Origins & Land

“The history of the Godoberi doesn’t sit in one place”, said a village man. He meant that there isn’t one version of their history that is the exact same, but there are variations. They are okay with that. You can read about a version of their origins in my article: "The Raven's Eye: Introducing the Godoberi". However, now I've been welcomed by friends into the Godoberi village, and can give first hand information from them directly.

Here is what I have learned thus far from a few men on the origins of the Godoberi:

1st Version: Three brothers came to the land 2000 years ago, and quickly noticed the value and natural beauty. All three brothers wanted the land. To settle the dispute, the oldest brother said if he could hit the eye of a raven with his bow and arrow, he would win the land, and the others would have to look elsewhere. They agreed to his terms. He waited for a raven, then took up his bow and readied his arrow. Then on the first shot he hit the middle of the eye of the raven in full flight. One younger brother then had to settle in what is today known as Lower Godoberi, and the other settled further west in what is know today as Ziberhali (another Godoberi village).

2nd Version: Two hunters from Iran came through the region on a hunt 3000 years ago. They were in the military and started bringing their families over to settle in the North Caucasus. One day, one of the men hit the eye of a raven with his bow in full flight. The next day they decided to return to the place where they hit the eye of the raven, and then decided to settle there.

As mentioned in my other article, the name "Godoberi" comes from "the eye of the raven". However, now I know that not only are theses root words in the Avar language, but also the Godoberi language. In the Godoberi language: “Gherdu” or “Gandi” means “Raven” and “Ber” means “Eye”.

The Godoberi village is a place where something is different in the air. Going back thousands of years, not only locals, but outsiders visited and said: “The air here is fresher, the herbs are stronger, and the meat tastes better”. To this day, local men would gladly stop a woman carrying herbs to let me really smell its richness.

So why might the air be fresher in that place in particular? First, in the Botlikh region, the Godoberi village sits high up, above close contact with other villages, while also having a luscious and rich forest right behind them. In fact, the Godoberi in the region are known for their rich herbs and tasty meat. As another local man said after Ramadan: “The tastiest meat in the world comes from Dagestan, specifically the Botlikh region, and more specifically the Godoberi village.” Now coming back to the fresher air - secondly, there has never been a factory or processing plant in the village, contaminating the local air. They have never wanted to do any major manufacturing. So with the natural given land, and the stewarding of it generation after generation, we are left with a unique and robust village that carries on 2000 years later.

Therefore, due to the lack of factories in the village, how would the men find work? Find out in the article "Godoberi Builders".