Discovering the Circassians, a mysterious minority in northern Israel

Located near Tiberias in northern Israel in the Lower Galilee, the village of Kfar Kama is home to one of the oldest communities in the world: the Circassians. 

Between tradition and modernity, the Circassians, who number about 4,000 today, have been able to preserve their customs marked by strict discipline while integrating perfectly into Israeli life. 

i24NEWS traveled to this timeless village to meet members of this minority. Discovery of a people with a fascinating culture. 

Originally from the Caucasus, the Circassians arrived in Israel in 1878 and mostly settled in Kfar Kama (3,200 people) but also in Rehania (around 1,000). Muslims, they see themselves as fully Israelis.

"I feel completely Israeli but I don't feel concerned by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Of course it has an influence because we live in this country, but our community does not identify with it. We have three hats: Circassians, Muslims and Israelis," said David Shawgen, research director of the Circassian Museum in Kfar Kama. 

In order to introduce the Circassian culture to the public, the museum opened its doors 13 years ago and has already welcomed 250,000 Israeli and foreign visitors from all over the world.

"We want everyone to come out of this museum having learned something and be an ambassador who passes on their knowledge about us," says David. "It's a very safe village, we don't judge anyone, everyone is treated equally, it's part of our upbringing," he said. 

A culture of respect highly appreciated by the Jews and Arabs of the region who regularly visit Kfar Kama, known in particular for its famous cheeses. 

From their enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces, to the benches of Israeli universities and then within companies, the Circassians have made a place for themselves in society. 

If, a few years ago, they mainly held agricultural positions, today, 90 percent of them work outside Kfar Kama, in many sectors including high-tech. 80 percent of young people have a university degree. In Circassian families, wives and grandparents also work to bring money home.

A multi-lingual population

The excellence of the Circassians is explained by their impressive mastery of four languages ​​in which they have no accent. Indeed, their mother tongue, Circassian, already has a wide variety of sounds. Composed of 64 letters, this ancient and metaphorical language is essentially based on onomatopoeia.

"At home and between us in the village, we only speak Circassian. The children only learn Hebrew in first grade class with Arabic and English, then writing and reading Circassian in CM2. Having several languages ​​opens a lot of doors, it's a real advantage," explains David. The Kfar Kama panels are notably written in Circassian, Hebrew and Arabic.

No particular physical trait distinguishes the Circassians from other peoples, even if David assures with a laugh that Kfar Kama has the highest number of redheads in the country. It is the same for the first names which are of varied nature. Some are biblical, others Muslim, Circassian, or even Israeli with a meaning in Circassian, for example Dana is equivalent to Meshi in Circassian, meaning "silk."

What are their origins?

"The Circassians are a people whose existence goes back more than 3,000 years: facts confirmed by archeology and DNA studies which link a number of structures from this period - such as dolmens - to a Circassian population. 

Their geographical location, on the northern shores of the Black Sea, made them prime prey for neighboring peoples, including the Greeks, Persians and Mongols. But the most important of these invasions is certainly the invasion by the Russian Empire in the 18th century. It will have definitively marked the destiny of the Circassians: 101 years of wars and exterminations, sealed by the expulsion of the people from their land", says Catherine Said, guide and co-founder of Zaatar Israel Travel Experiences.

"On May 21, 1864, more than 90 percent of a population of more than one and a half million were exterminated or expelled. In the second half of the 19th century, the Ottoman sultans took a close interest in this population, renowned for its moral values ​​and its excellent warrior capacities. The Circassians were installed by the Ottomans in regions of the empire as guardians of order and its interests. On the Golan, they founded the city of Quneitra in 1873, as well as than 12 other localities including Ein Zivan, and were dispersed in Syria, and in Jordan,” she added.

A warrior discipline right down to the plate 

Today, although the Circassians no longer fight, they nevertheless remain deeply imbued with a culture of war which can still be seen in their relationship to food and in their continuous self-control. The Circassian never lets himself go, starting with his posture, which he constantly strives to keep straight.

"In Circassian, 'how are you?' means 'how are you standing?' It gets under our skin. It's a sign of respect for ourselves and for each other, we are careful to stand up straight when we walk, when we enter a room and even when we dance," says David.

The traditional dress, which includes a long jacket and fur hat, is no longer worn today due to Israel's high temperatures, but everyone has one at home, reserved for special occasions.

"There was only one size of dress, 50 cm around the waist, the person had to fit the dress and not the other way around, it is for this reason that the Circassians were not big eaters because they always had to be in good physical shape to fight. As for the hat, it was adapted to the format of each head," continues David.

To be good warriors, the Circassians had a fairly strict lifestyle, including their diet which was energizing and healthy but not necessarily refined, with small quantities but an important nutritional contribution. It was made up of 60 percent milk, 20 percent vegetables and 10 percent meat. Butter and cheeses were an integral part of cooking. At the time, they ate squatting, three bites in 6 minutes a few centimeters from a small table about 30 cm high with 7 other people, always ready to defend themselves in the event of an attack. 

Even if nowadays their cuisine has been enriched with Mediterranean dishes, the doctrine "eat to live and not live to eat" is still in force. Even today, they give little importance to the pleasures of the table.

On the other hand, among the Circassians, the folk dance occupies a dominating place. It is particularly through it that young single people get to know each other, and it is part of the wedding ceremony. "When you come back from a Jewish wedding, people ask you how the food was, back home, they ask how the dances were," David said. 

"All marriages begin with the traditional dance in an arc with the men on one side and the women on the other, single. A mediator manages the dance to the sound of the accordion, and castanets, we start with slow dances then faster ones", explains David, "in general these are dances to meet people."

For 30 years, a festival has been organized every summer in Kfar Kama, in the presence of troupes from Turkey, Jordan or the Caucasus to present traditional dances to Israelis who come from all over the country. For two days, the unique universe of the village is within everyone's reach, thanks to street performances, but also to the museum, which opens its doors free of charge and offers guided tours every hour of the day. 

Marriage and child rearing

In Israel, the vast majority of Circassians marry each other, and about thirty unions are celebrated each year. In 150 years, only 50 mixed marriages have taken place (Jew/Circassian, Arab/Circassian or even Russian/Circassian). Most of these couples live in Kfar Kama but, in general, these marriages do not last long, concedes David, because the traditions are very different, even between Muslims. 

Intimate relationships are prohibited before marriage, as are dating. And the contract signed by the spouses before the wedding is governed by Circassian rules.

Another distinctive sign, the Circassians are characterized by their discretion and silence. Women give birth in particular without crying by controlling their emotions, "it's as if they already had a natural epidural because they were raised that way. Circassians internalize suffering," says David. 

The child per woman rate is 1.9, the lowest in the country. Previously, Circassians swaddled the infant at birth and tied him in a cradle until he was six months old to make him feel like he was still in his mother's womb.

“It allowed the baby to sleep without waking up too often and to grow better, we only took him out of bed to feed him and change him. This technique is still used in some families,” says David, who has used it himself for his children.

If today most Circassian traditions have been modernized in small steps, it is very important for the community to perpetuate these rituals which sign its authenticity. 

Caroline Haïat is a journalist for the French site of i24NEWS