Circassian villager Madin Chachukh watches a rehearsal of the local children's folklore dance ensemble...
Circassian villager Madin Chachukh (C) watches a rehearsal of the local children's folklore dance ensemble in the village of Tkhagapsh in the Lazerevskoye district of Sochi October 26, 2013. Tkhagapsh is one of the few remaining settlements in the Sochi region that mainly consists of ethnic Circassians. "As every small nation, the biggest threat we face today, is the loss of our language and subsequently our culture. There are only very few of us left, too few. We wish the government gave us money to help us preserve our language. Its loss would be a tragedy. I fear it will eventually happen, but we have to slow down this process" Chachukh said. Circassians are a people indigenous to the North Caucasus region, most of whom were scattered across the globe by a 19th century tsarist military campaign that caused the deaths of huge numbers. Many Circassians have called for the killings to be recognised as genocide, and have campaigned against the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, set to take place in the very same broad valleys and mountain slopes they say hold the bones of their ancestors. A delegation of Circassians hailing from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Canada, Germany and the U.S. travelled to the North Caucasus to visit historic sites of their ancestor's homeland ahead of the Olympics. Picture taken October 26, 2013. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (RUSSIA - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS SOCIETY)
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