Voices from the North Caucasus: Circassian Advocacy in the Global Indigenous Struggle
Circassia Speaks: Indigenous Identity and Global Justice
Adel Bashqawi
October 26, 2025
Introduction
Voices from the North Caucasus echo across centuries of displacement, resilience, and cultural defiance. As a Circassian, I speak not only of historical injustice, but of our enduring presence as an Indigenous people whose identity transcends borders and erasure. Ours is a nation scattered yet unbroken—a people indigenous to a homeland from which we were violently exiled, and whose legal recognition remains absent in the eyes of the international community.
Circassians have the right to preserve their language, traditions, and identity across a global diaspora. In the global struggle for Indigenous rights, Circassia speaks—calling for recognition, cultural dignity, restoration of legitimate rights, and a place within the international community where our voice is no longer silenced, but amplified.
I. Historical Context: A Nation Uprooted
The Circassian people are native to the northwest Caucasus, where they lived for millennia before the Russian Empire’s brutal conquest in the 19th century. The culmination of this campaign in 1864 marked one of the earliest modern cases of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Hundreds of thousands were killed; over 90% of our population was forcibly exiled to the Ottoman Empire. This was not merely a military defeat—it was a deliberate attempt to erase a people from their homeland, their memory, and their future.
Circassians “were mentioned in the books of ancient Greek historians, such as Herodotus, Strabo, and Seleucus. They called the Circassians by different names, such as Sarkis, Karkat, and Karkas.” [1]
Yet despite this historical trauma, Circassians have preserved their identity across more than 50 countries. Our story is not only one of loss, but of survival.
II. Cultural Resilience: Diaspora as a Living Archive
In exile, Circassians built new lives while fiercely protecting their heritage. They maintained their language, oral traditions, dances, and social codes—often in the face of assimilation and marginalization. Diaspora communities became living archives of a homeland they could no longer access, and elders became the custodians of a culture that refused to vanish.
Today, this resilience is expressed through cultural centers, digital archives, youth initiatives, and a growing movement to reclaim the Circassian narrative. But resilience alone is not enough. Without legal recognition and institutional support, our culture remains vulnerable to erasure.
III. International Advocacy: From Memory to Mobilization
The Circassian Question is emblematic of the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples who are stateless, dispersed, and denied recognition. Our advocacy is not only about the past—it is about the future. We seek acknowledgment of the genocide, the right of return to our ancestral lands, and the protection of our cultural and linguistic rights.
International platforms—such as specialized and academic conferences—are vital. They open the door for Circassians and other Indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus to connect, cooperate, share strategies, and amplify their voices in global forums. Through legal advocacy, historical research, and cultural diplomacy, we are building the foundations of a movement that transcends borders, in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. [2]
Conclusion: A Voice Reclaimed
To speak as a Circassian today is an act of defiance and hope. It is a declaration that Circassians are not relics of history, but participants in shaping a more just and inclusive future. Circassia speaks—not only for itself, but in solidarity with the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus and all other Indigenous peoples whose rights, lands, and dignity have been denied.
Historical context, cultural resilience, and international advocacy—aligned with the mission of Circassian activists—can lead to the recognition of Indigenous legal rights, address diaspora challenges, and ensure cultural preservation. In the broader movement for Indigenous rights, Circassia speaks—asserting that cultural survival is a form of resistance, and that justice begins with recognition.
Let this movement and trend be a step toward recognition, restoration, and renewed alliance.
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References:
[1] https://justicefornorthcaucasus.info/?p=1251685139
[2] https://www.ohchr.org/en/indigenous-peoples/un-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples
