article On the History of Laz/Chan Hereditary Names: Platei and Mkhujui

Abstract

In the Laz/Chan language, as in other Kartvelian ethnographic groups residing in the Chorokhi basin in Turkey, the Turkish-derived term soyad’i is predominantly used to denote surnames or family names. However, for referring to smaller genealogical groups, Laz/Chan has preserved several ancient Kartvelian lexical units—platei and mkhujui—which correspond to the Turkish-established terms sulale or kebile. The Laz/Chan word platei precisely reflects the position and significance of a genealogical group within a clan. It denotes, on the one hand, a ‘fragment’ or ‘shred’, and on the other, the section of land that has collapsed due to moisture, or the eroded bank or shore of a river. The same applies to mkhujui. In Laz/Chan, mkhujui refers to common ancestry and signifies a community of people sharing the same descent. It is likely that the Laz/Chan mkhujui was, in cultural-typological terms, comparable to the Svan lamkhub – a brotherhood embodying mutual assistance and solidarity. There may also be both typological and phonetic links between the two terms. Based on field-ethnographic and literary sources, numerous interesting Laz/Chan hereditary names have been attested, among which the following are noteworthy: Bekirishi, Vanilishi (Vanlishi), Jevarishi (Jevaishi), Memishishi, Kakhailishi, Azaklishi (Azakishi), Karalishi, Chebishi (Chepishi), Sheerishi, Kelerjishi, Kepalishi, Moshnalishi, Acharalishi, Buiklishi, Dalalishi, Dishlishi, Iamperishi, Kasimishi, Khalilishi, Demiralishi, Shakarishi, Terzishi, and Iajishi.

Recently, researchers have brought to light Ottoman Turkish written sources from the 17th-18th centuries containing Laz/Chan surnames and hereditary names formed with Laz/Chan suffixes. The following  suffixal hereditary names are attested in these Ottoman sources : -va: Pelaghriva, Astragava, Talakhva, Kardaghva, Khorava, Papava, Iovanva, Turteva, Kokova, Kochiva, Checheva, Partiva, Chaniva, Gugava, Kukava (Kokava), Pochkhva, Tevdorava, Dadiva; -ia: Melia, Pilania, Qeshania, Iqsenia, Begia, Shalvaia, Kakhaia, Mania, Basilia, Salia; -skiri: Paskiri, Papaskiri, Papaskuri, Petreskiri, Savaskiri, Mateskiri, Qeskiri, Kokaskiri. Ottoman records also preserve hereditary names ending in -ua (Melua, Morkhua), -ian/-an (Kutiani, Kvarsani, Ketushani, Kodiani, Jajivani, Andvani).

The characteristics of the suffixes found in the Ottoman sources from the late Middle Ages suggest that, during the medieval period, a unified Megrelian-Laz/Chan (Colchian) ethno-social and ethno-linguistic continuum existed along Georgia’s Black Sea coast, within which similar formations of hereditary names were in use. Furthermore, the genealogical system’s structure was typologically parallel to the structure of patronymic organizations found in various regions of Georgia, once again reaffirming the genetic, ethnocultural, and cultural-historical interconnectedness of the Zan (Colchian) and Iberian-Kartvelian ethnographic groups across a wide area.