Kho people

Kho people
Regions with significant populations
Afghanistan	14,700[citation needed]-19,000
Pakistan	223,000 (1992)
Languages
	Khowar; Urdu and Pashto can be understood as second languages
Religion
	Islam (Sunni and Ismaili); Kalash religion (minority)
Related ethnic groups
	Other Dardic peoples, Nuristani people

The Kho people (Khowar: کھو, meaning "people"), also known as Chitralis (چترالي), are a Dardic ethnic group living primarily in Pakistan, with a small population living in Afghanistan.^[2] They speak the Dardic Khowar language.

Culture

Kho culture places heavy emphasis on poetry, song and dance. Kho people also have a great respect of law and order. This in contrast to the generally lawless traditions of almost all of the neighbouring regions. Much of this can be attributed to Chitral being a stable kingdom for most of its history,^[3] where the rule of law and the will of the ruler came before tribal concepts such as revenge and isolationism.

Because of Chitral's location at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia, the Kho display a wide variety of cultures, largely depending upon their ancestral ethnic group and family history.

Languages and dialects

According to the linguist Rehmat Aziz Chitrali^{[citation needed]}, the founder of Khowar Academy, there are seven dialects of Khowar which are spoken in Pakistan:

Khowar
Kohwari
Kashkari
Arniya
Savi
Balkhi
Takhari

Urdu and Pashto are also used as second languages.

Folk music

The Kho music and musical instruments are very famous in the region. Folk singers and reed instrument players have a special respect in the Kho society and are a must in their festivities. Mainly used instruments are Surnai Shehnai, Sitar, and reed instruments. The Kho sitar is a popular musical instrument in Chitral. It is made out of mulberry wood with five steel strings arranged in three courses, the outer ones have double strings, tuned in unison, while the inner course is single. here are few most popular music tone of the area.

Shishtoo-war (Sauz) is popular folk music played with shehnai on happy occasions, mostly at marriages etc.
Shab-daraaz (Dani) is a sad tone based on heartbroken love poems.
Ghalhwar is a combination of Dani and Sauz. This is a mixture of fast and classical music played at the starting of a polo match.

Distribution

In Pakistan, the majority live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, specifically in the Chitral, Dir, Swat and Peshawar districts. A smaller amount live in Gilgit-Baltistan.

In Afghanistan, the majority live in the northern provinces of Badakhshan, Kunduz, Balkh, and Takhar.

References

^ ^a ^b http://www.ethnologue.com/language/khw
^ http://chitral.gov.pk/chitralorigins.aspx
^ "chitral". Royalark.net. 1 June 1937. Retrieved 15 April 2013.

External links

chitraltoday.net
Chitrali Khow article at Hindu Kush Trails

[ethnologue-1] ttp://www.ethnologue.com/language/khw

[2] ttp://chitral.gov.pk/chitralorigins.aspx

[3] "chitral". Royalark.net. 1 June 1937. Retrieved 15 April 2013.

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