Tukkhum

Tukkhum (Chechen: Тукхам, romanized: Tuqam; from Old Persian: tau(h)ma) is a term and system introduced in the 1960s, most notably by Soviet Chechen writer Magomet Mamakaev in 1962.^[1] This system does not properly apply to the Chechen nation and the social structure of Chechen clans.^[2]

Mamakaev proposed that the Chechen tukkhum was a type of military-economic union between certain groups of teips, not through consanguinity but established for specific purposes, such as military alliances and economic trade; that the tukkhum occupied a specific territory, which was inhabited by the members of the tukkhum. He also stated that each tukkhum spoke a different dialect of the same Vainakh language.^[3] Despite this, it is still a relatively important social grouping, as seen through various Chechen authors and scholars using it in their descriptions of the Vainakh social structure, as well as its feature on the coat of arms of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.