Bakarwal Tribe of Jammu & Kashmir

Tribe of India

1. BAKARWAL TRIBE OF INDIA SUBHASISH SUTRADHAR

2. WHO ARE THEY? ETYMOLOGICAL MEANIG: Bakarwal (or Bakharwal ) is a nomadic tribe based in the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountains of South Asia. They are mainly goatherds and shepherds. They are called as ‘ Dhangar ’ in rest of India. ' Bakarwal ' is derived from the Gojri /Urdu/Punjabi/Kashmiri/ Dogri terms , ‘ bakra ’ meaning goat or sheep , and ‘ wal ’ meaning " one who takes care of ". Essentially, the name " Bakarwal " implies " highaltitude goatherds/shepherds" .

3. LOCATION OF BAKARWAL TRIBE: Bakarwals are spread throughout the northern part of the Himalayan Range. the states of Uttarakhand , Himachal Pradesh, Punjab. The districts of Jammu & Kashmir, which are highly concentrated by the Bakarwals are Poonch , Rajouri , Anantnag , Udhampur , Kupwara and Srinagar.

4. ORIGIN: One interesting theory of their origin claims they migrated from Georgia ( Gurgia ) and made their way to the Sub-continent through Central Asia before settling down in Gujarat. What pushed a fraction of the tribe towards Northern India is supposedly a severe drought condition affecting Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan during the 5th or 6th century AD.

5. LANGUAGE: Gojri language is the main language that is used by most of the people belongs to bakarwal tribal community. Beside Gojri language Kashmiri, Urdu and Dogri languages are also spoken by this community. Gojri is one of the ancient languages of India . In well documented pieces of the works the historians have traced the origin and practice of Gojri language since BC era.

6. OCCUPATION: Bakarwals are nomadic shepherds who roam around Himalayan states, especially Jammu and Kashmir, in search of pastures for their livestock.  The nomadic group often travels to the lower plains during winter. Left, Kashmiri nomads walked with their herd of goats and sheep through Zojila Pass

7. DRESS: Bakarwal men and women wear salwarkameez i.e. known as suthan and the kameez as peherni or kurti . Bakarwalmen also wear a jacket known as basket on the kameez , their turban is known as turban is known as patka or lungi . In the winter men also wear a coat, and shawl known as chadri , to keep warm in the bitter cold. Women wear a chuuni known as chipri with their salwarkameez . A smaller triangular scarf mainly worn by the younger women is kasawa .

8. RELIGION: By religion they are either Hindu or Muslim . Most of the people belonging to bakarwal tribal community to be strict Muslims of a deep religious nature. Interestingly, Bakarwal also observe some Hindu festivals like ‘ Baisakhi ’ and ‘Lori’ and performs some rituals on these occasions on these festivals.

9. FESTIVALS: Many festivals celebrated by this community are common among the Muslim brothers of the Kashmir but few of them are celebrated by the ‘ Bakarwals ’ only like ‘ Baisakhi ’, lighting lamps on the greaves shrines which are very close to Hindus of North India. The main religious activities and festivals observed by the ‘ Bakarwal ’ community are five times prayers, fasting in the month of ‘ Ramdhan ’, ‘ Idul - Fitar ’, ‘ Idul-Zaha ’, ‘ Naoroz ’ and ‘ Baisakhi ’.

10. Source: Field Work (2011) made by Dr.Mohd . Tufail , Note: Sample Size: 210

11. JIRGA COUNCILS OR TRIBAL COUNCILS: Jirga is a Persian word. It means a gathering, a public, a " Panchayat " or a consultation. According to figure, 58 percent of the Bakarwals still practice Jirgas and settle their cases within their community while 42 percent have the views that jirgas do not exist now and they settle their cases with the help of police and modern courts. on.

12. Present scenario : Due to 20 years of disturbance in the state and shift towards sedentarisation a lot has been changed from their centuries old transhumance and forced shift towards sedentarisation . Changes are found in all aspects of their life. As the country is marching ahead through developmental programmes , Bakarwals are also influenced by it and changes are witnessed in their every walk of life. We can find changes in their social, political, cultural and economic spheres.

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