Khoton Turks In Mongolia
Among the surviving communities in Mongolia, the Uyghur Hoton Turkic community lives in the Tarialan district of Uvs province in western Mongolia, surrounded by steppes. Uvs province borders Russia and is bordered by Bayan Ölgi province to the west, Zavhan province to the east and Hovda province to the south. The Khoton Turkic community makes up about 3 per thousand of Mongolia’s population. “Khoton Turks”, known as the Khoton ethnic group in Mongolian, is one of the Turkic communities that have almost disappeared in Mongolia.
HOTON NAME AND ORIGIN
Although we do not have very clear information about the name Hoton and its origin, it has been verbally expressed to us by the elders of the Hoton communities that the name “Hoton” is actually “Hatun”, that they belong to the Uyghur Turks, that they are a Turkish community with a few households within the borders of Mongolia remaining from the Uyghurs to the present day. It is known that the word Hatun means woman, lady, lady, lady in Turks.
The number of males of non-Mongolian communities was limited to 1000 by the heirs of Genghis Khan. This situation caused men to wear women’s dresses in order to slaughter the male population of more than a thousand or not to fight and serve as soldiers in the Mongolian armies. They stated that the name of this Turkish community stuck to them as a name because of this behavior and later changed and their name, which was Hatun in the 14th and 16th centuries, was changed and called “Hoton” today. Hoton elders stated that their ancestors chose such a path not because they were afraid of war, but because they defied death and did not want to fight and become soldiers only in the ranks of the Mongols. The Khoton claim that their population is approximately 15-20 thousand within the borders of Mongolia. After this brief information about the Khoton, we should mention a few words recorded in the language of the Turkic community Khoton.
Ancestor – Father Empr – Husband – Wife
Mother – Mother Cilxa – Horse, Horse
Awshan – Old Cirman – Twenty
Aghan – Agha Impak – Young
Bala- Child Yakşi – Yahşi, good
Bar – Var Yan – Life, life
Ber – Ver Yenge – Cheek
Gurt – Cheese Ground – Earth, place
Eger – sister Yeple – Live
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A HOTON TURK
A day in the life of a Hoton Turk… They get up very early in the morning. They are always happy and cheerful, and in times of danger they are cool and collected. They love to walk in the open air. Children learn to ride horses, shoot arrows and wrestle before they reach puberty. They do not do enough work to get tired. Their needs are few. They never rush and hurry. If they want to do something, they say tomorrow, and tomorrow may take a year. They get maximum pleasure from each passing hour. They don’t receive exciting messages, they don’t watch television, they don’t own newspapers. They have no trains to catch, no workplaces to be late for… They have no narrow streets, no traffic jams, no overdue bank cards, no electricity or natural gas bills to worry about. A nervous breakdown is something they do not know. When they are asked if they would like to have some of the necessities like in Western societies, they say that these necessities may be good in other countries, but we don’t need them here. We are happy and content with the way we are. Khoton Turks are very fond of their reputation.
A proverb says: “muu amid yavsnaas ner turte-i sain ukh” (it is better to die with dignity than to live without it),
Another proverb says: “ner khugarsnaas yas khugar n’deer” (instead of breaking someone’s heart, break a bone).
Khoton Turks, as in other Turkic communities, attach great importance to the horse. As in ancient Turks, horse is a companion, horse is a friend, horse is a brother in Khoton Turks. Khoton Turks love the horse both for its usefulness and beauty. The most important event of every gathering is horse races. The sight of a herd of horses running over the green plains with their manes and tails fluttering is the most enjoyable sight for them. Every Khoton, whether male, female or child, stops his horse to watch the foals frolic. A beautiful horse is poetry to a Khoton. Old men, their eyes shining, tell stories about the strength, speed, endurance and intelligence of the horses they know. Stories of famous horses are passed down from generation to generation. These stories are the folklore of a society without literature. Khoton Turks respect the horse and do not treat it badly. They do not put heavy loads on it. Khoton horses’ feet are closer to the ground. A horse or a dog or any animal is never hit or tormented; it is like hitting and tormenting a friend.
GUEST IN HOTON TURKS
In Khoton Turks, guests are always well received, no matter who they are. The host will gladly share whatever he has with the guest; he will offer him the best of his food, the most comfortable place in the ger-tent, the most desirable corner of the hot stove. It is customary for a guest to leave his whip outside when entering the ger-tent. It is considered an insult to enter with a whip. It is considered an insult to the family hearth to put a foot towards the fire while sitting. The guest must sit cross-legged. The host sits the guest in the best place, puts pillows behind him to support him, and then offers him tea or koumiss. If the host wishes to express to the guest that he has honored him with his visit, a bowl of koumiss is offered on a white or blue silk circle. They do not like ostentation and waste. In general, politics is never discussed and they do not engage in politics. They live in peace and tranquility in their plains. They do not bathe often, there is an ancient belief.
It must be because water is scarce in their beliefs. They don’t like fish. When their children ask for fish, they consider it an insult to the head of the family. The head of the house gets angry with his child saying, “Why don’t I feed you meat and you want fish? The abundance of meat (sheep, goat, beef) has largely determined the dietary habits. There is an ever-evolving taste for starchy dishes, rice, appetizing and fragrant roots, greens and especially onions, garlic and potatoes. Milk is plentiful in summer. For the winter, the Khoton make products that will last a long time. These include aruul (a type of dried small house cheese), byaslag and eezgü (two types of cheese made from soured milk), tsagan tos (made from the cream of milk) and shar tos (melted butter). Fresh milk, usually skimmed, is drunk with tea. These are widely produced and consumed among the Hoton Turks. It is noteworthy that the names of what they eat and drink are always pronounced in Mongolian. When we remind them, they sigh and say that we cannot use our old language.
LIFE AND DRESS AMONG HOTON TURKS
In Mongolia, Khoton Turks usually walk around in their traditional clothes. These clothes, which have been handed down from their ancestors for centuries, do not change in fashion and color, and their shape does not change much. The length of the del-dress is long enough to cover the boots and shoes, the waist is tightly tied with a sash, the sleeves are long enough to pass the hands, the shoes and boots are made of feathered and leather, and it is rumored that these clothes have been worn for about eight hundred years to protect from the cold and durable. Men, women and children, nobles and commoners alike, all wear the same clothes. They wear pants and a shirt under a del-entari with a side slit so as not to hinder their movement on horseback. Boys and unmarried girls wear, in addition to the del-entari, a jacket, khurem, worn over the del’in-dress in cold weather. Men wear a silk sash around their waist. Married women leave the waist of the del-entari empty.
Long boots made of thick leather are preferred. The tip of the boots is pointed and curved towards the sky. When asked why, they say it is out of respect for the earth. They especially care that the shoes are very clean. Traditional boots are heel-less and have upturned tips. Fashion never changes among the Khoton Turks, so their holiday dresses are passed down from generation to generation and their colors become more beautiful as time passes. In Mongolia, apart from Khoton Turks, Kazakhs, Mongols and other tribes always prefer the same clothes and models. It must be for protection from the cold. The clothes mentioned above are generally more common in winter. In summer, they prefer thinner and more comfortable clothes.
GER (TENT-YURT-YUGAN) IN HOTON TURKS
It is possible to see Hoton Turks, men and women in their traditional clothes walking freely in the Mongolian geography. The hoofprints of the Turks in Asia make one dream of the alluring images of nature, this country where horses, camels, sheep and nomadic tribes roam freely is unlike anywhere else in the world. The Khoton Turks are known to be very kind-hearted and helpful to people, and their difficult natural conditions and harsh way of life have undoubtedly made them helpful and kind-hearted. It is stated that the Khoton Turks used to live in low buildings made of straw and mud, similar to our old houses in Anatolia, and today they live freely in tents called “ger”.
The Mongols and Khoton Turks relied on the round, collapsible ger-tents made of felt and tent cloth with wooden frames, called ger. They are light, easy to pitch, warm in winter and easy to open in summer to let in the breeze.
Life in Ger
Khoton Turks live in the steppe in tents called Ger. In the steppe, where nomadic life continues outside the capital, seasonal migration is needed to survive. The vegetation in the region is not forest type. Black climate is dominant and the temperature difference between summers and winters is quite high. The tents (Ger) of Khoton Turks were formed by the climatic conditions of centuries. These tents are made of wooden thin frame, cross knitted, tent cloth is made of at least eight centimeters of felt, light round, with the ability to open and close, and the top is designed to be resistant to heat in summer and cold in winter, where the stove pipe can be installed.
The woman’s work takes very little time, as the Ger-tents contain nothing but the necessities of life and the food of the people living here is very simple. In winter they eat mainly dried meat and potatoes, and in summer they eat nothing but milk and cheese, so the work is much less. The favorite drink of Khoton Turks is Kımız, made from mare’s milk. Kımız is the most consumed drink. Kımız not only calms the fever but also satisfies hunger. Kımız is made by filling mare’s milk into a jug and hanging it in the sun for a few days. It is necessary to mix the milk several times a day. Kımız is always kept in an open container on the table at the entrance to the tent and is stirred with a ladle every time you enter.
Tea in Hoton Turks
Apart from koumiss, another favorite drink of the Khoton Turks is tea. The tea is poured into boiling milk and a pinch of salt and a piece of butter are added. It is very tasty if you get used to it. Strangely, Hoton Turks cook tea with salt, but they never add salt to meat dishes. The inside of the ger-tents are extremely tidy. The base of the ger-tent is 10-15 centimeters above the ground. The floor is covered with felt and pelts and cushions are laid out. Noises outside cannot be heard from inside these ger-tents. In winter there is a thick sheet metal stove in the center and also a small brazier. There are two poles nailed in front of the ger-tent. Horses are tied to these poles. Two saddled horses are always present during the day. Khoton men and women or children do not even walk a hundred paces to the tent or water well, but jump on the back of the horse.
In the Ger-tent, as in other Turkic tribes, the threshold of the door is not stepped on, it is considered inauspicious. The person who steps on the threshold on purpose is considered to have trampled on the host and insulted him. Ger-tent doors are usually painted and light colored, with blue and turquoise being the most popular colors. It is considered impolite for a stranger to knock on the door of the ger-tent. The guest will shout “Nohoi hori” (hold the dog) or cough quickly to let the host know that they have arrived. In this way, he is asking for permission to enter the ger-tent. Among the guests who come from outside to the ger-tent for a meal, the guest who is older in age or position is given a knife. Usually a horse, yak or sheep is slaughtered for the guest, depending on their status. This guest takes the rib bone of the meat on the table, cuts a piece of meat for each guest and offers it to them. When there is no meat left on the bone, he wraps some paper money from his pocket around the bone and tucks it between the boards of the ger-tent, which is a polite contribution to the owner of the house. Iron money is not used in Mongolia.
Settlement in Ger (Tent)
The settlement is organized according to certain rules. The door of the ger-tent always faces south, away from the strong north winds. The left wing of the “ger” belongs to the men. This is where the airag churning bag, the saddle stand, a bed and one or two ration chests are located. Guests enter from the left and usually stop to stir the koumiss before traveling halfway across the tent and sitting down on their assigned stools in the corner. Most “gers” have a guest plate for unexpected guests, usually containing cheese and salted and milky Mongolian tea or vodka.As in other Turkic communities, the number nine is sacred among the Khoton Turks. They also consider Tuesday unlucky. They do not leave their important work on Tuesday. They do not go on a long journey on Tuesday. The house is not swept on Tuesday. They do not start their important work on Tuesday.
TURKS AND MONGOLS
Mongolia is one of the most important countries in terms of Turkish history and culture. The fact that ancient Turkish states were established in this geography and that there are inscriptions, sculptures, rock paintings and cultural elements belonging to Turkish language and culture make Mongolia important for Turkish history.The relations between Mongolia and Turkey, which is home to the oldest ancestral homeland where Turks first appeared on the stage of history and the oldest known written sources, have never been interrupted throughout history. The historical Silk Road, which also passes through the vast Mongolian lands and extends to Anatolia, has been instrumental in the continuation of the relations between these two brotherly countries and peoples, which are very distant from each other in terms of distance. Today, these relations are still preserved with all their warmth regardless of the distance between them.
The historical and cultural ties between the Turkish and Mongolian nations date back to the earliest periods of known history. The first known example of Turkish-Mongolian political unity is the Great Hun Empire. We know that there were a significant number of tribes of Mongolian origin as well as tribes of Turkish origin in the Great Hun Empire, which we get the first information about them from Chinese sources dating back to the 4th century BC. In fact, the first sections of the famous Great Wall of China began to be built in 214 BC against the Turko-Mongolian political union, the Great Hun Empire. Again in this period, the “State Tradition” and “Steppe Culture” formed by two allied nations together will continue with the European Huns, Gokturk and Uighur Kingdoms to be established later, as well as the Mongol Empire that emerged as a result of the Mongol unity under the leadership of Genghis Khan.
Mongol Reign
The Mongols inherited the legacy of the steppe. They were the heirs of the nomadic empires founded by the Huns, the Turks and the Uighurs. It is not a coincidence that Genghis Khan chose Ötüken of the Huns and Göktürks as the center of his empire, and the Mongols achieved the unity of the steppe tribes in the 13th century. Genghis Khan first united the tribes in Mongolia. The unification of the Mongols was not enough, it was also necessary to pave the way to the empire, Genghis Khan became the sole ruler of the Mongols, first of all by the Onguts, these undesirable but unsuccessful peoples joined the Mongols. The main peoples who joined were the Naymans, Merkits, Uighurs, Tatars, Kerait and other Mongol tribes. The participation of the Uighurs, in particular, sealed the fate of Genghis Khan’s state.
Genghis Khan, who embarked on the Khwarezm campaign, found armies of Turks against him. When these armies and their dependent states, the Qarakaitays, Khwarezmshahs and Kipchaks, were eliminated, Turkic peoples joined the empire en masse. The Turks, like the Mongols, believed that there should be “one ruler on earth” and the two peoples had been living together for centuries. In previous empires it had been the Turks who had ruled, it made no difference that the Mongols now held that position. The distance between two Turkic tribes was not much greater than the distance between a Turkic tribe and a Mongol tribe. This was evidenced by the fact that the defeated Turkic peoples adopted the state of Genghis Khan as their own and marched with the Mongols from campaign to campaign.
If Genghis Khan was able to easily conquer this vast geography stretching from the Carpathians to the Great Wall of China, he owed it to the Turko-Mongol unification. This unity was so strong that everyone thought they were one nation. So much so that Nasreddin Tusi, one of the historians of that period, writes: “The Mongols are a Turkic tribe”. Rashid al-Din, on the other hand, states that the Mongols and Turks are not the same, that there are “many differences between them”, but still considers the Mongols “a class of Turks”. Jean-Paul Roux emphasizes that the ratio of one Mongol to seven Turks in the empire could be valid. This was also true in the army. Most of Genghis Khan’s warriors were Turks, and Genghis Khan’s military order and organization of the army was borrowed from Mete Khan (Mo-tun). Genghis Khan maintained the same state and army features that the Turks had practiced.
Conclusion
Mongolia is one of the most important countries in terms of Turkish history and culture. The fact that Turkish Empires and Turkish states were established in this geography, and the presence of artifacts and cultural elements belonging to Turkish language and culture here make Mongolia very important for Turkey. In addition, the fact that the communities of Turkish origin living in these lands today still maintain their old cultural life is a great blessing for those who are trying to research the old Turkish life, and the geography of Mongolia is a great opportunity to be researched for Turkishness and Turks with the artifacts it has preserved until today.
Khoton Turks are one of the peoples of the Mongolian Turkic cultural region and are one of the Turkic communities that are about to disappear. It is a rare Turkic community that has continued its existence from the Uighurs to the present day. It is a Turkic community that is also an important source in terms of shamanism. When the life styles, history and cultural heritage of the ancient nomadic communities who lived in Mongolian lands are revealed in the excavations and researches to be carried out, when the results of archaeological excavations are revealed, the historical depth of the Hun, Uyghur, Göktük, Mongolian tribes and communities will be revealed, and the information that has remained in the dark about the Hotun Turks will also come to light.
