Dörben Oirat

The Dӧrben Oirat were a confederation of western Mongol peoples who spoke dialects of the Mongol language. In the 13th century, they were distinct from the eastern Mongols of Genghis Khan's empire. For centuries, the Dӧrben Oirat maintained a separate identity, sometimes as allies and sometimes as enemies of the eastern Mongols.1

A portion of the Dӧrben Oirat remained in their homeland of Dzungaria in northern Xinjiang and western Mongolia. Another part migrated to the southern Urals in the early 17th century, eventually settling near the lower Volga River. By the 18th century, they were largely absorbed by the expanding Russian Empire.1

Today, Oirat speakers reside in the Russian Federation, as well as in the Xinjiang and Qinghai regions of northwestern China, and in western Mongolia.1