Ashina (clan)

The Ashina (Chinese: 阿史那; pinyin: Āshǐnà; Wade–Giles: A-shih-na; Middle Chinese: (Guangyun) [ʔɑʃi̯ə˥nɑ˩]), also known as Asen, Asena, or Açina, was a tribe, belived to be of Indo-European origin, and the ruling dynasty of the ancient Turkic peoples. It rose to prominence in the mid-6th century when the leader, Bumin Qaghan, revolted against the Rouran Khaganate. The two main branches of the family, one descended from Bumin and the other from his brother Istemi, ruled over the eastern and western parts of the Göktürk confederation, respectively.

Researchers such as H.W. Haussig, S.G. Kljyashtorny, A.N. Bernstamm, C. V. Findley, B.A. Muratov, R.R. Suyunov, D.G. Savinov, S.P. Guschin, Rona-Tas and R.N. Frye have pointed out that the origin of the Ashina is from the Iranian Saka-Wusun. They have put forward this version of the following arguments:

Subclade of clan Ashina: R1a-Z93, Z94+, Z2123-, Y2632-.(Ashide: Q1a-L53) In this research, six R-Z94 applicants, who identifies themselves as descendants of the Ashina clan and whose ancestors are known to be originated from Gaochang(高昌), are listed as the descendants of the Ashina, with four of them from China having a surname Shi(史) and two of them from Pashtun Afganistan and Bulgaria.

Findley assumes that the name "Ashina" comes from one of the Saka languages of central Asia and means "blue" (gök in Turkic). The color is identified with the east, so that Göktürk, another name for the Turkic empire, meant the "Turks of the East". This idea is seconded by the Hungarian researcher András Róna-Tas, who finds it plausible "that we are dealing with a royal family and clan of Saka origin". "The term bori, used to identify the ruler's retinue as 'wolves', probably also derived from one of the Iranian languages", Carter Vaughin Findley has observed.

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