Dardic peoples: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 00:00, 16 May 2008

The Dards are various ethnic groups living in north eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.^[1] The term Dard is due to Herodotus who described a land of the Dardikae the areas of north eastern Afghanistan.

Geographic distribution

The term "Dard" is an outdated one that has been used to describe various groups of often unrelated mountain tribesmen who inhabit a region between Badakhshan and Kashmir. The vast majority of Dardic peoples are to be found in Pakistan's northern areas as well as settled in many of the country's urban centres such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Although the Dardic languages do show similarities they are mostly very distinct from one another. The cultures of the Dardic peoples are also quite varied but they do share similarities due to their common mountainous environment and intertwined history.

The Shina language is spoken, apart from Gilgit, in Punial, Darail, Tangair, Astore and Gurez and Drass in Pakistan. It has many dialects, including Gilgiti Shina, Astori Shine, Ponyali Shina, Chilasi Shina and Gurezi Shina. The pronunciation of this language is very different. It is very important to make changes in the script of this language to make it easy.

Khowar is spoken in the Pakistani regions of Chitral, Yasin, Gupis, Koh-o-ghizar and Ishkoman.

Two non-Dardic languages which are spoken in the region are Balti, a Sino-Tibetan language and Burushaski a language isolate and still the topic of considerable interest for Pakistani linguists.

Dards in Afghanistan

There are also Dardic groups in north eastern Afghanistan such as the Pashai and the Kohistanis. The Nuristanis were previously considered to be Dards but are today classified as a distinct group.

Dards in Kashmir

Dards also inhabit Kashmir, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Shina speaking communities are located to the North of the Kashmir Valley in Gurez (District Baramulla) and in Drass in Kargil District. A further Dardic group known as the Brokpa reside in a few scattered villages in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and speak a distinct form of Shina. They profess either Hinduism and Islam.

Dards in Pakistan

The people of Northernmost Pakistan are mostly Dards, including the people of Chitral, Gilgit, Kohistan and upper Swat.

Dards in China

Dardic groups like the Burusho of the Hunza valley, are found in small numbers in China. Periodically these groups enter China often for the purposes of business and trade.^[2]

Religion

The vast majority of Dardic peoples are Muslims (Sunni, Shia and Ismaili) though a tiny percentage practice Hinduism and Buddhism. The Dards of Dah Hanu are nominally Buddhist but also worship their own Pantheon of gods, while the Kashmiri Pandits follow a brand of Saivaite Hinduism that has remained influential in the region for centuries. They have an Indo-European appearance in contrast to the predominantly Tibeto-Burman inhabitants of most of Ladakh. They live in very primitive conditions even when judged by the standards of Ladakh. The Kalash are exceptional in having retained their ancestral polytheistic religion.

Origin

Parpola (1999) identifies "Proto-Dardic" with "Proto-Rigvedic", suggesting that the Dards are the linguistic descendants of the bearers of early Rigvedic culture ca. 1700 BC, pointing to features in certain Dardic dialects that continue peculiarities of Rigvedic Sanskrit, such as the gerund in -tvī (p. 189).

References

^ An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China By James Stuart Olson, pg.55
^ An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China By James Stuart Olson, pg. 55

Dards, Dardistan, and Dardic: an Ethnographic, Geographic, and Linguistic Conundrum
Asko Parpola, 'The formation of the Aryan branch of Indo-European', in Blench and Spriggs (eds), Archaeology and Language III, London and New York (1999).

External links

Dah Hanu: Land of the Dard Survivors in India

[1] An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China By James Stuart Olson, pg.55

[2] An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China By James Stuart Olson, pg. 55

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Geographic distribution==
-The term "Dard" is an outdated one that has been used to describe  various groups of often unrelated mountain tribesmen who inhabit a region between [[Badakhshan]] and [[Kashmir]]. Although the [[Dardic languages]] do show similarities they are mostly very distinct from one another. The cultures of the Dardic peoples are also quite varied but they do share similarities due to their common mountainous environment and intertwined history.
+The term "Dard" is an outdated one that has been used to describe  various groups of often unrelated mountain tribesmen who inhabit a region between [[Badakhshan]] and [[Kashmir]]. The vast majority of Dardic peoples are to be found in Pakistan's northern areas as well as settled in many of the country's urban centres such as [[Islamabad]], [[Lahore]] and [[Karachi]].  Although the [[Dardic languages]] do show similarities they are mostly very distinct from one another. The cultures of the Dardic peoples are also quite varied but they do share similarities due to their common mountainous environment and intertwined history.
-The [[Shina language|Shina]] language is spoken, apart from [[Gilgit]], in Punial, Darail, Tangair, [[Astore]] and [[Gurez]] and [[Drass]] in India. It has many dialects, including Gilgiti Shina, Astori Shine, Ponyali Shina, Chilasi Shina and Gurezi Shina. The pronunciation of this language is very different. It is very important to make changes in the script of this language to make it easy.
+The [[Shina language|Shina]] language is spoken, apart from [[Gilgit]], in Punial, Darail, Tangair, [[Astore]] and [[Gurez]] and [[Drass]] in Pakistan. It has many dialects, including Gilgiti Shina, Astori Shine, Ponyali Shina, Chilasi Shina and Gurezi Shina. The pronunciation of this language is very different. It is very important to make changes in the script of this language to make it easy.
-[[Khowar]] is spoken in [[Chitral]], [[Yasin]], Gupis, Koh-o-ghizar and [[Ishkoman]].
+[[Khowar]] is spoken in the Pakistani regions of [[Chitral]], [[Yasin]], Gupis, Koh-o-ghizar and [[Ishkoman]].
-Two non-Dardic languages which are spoken in the region are [[Balti language|Balti]], a [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] language and [[Burushaski language|Burushaski]] a language isolate.
+Two non-Dardic languages which are spoken in the region are [[Balti language|Balti]], a [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] language and [[Burushaski language|Burushaski]] a language isolate and still the topic of considerable interest for Pakistani linguists.
 ===Dards in Afghanistan===
 There are also Dardic groups in north eastern Afghanistan such as the [[Pashai]] and the Kohistanis. The [[Nuristani]]s were previously considered to be Dards but are today classified as a distinct group.
-===Dards in India===
+===Dards in Kashmir===
-Dards also inhabit India, in the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir]]. Shina speaking communities are located to the North of the Kashmir Valley in Gurez (District [[Baramulla]]) and in [[Drass]] in Kargil District. A further Dardic group known as the [[Brokpa]] reside in a few scattered villages in the [[Ladakh]] district of Jammu and Kashmir and speak a distinct form of Shina. They profess either [[Hinduism]] and [[Islam]].
+Dards also inhabit Kashmir, in the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir]]. Shina speaking communities are located to the North of the Kashmir Valley in Gurez (District [[Baramulla]]) and in [[Drass]] in Kargil District. A further Dardic group known as the [[Brokpa]] reside in a few scattered villages in the [[Ladakh]] district of Jammu and Kashmir and speak a distinct form of Shina. They profess either [[Hinduism]] and [[Islam]].
-===Dards in North Pakistan===
+===Dards in Pakistan===
 The people of Northernmost [[Pakistan]] are mostly Dards, including the people of [[Chitral District|Chitral]], [[Gilgit]], [[Kohistan District, Pakistan|Kohistan]] and upper [[Swat (Pakistan)|Swat]].