One of the groups that joined the Magyars during their westward migration was the Székely. The Székely (also known as Szeklers or Siculi) came into Transylvania either with or before the Magyars. Their organization was of the Turkic type, and they are probably of Turkic (possibly Avar) stock. Alternatively, they were descendants of the Huns, who stayed in Transylvania or neighbouring territory after the break-up of the Hunnic empire in the mid-5th Century. By the 11th Century however, they had adopted Magyar speech. They remained a distinct people within the Hungarian kingdom with the role of guarding the eastern frontiers from other Eurasian nomads and others (Bulgars, Rus and Pechenegs).

The Székely people are among the oldest cultures to inhabit the Carpathian Basin. The origin of the Székely is fascinating, and a matter of historical controversy. Traditional scholarly accounts of Székely origins state that the Székely were Huns, who later adopted the Hungarian language (Magyar), while other Scholars believe that the Székely were a contingent of Hungarians (Magyars) that accompanied Attila to the Carpathian Basin. Recent archaeological finds among the Ugar people in Eastern Turkestan seem to give credence to ancient Magyar legends, which state that the Magyars are direct descendants of the Huns.

Székely legends about their own origin state that after Attila died and his empire disintegrated, Attila's youngest and favorite son Ernák (Prince Csaba), led them to safety in Transylvania, then returned to the east. Ernák did indeed take the main body of Huns back to Scythia, more specifically, to the region between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea where the remaining Hunnic peoples, merged with the ancestors of the Magyars (Hungarians).

This Hun-Magyar connection is also remembered in one of the best known Hungarian folk tales, "The Legend of the White Stag" This legend describes how the two sons of Nimrod, Hunor and Magor, chased a white stag into a new land. There they married the king’s two daughters. The descendants of Hunor became the Huns, while the descendants of Magor became the Magyars.

Eurasian Nomads: Part 2

Magyars
Székely
Pechenegs
The Uighur Empire (744-840)
Xueyantuo
Kirghiz or Kyrgyz
Kipchaks
Kimeks
Tatars or Tartar
Steppe Kingdoms (840-1278)
Khitan or Kidan
Tanguts
Jurchen or Jurchid
Turks or Turkmen
Mongol World Empire (1206-1368)
Steppe Peoples' Political Decline (14th C. onward)
Descriptions of Non-Mongolian Physiques

Eurasian Nomads: Part 1

Background
Indo-European Period (4,000 BC-300 AD)
Hsiung-nu Period (250 BC-450 AD)
Turkic Kaganate (552-744)