Ingush (, , pronounced ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting Ingushetia in central Caucasus. Ingushetia is a federal republic of Russian Federation. The Ingush are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Ingush language. Etymology The ethnonym Ingush derives from the village Angusht (Tarskoye in today's Northern-Ossetia), in which 24 elders representing several local clans took the oath to join Russia. According to popular folklore the endonym Ghalghaj comes from the Ingush word "ghala" (meaning tower/fortress). Another theory based on historical development of the area indicates it might be a composition of the words kha and khal, which directly translated means three cities. According to this theory the inhabitans of the 3 settlements Targim, Khamkhi and Egikal, are the eponym of the Ingush selfname. This is supported by the first actual mention of the word in 1590, when the "mountain people Kolkan" attacked 2 Russian ambassadors in the Darial pass and the late establishment of the word among south-western Nakh people only several centuries later, up until the early 1920s. History The ancestors of the Ingush people have been historically mentioned under many different names, such as Dzurdzuks, Kists or Ghlighvi, although none of them was used as an ethnonym and are of Georgian origin. The latter was first mentioned by the Georgian prince Vakhushti of Kartli in 1745, as a territory next to Dzurdzukia and Kisteti. These were previously known as Dzurdzukia until it's splitting. Contemporary sources also mention the ethnonym Nakhchoy, which Chechens still use today. However, due to political and hostile disagreements, the term was replaced starting from the 19th century up to the introduction of "Vainakh" ("our people" in Chechen/Ingush) in the early 20th century.«The Shatoy and Nazran (Ingush) people are reluctant to call themselves Nakhchoy, which stems from their previous hostile attitudes towards the Chechens. But with the outpouring of heartfelt feelings at meetings, at a party, on the way, etc. they always confirm their unity of tribe, expressing themselves: "We are common brothers (wai tsa vezherey detsy)" or "We are the same Nakhchoy (wai tsa nakhchoy du)".»The Ingush never had a feudal system and were always governerned by highly esteemed selected elders among the local clans. In 1770, the elders of 24 Ingush tribes signed a treaty with Russia, but are commonly considered under Russian rule from 1810. With the treaty of 1810, the Ingush obliged themselves to fulfill several duties, which included the