Chinese 靺鞨 Wade–Giles Mo-ho Hanja 靺鞨 | Hanyu Pinyin Hangul 말갈 Revised Romanization Malgal | |
The Mohe, Malgal, or Mogher were a Tungusic people in ancient Manchuria. They are sometimes considered the ancestors of the Jurchens, modern-day Manchus and other Tungusic peoples. According to some records, they originally dwelt near the Liao River and later migrated southward. They were involved in the ancient history of Korea: the records of the southern Korean Kingdoms of Baekje and Silla during the 1st century and 2nd century AD include numerous battles against the Mohe. Later, they became subject to the northern Korean kingdom of Goguryeo and its successor state, Balhae.
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The Mohe were divided into various tribes; among these were the Sumo Mohe, which were eventually conquered by the Korean Goguryeo empire, as well as other Mohe tribes which were conquered by the Chinese Sui Dynasty, which re-led to the Korean-Chinese Wars. Many Mohe moved back toward their northern homeland during this period of foreign rule. The "Mohe" section of the "Communications of the Northern Barbarians" (北狄傳, Beidi Zhuan) in the Old Book of Tang states: "Their country is all (or "roughly") composed of some tens of 'bu' (roughly "tribes," but also just generally meaning "divisions"), each having a chief, some of whom are attached to Goguryeo, and some of whom serve as common people (i.e., vassals) to the Tujue."
The Mohe were also a constituent population of the kingdom of Balhae, 698-926. The founder of Balhae, Dae Jo-yeong was possibly a former Goguryeo general of Sumo Mohe stock; however, the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa), a Korean record written several hundred years later, states that he was of Goguryeo stock.
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 descended. In particular the Heishui Mohe eventually became the ancestors of the Jurchens, from whom the Manchu originated.
The Mohe enjoyed eating pork, practiced pig farming extensively, and were mainly sedentary, and also used both pig and dog skins for coats. They were predominantly farmers and grew soybean, wheat, millet, and rice, in addition to engaging in hunting.
Name
The Chinese exonym Mohe 靺鞨 is a graphic pejorative written with mo 靺 "socks; stockings" and he 鞨 "shoes". Mo (靺) (Middle Chinese mal) is an adjective, a customary expression meaning "barbarian" or Xiongnu. He 鞨 is gal (Middle Chinese gat), meaning "stone" by Mohe/Malgal, Jie/Gal language. The Jie ruler Shi Le (石勒) takes the surname shi 石 "stone" from gal. According to the History of Jin (Jin Shi), Shi Tu Men (石土门) is the prince of the Jurchen people, 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 Middle Chinese. Chinese characters: 勿吉, pinyin: Mòjí, Korean: 물길 [Mulgil], Japanese: もつきつ [Motsukitsu]).
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 during the Nara Period or around the beginning of the Heian Period from the Balhae Kingdom. In modern Japanese historical texts, the name of the Mohe is annotated with the "kana" 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/eight Mohe tribes :