For a relatively small ethnic group, the Karakalpaks have a very complex tribal structure.
The Karakalpaks as a whole are divided into two divisions, known as arıs, the Qon'ırat and the On To'rt Urıw.
The term On To'rt Urıw, which means fourteen tribes, is somewhat misleading since the On To'rt Urıw are actually composed
of just four tribes: the Qıtay, Qıpshaq, Keneges and the Man'g'ıt. It is possible that the Karakalpaks adopted this
term from the On Tort Urugh tribe of the Aral Uzbeks who were already occupying the Aral delta prior to the arrival
of the Karakalpaks. We know that the Uzbek On Tort Urugh were already well established in region at the time of
Abul Ghazi Khan's tribal reorganisation of the Khorezmian Uzbeks in 1644.
The Qon'ırat are divided into two sub-groups: the Shu'llik and the Jawıng'ır, the latter name being remarkably similar
to the Mongolian term zuun gar, meaning left wing. It was traditional for many Turkic and Mongol tribes to be
divided into right and left wings.
The Shu'llik are composed of eight tribes or u'lken urıw: Mu'yten, Qıyat, Ashamaylı, Qoldawlı, Qostamg'alı, Balg'alı,
Xandeklı and Qaramoyın. Each of these is in turn divided into clans or urıw, there being 63 clans in total.
The Jawıng'ır are composed of just seven clans.
The four tribes of the On To'rt Urıw are also divided into clans: the Qıtay into 12, the Qıpshaq into 13, the Keneges
into 8 and the Man'g'ıt into 4.
The difference between a tribe and a clan is defined by matrimonial alliances. The Karakalpaks practice exogamy.
It is not possible to marry within ones own clan, but it is possible to marry into another clan within ones own tribe.
Clans are sometimes divided further into tiıre, and tiıre are sometimes divided into patrimonial family
groups called ko'she.
The traditional lifestyle of the Qon'ırat revolved around the breeding of large livestock, mainly cattle, whilst that of
the On To'rt Urıw revolved around irrigated agriculture. This was not an absolute division since the Qon'ırat engaged in
some agriculture, mainly on the flood lands and sometimes using irrigation, whilst the On To'rt Urıw maintained some livestock,
including cattle, some of which were used to plough their fields. Some northern Karakalpaks specialised exclusively in
fishing, an activity that was also of some importance to the Qon'ırat.
Pronunciation of Karakalpak Terms
To learn how to pronounce these lists of Karakalpak words click at the top of each column.
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| arıs | ko'she | Qoldawlı |
Qıyat |
| Ashamaylı | Man'g'ıt | Qon'ırat |
Shu'llik |
| Balg'alı | On To'rt Urıw | Qostamg'alı |
tiıre |
| Jawıng'ır | Qa’ndekli | Qıpshaq |
u'lken urıw |
| Keneges | Qaramoyın | Qıtay |
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