Tiele people

The Tiele (Chinese: 鐵勒; pinyin: Tiĕlè), also named Chile (Chinese: 敕勒), Gaoche (Chinese: 高車), or Tele (Chinese: 特勒), were a confederation of nine Turkic peoples living to the north of China and in Central Asia, emerging after the disintegration of the Xiongnu confederacy. Chinese sources associate them with the earlier Dingling people. The Tiele were a collection of tribes of different Turkic ethnic origins, largely descended from the Chile, presupposing a Tiele-Tingling identity back to the 3rd century BCE. Tiele are related to modern Teleuts people.

Chile and Gaoche

The name "Chile" and "Gaoche" first appear in Chinese records during the campaigns of Former Yan and Dai in 357 and 363 respectively. However, the protagonists were also addressed as "Dingling" in the records of the Southern Dynasties. The name gao (high) che (cart) was a nickname given by the Chinese.

By the time of the Rouran domination, the Gaoche comprised six tribes and twelve clans.

One group known as the Eastern Gaoche (东部高车) probably dwelled from the Onon River to Lake Baikal (巳尼陂). However, their relationship with the rest of the Gaoche and its tribal components is unclear.