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The Sayan Cross refers to the area of the Eastern Sayan mountain range artificially divided by geopolitics into four quadrants, each subject to a different administrative regime, and each home to one of the reindeer herding communities featured in this special issue. The regions are: Tofalaria, in Irkutsk Oblast', home to the Tofa; Tozhu District in Tyva, home to the Tozhu; Okinskii Region in Buryatia, home to the Soyot; and the Hovsgol region of Mongolia, home to the Dukha.
The ancestors of the Soyots (and of the closely related Tofa, Tozhu and Dukha) were proto-Samoyedic hunter-gatherers who arrived in the Eastern Sayan region from Eastern Siberia at the end of the Third millennium BC and the beginning of the second millennium BC. Subsequently, cattle-breeding Tungus (Evenki) and Ket peoples came to the Sayan Mountains at the turn of the first millennium AD.
Turkic-language cattle- and horse-breeding peoples moved up from the Inner Asian steppes at the beginning of the first millennium AD and extensively influenced the Samoyedic, Ket, and Tungus populations of the Eastern Sayan Mountains.
Since in Tuvinians the tribe attribution is determined down the male lineage, it is thus possible to correlate the information on the origin of certain tribal groups with the Y-chromosome variants. For instance, the carriers of the TAT-C allele in Tuvinian population are the representatives of the Irgit tribe. Inaddition, this allele is a marker for Y chromosomes in the representatives of three other tribes, namely, the Turkic by its origin Oorzhak tribe and two Mongolian tribes (Salchak and Mongush). Some authors also suggest the Samoyedic origin of the Irgit tribe [28].
The Kanas region is the only place in China that is home to the Tuvans (Jungar Tuvans), who number 2,000 and mainly live in three villages around the Kanas Lake. There are about 200,000 Tuvans worldwide, with 30,000 living in Mongolia and the rest mainly in the Republic of Tuva, which is part of the Russia.
Summarized from "Tuva" by Michael Underdown in Tuvan Manual edit
Before 200 AD Tuva was ruled by the Xiongnu. They were defeated by the Xianbei who were then replaced by the Roruan. From the end of the 6th century until the mid-eigth Tuva was part of the Turkic khanate (T'u-chueh). Following the death of Bilge kaghan, Tuva became part of the Uyghur Empire.
Some Tuvans live in Mongolia Hövsgöl Province and Hovd_Province aimaks. Others live in Irkutskaya oblast where they are known as Tofalars.
Tuvans call themselves Tuba, and there are also the variants Tyba, Tuva, Soyon, etc. The name Tuva is explained as a "tribal name" by Vainshtein.
Summarized from "The Tuvinian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" translated by William H. Dougherty edit
In 1615 Tuva was visited for the first time by Russian emissaries. V. Tyumenets and I. Petrov, who left valuable ethnographic descriptions of some of the clan groups (Maads, Sayans, and Tochi-Todzhinians).
The people preserve many clans common to Tuvinian, Altai, Khakas, and Karagas tribes. The northeastern Tuvinians (Todzhinians) include Turkicized descendants of Samoyed and Ket strains (Mators and others), who contributed to the make-up of the modern Khakas.
Some of the western Tuvinians are closely related in language and origin to the Altai Telengits.
Tumat, Mungat, and other such clan groups assimilated in the Tuvinian environment are evidence that Mongol ethnic elements ahve been involved in the Tuvinian ethnogeny.
Nomads lived in felt yurts or chums covered with hides or birch bark.
Summarized from "The Tuvans" by L.P. Potapov in Tuvan Manual edit
Russian 17th century documents mention Yenisei Kyrgyz (Saryg and Kyrgyz), Orchaks and Kuchuguts. Orchaks nomadized with Teleuts along the right bank of the Ob river. Kuchuguts are mentioned with the Black and White Kalmuks, Kyrgyz, and others who "adjoined" the town of Tomsk and the Kuznets Fortress (the northern side of the Sayan mountains). Their descendants are the Tuvan Oorzhak and Kuzhuget.
Also mentioned are the Maads, who lived in Bii-Khem Basin and other parts of Tuva. They nomadized 14 days ride from Tomsk. In 1609, they became Russian subjects. Then they travelled beyond the Sayans to the Kemchik and Ulug-Khem, adjoining the lands of the Altyn-Khan (Lake Ubsa-Nur and river Tes). Russian ambassadors to Altyn-Khan in 1616 describe the tribe of Sayans who raised reindeer. Sayans nomadized together with the Tochi (Todzhins) from the Sayan Mountains to the Altay. Their descendants make up Tuvans mostly around Tere-Khol Rayon (Kara-Sayan, Ak-Sayan).
Also among Tuvans are descendants of Samoyedic Modor and Koibal, Kettic Kol', and Mongolic Tumat and Mungat.
Altais and Khakass have related "clan-tribal elements" to Tuvans.
Some Todzhins live in Irkutskaya Oblast, in the taiga belt (Tofalarskiy Rayon) where they are known as Tofalars (they call themselves Tuba and in the plural Tubalar). They herd reindeer like the Tuva-Todzhins.
"Proof" of Uygur domination of Tuva is that the name Uygur is retained among Tuvans living on the river Kemchik (Khemchik) as late as the end of the 19th century. According to legends these Uygurs (Ondar Uygur) are descendants of the ancient Uygurs who lived by Ulug-Khem and Khemchik in ancient times and most of whom migrated to Tibet.
Detachments of Juchi (Genghis Khan's eldest son) appeared in Tuva on the River Shikhshit (tributary of Kaa-Khem) in 1207. They were led there by Kuduka-Beki, Oirat prince. Tuvans in these parts were the Keshdims, Baits, Teleks, etc.
Many tribes and clans of the Sayano-Altai Plateau split up, intermingled, and interbred during Dzungarian rule. Todzhins, Sayans and Mingats who nomadized on the upper reaches of the Yenisei and along the river Kemchik, turned up in the Altai, along the river Katun' together with the Telesy around the middle of the 17th century. Altai Telengits settled in Tuva on the Kemchik and Barlyk and in the region of Bai-Taiga.
Some Yenisei Kyrgyz and other close historical ancestors of Khakas reached Tuva in 1703 during their forced eviction by the Dzungarians in the Semirech'ye. These migrants became ancestors of Kyrgyz and Saryglar clans and sumons. Some Tuvan groups cross Sayan mountains from south to north and settled on the upper reaches of the Abakan. These became known (from 18th century) as Bel'tirs (Dag-Kakpyn, Sug-Kakpyn, Ak-Chystar, Kara-Chystar). The languages of Tuvans and Beltirs contain words in common not found among the majority of Khakass (Kachins and Sagays).
After fall of Dzungaria, Tuva was subjugated by the Manchus whereas the Altayan tribes became part of the Russian State. Also split were the Tuvan-Todzhins. A large number stayed with the Russians in the Eastern Sayans where they became known as Karagasy and later Tofalars. Beltirs became isolated. Tuvans nomadized on both sides of the Tannu-Ola range from the Altai to the upper reaches of the Yenisei in the east.
China split Tuvan into the followin khoshuns: Khasut; Tozha; Salzhak; Oyunnar; Shalyk; Nibazy; Davana or Mady, and Choodu; Beyse; Khemchik.
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Turkic Khanate
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From Christian:
Western Mongolian tribes, such as...'Ting-ling', probably spoke early forms of Turkic, while eastern tribes...probably spoke early forms of Mongolian.
Reference for above is also Peter Golden (1992). From pg. 250 below:
Turk armies suppressed a rebellion against the Juan-juan by a group of T'ieh-le tribes, who had formed a semi-autonomous empire (Kao-ch'e) in eastern Kazakhstan. However, instead of surrendering the defeated T'ieh-le to the Juan-juan, the Turk absorbed them within their own armies.
From pg. 263 and 264:
In 744, the leader of a new steppe dynasty formed by a T'ieh-le tribe, the Uighurs, presented the Chinese emperor with the head of the last Turk kaghan. ... The Uighur empire was founded by a group of T'ieh-le tribes known as the Tokuz Oghuz ('the nine tribes'), who were dominated by the Uighurs. ... The Uighur leader, Ku-li p'ei-lo, assumed the title of 'Kutlugh bilge kol kaghan' and his clan, the Ya-lo-ko (Yaghlagar), became the Uighur royal family.
Later the Kyrgyz are mentioned as being a confederation of tribes ruled by a Turkic clan of T'ieh-le origin.