A forest-steppe people of hunters and herders in the valleys east of the Selenga (the Uda, the Khilok) and on the Barguzin, whom the Mongols will call the Khori-Tumed.
They belong to the stories of the Mongols' own origin (the Qorilar who left them for the Burkhan Khaldun) and have no ruler over them that any source names for 1200. Nothing in the sources shows them paying tribute to anyone on 1 January 1200.
Who holds it
- Title
- Chiefs not named for 1200; the Khori-Tumed are later ruled by a woman, Botoqui Tarqun, widow of Darduqul Soqor
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
The Secret History's Qori-Tumat (Khori-Tumed) are the people of the Qorilar and the Tumat. The English Wikipedia article on Botohui-Tarhun names the chief Darduqul-Soqor, dead by the time of his widow's revolt (1217 or 1219); his date and the name of the chief on 1 January 1200 are not known. Batoeva derives the later Khori-Tumats from Eastern Transbaikalia.
Overlord
None attested.
What it holds
- Hunting grounds and pastures in the Uda and Khilok valleys
- Furs and game from the forest
- Their own chiefs' authority over the group (no chief named for 1200)
How it was acquired
By long use.
Allies and rivals
Neighbours of the Merkit (who fled to them in the 1180s), the Bargut and the Buryat ancestors; kin in story to the Mongols.
How things stand that morning
In winter camps in the sheltered valleys of the Uda and the Khilok; no overlord attested.
Wealth
Furs, game, fish and herds.
Military
Hunters and archers; no numbers.
Threats
- Merkit refugees and raiders
- Dzud
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1207 and 1217 to 1219Temujin's son Jochi subdues the forest peoples (1207); the Khori-Tumed under Botoqui Tarqun revolt and kill Boroqul (1217 or 1219) (one line; after the opening date).Depends on: Temujin's rise. Stopped by: No Mongol empire.
Places of note
- Khilok valley winter camps (approximate): Approximate.
Where the sources disagree
- Where the Khori-Tumed lived is disputed: some place the Tumat west of Baikal, others the Khori-Tumed in Eastern Transbaikalia. This record places the Khori in the Uda and Khilok and the Tumat in the Oka and Irkut basins (record Tumat).
Evidence: Later sources; nothing dated to 1200.
On the map: A rough range from later placing; the people drew their own lines.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Botohui-Tarhun
- Wikipedia, Mongol campaigns in Siberia
- D. B. Batoeva, Migrations of Mongolian-Speaking Tribes from Transbaikalia to Manchuria, Oriental Studies 10:6 (2017)
- Igor de Rachewiltz, The Secret History of the Mongols (Brill 2004; abridged ed. ANU/CEDAR 2015). Section numbers quoted from memory of the text; not re-read this session
- Rashid al-Din, Jami al-tawarikh (Thackston translation, 1998-99), Keraites and Merkits chapters. Quoted from memory; not re-read this session
- Wikipedia, Barga (tribe) (snapshot copy)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.