[2] The name Orstkhoy in their native language (Chechen or Ingush) is "Орстхой",[note 1] written as "Orstxoj" in the old Latin writing system.

[note 2] Different theories exist around the origin of the word: There's some other variants of the name such as Arshte, Arshtkhoy, Arstkhoy, Oarshtkhoy, Oarstkhoy, Ärshtkhoy or Ershtkhoy: АьрстхойЭрштхойАрштхой ÄrstkhoyErshtkhoyArshtkhoy The first descriptions of the Orstkhoys by European authors in the second half of the 18th century identified them with the Ingush.

[18] Ten years later, L. L. Shteder, making notes about Karabulaks, gives an almost textbook description of the unique details of typical Ingush vestments, cited by travelers and authors of the late 18th-19th centuries, often replicated on the images of that era.

[b] In "Overview of the political state of the Caucasus" in 1840[29] as well as in the "Military Statistical Review of the Russian Empire" in 1851, the Orstkhoy are indicated as Ingush.

[32] The Czech-German biologist and botanist Friedrich Kolenati in his work about the Caucasians, wrote about the Orstkhoy as an Ingush tribe alongside Galashians, Kists and others.

[33] Adolf Berge in his work "Chechnya and Chechens" gave the following nomenclature of the Ingush: Nazranians, Karabulaks, Galashians, Dzherakh, Kists[note 9] Galgai, Tsorins and Akkins.

[42] Later in the 20th-21th centuries, the Orstkhoy as one of the Ingush societies were indicated by I. Pantyukhov,[43] John F. Baddeley,[44][45] G. K. Martirosian,[46] E. I. Krupnov,[47][48] N. A. Sotavov, M. S. Meyer[49] and O. S.

[48] In the censuses conducted before the Deportation, the vast majority of population of the tribal villages Sagopshi, Dattykh, Alkun, Sarali Opiev, Bamut, Gandalbos was Ingush.

[67]The military historian A. L. Zisserman, who served 25 years in the Caucasus, also mentions the Karabulaks in his book, stating "All this valley up to the right bank of the Terek River is inhabited….

[77] The inhabitants of over 20 native highland villages of Orstkhoy: Tsecha-Akhke, Meredzhi, Gerite, Muzhgan, Yalkharoy, Galai etc.

[78][79][80][81][82] The Orstkhoy formed from settlers that came from the mountain region, with the date of the formation ranging from second half of the 16th to beginning of 18th century.

[94] In the document of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs signed by M. I. Vorontsov and A. M. Golitsyn dated 1763, it is recorded how half of the Orstkhoy took an act of oath to the Endirey Kumyk prince Adji-Murtazali, and under the conditions they would accept Islam, settled in the plain area under Endirey (modern day Aukh region, Dagestan).

In mid-June, having gathered 1,000 fighters, Mansur moved to Orstkhoy-Mokhk, with the goal of converting the remaining pagan Orstkhoy.

[104] During the beginning of 19th century, there was number of punitive expeditions made against Orstkhoy by the Russian Empire: In 1827, Orstkhoy swore allegiance to Russia (i. e. recognized Russian citizenship) along with some other North Caucasian peoples,[note 16] thanks to the actions of the commander of the troops on the Caucasian Line, in the Black Sea and Astrakhan (as well as the head of the Caucasus Governorate) – General G. A. Emmanuel.

[39] The Orstkhoy district (naibstvo) of Imamate was known as Vilayet Arshtkhoy[108] and it existed up until 1851, when it was disestablished after being conquered by Russian Empire.

[109] As the letter of Muhammad Amin Asiyalav dating back to October 1848 states, the Naib of Vilayet Arshtkhoy (Arshtinskoe Naibstvo) was selected Muhammad-Mirza Anzorov, a Kabardian naib, who also at the time ruled Minor Chechnya as the district of Imamate: "From the knowledgeable mudir, adherent of Islam Muhammadamin to his generous brothers and glorious friends, the valiant, zealous, brave inhabitants of Kalai and Arashdi – salam is constant.

"[110]In 1858, Orstkhoy, together with the Nazranians, the Galashians and the inhabitants of the Tarskaya Valley, took part in one of the episodes of the Great Caucasian War, the Nazran uprising, which was suppressed by Russia and its leaders executed or exiled.

[113] John F. Baddeley noted in his work The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus: "After Shamil's fall, a large numbers of the Ingoushee, and notably the clan known as the Karaboulaks, who have left their names to the Cossack stanitsa, took part in the emigration of the Muhammadan tribes to Turkey, while those who remained have since acquired an evil reputation as the most daring highway robbers and assassins in the Caucasus.

""...следовательно можно было бы разделить Кистинскую область на две части: то есть на обитаемую Кистами в теснейшемъ смысле, подъ именемъ коихъ разумеются Ингуши, Карабулаки и прочiе колена, и на область Чеченскую""Въ земле Ингушей или Карабулаковъ есть соляной ключъ, изъ подъ горы выходящій, коего разсолъ такъ силенъ, что изъ двухъ меръ разсола выходитъ одна мера соли.

Сей ключъ, по сказаніямъ впадаетъ посредствомъ другого ручья въ Фартамъ...""Въ 1810-м году мы Ингушевскій народъ вольный и ни отъ кого независимый поселясь около урочища Назрана (отъ [котораго] приняли названіе Назрановцевъ) по приглашенію Россійскаго Генералъ Майора Дель Поццо чрезъ посредство почетнѣйшихъ Старшинъ нашихъ рѣшились добровольно и единодушно вступить въ подданство Россійскаго Императора...""Къ племени Ингушей, занимающихъ плоскость и котловины Кавказских горъ съ правой стороны Терека до верхних частей Аргуна и до теченія Фартанги, принадлежатъ: 1) Назрановцы с Комбулейскимъ обществомъ, 2) Джераховцы, 3) Карабулаки, 4) Цоринцы, 5) Ближніе Кистинцы с небольшимъ обществомъ Малхинцевъ вновь покорившимся, 6) Галгай, 7) Галашевцы, 8) дальніе Кисты…""Ингушевское племя состояло изъ слѣдующихъ обществъ: кистинскаго, джераховскаго, назрановскаго, карабулакскаго (впослѣдствіи назвавшегося галашевскимъ), галгаевскаго, цоринскаго, акинскаго и мереджинскаго; всѣ эти общества вмѣстѣ имѣли свыше тридцати тысячъ душъ.

""...а всѣ остальные народы были кистинскаго племени и говорили на кистинскомъ, т. е. ингушевскомъ языкѣ.