There’s a discussion about the ethnolinguistic geography of China at Coming Anarchy. Somewhat branching off of the discussion of what is and is not “Central Asian” in this post and more or less in the interest of bringing up the history of Altaic languages, here is a discussion of the Codex Cumanicus, a glossary of the Cuman language and collection of religious and other cultural texts.
This seeming lack of literary ambition (which may yet be disproved by archaeology) is probably to be attributed to the weak articulation of political organization among peoples such as the Pecenegs, Western Oguz and Cuman-Qipcaqs. Thus, it should come as no great surprise that one of the most significant literary monuments connected with the language of one of the dominant tribal confederations of the region, the Codex Cumanicus, was largely the work of non-Cumans. Before turning to the Codex itself, we must say something about the people whose language it describes.
The tangled knot of problems that revolves around the question of Cuman-Qipcaq ethnogenesis has yet to be completely unraveled. Even the name for this tribal confederation is by no means entirely clear. Western (Greek and Latin) and infrequently Rus’ sources called them Comani, Cumani, Kumani. Medieval Hungarians, who had close relations with them and to whose land elements of the Cumans fled in the 13th century seeking sanctuary from the Mongols, knew them as Kun.
There’s probably much more detail than most people would ever care to know, but it certainly is fascinating and gives a glimpse of just how widespread the Altaic cultural zone is.
{ 4 comments }
I WANT TO KNOW ENTIRELY ABOUT NOWADAYS QIPCHAKS (LOCATION, TRADITIONS, LANGUAGES ETC)IN EUROPE, ASIA ETC,
THANKS
ALTYN
OSH/KYRGYZSTAN
I WANT TO KNOW ENTIRELY ABOUT NOWADAYS QIPCHAKS (LOCATION, TRADITIONS, LANGUAGES ETC)IN EUROPE, ASIA ETC,
THANKS
ALTYN
OSH/KYRGYZSTAN
HELLO, I’M A HUNGARIAN KUN/CUMAN LIVING IN CANADA.
WE ARE FROM UR AND SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE KUNLUN MOUNTAINS OF TRIBAL TIBET 400AD-1250, THEN CAME
TO THE PLAINS OF HUNGARY,AND MIXED WITH THE WHITE HUNS/NATIVES. OUR LANGUAGE WAS AMALGAMATED WITH 7-10 OTHER ANCIENT LANGUAGES TO BECOME MODERN DAY HUNGARIAN. THE OTTOMANS SCREWED US, THEN THE AUSTRIANS,AND FINALLY THE RUSSIAN COMMUNISTS DIDN’T LIKE US TOO MUCH, AND KILLED
OFF MOST OF US. (WHAT ELSE IS NEW?. MOST OF US ARE BRAINWASHED AND DON’T EVEN KNOW OUR ROOTS.
STILL TRYING TO UNCOVER TRADITIONS. WE HAVE NAME DAYS TO HELP OUR INCARNATIONS, OUR TOTEM ANIMAL IS THE STAG(ELK). WE ARE RELATED TO ANCIENT KIPCHAK, THOUGH WE ARE MIXED YELLOW AND WHITE.
A LONG TIME AGO WE TOOK BACK BABYLON (BARILLI) WITH THE OTHER PEOPLES OF SUBAR UNDER ISSUDUBAR(NEBUCHADNEZZER). EVER SINCE THE EXODUS THE WORLD HAS HATED US AND TRIED TO WIPE US OUT.
THEY’VE MADE UP A LOT OF LIES, EVEN GOING SO FAR AS TO SAY WE COULDN’T READ . i KNOW SOME TRINIDADIANS AND JAMAICANS CALL THEMSELVES SUBARS, AND ALSO FAUGHT WITH US IN ANCIENT TIMES.
SEND ME AN E-MAIL IF YOU HAVE MORE INFORMATION!
I KNOW THERE ARE KIPCHAKS AND CUMANS THAT ARE SUBCULTURES FROM EAST ASIA TO SERBIA, AND I WANT TO KNOW MORE. TOO MANY LIES. MY INFORMATION WAS PASSED ON TO ME BY MY UCLE, WHOSE FATHER WAS A MEDICINE MAN. (EVEN TO THIS DAY MOST PEOPLE FROM MY VILLAGE ARE EITHER SHAMANS,WARRIORS, OR BOTH, THOUGH WE DO USE AGGRICULTURE ON TOP OF HUNTING.) I HAVE JUST RECENTLY STARTED TO LEARN TRADITIONAL TATTOOING. WE USE BONE TO TAP OR CUT OUR TOTEM ANIMALS INTO THE SKIN, USING SOOT
(CHARCOAL) MIXED WITH ALCHOHOL FOR INK. WE USED WORMWOOD, SYRIAN RUE, CANARY REED GRASS, CANNIBUS AND MUSHROOMS CERIMONIALLY AND FOR MEDITAIONS. HOPE THIS HELPS.
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