Bejan Khorava

The University of Georgia

Senior Researcher at the Tamaz Beradze

Institute of Georgian Studies

Tbilisi, Georgia

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789

bxorava@yahoo.com

 

Raphiel Eristavi – the researcher of the history and ethnography of Samegrelo

 

Writer and public figure Raphiel Eristavi (1824-1901) is also known as a lexicologist, historian, ethnographer and folklorist. At a certain stage of his life he was closely associated to Samegrelo.

In 1855, Raphiel Eristavi was appointed senior official for special assignments in the Kutaisi Governorate. While fulfilling his official duties, during the peasant revolt in Samegrelo, he translated the words of the leader of the revolt, Utu Mikava, to the vice governor of Kutaisi, Nikolay Kolyubakin, in Kvashikhori. After the establishment of Russian rule in Samegrelo, in 1857-1867, he was the head of the Zugdidi district. At the same time, he supervised the preparation and implementation of the peasant reform in Samegrelo.  

As the head of the Zugdidi district, Raphiel Eristavi made a great contribution to the improvement of Zugdidi.

According to the memories of his daughter Anastasia Eristavi-Kakhidze, Raphiel Eristavi loved Zugdidi very much. Having already passed half of his life, Raphiel Eristavi met Teodosia Eristavi, the young daughter of a Gurian prince, in the Dadiani palace, and she became his companion for life. He married her in 1863.

Raphiel Eristavi was interested in the history, ethnography, and folklore of the region. He attached great importance to the impressions gained from viewing and studying the facts directly on the spot. For this purpose, he specially traveled throughout this region. He dedicated a special essay to this journey. This is a wonderful work on the history and historical geography of Samegrelo. He is the author of essays on the clergy, peasant categories and privileged classes, serfdom relations, etc. in Samegrelo.

Raphiel Eristavi provided materials on the history of Samegrelo to Adolf Bergé and Marie Brosset; he had a close relationship with Kornely Borozdin, who also studied the history of Samegrelo. In 1862, Adolf Bergé arrived in Zugdidi and went around Samegrelo with him. Raphiel Eristavi’s interest in the issues of the history of Samegrelo is clearly seen from the letters sent to him by A. Bergé. Adolf Bergé asked him to write articles for the newspaper “Caucasus” about Samegrelo; he advised him to finish his work on Samegrelo in Tbilisi where he would find a lot of material on this topic; in addition, he sent him papers and materials about Samegrelo. A. Bergé was also interested in materials about Samegrelo and asked to send them to him. The result of this collaboration is Berger's wonderful essay on Samegrelo. A. Bergé was interested not only in materials on the history of Samegrelo, but also in folklore materials. He asked R. Eristavi to collect Svan, Abkhaz and other folk songs for him.

The personal archive of Raphiel Eristavi contains numerous materials on the history and ethnography of Samegrelo, which require special study.

 

Keywords: Raphiel Eristavi, Samegrelo