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The People of Gilgit
By: Major brown
To attempt to trace the origin of the numerous tribes of the Gilgit Agency is a difficult task as no records are available. I have never studied their history in detail; I prefer to believe in the old traditional stories handed down from generation to generation as I consider they are much more in keeping with this romantic land.
Experts such as Drew, Biddulph and Schomberg who have really studied the history of the Agency have all disagreed on the origin of the Various tribes; far be it from me to argue with my elders and betters, so any factual statement I make in this chapter is merely my own idea and not the result of any careful study.
The two senior States are of course Hunza and Nagir. The men of Hunza are fine upstanding specimens of manhood. They are fair skinned, well built and of a generally pleasing countenance. They are cheery, friendly and humorous. Active and strong, they can turn their hand to anything whether it be agriculture, arts and crafts, road and water channel engineering, bridge building, cottage industries, or service with officers in Gilgit either in the house or in the stable. They are pleasant companions on trek and wily shikaris. They are first rate on the hillside and their powers of endurance are remarkable; before the Agency was occupied the hotter blood was accustomed to raiding but years of Pax Britannica have reduced the tribe to a peace loving but in no way indolent race.
Across the river lies the neighbouring state of Nagir. The appearance and characteristics of the men of Nagir are vastly different from those of Hunza. They are smaller and darker; their standard of living is lower and they are less enterprising.
This is a hard description and is based on the average Nagiri. There are, however, folk in Nagir who are as fine men as you could wish to meet and I have many good friends there.
The question therefore arises whether the Hunza folk and Nagiris are of the same origin. I personally think they are. But in the old days before the ever moving glaciers dosed it, there was a route from Nagir to Baltistan, and the Baltis were allowed to intermarry with the Nagiris. Later there was intermarriage with Kashmiris and with the, by then, heterogeneous Gilgitis. Such intermarriage was never allowed in Hunza; and this, I think, accounts for the fundamental difference between the two tribes. .
The Hunza people disclaim a common origin with the Nagiris. They claim that they are descended from some of Alexander the Great’s soldiers who settled in Hunza during the campaigns of the famous conqueror.
The story also goes that in olden days two princes of Persia named Abul Faiz and Abul Ghani came to Baltistan. There was a queen reigning there then whose custom was to live with any man she liked and when tired of him she would have him put to death. A similar fate awaited all sons born from such illicit love affairs. However, she fell in love with Abul Faiz but he only consented to return the love on the condition that he became her husband. As the queen was considered divine, a divine sign was required before marriage was possible. So one day Abul Faiz concealed himself on the top of a high rock. The queen fired an arrow in the direction of the rock and announced to the ignorant bystanders that in the area where the arrow fell her future husband would be found. Abul Faiz then appeared and was duly married to the queen. A son was born by the name of Jamshed. One day Jamshed set off on a shooting trip and passed down the Indus through Haramosh to Dhanyor which is on the left bank of the Gilgit river some three miles below the settlement. There he entered into conversation with the locals who informed him that there was a frightful tyrant ruling in Gilgit called Sri Badat. On one occasion Sri Badat went to a woman’s house and demanded food and she fed him with the meat of a kid that had been raised on her own milk. The king enjoyed it so much that ever after he ate nothing but the flesh of young children. Jamshed crossed to Gilgit and by chance met Sri Badat’s daughter. They fell in love with each other at first sight and they conspired to kill the king so that Jamshed could usurp the throne. Only fire could harm Sri Badat so they dug a pit near the castle gate and covered it with leaves. During the night the alarm was raised and the cannibal king rushed out of the gate to investigate. He fell into the pit and was killed by the villagers throwing burning torches on him. Sri Badat was the last Hindu king of Gilgit.
For many years after that an effigy of Sri Badat was publicly burned at the annual festival of Nauroze. The custom however died out but was revived again in 1944 by that great lover of legend and folk lore, Lt -Colonel E H Cobb, OBE, who was Political Agent, and an effigy of the tyrant ruler was burned at Sonekote amidst great excitement.
Azer Jamshecl ruled Hunza and Nagir and later his descendants, and from him the origin of the ruling families is claimed. But this genealogy is more legend than fact and little trust can be placed in it, although there was in actual fact a Hindu ruler called Sri Bädat in Gilgit.
I believe myself that the tribes of Hunza and Nagir came from some faraway place in Central Asia in the olden days and settled in the valleys they inhabit today.
Now let us look at the people of Gilgit Sub-division, Punial, Ishkoman, Kuh Ghizr, and Yasin. I am of the opinion that they are all of one stock and probably came from that strip of country called Indus Kohistan which borders the great river before it debouches on the Peshawar plain. The people of Gilgit Sub-division show traces of intermarriage with Kashmiris, Baltis, and nomadic tribes which earn their living by gold washing. Ishkoman used to be a penal settlement. In the Puniali, the Yasini, and the man of Kuh Ghizr you find a specimen of manhood which can almost vie with the Hunza folk. They are less active as their economic situation is not so serious; but they are tough, good shikaris in the mountains and capable of tremendous endurance.
The Yasini and Kuh Ghizri seem at first sight to be very dull in the head - they blame the intense cold of their country for this - but when shown what to do and how to do it, will persevere until the task is completed. The Punialis are famous as polo players - they have a team of giants.
The two main characteristics of the dress of the folk of the Gilgit Agency are the koi and the choga.
The koi, which is the headgear, consists of a bag of homespun woollen cloth some two feet in length with a round circular bottom. The bag is rolled up tightly round the edges until the padded circle so formed reaches the circular bottom or top as it now is. This cap is the traditional headwear. For festive occasions and for off duty hours a white koi is used in the rim of which is usually stuck a heron’s crest or the head feathers of the beautiful Minal pheasant. This looks very attractive indeed and suitable for these hardy mountaineers. For work, the colour of the koi is brown or grey.
The choga is a long homespun cloak reaching to the ankles with long sleeves. It is usually coloured grey or brown through the ruling classes and richer people possess white ones with beautiful designs embroidered on them by the women folk. The choga is worn over the shoulders and the sleeves hang loose. They are chiefly worn in winter as protection from the bitter winds. Everyone possesses a choga including the children.
The remainder of the dress consists of baggy trousers drawn in round the ankles and a shirt worn outside, both of whatever cloth is available in the bazaar. Striped cloth is a favourite among the Hunzawals and the more enlightened but the average peasant wears something more sombre. There is no rule, however, and it depends on what is available.
In the Gilgit Sub-division the Pathan chapli is mostly worn on the feet. In the States and Districts, however, long soft boots of home cured ibex hide are used; they are called paboos. But for the mountains and rough work and by the poorer people, the taoti is worn. A taouti is a strip of roughly cured goat skin wound round the leg and foot and held in place by a leather lace. It gives a grand grip on the hillside either on rock, shale, or grass.
European dress is much liked by the ruling classes and Officers of the Scouts and they take every opportunity of wearing it. A portly gentleman, with fair skin and possibly red hair, wearing a well cut plus-four suit, correct to a detail, might well be the village squire in England. Or the long lanky sportsman with sharp features, dressed in corduroys and long riding jacket nicely waisted, could take his place without comment among the horse copers at the Dublin Horse Show.
The houses of the peasants and zemindars are low squat buildings of stone and mud. The living quarters are entered through the byre as this keeps out the winter wind and the warmth exuding from the goats, sheep and cows acts as central heating. The living room is usually sunk below the ground level and is lit by a smoke hole in the roof. The open fire is in the middle of the floor and the smoke escapes through the roof. The floor is of dried mud and along one side of the room is a raised dais where the family sits during the day and lie crosswise at night. Adjacent to the living room is the storeroom where grain, dried apricots, and the necessities of life are kept. In Hunza the houses are spotlessly clean - elsewhere they are not so. The Mirs and Rajas have built themselves bungalows in European style with all modern comforts.
Two main meals are eaten in the day. The peasant will normally rise at sunrise and work in the fields till 9 am when he will return for breakfast. This will consist of a vegetable stew cooked in ghi (clarified butter) and chupattis - flat pancakes of bread made from wheat, barley, or maize flour depending on stocks. At midday he will take a light snack of fresh or dried apricots or mulberries, depending on the season, washed down by buttermilk. The evening meal at about 6 pm will be the same as the breakfast. On occasions a sheep or goat will be slaughtered and meat added to the diet though this is not regular. The ruling classes like European food too, and when entertained by British Officers in Gilgit they consume it with relish.
The entire population of the Gilgit Agency is Mohammedan apart from some hundred Sikhs and Hindus who are traders, merchants, and clerks. Three separate sects of Mohammedanism exist in the Agency. Hunza, Punial, and most of Yasin and Kuh Ghizr are Maulai. The Maulais are followers of H.H. The Agha Khan who claims direct descent from Ali who married Fatima, daughter of the Prophet. They care little for Muslim prejudices and are fond of locally produced wine. They unquestionably believe in God but do not indulge in praying, fasting, making pilgrimages, veiling women folk and the other religious observances of Islam. There is no religious fanaticism to contend with and an event of really great significance would be required to occasion a jehad or Holy War. They have as practical an outlook on religion as they have on life. Nagir is entirely Shiah. The Shiass believe that the first three Khalifas or disciples of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, Osman, and Omar, were bogus and recognise only Ali whom the Sunnis believe was the fourth. The best description of the difference between the Shiahs and the Sunnis is that the former might be regarded as High Church Mohammedans and the latter as Low Church. The Shiahs are fanatically religious in Gilgit and obey the lessons of the Holy Qoran to the letter.
The Sunnis are tolerant and liberal minded though devout. There are a few Sunnis in Yàsin, and Kuh Ghizr; Ishkoman is mixed Sunni and Maulai; Chilas is wholly Sunni; there is one Shiah family in Hunza; the Gilgit Sub-division is mixed Shiah and Sunni and this is the only real danger spot on account of religion in an otherwise contented Agency. The rivalry between the Sunnis and Shiahs (or Shi’ites) is extremely serious, especially in the Sub-division and unless the situation is handled very carefully there is always the likelihood of a regrettable breach of the peace. Only under exceptionally significant circumstances would the Sunnis and Shiahs unite in one movement. In the Sub-division a balance of power must always be maintained and the usual modus operandi of trouble makers is to aggravate this rivalry. Such methods never fail and such persons must be crushed with a strong hand.
The languages of the Agency are interesting. Shina is the lingua franca of this area and generally talked. Shina belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of languages and is akin to Pushto, Hindustanj, and Persian. For a scholar with a knowledge of these three languages Shina easy to master, especially since the vocabulary is necessarily limited.
Khowar, the language of Chitral, is of the same stock and is talked in Yasin and Kuh Ghizr owing to the Chitrali influence in these two districts.
The language of Hunza, Nagir proper, and the upper portion of the Nagir valley, and certain villages in Yasin is Burushaski, which is really akin to no known language in the world. Its vocabulary is entirely its own and it is a very difficult language to attempt to learn. There is simply no information to give on the origin of this language so it must just remain one of the mysteries of Central Asia.
Shina is talked in Punial, Gilgit Sub-division, the lower portion of Nagir, and a dialect of Shina is found in Chilas, varying very little but pronounced more broadly.
Hindustani or Punjabi, as it is called, is understood everywhere and is a sufficient go-between for the unenterprising foreigner. [1]
[1]Chapter 1, The Gilgit Rebellion by Major Brown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy, @Joe Shearer ,@Kambojaric ,@Tergon18 ,@unleashed ,@hellfire ,@Arsalan ,@Kaptaan ...
Any questions? it's all very familiar description and surprisingly sounds like an account made quite recently.
PS: I am mixture, Half Hunzik, half Ghizri and Gilti blood in me too
.
By: Major brown
To attempt to trace the origin of the numerous tribes of the Gilgit Agency is a difficult task as no records are available. I have never studied their history in detail; I prefer to believe in the old traditional stories handed down from generation to generation as I consider they are much more in keeping with this romantic land.
Experts such as Drew, Biddulph and Schomberg who have really studied the history of the Agency have all disagreed on the origin of the Various tribes; far be it from me to argue with my elders and betters, so any factual statement I make in this chapter is merely my own idea and not the result of any careful study.
The two senior States are of course Hunza and Nagir. The men of Hunza are fine upstanding specimens of manhood. They are fair skinned, well built and of a generally pleasing countenance. They are cheery, friendly and humorous. Active and strong, they can turn their hand to anything whether it be agriculture, arts and crafts, road and water channel engineering, bridge building, cottage industries, or service with officers in Gilgit either in the house or in the stable. They are pleasant companions on trek and wily shikaris. They are first rate on the hillside and their powers of endurance are remarkable; before the Agency was occupied the hotter blood was accustomed to raiding but years of Pax Britannica have reduced the tribe to a peace loving but in no way indolent race.
Across the river lies the neighbouring state of Nagir. The appearance and characteristics of the men of Nagir are vastly different from those of Hunza. They are smaller and darker; their standard of living is lower and they are less enterprising.
This is a hard description and is based on the average Nagiri. There are, however, folk in Nagir who are as fine men as you could wish to meet and I have many good friends there.
The question therefore arises whether the Hunza folk and Nagiris are of the same origin. I personally think they are. But in the old days before the ever moving glaciers dosed it, there was a route from Nagir to Baltistan, and the Baltis were allowed to intermarry with the Nagiris. Later there was intermarriage with Kashmiris and with the, by then, heterogeneous Gilgitis. Such intermarriage was never allowed in Hunza; and this, I think, accounts for the fundamental difference between the two tribes. .
The Hunza people disclaim a common origin with the Nagiris. They claim that they are descended from some of Alexander the Great’s soldiers who settled in Hunza during the campaigns of the famous conqueror.
The story also goes that in olden days two princes of Persia named Abul Faiz and Abul Ghani came to Baltistan. There was a queen reigning there then whose custom was to live with any man she liked and when tired of him she would have him put to death. A similar fate awaited all sons born from such illicit love affairs. However, she fell in love with Abul Faiz but he only consented to return the love on the condition that he became her husband. As the queen was considered divine, a divine sign was required before marriage was possible. So one day Abul Faiz concealed himself on the top of a high rock. The queen fired an arrow in the direction of the rock and announced to the ignorant bystanders that in the area where the arrow fell her future husband would be found. Abul Faiz then appeared and was duly married to the queen. A son was born by the name of Jamshed. One day Jamshed set off on a shooting trip and passed down the Indus through Haramosh to Dhanyor which is on the left bank of the Gilgit river some three miles below the settlement. There he entered into conversation with the locals who informed him that there was a frightful tyrant ruling in Gilgit called Sri Badat. On one occasion Sri Badat went to a woman’s house and demanded food and she fed him with the meat of a kid that had been raised on her own milk. The king enjoyed it so much that ever after he ate nothing but the flesh of young children. Jamshed crossed to Gilgit and by chance met Sri Badat’s daughter. They fell in love with each other at first sight and they conspired to kill the king so that Jamshed could usurp the throne. Only fire could harm Sri Badat so they dug a pit near the castle gate and covered it with leaves. During the night the alarm was raised and the cannibal king rushed out of the gate to investigate. He fell into the pit and was killed by the villagers throwing burning torches on him. Sri Badat was the last Hindu king of Gilgit.
For many years after that an effigy of Sri Badat was publicly burned at the annual festival of Nauroze. The custom however died out but was revived again in 1944 by that great lover of legend and folk lore, Lt -Colonel E H Cobb, OBE, who was Political Agent, and an effigy of the tyrant ruler was burned at Sonekote amidst great excitement.
Azer Jamshecl ruled Hunza and Nagir and later his descendants, and from him the origin of the ruling families is claimed. But this genealogy is more legend than fact and little trust can be placed in it, although there was in actual fact a Hindu ruler called Sri Bädat in Gilgit.
I believe myself that the tribes of Hunza and Nagir came from some faraway place in Central Asia in the olden days and settled in the valleys they inhabit today.
Now let us look at the people of Gilgit Sub-division, Punial, Ishkoman, Kuh Ghizr, and Yasin. I am of the opinion that they are all of one stock and probably came from that strip of country called Indus Kohistan which borders the great river before it debouches on the Peshawar plain. The people of Gilgit Sub-division show traces of intermarriage with Kashmiris, Baltis, and nomadic tribes which earn their living by gold washing. Ishkoman used to be a penal settlement. In the Puniali, the Yasini, and the man of Kuh Ghizr you find a specimen of manhood which can almost vie with the Hunza folk. They are less active as their economic situation is not so serious; but they are tough, good shikaris in the mountains and capable of tremendous endurance.
The Yasini and Kuh Ghizri seem at first sight to be very dull in the head - they blame the intense cold of their country for this - but when shown what to do and how to do it, will persevere until the task is completed. The Punialis are famous as polo players - they have a team of giants.
The two main characteristics of the dress of the folk of the Gilgit Agency are the koi and the choga.
The koi, which is the headgear, consists of a bag of homespun woollen cloth some two feet in length with a round circular bottom. The bag is rolled up tightly round the edges until the padded circle so formed reaches the circular bottom or top as it now is. This cap is the traditional headwear. For festive occasions and for off duty hours a white koi is used in the rim of which is usually stuck a heron’s crest or the head feathers of the beautiful Minal pheasant. This looks very attractive indeed and suitable for these hardy mountaineers. For work, the colour of the koi is brown or grey.
The choga is a long homespun cloak reaching to the ankles with long sleeves. It is usually coloured grey or brown through the ruling classes and richer people possess white ones with beautiful designs embroidered on them by the women folk. The choga is worn over the shoulders and the sleeves hang loose. They are chiefly worn in winter as protection from the bitter winds. Everyone possesses a choga including the children.
The remainder of the dress consists of baggy trousers drawn in round the ankles and a shirt worn outside, both of whatever cloth is available in the bazaar. Striped cloth is a favourite among the Hunzawals and the more enlightened but the average peasant wears something more sombre. There is no rule, however, and it depends on what is available.
In the Gilgit Sub-division the Pathan chapli is mostly worn on the feet. In the States and Districts, however, long soft boots of home cured ibex hide are used; they are called paboos. But for the mountains and rough work and by the poorer people, the taoti is worn. A taouti is a strip of roughly cured goat skin wound round the leg and foot and held in place by a leather lace. It gives a grand grip on the hillside either on rock, shale, or grass.
European dress is much liked by the ruling classes and Officers of the Scouts and they take every opportunity of wearing it. A portly gentleman, with fair skin and possibly red hair, wearing a well cut plus-four suit, correct to a detail, might well be the village squire in England. Or the long lanky sportsman with sharp features, dressed in corduroys and long riding jacket nicely waisted, could take his place without comment among the horse copers at the Dublin Horse Show.
The houses of the peasants and zemindars are low squat buildings of stone and mud. The living quarters are entered through the byre as this keeps out the winter wind and the warmth exuding from the goats, sheep and cows acts as central heating. The living room is usually sunk below the ground level and is lit by a smoke hole in the roof. The open fire is in the middle of the floor and the smoke escapes through the roof. The floor is of dried mud and along one side of the room is a raised dais where the family sits during the day and lie crosswise at night. Adjacent to the living room is the storeroom where grain, dried apricots, and the necessities of life are kept. In Hunza the houses are spotlessly clean - elsewhere they are not so. The Mirs and Rajas have built themselves bungalows in European style with all modern comforts.
Two main meals are eaten in the day. The peasant will normally rise at sunrise and work in the fields till 9 am when he will return for breakfast. This will consist of a vegetable stew cooked in ghi (clarified butter) and chupattis - flat pancakes of bread made from wheat, barley, or maize flour depending on stocks. At midday he will take a light snack of fresh or dried apricots or mulberries, depending on the season, washed down by buttermilk. The evening meal at about 6 pm will be the same as the breakfast. On occasions a sheep or goat will be slaughtered and meat added to the diet though this is not regular. The ruling classes like European food too, and when entertained by British Officers in Gilgit they consume it with relish.
The entire population of the Gilgit Agency is Mohammedan apart from some hundred Sikhs and Hindus who are traders, merchants, and clerks. Three separate sects of Mohammedanism exist in the Agency. Hunza, Punial, and most of Yasin and Kuh Ghizr are Maulai. The Maulais are followers of H.H. The Agha Khan who claims direct descent from Ali who married Fatima, daughter of the Prophet. They care little for Muslim prejudices and are fond of locally produced wine. They unquestionably believe in God but do not indulge in praying, fasting, making pilgrimages, veiling women folk and the other religious observances of Islam. There is no religious fanaticism to contend with and an event of really great significance would be required to occasion a jehad or Holy War. They have as practical an outlook on religion as they have on life. Nagir is entirely Shiah. The Shiass believe that the first three Khalifas or disciples of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, Osman, and Omar, were bogus and recognise only Ali whom the Sunnis believe was the fourth. The best description of the difference between the Shiahs and the Sunnis is that the former might be regarded as High Church Mohammedans and the latter as Low Church. The Shiahs are fanatically religious in Gilgit and obey the lessons of the Holy Qoran to the letter.
The Sunnis are tolerant and liberal minded though devout. There are a few Sunnis in Yàsin, and Kuh Ghizr; Ishkoman is mixed Sunni and Maulai; Chilas is wholly Sunni; there is one Shiah family in Hunza; the Gilgit Sub-division is mixed Shiah and Sunni and this is the only real danger spot on account of religion in an otherwise contented Agency. The rivalry between the Sunnis and Shiahs (or Shi’ites) is extremely serious, especially in the Sub-division and unless the situation is handled very carefully there is always the likelihood of a regrettable breach of the peace. Only under exceptionally significant circumstances would the Sunnis and Shiahs unite in one movement. In the Sub-division a balance of power must always be maintained and the usual modus operandi of trouble makers is to aggravate this rivalry. Such methods never fail and such persons must be crushed with a strong hand.
The languages of the Agency are interesting. Shina is the lingua franca of this area and generally talked. Shina belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of languages and is akin to Pushto, Hindustanj, and Persian. For a scholar with a knowledge of these three languages Shina easy to master, especially since the vocabulary is necessarily limited.
Khowar, the language of Chitral, is of the same stock and is talked in Yasin and Kuh Ghizr owing to the Chitrali influence in these two districts.
The language of Hunza, Nagir proper, and the upper portion of the Nagir valley, and certain villages in Yasin is Burushaski, which is really akin to no known language in the world. Its vocabulary is entirely its own and it is a very difficult language to attempt to learn. There is simply no information to give on the origin of this language so it must just remain one of the mysteries of Central Asia.
Shina is talked in Punial, Gilgit Sub-division, the lower portion of Nagir, and a dialect of Shina is found in Chilas, varying very little but pronounced more broadly.
Hindustani or Punjabi, as it is called, is understood everywhere and is a sufficient go-between for the unenterprising foreigner. [1]
[1]Chapter 1, The Gilgit Rebellion by Major Brown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy, @Joe Shearer ,@Kambojaric ,@Tergon18 ,@unleashed ,@hellfire ,@Arsalan ,@Kaptaan ...
Any questions? it's all very familiar description and surprisingly sounds like an account made quite recently.
PS: I am mixture, Half Hunzik, half Ghizri and Gilti blood in me too
.
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