If you don't want to hit then don't put your hand on the dagger

 

The Circassian national clothing in recent times is starting to become popular, if in the past we saw that only the dance groups wore it, now, we see many people who wear the Circassian clothing, especially on national holidays and weddings. And of course on holidays and other events the wearers of the Circassian clothing take photos and publish beautiful pics in blogs and on social networks.

There is one point we wanted to comment on in these photos, when the Circassian men in the Circassian clothing pose for a photo they put their hands on the Circassian dagger (kama). This custom of holding a dagger is not appropriate because it does not fit the Circassian ethics. Of course, today the Circassians have lost many things from the Circassian ethics for the simple reason that the Circassian people are scattered all over the world, and every Circassian community, both in the Circassian homeland and in the diaspora, is in the possession of a minority, and in this situation it was difficult to maintain all the customs.

If we return to the matter of holding the dagger in the hand, then it is possible to return to the Circassian heritage in order to know if it is appropriate. I will give two examples from the Circassian heritage which make it clear that one should not put one's hand on the dagger. The first example is from the Circassian proverbs, one of which says "If you don't want to hit then don't put your hand on the
dagger", this proverb is very clear to everyone, but I will explain it anyway. When your hand is on the dagger, those around you may feel threatened. Therefore the Circassians created this proverb.

The second example is these three pictures below from the 19th century. The first is the Circassian national hero Tygozko Kazbek from the Shapsug province of Circassia, the second is a Circassian warrior from Natukhuay province of Circassia and the third is a Circassian warrior from Abzakh province of Circassia. You noticed that none of them is holding a dagger or any other weapon. These pictures clearly show that it was not customary to put one's hand on the dagger in any situation except when it was necessary to use it.