Tukkhum

The term is of foreign origin and some suggest that it comes from the old Persian word tauhma "kin or tribe.

"[4]: 165–169 Tukkhum is a term often used by North Caucasians for a tribe or family, and is found among the Dagestani peoples such as Avars, Tabasarans, Kumyks, and Lezghins.

[6] Several Chechen historians and Linguists such as A. Tesaev and N. N. Albekov have criticized the term "tukkhum" and its implementation by Mamakaev.

[10] Within a tukhum, endogamy is practiced, vendettas are observed and there is a strong feeling of kinship.

[10] This entrenchment of the tariqa into the system of tukhums and auls created a regional variant of Sufism called Tariqatism.

[11] In contrast, Salafism and Wahhabism, which have entered the spiritual life of Dagestanis since the fall of the Soviet Union, have gained popularity in that they allow one freedom from this very system and a different sense of belonging.

[10] The reasons for this range from their homeland being more open to external influence, culturally from neighbouring Azeris and politically from the USSR,[10] as well as the loss of the Lezgin Tariqa to the USSR's state atheism and the more recent penetration of Salafism into Lezgin society.