Noxchi

Noxchi

Chechen

Predominantly Sunni Islam (Hanafi madhab)

Nakh peoples (Ingush people, Bats people, Kist people)

Chechens (/ˈtʃɛtʃɛn/, Chechen: Hохчий Nokhchiy; Old Chechen: Nakhchuoi) constitute a Caucasian native ethnic group of the Nakh peoples family originating in the North Caucasus region of Eastern Europe. They refer to themselves as Nokhchiy (pronounced ) (singular Nokhchi or Nakhchuo). Chechen and Ingush peoples are collectively known as the Vainakh. The majority of Chechens today live in the Republic of Chechnya, a subdivision of the Russian Federation.

The isolated terrain of the Caucasus mountains and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Chechens has contributed much to the Chechen community ethos and helped shape its fiercely independent national character. Chechen society has traditionally been egalitarian and organized around many autonomous local clans, called teips.