Journal of East Asian Cultures

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2021): Community Building: Family and Nation, Tradition and Innovation
Articles

Some Characteristic Features of Family Structure in the Old Uighur Societies (as Reflected in Contractual Documents)

PDF
  • Ruyi He
Ruyi He
Minzu University of China / Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2021.1.10

Published 2021-12-15

Keywords

  • Old Uighur,
  • society,
  • contractual document,
  • family structure,
  • patrilinear

How to Cite

He, R. (2021). Some Characteristic Features of Family Structure in the Old Uighur Societies (as Reflected in Contractual Documents). Journal of East Asian Cultures, 13(1), 159–171. https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2021.1.10

Copyright (c) 2021 the author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

In this paper, I introduce some characteristics of family structure in the Old Uighur societies, based on previous studies. The corpus used as a source for the investigation comprises 13th–14th century contractual documents. I summarize the features of family structure in the Old Uighur society from three aspects. Firstly, the family structure is the extended paternal family consisting of kin groups. The ties between family members are strong, and blood relationships are particularly important. Secondly, males play a dominant role in the family and society. Thirdly, relatives can be freely traded and pawned. In addition, I also briefly explain the reasons for these peculiarities.

PDF

References

  1. Brose, Michael C. 2017. “The Medieval Uyghurs of the 8th through 14th Centuries.” In: David Ludden (ed.) The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.232
  2. Chen, Zongzhen 陈宗振 1996. “Woguo Tujueyu de ‘Fumu Xiongzi’ deng Chengwei Jiqi Yanbian” 我国突厥语的“父母兄姊”等称谓及其演变 [“The Appellation of ‘Father, Mother, Brother and Sister’ and Its Evolution in Turkic Languages of China”]. Minzu Yuwen 民族语文 [Minority Languages of China] 4: 71–80.
  3. Gabain, Annemarie von 1973. Das Leben im uigurischen Königreich von Qoco (850-1250). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
  4. Geng, Shimin 耿世民2006. Huihuwen Shehui Jingji Wenshu Yanjiu 回鹘文社会经济文书研究 [Studies of the Uighur Civil Documents]. Peking: Minzu University of China Press.
  5. Hamilton, James 1986. Manuscrits ouïgours du IXe-Xe siècle de Touen-Houang. Paris: Peeters.
  6. Huo, Cunfu 霍存福 – Zhang Yan 章燕 2004. “Tulufan Huihuwen Jiedai Qiyue Yanjiu” 吐鲁番回鹘文借贷契约研究 [On Uighur Loan Contracts Unearthed in Turfan]. Jilin Daxue Shehui Kexue Xuebao吉林大学社会科学学报 [Jilin University Journal Social Sciences Edition] 6: 95–106.
  7. Li, Jingwei 李经纬 1996. Tulufan Huihuwen Shehui Jingji Wenshu Yanjiu 吐鲁番回鹘文社会经济文书研究 [Study on Uighur Social and Economic Documents in Turpan]. Urumchi: Xinjiang Renmin Press.
  8. Li, Jingwei 李经纬 2012. Huihuwen Shehui Jingji Wenshu Jijie 回鹘文社会经济文书辑解 [Uighur Texts Concerning of Society and Economy]. Lanzhou: Gansu National Press.
  9. Ligeti, Louis 1973. “À propos d’un document ouigour de l’époque mongole.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 27.1: 1–18.
  10. Liu, Ge 刘戈 2000. Huihuwen Qiyue Wenshu Chutan 回鹘文契约文书初探 [A Preliminary Study of Contractual Documents in Old Uighur]. Taipei: Wu Nan Publishing Company.
  11. Liu, Ge – Kou Juxia 2006. “Elucidation of Yägän in the Contract in Uygur.” In: Elena V. Boikova – Rostislav B. Rybakov (eds.) Kinship in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 48th PIAC. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 211–217.
  12. Liu, Ge – Yan Haixiong 刘戈–燕海雄 2006. “Gudai Tulufan Diqu Putong Funv Zai Shehui Jingji Shenghuo zhong de Diwei — Yi Tulufan Chutu Hanwen Huihuwen Qiyue Wenshu Suojian Weili” 古代吐鲁番地区普通妇女在社会经济生活中的地位—以吐鲁番出土汉文、回鹘文契约文书所见为例 [The Status of the Common Women in the Social Economic Life in the Ancient Turpan Areas: The Examples from the Ancient Contract Scripts in the Han and Uighur Language Discovered in Turpan]. Minzu Yanjiu 民族研究 [Ethno-national Studies] 6: 53–62.
  13. Radloff, Wilhelm 1928. Uigurische Sprachdenkmäler. Materialien nach dem Tode des Verfassers mit Ergänzungen von S. Malov herausgegeben. Leningrad: Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften der USSR (Reprint: Osnabrück 1972).
  14. Ramstedt, Gustaf John 1969. “Four Uigurian Documents.” In: Carl Gustav Mannerheim (ed.) Across Asia from West to East in 1906–1908 (2). Netherlands: Humanities Press, 1–12.
  15. Vernadsky, George 1936. “Notes on the History of the Uigurs in the Late Middle Ages.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 56.4: 453–461. https://doi.org/10.2307/594268
  16. Yamada, Nobuo. 山田信夫1965. “Uiguru bun taishaku keiyakusho no shoshikiウイグル文貸借契約書の書式 [The Format of the Old Uighur Loan Contracts].” Ōsakadaigaku bungakubu kiyō 大阪大学文学部紀要 [Memoirs of the Faculty of Literature Osaka University] 11: 87–216.
  17. Yamada, Nobuo 山田信夫 (author). Oda, Juten 小田壽典 – Zieme, Peter P・ツィーメ – Umemura, Hiroshi 梅村坦 – Moriyasu, Takao 森安孝夫 (eds.) 1993. Sammlung uighurischer Kontrakte / Uiguru bun keiyaku bunsho shūsei ウイグル文契約文書集成 [Collection of Uighur Contracts]. Osaka: Osaka University Press.
  18. Yang, Fuxue 杨富学 1990. “Mengyuan Shidai Gaochang Huihu Tudi Zhidu Chutan” 蒙元时代高昌回鹘土地制度初探 [A Preliminary Study on Land System of the Qocho Uighur during the Yuan Dynasty]. In: Tulufanxue Yanjiu Zhuanji吐鲁番学研究专辑 [Turpan Studies Album] (edited by Xinjiang Research Data Center of Dunhuang Turpan Studies). Urumchi: Xinjiang Research Data Center of Dunhuang Turpan Studies Press, 279–318.
  19. Zhang, Chengzhi 张承志 1983. “Yuandai Weiwuerren Neibu Zhuangkuang” 元代畏兀儿人内部状况 [The Internal Conditions of the Uighur People in the Yuan Dynasty]. Minzu Yanjiu民族研究 [Ethno-National Studies] 5: 13–23.
  20. Zhang, Tieshan 张铁山 – Cui, Yan 崔焱 2017. “Huihuwen Qiyue Wenshu Canyuzhe Chengwei Kaoshi — Jianyu Dunhuang Tulufan Hanwen Wenshu Bijiao” 回鹘文契约文书参与者称谓考释—兼与敦煌吐鲁番汉文文书比较 [Interpretation of the Appellations of the Participants of Contractual Documents in Uighur Script: A Comparison with the Dunhuang Turpan Documents in Han Character]. Xiyu Yanjiu西域研究 [The Western Regions Studies] 2: 79–84.
  21. Zieme, Peter 1974. “Ein uigurischer Landverkaufsvertrag aus Murtuq.” Altorientalische Forschungen 1: 295–308.
  22. Zieme, Peter 1976. “Zum Handel im Uigurischen Reich von Qoco.” Altorientalische Forschungen 4: 235–249. https://doi.org/10.1524/aofo.1976.4.jg.235
  23. Zieme, Peter 1977. “Drei neue uigurische Sklavendokumente.” Altorientalische Forschungen 5: 145–170. https://doi.org/10.1524/aofo.1978.5.jg.145
  24. Zieme, Peter 1980a. “Ein uigurischer Leihkontrakt über Weizen.” Altorientalische Forschungen 7: 273–275. https://doi.org/10.1524/aofo.1980.7.jg.273
  25. Zieme, Peter 1980b. “Uigurische Pachtdokumente.” Altorientalische Forschungen 7: 197–245. https://doi.org/10.1524/aofo.1980.7.jg.197
  26. Zieme, Peter 1992. “Eine uigurische Hausverkaufsurkunde aus Qočo.” Altorientalische Forschungen 19: 359–371. https://doi.org/10.1524/aofo.1992.19.2.359