Small Ingush

Small Ingush or Small Angusht, also District of Sholkhi, were a historical Ingush ethnoterritorial society that existed during the 18-19th centuries. The center of the society was the village of Sholkhi.

Formation of the society
The Soviet and Russian historian Nataliya Volkova gives the 60s of the 18th century as the date of the emergence of Small Ingush, when part of the Ingush – the inhabitants of the Tarskaya Valley, having advanced through the mountain defile separating the river Kambileyevka from the plain, occupied both banks of this river in the Shaulokha tract. This is also confirmed by Julius Klaproth, who notes that the settlements of the Small Ingush were formed by the Ingush who migrated from the mountains about 40 years ago. German lieutenant-general Johann Blaramberg, as a result of his expedition in the Caucasus mountains in the 1830's, stated that the colony Shalkha (Small Ingush) formed about 70 years ago (in 1770s) which matches with the information of Julius Klaproth.

General information
Small Ingush are first mentioned in the work of the German academian J. A. Güldenstädt in 1770-1773 as the District of Sholkhi, which according to J. A. Güldenstädt is called "Small Angusht" (Small Ingush) by the Russians due to its proximity to Angusht proper.

In 1773, the head of the missionary commission A. Lebedev's trip to the Small and Big Ingush, was caused by complaints of the local Ingush population about the oppression by the Kabardian princes. Reporting the results of his trip to the Kizlyar commandant Shtender, A. Lebedev noted that the consequence of these oppressions was the partial resettlement of the inhabitants of the Lesser Ingush to the Greater Ingush. However, even after 1773, Shteder, who visited here in 1781, found the settlements of the Small Ingush in the same places. L. L. Städer mentioned the Small Ingush as the Ingush colony of Shalkha situated on the Kumbaley river, he also mentioned that the colony was able to drop every attempt of Kabardians to impose their tribute on them thanks to their courage and the strength of the people. In 1821, the German geographer and statistician Georg Hassel, in his geographical description of the Russian Empire and Dshagatai also mentioned the Small Ingush as the District of Shalkha when enlisting a total number of territorial divisions of the Ingush people. In 1823, S. M. Bronevsky in his work The latest geographical and historical news about the Caucasus mentioned Small Ingush as Shalka or Small Angusht situated on the lower reaches of river Kumbaley.

Composition
Big and Small Ingush consisted of following settlements and districts: Galga, Tirol, Aka, Betsi, Gemir, Vaurukhu, Kir, Meresh, Golay, Ialkhar, Tsoray, Noy, Khoy, Kakhkoy, Mestoy, Nashakh, Tsuluy, Meler, Korbi, Makhshi, Assay, Shadgia, Asday, Kheyrekhi, Tsidsi, Palang.