Everything about Kirgiz totally explained
The
Kyrgyz (also spelled
Kirgiz,
Kirghiz) are a
Turkic ethnic group found primarily in
Kyrgyzstan.
Etymology
There are several etymological theories on the name "Kyrgyz." First, the name Kyrgyz may mean "forty girls" (kyrk + kyz), a reference to the
Manas epic. This is symbolized by the yellow sun in the center of the
flag of Kyrgyzstan, which has 40 rays referring to forty Kyrgyz tribes. Next, a meaning of "forty tribes" (kyrk + uuz) which makes more direct sense. Finally, a meaning (kyrgys,
adj.), meaning "imperishable", "inextinguishable" or "undying". This version has an obvious popular appreciation. Historical evidence for many conflicts with other peoples also supports this theory.
The Chinese transcription
"Tse-gu" (Gekun, Jiankun) allows to restore the pronunciation of the ethnonym as
Kirkut (Kirgut) and
Kirkur(Kirgur). Both forms go back to the earliest variation
Kirkün (Chinese
Tszyan-kun) of the term "Kyrgyz" meaning "Field People", "Field Huns". The term
Kirkün went through a notable evolution:
Kirkün (Kirgün) = Kirkut (Kirgut) = Kirkur (Kirkor, Kirgur) = Kyrkyz (Kyrgyz). The evolution is traced well chronologically. The semantic connection between
kün (gün) and
gür is obvious, chronologically consecutive development of the concept
kün = "female progenitor" = her offsprings = "tribe" = "a people" at the last stage coincides with the
gür = "people", like in the
Khitan title
Gurkhan. Application of affixes of plurality "t" - "r" - "z" in the ethnonym
Kirkun shaded the initial sound, and then also the meaning, making its roots enigmatic. By the Mongol epoch, the initial meaning of the word
Kirkun was alredy lost, evidenced by differing readings of the earlier reductions of the
Uanshi. The change of ethnonym produced a new version of an origin, and the memory about their steppe motherland, recorded in Uanshi, survived only as a recollection of the initial birthplace of forty women. Subsequently, however, that recollection was also lost.
Origins
The early Kyrgyz people, known as
Yenisei Kyrgyz or Xiajiasi, first appear in written records in the Chinese annals of the
Sima Qian's
Records of the Grand Historian (compiled
109 BC to
91 BC), as
Gekun or
Jiankun (鬲昆 or 隔昆). The Middle Age Chinese composition
"Tanghuiyao" of the 8-10th century transcribed the name "Kyrgyz"
Tsze-gu (Kirgut), and their
tamga was depicted identical with the tamga of present day Kyrgyz tribes Azyk, Bugu, Cherik, Sary Bagysh and few others. According to recent historical findings, Kyrgyz history dates back to 201 BC. The Yenisei Kyrgyz lived in the upper
Yenisey River valley, central
Siberia. Yenisei Kyrgyzes in the Late Antique times were a part of the
Tele tribes. Later, in the Early Middle Age, Yenisei Kyrgyzes were under the rule of
Göktürk Kaganate and
Uigur Kaganate. In 840 a revolt lead by Yenisei Kyrgyzes brought down the Uigur Kaganate, and brought the Yenisei Kyrgyzes to a dominating position in the former
Turkic Kaganate. With the rise to power, the center of the Kyrgyz Kaganate moved to Jeti-su, and brought about a spread south of the Kyrgyz people, to reach
Tian Shan mountains and Eastern Turkestan, bringing them immediately to the borders of
China and
Tibet. By the 16th century the carriers of the ethnonym
"Kirgiz" lived in South
Siberia,
Eastern Turkestan, Tian Shan,
Pamir Alay,
Middle Asia,
Urals (among
Bashkorts), in
Kazakhstan. In the Tian Shan and Eastern Turkestan area, the term
"Kyrgyz" retained its unifying political designation, and became a general ethnonym for the Yenisei Kirgizes and aboriginal Turkic tribes that presently constitute the Kyrgyz population. Though it's obviously impossible to directly identify the
Yenisei and
Tien Shan Kyrgyzes, a trace of their ethnogenetical connections is apparent in archeology, history, language and ethnography. Majority of modern researchers came to a conclusion that the ancestors of the southern Kyrgyz tribes had their origin in the most ancient tribal unions of
Sakas and
Usuns,
Dinlins and
Huns. Approximately 300,000 Yenisei Kyrgyzes survived in the Tuva depression until present.
Chinese and Muslim sources of the 7th–12th centuries AD describe the Kyrgyz as red-haired with fair complexion and green (blue) eyes.
The descent of the Kyrgyz from the autochthonous
Siberian population is confirmed by recent genetic studies. Remarkably, 63% of modern Kyrgyz men share
Haplogroup R1a1 (Y-DNA) with
Tajiks (64%),
Ukrainians (54% ),
Poles and
Hungarians (~60%), and even
Icelanders (25%). Haplogroup R1a1 (Y-DNA) is variously believed to be a marker of the
Proto-Indo-European language and
Turkic speakers.
Political development
The Kyrgyz state reached its greatest expansion after defeating the
Uygur Kaganate in 840 AD. Then Kyrgyz quickly moved as far as the
Tian Shan range and maintained their dominance over this territory for about 200 years. In the 12th century, however, the Kyrgyz domination had shrunk to the
Altai Range and the
Sayan Mountains as a result of the rising
Mongol expansion. With the rise of the
Mongol Empire in the 13th century, the Kyrgyz migrated south. In 1207, after the establishment of Yekhe Mongol Ulus (Mongol empire), Ghengis khan's oldest son Jochi occupied Kyrgyzstan without resistance. They remained a Mongol vassal until the late of 14th century.
Various
Turkic peoples ruled them until 1685, when they came under the control of the
Kalmyks (
Oirats,
Dzungars).
Religion
Kyrgyz are predominantly
Muslims.
Islam was first introduced by Arab traders who travelled along the
Silk Road in the seventh and eight century.
In the 8th century, orthodox Islam reached the
Fergana valley with the
Uzbeks. Atheism, on the other hand, took some following in the northern regions under Russian communist influence. As of today, few cultural rituals of
Shamanism are still practiced alongside with Islam particularly in Central Kyrgyzstan. During a July
2007 interview,
Bermet Akayeva, the daughter of
Askar Akayev, the former President of Kyrgyzstan, stated that
Islam is increasingly taking root even in the northern portion which came under communist influence. She emphasized that many
Mosques have been built and that the Kyrgyz are increasingly devoting themselves to
Islam, which she noted was "not a bad thing in itself. It keeps our society more moral, cleaner."
The Kyrgyz in China
The Kyrgyz form one of the
56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the
People's Republic of China. There are more than 145,000 Kyrgyz in
China.
They are found mainly in the
Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture in the southwestern part of the
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with a smaller remainder found in the neighboring
Wushi (
Uqturpan),
Aksu,
Shache (
Yarkand),
Yingisar,
Taxkorgan and
Pishan (
Guma), and in
Tekes,
Zhaosu (
Monggolkure),
Emin (
Dorbiljin),
Bole (
Bortala),
Jinghev (
Jing) and
Gonliu in northern Xinjiang. Several hundred Kyrgyz whose forefathers emigrated to Northeast China more than 200 years ago now live in
Wujiazi Village in
Fuyu County,
Heilongjiang Province.
Certain segments of the Kyrgyz in China are followers of
Tibetan Buddhism.
Notable Kyrgyz people
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kirgiz'.
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