 The Andian nations, the group of nations, which are numbering the Ando-Tsezky (Ando-Didoysky) nations of Daghestan: the Andians, the Akh-Vakhs, the Bagulals, the Botlikhs, the Godoberians, the Karatins, the Tindals, and the Chamalals.
The total number of them in Russia (together with the Tsezsky nations) is 55-60 thousand persons. They are the aboriginal population of high mountains of the Western Daghestan and related with the Avars. The Andian nations speak the Andian languages (the Nakh Dagestan group of the North Caucasian family) and have many dialects. The Avarian, the Chechen (with the Andians, the Botlikhs, the Godoberins), the Russian, the Azerbaijan languages are common among the Andians. The writing is mainly the Russian and the Avarian language based on the Russian writing. The religion is the Moslems - Sunni.
Plinius the Senior mentioned the Andians in the First century. They occupied an extensive territories downstream the Andijskoe Koisu river. There, obviously, the local population assimilated them. Andians nations were organized in communities of the warriors - cattlemen and farmers (the Jamaats). Small form of the family is the prevailing form. Remnant forms of the undivided family were kept only occasionally.
The man's relationship has a priority. Rudiments of the man's unions were kept until the 1940th. Nowadays the Andians nations have created the countrymen associations to solve the local national cultural, administrative and economic problems. Settlements were on the slopes of gorges and had the piled and graduated planning. The 3-4 storey fighting towers with loopholes were build. The dwellings were made of a stone, rectangular and were more often one-storey, with a small courtyard, less often two-storey, with a flat roof.
Clothes were basically the common Daghestanian type. Men were wearing the tunic shirts, narrow trousers, beshmets, Circassian coats, felt cloak, sheepskin coats and hats. Footwear was made from the rawhide leather, felt and wood. Women were wearing sometimes sheepskin coats, scarves and shawls, some versions of the tunic dresses - shirts, narrow trousers. Women footwear mainly was the same as men's. The various silver decorations were common.
The flour and meat-and-milk, fruit, wild growing plants and roots were food for the Andian nations. The basic dishes were the variety of bread, cereal, oatmeal dishes, soups, pies etc. The literature and folklore are bilingual - the Avarian and native languages. Each of the Andian nations has their own agricultural calendar. The folk medicine is well developed. The Andians nations celebrate the calendar and Muslim holidays. In same time they keep belief in devils, genies, witches etc.
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