Cherkesogai

Cherkesogai
Total population
	100,000 - 350,000
Regions with significant populations
	Armavir, Maykop
Languages
	Armenian, Adyghe, Kabardian, Russian
Religion
	Armenian Apostolic Church
Related ethnic groups
	other Armenians

Cherkesogai (Russian: Черкесогаи), or Circassian Armenians (Armenian: չերքեզահայեր cherk'ezahayer;^[1] Circassian: Адыгэ-ермэлы, Adyge-ermely; Russian: черкесские армяне, romanized: cherkesskiye armyane); sometimes referred to as Ermeli (Circassian: Ермэлы), Mountainous Armenians (Russian: горские армяне, romanized: gorskiye armyane) or Transkuban Armenians (закубанские армяне, zakubanskiye armyane),^[2] are ethnic Armenians who have inhabited Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Republic of Adyghea since the end of 15th century and spoke the Adyghe language (currently, most of them speak Russian as their first language), in contrast to other Armenians living in the region. They reside mostly in the cities of Armavir and Maykop. The total number of Cherkosogai is about 50,000 people (2008 estimate).^{[citation needed]} According to the Russian 2002 Census, 230 Armenians speak Lowland Adyghe and 222 speak Kabardian Adyghe natively.^[3]

Notable Cherkesogai include the first Soviet millionaire Artyom Mikhailovich Tarasov, Prix Goncourt-winning writer Henri Troyat (né Lev Aslanovich Tarasov),^[4] merchant Nikita Pavlovich Bogarsukov and ballerina Olga Aslanovna Tarasova.^[5]

^ Arakelyan, Hranush (1980). "Չերքեզահայերի էթնիկ ինքնագիտակցության հարցի շուրջ [On the self-identity of Circassian Armenians]" (in Armenian). Yerevan: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Armenian National Academy of Sciences: 35–36. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ (in Russian) Л.В. Бурыкина. Черкесогаи Северо-Западного Кавказа в XIX в.
^ 2002 All-Russia Population Census: Language (except Russian) population of the most numerous nationalities (with a population of 400 thousand people or more) Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
^ Galstyan, Ripsime. "Pamyati pisatelnya Anri Truajya – predtechi "Majrika"" Памяти писателя Анри Труайя – предтечи "Майрика" [Memory of the Writer Henri Troyat – Leading "Mayrig"]. Armmuseum.ru (in Russian). Moscow: Armenian Museum of Moscow and Culture of Nations. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Род Тарасовых происходил из черкесогаев. [The Tarasov family originated from the Cherkesogai.]
^ Zatikyan, Magdalina (1 September 2015). Американский потомок черкесских армян [Americans of Cherkesogai origin] (in Russian).

[1] Arakelyan, Hranush (1980). "Չերքեզահայերի էթնիկ ինքնագիտակցության հարցի շուրջ [On the self-identity of Circassian Armenians]" (in Armenian). Yerevan: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Armenian National Academy of Sciences: 35–36. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[2] (in Russian) Л.В. Бурыкина. Черкесогаи Северо-Западного Кавказа в XIX в.

[3] 2002 All-Russia Population Census: Language (except Russian) population of the most numerous nationalities (with a population of 400 thousand people or more) Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

[4] Galstyan, Ripsime. "Pamyati pisatelnya Anri Truajya – predtechi "Majrika"" Памяти писателя Анри Труайя – предтечи "Майрика" [Memory of the Writer Henri Troyat – Leading "Mayrig"]. Armmuseum.ru (in Russian). Moscow: Armenian Museum of Moscow and Culture of Nations. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Род Тарасовых происходил из черкесогаев. [The Tarasov family originated from the Cherkesogai.]

[5] Zatikyan, Magdalina (1 September 2015). Американский потомок черкесских армян [Americans of Cherkesogai origin] (in Russian).

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