დღეს ენციკლოპედია გადმოვტვირთე ინტერნეტიდან -Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (second edition, 2001), 1907-გვერდიანია. მათ შორის არის სტატია Georgian Americans
ჩემთვის ძალიან საინტერესო აღმოჩნდა (განსაკ. პირველი ნაწილი), შეიძლება თქვენც დაგაინტერესოთ, ამიტომ დავდებ
OVERVIEWGeorgia, called Sakartvelo by Georgians, is a European
country occupying about 27,000 square miles
(69,700 square kilometers). It is almost half the size
of Illinois and is located in the mountainous region
of Transcaucasia. Georgia is bounded by Russia to
the north and northeast, Azerbaijan to the east, the
Black Sea to the west, and Armenia and Turkey to
the south. The country’s population, which was 5.5
million in 1995, is predominantly Georgian. The
Georgians comprise 71 percent of the population.
Ethnic minorities include Armenians (8 percent),
Russians (6.5 percent), Azerbaijanis (4.6 percent),
Greeks (3 percent), Ossets (3 percent), and Abkhazians
(2 percent). There are also smaller groups of
Ukrainians, Turks, Persians, and Jews. Georgians
are Christians and belong to the Georgian Orthodox
Church. Islam and Judaism, which are practiced
by ethnic minorities, are tolerated.
Georgia has a rich cultural heritage that is
expressed in the original architecture of its churches,
castles, and fortresses. The country is also known for
its exquisite gold and silver jewelry, polyphonic songs,
and uniquely painted icons. The Georgian people are
noted for their courage, passionate love of music,
dancing, poetry, and longevity. Every 51 of 100,000
people in Georgia are 100 years of age or more.
Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia. The official
language is Georgian, but Russian is used as a second
language. The Georgian flag has a red back-ground,
with a white and blue horizontal square in
the left corner.
HISTORYAccording to traditional Georgian accounts, Georgians
are descendants of Thargamos, the greatgrandson
of Japhet, son of the Biblical Noah. The
ancient name of Georgia was Colchis, which was
associated for centuries with the Greek myth of
Jason and his 50 Argonauts, who sailed from Greece
to Colchis to capture the Golden Fleece. The legend
describes how Medea, the daughter of the King
of Colchis, assisted Jason in his adventure, but at
the end was deserted by him. Colchis is historically
recorded by Herodotus (484-425 B.C.), Xenophon
(c.430-354 B.C.), and Josephus Flavius (37-95 A.D.).
Georgia was formed as a kingdom in the fourth
century B.C. and, over several centuries, was ruled
by Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, and Turkish
Seljuks. It regained full independence and unity
under King David the Restorer (1089-1125), and
reached the height of territorial expansion and cultural
development under Queen Thamar (1183-
1213). During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries,
Monoglian invasions by Genghis Khan and
Tamerlane devastated the country and split its
unity. In the fifteenth century, Georgia was divided
into the three kingdoms of Iberia, Imertia, and
Kakhetia. In 1555, Turkey took over the rule of
West Georgia, while East Georgia fell under Persian
rule. In 1783, Georgia became a protectorate of
Russia. At the beginning of the nineteenth century,
the country was annexed and incorporated into
Russia’s czarist empire. Georgia remained a part of
Russia until 1917, when the Bolsheviks overthrew
the czar and established a Communist state.
MODERN ERAIn 1918, Georgia became an independent state.
However, three years later, the Soviet Red Army
invaded Georgia and incorporated it into the Soviet
Union. A rebellion that was designed to restore
Georgian independence failed in 1924. In 1936, a
new constitution was proclaimed and Georgia
became a Soviet Socialist Republic under the dictatorship
of Joseph Stalin (1879-1953), who was born
a Georgian. Another Georgian, Lavrenti Beria
(1899-1953), was a friend of Stalin and became the
chief of NKVD, the Soviet secret police. Beria was
notorious for extending Stalin’s regime of terror
through executions, mass arrests, and deportations
to vast labor camps known as gulags.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union,
Georgia again became an independent nation in
April of 1991. During the first half of the 1990s, the
country had to cope with difficult political, economic,
and ethnic problems. Two secessionist
movements in the autonomous regions of Abkhazia
and Inghushetia required military intervention.
Both conflicts ended in 1996 with the signing of a
peace agreement. A bitter political struggle
between various parties and factions brought President
Eduard Shevarnadze, a former Foreign Minister
of the Soviet Union, to power. Shevarnadze
quickly established a pro-Western government.
THE FIRST IN AMERICAThe Georgian presence in America began in 1890
with the arrival of 12 Georgian Cossack horsemen
hired by Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild Congress of
Rough Riders. The Cossack horseman successfully
competed with talented horsemen from Mexico,
Argentina, France, England, Spain, and the United
States. Under the leadership of Prince Ivan Rostromov
Marcheradse, the Georgians charmed audiences
with their energy, style, and riding skills. In
1910, a second group of 30 Georgian male and
female riders successfully performed with the Ringling
Brothers Circus. A third group of nearly 50
Georgians were hired as laborers to work on the
West Coast railroads. Shortly before World War I, a
few dozen Georgians returned to their native land,
while those who decided to settle in America
formed the nucleus around which the Georgian
American community developed in later years.
SIGNIFICANT IMMIGRANT WAVESFollowing the Soviet invasion of Georgia in 1921,
hundreds of families, fearing repression by Communist
authorities, became refugees abroad. About 200
Georgian refugees, including former political leaders,
members of aristocracy, and military officers,
came to the United States. Unable to speak English
and lacking financial resources or help from charitable
organizations, many Georgian refugees had a
very hard time adjusting to their new life in America.
Some gave up their professional occupations to
take menial jobs, while others with aristocratic
titles married wealthy American women. Those
who could not cope with life in America returned
to Europe, and joined other Georgian refugees who
established themselves in Germany, France, Poland,
Turkey, and Belgium.
A second wave of Georgian refugees was
recorded after World War II. More than 250 men,
women, and children came to the United States by
virtue of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 and the
Refugee Act of 1953. Several were former prisoners
of war who feared reprisals if they returned to the
Soviet Union. There were also some Georgians who
lived in Europe as refugees from the Soviet Union
before the start of World War II. These new immigrants,
unlike the first wave, received assistance
from various charitable and non-profit organizations,
including the Georgian Association in the
United States and The Tolstoy Foundation. Many
immigrants from this second wave were skilled
workers, professionals, military men, and clerical
workers, and found it relatively easy to adjust to
their new homeland.
During the final decade of Soviet rule in Georgia,
a third wave of immigrants—consisting of a few
hundred men and women—came to the United
States for economic, religious, educational, business,
or family reasons. This wave consisted of both professionals
and non-professionals and included persons
from various ethnic groups within Georgia.
There are between 3,000 and 3,500 Georgian Americans,
the majority of which have settled in or
around New York, Boston, Washington, D.C.,
Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
ACCULTURATION AND
ASSIMILATIONBecause Georgian Americans are small in number,
less information is available about them than other
ethnic groups. Despite this, Georgian Americans
have preserved their heritage and culture through
various organizations. As early as 1924, Georgian
organizations were founded in San Francisco and in
New York City. These organizations held cultural
activities and social gatherings, and provided assistance
to other immigrants. Between 1955 and 1975,
the Georgian American press was very active. Kartuli
Azri (Georgian Opinion) was the most popular
newspaper and was it was heavily supported by
donations from Georgian Americans. Over the
years, Georgians have been fully assimilated into
American culture. However, Georgian Americans
continue to proudly preserve many aspects of their
unique culture.
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND BELIEFSIn Georgia, some tribes forbid women to have children
until after they have been married for three
years. Georgian custom allows a maximum of three
children per couple. The birth of a boy is cause for
great celebration, while the birth of a girl is often
met with disappointment. Many Georgian Americans
have long forsaken these customs. Other customs,
however, are still observed. Formality and
mutual respect guide the daily behavior of Georgian
Americans. From an early age, children are trained
in etiquette and the social graces. The display of any
“sexual” behavior in public is considered a source of
great shame. Privacy and modesty are greatly cherished
and women are treated with respect.
PROVERBSGeorgians, like many other ethnic groups from Transcaucasia,
are known for their many original
proverbs. Examples include: Low places are considered
high when high places are lacking; That which
one loses by laughing one does not find again by crying;
There is always a dirty spoon in every family; He
who does not seek friends is his own enemy; If you
put your nose into water you will also wet your
cheeks; The cock cannot profit by the friendship of
the fox; One blames one’s friend to his face and one’s
enemy to his back; Don’t spit into a well, one day it
may serve to quench your thirst; It is better to drink
water from a small spring than salt water from a great
sea; The cart is heavy, but it makes the load light.
CUISINEGeorgian Americans have a very rich, healthy, and
tasty cuisine. Other ethnic groups also enjoy Georgian
cuisine, and it is typically featured on menus in
Russian restaurants. Georgian women often cook
according to the traditions of their homeland. A
typical first course in a Georgian-style meal may
include fresh herbs, radishes, scallions, tiny cucumbers,
quartered tomatoes sprinkled with dill, home
cured olives, pickled cabbage, red kidney beans
dressed with walnut sauce, eggplant puree, cheese,
and smoked sturgeon garnished with tarragon.
Khachapuri (flat bread with cheese filling), lobio
(kidney beans in plum sauce) and other types of
appetizers are usually accompanied by lavash (thin
white bread) and raki (a dry and strong liquor made
from berries or grape) or chacha (a grape vodka).
Sulguni, a type of cheese, is served with fresh coriander
and scallions. Khmeli-suneli, a very popular dish,
consists of mixtures of dill, coriander, pepper, and
other strongly scented spices. Melons and oranges
are often added to goat or chicken that has been
strongly spiced with peppers and heavily seasoned
with garlic. A chicken soup called kharcho is also
served with walnuts.
Second courses may consist of skewers of fried
or broiled fish such as khramuli or kogak, a white
flesh fish that is delicately flavored. Lamb or chick-
en stews (chakhokhbili) are served with wine. Shashlik
is made of chicken, onions, and other vegetables
on a skewer. Kotmis satsivi is a roast chicken or roast
suckling pig served with walnut sauce. Mtsvadi is
grilled lamb, pig or young goat, and tabaka is pressed
fried chicken. Georgian cuisine also includes pkhali
(vegetables and walnuts) kinkali (dumplings of
beets), and pickled cabbage. All meals are served
with excellent wines, especially Kindzmarauli and
Teliani, both of which are prized for their aromatic
flavors. Desserts include compotes, candied
almonds or walnuts, various preserves, and chuckella
(traditional candy made from grape juice and walnuts).
Non-alcoholic beverages consist of yogurt,
syrups, fruit juices, and Turkish coffee.
გაგრძელება იქნება.....
This post has been edited by ი ს ტ ე რ ი კ ა on 30 Jun 2007, 00:55
მიმაგრებული სურათი
”წვრილმანი ხულიგნობა, ისტერიკამ მოუხშირა”... დირკაბი... შევეсი ორმაგ სტანდარტებს....
არ მოგწონვარ? ნუ მოგწონვარ, მაგრამ შეხედულებებს არ ვიცვლი. პ.ს. მაინც ყველანი მევასებით, მხოლოდ ერთი გიენა და ქლესა გამოვლინდა :გივი:
ჰალეეეე ჰოპ! shit happens... ...თავი ისევ მიკანკალებს...
· 
ქართველი ამერიკელები, სათავეებთან
