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|
Total population | |
---|---|
655,372 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
China (mainly in Xinjiang) | 250,000 (2013 estimate) |
Mongolia | 205,000 (2010 census) |
Russia | 183,372 (2010 census) |
Kyrgyzstan | 12,000 (2018) |
Other | 5,000 (2020) |
Languages | |
Mainly: Oirat, Russian, other Mongolian languages Regional: Chinese | |
Religion | |
Tibetan Buddhism, Mongolian shamanism, Islam[1] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Kalmyks and other Mongol peoples, Tuvans |
Oirats (Mongolian: Ойрад, Oirad, Mongolian pronunciation: [ɔiˈrɑt]) or Oirds (Ойрд, Oird; Kalmyk: Өөрд; Chinese: 瓦剌, Wǎlà/Wǎlā), also formerly Eluts and Eleuths (Chinese: 厄魯特, Èlǔtè),[2][3] are the westernmost group of the Mongols whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia.
The first documented reference to Elut and Yelut was in the Onginsk "rune" inscriptions dated in the sixth century.[4] Historically, the Oirats were composed of four major tribes: Dzungar (Choros or Olots/Elut/Yelut/Èlǔtè), Torghut, Dörbet and Khoshut.
The political elite of the Rouran and Tobgach empires were YELÜ-T Mongolic speakers. Although these two empires encompassed multilingual populations, the language of diplomacy, trade, and culture was an ÖLÜ (YELÜ) dialect of ancient Mongolic descent.[4] When the Tobgach destroyed the Rouran Empire, the Mongolic-speaking Avar people escaped into the Caspian steppes.[4]
This displacement triggered a series of events. Settling in the Caucasus around 558, the Mongolic Avars intervened in Germanic tribal conflicts, forming alliances such as with the Lombards to overthrow the Gepidae, who were Byzantine allies.[5] Between 550 and 575, they solidified their presence by establishing the Khanate of the Mongolic Avars (6th to 8th century) in the Caspian and Hungarian steppes.[5]
The modern Kalmyks of Kalmykia on the Caspian Sea in southeastern Europe are Oirats.
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