Tiele people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (300,000－approx. 2-3 million (Rough conversion based upon the ratio 1:5 [soldier or yurt/people] provided by Jia Yi and imitation of Li Chengqian from the number of yurt [落户 luohu] and portion of soldier [兵 bing])) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| northern Chinese provinces, Altay Mountains, Xinjiang (Dzungaria) and Pontic-Caspian steppe (by 6th century) | |
| Languages | |
| Turkic languages | |
| Religion | |
|
Tengriism, Buddhism, Manichaeism and Islam (post-10th century) |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dingling, Xiongnu, and later Turkic peoples |
The Tiele (Chinese: 鐵勒; pinyin: Tiělè), also named Chile (Chinese: 敕勒), Gaoche (Chinese: 高車), or Tele (Chinese: 特勒), were a confederation of nine Turkic peoples living to the north of China and in Central Asia, emerging after the disintegration of the Xiongnu confederacy. Chinese sources associate them with the earlier Dingling people. The Tiele were a collection of tribes of different Turkic ethnic origins, largely descended from the Chile, presupposing a Tiele-Tingling identity back to the 3rd century BCE. Tiele are related to modern Teleuts people.
The name "Chile" and "Gaoche" first appear in Chinese records during the campaigns of Former Yan and Dai in 357 and 363 respectively. However, the protagonists were also addressed as "Dingling" in the records of the Southern Dynasties. The name gao (high) che (cart) was a nickname given by the Chinese.
By the time of the Rouran domination, the Gaoche comprised six tribes and twelve clans.
The Gaoche migrate in search of grass and water. They dress in skins and eat meat. Their cattle and sheep are just like those of the Rouran, but the wheel of their carts are high and have very many spokes.
The progenitors of Huihe were Xiongnu because of their custom of riding the high-wheeled carts. They were also called Gaoche during the Yuan Wei [Northern Wei 386－534] times, or Chile, which is an alternate name to Tiele.
One group known as the Eastern Gaoche (东部高车) probably dwelled from the Onon River to Lake Baikal (巳尼陂). However, their relationship with the rest of the Gaoche and its tribal components is unclear.
In 391 the Rouran chief, Heduohan (曷多汗) was killed by the Tuoba Northern Wei. Heduohan's brother Shelun raided several tribal dependencies of the Tuoba in retaliation, but reportedly suffered a serious defeat in 399, and was forced to flee westward. Here Shelun defeated the Hulu (斛律) tribe and subjugated them. With the aid of a Hulu named Chiluohou (叱洛侯), Shelun conquered most of the Gaoche tribes and proclaimed himself Kaghan of the Rouran on March 11, 402. Many Gaoche, such as Chiluohou, were promoted to establish better control.
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Wikipedia