Tibetans are believed to be descendants of various nomadic tribes who migrated from the north and settled in Tibet’s river valleys, transitioning to a more sedentary agricultural lifestyle. A notable ethnic group in Tibet is the Hui Muslims. While two-thirds of Tibetans speak Kham or Amdo, a significant portion—about one-third—do not speak these dialects as their first language. Linguistic studies conducted in the 1980s and 1990s have revealed that these ethnic groups speak distinct, yet related languages that are quite different from the Tibetan language.