Ili Turks

The Ili Turks (Chinese: 土尔克人; pinyin: Tǔ'ěrkè rén; lit. 'Turk people') are a Turkic ethnic group native to Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of northern Xinjiang, China.^[3] They speak the Ili Turki language, which belongs to the Karluk branch of the Turkic languages.^[1] The oral history of the Ili Turks says that they came from the Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan.^[1] The Chinese government does not recognize the Ili Turks as a distinct ethnic group in censuses.

Ili Turks

Regions with significant populations
China Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture	120 (2019)[1]
Kazakhstan	57 (2009)[2]
Languages
Ili Turki, Kazakh, Chinese
Religion
Sunni Islam[1]
Related ethnic groups
Uyghurs, Äynus, Uzbeks, Kazakhs

The Ili Turks are nomadic herders. There are many unique animal husbandry words in their language.^[4][5]

References

1. "Ili Turki". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 2019-06-06.
2. "Perepis naseleniya Respubliki Kazakhstan 2009 goda. Kratkiye itogi" Перепись населения Республики Казахстан 2009 года. Краткие итоги. (in Russian). Archived from the original on 12 December 2010.
3. Xinjiang Weiwu'er Zizhiqu Minzu Yuyan Wenzi Gongzuo Weiyuanhui 新疆维吾尔自治区民族语言文字工作委员会 (2002). Xīnjiāng mínzú yǔyán fēnbù zhuàngkuàng yǔ fāzhǎn qūshì 新疆民族语言分布状况与发展趋势 (in Chinese). Beijing: Beijing yuyan daxue chubanshe. ISBN 7-5619-1128-9.
4. Zhao, Xiangru; Aximu 阿西木 (1985). "Xīnjiāng Yīlí dìqū Tǔěrkèhuà de tèdiǎn" 新疆伊犁地区土尔克话的特点. Mínzú yǔwén 民族语文. 1985 (5): 26–35.
5. Zhào, Xiāngrú; Hahn, Reinhard F. (1989). "The Ili Turk People and Their Language". Central Asiatic Journal. 33 (3/4): 261–285. JSTOR 41927706.