Baloch people
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| Baloch in their national dress, from a 1910 photograph. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Islam Sunni (predominantly) and Zikris around Turbat[12][13] [14] |
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The Baloch or Baluch (بلوچ), an Iranian people, are the majority ethnic inhabitants of the region of Balochistan in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia, including parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The Baloch speak Balochi, an Iranian language. They mainly inhabit mountainous terrains, which have allowed them to maintain a distinct cultural identity and resist domination by neighbouring rulers. The Baloch are predominantly Muslim, with most belonging to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, but there are also a significant number of Shia in Balochistan.[citation needed] Some 60 percent of the total Baloch population live in Pakistan. About 25 percent inhabit the contiguous region of southeastern Iran. In Pakistan the Balochi people are divided into two groups, the Sulaimani and the Makrani, separated from each other by a compact block of Brahui tribes.[15]
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[edit] Demographics
The Baloch-speaking population worldwide is estimated to be in the range of 10 to 15 million.[citation needed] However, the exact number of Baloch and those who are or claim to be of Baloch ancestry is difficult to determine. In the Punjab province of Pakistan almost 10% of peoples are Balochi.[citation needed] Most of them speak Saraiki but in the Jhang area of Punjab, the majority of the Baloch population speak Punjabi also.[citation needed]
It is possible that there are more Baloch than simply those who claim Balochi as their mother tongue. This, however, raises the question as to who is and is not a Baloch, as many surrounding peoples claim to be of Baloch descent but do not speak Balochi. The Brahui, having lived in proximity to the Baloch, have absorbed substantial linguistic and genetic admixture from the Baloch and in many cases are indistinguishable. Despite very few cultural differences from the Baloch, the Brahui are still regarded as a separate group on account of language difference.
The higher population figure for the Baloch may only be possible if a large number of "Baloch" are included who speak a different languages, such as Saraikis, Sindhi, Panjabi and Brahui, and who often claim descent from Baloch ancestors. Many Baloch outside of Balochistan are also bilingual or of mixed ancestry due to their proximity to other ethnic groups including the Sindhis, Brahui, Persians, Saraikis and Pashtuns. A large number of Baloch have been migrating or have been living in adjacent provinces to Balochistan for centuries. Balochs make 2% of Iran population (1.5 millions) and live in south eastern provinces. In addition, there are many Baloch located in other parts of the world with the bulk living in the GCC countries of the Persian Gulf.
There is a significant population of Baloch in western countries such as Sweden and Australia. It is known that many Baloch settled in Australia in the 1800s and now fourth generation Baloch still live in Australia, mainly in Perth.
[edit] Baloch in Oman
The Southern Baloch of Oman began migrating from the coastal Balochistan to the Arab lands some 200 years ago before oil was discovered there. Baloch in Oman have maintained their ethnic and linguistic distinctions. The Southern Baloch compose approximately 22% of the country's population. The traditional Baloch economy is based on a combination of Trade , farming and semi-nomadic shepherding.
[edit] History of the Baloch People
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There are different viewpoints about the origins of the Baloch,including,Nimrod[2] son of Cush (Noah's grandson) as his followers were known as Belausis, Syrians who migrated from Halab modern day Aleppo due to religious reasons as their ballad states;
"We are followers of Ali, firm in faith and honour though the grace of the holy prophet, lord of the earth. We are the offspring of Amir Hamza, victory rests with Gods's shrine. We arise from Halab and engage in battle with Yazid in Karbala and Bampur, and we march to the towns of Seistan" [3].
Turks, Iranis, Kurdish due to lingusitic similarities with Kurdish and Greek who migrated to Balochistan with Alexander The Great and did not return back. It is very likely that the Baloch are a mixture of the above races as their geological location is within central Asia.
L. M. Dames says that Balochs are ancestral Irani, who migrated from the southern coastline of the Caspian Sea. L. W. Oshanen, a well-known anthropologist of the Soviet Union, has supported Dames' theory. The northern and southern Baloch, however, think of themselves of Arab descent, and Halab modern day Aleppo as their first homeland. There is no doubt that Baloch tribes, particularly Bugti, and Rind, joined the Balochis during wars in Baloch regions, so there were many Arabs in that area at the time. To this viewpoint that some Balochis were of original Arab blood, Rai Bahadur Hetoraam also agrees and identifies them as descendants of Hazrat Ameer Hamza, uncle of Hazrat Muhammad.
Now have an overview on those anecdote[clarification needed] that are based upon Balochi Ancient poetry, reasoning that the Balochis are Qureshi Arabs ( Generation of Hazrat Ibrahim). On the other hand Balochi curls are Imitation of Spiritual Hierarchical. Prayers of al-Aqsa Mosque never shaved there poll hair. Baloch also follow the Practice of Hazrat Abraham to judge the Truth and Falsehood by moving the suspicious person on the live coal (Baloch use Specially wood of "Kaheer" (because its coal does not turns into ash within about 24 hours).
Briefly describing, first of all a channel (about 10 ft (3.0 m) in length, 4 ft (1.2 m) in width and 3 ft (0.91 m) depth) is dug and wood of Kaheer (commonly) is burnt to prepare coal during this time a reciter recites some verses of the Qu'ran, after that the suspicious person is asked to walk on the blazing coal in the presence of Above All (Muqadams, white beard men). If he is true then coal never burns his feet, a blameless Baloch has faith in this fact to that day. It is known by "Patt" in Balochi.
[edit] Languages
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| Major Ethnic Groups of Iran |
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 Balooch
Uninhabited
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The national language of the Baloch is Balochi. In Balochistan, their second-most commonly spoken language is Brahui, a language of unknown origins with a lot of Iranic (mainly Balochi) loanwords. Brahui has been hypothesized to have been of proto-Dravidian origin.[16] Recent studies on the origins and affinities of Brahui mostly confirms a relationship with Dravidian in general, and with North Dravidian in particular.[17]
The Baloch do not only live in Balochistan, but can also be found in Sindh and Southern Punjab of Pakistan, in Southern Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, the Persian Gulf states and in the Mari region of Turkmenistan. There are also Baloch who migrated to the East African coast, and still live in towns such as Mombasa and Dar es-Salaam. The Baloch Talpur Leghari ruled Sindh before the British annexation of Sindh to the British Raj. The Baloch in Sindh, South Punjab can speak four languages: Balochi, Sindhi, Panjabi and Saraiki.
Baloch society is divided in several tribes and sub-tribes. Some of these tribes speak Brahui, while most speak Balochi. Multilingualism is common, with many Baloch speaking both Brahui and Balochi, while some can communicate in Sindhi and Siraiki as well. The Marri tribe and the Bugti tribe speak Balochi. The Mengal tribe , who live in Chagai, Khuzdar, Kharan and in souther parts of Afghanistan, speak Brahui. The Lango tribe, who live in central Balochistan in the Mangochar area, speak Balochi as their first language and Brahui as their second. The Bizenjo tribe that live in the Khuzdar, Nal and parts of Makkura, along with the Muhammadsanis, speak both languages. The Bangulzai tribe mostly speaks Brahui, but has a Balochi-speaking minority (known as Garanis).
The Mazari in Rajanpur and Rahim yar Khan speak Balochi, while the Leghari living in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan speak Saraiki. The Leghari in Sindh speak both Sindhi and Saraiki. The Gopang in Rajanpur, Sadiq Abad and Rahim Yar Khan speak Saraiki while those living in Sindh speak Sindhi. Ahmedani tribe is the largest in terms of number both in Sindh and Punjab. In Punjab, the tribe is mainly settled in Dera Ghazi Khan division. The Bijarani tribe, settled in Sindh, speak Balochi. Malghani Baloch living in the tribal areas of the Dera Ghazi Khan and Sindh province of Pakistan speak Saraiki, Sindhi andBalochi, while those living in Sibi district of Balochistan only speak Balochi. Malghani are part of the Nutkani tribe, which is the largest tribe of the Tehsil. The Talpur, Mastoi, Jatoi, Gabol, Lashari, Chandio, Bozdar,Samma, Jiskani and other Baloch tribes settled in Sindh speak Sindhi, Balochi and Siraiki. Qaisrani Baloch living near Taunsa Sharif Koh sulman speak Saraiki and Balochi, while their clansmen living the Dera Ghazi Khan tribal areas speak Balochi. Lund Baloch living the Shadan Lund speak Sindhi, Sairaki and Balochi. Most of the Baloch tribes living in Jhang speak Punjabi as their first language. Tauqi Baloch settled in Khara, Noshki, Chaghi and Washuk Districts of Balochistan and can speak both Balochi and Bravi, but their basic language is Balochi.
[edit] Notable people
- Mir Chakar Rind
- Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (Former President of Pakistan)
- Mir Balakh Sher Mazari
- Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti
- Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri
- Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal
- Nawab Asad Khan Nutkani
- Zari khan Baloch
- Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo (Baba-i-Balochistan)
- Gul Khan Nasir
- Yousuf Mustikhan
- Hazrat Babajan
- Nawab Noroz Khan Zarakzai
- Akhtar Jan Mengal
- Abdolkarim Soroush
- Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari
- Rais ghulam Mustafa Jatoi
- Asif ali Zardari President of pakistan
- Mir Balach khan Marri
[edit] See also
- Baloch civil wars
- Baloch tribes
- Balochistan
- Brahui people
- Demographics of Afghanistan
- Demographics of Iran
- Demographics of Oman
- Demographics of Pakistan
- Demographics of United Arab Emirates
[edit] References
- Note: population statistics for Baloch (including those without a notation) in foreign countries were derived from various census counts, the UN, the CIA World Factbook and Ethnologue.
- ^ Eastern Baloch, Ethnologue.com (retrieved July 7, 1998)
- ^ Population by Mother Tongue, Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan (retrieved June 7, 2006)
- ^ Census of Afghans in Pakistan, UNHCR Statistical Summary Report (retrieved October 10, 2006)
- ^ Languages of Iran, Ethnologue.com (retrieved June 7, 2006)
- ^ Loc.gov, Library of Congress, Country Profile: Iran (retrieved December 5, 2009)
- ^ CIA.gov, CIA Factbook (retrieved December 5, 2009)
- ^ Ethnologue.com, Ethnologue.com (retrieved December 5, 2009)
- ^ CIA.gov, CIA The World Factbook, Oman (retrieved December 5, 2009)
- ^ [1], Ethnologue.com(retrieved 5 December 2009)
- ^ Baloch in Turkmenistan, Ethnologue.com(retrieved June 7, 2006)
- ^ People in Kuwait, Ethnologue.com (retrieved June 7, 2006)
- ^ Pakistan - Library of Congress Country Studies
- ^ Library of Congress Country Studies
- ^ Baluch - U.S. Library of Congress
- ^ Baloch - Britannica Online
- ^ Emeneau, Murray B. 1962. Bilingualism and structural borrowing. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 106.5: 430-442.
- ^ David W. Mcalpin (2003). "Velars, Uvulars and the North Dravidian Hypothesis". Journal of the American Oriental Society 123 (33): 521–546. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go2081/is_3_123/ai_n9578250/.
[edit] External links
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