The Darkhad, Darqads,
[.] Dalhut, or Darhut
(
Mongolian for "Untouchables", "Protected Ones", or "Workmen of
Darkhan"; Chinese:
达尔扈特, pinyin: Dá'ěrhùtè) are a subgroup of
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
people living mainly in northern
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
, in the
Bayanzürkh
Bayanzürkh (, ''rich heart'') is one of nine Düüregs (districts) of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. It is subdivided into 20 Khoroos (subdistricts).
It is the largest district in the capital and lies in the southeast of the city. It was ...
,
Ulaan-Uul,
Renchinlkhümbe
Renchinlkhümbe ( mn, Рэнчинлхүмбэ) is a '' sum'' of Khövsgöl Province in Mongolia. The area is about , of which are pasture and 35% are forest. In 2000, the ''sum'' had 4284 inhabitants, mainly Darkhad. The ''sum'' center, offici ...
,
Tsagaannuur sums of
Khövsgöl Province; as well as
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
in northern China.
The
Darkhad valley
The Darkhad Valley ( mn, Дархадын хотгор, transl.: ''Darhadyn hotgor'') is a large valley in northwestern Khövsgöl aimag, Mongolia. It is situated between the Ulaan Taiga and Khoridol Saridag ranges at an altitude of about 16 ...
is named after them. The regional variant of
Mongol language is the
Darkhad dialect
Darkhad (also "Darkhat") is a dialect in-between Central Mongolian and Oirat still variously seen as closer to Oirat or as a dialect of Khalkha Mongolian with some Oirat features. However, it seems to have substantially assimilated to the Kha ...
. In the 2000 census, 16,268 people identified themselves as Darkhad.
The Darkhad were originally part of the
Oirat or
Khotgoid tribes. Between 1549 and 1686, they were subjects of
Zasagt Khan aimag and the Khotgoid Altan Khan. In 1786 they became part of the
Jebtsundamba Khutuktu
The Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, , ; zh, c=哲布尊丹巴呼圖克圖, p=Zhébùzūn Dānbā Hūtúkètú; bo, རྗེ་བཙུན་དམ་པ་ཧུ་ཐུག་ཐུ་, Jetsün Dampa Hutuktu; "Venerable Excellent incarnate lama" ar ...
's
shabi otog. At roughly the same time they became known as ''Black Darkhad''.
In 1947, 2071 people from 462 households were eligible to be Darkhad.
[ They were liable for maintaining the Great Khan's mausoleum at their own expense prior to the erection of a permanent government-owned structure in 1954–6.][ The Darkhad believe they are the direct descendants of the soul guards of Genghis Khan.]shamanism
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiri ...
.
See also
* Darkhad language
Darkhad (also "Darkhat") is a dialect in-between Central Mongolian and Oirat still variously seen as closer to Oirat or as a dialect of Khalkha Mongolian with some Oirat features. However, it seems to have substantially assimilated to the Kha ...
* Mausoleum of Genghis Khan
* ''Taiga'' (1992 film)
References
Citations
Bibliography
* .
External links
BBC: Darhad Tribe
*"Guarding the Spirit of Our Ancestor, Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...
.
{{Authority control
Mongol peoples
Ethnic groups in Mongolia
Khövsgöl Province
Inner Mongolia