Oppression of the Chechen People

Oppression of the Chechen People by the Russian Government

Russian Oppression of the Chechen People

The purpose of this work is to research the interactions and wars in between Russia and Chechnya as well as the oppression perpetrated against and upon the Chechen people and to show that the Chechen people are a nation that loves peace and equality as well as valuing their cultural heritage and not at all the war-mongering nation that Russia would have the world to believe.

The Russian rule of the Chechen people has seemingly brought the people of Chechnya to their knees however one must question the true validity of Russian rule in a land where a people have never accepted that rule but continued to war against the same. During the year of 1923 the Republic experienced a three-way split into the regions of Dagastan, Chechnya and Ingushetia. After a period of time Chechnya and Ingushetia united as a Chechyan-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The Chechen-Ingush were particularly difficult for the Russians because they lived upon a mountain range that bordered Dagestan that was all but inaccessible. Many histories state that the Chechnya and Ingush were a warring people and use that as justification for what Russian rule has wrought upon the Chenchen people.

The battles and wars continued on with the entire nation of Chechnya being exiled on being suspect in the support of the German invasion. While on the road to the place of exile approximately 1/3 of the Chechen people were slaughtered. Upon returning home from exile in the year of 1957 the Chechen-Ingush people discovered that their homes and lands had been given away to the settlers of Russia. The region of Akki was given a new name of Novo-laksky rayon and the region has proved to be a bone of contention between the Chechen and Laks since that time.

Background and Historical Information: The Chechen Culture

Chechnya's National Anthem has its origin is in actuality a memorial through literature to the folklore of Chechnya although the date of the creation of it is not known but thought to be very ancient but one thing is certain:

We certainly can't exclude the fact that its first melodies were sung as early as in the second millennium BC in one of the Hurrian States in Ancient East Asia. " (Usmanov, 1999)

According to the work of Usmanov, 1999 a great deal of the folklore of the Chechen people has been established as being in existence as far back as 4th Century BC. The words that comprise the literary verse of the Chechen National Anthem give an insight into the incredible concept of freedom retained by the Chechen people. The following are the words to the Chechen National Anthem:

Death or Freedom

We were born at night, when the she-wolf whelped.

In the morning, as lions howl, we were given our names.

In eagle's nests, our Mothers nursed us,

To tame a stallion, our Fathers taught us.

We were devoted to our Mothers, to people and the Native land,

And if they will need us - we'll respond courageously,

We grew up free, together with the mountain eagles,

Difficulties and obstacles we overcame with dignity.

Granite rocks will sooner fuse like lead,

Than we lose our Nobility in life and struggle.

The Earth will sooner be breached in boiling sun,

Than we appear before the world; losing our honor.

Never will we appear submissive before anyone,

Death or Freedom - we can choose only one way.

Our sisters cure our wounds by their songs,

The eyes of the beloved arouse us to the feat of arms.

If hunger gets us down - we'll gnaw the roots.

If thirst harasses us - we'll drink the grass dew.

We were born at night, when the she-wolf whelped.

God, Nation, and the Native land

We devote ourselves only to their service.

Chechnya's National Anthem)

The national character within the traditional cultural system is one that holds honor, dignity, kindness and hospitality, cult of ancestors and progeny, cult of woman and family hearth, true love and charity aloft as desirable characteristics. During the 19th century a strong position at the Caucasus was held and the Russian Empire was at its' height. The philosophy of the Chechen ethnicity was that all is good that provides ennoblement to the individual, that works toward development of a person' potential. The Chechens have a saying that:

History is only the road, where a man or a nation passes a lifetime. The road itself tells nothing about the past" and "if a traveler digs holes, or cast stones along the way, not only his name, but the name of his seven forefathers will be mentioned in vain." (Chechen saying, author unknown)

The traditions of Chechnya are based on principals of equality for all and furthermore believe that all human life is tied through kinship of blood ties and are only different in the languages spoken, the color of the skin, customs and other commonly recognized differences. The following statement gives great insight into the Chechen people and their perspective in life:

In order to understand a nation, it is necessary to look deep into its soul, its dreams, to know the aims of its everyday life, and to acknowledge its ideals. The traditional Chechen culture of personal contact is based on the principal of equality for all people; on the basis, that nobody should use or underline his superiority. That is why a horse rider is the first to greet a person on foot; a person descending a hill greets the one climbing up the hill, and so on. The attention is always expressed to the weak or the poor person, so that the less fortunate will not feel inferior. The ancient Chechen wisdom says, that if you are a rider, you could possibly lose your horse in time, but if you are on foot, you can possibly become a horse rider tomorrow. That's why the main theme in the Chechen folklore is: a person is stronger than a strong one, cleverer than a clever one, wealthier than a wealthy one, who may appear to be. So, in other words, one mustn't be arrogant." (Usmanov, 1999)

According to the outlook and conclusions of the Chechens the organic life forms and inorganic life forms are all one together in nature with no class above the other but all interdependently locked inseparably together and that mankind of the link that does the binding of all other living things together. Within the realm of thought the Chechen ancients though the Universe was composed of three things which are stated in the following statement of Umanov (1999):

The ancient Chechen people thought that the Universe consists of three elements: the high world, world of God; the low world, world of spirits; and the Earth - the human world. All these worlds are connected, and the man supports the harmony. The three worlds are three abstract circles: The first and the second are situated vertically and the point of their contact is the center of the third one, the Earth circle, which is situated horizontally. Their common center is the hearth cavity ('tush' in Chechen) and the man is directly connected with it. By the way, the capital of the Ancient Eastern State of Urartu was called Tushpa. The philosophical meaning of this name can be explained as follows: 'Tush', meaning hearth plus 'pa' or 'pha', meaning artery, village, i.e. Tush-pa / Tush-pha, which was associated with the center of the Universe. "In the world of subjects and objects, there are no primary and secondary. All essence are of divine origin, and must be treated with care and respect. It is difficult to say, what element was more respectful: The divine or the real. Understanding the world system and the world outlook allowed the forefathers to live in harmony with nature. Every subject on this Earth has its purpose and can be used by man." (Umanov, 1999)

Music and culture are very importance to the Chechen people. Music has been used by the Chechen for the curing of sickness, to express emotions and in many other pursuits as well. Guests are sacred individuals to the Chechens and their nations future is valued a great deal. There are several clans in existence in Chechnya. The clans are in actuality several different groups of ethnicity and are called 'taip' which means clan. There are more than 150 different 'taip' in Chechnya according to recent reports. In Chechen society the government is one of self-management on local levels referred to a Gala Khell, which means Council of a city and Evla-Khell, which means Council of a village.

Stated in the work of Moshe Gammer (2002) is that:

The sudden, drastic (and, to a great many, traumatic) dissolution of the U.S.S.R. In 1991 left all its components facing a vacuum in many fields. One of the more important voids was in the sphere of ideology. Looking urgently for new ideologies instead of the defunct 'Marxism-Leninism' to legitimize their claim to power, most of the political players turned to nationalism. Here, however, a great many of the components of the ex-USSR have been facing another major problem: Under Soviet nationality policy the different peoples of the U.S.S.R. were trapped in the midst of three incompatible processes - nation-building by the different titular groups, the construction of 'Soviet patriotism' and the forging of 'proletarian internationalism'. Suggested is the need for a collective initiative in joining for a rewriting of history and a redefinition to be given to cultural heritages and it is stated that this is a great need for the Chechen people in the following paragraph:" (Gammer, 2002)

In tradition Chechens either have subscribed to the Sunni Islam Shafi'I Islam, which is the least as to restrictions as any other form in Islam and is not a faith that is laced with intolerance. Sufis are the most peaceable of the Muslims and is focused on spirituality as well as tolerant treatment of others, education and beliefs are more important that are revenge for wrongs. Women are accepted as being equal member of society among the Chechen Sufis. The women are included in the role of righting and in the event of a divorce it is the man who is the main caregiver to the children in the Chechen society. The many years of warring with and being ruled by the Soviet Union has effectively erased the memory of the knowledge in religion out of the minds of the Chechen people.

The Russian Rule of Chechnya

There exists a long history in relation to the Chechen people in their struggle for independence from the harsh and violent rule of Russia. From the year 1824 until the year 1859, the communist Revolution of 1917 was witness to Dagestan making a declaration of independence with the Bolshevik forces once again conquering the North Caucasian Republic in 1919 but due to support given the Islamic rebels by the Bolsheviks the anti-Bolshevik forces were forced to withdraw into retreat. The year of 1921 was witness to the setting up of Socialist Autonomous Mountain Republic that was comprised of the Chechens, Ingush, Ossetian, Kabardians, Balkans, and Karachai. In the year of 1988 a proposal was put forth for the construction of a biochemical plant in the area and the resulting upheaval was instrumental in the formation of the Chechen-Ingush Popular Front. The purpose was quickly shifted in focus from the concern of environmental to being a national concern. The election of Zqvgayev to the position of First Secretary of the Communist party of the Chechen-Ingush Republic occurred in 1989. The Chechen National Congress was formed in 1990 with independence being declared by the CNC. The Separation of the Ingustetia and Chechnya occurred in September 1991 and when the Soviet Union collapse the Chechen people declared independence. From the year 1991 to the year 1994 there was no de facto rule over Chechnya by the Soviet Union.

In December of 1994 Russia advanced into the Chechen capital of Grozny and the fighting began but by the summer of 1996 the Chechen people took back the capital city and once again defeated a super military force with their pitiful and shabby military. Yet, it is a mere few years later when the Chechens:

Again face the horror of war, military occupation and slaughter. Again their lands have become the crucible for Russian domination over the Caucasus. And once again the 'new world order' steps bravely into the bloody footprints of the old." (Ferguson, 2000)

Until sometime in the 19th century the Chechen people were fairly set apart from the civilization in their fortress of mountains and forest lands. Their language was their own and their society was a reflection of the simple way in which they lived. The Chechen were independent with solidarity in family for survivals' sake and grew their own food and raised livestock. These people were those who kept to themselves and didn't interfere with or intermingle in the society of the world. They wanted only to be left to their autonomous way of life to live. However when the Russians invaded threatening everything dear to the Chechen people those same peace-loving individuals resisted and did so with lusty vigor to protect their family and their homes. The following is stated of the 19th century revolt of the Chechen people:

The Chechen revolt of the 19th century is therefore one of the most remarkable instances of resistance in modern history. It inspired the opponents of reaction across Europe, including Marx, who sang the praises of its foremost leader, Imam Shamil. The wars lasted half a century, costing Russia tens of thousands of lives. At their heigh 200,000 tsarist troops were engaged. In 1845 in just one of many Russian defeants, Vorontsov's 10,000 strong army was forced to flee having lost three generals and 3,628 men."(Ferguson, 2000)

Summary

The Russians have been determined over a very long period of time to crush the Chechnya people. The problem for the Russians is that the Chechen resistance appears to be unlikely and nigh impossible to completely crush. Propaganda by the Russian government has attempted to portray the people of Chechen as criminals complete with violence and organized crime. The Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Valery Tishkov stated that:

Thanks to the press not only in Russia but also abroad, an image of Chechen Mafia has been created, which neutralized the sympathy towards Chechen that had formed internationally as a result of the war. If it were not for that image, the international support for Chechens that had formed internationally as a result of the war. If it were not for that image, the international support for Chechens would have been more tangible. I also do not agree with the image of "medelin cartel' or criminal zone that has been thrust upon people. This is a myth. The level of crime among Chechens is no higher than among Georgians or Russians in Moscow. At the same time Chechens are very successful in business." (Maltsev, 2002)

In a report entitled Chechnya must have the Right to Self-Determination: Down with the Russian Invasion of Chechnya" stated is that the facade of fighting rebels was used by Russia for the justification of having invaded Chechnya. The Chechens as well as the people who are dark skinned are being forced out of Moscow and various areas of Russia. It was reported that Yeltsin and the parties in opposition are attempting to shift the Russian workers from righting the elements that actually have caused them to exist in abject poverty and under such heavy oppression. Reported in the Chechen Times on the 5th of March 2005 it was related that the President of Chechnya, Aslan Maskhadov had said that a meeting of only thirty minutes would be sufficient to end the ten-year running conflict in the country of Chechnya. The President stated that a dialogue in peace could be established by an agreement: