South Waziristan agency is mostly mountainous area, bordering Afghanistan. The approximate area of South Waziristan is 6,620 square kilometers and is the largest agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The agency is divided into three administrative sub divisions: Sarawaki, Ladha and Wana. Although there are five tribes in the agency, but the most prominent among them are two tribes namely the Mehsud and the Wazir. Other famous tribes are the Burki, Dutaani and sulman khail tribe, but they are very few in numbers in the region.
The people of the agency are famous for their bravery which can be validated from the fact that British during its colonial rule could not defeat them. Like the others Pashtuns, they have a unique history, customs, traditions and culture; however, these areas have for too long only been associated with war, terrorism and stories of human tragedies. Little is known about the internally displaced people ( IDPs) and constitutional status of the area, which is so far being regulated through Frontier Crimes Regulations Act, because there is no media coverage. In all this, the stories and culture of the people of Fata have been lost.
For all those, who are unaware about culture of FATA, here is a bird’s eye view. With respect to clothing, men usually wear shalwar kameez, most often in white, grey and blue colours. Moreover, people mostly wear the Chitralli cap. The elder wear a turban on their head. Women also wear shalwar kameez and a piece of cloth on their heads inside home while when they are outside of their homes, they wear their culture dress called “Ganr dkhat”
The Ganr Khat is an outfit made of many colours and embellishments, shaped as a frock and made from thirty to thirty meters of cloth called “Baandina”. Ganr khat is made in an umbrella style at the bottom, while it has various designs on its front and back. To make it more attractive, mirror and some silver pieces are pasted on the front. The cloth for Ganr khat i.e. Baandina comes from Karachi or Dubai, but the stitching, designing and finishing is done by the women themselves in homes. Women take “Chaadar” above this Ganr khat while going out of the home’s premises. But if the travel is to be done in far flung areas, then “Chaadar” is not taken, instead they wear Burka over Ganr khat. The dress, mostly worn at weddings, was made when many women in the past got together to sew as they sang traditional songs. A series of wedding rituals revolved around the traditional dress.
The estimated expenditure on sewing of this cultural dress ranges from Rs.25000/- to Rs.30000/-. A few days ago, a video went viral on the social media in which army soldiers somewhere in the mountains of Waziristan were making a fun of this culture dress Ganr khat. According to Ghandi, a nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. Culture is the identity of any nation and playing with their culture is no more than playing with the integrity of that nation. Those, who are doing operation in those areas against militants, should investigate this shameful act.
Besides, there are also other features which are a part of the culture. For example, “Baragai Attan” was a traditional dance in which men and women danced, singing songs or “tapas” to the beat of drums, usually at weddings. It started vanishing during Afghan war times and particularly due to the emerging of Talibanization in the area after the outrageous incident of 9/11.
The Call, which is called “Cheegha” in local language, is also a part of the culture. Cheegha is a local custom in practice for bringing people together for urgent meeting. During Cheegha, the drum is played for gathering the people for an urgent meeting. When the people come together then the elders discuss the problems. Moreover, at such moments, the youngsters perform their culture dance “Attan” to the beat of drums. There are also many things which are parts of the culture like Target shooting (Nakha weestal), marriage ceremony (Wadah) etc.
Culture is a reflection of the lives people live; however, very sadly, the whole culture is at stake because of militancy and no media coverage in South Waziristan. South Waziristan remains under siege socially and culturally, while the rest of Pakistan conveniently ignores that it, too, was once a place where music, dance and colour were integral parts of its culture.
The blogger is a graduate in Social Sciences from Government College University, Lahore. He can be reached at [email protected]