The Kalasha
The Kalasha are the remnants of the population of the ancient Kafiristan, the land that straddles the borders of the present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. Nowadays, those ancient and fascinating people live in three small mountain valleys in Chitral District, located in the North-West Province of Pakistan. By now, there are only three thousand Kalasha maintaining their religion and culture, which make them the only remaining indigenous non-Muslim community in Pakistan.
Though there are only so few of them, the Kalasha people have succeeded in resisting an intensified process of Islamisation. Although as many as three thousand have already converted to Islam, the Kalasha people still maintain their own language and rich culture. A Kalasha person who has renounced his religion is excluded from the community. The loyalty towards the Kalasha tradition and their identity is put to the test every day. Muslims offer scholarships, jobs, winter clothes and several others conveniences such as non-refundable credits to buy a land in return for conversion. As a result, some Kalashas have opted for conversion to Islam and, were subsequently required to leave their home villages.
Unfortunately, traditional Kalasha graveyards, with richly decorated coffins, as well as other worship places have been vandalized and wooden effigies and other objects of worship stolen by unidentified robbers, which makes the practice of some of religious ceremonies and rites impossible. Their fascinating culture and religion, which have evolved for last 3-4 thousand years without interruption, as well as their unique language are now on the verge of extinction.
The Kalasha believe that the failure to practice their ancient traditions can have profound religious implications and can bring disaster. This approach may explain why their culture and traditional practices have managed to survive despite numerous unfavourable circumstances.
The Kalasha live in three Hindu Kush valleys called Rumbur, Bumboret and Birir. The valleys are located at a height of approximately 1900 to 2200 meters and are cut off by snow for months every year, which often makes communication with other regions of Pakistan impossible during the winter. Even in summer, with good weather conditions, the remote valleys are isolated from the outside world by the hardly passable terrain, lack of good roads and regular public transport. Thanks to the isolation the Kalasha somehow managed to maintain their distinctive culture. On the other hand, the access to medical services, doctors, education and technology is impeded and that contributes to the underdevelopment of the Kalasha region as compared with other regions of Pakistan. As a result, the young Kalasha are seriously disadvantaged while applying for a job or university. Another factor responsible for the underprivileged status of the Kalasha is extremely harsh living conditions and stark poverty.
The Kalasha culture is unique and differs considerably from neighbouring ethnic groups, although it shares certain common features with the traditions of Nuristan in North-Eastern Afghanistan, to which the Kalasha have historical connection.
Not too much research has been conducted on the Kalasha mythology and folklore. One thing is sure: they go back to the Indo-Iranian tradition that dates back to ca 2000 BCE. Some of their rituals have their sources in ancient Vedic and Pre-Zoroastrian traditions. The Kalasha are polytheists and the nature plays an important role in their daily life. The majority of their festivals and ceremonies are celebrated as harvest thanksgiving. The most important festival is the Chaumos (connected to the ancient Vedic ritual cāturmāsya), which is celebrated for two weeks in December, during the winter solstice. Another colourful festival is Uchau, or Utchal, the feast of fertility and harvest.
The Kalasha women usually wear traditional black robes (which explains why they are sometimes called ‘Black Kafirs’), richly decorated with multicoloured embroidery and tied with hand-woven sash. Their heads are covered with a kind of wreath decorated with shells and beads. The men have adopted the traditional Pakistani attire called salwar-kamiz and a woollen beret-like hat known as pakol, often fancifully decorated with a coloured feather.
The origins of the Kalasha population remain a matter of dispute. According to a legend, mainly popularised by Greek NGOs, the Kalasha are descendants of members of Alexander the Great’s army, who supposedly settled down in Hindu Kush valleys after the campaign in Asia. Although the blond hair and blue eyes as well as Caucasian features are not uncommon amongst the Kalasha, this link remains uncorroborated by scholars. Recent genetic tests suggest that they may be an aboriginal group, indigenous to the area. The legend pointing to the Greek ancestry of the Kalasha people is in fact one of numerous versions of a myth, wide-spread among various communities in Central Asia, in Persian tradition preserved as Inskander-name.
Until the end of the 20th century, the Kalasha language, a member of the Dardic family of Indo-Aryan languages, was an unwritten language. Recently, thanks to efforts of a Greek NGO and local Kalasha elders – including people we cooperate with – a new Kalasha alphabet has been created and first attempts to confer their oral tradition to writing have been undertaken.
For some useful information in English see:
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/KalashaReligion.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalash
