Mingrelians

Mingrelians
Mingrelian: მარგალეფი
Georgian: მეგრელები
	Distribution of Mingrelian in relation to the other Kartvelian languages
Total population
	c. 400,000
Regions with significant populations
	Georgia 400,000; Russia 600 (2010);
Languages
	Mingrelian, Georgian
Religion
	Predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Georgian Orthodox Church)

The Mingrelians^[a] (Mingrelian: მარგალეფი, romanized: margalepi; Georgian: მეგრელები, romanized: megrelebi) are an indigenous Kartvelian-speaking ethnic subgroup of Georgians^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] that mostly live in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (Mingrelian: სამარგალო, romanized: samargalo; Georgian: სამეგრელო, romanized: samegrelo) region of Georgia. They also live in considerable numbers in Abkhazia and Tbilisi. In the pre-1930 Soviet census, the Mingrelians were afforded their own ethnic group category, alongside many other ethnic subgroups of Georgians.^[9]^[10]

The Mingrelians speak the Mingrelian language, and are typically bilingual also in Georgian. Both these languages belong to the Kartvelian language family.^[11]^[12]^[13]

^ Including Abkhazia, where 46,000 Mingrelians and Georgians live.
^ Russian census 2010
^ Stuart J. Kaufman Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War ::Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War], p 86: "Additionally, the Georgian category includes an array of politically important subgroups especially Mingrelians, Svans and Ajarians"
^ Kevin Tuite "The Meaning of Dæl. Symbolic and Spatial Associations of the South Caucasian Goddess of Game Animals". Université de Montréal.
^ Tunç Aybak Politics of the Black Sea: Dynamics of Cooperation and Conflict, p 185: "... Georgians (Megrels) ..."
^ Andropov, New Challenge to the West, by Arnold Beichman, Mikhail S. Bernstam, p 116: "Georgia consists of three ethnics tribes: Imeretians, Kartvels, and Mingrelians."
^ Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, by Svante E. Cornell, p 142
^ Political Construction Sites: Nation-building in Russia and the Post-Soviet World, by Pål Kolstø, p. 8
^ R. Wixman. The Peoples of the USSR: An Ethnographic Handbook (p.134)
^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru.
^ "South Caucasian Languages « Sorosoro".
^ Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov.
^ "SOUTH CAUCASIAN - LanguageServer - University of Graz". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-03-18.

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[1] Including Abkhazia, where 46,000 Mingrelians and Georgians live.

[census.2010-2] Russian census 2010

[4] Stuart J. Kaufman Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War ::Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War], p 86: "Additionally, the Georgian category includes an array of politically important subgroups especially Mingrelians, Svans and Ajarians"

[5] Kevin Tuite "The Meaning of Dæl. Symbolic and Spatial Associations of the South Caucasian Goddess of Game Animals". Université de Montréal.

[6] Tunç Aybak Politics of the Black Sea: Dynamics of Cooperation and Conflict, p 185: "... Georgians (Megrels) ..."

[7] Andropov, New Challenge to the West, by Arnold Beichman, Mikhail S. Bernstam, p 116: "Georgia consists of three ethnics tribes: Imeretians, Kartvels, and Mingrelians."

[8] Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, by Svante E. Cornell, p 142

[9] Political Construction Sites: Nation-building in Russia and the Post-Soviet World, by Pål Kolstø, p. 8

[10] R. Wixman. The Peoples of the USSR: An Ethnographic Handbook (p.134)

[11] "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru.

[12] "South Caucasian Languages « Sorosoro".

[13] Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov.

[14] "SOUTH CAUCASIAN - LanguageServer - University of Graz". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-03-18.

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