Working with iron and fire

Rural blacksmiths - the mysterious people. Unlike, say, from a farmer who plows, sows and reaps harvest, a blacksmith is engaged only in the business and no more. And forge pose, usually in the suburbs, somewhere away from the village. Abkhazians have always been blacksmithing sacred profession, and itself a forge was the place where people read prayers and sacrifices to the gods. This profession is passed down from generation to generation and outsiders it is not allowed.

Last Sunday we arrived at the outskirts of the village Blabyrhua in Gudauta district of Abkhazia, to see how the village blacksmith, father and son, Vladimir, and Daur Hutaba. Generally, Sundays smiths do not work, but for a guest from Moscow made an exception.
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Vladimir Hutaba standing at the anvil 1954. He is now 77 years old and mostly works in the forge of his eldest son Daur. On Sunday, I was shown how to make the blacksmiths thing that then remains in the family for years and is considered sacred - chain, which hung over the fire pot.



The old blacksmith shoots a small, stocky but his shot is still accurate, the hammer he is holding confident, tenacious.



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The main tools used by the blacksmith, the Abkhaz called "ahnyschna" ("three hands") - the hammer, anvil and tongs.



In general, they say that every family should Abkhaz clan Smithy. At least, as a place for prayer, which come once a year and pray for the whole family.



Smith Hutaba only this kind of terrible, but in fact he was terribly embarrassed by such attention to him, but tried not to show the form.



The chain is made from here such units from tangled iron rod.



For a chain with a master not to bargain, but a lot with the customer, of course, do not take. Rather, it is a ritual.



Now forge blown by a powerful fan and a furnace were previously behind the fur, which had to be operated manually. The case is hard and when someone resorted to urgent orders, he was sent to fan the fire. Over the mountain, by the way, it was decided to bury the jug of wine, which is on holidays dug and drank the whole family.



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Daur and Vladimir Hutaba - smiths from the village Blabyrhua.



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