Khoshut

The Khoshut were a Kalmyk people who converted to Tibetan Buddhism in the early 17th century. They are one of the groups that formed the Oirat confederation, which spoke western dialects of the Mongol language.12

In the early 17th century, some Oirat groups, including the Khoshut, migrated from their homeland in Xinjiang and western Mongolia to the lower Volga River region in Russia. For about 150 years, they lived as nomads in this area. By the 18th century, they were absorbed into the expanding Russian Empire. In 1771, a portion of the Oirat, those east of the Volga, returned to China. The Khoshut are considered a Kalmyk people.21