New views on the origin of the Katagan tribe. A historiographical aspect

Abstract

The peoples of Central Asia experienced complex ethnocultural processes throughout their centuries-old history. Such a situation is observed in all Turkic tribes including the Katagans, who make up a part of the the Uzbek people. Analyzing historical sources, ethnographic, archeological, toponymic, linguistic, anthropological materials and field data, one can see that the Katagans were one of the most ancient Uzbek tribes. For a long time, the Katagans and their clans lived in the vast areas from the banks of the Amudarya River to Lake Baykal. That is why in historical sources they are recorded as Mongolian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz or Uzbek tribes. In fact, the Katagan tribe was formed over the course of many centuries due to the mingling of Turkic tribes living in Southern Siberia, Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Turkestan. And it indicates that the history of the Katagans is closely connected with the history of other Turkic peoples. At one time, world scientists expressed diverging views regarding the origin of the Kataghan genus. In different historical periods, the Katagan ancestors were called Sattagids, Bhattavaryans, Itagakans, Khatakins, Khuttalans and Khalajs. When the tribal union of the Katagans was formed, many tribes of the Bukhara Khanate joined it. The local Turkic tribes living in the Amudarya and Syrdarya basins played an important role in the formation of Uzbek Katagans. According to the tradition among the nomadic peoples, the Turkic population was called by the name of the people to which their ancestors belonged. The article provides information on the origin, location, and classification of Katagans.