Brokpa (Ladakh)
Alternative names:Minaro |
| Total population |
|---|
| 5,000 (est.) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Dha-Hanu valley, Ladakh, India. |
| Languages |
| Religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
The Brokpa are a small community of Dard people residing in the Dha-Hanu valley about 163 km southwest of Leh in Ladakh. They are thought by some to be the purist descendants of the ancient Indo-Europeans.[1][2]
Dha and Hanu are two villages situated in the Dhahanu valley where they are found. They are also scattered in other parts of Ladakh. Part of the community are also located in the Deosai plateau just across the LOC in the Baltistan. Like the people of Gilgit, they speak an archaic form of the Shina language unintelligible with other dialects of Shina. They are originally said to have come from Chilas and settled in the area generations ago. They are predominantly caucasoid in contrast to the Tibeto-Burman inhabitants of most of Ladakh. They are nominally Buddhist, however animist and Bön rituals still survive.
Minaro is an alternate ethnic name. 'Brokpa' is the name given by the Ladakhi for the people.[3]
The traditional Brokpa diet based on locally grown foods such as barley and hardy wheat prepared most often as tsampa/sattu (roasted flour). It takes in different ways. Other important foods include potatoes, radishes, turnips, and Gur-Gur Cha, a brewed tea made of black tea, butter and salt. Dairy and poultry sources are out of menu because of religious taboos. Brokpa takes three meals a day; Chin-nana (Breakfast); Beh (Lunch) and Ganzang (Dinner). Brokpa vary with respect to the amount of meat (mainly mutton) that they eat. Household’s economic position decides the consumption of meat. It is only during festivals and rituals all have greater access to mutton.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ From Nomadic Tribesmen to Nazi Icons: Who Were the Aryans?, heritage-key.com
- ^ Shubhangi Swarup. The Last of the Aryans, Open magazine, 6 August 2011.
- ^ Ethnologue. Brokskat - A language of India. Minaro
- ^ Bhasin, Veena: Social Change, Religion and Medicine among Brokpas of Ladakh, Ethno-Med., 2(2): 77-102 (2008)
[edit] External links
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