At the foot of Altai Mountains, there is a group——Tuva People. With a population about 2,500, most of them live in Baihaba Village, Hemu Tuva Village in Burqin County and Kanas village. Tuva people have their own language but do not have writing system. Therefore, there is no Tuva ethnography nor history books and even any written records about their past and life. Tuva language used by Tuva people is one of rare languages in China, which distinguishes languages of Mongolian group of Altaic Language Family and belongs to Turkic language group. Many Tuva people can speak good Kazak language. The Tuva people build their houses with pine wood with fences around the house, which is quite different from Mongolian tribes in the pasture. Their favorite drink is milk wine instead of horse milk wine the Mongolians favor.
Some scholars hold the view that Tuva people are offspring of the aged, weak, sick and disabled soldiers left by Genghis - Khan when he led his troops to attack the Western Regions. But Tuva elders said that their ancestors migrated from Siberia 500 years ago, and that they are the same ethnic group as the Tuva people of the Tuva Republic of Russia. They make a living by hunting, fishery and small portion of primitive farming. They are very sincere and hospitable. Tuva people believe in Buddhism. Integrating with each other, they constitute the unique view and folk at Kanas and are termed “a tribe in picture” because of the beauty of Kanas.
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