PODCAST · society
CaucasTalk
by Andrew & Eli
Your Source for Culture, History, & Tourism in the North Caucasus Mountains of Russia
Episodes
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CT114 – 😭 End of the Road! 😭 | **FINAL EPISODE** | Lessons Learned | Listener Statistics | Words of “Wisdom” | Farewell from Andrew & Eli
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 are no longer...
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Happy 2022 from CaucasTalk!
A Happy New Year note—with some news minutes—from yours truly at CaucasTalk! Tahseen from Rise’n’Glide: https://caucastalk.com/episode67 Habib Nurmagomedov’s new restaurant in Makhachkala, “Papakha”
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CT113 – Aghuls: In Their Own Words! | Losing One’s Own Language | Language Recovery & Advocacy | Avgaz.app
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…
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CT112 – Elbrus Alpine Foundation: Matt Johnson on the West Face of Elbrus | Locally-Led Development | Lightning, Crevasses & Avalanches | Mountain Rescue | KLM Fail!
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,...
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CT111 – Who Are the Cossacks? with Ian Tuttle | Military Caste | Cossack Saber Manual | Foreign Accents
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...
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CT110 – Old Age in the North Caucasus | Centenarians | Dannon Yogurt | CaucasTalk in Print!
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...
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CT109 – Education in the North Caucasus | Madina, English Teacher from Ingushetia | Tutoring | ЕГЭ & SATs | Local Languages in Schooling
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…
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CT108 – Dargin: In Their Own Words! | “My roots were calling me” | Embroidery | Ancient Armor | Child Exchanges
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...
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CT107 – Lezgins: In Their Own Words! | The Lezginka | Southern Dagestan | A Folk Song! | Shalbuzdag | Tasty Tea
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...
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CT106 – Dining Out in the North Caucasus | Décor | Napkins | Play Places | Pizza & Sushi | “The Button”
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 a...
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CT105 – Retirement in the North Caucasus | Independent Living vs. Orphaned Parents? | Status Ascribed vs. Status Achieved
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…
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CT104 – Holidays in the North Caucasus | Igby | Rival Podcast?? | Shout Outs!
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...
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CT103 – Kabardians: In Their Own Words! | Tembulat & Zalina Champion Circassian Culture & Language | 🎵 Live Music! 🎵 | Sister Cities
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…
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CT102 – “On Sight” Climbing Gym in Nalchik: Interview with Teddy | Community Development | Undeveloped Rock Climbing | Gerontology
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...
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CT101 – Tabasaran: In Their Own Words! | World’s Most Complex Language | Multilingualism | Carpet making
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...
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CT100 – Business Accelerator IARD in Dagestan: Interview with Vali | Community Investment Funds | Lak Nation | Village Trash Clean-Up
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...
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CT99 – Kaitag: In Their Own Words | Endangered Languages | Dargwa Dialects of Dagestan | Achieving International Recognition of a Language
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...
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CT96 – Announcing: Virtual Tours to the North Caucasus! | 60-minute Interactive Online Experiences | Beyond Red Square
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...
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CT98 – Interview: Dr. Daniel Wilson on the Didoi & Tsez in Dagestan | XRI Institute | Language Technology
“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…
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CT97 – Top 10 Extreme Sport Adventures in the NC | Interview with Misha from M&M’s Tours | Rope Jumping | Arctic Surfing
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…
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CT95 – Interview: Punk Ethnographer Bulat Khalilov | Ored Recordings | “Live Tradition” | Music Samples Included!
LINKS to MUSIC BELOW!! Riddle: What do you get when you cross Circassian death metal, two-stringed fiddles, sharp ears and a big heart? The audiological phenomenon—and our friends—known as Ored Recordings. For over a decade Ored founders Bulat Khalilov and Timur Kodzoko have been on the hunt for...
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CT93 & 94 – Our Wives Speak Out! Birth & Child-rearing in the Caucasus: Interview with Hollie & Cristi | Birth stories | Cross-Cultural Mothering
At long last, the stars aligned and not only did we record our first in-person recording session since 2019, but we brought our wonderful WIVES with us! Hollie and Cristi share from their years of mothering in the North Caucasus a taste of what it has been like for them. From birth stories to...
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CT92 – Interview with Hava: Ingush Entrepreneur | Squid Handbags | Fish Leather Lamps | 4-Star Hotels
Hava is many things—an Ingush mother, a beloved grandmother, but also an entrepreneur who has opened two 5-star hotels, a polyglot, and an artisan. Most interesting, perhaps, is her artisanal work with fish leather. Yes, you read that right—tanned fish skin. Under the tutelage of another Ingush...
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CT91 – Interview with Three Female Fulbright Scholars from the North Caucasus | Living in the USA | “Go Hilltoppers!”
Welcome back to a new year of CaucasTalk! For our first episode back after our break, we were dazzled and privileged to interview three of the North Caucasus’ own female Fulbright Scholars. These young women all studied and taught for a year or more in the US and are now back in the Russia...
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CT90 – End of 2020 | Year in Review | Farewell “Dame Covidia” | Newsletter Sign Up!
We’ve done it! We’ve come to the end of the year, and what a year it has been. While the ride has been bumpy for all of us, we actually are grateful for growth and progress of CaucasTalk. We want to give a great, big shout out of thanks to you our listeners, Facebook commenters, promoters…
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CT89 – Kids’ Interview! | All about Life in the North Caucasus | Favorite Foods | Playground Wrestling | Quiz
Was it Bill Cosby who said that kids say the darndest things? This has always been true, and as it is our goal to give our listeners the most unfiltered view of the North Caucasus, what could be better, we thought, than hearing from our own children? Rather than sick all eight of them on you at...
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CT88 – Driving in the North Caucasus | “The Circles of Stress” | Bukhankas | Leaning on Local Friends
Allow us to take you for a ride today—literally. As of the last month, both your CaucasTalk hosts have become proud car owners. This means we have gained first-hand driving experience in the North Caucasus. And this is no small thing. In fact, it’s incredible. We both feel extremely awesome and…
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CT87 – Growing Up in Grozny | Interview with Elina from Pyatigorsk on Life in Pre-War Chechnya | Big Announcement from Eli
We love to share with our listeners what life is like in the Caucasus today. But it’s also important to hear what life was like at other times. Elina, a Russian born and raised in pre-war Grozny, Chechnya, shares with us today what life during her childhood was like. If you’ve only learned about...
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CT86 – UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje | Khabib Retires | Legacy of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov | Do Caucasus Men Cry?
History was made yet again last Saturday night when Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his undefeated record as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world. He choked out American interim UFC champion Justin Gaethje in the second round to bring his record to 29-0. What followed the fight was…
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CT85 – Music in the North Caucasus | Local Instruments | Rasul Gamzatov | EPIC REVEAL: Andrew Sings!
We give to you one of our most popular episodes ever – Music in the North Caucasus (Episode 13, December 15, 2017). It’s got some of the most listens of any of our shows. Check out the original shownotes: This episode is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. It’s a lump on the tip of the iceberg.…
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CT84 – FEEDBACK WEEK!! | Survey & Questionnaire! | Let your voice be heard | Direct the future of the Podcast | Join the newsletter
The tables are flipped this week: We want YOU to do the talking. It’s Feedback Week here at CaucasTalk and we want to hear from you. Help us direct the future of the podcast. This year has thrown so much into flux and we’ve all had to make changes. CaucasTalk is no exception. We are exploring new...
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CT83 – Religion in the North Caucasus PART 3/3 | Religion Today | Nuances | Religion & Tradition
While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus, it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about...
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CT82 – Religion in the North Caucasus PART 2/3 | Mountain Jews | Derbent Juma Mosque | Sentinsky Church, Karachay-Cherkessia
Today’s conversation dwells on the multiplicity of religious influences that entered Dagestan through the ancient city of Derbent, as well as through the Western Caucasus. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all had established presences here at various times and much architecture remains to show…
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CT81 – Religion in the North Caucasus PART 1/3 | Overview of Religion | Focus on Islam | Star Wars and KBR
While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about...
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CT80 – The Wonderful World of Waters: Interview with Teacher and Mineral Water Enthusiast Roman! | Watery Neck-Dangling | Khabib vs. Gaethje UFC 255
Got a rumbling in the tummy? Eyes aching? Liver flagging? Lungs languishing? The North Caucasus region has a solution for you: stinky water. That’s right, good old fashioned olfactory mineral water bubbling up from the depths just may have what you need to wash your ailments away. Not only that…
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CT79B – Top 10 Books on the North Caucasus | Interview with Ian Tuttle, Caucasus Fanatic and Bibliophile | PART B
Let’s be honest: some of us like to buy books, but others of us like to actually read them. Today we hear from a true bibliophile and, what shall we say, Kavkazophile—a lover of books and the Caucasus. Ian Tuttle, once an exchange student between Hastings College in Nebraska and Pyatigorsk State...
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CT79A – Top 10 Books on the North Caucasus | Interview with Ian Tuttle, Caucasus Fanatic and Bibliophile | PART A
Let’s be honest: some of us like to buy books, but others of us like to actually read them. Today we hear from a true bibliophile and, what shall we say, Kavkazophile—a lover of books and the Caucasus. Ian Tuttle, once an exchange student between Hastings College in Nebraska and Pyatigorsk State...
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CT78 – Interview with Emre Basok, PhD. | Circassian Language Identity & Maintenance in Turkey | Bi-Literacy | Circassian Benevolent Association | UNESCO
Emre Basok is a Turkish-born Circassian pursuing his PhD in Ohio. He studies how language supports identity and heritage and has recently turned his interests to his roots. He comes in as the third of our Circassian guest this summer and brings even more depth to the textured and colorful history...
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CT77 – Circassian Diaspora in Israel | Interview with David Shawgen | Research Fellow at Circassiologia | The NC’s Newest McDonalds
David Shawgen is the founder of Circassologia, an information portal devoted to the culture, history, and future of the Circassian people. He also works at a Circassian History Museum. What you might not expect is that this museum is located in Israel! David shares how his people came to exist in...
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CT76 – Offroad Camper Russia with Andreas & Sveta | УАЗ Буханка / UAZ Bukhanka Car Camping in Dagestan
Do you love driving? Do you love breathtaking vistas? How about a little adventure, a few bumps, and a lot of fun? And would you like all of that on a tour of Dagestan? Then meet Off-Road Camper, Dagestan’s only luxury off-road tour company. They put you behind the wheel of a classic Soviet-style...
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CT75 – Interview with Suhein Beck, Circassian Cultural Champion PART II | ELAJ Skin Care | Lezginka in the USA
Here is the continuation and conclusion of our interview with Circassian cultural champion, YouTube creator, and founder of ELAJ skincare products, Suhein Beck. ——————- Once in a while, you run across a true cultural champion. For the Circassian nation, today’s interview guest Suhein Beck is such…
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CT74 – Interview with Mover and Shaker Suhein Beck PART I | Circassian Cultural Champion | Migration from Syria to Turkey to USA
Once in a while, you run across a true cultural champion. For the Circassian nation, today’s interview guest Suhein Beck is such a champion. Her nearly nomadic past produced in her an eclectic present. From media production to skin care products, Beck brings her heritage to bear on life today,...
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CT73 – Weddings in the North Caucasus | Life Cycle Events | Videos
***SEE VIDEOS ON CAUCASTALK WEBSITE*** Summer is nearly here, and in the North Caucasus one thing that means is weddings. (Well, usually it does. Not so much these days.) Lines of white cars decked with flowers and ribbons careening through the city, horns blaring. Massive gatherings around…
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CT72 – COVID in the Caucasus | Local Relief Projects | Airplane Food at Home | Man Runs Marathon in Bedroom
Today’s episode comes to you out of the same quarantine many of you our listeners are in. Responses to COVID have varied significantly across the North Caucasus. Some republics are getting hit much harder than others. But amid the struggles, we share about good-will relief projects popping up...
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CT71 – Commemorating WWII in the North Caucasus | Nazis on Mt. Elbrus | Santa Claus in the Caucasus
Next month marks 75 years since the end of WWII. Its devastating effects touched every corner of Europe, but many are surprised to learn that the North Caucasus are no exception. Nazi forces aimed as far as oil fields in Chechnya in the east to fuel their forces as well as the ports of the Black...
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CT70 – Interview with Trekker, Scholar, Writer Felix Light | Expats in Moscow | GoFundMe for Local Families in Need
***PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING OUR GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT CAUCASUS FAMILIES IN NEED*** https://www.gofundme.com/f/coronavirus-in-the-north-caucasus We often find ourselves explaining to people that we are not the only foreigners living here in the North Caucasus, or in Russia, for that…
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CT69 – A Day in the Caucasus Life #5: Dadding in Dagestan | Tools, Skills, & Special Abilities
Whether you live in Dagestan or Denver, Dubai or Des Moines, being a dad takes some special skills and wisdom. Andrew and Eli combine their collective years of experience “dadding” to bring you insider tips and tricks needed for sparkling success parenting in the North Caucasus. As with the rest…
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CT68 – A Day in the Caucasus Life #4: Things People Say | How to Become an Ethnographer | Ingush Wedding Story
Just when you thought daily life couldn’t get more interesting—we bring you our fourth installment of “A Day in the Caucasus Life.” It’s a truism that you can’t see what you can’t see—that is, until you look. This couldn’t be truer of culture. So much is hidden in plain sight, if we’ll only have...
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CT67 – Rise ‘N Glide: American Sports Tourism in Dagestan | CT Back for 2020 | Announcement!
One thing we love about living in the North Caucasus is meeting other foreigners connected to the region. Most who we meet have real passion and interest in this place and its peoples. Today we talk with one man with unusually strong commitment for Dagestan. Tahseen is the founder of Rise ’N…
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CT 2019 Year-End Wrap Up! Patreon Update | BRS Custom Tours for 2020 | Happy New Year from CaucasTalk!!
Dear Listeners, what a year! Thank you for journeying with us for our third calendar year! We have some exciting Patreon news to share, plus Andrew unveils brand new, hot-off-the-presses custom tours with Beyond Red Square. And as rest is a part of work, we are taking January and February of 2020...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does CaucasTalk have?
CaucasTalk currently has 126 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is CaucasTalk about?
Your Source for Culture, History, & Tourism in the North Caucasus Mountains of Russia
How often does CaucasTalk release new episodes?
CaucasTalk publishes regularly with 126 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to CaucasTalk?
You can listen to CaucasTalk on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts CaucasTalk?
CaucasTalk is created and hosted by Andrew & Eli.
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