Tuvans

The Tuvans (from Russian тувинцы tuvincy) or Tyvans (from Tuvan тывалар tyvalar) are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Siberia that live in Tuva, Mongolia, and China. They speak the Tuvan language, a Siberian Turkic language. In Mongolia, they are regarded as one of the Uriankhai peoples. In China, they are considered Mongols, even though Tuvans are Turkic, not Mongolic. Tuvans have historically been livestock-herding nomads, tending to herds of goats, sheep, camels, reindeer, cattle, and yaks for the past thousands of years (This is, in fact, evident in the Tuvan folk song "Tooruktug Dolgai Tangdym"). They have traditionally lived in yurts covered by felt or chums, layered with birch bark or hide that they relocate seasonally as they move to newer pastures. Traditionally, the Tuvans were divided into nine regions called khoshuun, namely the Tozhu, Salchak, Oyunnar, Khemchik, Khaasuut, Shalyk, Nibazy, Daavan and Choodu, and Beezi. The first four were ruled by Uriankhai Mongol princes, while the rest were administered by Borjigin Mongol princes.