Upper Mongols

Upper Mongols

Regions with significant populations
China	100,000 (2009)
Languages
Khoshut dialect of Oirat Mongolian
Religion
Tibetan Buddhism and Shamanism
Related ethnic groups
Oirats, Mongols, Mongols in China

The Upper Mongols, also known as the Köke Nuur Mongols or Qinghai Mongols, are ethnic Mongol people of Oirat and Khalkha origin who settled around the Qinghai Lake in so-called Upper Mongolia (present-day Qinghai). As part of the Khoshut Khanate of Qaidam Basin and the Qinghai Lake, they played a major role in Sino–Mongol–Tibetan politics during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Upper Mongols adopted Tibetan dress and jewelry despite still living in the traditional Mongolian ger and writing in the script.