hi,
previously on this list the y-chromosome haplotype m17 was discussed
in the context of the dispersal of IE languages, where according to
the findings of wells et al, a decreasing frequency cline is present
trailing from central/east europe and into south, north, and central
asia. haplotype m17 occurs at a frequency of 4% in mongolians,
indicating a partial paternal contribution by western eurasians to
the mongolian gene pool, which is in agreement with the summary of
findings by mongolian archeologists and anthropologists i have
appended to the end of this post by dashtseveg tumen.
now i am wondering if anyone could possibly give some insight into
the origin of the names of these mongolian (oirad) tribes that tumen
notes for their phenetic relation with western eurasians. the tribes
are the dorvod, bayad, miangad, torguud, urianhai, oold, and
zahchin. is it possible they are of IE origin? thanks in advance.
"The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome
diversity" R. Spencer Wells et al
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2001 August 28; 98 (18): 1024410249
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=56946
"Sorting is not categorization: A critique of the claim that
Brazilians have fuzzy racial categories"
Francisco J. Gil-White
http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~fjgil/Emic.pdf
"My respondents are Torguud nomads in the district of Bulgan Sum, Hovd
Province, Republic of Mongolia. Torguuds are a relatively small,
Mongol ethnic group, and they share the district of Bulgan Sum with
Kazakhs, who make up about 30% of the population in the district.
Like Torguuds, some Kazakhs are nomadic herders and others
are town-dwellers. Although there are a few Kazakh families in what
is essentially Torguud territory, on the whole Torguuds and Kazakhs
are territorially segregated, even Torguud and Kazakh
town-dwellers live in separate parts of town."
[...]
"The residents of Bulgan Sum are at the geographic center of Asia,
and in their history they have migrated far and wide. As a
consequence they display astounding phenotypic diversity, at
least half have either blue or green eyes; there are blondes and
brunettes; some have epicantic folds over their eyes, others
don't; there are very pale and very dark-skinned people,etc.;
and also every conceivable combination of traits (e.g. very dark-
skinned people with green eyes and epicantic folds are not uncommon).
All this naturally leads people to employ, as in Brazil, a quite rich
vocabulary of phenotypic description. Individuals are said to be
yellow, brown, red, white, black. Many a person's nickname is a
diminutive form of these color terms. But to describe a girl
as "yellow" (e.g. "Shar Oxio" or "yellowdaughter") and her brother
as "black" (e.g. Xaraa or "blackie") hardly means they put them in
different racial or ethnic categories. They are both Mongol."
INTRODUCTION TO THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY IN MONGOLIA
By D. Tumen, Ph.D., Chief of Anthropology Department, Institute of
General and Experimental Biology, Academy of Sciences, Mongolia
The Mongols, who over centuries have been living in this unique
ecological environment of Central Asia with a sharp continental
climate and differing geographical zones and regions, have developed
a distinctive nomadic civilization of pastoral livestock breeding. On
the other hand, in the course of this historical development process
an entire race of people have been named Mongoloid with a distinctive
life-style, facial features and physical characteristics.
This unique feature of the Mongols has been changing with the
influence of modern civilization of machinery and technology
(industrialization, population growth, distribution, structure,
migration, etc.). In view of this, anthropologists in this country
are carrying out research into the peculiarities of a Mongol man
combining their ancient past and the contemporaneity. This study is
being conducted in the areas of paleoanthropology, morphology,
genetics, ecology, demography, physiology, dentition,
dermatoglyphics, ethnology and social anthropology.
The archaeological and paleoanthropological studies conducted in the
recent years have revealed huge caches of weapons and artifacts
pertaining to the Paleolithic Period, which were found in the
Mongolian Altai mountain regions and in Gobi Altai aimag. A cave
inhabited by the ancestors of today's Mongols who lived some 500
thousand years ago, was found in Bayanlig soum, Bayanhongor aimag
which was one of the first major finds of the early men in the whole
of Central Asia. This find, in some ways, confirms the authenticity
of the hypothesis by an American scientist Osborne, who lived in the
early XX century, that man could have originated from Mongolia.
Apart from this, Mongolian archaeologists and paleontologists have
found a rich collection of paleoanthropological finds pertaining to
the Neolithic Period (10,000-7,000 BC), the Bronze Age (X-VII
centuries, BC), the Iron Age (VII-V centuries BC), the period of the
Huns (III-I centuries, BC), the ancient Mongol Period (I century,
AD) , and the latter-day Mongol Period (XIII-XVIII centuries, AD).
The research conducted into these finds show that the Mongols of the
Neolithic Period and early Bronze Age, living in the country's
western parts, were nomads with a European feature, while those
living in the country's central and eastern regions had Mongoloid
features with a nomadic way of life.
There are more than 20 tribes and ethnic group of Mongol and Turkish
origin living in Mongolia. The 1989 population census shows that 80
percent of Mongolia's population are Halha; 2.6% - Dorvod; 2.0% -
Bayad; 0.3% - Hoton; 0.5% - Oold; 0.2% - Miangad; 1.2% - Zahchin;
1.1% - Urianhai; 0.5% - Torguud; 6.1% - Kazakh; 1.2% - Buriad; 0.7% -
Darhad; 0.1% - Barag; 1.1% - Uzemchin; 1.5% - Dariganga; and the rest
are Chantuu, Tsaatan (reindeer breeders), and Tuva, etc. Of them, the
Kazakh, Hoton, Tuva, Chantuu or Uzbek and Tsaatan are of Turkish
origin and the remaining - of the Mongol origin.
Historically, the Dorvod, Bayad, Miangad, Torguud, Urianhai, Oold and
Zahchin are from Western Mongolia or are of the Oirad tribes; the
Uzemchin and Barag are from Inner Mongolia and all of the Halha
tribes, including the Borjigin. Hatgin, Hotgoid, Sartuul, Iljigin,
etc., are from Central Mongolia.
According to anthropological characteristics, these tribes, although
they have the features characteristic of the Mongols, can be divided
into two basic groups, according to their geographical affiliation.
For instance, the Buriad, Barag and Hatgin tribes of Eastern Mongolia
and the Halha tribes have a strong Mongol characteristics while those
tribes living in the West - Zahchin, Torguud, Oold, etc., - have
characteristics relatively similar to the Europeans. The Mongols with
their anthropological traits are very similar and close to the
Buriad, Kalmyk, Koreans and the Japanese.
Population ecological study shows that the indigenous inhabitants of
the Gobi, the steppe and high forest mountains are not much different
in their height and weight, but are quite different in their physical
structure, physical ratio and metabolism. For instance, people living
in the high Altai mountainous regions are taller than those living in
other zones, while those living in the Gobi, compared to people from
the forest regions, have broad flat chests and tend to have less fat.
While the cholesterol content in the blood of people in the Gobi is
higher than those in the other geographical zones.
The average height of a male Mongolian is 161.5 cm and weight - 66.7
kg, while those of a woman are 156.7 cm and 57.6 kg, respectively.
Compared to the figures in 1970, we find that the Mongolians have
become taller by 2.5 to 3 cm and this growth is particularly evident
in children and adolescents. For instance, research shows that
starting from the 1980's, young Mongolians have been maturing earlier
and their physical growth has been faster. However, this acceleration
in adolescents is not the same in the urban and rural areas. For
example, as a result of urbanization, which has been rather fast in
the last 30 years in Ulaanbaatar, Erdenet, Darhan and Choibalsan, the
average height of boys of 17 years of age in these towns has reached
167.5 cm, average weight - 66.8 kg, and those of girls - 158.6 cm and
56.4 kg, respectively. While the average height of rural boys of the
same age in aimag centers is 166.4 cm, the average weight - 66.2 kg,
and those of girls are 156.3 cm and 56.1 kg, respectively, and these
indicators in remote rural areas are 165.8 cm and 64.6 kg for boys;
155.7 cm and 55.1 kg for girls, respectively.
In conclusion, it must be noted that the Government has launched
the "Man" project, within the framework of which it is planned to
study the physical, hereditary and psychological characteristics of a
Mongol and establish a national standard. It is also planned to draft
an adequate program of ensuring the reproduction of the Mongolian
population and eventually determine the demographic policy of the
country.
THE MONGOL MESSENGER *No. 17 (95) April 27, 1993
pictures of a dorvod and a bayad:
http://www.uvsmongolia.mn/english/population.htm