Laks



ETHNONYMS: Self-designation: Lakk (sing.), Lakkuchu (pl.). Former self-designations: Ghazi Kumukh or Qazi Qumukh, from the Arabic ghazi (warrior of the faith) and the Lak "Kumukh" (the cultural and political center of the Lak territory).


Marriage and Family

Marriages were traditionally arranged by the families of the couple, with the oldest women taking the most prominent role in the decision making. The bride and groom were most likely to be from the same clan. The custom of paying kalïm (bride-price) persists to a limited degree but the transaction is more symbolic than financial.


Bibliography

Akiner, Shirin (1986). Islamic Peoples of the Soviet Union: An Historical and Statistical Handbook. 2nd ed., 151-156. London: KPI.


Bennigsen, Alexandre (1967). "The Problem of Bilingualism and Assimilation in the North Caucasus." Central Asian Review 15(3):205-211.


Bennigsen, Alexandre, and S. Enders Wimbush (1986). Muslims of the Soviet Empire: A Guide, 167-168. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.


Geiger, Bernhard, et al. (1959). Peoples and Languages of the Caucasus. The Hague: Mouton.


Wixman, Ronald (1980). Language Aspects of Ethnic Patterns and Processes in the North Caucasus. University of Chicago Department of Geography Research Paper no. 191.

Wixman, Ronald (1984). "Daghestanis." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey. 2nd ed., edited by Richard V. Weekes, 212-219. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

RONALD WIXMAN

Also read article about Laks from Wikipedia

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: