Salar

Infobox Ethnic group
group=Salar


poptime=104,503 (2000 census)
popplace= China: provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang
langs= Salar
rels= Predominately Muslim, minuscule adherents of Buddhism
related= other Turkic peoplesThe Salar people (Salar: Salar, Chinese: 撒拉族, Pinyin: "Sālāzú") are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They numbered 104,503 people in the last census of 2000 and live mostly in Qinghai (in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County 循化撒拉族自治縣 and Hualong Autonomous County of the Hui Nationality 化隆回族自治縣), in Gansu (in Jishishan Autonomous County of the Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Nationalities 積石山保安族東鄉族撒拉族自治縣) and in Xinjiang (in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture 伊犁哈薩克自治州).

Their ancestors were migrating Oghuz Turks who intermarried with the Tibetans, Han Chinese, and Hui. They are a patriarchal agricultural society and Muslims.

History

The Salar people had resided in China's Qinghai Province since the beginning of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty during the early 13th century. During the time of Genghis Khan's conquest, they were known as the Salyr tribe of Khorasan. One Salyr chief agreed to submit his lieutenants Aqman and Qaraman as mercenaries to the Mongol army. In this way, these Turkmen Salyrs were spared the destruction which was brought upon the Khwarezmian Empire by the Mongol army. Forty years after Genghis Khan's conquest of Khwarezm, the Salyr lietenants Aqman and Qaraman also joined the Mongols in the Seige of Diaoyu in Sichuan, a Song Dynasty stronghold. Afterwards, Qaraman and his folowers left Samarkand in present-day Uzbekistan and settled in the region of Qinghai in what is known today as the Xunhua County. His followers still retained their Turkic language which is now known as the Salar language.

According to Salar tradition, during the fourteenth and fifthteenth centuries their ancestors, possibly from an Oghuz tribe of the Seljuk Turks, and eventually settled in their present location in Gansu province. Over the course of their history, the ancestors of the Salar are believed to have merged with Tibetans, Han Chinese and Mongolians to form the present-day Salar.In 1781, Qing armies crushed a Salar uprising with the results being disastrous for the Salar. As much as 40% of their entire population was killed in the revolt.

About one third of Salars are able to speak their own language. Many Salar also speak Tibetan in addition to Chinese. There are reported similarities with Turkmen.

Culture

The typical clothing of the Salar very similar to other Muslim peoples in the region. The men are commonly bearded and dress in white shirts and white or black skullcaps.

The young single women are accustomed to dressing in Chinese dress of bright colors. The married women utilize the traditional veil in white or black colors.

They have a musical instrument called the "Kouxuan". It is a string instrument manufactured in silver or in copper and only played by the women.

For the Salar, divorce is a very easy procedure, although it can only be requested by the husband. In order to dissolve the marriage, the man only has to tell his wife that he no longer wishes to remain married to her. The woman abandons the conjugal residence and he remains free to be married again.Verify source|date=July 2007

The Salars have been in Qinghai Province, China since the Mongol Yuan period.For centuries they've maintained their Oghuz language remarkably similar to the Turkmen language spoken in the Qaraqum.

However, culturally they have strictly conformed to the Naqshbandi ways of their Hui coreligionists. Therefore many nomadic Turkmen traditions have been lost, and Turkmen music was forbidden. More secular minded Salars have resorted to appropriating Tibetan or Moghol (a Qinghai Mongolic Muslim group) music as their own.

Language

The Salar language has two large dialect groups. The divergence is due to the fact that one branch was influenced by the Tibetan and Chinese languages, and the other branch by the Uyghur and Kazakh languages. Only about one third of Salar speak their own language. In addition to Chinese, many Salar also speak Tibetan. Salar is not a written language. There are reported similarities with Turkmen.

References

* Tenišev, E.R: "Stroj salarskogo âzyka" ("The structure of the Salar language"). Moscow, Nauka 1976).
* Lin Lianyun (林莲云): 汉撒拉、撒拉汉词汇 ("Chinese-Salar Salar-Chinese lexicon". Chengdu, People's Press of Sichuan. 1992.

External links

* [http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2-salar.htm The Salar ethnic minority] (Chinese government site)
* Arienne M. Dwyer: [http://www.mpi.nl/DOBES/WebpageDobes1/DOBES/teams/Salar-Monguor/SaGrammaticalSketch.pdf Salar Grammatical Sketch] (PDF)
* Ma Wei, Ma Jianzhong, and Kevin Stuart, editors. 2001. Folklore of China’s Islamic ` Nationality. Lewiston, Edwin Mellen.
* Ma Quanlin, Ma Wanxiang, and Ma Zhicheng (Kevin Stuart, editor). 1993. Salar Language Materials. Sino-Platonic Papers. Number 43.
* Ma Wei, Ma Jianzhong, and Kevin Stuart. 1999. The Xunhua Salar Wedding. Asian Folklore Studies 58:31-76.
* Ma Jianzhong and Kevin Stuart. 1996. ‘Stone Camels and Clear Springs’: The Salar’s Samarkand Origins. Asian Folklore Studies. 55:2, 287-298.
* Han Deyan (translated by Ma Jianzhong and Kevin Stuart). 1999. The Salar Khazui System. Central Asiatic Journal 43 (2): 204-214.
* Feng Lide and Kevin Stuart. 1991. Ma Xueyi and Ma Chengjun. Salazu Fengsuzhi [Records of Salar Customs] ; Han Fude, general editor. Salazu Minjian Gushi [Salar Folktales] ; Han Fude, general editor. Minjian Geyao [Folk Songs] ; and Han Fude, general editor. Minjian Yanyu [Folk Proverbs] . Asian Folklore Studies. 50:2, 371-373.