The Mohe, Malgal, Mogher, or Mojie were historical groups of people that once occupied parts of what is now

Northeast Asia Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia. Its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean. The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by Ame ...

during late antiquity. The two most well known Mohe groups were known as the Heishui Mohe, located along the

Amur River The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ''proper'' is ...

, and the Sumo Mohe, named after the

Songhua River The Songhua or Sunghwa River (also Haixi or Xingal, ''Sungari'') is one of the primary rivers of China, and the longest tributary of the Amur. It flows about from Changbai Mountains on the China–North Korea border through China's northe ...

. They have been traditionally defined by the approximate use of what would have been

Tungusic languages The Tungusic languages (also known as Manchu–Tungus and Tungus) form a language family spoken in Eastern Siberia and Manchuria by Tungusic peoples. Many Tungusic languages are endangered. There are approximately 75,000 native speakers of the ...

. The Heishui Mohe are commonly thought as being direct ancestors to the 12th century

Jurchens Jurchen (, ; , ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian people, East Asian Tungusic languages, Tungusic-speaking people. They lived in northeastern China, also known as Manchuria, before the 18th century. The Jurchens wer ...

. The Tang documented the Mohe as inhabiting the land of

Sushen Sushen is the historical Chinese name for an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in the northeastern part of China (in the area of modern Jilin and Heilongjiang) and what is in modern times the Russian Maritime Province and some other Si ...

, to the northeast of the Tang, east of the Turks, and north of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

. The Mohe constituted a major part of the population in the kingdom of

Balhae Balhae,, , ) also rendered as Bohai or Bohea, and called Jin (; ) early on, was a multiethnic kingdom established in 698 by Dae Joyeong (Da Zuorong). It was originally known as the Kingdom of Jin (震, Zhen) until 713 when its name was changed ...

in northeast Asia, which lasted from the late 7th century to early 10th century. After the fall of Balhae, few historical traces of the Mohe can be found, though they are considered to be the primary ethnic group from whom the

Jurchen people Jurchen (, ; , ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian people, East Asian Tungusic languages, Tungusic-speaking people. They lived in northeastern China, also known as Manchuria, before the 18th century. The Jurchens wer ...

descended. The Heishui Mohe in particular are considered to be the direct ancestors of the Jurchens, from whom the 17th century

Manchu people The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

founders originated.Huang, P.: "New Light on the origins of the Manchu," ''Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies'', vol. 50, no.1 (1990): 239-82. Retrieved from JSTOR database July 18, 2006. The Mohe practiced a sedentary agrarian lifestyle and were predominantly farmers who grew soybean, wheat, millet, and rice, supplemented by pig raising and hunting for meat. The Mohe were also known to have worn pig and dog skin coats.Gorelova 2002
pp. 13-4.

Name

The Chinese

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

''Mohe'' (靺鞨) is a graphic pejorative written with ''mo'' 靺 "socks; stockings" and ''he'' 鞨 "shoes". ''Mo'' (靺) (

Middle Chinese Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese language, Chinese recorded in the ''Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expande ...

: ) is an adjective, a customary expression meaning "

barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

" or

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

. Before the Five dynasties period, it was recorded as "靺羯", such as on the Honglujing Stele. ''He'' 鞨 is ''gal'' (

''gat'' or ), meaning "

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

" by Mohe/Malgal, Jie/Gal language. The Jie ruler

Shi Le Shi Le (; 274 –17 August 333), courtesy name Shilong, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Ming of Later Zhao, was the founding emperor of the Jie-led Later Zhao dynasty of China. He was initially sold as a slave by Western Jin ...

(石勒) takes the surname ''shi'' (石 "stone") from ''gal''. According to the

History of Jin The ''History of Jin'' (''Jin Shi'') is a Chinese historical text, one of the '' Twenty Four Histories'', which details the history of the Jin dynasty founded by the Jurchens in northern China. It was compiled by the Yuan dynasty historian and ...

(Jin Shi), Shi Tumen ( 石土門) is the prince of the

, whose surname ''shi'' hints to a connection with the Mohe and Jie. The ethnonym of the Mohe bears a notable resemblance to that of the later historically attested *Motgit in

(;

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

: 물길 ulgil Japanese: もつきつ otsukitsu. The name of the Mohe also appears as "Maka" in "Shin-Maka" (Japanese 新靺鞨, しんまか) or "New Mohe," which is the name of a dance and the musical piece that accompanies it; the dance and song were introduced to the

Japanese court The Imperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji period (1868–1912), after which the court was moved from Kyoto (formerly Heian-kyō) to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and integrated into the Meiji gov ...

during the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

or around the beginning of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

from the

kingdom. In modern Japanese historical texts, the name of the Mohe is annotated with the "

kana are syllabary, syllabaries used to write Japanese phonology, Japanese phonological units, Mora (linguistics), morae. In current usage, ''kana'' most commonly refers to ''hiragana'' and ''katakana''. It can also refer to their ancestor , wh ...

" reading Makkatsu (まっかつ), which is probably a transliteration based on the standard Sino-Japanese readings of the Chinese characters used to transcribe the ethnonym of the Mohe.

Tribes

According to some records, there were seven or maybe eight Mohe tribes :

Notable personalities

Prefecture Mohe chieftains

* Sumo Mohe ** Tudiji (突地稽

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: Tūdìjī,

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

: Tulergi (''alien people''),

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

: 돌지계), ca. 580-620 ** Li Jinhang (李謹行

: Lǐ Jǐnháng,

: 이근행), 619-683, Tudiji's son **

Dae Joyeong Dae Joyeong (; or ; died 719) or Da Zuorong (), also known as King Go (; ; Chinese: Gao), established the state of Balhae, reigning from 699 to 719. Life Early life Dae Joyeong was the first son of general Dae Jung-sang, who was also ...

(大祚榮

: Dá Zuòróng,

: 대조영), ?-719 * Baishan Mohe ** Geolsa Biu (乞四比羽

: Qǐsì Bǐyǔ,

: 걸사비우) * Heisui Mohe ** A Tou (阿頭

: Ā Tóu,

: Uju (''head, chief''),

:아두) ** Tou Fu (陁弗

: Toú fú,

: 타불) ** Su Wugai (蘇勿蓋

: Sū Wùgài,

: Sotki (''crusian''),

: 소홀개) ** Gao Zhimen (高之門

: Gāo Zīemén,

: Hocihon mangga (''handsome and strong''),

: 고지문) ** Wusukemeng (烏素可蒙

: Wū sù kě méng,

: Osohon mangga (''small but strong''),

: 오소고몽) ** Nisuliji (倪屬利稽

: Ní shǔ lì jī,

: Nisurigi (''finger ring for archery''),

: 아속리계) * Funie Mohe ** Shiyimeng (失異夢

: Shī yì mèng,

: Silin mangga (''elite and strong''),

: 실이몽) **

Li Duozuo Li Duozuo () (died August 7, 707), formally the Prince of Liaoyang (遼陽王), was an ethnically Mohe people, Mohe general of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty. He is mostly known for his participation in the ...

(李多祚

: Lǐ Duōzuò,

: 이다조) * Yuexi Mohe ** Wushikemeng (烏施可蒙

: Wū shī kě méng,

: Osohon mangga (''small but strong''),

: 오시가몽)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *