Ghalghai Explained

See also: Ethnonyms of the Ingush.

Ghalghai (Ingush: pl. ГIалгIай, pronounced as /cau/, sg. ГIалгIа, pronounced as /cau/) is the self-name (endonym) of the Ingush people.

There's no consensus among scholars on the etymology of the ethnonym as there exists different theories and speculations on its etymology. However, it is most often associated with the word "ghalā" (гIала), meaning "tower" or "fortress" and the plural form of the suffix of person, "gha" (гIа), thus, translated as "people/inhabitants of towers". It is also associated by some scholars with the ancient Gargareans and Gelae mentioned in the classical sources.

In Georgian sources, the ethnonym is mentioned in the form of Gligvi as an ethnonym during the reign of Mirian I, as well as the ruler of Kakheti Kvirike III. In Russian sources, "Ghalghai" first becomes known in the second half of the 16th century, in the form of "Kalkans/Kolkans", "Kalkan people".

Morphology

The Chechen linguist, dr. of philological sciences, analyzed the internal structure of the ethnonym. According to the linguist:

Orthography

The ethnonym is spelled and pronounced in Ingush in its plural form as ghalghai (гӀалгӀай, pronounced as /cau/), written and spelled in its singular form as ghalgha (гӀалгӀа, pronounced as /cau/); in declension by cases: ghalghacho/ghalghaicho (гӀалгӀачо/гӀалгӀайчо; ergative case), ghalghachuntsa/ghalghaichuntsa (гӀалгӀачунца/гӀалгӀайчунца; genitive case), ghalghachuntsa/ghalghaichuntsa (гӀалгӀачунна/гӀалгӀайчунна; dative case).

Variants of the ethnonym ghalghai in the languages that neighbor the Ingush:

EthnonymsTransl.Languages
гъалгъаядо ǧalǧayado
гъалгъайол ǧalǧayol
гъалгъаял ǧalǧayal
гъалгъаяди ǧalǧayadi
гъалгъдирал ǧalǧdiral
гъалгъаяди ǧalǧayadi
гӀалгӀай/гӀалгӀаай ghalghai/ghalghaai
ღლიღვი/ღილღვი ghlighvi/ghilghvi
гъалгъаяди ǧalǧayadi
гъалгъаяди ǧalǧayadi
къалгъай qalǧai
хъулгъа qulǧa
гъалгъаяри ǧalǧayari

Etymology

There is no consensus among scholars on the etymology of the ethnonym, therefore different theories and speculations exist on its etymology. Some scholars (e.g.,) consider that "ghalghai" means "people/inhabitants of towers", while others (e.g., Adrienne Mayor) connect the ethnonym to either Gargareans or to Gelae (Ivane Javakhishvili, Arnold Chikobava). Versions connecting ghalghai to the legendary figure Gha/Galga or to the God of Sun/Sky in Vainakh religion are also found.

"People of towers"

A number of scholars (e.g., Yunus Desheriev, Ibragim Aliroev) connected ghalghai to the word "ghalā" (гIала, 'tower/fortress') thus, translating the word from Ingush as "people/inhabitants of towers".

According to this version, ghalghai is combination of two Ingush words, "ghalā" (гIала, 'tower/fortress') and derivational affix "-gha" (гIа) Therefore, ghalghai is translated as "people/inhabitants of towers". Katy Chokaev considers the "-gha" in ghalghai the suffix of person "-gha", while Yunus Desheriev considers it a transformed affix from the Nakh affix "kho". He also notes that in Nakh languages, the sounds "kh" and "gh" often alternate which could have made the transformation of kho to gha. It's possible that in one of the dialects of Ingush language, case affix "-gha" was used instead to form the ethnonym. According to Ibragim Aliroev, the "-gha" in ghalghai is the Vainakh syllable for place, "gha" (ma-ghara, 'up', ēgha, 'down').

Gelae

In the first century AD, the ancient Greek geographer Strabo mentioned the Gelae and Legae tribes in his work Geographica. He mentioned how according to Theophanes of Mytilene, who participated Caucasian campaign of Pompey, the Gelae and Legae lived between the Amazons and Albanians:

Georgian historian and linguist Ivane Javakhishvili and linguist, dr. of philological sciences Arnold Chikobava have connected the Gelae with the ethnonym ghalghai (Ingush).[1] [2]

Gargareans

Strabo had also mentioned another tribe inhabiting the Caucasus, that is, Gargareans. According to him, the Amazons lived on their borders:

The Gargareans like Gelae, were also connected to the ethnonym ghalghai by a number of scholars like, Evgeny Krupnov, Gamrekeli, Adrienne Mayor.

Gal of the Vainakh religion

The Chechen linguist, dr. of philological sciences Katy Chokaev connected ghalghai with the name of the God of Sun/Sky Gal (Ingush: ГӀал, Ghal) of the Vainakh religion. Together with plural form of suffix of person "-ghai", it formed the ethnonym which translates, according to Chokaev, as "those who pray to the God of Sun, Gal". He also found a parallel of this etymology with the ethnonym in Mountain Chechen dialects, Ghielaga (Chechen: ГӀиелага). The cult of Gal was found in Ingushetia, and according to the Ossetian scholar, professor, originated in Assa Gorge. Alborov noted that, linguistically, with the rise of the initial consonant, Gal could have formed from older Ingush terms Hal(a) and Al(a), both signifying "god" in ancient times.

Ancestor Gha

The Nakh legends recorded in the 19th century are often interpreted by researchers in a historical context, however, such use requires special source study methods and does not allow establishing an exact chronology to describe any events from the life of the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush. In such legends, ethnonym ghalghai is connected to the legendary ancestor Gha. The Gha's name on the other hand, is explained due to him being supposedly named after leaf's name (Ingush: ГӀа|lit=leaf|links=no) as he was born with it in his hand.

Legends recorded by the Dargin ethnographer in mountainous villages (auls) of Erzi and Falkhan mention how once upon a time there lived three brothers, Ga, Orshtkho/Arshtkho and Nakhcho, from whom the Galgai (Ingush), Orstkhoi and Nokhchi (Chechens) descended. The brothers arrived in the mountains from the east and settled in the area of Galga, from where they began to settle throughout the territories of modern Chechnya and Ingushetia. In Chechen legends about the origin of the Vainakhs, other combinations of the brothers' names were also found, for example, Ako/Akho and Shoto (eponyms for the Akkins and Shatois) could be added.

History

Gligvi

See main article: Gligvi.

In Georgian sources, in the form of Gligvi, it is mentioned as an ethnonym that existed during the reign of Mirian I, as well as the ruler of Kakheti Kvirike III.

Kalkans

See main article: Kalkans. In the Russian sources of 16th–17th centuries, "Ghalghai" was known in the form of "Kalkans/Kolkans", "Kalkan people". Ethnonym "Kalkan" was first mentioned in the article list of and Diyak Torkh in 1589–1590. They were sent by Alexis of Russia to Georgia, when it so happened on their way back they were ambushed and attacked by the Kalkans. Later on, Kalkans become reported in many Russian sources of the 16th century, one of which

Toponymy

See also

Bibliography

English sources

Russian sources

Georgian sources

Notes and References

  1. [translation of the Georgian text] "In ancient times, Greek and Roman geographers called the native inhabitants of the middle and eastern parts of the North Caucasus «Geli» and «Legi». The name Geli (Gelae) is the equivalent of the modern «Ghalgha», as pronounced in their own language and in the Tushin language; and the equivalent of Legi is the Georgian «Lekebi» (Leks, Avars). In Georgian, the first corresponds to «Ghilghvi» (singular) and «Ghilghvelebi» (plural), which are often found in old Tushin folk poems. And in other regions of Georgia, it is customary to designate them as «Ghlighvi»."

  2. "The terms «Sindian», «Gligvian», «Legian», «Albanian» correspond to the names of peoples mentioned in historical Greek sources: Sindi — are one of the Adyghe peoples; Γιλγ- [Gligvi] — the old Georgian name of for Nakh peoples, in particular the Ingush, Γαλγα- [Galga] — the self-name of the Ingush people is close to Ancient Greek, and is close to Ancient Greek ́ (cf. Georgian «leḳ-i» — the collective name of the peoples of Dagestan)."

  3. Book: Вопросы философии. № 4. . Яндаров А.Д.. Чах Ахриев. Жизнь и творчество (к 125-летию со дня рождения). 1975. ru. 138–141.
  4. Web site: Magas: The Silk Roads. UNESCO.
  5. О некоторых непонятных местах в "Слове о полку Игореве". Д.Д. Мальсагов. Известия Чечено-Ингушского научно-исследовательского института истории, языка и литературы. 1 . 2. ru . 1959. Грозный . 152.
  6. Web site: Карта . Проект «Открытый Кавказ» . ru .
  7. Web site: Военно-топографическая пятиверстная карта Кавказского края 1926 года. Military topographic map of Caucasus region, 1926.

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