The self-organization of the Circassians has historically always been at a high level

In critical moments, the people are capable of immediate consolidation. Every individual feels a personal responsibility for what is happening. This is due to the fact that Circassians share a unified understanding of what is proper and what is not, based on Adygaghe and Adyghe Khabze.

Adyghe Khabze is a moral and legal code, a social institution that combines norms of etiquette with elements of customary law. At the same time, a seemingly obvious fact is of key importance: the ideological foundation of this synthesis, of this organizational unity between law and ethics, is the traditional Circassian ethics — Adygaghe. It is precisely what gives the norms of Adyghe Khabze the character of purposeful programs and models of social behavior, subordinated to a single, synergistic meaning.

This means that within Adyghe Khabze, there can be no norms that contradict Adygaghe — Circassian ethics, its principles, and ideals. Hence follows an important conclusion: without understanding the nature of Adygaghe, it is impossible to fully grasp the essence and specifics of Adyghe Khabze.

This is exactly what has always united us, regulated our behavior, and helped us navigate difficult situations. In such moments, individuals emerge from the people who, feeling a sense of responsibility to their community, strive to find the most correct solution. And the people act as a single organism: everyone feels this within themselves and finds a response in others.

Therefore, it is so important to preserve and cultivate the principles of Adygaghe daily and everywhere. This invaluable experience, expressed in the mentality of the people, has been developed and refined throughout our entire history.

In the early 1990s, the Circassian people found themselves in a critical situation: one wrong step, and chaos could have awaited us. But thanks to the profound folk wisdom shown by those who stood at the forefront, and thanks to mutual understanding between people from different sides, the conflict was resolved with maximum benefit. In my opinion, it was then that the Circassians showed strength, steadfastness, and the ability to act in a unified surge at a critical moment, to declare their subjectivity, without falling into extremes.

Some might say that our elders missed something or fell short. But it is easy to judge when you are outside that situation and years later.

And yet it was precisely then, long decades after the 19th-century genocide, that the Circassians once again asserted themselves as a people, as a subject. Key directions and tasks that needed to be worked on were identified.

We achieved state-level recognition of the Circassian genocide; we spoke loudly about the tragedy that had long been silenced following the Russian-Circassian War.

We told the world that the people are alive. We restored horizontal ties between the Circassians of the diaspora and those who remained in the historical homeland, despite the division by borders and regions. We stood up and said: “We are alive, despite everything. We are one people, even if scattered across the world. We remember who we are. We remember our roots.”

And we once again raised the unified flag of all Circassians — the very one that was once raised in the struggle for freedom.

Martin Kochesoko