Mingrelians

Georgians who in the past occupied the central and foothill regions of ancient Colchis; they now live in the right-bank regions of the Rioni River and the basins of the Khobi, Inguri, and other rivers, and in tightly knit groups in Abkhazia and a number of other regions (oblasts) of the Georgian SSR. The Georgian Mingrelian tribes, together with the Kart, Svan, and other tribes, in ancient times constituted the basis for the formation of the Georgian people. The Mingrelians now speak Georgian, although they still speak Mingrelian in the home; until recently, they also preserved certain distinctive features of Mingrelian culture and way of life.