Chechen tribes appeared on the map of Caucasus only 250 years ago as a mixture of many tribes and peoples inhabiting Caucasus. Until that time, there were no Chechens.
The formation of the Chechen tribes took place in 3 stages:
1) Migration in the 16th century of some Ingush (Ghalghay) teips, or tribes, to the east where they began to be called Loamaroy, or Tavlins, in Kumyk language. This place is called Ichkeria in Turkic-Kumyk (modern Vedeno and Nozhai-Yurt regions of Chechnya).
2) The migration of the Avars to the west in the 17th century and the founding of the village of Chechen (Chachan) by the Avar Khan Turlov, the capital of his Avar Khanate, south of modern Grozny. Soon after, other neighbouring peoples started to settle in the Chachan village: Cossacks, Kumyks, Avars, Nogais, Georgians, Circassians, and even Jews. They all began to be called Chachans.
3) Descent from the mountains of the Ingush-Loamaroy (Tavlintsy) and their mixing with the plane Chachans.
At the same time, fugitives from all over the world, including Russians and Cossacks, are being admitted to the Chachan society in accordance with Chechen custom “stubina vosh” (see Chechen historian Nataev), who became chechenized over time. As a result, we have modern Chechens of today.
Next comes the chechenization of these peoples largely due to the promiscuity of the tsarist officials and generals who called everyone by this name indiscriminately for their own convenience. The fact is that the name «Ingush» was new name given by Russians to the Ghalghay by the end of 18th century, so it did not take root at that time yet, and the name «Ghalghay» was difficult to pronounce in Russian and European languages. On the other hand, the word «Chechen» was easy to pronounce. For this banal reason, the Russians began to call the Ingush (Ghalghay) by the name of Chachan. And as you know from the fable about the lion, if you call a lion a donkey for a long time it will eventually yell as a donkey. This is what happened with the Ingush (Ghalghay) living in Ichkeria and on the territory of modern Achkhoi-Martanovsky, Urus-Martanovsky, Nadterechny, Itum-Kalinsky, Shatoysky and Groznensky districts, which are the original territories of the Ingush (Ghalghay). Thus, the modern Chechens can be viewed as non-pure-blooded Ingush (Ghalghay). As a matter of fact, they are the chechenized Ingush (Ghalghay). Chechenization of the Ingush (Ghalghay) continues to this day through the efforts of Russia who actively uses the policy "divide to rule."