The history of one family

The history of one family line or genealogical tree of the Farkhatovs family

Returning to folk traditions, trying to preserve them in desire to present the original culture of our people to others lead, one way or another, to an interest in our own roots, our ancestors. Often at sunset, many people turn their attention to the family line and sometimes make great efforts to restore the history of their family and to recreate their ancestral tree. These efforts are sometimes not limited by independent searching of archival data and studying of the history of their family line in historical sources. Having opportunities, some people address to specialists and they are ready to spend money and time for restoration of their family relationship and blood ties. But in most cases, the family tree is created with their own forces. At the time, this attempt was made by Ilyas Farkhatov who moved from Armavir in Khamyshki because of restoration of his ancestral roots. And, as it turned out, it was successfully.  How did he begin to recreate his family tree?

- Even when I lived in Armavir, I heard quite by chance the speech of the writer Galina Sheveleva that one candidate of sciences restored her family tree for writing her doctoral dissertation. One day she went with the expedition to Nepal, accompanied by an interpreter and a guide. And, as you know, where there is no civilization, the people are more open and more good-natured. The local people cordially greeted her, but on the third day she felt an abrupt change in the attitude towards her. They put additionally to her servants, elaborated exclusively for her another mode of the day, prepared especially for her special food and controlled everything that she was eating. The scientist immediately noticed these changes and was surprised. As it turned out, in this tribe a person who couldn’t know their ancestry to 13-th line by heart, was considered to be a fool or to have lost his memory. And because their guest was engaged in sciences, everyone decided that she just lost her memory. So, they began to nourish her to restore her memory. That scientist only knew her grandmother's name, but she didn't know her maiden name. As a result, she became ashamed, and she has begun to make his family tree. That's why I started to create it myself. But until I reached the result, I had a dozen versions. One of them has incarnated in the family tree of the Farkhats.

If you begin to create your family tree, you should know its essence and rules of its creation. In its essence, a family or genealogical tree is a "conditional scheme describing family relationships within the same family. It is often depicted as a real tree. It is usually presented next to the roots the ancestor or the last descendant for whom the scheme is made, and different lines of the family are on the branches" (1). The recreation of such family tree leads to formation of family values, to creation of a sense of unity among the descendants, whom it silently teaches to understand them and be proud of their family, family line and people. Therefore, the family tree can be ascending: "the chain is built in direction from descendant to ancestors, and as the initial element is the compiler of the scheme" (1), and it can be descending: "the chain has an opposite direction, and it is one ancestor as the beginning" (1). In the second case, for creation this tree, you need to know a lot about your relatives: direct and indirect, because only extensive information about the family is able to take into account lines of inheritance which could be of two types: straight branches and lateral branches.

- In general, I have created my family tree during three years. By that time. I already knew that my ancestor returned with his younger son to these lands. Honestly, I thought it was a legend. But now it seems to me that it has to be true. In December of 1862, my ancestor Khapat (Pak) and his son Magomet jumped off the ship and returned to earth, and then they settled in the village Dzherokay, which was already relocated. And they did so because Khapat had his friends in the Guagovs family. This friendship has continued for a century. My father treated their descendant as his own brother and could trust things he could not trust even to his own relatives. He was ready to share with the Guagovs brothers everything, and his house, and food. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find ancestors living before Khapat. They say, the archives in Tbilisi have information about him. But the story of where our name came from was told me by the archaeologist Lovpache Nurbiy Gazizovich. In general, I’m very grateful to him for everything. The story of our meeting is interesting. Once we came to Guzeripl, and then it was only the hotel "Enektur". We come there, and there is a pioneer camp for the whole summer. In search of overnight stay, we went to Khamyshki where I never was before. Then before Bzykha, we saw the signboard "Rooms for rent". We stopped, we drive closer, and we saw the signboard "Oulitsa Mira 2A". My wife paid attention to her and pointed out the following to me. Below, it was written "Zezarakhov Abdullah Mahmudovich". And I have just one mother’s relative Zezarakhov. That was time when I met Abdullah and gave him my card. But he apologized to me and said that he had guests from Rostov. Then he left us. But after some time, he ran back to us and asked me about my tamga. Then he told me that my ancestors were from here, from Khamyshki. After that, he told me a fairy tale story that surprised me very much. In the newspaper "The Circassians of Stavropol" of 2007, it was published a small article which I wrote on the basis of his story. And it turned out that I misled the people. Abdullah told me when our ancestors were evicted, deported from here, the locals went to the mountain Monk, Mazytkha, and they knocked on the rock their tamgas, family signs. But during some earthquake that rock crumbled and laid down so that all of them were clearly visible. I wrote about it in that article. But, I admit, it is a fairy tale, it was not true. In fact, this stone was described before the revolution. And studying the archives, Nurbiy Lovpache found this description. And then he has looked for this stone during 4 years and he found it quite by chance. Then he described it himself. I have somewhere one article about this stone. After this, I got acquainted with Lovpache, and he opened, so to speak, my eyes. He examined signs on the stone and said that tamga of our family accounted 900 years. So, our tamga was knocked out one of the first. And he, Nurbiy Lovpache, explained me that our family sign was taken from the mountain Trident. It is true, I've seen her before. But not always when you look, you see. Looking and seeing are not the same things. My roots, origins of our family took their beginning from this Trident. Unfortunately, I have not been able to create the entire bloodline So far, our family tree has 6 generations. Perhaps, if I had to go to Nepal, I'm afraid they'd think I was a fool or a memory-deprived.

It is no secret that memories of relatives, especially of older generation who still remember stories of their parents about their ancestors, can help to create their family tree in many ways. And often, according to their stories, next generations restore their genealogy, as if they build their father's house bit by bit. And, so, the history of the family, the history of the family lines reveals features and values of blood relatives, helps to a person to self-identify and even to learn his personal foundations. Therefore, stories of grandparents can only strengthen family relations and family ties.

- I had a grandmother. She died in 1955 when I was 9 years old. She was from the Brantovs family of Khakurinokhabl and she told me many more interesting things. Especially, I remember Asker Gadagatl who came to her. He was recording her stories about Narts. Then my father categorically forbade to present her  family name. This time the Adyghes were afraid of the authorities. Sorry, I can’t retell literally all that she said. But she was talking very beautiful, very interesting, exciting. Honestly, I've never heard anyone talking so interesting. By the way, Gadagatl didn’t write that his informant was Farkhatova. Returning to our family tree, I would like to note that I and my brothers are the fourth generation. But I don't know the name of the wife of Khapat, father of Magomet. In this regard, I would like to tell about one interesting case. When I was still living in Armavir, I was one of the creators of Adyghe Khase in the city. At the opening in 2003, we were visited by Asker Shkhalakhov. That's when I met him. And the year before, when we had the gathering ceremony of the Farkhatovs and "farkhatian", he called me and said that a relative of mine arrived here from Turkey. Of course, we met him. He's not Farkhatov anymore. In the time in Turkey, all Circassians have changed their names in the form of an ultimatum, the Circassian names were banned. His ancestor, who moved there in 1862, was lame. Therefore, it was called Timur Lenk, Timur the Lame. And it became a surname to all his descendants. The person, with whom I met, was named Lutvy. But he has the same tamga, similar to ours. He has a higher formation, he is a cartographer, and he is very interested in history and culture of the Adyghe people.

Knowledge of origin of family name can shed light on history of the whole family. However, it isn’t so easy to learn its etymology. Sometimes we can make a mistake if we try to examine it ourselves. Then, we may need to address to the experts who will help us not only to learn the scientific name of the family, to determine all the types of tamga, which we had, but also to find out how ancient it may be.

- Before my acquaintance with Nurbiy Lovpache I knew nothing about the origin of my surname. In his book, presented to me, he wrote: "This commander who existed, was named Uar Hatu." In his words, "Uar "is a proper name, and "Hatu" means the Hutts, ancestors of the Adyghes. Unfortunately, I was not able to restore generations that preceded Khapat (Pak). However, I have not yet applied to the archive in Tbilisi, as they advised me. And I didn’t address to our national archives. In fact, I started creating my family tree 11 years ago. In addition, some circumstances of my life prevented me to know the appearance of my ancestors in Dzherokay. However, I continue to study the history of my family through the history of our people.

A genealogical tree is as alive and growing as a real tree, growing out of the ground. Taking origins from its roots and leaning on its trunk, it spreads its branches in different directions and sometimes quite widely. Therefore, it is equally important to continue to make their genealogy, even with the simplest means of hand. But it’s most important, it’s necessary to involve in the family affair next generations that will continue it, keeping it so well as family photo album or family archive.

- When I see how our ancestral tree is replenished, I am filled with pride.  In fact, I live for them, for my children and grandchildren. But not only. Every year I wait for the second day of July. This is the most important day for me. It is a day of family gathering ceremony of Farkhatovs and "farkhatians". I chose this day myself. I thought that, at this time, the children finished studying in school, those that need to enter in college, have been received. It's also the vacation time. This year, everyone is gathered here in the courtyard. This is the biggest holiday for me. Actually, I always open this gathering ceremony of the Farkhatovs as the older of the family, and then the whole program is executed. Others perform, share their successes and achievements. This year, we made a small edition of the family calendar of the Farkhatovs as a gift to all relatives. Then everything is written in the Family book. And if it is written in the "Sovietskaya Adyghea” about someone from our family or about our relatives, I collect these notes and articles. We even have a "family writer". This is my nephew Ruslan Farkhatov. He was chosen by the whole family because of his calligraphy skills. This year we also took a common photo, there were gathered 53 people. We will continue to organize such family meetings every year. And everyone is waiting for this family gathering ceremony. The grandchildren of my niece Marina Kuvaeva begin to get in Khamyshki since January. Today I can say all that I wanted to know and to do about my bloodline, I have already achieved. But I would like that after me it could continued, and that my house in Khamyshki, which I had built, would became a home of the family Farkhatovs, a place where the Farkhatovs could gather. Surely, I am glad that my eldest son is very serious about this case. He and his sister, my eldest daughter, were responsible for creating the family calendar. I still hope for my youngest son. He is a student of St. Petersburg medical University, he is 21 years old. He was named Anatoly as my brother. He died on the 19th August, and my son was born on the 29th August. So I'm counting on these two sons of mine.  And for all those who would like to create their family tree, I would advise them to take seriously this affair, to put their heart and soul into it. And the heart will tell where and how to search. Either way, it comes from the heart. A lot of people thought I was just doing nothing. Frankly speaking, it’s necessary to "get sick" with it, in a good way. That's all! For every man, the most important thing is to know his genealogy, to know his roots!

The family tree, the Family book and even the family calendar printed in the printing house are not just temporary impressions of a deep studying of the genealogy, they are precious relics that the whole family, the family generations will keep for centuries, so as not to lose memory and not to become a fool, as it is considered by one tribe from Nepal. And most importantly, they will preserve the memory of the man who put his efforts, his soul and heart to restore the history of his family, schematically in the form of family tree. About the man who is trying from year to year to strengthen family relations and family ties, gathering in his big house all their relatives and friends, teaching them to share their lives and their achievements. And there is he who is proud of successes of each of his relatives and rejoices at the birth of his new descendants, inscribing each with a simple felt-tip pen in the thick crown of a colorful ancestral tree. So he creates the story of one genealogy, the story of his family, his family generations and even his nation.

We thank very much for writing this articlel Ilyas Farkhatov who sincerely shared in his interview his experience of many years in creating the family tree, as well as Kaplan Vorokov and Varzames Kudainetov for offered opportunities.

Written by Fatima Teuchezh

Bibliography:
1. The article "How to make a family tree" / Russian house of genealogy/