Perché ho sentito che Svan, Migeli, Laz e Georgians sono popoli diversi, ma d’altra parte le persone dicono che non sono così che è così?
di marscocdelta
Perché ho sentito che Svan, Migeli, Laz e Georgians sono popoli diversi, ma d’altra parte le persone dicono che non sono così che è così?
di marscocdelta
4 commenti
Lazs consider themselves to be different people, but relatives to Kartvelians.
Svans and Megrelians consider themselves to be Kartvelians (Georgians, as you wrote).
With the exception of Laz, they are regions within a country, each with their own distinct culture, people and even language.
Georgians are further subdivided into subethnic groups. Svans and Megrelians are the ones most commonly mentioned in the foreign “sources” (like youtube video) because they have their own language, but there are some 13 more such groups, such as kakhetians, Rachvelians, Adjarians and Gurians.
Whether Lazs are Georgian is a controversial topic. Technically yes, since they speak a Kartvelian language, but most of them reside outside of Georgia and don’t identify with it.
To expand on this a little, when Russian Empire was annexing Georgia, in their censuses they identified Georgians based on which Kingdom/Principality they were from.
The word “Georgian” was used for citizens of Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, even though it contained Kartlians (from which the Georgian word for Georgia comes from), Kakhetians, Khevsurs, Tushs, Mtiuletians and Mokhevians.
While “Imeretian” was used for those from the Kingdom of Imereti, even though it also contained Rachvelians and Lechkhumians.
This contributed to “different peoples” narrative a bit, but really we are one people, much like how Germans can be Saxons or Bavarians but are still German.
“Georgian” is a collective name for – Abkhaz, Svan, Megrelian, Imeretian, Kakhetian, Kartlian, Adjarian and so on people.
We are same people divided by Geographical landscape. Megrelian, Svan, Laz and Georgian languages have the same roots but they were separated a while ago. All of them are part of Kartvelian language family. So all these people are Kartvelians and in Georgian name of our country is “Sa-Kartvel-o” which basically translates as “Land of Kartvelians”.
All those tribes are Kartvelian tribes therefore this is Land of Kartvelians, therefore we are all the same and we are all equal.