Daily Times

The shaking bodies on drum beat are giving the message of spring. Sometimes there is zaftig style of serpentine dance and at times nymphs dancing in chorus seem happy in the delight of spring, along with them. There are charming young men, kids and elders of the tribe are also dance on this event. All are paying thanks to God by waving the branching of hickory tree in their hands.

This is Kalash valley which is also called Kafirstan (the land of atheist). Here Chilm Jusht or Joshi Festival is celebrated every year in the second week of May on the beginning of spring. This festival is celebrated in the valleys of Bamboret, Ramboor and Barir with great enthusiasm. But a great number of national and international visitor are seen in Bamboret valley.

Seeing these attractive young men and alluring fairies like ladies in their colourful dresses and worth watching jewellery enhance the curiosity and raises certain questions in our mind that who are they? Why their dresses are like this? How will their traditions and customs?

Apparently the historians, anthropologists as well as researchers are unable to give correct information to all this. According to some people, they came from Afghanistan. Some people agree on that these people are the remnants of Alexander the Great, a Greek as some of his army was left there when he passed this land. It is believed that the people of Kalash tribe are offspring of those soldiers, but the recent archaeological survey in Chitral District shows that the people of Kalash tribe are populated there before the time of Alexander the great. Even the DNA test of Kalash tribesmen could not prove their relation to those Greek soldiers.

Some people are of the view that these people are the followers of ancient type of Hinduism called “snatan dharm” and according to some people they are animist even some people have declared them German and Albanian. But actually who are they? Where have they come from? Why are their dresses like this? How their traditions and customs are? How are their culture, religion, and language? No one knows all this.

As in spite of all the progress the script of Indus Valley could not be read as well as no opinion could not be given about it. It is also very difficult to give any indisputable opinion about the kalash ethnology. If the people of kalash are asked about their identification, most of them will be saying that they are the people of Greek race.

Their architecture is on the pattern of ancient Greeks. There are many Greek words in Kalash language. The dress of their men and women is also similar to the Greeks. Their way of offerings and sacrifice is also similar to the Greeks. The culture of home making wine and drinking it also present in Kalash people as well as in the Greeks. The articles of domestic use as are available in Greek museum are also there in Kalash museum.

It seems that there is a reflection of ancient Hindu culture on the civilisation of Kalash people, as Mahadev who is the most gigantic and the strongest lord in Hindu religion. In the same way he is known as Mahan-deo or Maloosh in the Kalash tribe who accepts the offerings of goats. The Joshi Festival is celebrated in the spring season in Kalash in the same way Hindu celebrate Holi festival in the spring. The way in boys and girls of bawaria Hindu tribe visit door to door by beating drum, eat butter and bread with cheese. The same ceremony is repeated on the event of joshi. Just like Hindus the people of Kalash don’t marry in blood relations and in same caste, rather they don’t marry if the caste is same in five or six races. The people of Kalash practice love marriage and according to culture these marriages are done after elopement.

There are many superstitions in Kalash tribe as in Hindu tribal. This is believed that if anyone falls on the earth during the dance in the Joshi Festival, he will be no more till the next Joshi Festival. Similarly it is believed in Bawaria Hindu tribe that if anyone joins in bhagti of Holi festival with impieties/unclean or wrong/bad thoughts he will die then and there.

Their architecture is on the pattern of ancient Greeks. There are many Greek words in Kalash language. The dress of their men and women is also similar to the Greeks. Their way of offerings and sacrifice is also like that of the Greeks

Furthermore the women of Kalash during their specific days (periods) and on the child birth, go to Bashalni (a place in Kalash tribe where men are not allowed) it is believed that if these women remain live with their families there will be a great catastrophe or devastation in the tribe. In the same way many traditions are practiced in Kalash tribe to please ghosts and witchcrafts.

There is no authorised or authentic literature or book of Kalash tribe. These people have been following centuries old traditions which are ritually transferring generation to generation. There are too much traditions followed by Kalash people which they elaborate in their own way. They answer the same question differently which puts the investigator in wonder and enhance the confusion. It seems like a fantasy or ghostly culture, which is full of so many customs and traditions that catch any researcher or tourist in his mystical spell. The more we go to details the more it confuses us and its captivation arrests us.

All the hotels are reserved before one month to Joshi Festival. Sometimes they charge 8-10 thousand rupees for a night but camping can be done to avoid the hotel expenditures. That is why this is necessary to get all the information before travelling to Kalash. The journey to Kalash from Lahore can be of 24 hours by own jeep/car. The journey also depends on the weather condition and land sliding.

The most difficult way of Lowari top seems the impossible track which reminds us all the forgotten prayers. This way is listed in ten dangerous ways of the world. The roads are almost nominal, the native themselves have made the paths to go to Bamboret, Ramboor and Barir valleys of Kalash. Only the native can drive safely on these dangerous ways.

If Kalash civilisation has been able to sustain its real state, its reason is also these untrodden tracks. According to historical point of view many people believe that the people of Kalash ruled over Chitral many years ago, but later on they were pushed to other valleys. The ancient Hindu tribe named Bheel suffered the same treatment in past. If we see religious point of view this is the only animist tribe in Pakistan that possesses its own gods and goddesses apart from worshipping natural phenomena. Their gods and goddesses mostly resemble to Greek gods and goddesses.

The Kalash people don’t have their regular daily prayers rather events are celebrated in all four seasons of the year which are sacred to them like Eid and Christmas. They celebrate Joshi Festival in May, Uchaao in august and Choo-moosin December. They exercise religious customs on choo-moos. The people of Kalash have been eliminated some of their rituals due to opposition of native non Kalash and it is not appropriate to discuss the details of those rituals here.

The houses, temples and stables are decorated with yellow fresh flowers on the event of Joshi Festival to pay thanks to God. Kalash women do a lot beautification on this festival and try to dominate one another. One day earlier the festival the Kalash girls usually wash their hair with ammonium and during this they also take bath putting their cloths on by sitting on the bank of river.

Meanwhile they make fun and gossips with one another. Some of them made five beautiful locks. They make beautiful colour embroidery on traditional black dress and strong petticoat and hat on their heads enhances their beauty. Colourful neck garland with jewels and shells make them the creature of some other world. That day the Kalash people amuse themselves with self-made wine.

The event of Joshi Festival starts with the announcement of Qazi (religious leader). First the tradition of drinking milk is performed. The boys and girls by beating the drum visit the stables where they are offered milk, they drink milk and dance on the way. Flowers are also exchanged on this event. This tradition is practiced in different valleys with the difference of one or two days.

The very next day, Chotak Joshi (small Joshi) is celebrated. As the beat of drum starts all Kalash women, children and men start assembling at Giree (dancing place of Kalash). Before the dance starts the tourists reserve their seats timely so that they could have excellent view. This dance starts almost one o’clock but people start assembling at Giree from 7am.

All Kalash people enter to the giree with the beat of drum having green branches in their hands following the Qazi and at the same time all the Kalash nymphs start dancing at giree. Many cameras come to an action to have some wonderful shot.

The translation of songs that are sung on this event is as following. “We were confined to our houses due to cold weather and snow. We were tired of sitting at homes. We are thankful to God for blessing us with the spring season. Now we will be able to move in valleys and will be able to celebrate new life.”

Apparently the dances of Kalash girls seem similar but it is not like this. The slowest type of dance is called “doshak” in which girls and boys separately dance by stepping forward their right step and left step at back by joining shoulder to shoulder in circles. The “drajailak” dance is performed on the medium fast beat of drum. It neither too fast nor too slow. In “shigatak” dancing form the fairies of Kalash perform serpentine dance in the rows of their own tribe or caste.

During the “gandholi” practice boys and girls make their own groups and follow the prayer of Qazi having branches of hickories in their hands. The Qazi offer special prayers for the prosperity of his tribe. He also prays to save his tribe from ghosts and witchcrafts. After that all the people throw their green branches, which means entering into new life.

At the end of the event there is a tradition to check their strength and they do it just for fun. This practice is called “danglaay”. During danglaay the boys and girls push one another and dance as well. It is believed that if anyone falls on ground during danglaay, he/she will not last till next joshi festival. Here is the dominancy of superstition beliefs. At the end of the dance the girls of every caste are counted, the ones who are in majority are declared as winner.

The same dance is performed on “greater joshi” to express happiness. On this occasion milk is poured on men and women to purge them. During the ritual of “soshaoo” the women bake bread by going a little away from the village, they themselves eat that bread and only women of tribe can eat this bread. Men are not allowed to eat this bread.

The elders and Qazi of the tribe pour milk on men women for purification. On the same day kalash women brought their children who were born after the last joshi to the animal form and offer their sacrifices in the form of walnut and Mulberry. While the same ceremony is performed on Holi by ancient Hindu tribes.

The tendency of education is getting increased in Kalash people with the cooperation of foreign NGOs. An education center is established in Bamboreat valley named “Kalasha-Dur”. It has school, hostel, and library and museum facility. The need of the hour is that Kalash teachers should teach the Kalash children. So that the Kalash teachers could transfer their culture properly and Kalash culture could be saved.

Kalash people plough a small part of bare land due to poverty and their women also work in the fields. Their women also help them in agricultural activities. Most of the men are shepherd and take care of animal farms houses. They also collect milk, butter and cheese for their family. They are so simple and contended that they survive on only “kahva” and bread.

It seems that women are taking extra liberty in the tribe. Even if a woman does love marriage, she is allowed to leave her husband and marry someone else. The condition is that the second husband will pay the double amount of the expenditures which the first husband has spent on marriage.

This is so amazing Kalash girls don’t allow to have a photo with strangers even whatever insistence and attraction is given to them. Sometimes they show unwillingness on solo picture and turn the face. Many Kalash people embraced Islam during recent years due to the threats of Talibans and the number of Kalash people is decreased due to this. Some people killed themselves by jumping from the mountains and some have escaped. After this a foreigner NGO worker was kidnapped and their goats were also taken which they were living on.

This is the rarest and ancient tribe having only four thousand people. The religious preaching is prohibited in the valleys. Army and other secret agencies remain in action. Kalash tribe has the importance of red rose in the bouquet of Pakistan.

The need of hour is to consider them Pakistani with our fertile broad minds and they should be given rights to spend their life according to their customs and traditions. Their cultures should also be considered the culture of Pakistan.

The writer can be reached at kashifjamil397@gmail.com