Kayı (tribe)

The Kayı or Kayi tribe (Karakhanid: قَيِغْ romanized: qayïγ or qayig; Turkish: Kayı boyu, Turkmen: Gaýy taýpasy) were an Oghuz Turkic people and a sub-branch of the Bozok tribal federation. In his Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the 11th century Kara-Khanid scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari cited Kayı as of one of 22 Oghuz tribes, saying that Oghuz were also called Turkomans. The name Kayı means "the one who has might and power by relationship" and the Turkmen proverb says that "people shall be led by Kayi and Bayat tribes" (Turkmen: Il başy - gaýy-baýat).