Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Ingush
Their self-designation is Galgay. They are the majority of the population of the Republic of Ingushetia. They also live in Kabardino-Balkaria; an insignificant number is spread all over Russia. A small diaspora exists in Central Asia.
Language
They speak the Ingush language, which belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch of the Northern Caucasus language family.
Society
The customs of blood feud, kunak brotherhood, veneration of the elders were preserved for a long time. Nuclear families prevailed, but big families also could be encountered often, especially in the mountains. The marriages were exogamous on both lines; bride-price was practiced. Close solidarity of relatives and strict exogamy are typical for the modern Ingush people too. Many Ingush people remember to which kinship groups (teip) they belong.
Clothes
The traditional Ingush clothes are of a common Caucasian type: a man’s shirt worn outside of trousers with a buttoned collar vertically slit in front, belted, a beshmet with a sash and a dagger, a chokha with cartridge belt, a conic papakha fur hat. In the 1920s peaked caps appeared. Everyday female clothing included a long dress, a shirt with slit collar on a button, wide trousers, a beshmet. The wedding dress (chokkhi) is floor-length, made from silk, velvet and brockade, cut to figure and decorated with two rows of metallic clasps. On the head, a cap in the shape of a truncated cone is worn, decorated with gold and silver embroidery.
Food
The traditional Ingush food is mostly meat-, dairy- and plant-based. The most popular dishes are pitas with sauce, corn flour dumplings, wheat flour doughnuts, cheese pies, meat with dumplings, dairy products, etc. The diet included the products of hunting and fishing.
Economy
A major role in the economy of the mountain Ingushetia was played by Alpine cattle breeding and agriculture (barley, oats, wheat), on the plains the prevailing culture was corn. In the 20th century the leading agricultural sectors were gardening and wine growing, fine-fleece sheep breeding and dairy and meat cattle breeding. A significant place in the working activities of the Ingush was taken by construction work (towers, temples and shrines, above-the-ground crypt tombs). The well developed crafts were jewelry, gunsmithing, smithing, pottery, fullery, processing stone, wood and leather.
