Khulkas. A nomadic race of Eastern Mongols, occupying the Gobi desert.
Khamtis. An Assamese race—Indo-Chinese stock of Southern Mongolic family—in the Brahmaputra Valley.
Khasis. An Indo-Chinese hill tribe of Southern Mongolic family, in Khasi Hills of Assam.
Khoi-Khoin. The name given to themselves by the [Hottentots] (q.v.).
Khoshots. See [KALMUKS].
Kickapoos. See [ALGONQUIAN].
Kiowas. A North American Indian race in Oklahoma.
Kipchaks. A Turki race of Northern Mongolic family, settled in eleventh century between Urals and Don. In the middle of the thirteenth century, Batu Khan, a son of Genghiz Khan, led them to conquer all Central and South Russia, where they founded the Empire of the Golden Horde. It was broken up by Tamerlane about 1390, and from its fragments arose the Khanates of Astrakhan, the Crimea, etc., now absorbed by Russia. From the Eastern Kipchaks are descended the [Kirghiz] (q.v.), one of whose hordes is still known as Kipchak. The modern Kipchaks are nomadic, and live by stock-feeding in the steppes of western Turkestan.
Kirantis. A Tibetan race of East Nepal, of Southern Mongolic family.
Kirghiz. A nomadic people of Central Asia, where they occupy the vast steppes which lie to the north of Turkestan. They are descended from the [Kipchaks] (q.v.) of the Golden Horde. They form a group of the Turki stock of the Northern Mongolic family. The Kara-Kirghiz, who inhabit the uplands between the Issik-Kul and the Kuen-Lun, are the oldest Turki nomads of whom there is any historical record, and are divided into On and Sol—right and left wings. The Kirghiz proper, who call themselves Kazaks, or “riders,” roam from Lake Balkash to the Volga, over the vast level steppes, where they dwell in skin tents and support themselves by breeding camels, horses, oxen, sheep and goats. They live in the saddle, and were formerly a warlike people, who once could put 400,000 fighting men in the field. They are divided into four hordes—Great, Middle or Kipchak, Little, and Inner. They are all now under Russian dominion.