the person who killed him was not considered a criminal and did not bear any punishment, according to the letter of the law.

recent past

Over time, to avenge the death or insult of loved ones in this way was forbidden by laws. All cases of misunderstandings were considered by the elders, without making a final verdict, sometimes for years. However, despite this, in the days of the near, the number of blood feud attacks spread very widely. It's simple, the laws of society did not work, the laws of war were considered the first. It was much easier to find the offender and take revenge on him, and not everyone was often punished. At this time, people forgot that to forgive a person is as worthy and important as blood vengeance.

About the rite itself

Very interesting, although inherently terrible, is the custom of blood feud. If a person was killed in some quarrel, and the culprit is known, people were sent to him precisely from a neutral environment. This was necessary in order for them to report that blood feud had been declared against the murderer. If earlier they took revenge on the one who committed the crime, then during the reign of Imam Shamil this was somewhat changed. They could take revenge not only on the one who committed the crime, but also on his paternal relative, and they trusted the family itself to choose. And if the killer was not a very respected person, they could execute his brother, who in the village had a stronger weight from a social point of view. Everything was done in order to bring more pain to the relatives of the killer (however, this was rather not a rule, but an exception).

Important Facts

So, there are several rules of blood feud. What do you need to know?

1. Krovniki cannot live in one locality, for example, a village. If this happened, then those to whom revenge was announced should have left the village in a matter of hours. Often, in this case, houses with all their property were sold almost for next to nothing, and families fled so far that the rite could not overtake them.
2. As in criminal practice, blood feuds have no statute of limitations. However, several years ago it was removed, and through the efforts of the elders, the warring families reconciled.
3. Even a woman can avenge a relative, but only if there are no men left in the family. It can be either mother or sister.
4. The motive for blood feud may also be different. So, they were executed not only for the murder of their family member, but also for insult, humiliation, encroachment on property, etc.

Recently, there have been cases when, as a result of blood feud, not one person, but several, died. This happened because the offenders did not agree with their guilt, and the avengers proved theirs. Often such conflicts became uncontrollable and ended very badly.

Reconciliation

It is worth saying that blood feud may not be committed, for this there is a special process of reconciliation. In this case, the guilty party - all relatives, neighbors and people worried about them - can dress in dark outfits, cover their heads and go to the place of the ritual. So, you can not ask for mercy or look into the eyes of those who want revenge. Reconciliation can happen after special prayers are read and after the offender is shaved baldly and his beard is shaved (the defendant does this). Only then can the offender be considered forgiven. However, often at the moment of this action, the one who was charged with blood feud died. The shaving man simply could not restrain himself and cut the opponent's throat.

ransom

There is also a certain ransom that saves from blood feud. The beginning of reconciliation was considered that the relatives of the murdered person agreed to accept the dowry. As for the size, it was different. It varied depending on how many relatives the dead person had left - the fewer, the smaller and the ransom they had to pay.

findings

It is worth mentioning that even if today blood feud in the Caucasus is prohibited by the laws of the Russian Federation, it still exists and is often committed. Today, however, more and more people agree to pardon the killer. So, there are cases when the offenders were forgiven thanks to a certain amount of money, sometimes - by the decision of the elders.

On June 10, 2011, the assassination of Colonel Russian army Yuri Budanov, which, according to investigators, was committed by people from the North Caucasus. It is positioned as blood feud in the Caucasus for the kidnapping, rape and murder of an 18-year-old Chechen girl, Elza Kungayeva, because of which a military man was convicted in 2003. In this regard, checks of official departments began to be carried out, from where the killers could obtain information about the whereabouts of the murdered. According to a colleague of the colonel, Yevgeny Demich, Budanov, during his lifetime, from the moment of his release, felt constant surveillance.


This is not at all surprising, if we take into account the fact, stated in the Svobodnaya Pressa online publication, that the archives of the Ministry of Defense and other law enforcement agencies Russian Federation there are constant requests from Chechnya about personal data, photographs and the place of residence of Russian servicemen who took part in the antiterrorist operation in the early 2000s. They allegedly need this information in order to investigate criminal cases 10 years ago about the abductions and murders of civilians that took place during the military operation. It was these requests that could help the Avengers find Colonel Budanov.

Facts don't lie

Numerous facts testify to this. Behind last years there are already more than a thousand such examples. In particular, Chechen investigators N. S-Kh. Batalov and Kovraev asked to provide them with some information about the servicemen who served at checkpoints in the village of Gekhi, Urus-Martan district in July 2002, and information about the composition of the Chechen detachment "Highlander" Federal Service security of the Russian Federation, whose commander, Ruslan Baisarov, was shot 5 years ago in Moscow.

Why do they need such data? Many Chechen participants in the hostilities have sworn to take revenge on their sworn enemies, and it is quite possible that among them there are relatives and friends of investigators who, exceeding their authority, can provide them with this information.

Blood vengeance is sacred

As you know, custom blood feud in the Caucasus has existed for a very long time and until today it has remained practically unchanged, it could not be forced out even at the time Russian Empire, neither in the Soviet period, nor even during the repressions. Blood feud has no statute of limitations, even if the culprit is no longer alive, his closest relatives fall under the blow.

So what will happen if such information about the military amnestied in the 2000s gets to the militants?

Alvi Karimov, press secretary of the President of the Chechen Republic, completely denies this information, in his message to the radio station "Echo of Moscow" the idea sounds that the Investigative Committee of Chechnya sent inquiries to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation regarding the criminal offenses committed in the republic during the antiterrorist campaign . In addition, Chechen investigators are subordinate to the Investigative Committee of Russia, which means that if they try to commit any illegal actions with the data they have received, they will be fired. Thus, it turns out that the Chechen security forces were simply misunderstood and murder of Budanov has nothing to do with making such references.

Good day, dear blog readers. Each nation has its own traditions and customs, we are accustomed to the fact that customs should, first of all, have an educational function for the younger generation. It often happens that some of the customs of certain peoples seem to us absurd, and sometimes even cruel. Although, do we have the right to condemn the customs of those peoples without getting to know their culture closely? Of course, we have the right, but will our condemnation be objective? I think hardly.

Therefore, today I, as a native of the Caucasus, can take the responsibility to tell you about the customs blood feud and evaluate this phenomenon. The article was titled "Blood feud in the Caucasus - restoration of honor or tribute to a wild custom" only because I view this custom both positively and negatively. I must say right away that I have an ambivalent attitude towards the custom of blood feud and, thank God, I have not come across this custom.

If you look at the reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, you can see that in the mid-2000s, about 15% of all murders and attempts in the republic were in one way or another connected with blood feud. I think these figures alone are enough to understand how relevant this issue is in the Caucasus. At the same time, law enforcement agencies of Dagestan emphasize that it is the institution of blood feud that blocks the rampant crime in mountainous areas. By the way, it should be noted that blood vengeance more common in mountainous areas.

But why blood vengeance turns out to be a deterrent to those who intend to commit murder? I think you already guessed. A person understands that if he kills someone (or does something bad), then the relatives of the murdered person will pursue him until the murderer's blood is shed. Believe me, this affects people much better than legal imprisonment. That is, the main postulate of the custom of blood feud: to avenge the murdered is the duty of every man of the family. You will not believe it, but in some mountain villages there is still a special place in the cemeteries where they bury those who died without fulfilling their "blood duty" or without trying on enemies. By the way, watch a very interesting report about blood feud in Chechnya and how the authorities are fighting this phenomenon:

So, anyway, blood vengeance- is it good or bad"? I don’t want to give such a harsh assessment, I’ll just give you a real example, and there you yourself will determine “good or bad” for yourself. In the summer of 1995, in the Dagestan village of Tlyarata, there was a fight in which a young man was killed. The perpetrators of the murder, understanding what it is, immediately surrendered to law enforcement agencies. The mother of the deceased refused to bury her son until she saw the killers dead. The relatives of the murdered man first destroyed the houses and burned the killers' cars (by the way, no one was held responsible for this). Then the same relatives broke into the police building, where the perpetrators were. And even then, the police did not interfere in what was happening. The only thing that saved the perpetrators was that the sister of the murdered man, not wanting bloodshed, tore off the scarf from her head and threw it in front of the attackers. By the way, this is another custom that women in the Caucasus often resorted to in order to stop the slaughter. Subsequently, the elders managed to reconcile the two warring clans, but the families of the killers had to leave the village forever.

How to treat the practice of blood vengeance- the business of every person, but the fact that this custom is still practiced in the Caucasus - known fact. The only thing that pleases me is that in recent years, law enforcement agencies have been quite harshly suppressing such precedents. Summing up this article, I want to express my opinion: - this is not revenge for the murder, but the restoration of the honor of the family. But, such a "restoration of honor" is contrary to the laws of Russia, so I do not welcome this custom.

Friends, I will continue to reveal secrets to you customs and traditions peoples of the Caucasus. For example, I have 2 more customs in line - this is the practice of stealing brides and stereotypes on the situation of women in the Caucasus. To be the first to know about these and many more interesting articles I invite you to subscribe to my blog updates.

The custom of blood feud, which is practiced, in particular, by the Chechens, seems to many to be a wild medieval relic. But not everything is as simple and unambiguous as it seems at first glance. In fact, this tradition protects against rampant violence.

According to the law of adat

In the Chechen language, blood feud is called "chir". This tradition is not Muslim, it goes back to adat - a set of unwritten laws, according to which the Vainakhs, the ancestors of modern Chechens, lived even before the adoption of Islam.

The most common cause of vendetta is murder. The elders of the teip gather and conduct a trial. If they establish the guilt of the suspect, then the rite of "blood-mongering" begins. An envoy is sent to the relatives of the killer, who informs them of the decision of the victim's family to declare blood feud. From this moment the law "blood for blood" comes into force.

If the murder is unintentional (say, it is a death in an accident or from a stray bullet), then the culprit is usually forgiven immediately, but he must pay a ransom to the victim's family or take the victim's children to support. Sometimes relatives of victims refuse ransom, and this is considered the height of nobility.

But if it turns out that at the time of the collision or the "accidental shot" the killer was drunk, then the blood feud can come true.

By the way, women, the elderly, children, or the feeble-minded, according to the custom of blood feud, are not killed. But at the same time, a woman can carry out blood feud herself if there are no men left in her family. And if a woman is killed, then two men from the killer's family are killed for her.

Most often, a family that has been declared "chir" then moves to another place. Such people are called "Lurovella", which means "hiding from blood feuds."

In ancient times, blood feud was carried out only in relation to the perpetrator of the crime. In adat, there was such a thing as “kuyg bekhki” (“guilty hand”), that is, it was possible to pursue only the killer directly. Moreover, the bloodlines were often forgiven - this was considered a more worthy act than revenge. In the 19th century, under Imam Shamil, the law was corrected: now the injured party could choose for itself who would be “under distribution”. Usually these were the closest relatives of the culprit on the paternal side. Sometimes it happened that the most respected of the family was killed.

Only the next of kin of the victim can take revenge. If revenge is carried out, for example, by his friend, this will no longer be considered blood feud, but murder, which will lead to the emergence of new bloodlines. Sometimes a criminal is killed by his own relatives to avoid further bloodshed.

How does reconciliation take place?

There is no statute of limitations on blood feuds. If a person accused of a crime dies, then his brothers, sons, grandchildren or other male relatives can be killed. Therefore, it is believed that the sooner reconciliation occurs, the better.

The reconciliation process is usually initiated by the family of the perpetrator. An intermediary is sent to the bloodlines, declaring a desire to reconcile. According to the rules, reconciliation can take place no earlier than a year after the announcement of "chira". All this time, those who are declared blood feuds must be in exile, in hiding.

The reconciliation process looks like this. After an agreement has been reached between the two parties, at the appointed time in the appointed place (usually on the outskirts of the village) representatives of both parties meet, and “according to the protocol” they should be in dark clothes and with their heads covered and should not raise their heads and look in the eyes of the "opposing side".

First, a ritual greeting sounds and prayers are read. Then comes the rite itself. The closest relative of the murdered person shaves the killer's head and beard, after which he is considered forgiven. Like, if during shaving he resisted the temptation to cut the throat of the enemy, then he forgave ...

Why is blood feud necessary?

If the one who is suspected of the murder considers himself innocent, and there is no irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the crime, then he can clear himself of suspicion by swearing on the Koran. This is happening in front of dozens of witnesses. It happens that the offender lies on the Koran. "Khera dui" (false oath) in Islam is considered one of the gravest crimes. If it turns out that a person lied, then forgiveness is annulled, and all his relatives turn away from the perjurer.

What is the meaning of blood feud? It is to make people understand: murder is a terrible sin, and if you killed, then this sin will fall not only on you, but also on the heads of your loved ones. That is, a custom that is terrible at first glance, in fact, deters from committing crimes.