Where did the Oirat people live before their migration toward the Volga River?

Before their migration toward the Volga River in the early 17th century, the Oirat people—a confederation of western Mongol groups—primarily inhabited regions in northern Xinjiang (also known as Dzungaria) and western Mongolia.1

Historically, these western Mongols maintained a distinct existence from the eastern Mongols who claimed descent from Genghis Khan. As they expanded their influence, the Oirat established control over various oases in East Turkistan and engaged with territories in Tibet, drawing on resources outside the traditional Mongol heartlands. Following their departure from these ancestral homelands, the groups moved across southern Siberia toward the southern Urals before eventually settling in the lower Volga region.12