From the funds of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University. Photographs of the peoples of the North Caucasus in the exposition of the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879: Brzedugi

Abstract

Introduction. This article continues the series of publications devoted to the study of the photographic images collection of representatives of the the Kuban region peoples at the end of the 19th century. It focuses on the analysis of images of the Brzedugs, one of the Adyghe (Circassian) subethnoses, which played a significant role in the history of the region.

Materials and methods. The basis for the study was the photographic images of Brzedugs from the collection of E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903), presented at the Anthropological Exhibition in Moscow in 1879, and is currently kept in the collections of the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Results and discussion. Digital copies of photographic images of the Brzedugs representatives of the late 19th century, who lived in the Yekaterinodar district of the Kuban region in the villages of Kozet, Assokolai, and Brzegokai, are presented. All photos are made on the letterhead of the photographer P.S. Beletsky and are inserted in cardboard frames. The size of the photo is 11x16 cm, the frame size is 18x22 cm. The front and back sides contain textual information about the name of the region, county, tribe, village, the name of the person depicted, his age and height.

The article presents and analyzes literary information concerning the problems of origin, ethnic history, socio-cultural traditions of the Brzedugs, as well as data on the study of their anthropological features.

Conclusion. Currently, the Bzhedukhs represent the numerically predominant part of the Adygeans living in the Caucasus region. They take a significant part in the cultural and social life of the region and, at the same time, facing the challenges of globalization in modern conditions, preserve their identity based on traditional values and customs. The first published photographs of the Bzhedug people - representatives of one of the oldest Adyghe subethnoses from the collection of E.D. Felitsyn (1879), kept at the Moscow State University Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, are a unique visual source of information and make a new contribution to understanding the ethnocultural diversity of the Caucasus as a whole. The presented photographic materials, supplementing and clarifying the available anthropological, ethnographic and historical data, make it possible to expand the source base and conduct comparative studies with other Adyghe subethnoses living in this region in the second half of the 19th century.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

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