Assessment for Kumyks in Russia

View Group Chronology

Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References

Risk Assessment

Although the Kumyk have some of the risk factors associated with ethnonational conflict (high levels of group organization and cohesion, territorial concentration, and demands for political autonomy), there has been no record of persistent protest since 1992. While Moscow has shown a willingness to involve itself in Dagestani politics (the multi-ethnic autonomous republic within Russia where the vast majority of Kumyks are located) in attempts to stem the spread of political violence, this has not prevented some ethnic Kumyks becoming involved in violent conflicts with the state in recent years. Nevertheless, the level of organization for violent ethno-political ends in 2006 remained virtually non-existent among Kumyks.

Until the mid-1990s, the Kumyks were the most active and contentious of the Dagestani groups and most frequently involved in intergroup disputes. This may have been because they were among the most privileged in Dagestan and are from a cultural tradition which is distinct from the Caucasian groups there. They also saw other groups as trespassing on Kumyk lands and threatening the survival of Kumyk culture. The lands they have historically occupied are among the most valuable in Dagestan.

Since 1995, however, despite a few violent incidents, the media have reported little Kumyk activity. This may be due to a variety of factors. First, it seems that Kumyks have retained their relatively privileged status in Dagestan. Second, since the Kumyks live along the border with Chechnya, they observed at close range the results of large-scale violence against central authorities. While Kumyks have not been listed in the leadership of the "Wahhabi" movement, it is possible that some of the more militant Kumyks have left traditional Kumyk groups to join the Islamist organization. Kumyks have been listed among the ethnic groups joining the Chechen militia.

top

Analytic Summary

The Kumyk are a Turkic minority group overwhelmingly (87%) located in the lowlands along the coast of the Caspian Sea in the politically and ethnically complex Dagestan autonomous republic in the Russian North Caucasus (GROUPCON = 3). They are one of only two Turkic groups in Dagestan (the only other significant group is the Nogai, who number about 40,000). Due to a migration of other groups from the nearby mountains during the Soviet era, today the Kumyk account for only 22% of the population of their traditional lands, leaving them without a dominant regional base (GC2 = 0).

The history of the Kumyk mirrors that of many Caucasian national groups. In the 16th century, Kumyks in the central plains formed a powerful state, the Shamkhalat of Tarki (under Safavid tutelage) and by the 18th century, they controlled both Avar and Dargin territory. Among the Kumyk there is strong tribal identification – in fact, until the 1970s, a group of Kumyks in the southern part of their traditional territory still identified themselves solely by their village names, not as Kumyks. The Kumyks have adopted Russian more as a second language than many of their Dagestani neighbors (over 75% speak Russian as a first or second language) (LANG = 1). However, they are reported to harbor especially strong anti-Russian sentiments, as evidenced by their strong independence movement, particularly in the early 1990s.

There are three subdivisions of the Kumyk identity with considerable political and historical differentiation. Northern, Central and Southern Kumyks differ in region of residence, dialect and, above all, historical enmity with the Russians. The Northern Kumyk participated heavily in the 19th century Shamil revolt and remain the most anti-Russian. The Central Kumyk are the most numerous and influential, and they actively opposed the Shamil movement. The Southern Kumyk remained neutral in the revolt. All three dialects are mutually intelligible.

The position of the Kumyk in Dagestani society, vis-à-vis other groups, has historically been one of localized advantage, but relative to Russians more broadly in the country, the Kumyks have lower levels of income. The port cities on the Caspian Sea experienced early industrialization, and many Kumyks were able to rise to positions of authority in state industry under Soviet rule and were also able to manage collective farms. The Kumyk are among the more highly urbanized in Dagestan (GC119 = 4), but they still maintain a strong sense of ethnic identity. They have held onto their Muslim and Turkic traditions despite their urban setting (though the devoutness of the Kumyk compared to that of the Caucasian peoples is weak).

The Kumyks organized a national movement called Tenglik (which means "equality") in November 1989 as the Soviet Union was collapsing. Originally Tenglik called for the creation of an independent Kumyk republic, but such calls have not been repeated since the first few years of its existence. This is probably due to the fact that few Kumyk supported such a destabilizing demand, and that the logistics of any such independent Kumyk republic would be quite unimaginable given the fact that the Kumyk account for such a small percentage of their traditional lands. However, there have been more recent calls for broad autonomy with widespread powers for the Kumyks alone (POLGR04-06 = 3).

Of the major Dagestani groups, only the Kumyk have made claims of cultural repression against the Dagestani authorities, but other cultural grievances have been absent in recent years (CULGR04-06 = 0). In the recent past, the Kumyk have complained that Dagestani authorities have historically settled excess populations from other areas (including Avars, Laks and Dargins) in their traditional lands. The Kumyks are distinctly different in their Turkic traditions from the Caucasian peoples who have migrated into their lands, and the gradual loss of their numerical majority in these lands along the Caspian Sea has led to hostility between Kumyks and the migrants. Tenglik has also claimed that the Kumyk are discriminated against in local government positions and in access to higher education. In recent years, no economic grievances were recorded (ECGR04-06=0).

In recent years, there were incidents of violence being used by ethnic Kumyks against the state (REB04-06=1). However, these appeared to have been isolated incidents.

top

References

Barrett, Thomas M. "The Remaking of the Lion of Dagestan: Shamil in Captivity." The Russian Review Vol. 53 (July 1994), pp. 353-366.

Bremmer, Ian and Ray Taras, eds. Nations and Politics in the Soviet Successor States (NY: Cambridge University Press) 1993.

The British Broadcasting Corporation Summary of World Broadcasts (1990-2006).

Cheterian, Vicken. "Tricky Ethnic Balance in Dagestan." Swiss Review of World Affairs, October 1994, pp. 25-26.

Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press.

Fiona, Hill, "Russia's Tinderbox: Conflict in the North Caucasus and Its Implications for the Future of Russian Federation," A paper from the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project, Harvard University, September 1995.

Jamestown Foundation Eurasia Daily Monitor, Chechnya Weekly (various issues to 2006).

King, Charles (2008) The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus (New York: Oxford University Press).

Lexis-Nexis: All News Files 1995-2006.

Monitor. A daily digest published by the Jamestown Foundation.

Olson, James S. ed. An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press) 1994.

Ormrod, Jane. "The North Caucasus: fragmentation or federation?" In Bremmer and Taras (eds.), Nations and Politics in the Soviet Successor States.

Open Media Research Institute. Daily Reports.

Prava Cheloveka v Rossii, "Prava Cheloveka v Regionakh Rossiskoi Federatsii Respublika Dagestan" 2002 Report

(http://www.hro.org/docs/reps/2001/dagestan/index.htm -- accessed 03.01.04).

Prism. A weekly electronic journal published by the Jamestown Foundation.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Daily Reports (to 2006).

"Report on Ethnic Conflict in the Russian Federation and Transcaucasia." From the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government (July 1993).

Richter, Anthony. "The Perils of 'Sustainable Empire." Transition (OMRI 15 March 1995) Vol. 1 (3): 14 - 15.

Sheehy, Ann. "Dagestani Muslims Protest against Cost of Pilgrimage to Mecca." Report on the USSR, June 28, 1991, pp. 26-28.

Shenfield, Stephen D. The Potential for Genocide in the Caucasus. A paper presented at the First Meeting of the Association of Genocide Scholars, College of William and Mary, June 14-16, 1995.

Smith, Graham, ed. The Nationalities Question in the Soviet Union (New York: The Longman Group) 1990.

Young, Stephen, Ronald J. Bee and Bruce Seymore II. One Nation Becomes Many: The ACCESS Guide to the Former Soviet Union (Washington, DC: ACCESS) 1992.

top