World Abaza Congress

In the dictionary of the Abkhaz language, "alabashya" is defined as "a stick with an iron tip" (volume I, 1986, p. 339). However, not every stick with an iron tip is an alabasha. Alabasha has its own unique shape, distinguishing it from other sticks or staves. It is made in a special way from various types of wood; the staff has a handle with a notch to prevent the hand from slipping, as well as a metal tip at its base."

the Abkhazian proverb says? translated as "a lonely person asks his alabashya." This statement is evidence of how close and dear this element of everyday life is to the owner.

The First President of the Republic of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, initiated the use of alabashya as an attribute of state power. This event was timed to coincide with the day he took the oath on December 6, 1999.

We have already said above that it is a fork-shaped - it was used to rest the gun barrel, that is, the staff acted as a bipod, and the metal tip not only helps to overcome the path through rocky and mountainous terrain, but also makes the staff a serious weapon.

However, the top could be of different shapes. For example, there are alabashyas with a squiggle "аҵәаҳә" at the end. With this hook, the shepherd could cling to a tree branch, and, if necessary, catch the kid by the leg and pull him towards him. Hunters and shepherds also used the paddle-shaped alabashya in winter. It helped to clear snow-covered paths and ford ponds.

This type of alabashya has a mandatory fork-shaped handle.

It is made in the shape of a ball and can have a separate rounded end. Alabashya could have been flat as well. An interesting fact: in the Abkhaz language, curved planes are called "ақәаҟьа" or "ақәҟьаҟьа", which is consonant with the Abkhazian name of the rock – "ацаҟьа".

The fork-shaped alabashya has a forked handle. The Abkhazian name for this type of staff is "ахырҩынтәы". If you analyze the word according to its composition, you can see that it consists of several: ахы+р+ҩы+нтәы, where "ахы" is the upper part; "r" is an imperative affix; "ҩы" is the basis of a numeral (number two); "нтәы" is an augmentative suffix.
This type of alabashya is also called "ахы лабашьа", "ахылга лабашьа", "алабашьа хылга", "алабашьахеимҿаҧа". It was used for ritual events (prayer services, weddings and holidays) and most often belonged to venerable elders and hunters.

Alabashya is made from such wood species as dogwood, boxwood, mulberry, maple, spruce, beech, wild apple, hazel, pear, chestnut, persimmon, acacia, Caucasian linden, cotoneaster, buckthorn, bay cherry, hornbeam, cherry core, cherry plum core. However, as far as is known, alabashya is not made from oak and alder.

The material for making alabashya is called "алабашьазааира"; alabashya made from a single trunk is called "аҵиаах лабашьа", "ашьапыҵиаалабашьа".
If alabashya was made from eversion growth (mainly fig, hazel, chestnut or hornbeam), then it was called "ақәиаа лабашьа", "ақәиаах лабашьа", "ахылиаах лабашьа".
From a conversation with an alabashya manufacturer, we learned that dogwood is the most valuable and difficult material to process. When preparing to harvest from this species, the artisan should even monitor the growth of the tree so as not to allow the trunk to move away from the direct direction of growth.

It is during this period that the sap flow stops, or, as the Abkhazians say, "the tree is sleeping" (in Abkhaz "аҵла ыцәоуп"), which makes such material more pliable. In addition, wood harvested at this time is not susceptible to harm from various woodborers, shashels and other pests.
To process and color the staff, artisans used exclusively natural dyes and oils. Most often, it was natural, first-pressed walnut oil. It was applied to the finished product at intervals of 7-10 days, 3-4 times. Sometimes, before pressing, the nut was mixed with adzhika, which gave the oil an amber color.

There could have been several types of staff at once in an Abkhazian’s house. For example, the mistress of the house could easily find out, in an absence of a certain type of alabashya, where the owner of the house had gone, since each staff had its own purpose: whether he had gone to the mountains, to do some housework, to attend a celebration or a mourning event.

"the language of the staff" is the type of communication that lives to this day. With its help, the elders of the clan could express thoughts with the movements of a stick without uttering words. "The language of the alabashya" was used to reconcile the warring parties.The way the elder stuck the alabashya into the ground told those present about his mood and intentions.

then the matter takes time and there is no need to rush things.

it meant, "I’m tired of useless words!" Such a gesture stimulated the opposite side to speed up the solution to the issue.

it meant, "It’s hard for me. This is an acute situation that requires attention and maximum effort."

"I’m just tired"

"The job is done. You can leave."

It is important to note that in the old days, not everyone could own an alabashya. The right to possess was given to a chosen one of venerable age, endowed with wisdom, experience and respect of the clan and villagers.

To this day, this valuable gift is presented to those who have earned respect and people's love. In the old days, it was also customary to place alabashya in a coffin with the owner during burial, but now it is kept as a talisman and a relic.

There were also rules for using alabashya during the funeral ceremony. Men who came to express sympathy to the family of the deceased removed the sharp tip from their alabashya. The reason for this was the fact that from time immemorial part of the Abkhazian culture was the refusal to carry any type of weapon at funerals. In addition, a family member, accepting sympathy, used a hazelnut cane without a tip as a support.

There are also rare cases of variants of female alabashyas. They do not carry such a deep semantic load and were rather used as a walking stick, while the owner could decorate the staff at her own discretion.

The traditional element of Abkhazian culture is also reflected in dance, literature and poetry. Therefore, for example, the cult dance of a lonely shepherd is built around the alabashya, which he stuck into the ground. Alabashya, driven into the ground with its sharp end, here symbolizes the center of the universe.
The image of wise and respectable Abkhazians in literature is inextricably linked with the holder of alabashya. Thus, in Mikha Lakrba’s short story "Alabashya", a venerable old man accidentally plunged a point into the leg of a boy standing nearby, but he did not utter a word, showing respect and reverence for the holder of the alabashya, until he finished his speech.

There is a room for alabashya in children’s poetry too. Gunda Sakania’s poem "A staff lived in my house" tells how the brave staff went to visit nature, walked through the mountains, seas and waterfalls through all the beauties of Abkhazia, met mythical heroes and all kinds of animals, reached the stars and the moon and returned to its home by morning. It will probably tell the story of this campaign to future generations, because the family heirloom "аҧсуа лабашьа" was hereditary.

Today, there are no more than five Abkhazian alabashya makers throughout the country. Each of the artisans leaves his own mark on the product - a distinctive "signature" in a certain place on the staff.