Börte family Onggirat
Marriage
Börte was the first wife of Temüjin. When Temüjin was nine years old his father, Yesügei, went in search of a wife for him. He set out to find a girl of Temüjin’s mother’s people, the Olqunu’ut, but along the way ran into Dei-Sechen, Börte’s father. Dei-Sechen explained he had a dream the previous night about Yesügei arriving with his son and believed this was a good omen. He described that the women of his people, the Onggirat, were known for having beautiful girls and stated that his daughter Börte, who was ten, would make a good wife for Temüjin. Upon meeting Börte, Yesügei described her as a girl “Who had light in her face, who had fire in her eyes” and after spending the night asked Dei-Sechen for Börte’s hand in marriage for his son. Dei-Sechen agreed under the condition that Temüjin stay with Börte’s family as his bride price. 
Unfortunately, on his return from this trip, Yesügei encountered some Tatars having a feast and decided to join them whereby they poisoned his food. He completed his journey back home before collapsing and ultimately passing away. Before he died, however, Yesügei insisted Temüjin be called back home to take care of his siblings in the absence of their father. Dei-Sechen agreed to allow Temüjin to return to his family and so Börte and Temüjin were separated quickly after their betrothal. 
In 1178, after seven years apart, in 1178, Temüjin set out to be reunited with Börte. After finding her in the same village in which she lived before, the two were married and left for a new home on the Senggür Stream located in the Gürelgü Mountains. Soon after, they moved to set up a new homestead on the Burgi Escarpment near the Keuren River. Here, Börte’s dowry, a black sable coat, was gifted to Yesügei’s old friend Ong Qan reestablishing a friendship between the two families.
clan kinship lineage dynasty tribe