Photographs by Vladimir Karinin document a (stylized) traditional Circassian horse-branding ceremony (дамыгъэ тедзэныгъэ; damighe teidzenighe) in the village of Schheliqwe (Щхьэлыкъуэ; aka Shalushka) in the Chegem Region (Шэджэм) of Kabarda, at the foot of ’Waschhemaxwe (Iуащхьэмахуэ), that took place in 2009.
17-year-old Ozdemir Ts’ip’ine (ЦIыпIынэ Уэздемыр), son of the late ethnographer Aslhen Ts’ip’ine,
holding a ghwo [гъуо], a wind musical instrument used to herald the beginning of solemn ceremonies,
after inaugurating the horse-branding ceremony, Schheliqwe, Kabarda, 2009.
[Photograph courtesy of Vladimir Karinin]
The ceremony was organised by the Circassian ethnographer Aslhen Ts'ip'ine (ЦIыпIынэ Аслъэн; ruthlessly gunned down by Islamist extremists on 29 December 2010), whose native village is Schheliqwe, his close friend Ibragim Yaganov (Егъэн; Yeghen), a Circassian/Abaza activist who keeps a horse farm in Kabarda, and Zamir Shix’we (Шыхъуэ Зэмир; Shukhov), a Circassian activist. This dynamic trio had played a pivotal role in reviving ancient Circassian customs and traditions and beliefs and popularizing them.
Each Circassian family (of princely, noble, or free stock) used to have a unique symbol, damighe (дамыгъэ), which was cut out on belongings and used as a decoration pattern and to brand horses and cattle.
Hobbling the horse to take it down.
The horse has been branded.
Aslhen Ts'ip'ine (ЦIыпIынэ Аслъэн) at a traditional Circassian
horse-branding ceremony (дамыгъэ тедзэныгъэ; damighe teidzenighe)
in Schheliqwe, his native village, in 2009.
Ts'ip'ine was one of the principal organisers of the event.
Circassian riders demonstrate their skills at a traditional Circassian horse-branding ceremony.
Young Circassian dare-devil rider (шууей; shuwey) showing his skills
at a traditional Circassian horse-branding ceremony.
