What I Have Learned
by Kathryn Smart
In May 2015, I packed my bags and left from Monterey to Grozny, Chechnya with the financial help from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. My research about culture, politics, and religion in the Chechen Republic would last through the summer and Fall 2015 semester. When I arrived, I had an apartment waiting for me in Microrayon, a neighborhood in the northern part of the city. This region was completely rebuilt after being destroyed during the First and Second Chechen Wars. The Russian soldiers were able to take over Grozny by entering this region, destroying everything in their path. It amazed me that I was living in the very neighborhood that I read so much about in journalistic novels and history books.
Immediately upon my arrival, I noticed the respect everyone had for each other. When we were boarding the bus to our plane from Moscow to Grozny, the men waited in the cold, while the elderly, women, and children boarded the bus first. Another example of how people respect each other is while we are walking around the city. I quickly learned that if a man or an elder wants to cross in front of my path, I must stop and wait for them to fully cross in front of me before I continue on my way. All these little ways to show respect were difficult to remember while I was going about my everyday routine. I was scolded at a few times for disrespecting people, but when I would ask them to switch to Russian from Chechen, most people understood that I was a foreigner and not intentionally disrespecting anyone.
When people discovered that I was an American, who was studying their traditions and culture, they were so welcoming and accepting. Most Chechens are so proud of being Chechen, and when a foreigner was interested in their culture, they only became more proud. Never was I negatively accepted by anyone in Chechnya, which further supports that they are one of the most hospital cultures. Whenever I needed help with something, any person off of the street was ready to help me, and most of these people tried to convince me to stay in Chechnya forever.
After living and studying in Grozny for a couple months, I agreed to live with my Chechen tutor in a nearby village called Zakan Yurt for the month of August. This was a very difficult month. This village is one of the few villages that must be passed through in order to get to president Ramzan Kadyrov’s native village. Additionally, a powerful minister lives in Zakan Yurt and people must live very conservatively. My family kept me inside of their home for the entire month, because a proper girl does not wander around with nowhere to go. Although there is a beautiful river and a stunning mosque in this village, I was never given a chance to see them.
Upon my return back to Grozny, I started my research about Chechen politics and religion. No one wanted to talk to me about politics and when someone opened up about a controversial topic they would add, “Please do not write this anywhere or say that I said that.” It was evident that people were genuinely afraid to talk about politics. In addition to politics, people were also hesitant to talk about religion, even though it was more acceptable to talk about it, but, nevertheless, people still became uncomfortable.
Although there are many different political and religious views throughout Chechnya, it is understood that Chechens live base on the concepts of respect and honor. All Chechen traditions have developed out of respect for men and elders, while the people follow the Islamic concepts of right and wrong for the sake of their families’ honor. In current times, however, there are split opinions about how proper Chechens should live their lives. Some Chechens believe that they should follow old Chechen traditions, even if they are not consistent with Islam, while others believe that even though they are Chechens, they must abandon certain parts of their culture to correctly follow the teachings of Islam. This disunion among the Chechen people makes it difficult to fully understand the Chechen people as a whole.
December 13, 2015