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Your Source for Culture, History, and Tourism in the North Caucasus Mountains of Russia.
126 Episodes
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Well, “all good things must come to an end,” as they say. (Even though this isn’t actually true.) It has been our singular privilege and joy to bring you CaucasTalk for the last 4+ years, and we are struck to the heart to say goodbye. Our life situations have made it such that a) we … Continue reading "CT114 – 😭 End of the Road! 😭 | **FINAL EPISODE** | Lessons Learned | Listener Statistics | Words of “Wisdom” | Farewell from Andrew & Eli"
A Happy New Year note—with some news minutes—from yours truly at CaucasTalk! Tahseen from Rise’n’Glide: https://caucastalk.com/episode67
After three years of hanging in the wings just listening to CaucasTalk, Abdurahim finally steps up to the mic to represent his beautiful Dagestani people group, the Aghuls. (Thanks to some arm-twisting from Andrew 🙂 The Aghuls hail from the southern midlands of Dagestan and, like many people groups, they lack strong resources for their … Continue reading "CT113 – Aghuls: In Their Own Words! | Losing One’s Own Language | Language Recovery & Advocacy | Avgaz.app"
How does a truck driver from Wisconsin become a champion of local cultural developing a rural mountain valley in the North Caucasus? Matt Johnson tells us today, not only of his several and often hair-raising ascents of Mt. Elbrus one many of the six routes—including lightning storms, crevasses, and a mountain rescue—but much more about … Continue reading "CT112 – Elbrus Alpine Foundation: Matt Johnson on the West Face of Elbrus | Locally-Led Development | Lightning, Crevasses & Avalanches | Mountain Rescue | KLM Fail!"
Who are the Cossacks? And what is their connection to the North Caucasus? The fascinating history of this group of “free men” become warrior caste interweaves with the history of the whole region. Our good friend (and Chislic Festival champion) Ian Tuttle eloquently unpacks the birth, rise, and continued existence of this people and their … Continue reading "CT111 – Who Are the Cossacks? with Ian Tuttle | Military Caste | Cossack Saber Manual | Foreign Accents"
If there’s one topic that gets the blood stirring of the today’s young folk, it’s old age! Or… not. Actually, the fact that’s funny tells us in the West a whole lot about our own cultural views on this very important topic. And would you believe there are places in the world where this topic … Continue reading "CT110 – Old Age in the North Caucasus | Centenarians | Dannon Yogurt | CaucasTalk in Print!"
Education is a deeply-held value embedded in families and throughout the North Caucasus. From early childhood through the university years, high levels of academic achievement are considered “normal,” according to our guest today. Madina from Ingushetia shares about her personal experience growing up as a student, and now as a top English tutor in Ingushetia. … Continue reading "CT109 – Education in the North Caucasus | Madina, English Teacher from Ingushetia | Tutoring | ЕГЭ & SATs | Local Languages in Schooling"
The Dargin people inhabit mainly the middle latitudes of Dagestan, from the foothills up into the mountains. As our knowledgeable and articulate guest today, Saida, shares with us, the word “Dargin” means “inside,” as in deep in the mountains, and that is where this people can be found. Their traditions range and vary from embroidery … Continue reading "CT108 – Dargin: In Their Own Words! | “My roots were calling me” | Embroidery | Ancient Armor | Child Exchanges"
Louisa the Lezginka shares today about the—you guessed it—Lezgin people! And yes, for those of you wondering (like Andrew), the word “Lezginka” refers not only to the Caucasus-wide national dance, but actually is the term for female members of the Lezgin nation. Louisa hails from the ancient and venerable city of Derbent and gives us … Continue reading "CT107 – Lezgins: In Their Own Words! | The Lezginka | Southern Dagestan | A Folk Song! | Shalbuzdag | Tasty Tea"
We’ve talked lots about food on this podcast, but what about the actual experience of getting it? The act of dining out in the North Caucasus brings with it a whole host of quirks, habits, and cultural expectations that may be every bit as unfamiliar as the food. Join us as we “dig in” in … Continue reading "CT106 – Dining Out in the North Caucasus | Décor | Napkins | Play Places | Pizza & Sushi | “The Button”"
When you hear the word “retirement,” what comes to mind? Collecting shells on a beach? Sitting with an armload of grandkids? To some it means a life of independence facilitated through professional care. For others, it’s receiving with honor the support of children and family. Whatever the vision, our care for the elderly in our … Continue reading "CT105 – Retirement in the North Caucasus | Independent Living vs. Orphaned Parents? | Status Ascribed vs. Status Achieved"
While holidays may seem to be predictable parts of our cultures, dig a little deeper and they contain a treasure trove of insights and wonder. Holidays in the North Caucasus are no different. Today we attempt a fly-over of the 50+ primary holidays celebrated annually across the region. Some are Russian, some are religious, some … Continue reading "CT104 – Holidays in the North Caucasus | Igby | Rival Podcast?? | Shout Outs!"
Today’s double episode [re-release of episode 27A & 27B] is truly a tour de force. In this our second installment of “In Their Own Words,” our good friends Tembulat & Zalina take us on a deep dive into the very heart of Circassian / Kabardian culture. Not only musicians, this couple also hand makes instruments … Continue reading "CT103 – Kabardians: In Their Own Words! | Tembulat & Zalina Champion Circassian Culture & Language | 🎵 Live Music! 🎵 | Sister Cities"
Rock climbing is alive and well in the North Caucasus. In an environment in which a few sports are exalted above all others, rock climbing has begun to offer an alternative activity for all ages. Teddy shares today about his involvement with On Sight rock climbing gym and community center in Nalchik, the capital of … Continue reading "CT102 – “On Sight” Climbing Gym in Nalchik: Interview with Teddy | Community Development | Undeveloped Rock Climbing | Gerontology"
Without a doubt, our most popular series has been “In Their Own Words,” in which we give you our listeners a chance to hear from the peoples of the North Caucasus directly. Not long ago we decided to try for one interview with every one of the 34 official languages of Dagestan—and some say there … Continue reading "CT101 – Tabasaran: In Their Own Words! | World’s Most Complex Language | Multilingualism | Carpet making"
When you hear, “business startup,” your mind may go to Silicon Valley, Y Combinator, and high risk investments. Well now you can add to your list Dagestan’s very own business accelerator, IARD — the Innovation Accelerator of the Republic of Dagestan — run by our new friend Vali. Vali shares about the incredible surge in entrepreneurship … Continue reading "CT100 – Business Accelerator IARD in Dagestan: Interview with Vali | Community Investment Funds | Lak Nation | Village Trash Clean-Up"
A young man of only 20 years, Magomed is already making lasting change for his minority Dagestani language group, the Kaitag. Most people have never heard of the 20,000 speakers of Kaitag, and yet Magomed is advocating on the international stage to get his language officially recognized. Possibly most instructive is the way Magomed has … Continue reading "CT99 – Kaitag: In Their Own Words | Endangered Languages | Dargwa Dialects of Dagestan | Achieving International Recognition of a Language"
BeyondRedSquare Virtual Tours Website In the spirit of “sticking it to Covid,” today Andrew unveils a brand new, unique offering from his tour company, Beyond Red Square: Virtual Tours! Six virtual tours are offered: Virtual Dagestan Virtual Chechnya Virtual Mt. Elbrus Climb Virtual Caucasus Mountain Adventures Virtual Soviet Vacation (Caucasus Mineral Waters Region) Virtual Moscow … Continue reading "CT96 – Announcing: Virtual Tours to the North Caucasus! | 60-minute Interactive Online Experiences | Beyond Red Square"
“Every time a language dies, it’s like someone just dropped a bomb on the Louvre.” The treasures contained in a human language cannot be overestimated, according to Dr. Daniel Wilson, linguist and language technology pioneer. A research fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa, and Moscow resident, Daniel has been living in … Continue reading "CT98 – Interview: Dr. Daniel Wilson on the Didoi & Tsez in Dagestan | XRI Institute | Language Technology"
Have you gotten the impression that the only options for sports in the North Caucasus are skiing and wrestling? We’re here today with Misha to put that misconception to rest. Misha left his profession as a lawyer to introduce tourists to the wonderful adventures awaiting the willing-hearted in the North Caucasus. Working with his wife, … Continue reading "CT97 – Top 10 Extreme Sport Adventures in the NC | Interview with Misha from M&M’s Tours | Rope Jumping | Arctic Surfing"
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