Khotons

Last updated
Khoton
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 10,000 (2015) [1]
Languages
Oirat
Religion
Religious syncretism (Sunni Islam, including elements of Buddhism and Shamanism) [2]
Related ethnic groups
Uyghurs, Huis, Dörbets

The Khoton or Qotung people are a formerly Turkic, now Mongolized ethnic group in (Outer) Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. [3] [4] Most Khotons of Mongolia live in Uvs Province, especially in Tarialan, Naranbulag and Ulaangom, whereas Qotungs of Inner Mongolia are concentrated in Alxa League. While Khotons spoke a Turkic language Khoton until the 19th century, the majority now speak the Dörbet dialect of the Oirat language. [5] Khotons often avoid mainstream Mongolian written culture. [6] There were officially about 6,100 Khotons in 1989. [6] According to the Great Russian Encyclopedia, modern Khoton people are part of the "Mongols — a group of peoples who speak Mongolian languages". [7]

Contents

History and culture

Historical population in Mongolia
YearPop.±%
1956 2,603    
1963 2,874+10.4%
1969 4,056+41.1%
1979 4,380+8.0%
1989 6,076+38.7%
2000 9,014+48.4%
2010 11,304+25.4%
2020 12,057+6.7%
Source: National Statistical Office of Mongolia

Khoton, Khotong or Qotung was originally a Mongol term for Muslim Uyghur and Hui people, or Chinese language-speaking Muslims. [6]

The Khotons were settled in Mongolia by the Oirats when the latter conquered Xinjiang and took their city-dwelling ancestors to Mongolia. According to another version, they settled in Mongolia after 1753, when their leader, the Dörbet Prince Tseren Ubashi, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. [6] According to some scholars, the Khotons are Mongolized Uyghurs as a result. [8]

Unlike most Mongolians, Khotons follow a syncretic form of Islam that incorporates Buddhist and traditional elements (like Tengrism). [9] [6] They traditionally avoid intermarriage with other ethnic groups. [6]

Language

Khotons originally spoke a Turkic language. It was spoken up until the 19th century. [5] Once settled in Mongolia, the Khotons adopted the Dörbet or northern dialect of Oirat. [10] [9] [6]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongols</span> Ethnic group native to East Asia

The Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China, and the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of Mongolic peoples. The Oirats in Western Mongolia as well as the Buryats and Kalmyks of Russia are classified either as distinct ethno-linguistic groups or subgroups of Mongols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyz people</span> Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia

The Kyrgyz people are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia. They are primarily found in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A Kyrgyz diaspora is also found in Russia, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. They speak the Kyrgyz language, which is the official language of Kyrgyzstan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongolian language</span> Official language of Mongolia

Mongolian is the principal language of the Mongolic language family that originated in the Mongolian Plateau. It is spoken by ethnic Mongols and other closely related Mongolic peoples who are native to modern Mongolia and surrounding parts of East and North Asia. Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia and a recognized language of Xinjiang and Qinghai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongolic languages</span> Language family of Eurasia

The Mongolic languages are a language family spoken by the Mongolic peoples in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, North Asia and East Asia, mostly in Mongolia and surrounding areas and in Kalmykia and Buryatia. The best-known member of this language family, Mongolian, is the primary language of most of the residents of Mongolia and the Mongol residents of Inner Mongolia, with an estimated 5.7+ million speakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalmyks</span> Sole Mongolic ethnic group of Europe

Kalmyks are the only Mongolic-speaking people living in Europe, residing in the easternmost part of the European Plain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of China</span>

There are several hundred languages in China. The predominant language is Standard Chinese, which is based on Beijingese, but there are hundreds of related Chinese languages, collectively known as Hanyu, that are spoken by 92% of the population. The Chinese languages are typically divided into seven major language groups, and their study is a distinct academic discipline. They differ as much from each other morphologically and phonetically as do English, German and Danish, but meanwhile share the same writing system (Hanzi) and are mutually intelligible in written form. There are in addition approximately 300 minority languages spoken by the remaining 8% of the population of China. The ones with greatest state support are Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and Zhuang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dzungar Khanate</span> 1634–1757 Oirat Mongol khanate in Dzungaria

The Dzungar Khanate, also written as the Zunghar Khanate or Junggar Khanate, was an Inner Asian khanate of Oirat Mongol origin. At its greatest extent, it covered an area from southern Siberia in the north to present-day Kyrgyzstan in the south, and from the Great Wall of China in the east to present-day Kazakhstan in the west. The core of the Dzungar Khanate is today part of northern Xinjiang, also called Dzungaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oirats</span> Westernmost group of Mongols

Oirats or Oirds, also formerly Eluts and Eleuths, are the westernmost group of the Mongols whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvans</span> Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Siberia

The Tuvans or Tyvans are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Siberia who live in Russia (Tuva), Mongolia, and China. They speak Tuvan, a Siberian Turkic language. In Mongolia they are regarded as one of the Uriankhai people groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naimans</span> 12th-century tribal confederation of the Mongolian Plateau

The Naiman were a medieval tribe originating in the territory of modern Western Mongolia, and are one of the tribes of modern Mongols and in the middle juz of the Kazakh nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sart</span> Historical term for settled inhabitants of Central Asia

Sart is a name for the settled inhabitants of Central Asia which has had shifting meanings over the centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oirat language</span> Central Mongolic language

Oirat is a Mongolic language spoken by the descendants of Oirat Mongols, now forming parts of Mongols in China, Kalmyks in Russia and Mongolians. Largely mutually intelligible to other core Central Mongolic languages, scholars differ as to whether they regard Oirat as a distinct language or a major dialect of the Mongolian language. Oirat-speaking areas are scattered across the far west of Mongolia, the northwest of China and Russia's Caspian coast, where its major variety is Kalmyk. In China, it is spoken mainly in Xinjiang, but also among the Deed Mongol of Qinghai and Subei County in Gansu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Xinjiang</span> Aspect of Chinese history

Xinjiang is historically consisted of two main geographically, historically, and ethnically distinct regions with different historical names: Dzungaria north of the Tianshan Mountains; and the Tarim Basin south of the Tianshan Mountains, currently mainly inhabited by the Uyghurs. They were conquered by the Qing dynasty in the 18th century, and after the Dungan Revolt (1862–1877) the Qing reconquered both regions and integrated them into one province named Xinjiang in 1884.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Mongolia</span>

Islam in Mongolia is practiced by approximately 3 to 5% of the population. It is practised by the ethnic Kazakhs of Bayan-Ölgii Province and Khovd Province aimag in western Mongolia. In addition, a number of small Kazakh communities can be found in various cities and towns spread throughout the country. Islam is also practiced by the smaller communities of Khotons and Uyghurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dzungar people</span> Ethnic group descending from the Oirat Mongol tribes

The Dzungar people are the many Mongol Oirat tribes who formed and maintained the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historically, they were one of the major tribes of the Four Oirat confederation. They were also known as the Eleuths or Ööled, from the Qing dynasty euphemism for the hated word "Dzungar", and as the "Kalmyks". In 2010, 15,520 people claimed "Ööled" ancestry in Mongolia. An unknown number also live in China, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Khoton is a dialect of Uyghur language in the Karluk group of Turkic languages. Khoton learners are decreasing every year and considered an extinct language. Khotons use Oirat dialect of Mongolic languages in daily life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migration to Xinjiang</span> Typically state-sponsored migration to the Xinjiang region

Migration to Xinjiang is both an ongoing and historical movement of people, often sponsored by various states who controlled the region, including the Han dynasty, Tang dynasty, Uyghur Khaganate, Yuan dynasty, Qing dynasty, Republic of China and People's Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dzungar genocide</span> Genocide of the Mongol Dzungar people

The Dzungar genocide was the mass extermination of the Mongol Dzungar people by the Qing dynasty. The Qianlong Emperor ordered the genocide after the rebellion in 1755 by Dzungar leader Amursana against Qing rule, after the dynasty first conquered the Dzungar Khanate with Amursana's support. The genocide was perpetrated by Manchu generals of the Qing army, supported by Turkic oasis dwellers who rebelled against Dzungar rule.

Anti-Mongolianism, also called anti-Mongolian sentiment, has been prevalent throughout history, often perceiving the Mongols to be barbaric and uncivilized people with a lack of intelligence or civilized culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xinjiang under Qing rule</span> Aspect of Chinese history

The Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China ruled over Xinjiang from the late 1750s to 1912. In the history of Xinjiang, the Qing rule was established in the final phase of the Dzungar–Qing Wars when the Dzungar Khanate was conquered by the Qing dynasty, and lasted until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. The post of General of Ili was established to govern the whole of Xinjiang and reported to the Lifan Yuan, a Qing government agency that oversaw the empire's frontier regions. Xinjiang was turned into a province in 1884.

References

  1. "Монгол улсын ястангуудын тоо, байршилд гарч буй өөрчлөлтуудийн асуудалд" М.Баянтөр, Г.Нямдаваа, З.Баярмаа pp.57-709
  2. Донгак А. С. (2019). "Культ умерших предков в традиционной обрядности хотонов Западной Монголии" (in Russian) (Тенгрианство и эпическое наследие народов Евразии: истоки и современность ed.): 105–108.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. James Stuart Olson, (1998), An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China, p. 179
  4. "Between Islam and Mongols: The Qotung People in Inner Mongolia, China". Brill.
  5. 1 2 Finke, Peter (1999). "The Kazaks of western Mongolia". In Svanberg, Ingvar (ed.). Contemporary Kazaks: Cultural and Social Perspectives. London: Curzon. p. 109. ISBN   0-7007-1115-5.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Christopher Atwood Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, c. 2004 Khotong was originally the Mongol designation for Muslim oases dwellers and in Inner Mongolia designates the Hui or Chinese-speaking Muslims.
  7. "Монголы • Большая российская энциклопедия - электронная версия". bigenc.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  8. Sanders, Alan J.K. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Mongolia (3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 386. ISBN   9780810874527.
  9. 1 2 Cope, Tim (2013). On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Lands of the Nomads. Bloomsbury. p. 72. ISBN   9781608190720.
  10. Wurm, Stephen A.; Muhlhausler, Peter, eds. (2011). Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas. Walter de Gruyter. p. 910. ISBN   9783110819724.