Editing Teip (section)

==Identity, land and descent==
Teips, as sub-units of [[tukkhum|tukkhums]], are traditionally thought to have members who descend from a common ancestor and are thus considered distant blood relatives. Teip names were often derived from an ancestral founder.<ref name=Jaimoukha90>{{cite book|title=The Chechens: A Handbook|author=Amjad Jaimoukha|editor=Nicholas Awde|page=90}}</ref> As is true for many other North Caucasian peoples, [[Chechens|Chechen]] and [[Ingush people|Ingush]] men were traditionally expected to know the names and places of origin of their ancestors on their father's side, tracing back many generations, with seven generations being the most commonly recognized.<ref name=Jaimoukha90/> Many women also memorized this information, and more dedicated individuals could often recite their maternal ancestral line as well.<ref name=Jaimoukha90/> The memorization of this information serves as a way to instill clan loyalty in younger generations.<ref name=Jaimoukha90/> Among the [[Ethnic groups in the Caucasus|peoples of the Caucasus]], large-scale land disputes were traditionally sometimes resolved through mutual knowledge of where and when ancestors had resided.<ref name=Jaimoukha90/>

A teip's ancestral land was held sacred because of its close connection to teip identity. It was typically marked by clan symbols, including the clan cemetery, tower, and sanctuary.<ref name=Jaimoukha90/> Due to the scarcity of land in mountainous Ingushetia and Chechnya, after the feudal system was overthrown, each teip claimed a specific area of land.<ref name=Jaimoukha94>{{cite book|title=The Chechens: A Handbook|author=Amjad Jaimoukha|editor=Nicholas Awde|page=94}}</ref> Land boundaries were marked by stones with specific markings pointing to a local place of worship.<ref name=Jaimoukha94/> Initially, land was owned collectively, but individual cultivation ultimately became the norm.<ref name=Jaimoukha94/> In old Chechen and Ingush tradition, women were allowed to own land.<ref name=Jaimoukha94/> The vehement Ingush and Chechen opposition to Soviet [[collectivization]] has been explained by the threat it posed to the traditional customs of land allotment.<ref name=Jaimoukha94/>