Dolan people
Encyclopedia
Dolan refers to a people or region of what is now Xinjiang Province, China
. People who call themselves Dolan can be found in the Yarkand River
valley, the Tarim River
valley and the Lop Nur
region of present-day Xinjiang. Though modern Dolan people now speak the vernacular dialect (usually Uyghur
), the term refer to an earlier culture and civilization in the region. The history of this people is little known. Some scholars and travelers believed the Dolan of the Yarkand River
valley to be a Kyrgyz or Kazakh
group that settled in the area during the Qing Dynasty
. This belief was based on their noticeably different physiognomy and language, and their semi-nomadic lifestyles.
Some of the aspects of Dolan culture that remain to the present day include the unique style of music and dance. The music is performed with chants, plucked and bowed string instruments, and drums. This music is now grouped into a category of Uyghur Muqam
music, although the instruments and musical characteristics are very different from the Uyghur 12 Muqam
.
The plucked-string instruments used to perform Dolan Muqam or Dolan Meshrep are different than their counterparts in Uyghur
folk music, and usually contain a large set of sympathetic strings that resonate with certain key tones, similar to the lutes and fiddles of India and the near east.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. People who call themselves Dolan can be found in the Yarkand River
Yarkand River
The Yarkand River is a river in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China. It is one of the headstreams of the Tarim River. It is approximately 970 km in length....
valley, the Tarim River
Tarim River
The Tarim River is the principal river of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
valley and the Lop Nur
Lop Nur
Lop Lake or Lop Nur is a group of small, now seasonal salt lake sand marshes between the Taklamakan and Kuruktag deserts in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, southeastern portion of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China.The lake system into which the Tarim...
region of present-day Xinjiang. Though modern Dolan people now speak the vernacular dialect (usually Uyghur
Uyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
), the term refer to an earlier culture and civilization in the region. The history of this people is little known. Some scholars and travelers believed the Dolan of the Yarkand River
Yarkand River
The Yarkand River is a river in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China. It is one of the headstreams of the Tarim River. It is approximately 970 km in length....
valley to be a Kyrgyz or Kazakh
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
group that settled in the area during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. This belief was based on their noticeably different physiognomy and language, and their semi-nomadic lifestyles.
Some of the aspects of Dolan culture that remain to the present day include the unique style of music and dance. The music is performed with chants, plucked and bowed string instruments, and drums. This music is now grouped into a category of Uyghur Muqam
Muqam
A muqam is the melody type used in Uyghur music, that is, a musical mode and set of melodic formulas used to guide improvisation and composition....
music, although the instruments and musical characteristics are very different from the Uyghur 12 Muqam
Muqam
A muqam is the melody type used in Uyghur music, that is, a musical mode and set of melodic formulas used to guide improvisation and composition....
.
The plucked-string instruments used to perform Dolan Muqam or Dolan Meshrep are different than their counterparts in Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
folk music, and usually contain a large set of sympathetic strings that resonate with certain key tones, similar to the lutes and fiddles of India and the near east.