Vovin, Vajda, and de la Vaissière have suggested that Jie shares the same idiosyncrasies with the Pumpokol language, and the two are therefore closely related.

This argument is strengthened by the fact that in northern Mongolia, Yeniseian-derived hydronyms have been demonstrated to be exclusively Pumpokolic, while influence from other Yeniseian languages is only found further north.

He also adds that a considerable number of these hu were from the Western Regions, citing the claim of their high noses and full beards, and that there were instances of the Han Chinese becoming part of the Jie.

The earliest recorded Jie was Shi Le, a minor chieftain from Wuxiang County in Bing province (roughly modern-day Shanxi) under the Western Jin dynasty.

When their rebellion was defeated in 307, Shi Le joined the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty, where he quickly rose through the ranks and became a key commander in their war against the Western Jin.

He was also effectively a powerful warlord who controlled the eastern parts of the empire and made the city of Xiangguo (襄國, in modern Xingtai, Hebei) his capital.

He conquered his former state in 329, and while some areas remained independent, the Later Zhao became the hegemonic power of northern China, reaching a stalemate with the Eastern Jin and Cheng-Han dynasties in the south.

Records describe him as a brutal tyrant who oppressed the common people through his excessive building projects, concubine collection and military campaigns.

By the end of his reign, he was troubled by a succession crisis, and after his death in 349, his family members engaged in an internecine struggle over the throne.

Shi Min personally led his soldiers to massacre the tribes in Ye while his generals purged their armies of tribesmen.

The remaining Jie people eventually became subjects of the Xianbei-led Former Yan, who defeated Ran Min and conquered the Hebei and Shandong regions.

Both Erzhu Rong and Hou Jing, two famous warlords of the Northern Dynasties, were identified as Qihu (契胡) and Jiehu respectively, and modern scholars have suggested that they could have been be related to the Jie.

Buddhism was at first restricted to government officials, but as the religion became increasingly popular among commoners as well, Shi Hu promoted religious freedom, stating that his people have the right to worship the Buddha, who was a "foreigner" like him.

Due to the veneration of fire in Zoroastrianism, another example they cite is the giant lamp that was built in Shi Hu's palace for his crowning ceremony as Heavenly King.