The nogai exodus from circassia (1793-1839) based on the materials of "the circassian slave narratives"

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of the Nogais flight from Circassia in 1793-1839. The attention is paid to the causes of migration, as well as the influence of the Circassian slave capture and slave trade on the demography of Nogai families. The main source on this issue is the collection of documents "The Circassian Slave Narratives", which was published in October 2020 in a special issue of the journal "Bylye Gody". This collection includes 1.2 thousand archival documents from the State archive of the Krasnodar Krai (Krasnodar city, Russian Federation). In total, due to the data of this collection, in the period from 1793 to 1839, 897 Nogais left Circassia according to incomplete data. The methodology is represented by a set of general and special methods of historical research. The content of the sources and their features determined the application of the statistical method used to account the Nogais who fled from Circassia, as well as to determine the generic ties and the number of people in one Nogai family. The analytical method was also used to systematize and evaluate general information about the Nogais and the reasons for their migration. In conclusion, the authors state that the "The Circassian Slave Narratives" is a valuable source on the history of the Nogai people in the late XVIII - first half of the XIX centuries. In the late XVIII - early XIX centuries, the Nogais fled from the territory of Circassia, and were subjected to violence by the local population. About half of the families of the Nogai fugitives were abducted and killed, which predetermined the attempts of their departure on the territory of Russia. It is important to explain that the flight of the Nogai communities continued until 1808, and after that there were few cases of flight of the Nogai people who were abducted on the Russian side. © 2021 International Network Center for Fundamental and Applied Research. All rights reserved.