Information AboutOirats |
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Oirats (also spelled '''Oyrats''' or '''Oyirads'''; people of Europe and Asia and, historically, to a Turkic people now known as the Altay s. This article deals with the Mongol ethnic group. For further treatment of the Turkic Altays, see Altay Language , Altai Republic Although the Oirats originated in and many still follow a Nomad ic lifestyle. Oirats speak Western Mongolic Languages including Oirat , Kalmyk , Dorbot , Torgut , and Darkhat as well as the official languages of the regions they inhabit. History Oirats share some history, geography, culture and language with both Western and Eastern Mongols, and were at various times united under the same leader as a larger Mongol polity — whether that ruler was of Oirat or Mongol descent. The name Oirat may derive from a corruption of the group's original name ''Dörvn Öörd'', meaning "The Allied Four." Perhaps inspired by the designation Dörvn Öörd, other Mongols at times used the term "Döchin Mongols" for themselves ("Döchin" meaning forty), but there was rarely as great a degree of unity among larger numbers of tribes as among the Oirats. Comprised of the Khoshut (Хошууд ''Hošuud''), Olot (Өөлд ''Ööld'') or Dzungar (Зүүнгар Züüngar), Torgut (Торгууд ''Torguud''), and Dorbot (Дөрвөд ''Dörvöd'') Tribe s, they were dubbed Kalmak or Kalmyk, which means "remnant" or "to remain," by their western Turkic neighbors. Various sources also list the Bargut, Buzav, Kerait , and Naiman tribes as comprising part of the Dörvn Öörd; some tribes may have joined the original four only in later years. This name may reflect the Kalmyks' ''remaining'' Buddhist rather than converting to Islam; or the Kalmyks' ''remaining'' on Altay region when their Turkic migrated to the West. Early history One of the earliest mentions of the Oirat people in a historical text can be found in the Secret History of the Mongols, the 13th Century chronicle of Genghis Khan 's rise to power. In the Secret History, the Oirats are counted among the "forest people" and are said to live under the rule of shaman-chiefs known as ''bekis''. In one famous passage the Oirat chief, Quduqa Beki, uses a ''yada'' or "thunder stone" to unleash a powerful storm on Genghis' army. The magical ploy backfires however when an unexpected wind blows the storm back at Quduqa. Although they initially oppose Genghis' rule, the Oirats eventually ally themselves with the khan and distinguish themselves as a loyal and formidible faction of the Mongol war machine. From the 13th until the middle of the 18th Century , the Dörvn Öörd or Oirats at various times dominated Central Asia . The Oirat people were often in conflict with other Mongols. Illustrative of this history of confrontation is the Oirat/Kalmyk Epic song, "The Rout of Mongolian Shulum Ubushi Khong Tayiji ," about the war between the Oirats and the first Altan Khan Of The Khalkha . Esen Tayisi led the Oirats from 1439 to 1454, during which time he unified Mongolia under Oirat rule. "Tayisi" (variant spellings Taisi, Tayishi, Tayiji) is a Oirat Language word which can be translated as "grand marshall," indicating a military leader of high rank but below the level of a khan. In 1449 Esen Tayisi invaded the Ming Empire and captured the Zhengtong Emperor at Tumu . He was deposed only after attempting to claim the title of Khan to which, among the Mongol tribes of that time, only members of Genghis Khan's family could be elected. The Kalmyks move west Late in the 16th century, the Kalmyk Oirats began to Migrate westwards. They reached the Volga delta and, in the 17th century, established the Kalmyk Khanate in the area of present-day Kalmykia , becoming subjects of the Russian Tsar . Khoo Örlög Tayisi of the Torghuuds, and Dalai Batur of the Dörvuuds, led their people westward at the beginning of the 17th century. By some accounts this move was precipitated by internal divisions or by the Khoshuud tribe; other historians believe it more likely the migrating clans were seeking pastureland for their herds, scarce in the Central Asian highlands. Part of the Khoshuud and Ölööd tribes would join the migration almost a century later. The Kalmyk migration had reached as far as the steppes of southeast Europe by 1630. At the time, that area was inhabited by the Nogai Horde . But under pressure from Kalmyk warriors, the Nogai fled to the Crimea and the Kuban River . All other nomadic peoples in the European steppes subsequently became vassals of the Kalmyk Khanate. Dzungaria The 17th century saw the rise in power of another Oirat empire in the east, known as the Khanate of Dzungaria , which stretched from the Great Wall Of China to the River Don , and from the Himalayas to Siberia . It was last Empire of the Great Nomads Of Asia . The Oirats converted to Tibetan Buddhism around 1615, and it was not long before they became involved in the conflict between the Geluk (or Gelug) and Karma Kagyu schools. At the request of the Geluk school, in 1637 Güüshi Khan of the Khoshuuds defeated Choghtu Khong Tayiji , who supported the Karma Kagyu school, and conquered Amdo (present-day Qinghai ). The unification of Tibet followed in 1641, with Güüshi Khan of the Khoshuuds proclaimed khan of Tibet by the Fifth Dalai Lama . The title " Dalai Lama " itself was bestowed upon the third lama of the geluk Tulku lineage by Altan Khan (not to be confused with the Altan Khans Of The Khalkha ), and means, in Mongolian, "Ocean of Wisdom." Amdo , meanwhile, became home to the Khoshuuds. In 1717 Ölööds invaded Tibet and killed Lha-bzang Khan (or Khoshut Khan ), a great-grandson of Güüshi and the fourth khan of Tibet. China had been taken over by the Qing (or Manchu ) Dynasty in the mid-17th century. The Manchu consolidated their rule over the ensuing decades both though Cultural Assimilation of the Han Chinese and by expanding the areas they held militarily to include all the lands formerly claimed by the previous ruling Ming Dynasty . In 1723 Lobzangdanjin , another descendant of Güüshi, defended Amdo against attempts to extend Qing rule into Tibet, but was crushed in the following year. Thus, Amdo fell under the domination of Qing. External links
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