Andis - Orientation

Identification. The Andis are one of the indigenous Daghestanian peoples of the former USSR. Their territory is included in the Botlikh District ( raion ) of the Daghestanian Autonomous SSR.

Location. The Andis live in western Daghestan. Their neighbors to the northwest are the Chechens; to the southeast, the small ethnic groups speaking other Andian languages and the Avars. The principal area of settlement, Andia, is a vast valley bordered by the Andi ridge and its spurs. The snow-covered steep ridge forms the entire northern boundary and exercises a moderating influence on Andia's climate by sheltering it from cold winds. In the past, access to Andia could be difficult: the roads linking it to the outside world were guarded on the south by the Mynin Tower and on the north by the fortress of Butsurkha. At present, however, all of the Andian villages are linked by automobile routes.

Demography. In 1938 the Andis numbered 9,750. By 1990 the population had grown to over 25,000. The density of settlement is 39-40 persons per square kilometer. About half of the Andis have emigrated to the Daghestanian lowlands (Khasavyurt, Babayurt, and Kizilyurt districts). Although they were counted as a separate nationality in the 1926 census, the Andis, along with the seven other small communities speaking languages of the Andian Subgroup (see "Linguistic Affiliation"), have been counted as Avars in more recent Soviet censuses.

Linguistic Affiliation. The Andi language belongs to the Andian Subgroup of the Andi-Avar-Dido Group, itself a subdivision of the Daghestanian Branch of the Northeast Caucasian (Nakh-Daghestanian) Language Family. Linguists have described seven Andi dialects, which form two closely related dialect groups: Upper Andi and Lower Andi (Munib-Kvankhidatl). The speech of women and men are distinguished by certain phonetic, lexical, and stylistic features (noted in the village of Andi).