Todoriki Masahiko 等々力政彦

The Persistence of Ethnic Subgroups: Kyrgys and Uigur Lineages in Tuvan Ethnohistory

67^th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Gotemba 2025

This presentation examines the historical persistence and transformation of ethnonyms such as Kyrgys(Кыргыс, Kïrgïs) and Uigur (Уйгур, Uygur) as ethnic subgroups (clans) within the modern Tuvan Republic. While populations in surrounding areas—including Tuvans living outside the republic—retain clear knowledge of their ancestral identities, many Tuvans within the republic today are unable to identify the detailed lineage of their ancestral söök (“bone,” or clan). Nevertheless, the core of clan names remains embedded in surnames and ritual traditions. The Kyrgys clan, attested since the 2nd century BCE in Chinese, Old Turkic, Arabic, and Greek sources, constituted a major political force in the upper Yenisei basin and is believed to have remained a prominent tümen (ten-thousand-unit division) prior to the rise of the Oirats in the 13th century. Its name appears even in 18th-century Russian maps and Manchu sources, but in the Soviet era, it was officially erased and replaced by the ethnonym “Khakas.” Despite this, Kyrgys survives as a clan name among Tuvans, Khakas, and Altaians. The Uigur clan persists as a subgroup of the Ondar clan and is accompanied by a foundation myth involving a lone boy who survived a massacre—a narrative reminiscent of the origin legends of the ancient Turks (Tujue) as recorded in Tang sources. Archaeological sites such as the Por-Bazhyng fortress, scattered across Tuva, attest to the historical presence of Uigur-related groups. External ethnonyms such as Uygar Urianxay further indicate enduring links between Tuvan identity and the Uigur legacy. Although such connections exist, the Uigur clan name appears to have been socially marginalized, likely due to the long-standing dominance of the Kyrgys. This presentation argues that the preservation, transformation, and suppression of clan names reflect broader dynamics of memory, identity formation, and political erasure in the ethnohistorical landscape of Central Asia.