Kayı tribe

The Kayı tribe or Kai tribe (Turkish: Kayı boyu) was an Oghuz Turkic people and a sub-branch of the Bozok tribal federation. In the 11th century Mahmud al-Kashgari cited Kayı (Kayiglardir) tribal tamga as . The word kayı means "the one who has might and power by relationship".

As a Kayitag (Russified Kaitag) group (Mountain Kayi) the Kayı tribe played a prominent role in the history of the Caucasus, and now the Kayitag language is classified as one of five dialects of the Kumyk language, which for ten centuries (10—19 cc.) was a lingua franca in the North Causacus. Kayitag principality was a leading component of the Shamkhalate of Kazi-Kumukh state on the Caspian western seaboard that in different forms lasted from the 8th to the 19th centuries. Kaitag textiles, stamped out under the Soviet rule, remain distinct in their artistry and workmanship.

Osman I, founder of Ottoman Empire was a hereditary leader in the Kayı tribe.

See also