Halgal family

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The Halgal family are Amir Halgal's blood relatives and Karluk Eihon's in-laws.

History[]

The Halgal clan is partially nomadic, travelling with their livestock during summer time to search for grazing pastures. They raise goats, camels and horses, obtaining milk from the animals which are then turned into dairy products such as butter and yoghurt, and their staple winter diet kurut, made from the paste left from boiling the buttermilk which is then rolled into small balls and dried in the sun. The livestock are precious for their milk production and are rarely slaughtered for meat, except for special celebrations. Instead the Halgal consume whatever meat brought back by their hunters. During autumn, animals that are unlikely to survive the incoming harsh cold weathers are culled and their meat preserved to last through the winter. The Halgal also train golden eagles for hunting, taking the female bird from the nest and raising them for four to five years and then releasing them back to the wilderness.

As a hunting tribe, their bows are stiff, sturdily built and occasionally made out of animal horns. Outsiders such as Karluk and Yusuf find it incredibly difficult to use their bows. Another specialty possessed by the Halgal is horse-riding, as they can easily manoeuvre their horses against any obstructions. Berkhrat displays this by easily riding his horse over a mound of barricades when he invades Karluk’s village, and also Azel when he tries to shake off his enemies on a horseback by side jumping a wide ditch, which his enemies are unable to do. Raising horses give the tribe a great sense of pride, and they can apparently spend hours simply observing their horses. Combining their incredible horse-riding and archery skills, the Halgal is capable of shooting down a moving target with great accuracy.

Plot[]

The Halgal tribe was initially led by a kind elder who fostered a good relationship with the village where Karluk came from. After his death, he was succeeded by Berkhrat. Several years ago, there was also a disease outbreak that claimed many of the Halgal women. Faced with a massive loss of precious tribe’s members and dwindling pastures for their livestock, the Halgal’s survival for the incoming winter months was severely under threat. However, their misfortunes took a more positive turn when Berkhrat’s daughter, Atelui, married into one of the Numaji tribe members. Wealthy and in possession of vast lands, the Numaji provided much relief to the Halgal’s predicaments. The Numaji unfortunately were notorious for their violence towards women, and Atelui was kicked until her bones broke and later died from the physical abuse. Instead of seeking justice for the death of one of their tribe member, the Halgal elders were desperate to re-build the connection with Numaji so they could continue gaining access to their expansive grazing lands. Atelui's sister, Karahiga, was sent as a replacement bride, but died soon afterwards despite being healthy throughout her life; it was implied that she met a similar fate as Atelui.

Lacking women of marriageable age, they turned to Amir, who was only recently married to Karluk Eihon and had yet carried a child, which meant her obligation to the birth tribe was not yet severed. Berkhrat and the rest of the elders, possessing a more aggressive streak than the late Elder, were willing to severe their good ties with the village if it meant ensuring the survival of the tribe. The elders ordered Azel, Joruk and Baimat to go to the village and bring Amir back but the trio were reluctant, not wanting to put Amir through the same situation as Atelui (though each of them visibly expressed this on a varying degree), and instead preferred if the tribe could save up enough money to buy a land. However,pressured by a sense of duty towards the elders, Azel carried out the order and demanded the Eihon family to return Amir to his tribe, which were only met with resistance and ire from the Eihon as they had fully accepted Amir into the family. Failing their task, the Halgal sent a bigger group in their second attempt to reclaim Amir, with the trio now being accompanied by their uncles and relatives. They were later driven out by the entire villagers who had prepared for them in advance.

Further backed into a corner, Berkhrat sought out help from the Batan tribe, hoping that due to their similar roots the Batan would lend them a hand to invade and overtake the village. The head of Batan agreed, though unfortunately they had already colluded with the Russians and in exchange of the advanced military weapons and promises of official positions, they would in turn exterminate the neighbouring tribes. The Batan took advantage of the chaos during Halgal’s invasion and opened fire towards not only the villagers, but also the Halgal fighters as well.

Angered by Batan’s betrayal, Azel killed the head of Batan and several of their fighters. Thrown into a disarray after the death of their patriarch, the remaining Batan were suppressed by the villagers with the help of Azel, Joruk and Baimat. Though they were also initially caught by the villagers, the trio were then released when the village’s women came to their defense after witnessing them risking their lives to save several of the village members, including Amir and Karluk. Berkhrat,heavily wounded after being attacked by Batan, vowed revenge on everyone untilhe was struck down by an arrow from Karluk’s grandmother, Balkirsh.

With his father's passing, Azel succeeded his position as the leader of the tribe, and was met with zero resistance from the surviving Halgal elders who were beaten and humiliated after the failed invasion. Still facing the same dilemma of finding lands for their animals, Azel brought his tribe closer to the northern region, where the land was lusher but with the caveat of being situated closer to the Russian territories. This did not deter Azel who was determined to get his tribe through the winter. When winter finally came, the Halgal tribe appeared to be surviving under Azel’s rule.

However, with an increasing tension from the encroaching Russian Empire, the Halgal family are invited to a meeting of clans on the steppe as part of a proposal to form an alliance between all the nomadic clans and the clans residing in the town in opposition to the Russians. During the meeting, the mediator suggests increasing ties through marriage - since the Halgal are part of the clan system, Azel states he can only marry a woman from a family also in the clan system. When the proposal is directed to the Jandiq clan, their chief Jahan expresses reluctance given the Halgal's tenuous state and out of respect for daughters, who will not marry weak men.