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China History Forum, Chinese History Forum > Chinese History Topics > Chinese Ethnic Groups and Peoples > Ethnic Minorities of China
GreYandBlue
Ancient Chinese records mention, the Kyrgyz people in the ancient days were tall with red of face, red hair, and blue-green eyes, and kyrgyz considered black hair an evil omen, but those with black hair were descendants of General Li Ling.

Are the Kyrgyz of today the same Kyrgyz of the ancient Chinese chronicles?
Karakhan
I really wonder what the percentage of red hair ancient Kyrgyz there is..

Today's Kyrgyz have a conflicting history. One is that the Soviets were very active in creating ethnicity and identity. before the establishment of what is Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uzbek, etc.. ethnic definition is ambiguous. For example the Kyrgyz clans are similar to clans you find in Kazakhs and Karakalpaks (i.e Naimans and Kereys who are famous through Genghis Khan era)
and the language the modern Kyrgyz speak is very close to Kazakh, Nogay and Karakalpak. I don't know Chinese well, but i would say the difference is similar to Hong Kong cantonese and cantonese in other area of Guangdong.. you can hear the difference, but its very similar enough to make conversation with.

the Khakass minority in Russia, is supposedly the closest decendent of ancient Kyrgyz, but even they have strongly mongoloid features with black hair, smaller eyes, etc. Some modern Kyrgyz may fit the older discription but that is due to some intermixing witn Indo-European peoples to the south as I've met some Kyrgyz who do not look very "mongoloid".. but most do.
GreYandBlue
One things for sure, like the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz people do show hybrid features, and some show blue or green eyes. What non-Mongoloid race that they mixed with is unknown to me. Anyone know?
Karakhan
QUOTE(GreYandBlue @ Feb 24 2007, 05:33 AM) [snapback]4877839[/snapback]
One things for sure, like the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz people do show hybrid features, and some show blue or green eyes. What non-Mongoloid race that they mixed with is unknown to me. Anyone know?


I do not think the Kazakhs or Kyrgyz are very "hybrid" at least compared to Tatars, Uzbeks, Uighurs and Bashkorts. the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz are very predominantly mongoloid, and only a few have blue and green eyes (its not uncommon, but not very common either if that make sense). like wise I seen some Mongols with colored eyes.

But in ancient times, Turkic people who live between the Volga and the Altai mountains had the following non-mongoloid neighbors:
Ancient Kets in the north (who were said to have red hair and colored eyes, but now look similar to other Turkic mongoloids), Indo-Europeans to the south (Scythians, etc), and Finno-Uralic peoples to the north (i.e Samoyeds before they became mongoloid).
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