According to Bodenstedt “every Suane who is not able to provide for his daughters and sisters, may sell them as slaves”[519]. This is the only reference made to slavery by any of our informants[520]. Telfer states that the independent Suanes [[137]]acknowledge neither king nor nobility, consider all men equal, despise all authority and have no laws[521]. Therefore it does not seem probable that they keep slaves; perhaps the daughters and sisters of whom Bodenstedt speaks are sold abroad.
In Klaproth’s detailed description of the Charachai no mention is made of slavery; so probably it does not exist[522].
Chantre gives a few short notes on some Caucasus tribes. Gourien nobles, according to him, export slaves to Turkey[523]. Whether they also employ slaves, we do not know.
Among the Kabards of Asia Minor the families consist of about twelve persons, slaves included[524].
The Abchases were formerly slave-traders. They coupled their prisoners, and sold the children born of these unions[525]. Whether these slave-breeders kept their slaves only for the sake of reproduction or for anything beyond this, does not appear.
The Tchetchenes “say: We are all equal. There were never slaves among them. Only the captives were not members of the tribe; but even these often married their master’s daughters and so became their equals”[526]. These captives bear a strong resemblance to slaves; and we should be very much inclined to call them such, were it not that Chantre positively asserts that there never were slaves in this tribe. The lack of further details prevents our coming to any definite conclusion.
| Result. Positive cases: | Ossetes, |
| Circassians, | |
| Kabards of Asia Minor. | |
| Negative cases: | Charachai, |
| Shahsewenses. | |
| No conclusion: | Suanes, |
| Tchetchenes, | |
| Gouriens, | |
| Abchases. |
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