# Teip

A teip (also taip, tayp, teyp; Chechen and Ingush: тайпа, romanized: taypa, lit. family, kin, clan, tribe) is a Chechen and Ingush tribal organization or clan, self-identified through descent from a common ancestor or geographic location. It is a sub-unit of the tukkhum and shahar. There are about 150 Chechen and 120 Ingush teips. Teips played an important role in the socioeconomic life of the Chechen and Ingush peoples before and during the Middle Ages, and continue to be an important cultural part to this day.

## Traditional rules and features

Common teip rules and some features include:
* The right of communal land tenure.
* Common revenge practices for the murder of a teip member or insulting of the members of a teip.
* Unconditional exogamy.
* Election of a teip representative.
* Election of a headman.
* Election of a military leader in case of war.
* Open sessions of the Council of Elders.
* The right of the teip to depose its representatives.
* Representation of women is done by male relatives.
* The right of adoption of outside people.
* The transfer of property of departed members to members of the teip.
* The teip has a defined territory.
* The teip constructed a teip tower or another building or natural monument convenient as a shelter, e.g. a fortress.
* The teip had its own teip cemetery.
* The teip tradition of hospitality.

## Identity, land and descent

Teips, as sub-units of tukkhums, are traditionally thought to have members who descend from a common ancestor and are thus considered distant blood relatives. Teip names were often derived from an ancestral founder. As is true for many other North Caucasian peoples, Chechen and Ingush men were traditionally expected to know the names and places of origin of their ancestors on their father's side, tracing back many generations, with seven generations being the most commonly recognized. Many women also memorized this information, and more dedicated individuals could often recite their maternal ancestral line as well. The memorization of this information serves as a way to instill clan loyalty in younger generations. Among the peoples of the Caucasus, large-scale land disputes were traditionally sometimes resolved through mutual knowledge of where and when ancestors had resided.
A teip's ancestral land was held sacred because of its close connection to teip identity. It was typically marked by clan symbols, including the clan cemetery, tower, and sanctuary. Due to the scarcity of land in mountainous Ingushetia and Chechnya, after the feudal system was overthrown, each teip claimed a specific area of land. Land boundaries were marked by stones with specific markings pointing to a local place of worship. Initially, land was owned collectively, but individual cultivation ultimately became the norm. In old Chechen and Ingush tradition, women were allowed to own land. The vehement Ingush and Chechen opposition to Soviet collectivization has been explained by the threat it posed to the traditional customs of land allotment.

## Political function

Each teip had an elected council of elders, a court of justice, and its own set of customs. The civilian chief, referred to as the thamda or kh'alkhancha, chaired the council of elders. The baechcha, meanwhile, was the military leader.

## Subdivisions

The teip has its own subdivisions, in order of their progressive nesting, the vaer, the gar, and the neqe. The neqe consists of households sharing the same family name, while the gar is a number of neqe units that together form a common lineage, however that is not always the case. The basic social unit, meanwhile, was the household, consisting of the extended family spanning three or four generations, referred to as the ts'a or the dözal, with married daughters usually living with in the household of their spouse. Brothers would share the same land and livestock.

## Formation of new teips

The number of teips has been unstable in recent history. While there were 59 Chechen and Ingush teips in the early 19th century, this swelled to a hundred by the mid-19th century, and today there are about 170. New teips could be founded when a large gar broke off and claimed the title of a full-fledged teip.

## List of teips

Below is a list of teips with the Chechen tukkhum to which it may belong.
* Cheberloy tukkhum (Russian: Чебарлой);
** Achalo (Russian: Ачалой);
** Nizhaloy (Russian: Нижалой);
** Makazhoy (Russian: Макажой);
** Rigakhoy (Russian: Ригахой);
** Buni (Russian: Буни);
* Sharoy tukkhum (Russian: Шарой);
* Shatoy tukkhum (Russian: Шотой);
** Varandoy (Russian: Варандой);
** Keloy (Russian: Келой)
** Tumsoy (Russian: Тумсой);
* Ovkhoy tukkhum (Russian: Ауховцы, Овхой);
** Veappii (Russian: Вяппий);
* Melkhi tukkhum (Russian: Мeлхий);
* Nokhchmakhkakhoy tukkhum (Russian: Нохчмахкахой);
** Alleroy (Russian: Алларой);
** Belgatoy (Russian: Белгатой);
** Benoy (Russian: Беной);
** Biltoy (Russian: Билтой);
** Chartoy (Russian: Чартой);
** Chermoy (Russian: Чермой);
** Tsontaroy (Russian: Цонтарой);
** Elistanzhkhoy (Russian: Элистанжхой);
** Engnoy (Russian: Энганой);
** Ersenoy (Russian: Эрсеной);
** Gendargenoy (Russian: Гендаргеной);
** Gordaloy (Russian: Гордалой);
** Gunoy (Russian: Гуной);
** Kharachoy (Russian: Харачой);
** Kurchaloy (Russian: Курчалой);
** Shonoy (Russian: Шуоной);
** Yalkhoy (Russian: Ялхой);
** Zandkhoy (Russian: Зандкъой);
* Orstkhoy tukkhum (Russian: Орстхой);
** Tsechoy (Russian: Цечой);
** Anastoy (Russian: Анастой);
** Galai (Russian: Галай);
** Ghoandaloy (Russian: Гандалой);
** Merzhoy (Russian: Мержой);
** Guloy (Russian: Гулой);
** Yalkharoy (Russian: Ялхарой);
** Khaikharoy (Russian: Хевхарой);
* Chantiy tukkhum (Russian: Чантий);
** Chanti (Russian: Чанти);
* Tukkhum is not known / Without a Tukkhum;
** Chinkhoy (Russian: Чинахой);
** Dishni (Russian: Дишни);
** Marshaloy (Russian: Маршалой);
** Mulkoy (Russian: Мулкой);
** Nashkhoy (Russian: Нашхой);
** Peshkhoy (Russian: Пешхой);
** Satoy (Russian: Сатой);
** Turkoy (Russian: Туркой);
** Terloy tukkhum (Russian: Терлой);
** Khindkhoy (Russian: Хиндхой);
** Kalkhoy (Russian: Калхой);
** Yalkhoroy (Russian: Ялхорой);
** Zumsoy (Russian: Зумсой);
** Zurzaqoy (Russian: Зурзакхой).
As well as a list of teips included in the ethno-territorial Ingush societies Shahar
* Zhayrakhoy Shahar (Russian: Джераховцы);
** Ahrievs (Russian: Ахриевы);
** Borovs (Russian: Боровы);
** Lyanovs (Russian: Льяновы);
** Tsurovs (Russian: Цуроевы);
** Khamatkhanovs (Russian: Хаматхановы);
* Fyappiy Shahar (Russian: Фяппий);
** Gelatkhoy (Russian: Гелатхой);
** Kharpkhoy (Russian: Харпхой);
** Salgkhoy (Russian: Салгхой);
** Torshkhoy (Russian: Торшхой);
** Korakhoy (Russian: Корахой);
** Väppiy (Russian: Вяппий);
* Khamkhoy Shahar (Russian: Хамхинцы);
** Egikhoy (Russian: Эгихой);
** Khamkhoy (Russian: Хамхой);
** Targimkhoy (Russian: Таргимхой);
** Barakhoy (Russian: Барахой);
** Barkinkhoy (Russian: Баркинхой);
** Tumkhoy (Russian: Тумхой);
** Barkkhanoy (Russian: Баркханой);
** Leimoy (Russian: Леймой);
** Khulkhoy (Russian: Хулхой);
* Tshoroy Shahar (Russian: Цоринцы);
** Tshoroy (Russian: Цхьорой);
** Ozdoy (Russian: Оздой)
** Mokhloy (Russian: Мохлой)
* Galashkakhoy Shahar (Russian: Галашевцы);
* Orstkhoy Shahar (Russian: Орстхой);
** Ghoandaloy (Russian: Гандалой);
** Tsechoy (Russian: Цечой);
** Anastoy (Russian: Анастой);
** Galai (Russian: Галай);
** Belharoy (Russian: Белхарой);
** Merzhoy (Russian: Мержой);
** Guloy (Russian: Гулой);
** Muzhakhoy (Russian: Мужахой);
** Khaikharoy (Russian: Хайхарой);
** Yalkharoy (Russian: Ялхарой);
* Chulkhoy Shahar (Russian: Чулхой);