NIAZI TRIBE OF MIANWALI: A Cultural Study Session: 2012-14 By PARI GUL NIAZI Roll No. 10 M.Phil (Regular) Supervised by: Dr. Muhammad Akbar Malik Department of Pakistan Studies The Islamia University of Bahawalpur i Abstract Mianwali district is located in Pakistan it is one of less developed area of Pakistan. There are different casts living in Minawli but the majority living people are consisting of Niazai tribe. This is one of the strong tribes of Pathans. Their culture and language differs a lot from other people. This is never discussed in dateils at any forum. One or two articles can be found in newspapers but not a detailed thesis or book is found on this topic. This is the reason; this topic was chosen for a research work. Although the history of Mianwali district is explored and worked for many times yet the cultural aspects remained in dark. A less worked area which is never been discussed, could bring a research material to the field of Pakistan Studies and cultural anthropology. It will encourage others to explore their culture which we are forgetting and merging with the western culture. This work highlights the cultural aspects of Niazai tribe specifically. The research style is followed by the steps taken in the Cultural Anthropology of Connard Phillip Kottak. Niazai people of Mianwali are very hospitable and respect its guests. But their language contains an element of satire so the habitants of that area are used to it and reply other person in a mocking manner. It is creates humor among them. Niazai people are very hot tempered people. Their intolerant behavior creates problem in society. As a big problem is the element of enmity and killing other person. A little joke becomes a reason of feud v among them. Those feuds take a long period to settle d down actually many years pass in that enmity. They prefer revenge on peacemaking but when the reconciliation is done then there is no reason and no one tries to demolish the state of peace. After that reconciliation there is no fight among them and they live together as they had never been enemies to each other. Niazai tribe has many clans. Actually they are proud that they are Niazai. Among sub tribes there is a feel of superiority and they consider it with pride and each sub tribe thinks the other is inferior but they all come to a same point when say, you are also the son of that father who is our father, ( Niazai). Their culture is their identity. Most of Niazai men keep naswar with them. It is a compulsory item of their life. This bad drug is not limited to men only, women also use it. And smoking kalian is also common among Niazai females. Mostly those who live in rural area prefer to smoke hubble-bubble. It is a bad habit which is prevailing among them and increasing. A common gender difference can be observed as they prefer to have a baby boy than a girl. There is a custom of Niazai people that they don‘t celebrate the marriage of their girl as they do at the time of boy. They say it is a moment of sadness that we give our daughter to other people. And not a large number of relative is invited on this event Most of towns are not facilitated with the provision of water and they are facing acute problems in life. They must be provided with water. So they could live a life of content. vi Contents Introduction 01 Chapter 1 Lineage and Kinship 10 Chapter 2 Language 30 Chapter 3 Lifestyle and Social System 42 3.1 Lifestyle 42 3.1.1 Routine life and houses 42 3.1.2 Dress Codes 47 3.1.3 Foods 59 3.1.4 House Keeping Birds and animals 63 3.2 Social System 66 3.2.1 Conflict and Resolution system among Niazai tribe 66 Chapter 4 Betrothal and Marriage Ceremonies 71 Chapter 5 Birth and Death Customs 89 5.1 Birth Customs 89 5.2 Death Customs 98 ix Findings and Suggestions 103 Bibliography Glossary of Terms Number of Plates Index x “Niazai Tribe of Mianwali: A Cultural Study.” Introduction Statement of the Problem ―Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another.‖ 1 (Geert Hofstede) The word culture is derived from Latin word Cultura means to cultivate something. Culture is learned, it‘s not something transmitted biologically. In this world there are millions of people, different from one another. Question arises here, what is making people different from each other? Culture is that element which differentiates people. Culture includes language, traditions, rituals, educational systems, life styles, sports and gestures. There are two types of cultures, one is material culture and the other is non- material culture. Material culture consists on materialistic things like utensils, dresses, dishes, etc. Non- material culture consists on laws, beliefs, norms, language, traditions, morals, arts, knowledge etc. So, culture is a complete composite of life. Thus culture is the single thing which makes people dissimilar from each other. 1 Di Geert H. Hofstede, Culture’s consequences: international differences in work-related values (Beverly Hills CA: Sage Publications, 1980), 21. 1 It is more important to bring the cultures in lime light because when a culture is ignore the nation is also ignored and lost as happened to the Carthaginian and Babylonian dynasties. Anthropologists and researchers seek for such topic which is not touched before or find something new in the old ones. So this work is also about a new topic. This dissertation is about the culture of Niazai tribe of Mianwali. It is such a topic never discussed, if someone tried to write about the culture of Niazai, he just wrote an article but not a complete dissertation or book. Niazai tribe owns their own culture which makes them different from the other existing cultures. Before the author discusses the culture of Niazai living in Mianwali it‘s more important to know little about the Niazai Pathans and the district of Mianwali, because it would be helpful to understand the whole work. Niazai people of Mianwali are tall in height and physically they are handsome. Most of the people have a fair complexion. They are strict in manner and sometimes found harsh, but on other hand they have a good sense of humor mixed with little taunt. Their dress is a long wide cut Qameez, and they tie a wide cloth called Manjla, old ladies also wear the same dress. Men wear a turban which is called Patka, and carry a white cloth on shoulder which is called as safa. A big ceramic ware is used to make beef curry and other grams recipes; in local language this earthenware is called Katwa. These words are unknown to the other races living outside Mianwali. Their language is unique as well as their life style. A big Hall is called Kotha that is used for dinning and bed but its bed cum dining hall. It is mostly made of mud. Most of the habitants are not facilitated with modern Sui Southern Gas and modern life style so they still use wood sticks and cow waste cakes for fire in ovens, the special 2 oven made of mud, these are called Chullah. A half circle oven is also used for making breads (chapati) mostly. That is locally called Bhatti or Loher. kiln is made of thin iron sheet. Niazai people give a great respect to their elders. And they consult in every matter with their elders and give respect to their decision. Marriages in Niazai tribes are settled by parents, the event of betrothal is determined by the elders of the couple. And they do not have any say against it, couple just agrees on what the parents do. The engagement ring is not much important here as the other castes give a great importance to the engagement ring, because the elders decide the matters and that is last word for the families. Concept of love marriage is not found here, it‘s not considered a good thing. The Eldest member wears a Patka young‘s don‘t wear it. But if an elder man doesn‘t wear turban Patka he is considered ungentle. Old women mostly wear a tehmad Manjla and long wide shirt Qameez as men also wear the same dress but youth doesn‘t wear this dress. Niazai women are bound to cover their face with veil, But in villages if women don‘t veil they can go anywhere in the village. There is not possible that men may stare women because they know their single action and single stare can bring them to the death. Men of Niazai tribe give a great respect to women and a pride to be slaughtered for tutelage of women respect. Women are allowed to wear every kind of dress and to wear jewelry which they wish to wear there is no ban on looking pretty. Niazai people of Mianwali have their own culture and make an identity. But the culture of Niazai tribe has never been worked. In this dissertation author will try to work on all aspects of Niazai culture prevailing in Mianwali. 3 Review of Literature In this thesis books, articles and guidelines available in accessible libraries and on the websites of European universities, related to culture anthropology and cultural study have been revoiewed. Author of this thesis considered a book titled, ―Cultural Anthropology”,2 Kottak is a professor at Michigan University and in chair of department of Anthropology, in this book he discussed about Anthropology, What is anthropology and what are the sub disciplines in anthropology.