Forest Folk, Forest People

(Urianhai/Uriankhai) The original Forest People were a mysterious assembly of tribes of migrating people/nomads who long ago descended from the far regions of Siberia, making their way in a southwesterly direction through Mongolia until some of them reached the mountainous regions of Kirghizia (Kyrgyzstan), where they populated its high valleys and mountains. Some of the Forest Folk were called Urianhai by the Mongols. In the The Secret History of the Mongols, the Oirats, who originated in the Altai region, are likewise considered “forest people” together with the Kyrgyz. Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis, subjugated the Oirats and the Kyrgyz when he overthrew the forest tribes in 1207 AD. See also Imbak, Kyrgyz.