Chuvashes
Чăвашсем
Căvašsem

Total population
up to 2 million
Regions with significant populations
Russia 1,637,094 [1]  Kazakhstan 22,305 [2]  Ukraine 10,593 [3]  Uzbekistan 10,074 [4]  Turkmenistan 2,281 [5]  Belarus 2,242 [6]  Latvia 1,509 [7]  Moldova 1,204 [8]  Kyrgyzstan 848 [9]  Georgia 542 [10]  Estonia 495 [11]  Azerbaijan 489 [12]
Languages
Chuvash Russian (as second language) Tatar (as second or third language)
Religion
Orthodox Christianity Chuvash faith Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Suvars Volga Bulgars

The Chuvash people (Chuvash: чăвашсем, Căvašsem; Russian: чуваши) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga Region of Russian Federation. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although distant Chuvash communities may be found as far east as Siberia.

[edit] Etymology

Up to this day, there is no universally accepted etymology of the word Chuvash. However, there are two main theories that try to explain it.

[edit] Suvar

According to one theory, "Chuvash" is a Shaz-Turkic adaptation of Lir-Turkic "Suvar", an ethnonym of people that are widely considered to be the ancestors of modern Chuvashes. Compare Lir-Turkic Chuvash: huran to Shaz-Turkic Tatar: qazan (cauldron).

[edit] Jăvaš

Another theory suggests that the word "Chuvash" may be derived from Common Turkic jăvaš ("friendly", "peaceful") as opposed to "şarmăs" ("warlike").

[edit] Origin

There are rival schools of thought on the origin of Chuvash people. One is that they originated from a mixing between the Suvar and Savir tribes of Volga Bulgaria with local Mari tribes. Another is that Chuvashes are remainders of pre-Volga Bulgar (Hunnic) population of Volga region, partly merged with Scythians, Volga Bolgars and Maris.

[edit] Subgroups

Chuvash people are divided into two main groups: Virjal or Turi (Chuvash: вирьял, тури; upper) and Anatri (Chuvash: анатри; lower). The latter also have their own subgroups: Anat jenci (Chuvash: анат енчи; mid-lower) and Hirti (Chuvash: хирти; steppe).

[edit] History

Turkic-speaking ancestors of Chuvash people are believed to have come from Central Asia, where they lived in the basin of Irtysh (between Tian Shan and Altay) from at least the end of third millennia BC^[13]. In the beginning of first century AD they started moving west through Zhetysu and steppes of modern-day Kazakhstan, and reached North Caucasus in II-III centuries AD. There they established several states (Old Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast and Suvar Duchy in modern-day Daghestan) and came into contact with Iranic peoples (Scythians, Sakas, Sarmatians and later, Alans).

[edit] Population

[edit] Culture

They speak the Chuvash language and are predominantly Orthodox Christian, with some pre-Christian traditions. In addition to the Chuvash language, many Chuvash people also use the Russian and Tatar languages.

[edit] Religion

[edit] See also

• List of Chuvashes

[edit] References