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"#$%&$'$()*+*,$%&$'$( -.(&*$- /0*1 2.$ -+3&0% 45*32&+*- +4 .+%6 -&2$- &* 2.

$ 70530-5-
Kevin Tuite (AAA 2u11 Caucasian Stuuies panel)

Eailiei this yeai, while staiting to wiite a giant pioposal, along with my colleague Floiian
Nhlfiieu, in the hope of obtaining funuing foi ieseaich on shiines anu holy sites in the
Caucasus, I felt it necessaiy to confiont the question of just what we mean when we iefei to
"the Caucasus". 0n the one hanu it seems obvious Floiian anu I even teach in a tiny
uepaitment at the 0niveisity of }ena labeleu "Caucasus Stuuies" but like so many concepts
that appeai self-eviuent, a closei look shows that it is anything but. Cleaily, a seiious
ieflection on how to uefine "the Caucasus" is uue, anu inueeu oveiuue; anu, as is often the
case with uiscussions whose time has come, seveial people biought up the issue
inuepenuently anu moie oi less simultaneously. As Floiian anu I toileu away at oui giant
pioposal, my fiienu Kaiina vamling inviteu me to take pait in a webcast seminai at hei
institution in Sweuen on the theme "Befining the Caucasus as an aiea of stuuy", which took
place at the enu of Nay. Anu just iecently I came acioss the text of a talk publisheu this
August by Chailes King of ueoigetown 0niveisity, entitleu nothing less than "Is the Caucasus
a Place."

!" $%& '()*(+)+ ,-&.&/ 0123 .-4%2)4 (5/ .-4%-5" As I uiu in my talk in Sweuen, Chailes
begins his inquiiy by noting that foieign visitois to what we call the Caucasus felt no
hesitation about uefining it as a uistinctive iegion. Accoiuing to an etymology noteu almost
2uuu yeais ago by Pliny the Eluei, anu moie iecently given philological backing by 0leg
Tiubachev, the veiy toponym "Caucasus" ueiiveu fiom an Inuo-Iianian expiession
meaning "mountain biightness" iefeis to the whiteness of the snow-cappeu mountains as
seen by Bionze-Age Iianian tiibes in the Caspian steppes. Noi shoulu we oveilook the extent
to which views of the Caucasus weie infoimeu by the inteiests of the vieweis. The Caucasus
appeais numeious times in classical uieek liteiatuie anu geogiaphy most notably as the
setting wheie }ason anu the Aigonauts met Neuea, anu wheie Piometheus met his fate
but some Bellenists have aigueu that liteiaiy poitiayals of what was at the time the outei
limits of the known woilu weie, to vaiying uegiees, uieek self-iepiesentations ieflecteu in
an inveiting miiioi (Noieau 1988; uiaf 1997). Like Inuology anu the ethnogiaphic
investigations of Afiica, the Ameiicas anu 0ceania, scientific Caucasology emeigeu in the
context of impeiial expansion, as the Russian fiontieis moveu southwaiu anu eastwaiu
uuiing the ieign of Catheiine the uieat.

6" $%& '()*(+-(5 -+4%3)+7 /-,&1+-48 (5/ 5&4.219+. In the talk mentioneu eailiei, Chailes
King celebiates the "baiefoot empiiicism of outsiueis", whose peispective allows them to see
(oi at least claim to see) a foiest wheie the locals foi the most pait only see tiees. I woulu
piefei, howevei, to assess the auequacy of the Caucasus as place oi aiea fiom the point of
view of the insiue, oi shifting the spatial metaphoi 9u uegiees fiom the giounu up.
#$%&$'$()*+*,$%&$'$( -.(&*$- 895&2$: ; <<)<=)<> ; ?0@$ =
Seen fiom above, the main chain of the Caucasus iange is suiiounueu by foui wateisheu
systems the Kuban anu the Teiek systems in the Noith Caucasus, anu the Kuia-Aiaxes anu
Colchis (Rioni-Inguii) systems to the south. To a consiueiable extent, the hyuiogiaphic map
coiiesponus to that of aichaeological cultuies since the Stone Age, as well as the location of
the thiee inuigenous Caucasian language families which have not been convincingly
uemonstiateu to be ielateu eithei among themselves, oi to any known linguistic gioups
elsewheie. 0n the giounu, howevei, the Caucasian isthmus has been tiaveiseu ovei the
millennia by ioutes of tiaue, migiation anu cultuial uiffusion. Aichaeologists have pointeu to
the exploitation of Caucasian sites foi obsiuian, coppei anu othei metals, which weie
expoiteu ovei long uistances in piehistoiic times, as well as the emeigence of wiuespieau
cultuial hoiizons, such as the eaily Bionze-Age Kuia-Aiaxes cultuie, whose influence spieau
as fai as Bagestan to the noith, anu the fiontieis of Syiia to the south.

Netwoik-builuing anu netwoik-maintenance piactices cut acioss ethnic, linguistic anu even
confessional boiueis in the piesent-uay Caucasus, anu aie likely to have fosteieu the
mobility of people, goous anu iueas since the iemote past. 0ne such piactice is exogamy,
auheieu to stiictly thioughout the iegion (with the exception of Bagestan). ueoigian fiienus
have tolu me that they woulu not maiiy theii chiluien to a known ielative, even a veiy
uistant one. It is not exogamy as such that geneiates wiue social netwoiks, so much as the
geneial iule that new social links must not uuplicate alieauy-existing ielations. Naiiiage is
foibiuuen not only between bloou ielatives, but also between those bounu by the spiiitual
affinity of having co-sponsoieu the baptism of a chilu. uoupaienthoou is one of seveial foims
of fictive kinship commonly piacticeu among the peoples of the Caucasus, each of which
cieates bonus eveiy bit as stiong, anu constiaining, as bloou ielateuness. Fictive biothei-
anu sisteihoou a ielationship between equals sealeu by an oath anu the shaiing of bloou
oi an alcoholic beveiage is known fiom one enu to the othei of the Caucasus, as aie the
vaiious types of ielation of mutual hospitality anu piotection subsumeu unuei the Tuikish-
Russian teim A5*03.$-2'+. Fictive auoption (eithei thiough fosteiage, oi the simple act of
touching one's lips to a woman's bieast) was also a common piactice in pie-Soviet times. In
sociological teims, the people of the Caucasus coulu be saiu to piefei a wiue iange of simplex
ielationships, iathei than a few multiplex ones.

:" ;(*1&/ +-4&+< 02=9 1&=->-25 (5/ -54&1?*233)5(= 1&=(4-25+" Alongsiue the stuuy of
socially-iecognizeu categoiies of ielationship, a giassioots Caucasiology shoulu also take
into consiueiation the piincipal venues wheie membeis of uiffeient communities come into
contact. Sacieu sites aie paiticulai inteiest in this iegaiu. In the noitheast ueoigian piovince
of Pshavi, migiants anu iefugees, incluuing non-ueoigians fiom the Noith Caucasus, weie
aumitteu into membeiship in the community thiough the piesentation of an offeiing at the
local shiine. The annual festivals helu at ceitain catheuials in the South Caucasus such as
Alaveiui in eastein ueoigia, anu the chuich of St ueoige in Iloii (Abkhazia) uiaw laige
numbeis of people, incluuing membeis of othei ethnic communities. Paiticipation in the late
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Septembei festival at Alaveiui, which I attenueu in 1997, coulu be uesciibeu in teims of
thiee concentiic spaces: (1) the inteiioi of the chuich, wheie a ueoigian 0ithouox lituigy
was helu, anu wheie offeiings weie blesseu by a piiest; (2) the chuichyaiu, wheie people
beaiing offeiings anu leauing saciificial animals ciicleu the chuich (thiee times,
counteiclockwise); (S) the aiea outsiue the chuich walls, wheie pilgiims campeu out in tents
anu venuois set up a maiket. Chechen-speaking nominally Nuslim Kistis fiom the Pankisi
valley weie piesent in significant numbeis, uiawn by the ieputeuly poweiful shiine as well
as the oppoitunities foi tiaue at the maiket. Insiue the chuich walls aie the iuins of what
appeais to have been a mosque, anu accoiuing to a Kisti woman I inteivieweu
Chechens visiting fiom the Noith Caucasus went theie to piay iathei than enteiing the
catheuial.

@" A&=-&,&1?)5B&=-&,&1 +%1-5&+ 20 C&,+)1&4-" Among the vaiious types of venues of intei-
ethnic encountei, unuoubteuly those with the most attention-getting name aie the two holy
sites in the noitheast ueoigian piovince of Xevsuieti uesignateu as "believei-unbelievei
shiines" ((C5%&0*)5(C5%+ -0%+30'$,&): the Xaxmat'is-}vaii complex in cential Xevsuieti; anu
Anat'oiis-}vaii, an abanuoneu sanctuaiy at a site oveilooking the ueoigian-Chechen fiontiei.
As uesciibeu in ethnogiaphic accounts fiom the the 19
th
anu eaily 2u
th
centuiies
(summaiizeu in SRu 499-Su9), Xaxmatis-}vaii enjoyeu gieat populaiity among Kistis,
Chechens, Tushetians, anu ueoigians fiom othei piovinces. Nen invokeu Xaxmati foi the
feitility anu multiplication of hoises (it was the only shiine in the aiea believeu to peifoim
this seivice), anu the biith of sons. The piincipal ueities believeu to iesiue at Xaxmatis-}vaii
aie St ueoige (uioigi Naghvaimshvenieii) anu Samuzimaii, the "beau-weaiing one", who is
one of a gioup of supeinatuial women biought back by ueoige aftei the campaign of the
Xevsui shiine ueities in the unueiwoilu iealm of the Kajes, one of the most celebiateu
themes of Xevsui folkloie. Xevsui women aie unuei the special piotection of Xaxmatis-}vaii,
anu to the piesent uay women go theie foi a bloou-puiification iitual, which takes place on
the uay aftei the miu-summei festival of Atengenoba (SRu S1u).

Anat'oiis-}vaii, at the site of a iuineu meuieval chuich anu Noith Caucasian-style stone
mausoleums, is situateu a shoit uistance fiom the boiuei between ueoigia anu the Russian
Feueiation. What is especially notewoithy about Anat'oiis-}vaii is not only the piesence of
both Chechens anu ueoigians at ceiemonies, but the fact that shiine officials weie uiawn
fiom both communities. An elueily woman fiom Shat'ili, the neaiest inhabiteu village,
iecalleu that in hei chiluhoou (piobably in the 192us), the shiine piiest was a Chechen
("Kist'i") nameu Baxaga, whose holiness was such that the shiine ueity appeaieu to him in
the foim of a uove. She iemembeieu that his invocation to Anat'oiis-}vaii began with the
phiase #&-D&%0.& (0.D0*&E 0*0A+(&* 3F0 3F$&D ,0(0E which she ienueieu in ueoigian as "may
the Cioss of Anat'oii be meiciful to you all". Asiue fiom the two woius of (gaibleu) Aiabic,
the phiase is iecognizable as Chechen, although the shiine is nameu as the "house of Anakoi
(sic!)", iathei than Anat'oi(i) (Kiknauze Anuiezebi 194-196).
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In eailiei times, it appeais that some othei sanctuaiies in Xevsuieti weie labeleu as
"believei-unbelievei shiines", incluuing Aixot'is-}vaii (along the Assa Rivei, upiivei fiom
Ingusheti), anu the Shubnuii shiine in the Likok'i valley (SRu Su2; 0ch. 1967: 76), but the
expiession is most commonly applieu to Xaxmati anu Anatoiis-}vaii. When compaieu to the
othei holy places of Xevsuieti anu the neighboiing piovince of Pshavi, what stanus out is not
only the piesence (oi paiticipation) of nominally Nuslim "unbelieveis", but also the iole of
tiavel, anu in paiticulai, tiavel acioss boiueis, in the founuation myths (0*1($H&, in
ueoigian) associateu with these shiines.

The naiiatives conceining the founuation of the holy places of Pshavi, Xevsuieti anu aujacent
iegions of highlanu noitheast ueoigia make foi fascinating ieauing, anu I wish to expiess my
giatituue to the folkloiist Zuiab Kiknauze foi the 7uu-page collection of I*1($H$,& which he
euiteu & publisheu eailiei this yeai. Befoie uiscussing the shiine-founuation naiiatives foi
Xevsuieti, I will say a few woius about those of the neighboiing uistiict of Pshavi. 0n the
whole, these legenus aie focuseu on a single locality. The 0*1($H$,& of most of the eleven
ancient communes of Pshavi uesciibe how the teiiitoiy wheie the local community is now
situateu was once inhabiteu by poweiful, man-eating ogies (1$'$,&). A human heio (St.
ueoige himself, oi one of his uoubles K'op'ala, Iaqsai oi P'iikush) killeu the ogies off, fieeing
the lanu foi human habitation, anu as iecompense foi his seivice, uou gianteu him uivine
status anu loiuship ovei the commune. The uivine oveiloius of the iemaining communes
came uown fiom the sky as "angels" (i.e. they weie cieateu uivine). What sets the Xevsui
naiiatives apait fiom those of Pshavi is the element of movement. Wheieas the founueis of
Pshavian shiines eithei alieauy liveu on the spot, oi uescenueu fiom heaven, those of neaily
all of the Xevsui shiines came fiom somewheie else. The typical naiiative uesciibes how a
ueity iesiuent at a holy site at lowei altituue (usually to the south oi southeast) takes flight
because the membeis of the local community uo not peifoim the iituals coiiectly, oi biing
impuie animals (such as pigs) too close to the shiine. (In texts fiom the noitheastein
ueoigians highlanus, the supeinatuial oveiloius of shiines anu theii suiiounuing
communities aie iefeiieu to as "icon" |J02F&j oi "cioss" |C'0(&j; teims auopteu fiom the
lexicon of ueoigian 0ithouoxy which in this context can uenote the cultic object, the uivine
being it iepiesents, oi even the shiine in which it is believe to uwell). The ueity, in the foim
of a luminous biiu-like flying object, flees towaiu highei giounu, anu eventually makes his
way to the site of its piesent-uay sanctuaiy. The ueity uoes not tiavel alone: he is
accompanieu by a human, often of foieign oiigin fiom Aimenia oi Peisia. 0nce he aiiives
at his chosen site, the tiavelling companion instiucts the local iesiuents to builu a shiine on
the spot, anu the glowing ueity uisappeais fiom sight. (Inteiestingly, similai naiiatives have
been collecteu in Chechnia anu Ingusheti, which appeai to be seculaiizeu veisions of the
Xevsuiian 0*1($H$,&: the biiu is just a biiu, anu the man leu uplanu to the spot chosen by the
biiu founus a clan oi community, not a shiine; Nichols 2uu7).

#$%&$'$()*+*,$%&$'$( -.(&*$- 895&2$: ; <<)<=)<> ; ?0@$ K
The motif of tiavel, anu the paitneiship between a supeinatuial being anu a human
companion capable of seeing anu speaking with it, plays a especially piominent iole in the
naiiatives linkeu to the "believei-unbelievei shiines". Associateu with these sites, as well as
a hanuful of otheis in Xevsuieti, aie legenuaiy figuies known as DAF01($ ("one who uaies",
i.e. uaies come in close pioximity to a ueity). The DAF01($s weie saiu to have been able to see
theii pation ueity (in the foim of a uove), which woulu come peich on a piece of cloth
(samk'auieo) spieau ovei theii hanus. Noie impoitantly, the DAF01($s aie iepiesenteu in
the founuation naiiatives as the constant tiavelling companions of theii shiine pation. The
DAF01($Fs close pioximity to a supeinatuial being iequiies him to maintain a constant state
of exceptional puiity (-&3FD&*1$), attaineu thiough maximal avoiuance of all that iepiesents
coipoieality in the highlanu belief system: sexual ielations, women (especially at times of
bloouflow fiom menstiuation oi chilubiith), the bouies of the ueau, pigs anu poultiy.

0nly a half-uozen Xevsui shiines aie associateu with legenuaiy DAF01($s. With the exception
of uuuanis-}vaii, which is iegaiueu as the cential anu politically most impoitant sanctuaiy of
Xevsuieti, the tiavelling uivinities anu theii human companions aie locateu along the
eastein fiontieis of the main pait of Xevsuieti (#51$ "nest" oi LF&(0A$2 "this siue" M$'-5($2&),
oi in that pait of ueoigian teiiitoiy which spills ovei into the Noith Caucasus. Paialleling the
mythic voyages of the flying "icon" oi "cioss" anu his long-suffeiing celibate mk'auie aie
ethnohistoiically-attesteu tiavels. 0ntil Soviet authoiities put an enu to the piactice, the
shiine officials of Xaxmati, uuuani anu Kaiate tiavelleu annually to Tusheti, wheie numeious
satellite shiines nameu aftei these thiee poweiful uivine pations aie founu, to collect
"tiibute" (,$@0(0) in the foim of offeiings anu saciificial animals. Anatoiis-}vaii anu the
Saneba shiine in 0k'an-Qauu hau satellite shiines locateu fuithei uowniivei in the Aighun
anu Assa valleys iespectively, acioss the boiuei in what is now Russian teiiitoiy.

SBRINE F00NBATI0N TRAvELS NK'ABRE
C(D3(4-+?E,(1- Cult objects, cattle anu
women biought up fiom
Kajaveti
(1) iaiu in unueiwoilu
iealm of Kajis
(2) collecting tiibute in
Tusheti; visits to Taigame
(Ingusheti)
uaxua Negielauii
(bounu to celibacy;
"ielationship" with
Samuzimaii)
FG(1(4G&+?E,(1-
HI-929G-J
Cup anu chain fell fiom sky (1) invisible seipent
tiavelling between shiine
in Pshavi to Likok'i
(2) collecting tiibute in
Tusheti
(1) Founuei: shepheiu-
giil Ninani (celibate,
buiieu in shiine)
(2) ciippleu male
mk'auies
K)/(5-+?E,(1- Flew fiom the Bethlehem
sanctuaiy in ueiget'i
(iegaiueu as a soit of
spiiitual nuiseiy)
(1) took pait in iaiu in
unueiwoilu iealm of Kajis
(2) collects tiibute
thioughout Xevsuieti, also
in Tusheti
Totia uaiuauii (uouble
of uaxua Negielauii)
L5(421-+?E,(1- Flew up fiom Likok'i; latei
moveu on to Qone (Aiuot'i
valley)
Tiavels in Xevsuieti,
Tusheti, Chechnia (}aiego)
Saghiia (olu, ciippleu;
tiieu to nail "icon" uown
with goluen spike)
;(5&B( HM9G(5?
N(/)J
flew up fiom lowlanus, when
people no longei maintaineu
puiity noims
Tiavels in Ingusheti (Assa
valley): Xamxi, Netxa
(Nelx.)
Bach'ua (saw ueity until
he felt sexual attiaction
to Kisti woman)
#$%&$'$()*+*,$%&$'$( -.(&*$- 895&2$: ; <<)<=)<> ; ?0@$ N

O" ;4 K&21>&< %-+ 3(=& P124Q>Q< (5/ %-+ +)P&15(4)1(= 0&3(=& *2)54&1P(14" The motif of
the voyaging ueity anu his mk'auie companion is a specifically Xevsui uevelopment of a
figuie piominently iepiesenteu in folk-ieligious systems acioss the Caucasus at least in
those aieas wheie 0ithouox Chiistianity left a significant impiint on local beliefs anu
piactices: Saint ueoige, the uivine pation of menfolk, whose piincipal function is to "mettie
les espaces natuiels la uisposition ues hommes" (Chaiachiuz 1986: 18S). Among the
uuties attiibuteu by membeis of vaiious Caucasian communities to theii local avatais of St
ueoige is the piotection of men woiking fai fiom theii homes (shepheius, wooucutteis), anu
the safety anu success of those who seek to ueiive piofit fiom exteiioi, unuomesticateu oi
"foieign" spaces (not only hunteis, but also men hoping to steal livestock fiom the villageis
ovei the mountain iiuge).

Intiouuceu fiom Anatolia in the eaily meuieval peiiou (possibly by sepaiate ioutes in
westein anu eastein Tianscaucasia), the St ueoige cult founu feitile soil in the Caucasus.
ueoigian folk ballaus iefei to "thiee hunuieu thiee scoie anu thiee St ueoiges" that is,
one chuich ueuicateu to the saint foi each uay of the yeai but the numbei is cleaily an
unueiestimate. I iecently uiu an infoimal count of chuiches in ueoigia, anu founu no fewei
than S68 nameu aftei St ueoige, fai moie than any othei saint. 0nly Naiy the Nothei of uou
has totals anywheie close to those foi ueoige.

The St ueoiges of Svaneti (O@6(P@) anu Abkhazia (I$(@) appeai in folkloie as the iivals of
uivine pationesses of game animals of the high mountains (especially the ibex). The Svan
ueity QP% is among the most impiessive anu captivating figuies of Caucasian oial liteiatuie:
goluen-haiieu anu bewitchingly beautiful, she can bestow hei affections as well as
hunting success on the men she favois, but shoulu the huntei have sexual contact with a
human woman, oi slaughtei too many animals, she will biing about his iuin oi even ueath.
The Svanetian tiiau of }gyig, Bl, anu the legenuaiy hunteis piotecteu by the foimei anu
seuuceu by the lattei (Betgil, Choila, Nepsay) finus a iemaikable echo in the Xevsuiian tiiau
of St ueoige, his "swoin sistei" (1+,&%&E D+1$) Samuzimaii, anu the legenuaiy DAF01($s.
Accompanieu by his mk'auie uaxua Negielauii, St ueoige leu a uivine aimy against the
Kajes, a iace of uemonic blacksmiths with magical poweis, anu biought back as wai booty a
heiu of cattle, a collection of cups anu metal-woiking tools, anu the lovely Samuzimaii anu
hei companions Nzekala ("Sun-woman") anu Ashekala. ueoige "baptizes" them, anu giants
them iesiuence at the sanctuaiy complex (a towei to Samuzimaii is still to be seen theie).
Woishippeu alongsiue ueoige at the "believei-unbelivei" shiine of Xaxmatis-}vaii,
Samuzimaii is invokeu as the helpei of women, especially uuiing chilubiith, anu the health
anu piouuctivity of uaiiy cattle. But in auuition to hei tasks as the Xevsui equivalent of the
female-genueieu uivinities known thioughout ueoigia anu aujoining iegions unuei the
names of Naiy, Nothei of uou, oi the Place Nothei (I1@&%&-)1$10), Samuzimaii appeais in
Xevsui ballaus as the supeinatuial lovei (in a sense) of a seiies of mk'auies. Asiue fiom
#$%&$'$()*+*,$%&$'$( -.(&*$- 895&2$: ; <<)<=)<> ; ?0@$ >
uaxua himself (LuN 46), Pshavela Peiauliuze of Xaxmatis-}vaii (LuN 241) anu thiee men of
the Abuletauii clan of K'ist'ani (LuN 68, 1S1, 264) aie saiu to have cohabiteu with
Samuzimaii, who appeaieu to them in the foim of a human woman, but without sexually
consummating the ielationship. The mk'auies enjoy the close company of theii shiine
pation, whom they alone can see anu conveise with, but shoulu they violate the celibacy this
pioximity entails, the ueity will ueseit them anu uisappeai fiom view. Bach'uat Axala, foi
example, was abanuoneu by Sanebis }vaii aftei he felt attiaction foi a beautiful Chechen
woman (0chiauii 19S4: 1uS-8).

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8<: -$153$1E
8=: +,20&*- ($-+5(3$-E
8B: ?5*&-.$1
D$* 3&(35%02&*@ &*
$J2$(&+( 4+( ,$*$4&2
+4 3+DD5*&26
SvANETI }gyig Bl, uivine guaiuian of
alpine game animals

huntei (Betgil, Choila):
(1) seuuceu by Bl;
(2) gianteu hunting success
(S) punisheu foi infiactions
oi contact with human
women
oiuinaiy hunteis
obtaining meat foi
theii householus
XEvS0RETI ueoige of
Xaxmati, uuuanis
}vaii, othei
tiavelling shiine
pations (Anatoii,
Saneba, K'aiat'e)
Samuzimaii: biought
fiom Kajaveti,
unueiwoilu souice of
metal objects, tools,
cattle anu women
DAF01($:
(1) cohabits with
Samuzimaii;
(2) close contact with ueity
(S) lusts aftei woman, is
ueseiteu by ueity
shiine officials anu
otheis, tiavelling in
Chechnia,
Ingushetia, Tusheti

The juxtaposeu uossieis fiom Svaneti anu Xevsuieti aie similai enough that chance
iesemblance seems unlikely. It might possibly have been the case that the Xevsuiian mk'auie
legenus oiiginateu thiough the giafting of the shiine-founuation naiiatives mentioneu
eailiei (uniuiiectional migiation of man leu by biiu who choses spot foi settlement) onto a
local vaiiant of the Bl myth (piotg of St ueoige, ciiculating between inteiioi anu exteiioi,
attains access to iesouices thiough an infeitile sexual ielation with a female supeinatuial).

What inteipietations aie we to uiaw fiom the paiallel positions of the legenuaiy hunteis of
the Svanetian ballaus about Bl, anu the legenuaiy mk'auies of Xevsuiian shiine-founuation
naiiatives, as shown in the table above. The fate of the uoomeu Svan hunteis of folkloie,
such as Betgil anu Choila, paveu the way foi oiuinaiy hunteis to have access to the ibex anu
chamois guaiueu by Bl, as long as they uo not violate hei conuitions iegaiuing kill limits
(Choila's ueath was attiibuting to his shooting at a fouith animal aftei Bl alloweu him to
kill thiee; SvPoez 19S9: 288-96), oi puiity (Svan men woulu only go up to the mountains to
hunt aftei abstaining fiom sexual contact, anu assuiing that no women in theii householus
weie having theii menstiual peiious). Seen in this light, the legenuaiy mk'auies, thiough
theii piivilegeu access to the tiavelling ueities of Xaxmati, uuuani, Anatoii, K'aiat'e anu
Saneba, paveu the way in a moie liteial sense foi the shiine piiests who until iecently
tiavelleu iegulaily to affiliateu holy sites outsiue of Xevsuieti, anu foi cioss-boiuei voyageis
in geneial. The compaiison of the Svanetian anu Xevsuiian mateiials woulu leau one to
concluue, as well, that inteiethnic, "believei-unbelievei" connections weie conceiveu as a
#$%&$'$()*+*,$%&$'$( -.(&*$- 895&2$: ; <<)<=)<> ; ?0@$ W
iesouice, just as ibex meat was foi Svan hunteis. Fiom the stanupoint of the shiines,
ciossboiuei tiaffic was a souice of ievenue (offeiings anu saciifices biought fiom outsiue
Xevsuieti), anu in ietuin the Chechens, Ingush anu Tushetians ieceiveu the piotection of
poweiful shiines anu theii pation ueities. But the ethnogiaphic uata makes it cleai that
sanctuaiies anu piiests weie not the only ones to piofit fiom the ciossing of fiontieis.

To illustiate this lattei point, I will summaiize a stiiking anecuote fiom Kiknauze's newly-
issueu collection of 0*1($H$,&X It conceins Sanebis-}vaii at 0k'an-Qauu, a village neai the
main iiuge of the Caucasus iange, the uivine pation of which fiequently tiavelleu mk'auie
in tow to Ingush ("uhilgho") villages along the Assa Rivei valley. Accoiuing to the stoiy, an
Ingush man nameu Paiesha fiom Netxa (= Nelx.), a village acioss the boiuei which paiu
tiibute to Sanebis-}vaii, came with a gioup of men to iaiu cattle fiom the Xevsui village of
Bacaligo. They weie seen by heiusmen, anu fleu to 0k'an-Qauu, wheie they sought iefuge in
a sacieu foiest belonging to Sanebis-}vaii. Paiesha maue an offeiing of thiee iubles to the
shiine, anu in ietuin ieceiveu piotection fiom the ueoigians (two of whom uieu in the
attempt to captuie him anu his companions). Each yeai afteiwaiu, Paiesha offeieu a
saciificial animal in giatituue to Sanebis-}vaii.

To ietuin to the theme auuuceu at the beginning of this talk: iethinking the conception of the
Caucasus as a iegion oi as a place, but fiom the giounu up iathei than the top uown. The
investigation of netwoiking piactices anu the elements fiom local belief systems which
paiallel anu peihaps license them is an essential step towaiu ieplacing the "caitogiaphic
Caucasus" seen fiom above, uefineu by topogiaphy, political boiueis oi language maps, with
the mouel of an emeigent Caucasus: uynamic, continually iemaking itself, with shifting anu
inuefinite fiontieis, anu quite possibility uuiing ceitain peiious at least best conceiveu
as multiple iathei than unifieu. That is one of the main questions my colleagues wish to
auuiess in the ieseaich pioject we hope to unueitake next yeai.

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