Notes on Tribe

• In the study of rugs we use the word tribe to cover a broad range of situations in such a fashion that is no longer generally acceptable in other areas of study. While this is not an exhaustive list these definitions will help us to understand the wide range of human dynamics that are often broadly covered by the word "tribe".
• Il - An il is a political/military confederation of Aimaks. It is where one ruling elite controls a number of Aimaks (tribes). The leader is often called the Il-Khan. Ils can either be a natural occurrence as a result of the dominance of a "strong man" or they can be a creation of the state.
• Ulus refers to the land and people controlled by the Il. Some anthropologists have interpreted ulus to refer to land but that is incorrect and more a reflection of western views of property rights. This is a fun area I will expand on later or will discuss if anyone is interested in pursuing the subject.
• Aimak refers to a political/military union of Oboqs (clans) . The leader is often called the Khan.
• Oboq is a clan which is a quamicly aligned group typically with some elements of patrilineal decent group structure.
• Central Asian Tribal Stucture

  uruk > oymak > arþs > soy > tire > ara

  "It has a defined set of steps. An uruk is comprised of oymak, which are made up of aris, a composition of soy, itself a subdivided into tire, constituted by ara:

  "In times of political strain, when war clouds are visible, various uruk form coalitions and establish the ultimate political and economic union: the confederation. The Central Asians termed this process "tuþ baþlamak." Tuþ is the horse-tail standard. The leader of a polity or unit had the traditional right to tie a tuþ to his lance. (As the tuþ would be more visible than a naked lance, this tuþ was used to identify the polity and, when needed, to signal the cavalry, to order various attacking, flanking, retreat and regrouping signals). When the leader in question attracted more of his kinsmen to his standard, he would be in a position to add additional tuþ to his own lance. This was necessary because he now had more divisions to command, each with a designated lieutenant, called tuþbay. For example, in the very late 15th and very early 16th centuries, the Uzbeks and the Kazaks formed their confederations in this time-honored fashion." Paksoy, Basmachi

Index to my Rug Notes

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z