Kists or Kistins is an old

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

of all

Nakh peoples The Nakh peoples are a group of North Caucasian languages, North Caucasian peoples identified by their use of the Nakh languages and other cultural similarities. These are chiefly the ethnic Chechen people, Chechen, Ingush people, Ingush and Ba ...

(

Ingush Ingush may refer to: * Ingush language, Northeast Caucasian language * Ingush people, an ethnic group of the North Caucasus See also *Ingushetia (disambiguation) Ingushetia is a federal republic and subject of Russia. Ingushetia may also refer ...

Chechens The Chechens ( ; , , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kistin, Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian languages, Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus. ...

and Batsbi), under which local societies later were designated, and conditionally divided into ''nearby Kistins'' and ''distant Kistins''. In Russian sources of the 19th century, the term ''nearby Kistins'' referred to the inhabitants of the Kistin Gorge in the vicinity of river Armkhi in

Ingushetia Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...

, and ''distant Kistins'' referred to the inhabitants of the upper reaches of the Argun in

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

. Today the name is mostly used to refer to the

who compactly live in the

Pankisi Gorge Pankisi ( ka, პანკისი) or the Pankisi Gorge ( ka, პანკისის ხეობა, links=no, ''Pankisis Kheoba'') is a valley region in Georgia, in the upper reaches of River Alazani. It lies just south of Georgia’s hist ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

History

One of the earliest mentions of the Kists (''Kistk'', ''Kusti'') dates back to the 5th century in the ''Geography'' of

Moses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi ( 410–490s AD; , ) was a prominent Armenian historian from late antiquity and the author of the '' History of the Armenians''. Movses's ''History of the Armenians'' was the first attempt at a universal history of Armenia and r ...

. Ancient and medieval sources localize the Kists, in addition to the gorge of the Armkhi river, known in Georgian sources as "Kistetis-Tskali" and "Kistinka" in Russian sources, also in the gorge of the Oakhkarakhi river - tributaries of the Terek river flowing through the historical lands of the

Kistin Kists or Kistins is an old exonym of all Nakh peoples (Ingush, Chechens and Batsbi), under which local societies later were designated, and conditionally divided into ''nearby Kistins'' and ''distant Kistins''. In Russian sources of the 19th ce ...

society of

. In Russian sources of the 18th century, the ethnonym Kists is often extended to all Nakh peoples. In

Western European Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

literature of the 18th century, the name "Kistins" is primarily given to the Ingush. In 19th century Russian sources, the terms "nearby Kistins" and "distant Kistins" are found, referring to the inhabitants of the Armkhi river gorge and to the inhabitants of the upper reaches of the Argun river.

XVIII-XIX

In the 1770's, J. Güldenstädt associates the term Kists with the Ingush people and the Chechens, dividing their lands into the following districts: ''Kachilik, Endre and Yakhsay; Achkingurt; Ardahl; Vapi; Angusht; Shalkha; Chechen; Atakhi; Kulga, or Dganti; Galgai; Dshanti; Chabrillo; Shabet County; Chishrikaker; Karabulak; Meesti; Meredzhi; Galashka; Duban''. In 1795, in the "Description the peoples inhabiting

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

", the Kists are mentioned as follows: ''Kistins, or Kisti, who are divided into different tracts of which it is known to exist: Chechens, Ingush and Karabulaks, they live along the

Sunzha River The Sunzha ( rus, Су́нжа, p=ˈsunʐə; , ; ) is a river in North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, Russia, a tributary of the Terek. It flows northeast inside the great northwest bend of the Terek River and catches most of the rivers t ...

, and in the middle mountains of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

''. The historian of the Caucasus S. Bronevsky described the borders of the Kist lands as follows: Mainly based on data from J. Güldenstädt, S. Bronevsky reported that the Kists alternately called themselves "Kist", "Galga", and "Ingush", and used one name instead of the other,” indicating the prevalence of the term among the Ingush people.

Fyappiy

The historical area where the Kists lived was called "Kisteti", as well as "Kistia" or "Kistinia". The Georgian prince, historian and geographer of the 18th century

Vakhushti Bagrationi Vakhushti ( ka, ვახუშტი; 1696 – 1757) was a Georgian royal prince ('' batonishvili''), geographer, historian and cartographer. His principal historical and geographic works, ''Description of the Kingdom of Georgia'' and the ''Geo ...

quite definitely localizes it along the gorge of the Armkhi river (the historical " Kistinka"), that is, in mountainous

. Kists, in a narrow sense, as one of the

Ingush societies Ingush societies or shahars () were ethnoterritorial associations of the Ingush people, Ingush based on the geographical association of several villages and intended for conditional administrative-territorial delimitation of the Ingush ethnic grou ...

, are noted in the "Review of the political state of the

in 1840", and in 1851 in the “Military Statistical Review of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, published by the highest command at the 1st branch of the Department of the General headquarters". The Kist society, as part of

, was part of the

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...

district, the Ossetian military district and the Ingush district. They bordered in the west with the Dzherakhins, in the east with the Galgaevs, in the south with

, in the north the borders reached the

Tarskoye Tarskoye, formerly known as Angusht or Ongusht, is a rural locality (a selo) in Prigorodny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. Population: Nomenclature The modern name "Tarskoye", is derived from the name of the villag ...

Valley. The Kist society was also synonymously called "Fyappinsky", after the name of its constituent ethno-territorial group - the Fyappins (), and later, in the second half of the 19th century, it became known as "Metskhalsky", after the name of the principal village Metskhal.

Hydronym

* Kistinka — river in the

Dzheyrakhsky District Dzheyrakhsky District (; , ) is an administrative and municipalLaw #5-RZ district (raion), one of the four in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It is located in the south of the republic. The area of the district is .Official website of the Re ...

of Ingushetia * Kistinka — river in the

Kazbegi Municipality Kazbegi ( ka, ყაზბეგის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti in east-north Georgia. The main settlement is Stepantsminda, accounting for about half of the tota ...

of the

Mtskheta-Mtianeti Mtskheta-Mtianeti ( ka, მცხეთა-მთიანეთი, literally "Mtskheta-Mountain Area") is a region (Mkhare) in eastern Georgia comprising the town of Mtskheta, which serves as a regional capital, together with its district and th ...

region of Georgia

Notes

References

{{reflist

Bibliography

* Charles Vallencey
Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis
(англ.). — Dublin: Graisberry and Campbell, 1804. — Vol. VI. — 480 p. * Johann Gottfried Eichhorn. Geschichte der Litteratur, von ihrem Anfang bis auf die neuesten Zeiten (нем.). — Göttingen: Bey Vandenhoek und Ruprecht, 1807. — Bd. 6. — 678 S. * Johann Christoph Adelung. Mithridates, oder allgemeine Sprachenkunde mit dem Vater Unser als Sprachprobe in beynahe fünfhundert Sprachen und Mundarten (нем.). — Berlin: In der Vossischen Buchandlung, 1806. — 686 S. * Sir Richard Phillips
A Geographical View of the World: Embracing the Manners, Customs, and Pursuits, of Every Nation; Founded on the Best Authorities
(англ.). — New York: E. Hopkins and W. Reed, 1826. — 406 p. * Butkov P. G. Opinion about the book: Slavic antiquities // Three ancient treaties of the Russians with the Norwegians and the Swedes. — St. Petersburg: Printing house of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 1837. — 398 p. * Caucasian Territory // Military Statistical Review of the Russian Empire: published by the highest order at the 1st branch of the Department of the General Staff. — St. Petersburg: Printing house of the Department of the General Staff, 1851. — T. 16. Part 1. — 274 p. * Chulkov M.D., Zakharov A., Kolpashnikov A.Ya., Sablin N.Ya. Historical description of Russian commerce at all ports and borders from ancient times to the present and all the predominant legalizations on this sovereign, Emperor Peter the Great and now safely reigning Empress Empress Catherine the Great / M. D. Chulkov. - M .: University printing house at N. Novikov, 1785. - T. II. — 674 p. History of the North Caucasus Peoples of the Caucasus Ingushetia Chechnya Nakh peoples Ethnonyms of the Ingush