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Steppe remnants

Kurus

There were people with uniquely Indian admixture operating even in Central Asia around the time of the Aryan transition. This suggests that Indo-Aryan power was actually straddling their steppe base & northern India. I believe the memory of the former is that of the uttara-kuru-s. … [I] hold that a branch of these steppe kuru-s re-emerged with another allied clan the kamboja much later on the Iranians side to form the elite of the hAkamAnashIya dynasty. - MT

Even the original Indo-Aryan confederation seems to have straddled the Indian & steppe zone to the north because Narasimhan et all reported at least 1 in the steppe with clear Indian admixture from roughly that time. - MT

Massagetae

Tomyris, a legendary female ruler who is said to have reigned for 50 years over the Massagetae kingdom.

Some ancient sources claim that she led them against Cyrys in the battle he was killed. Other ancients say that he was speared by an Indian elephant warrior while fighting an alliance of the Hindus & Derbikes. Were the Derbikes the same as/or a branch of the Massagetae? The term Massagetae seems to come from a old Iranic cognate of matsya. Just like some kuru-kamboja-s were left behind on the steppes were some matsya-s too left behind.

The dR^ibhika-s are mentioned already in the RV itself as part of the famous alliance that fought the great Arya emperor sudAsa. Their founder is mentioned in the RV as one overthrown by indra for the Arya-s

Later we hear of them along with a descendent of Zarathustra, Spitamenes who bravely fought Alexander until his brutal assassination.

MT

ashvi wusun

Wusun of China were originally steppe Indo-Aryans before being absorbed into the Hunnic & Turkic Khaganates
- comes from *āswin (Old Chinese) > ashva (horse in Sanskrit)

PCA hun shaka wusun Alan Indians