Lakatkhevi
Liza Karchaidze
Liza was born in Tskere, the highest village in the Khada Gorge of Mtiuleti. Tskere is nothing less than breathtaking -- an old stone settlement adorned with towers, seated beneath many hilltop shrines and churches. Although few people live there today, it is Liza’s homeland: a place filled with memories of childhood, visions of deep snow, singing families, and the thousands of sheep that belonged to the valley cooperative during the Soviet Union. Liza married into the neighboring valley of Lakatkhevi where her husband later became a khevisberi,¹ in charge of leading religious ceremonies and tending to places of prayer. In the springtime, the front of their one-story house is crowned with brilliantly blooming georgina flowers, and surrounded with the scent of Liza’s homemade bread wafting up from the outdoor oven. In her sweet, lilting voice, Liza shares with us a lifetime of song.
¹A valley elder in the northeastern highlands of Georgia. This term historically referred to a local elected leader, responsible for the political and military life of his community. In contrast, a dekanozi was the chosen head priest in charge of the shrines and spiritual life of his highland community. By the 19th century, as the dekanozi began taking on the responsibilities of the khevisberi the two titles merged into one. Today this leader is responsible for tending to the local mountain shrines. In Khevi, Mtiuleti and Tusheti he is referred to as a dekanozi, whereas Pshavs and Khevsurs use the term khevisberi.
Liza Karchaidze