Pontic Hemshin Music (Համշէնցիներ-Hemshinli هامشن)

Hamshen (Համշէն) Armenians or Hamshenis (Համշենի) are a group of Armenians who inhabit the Black Sea coastal areas of Turkey, Russia, and Georgia. Most adhere to either Sunni Islam or Armenian Apostolic Christianity. Hamshen Armenians also settled in other areas, some Muslim and some Christian. To the west they reached as far as Samsun, where they live in the village of Khurchunli (near the mouth of the Iris or Yeshil River) among others. To the east and the north they settled in places as far as Sukhumi in Abkhazia (mostly Christian Hamshen), as well as in two villages near the town of Artvin, in Eastern Turkey. In the area of Ardala town there are speakers of a Hamshen subdialect as well. In the district of Hopa, Hamshen form the majority of the population in and around the town of Kemalpaşa. Some Muslim Hamshen who settled in Georgia were exiled to Kazakhstan in Stalin’s time. There are still problems regarding their return. Hamshen are known for their folklore - tales, proverbs, jokes, riddles. Many (especially younger) Hamshen identify themselves as Armenians.