Some Aspects of the Relationship between Georgians of the Central Caucasus and their Neighboring Peoples

The article deals with the relationship of the population of the Racha section of the Central Caucasus with the neighboring North Caucasians and attempts to reinterpret some folklore samples in this context. I have tried to analyze some popular folk poems that echo the historical, cultural and social relations between Rachans, Ossetians and Dvals; and show their mutual relationship.
Due to its geographical location, the mountainous Racha was economically dependent mainly on the north; the struggle for existence forced the inhabitants of the region to engage in crafts and trade and cross the Caucasus.
Rachans also established friendly and family ties with the highlanders of the North Caucasus. They sent their children to each other to raise them in order to learn the language and traditions, which was based on an interest in rapprochement and friendship between different ethnic groups.
The Rachan folklore reflects rivalry between the locals and their neighboring non-Georgian tribes to some extent. In the considered folklore samples, several epochal layers are clearly visible; the paper proposes reinterpretation of some established opinion about several historical events.