Sanj Khoyt, Where the Khoshuds Live

Abstract

Sanj says that today the Khoshuds live dispersed in three countries, including Russia, Mongolia and China. In Kalmykia there are three groups: (1) Tyumnya Khoshud, who are descendants of the Khoshuds that lived in Khoshudskiy ulus in Astrakhan oblast, (2) Shorvin Khoshud, who are descendants of those who lived in Khoshudskiy aimak of Iki-Tsokhurovskiy ulus, and (3) Mantsin Khoshud, who are several families that split from the Shorvin Khoshuds, ending up in Derbet ulus. Among them the best studied group is the Shorvin Khoshuds who today live in the village of Sarpa in Ketchenerovskiy rayon and on several livestock farms in Yustinskiy rayon. Since there is no special census on ethnic groups, the number of the Torghuts is unknown. Nevertheless, it is estimated that their number in Kalmykia is around 11,000. According to the Kalmyk scholar Petr Darvaev, in 1861 the Khoshuds comprised 6 per cent of the total Kalmyk population. In Mongolia, the Khoshuds are known as Torghut, and their population statistics are unknown. According to the Buryat scholar Nanzatov, there are around 300 Khoshud families in Bulgan sum (administrative unit) in western Mongolia. In China, the Khoshuds are counted as Mongols. They live in Alashan League of Inner Mongolia, as well as in Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces. The majority of them are descendants of Gushi Khan. According to the Mongolian scholar Bum-Ochir, the number of Khoshuds in Kokonur is around 80,000. According to Oyuntsetseg, the number of Khoshuds, also known as Deed Mongol, in Qinghai and Gansu is 90,000.