Khotons

The Khoton or Qotung people are 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 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]

Khoton
Regions with significant populations
 Mongolia10,000 (2015)[1]
Languages
Oirat
Religion
Religious syncretism (Sunni Islam, including elements of Buddhism and Shamanism)[2]

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
  • The Khotons of Western Mongolia, 1979.

See also

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. 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. 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. 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.


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