Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms

Volume 14: People, Page 10

The Dubo People of the Tiele

original: "都播" (Dūbō). Historically, the Dubo are identified as an early Turkic or Samoyedic-speaking people located in the Sayan Mountain region of modern-day Tuva and Mongolia. They were a constituent tribe of the larger Tiele confederation.

The Dubo are a distinct branch of the Tiele original: "鐵勒" (Tiělè). A large confederation of Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes that lived in Central Asia and Southern Siberia during the 6th through 9th centuries.. They are divided into three tribes that govern one another.

They weave grass to build their huts and have no knowledge of farming or sowing grain original: "耕稼" (gēngjià). This indicates a hunter-gatherer or nomadic lifestyle rather than the settled agriculture favored by the Chinese state.. Instead, they use lilies original: "百合" (bǎihé). This refers to the bulbs of wild lilies, which were a common gathered food source for many indigenous peoples of the Siberian and Mongolian borderlands. as their staple food.

For clothing, they wear the furs of marten original: "貂" (diāo). Likely referring to the sable, a highly prized fur-bearing animal native to the northern forests. and deer, as well as bird feathers.

The kingdom has no formal system of corporal punishment original: "刑罰" (xíngfá). In the Chinese legal tradition, this usually implied beatings, mutilation, or death. The text highlights the Dubo's alternative system of restitution.; those who commit theft are simply required to pay back double the value of the stolen property.