I am on an expedition to study the Yugurs, a small Turkic ethnicity that roams the Tibetan Plateau as nomads:
Yugurs have the highest rates of nomadism among all modern Turkic ethnicities. Yugurs have also preserved the oldest Turkic customs from the First Turkic Khaganate
Yugurs (not to be confused with Uyghurs, a different ethnicity) are descendants from the Toquz Oghuz (Nine Clans) of the First Turkic Khaganate and also formed the ruling class of the Uyghur Khaganate
Their extreme geographic isolation, between Tibetan Plateau and the Gobi Desert, means their culture was able to retain many traditions from the earliest Turkic Khaganates
A majority of Yugurs speak Western Yugur, a rare form of ancient Turkic from the Uyghur Khaganate
A minority of Yugurs speak Eastern Yugur, a Mongolic langauge, but still identify as Turkic and descendants of the Uyghur Khaganate
Interactions with neighboring Tibetan and Mongolian nomads have given Yugurs an incredibly unique culture with heavy Amdo Tibetan and Oirat Mongol influence
For example, the worship of Pehar Gyalpo, a fierce war god from the First Turkic Khaganate and Uyghur Khaganate, was incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism and is still a central part of Yugur beliefs. Most Yugurs are both Tibetan Buddhists and Shamanists, as the practice of both religions is not exclusive
In the following days, I will make several posts detailing interesting and obscure facts about the Yugurs that are hard to find online