Khiazai Baloch Tribe of Rajanpur an Ethnographical Study Through Vernacular Perspective
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KHIAZAI BALOCH TRIBE OF RAJANPUR AN ETHNOGRAPHICAL STUDY THROUGH VERNACULAR PERSPECTIVE Submitted By Faiz Farid Roll No. 02 Supervised by Dr. Abdul Razzaq Shahid M.Phil History The thesis submitted for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Philosophy in History. Session 2015-2017 Department of History The Islamia University of Bahawalpur i Table of Contents Sr# Title Page# I Approval Sheet Ii Certificate Iii Declaration Iv Dedication V Acknowledgement Chapter # Introduction 11-44 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Significance 1.3 Hypothesis 1.4 Methodology 1.5 Organization of thesis 1.6 Literature Review 1.7 History Of Rajanpur 1.8 History of Khiazai Baloch Tribe 1.9 Tribal System of Baloch Chapter Rituals 31-45 No.2 2.1 Birth 2.2 Jhand 2.3 Circumcise 2.4 Engagement 2.5 Marriage 2.6 Dowry 2.7 Role of Meerasi 2.8 Death Rituals from funeral bath to Burials 2.9 Aas Rokh 2.10 Form and Structure of Graves Chapter Customs 46-54 No.3 3.1 Housing 3.2 Animal Housing 3.3 Occupation 3.6 Sports 3.7 Haal Chapter Religious tendecies 55-67 No.4 4.1 Common Religious Belief System 4.2 Religious Festivals 4.3 Famous Saints 4.4 Political Trends 4.5 Role of Khan and Muqadam 4.6 Hudda Chapter Folk Thought 68-92 viii No.5 5.1 Superstitions 5.1 A Treatment of Diseases 5.1 B Bad Superstitions 5.2 Dreams 5.3 Proverbs 5.4 Riddles 5.5 Dastan Goi Conclusion 93-94 Notes and 95 References Bibliography 96-101 Glossary 102 ix Chapter No. 1 1.1. INTRODUCTION Rajan Pur is one of the most remote and far flung areas of the Punjab (Pakistan) and is located in the extreme southwest part of the Punjab with a Geo graphical span of 12319 Sq km. Its land is sand witched by the Indus River on one side while the Sulaiman Mountain range on the other side. It is located on the right bank of Indus and bounded on the northwest by Dera Ghazi Khan (hereafter D.G.Khan), in the east by MuzaffarGarh and Rahim Yar Khan and in the south lies Jacobabad district of Sind. Its Total area is 1863368 acre. The tribal belt is spreaded over an area of 45457 acre. It has three Tehsils: Rajanpur, Rojhan and Jampur with 69 union councils. Total area of Rojhan Mazari is 2905 sq km. Rojhan Mazari is situated in Rajanpur near the interprovincial border of Balochistan, Sindh and the Punjab. It is connected by Road and Railway to Kashmore in the south west and Rajanpur in the North West. Since 1632 A.D Mazari tribes held this territory. Earlier they were habitant of Banbhbore hills of Present day Kahaan in Blaochistan. In 1836 A.D Rojhan Mazai was invaded and burnt by Sikhs under the leadership of Raja Kharak Singh( death 1840 ) in retaliation of maurding and plundering of the town of Mithan Kot by the then Mazari Chief Behram Khan. Rajanpur was founded by Makhdoom Shiekh Rajan 1 (1695-1781) a Bukhari syed born at the palce of Seet pur near Muzafar Garh, about 1770 A.D. later on this town was raised to the status of District in 1982. Its inhabitants speak Saraiki however Punjabi, Ranghari, Riyastie, Urdu and Balochi is also spoken and understood by a sizeable population of the area. Dajjal and Harrand are the famous historical cities of Rajan Pur inhabited by Gorchani Bloch and Lund bloch tribes. It was governed by Khan of Kalat Meer Noori Naseer Khan Baloch till 1827 A.D. Besides this the Baloch tribes of Koh Suaiman including, Marri, Bugtis, Khiazai and Khetran are said to have been under the nominal control of Khan of Kalat. Later on the Nawab of Bahawalpur occupied this area for Sikhs.2 The tribal area of Rajanpur located in the Sulaiman mountain range is a sparsely populated area. It is perhaps the least developed area with Barren Mountain and populated by the tribes which are culturally distinct from the rest of the Punjab. Majority of the people still prefer to spend their life in tents or other temporary dwellings with their 1 families and flocks rather than opting to lead a settled life in the urban areas. These nomadic people can only obtain the crops from small patches of soil scattered throughout the area. When a rain happens to bring water Baloch values derived from the conditions of nomadic life in which their moral ethical code encompasses the main rules of honour, hospitality, asylum and compensation for homicide, growing relations with strangers, refugees, criminals and between man and woman. Their poetry and folklores Halloo’s celebrates exploits and Love. The Khiazai tribe is the less dominant ethnics group in the area. However little is known about them.3 TRIBAL SYSTEM OF BALOCHS Usually every tribe owned a specific land whether this land is conquered or divided among themselves by the mutual consent of the tribes. For example Meer Jalal Hani after conquering and capturing the Qalat and Balochistan divided theses areas among 44 tribes who were his followers and companions. Generally two principal are followed in the division of such a land. Firstly, the importance of the tribe. Secondly the number and power of its people. Usually, these principles are guiding lines. However, some tribes captured the land of the neighboring tribes, for instance, the Marri tribe expelled Buledi from the territory of Kahan. Similarly Hasni and Afghan tribe Zarkoon were banished from Mavand and Kohlu by force. The land grabbed in this way is considered to be the property of the whole tribe and divided among the male members of the tribe. However if a particular or specific group of the tribe acquired the land by its own efforts then it would be considered as its property and other members of the tribe has no right over it. However the chief/wadera of the tribe given his due share but only he is a beneficiary and can not sell it. Similarly, the booty collected after the battle is distributed on these above mentioned principles.4 Every tribe has a Sardar or Tumundar and Muqadam. They are the nobles and the head of the certain sections of the tribe. All these persons collectively act as a consultative assembly in the times of war and peace. It is obligatory on the Muqadam to collect the men of his section on specific pattern in war times and get them prepared for the battle. He himself chooses the commander of his Gendarame. Like sardar or chief this chair is hereditary and after his tenure or death someone from his close relatives his close relatives held this position due to certain qualities and wishes of the tribe or section of that tribe. This principle is applied on the appointment of jury chiefs or sardars too.5 2 In every section there is a wadera which is also a hereditary chair. The nobles and elder ones in the tribe wrapped a traditional turban around his head which is the symbol of the fact that he has been bestowed upon with this honor, dignity and responsibility. Usually a wadera works as a bridge and an intermediary link between the members of the tribe and the Muqadam and heads of the various sections of the tribe. Likewise every large section of the tribe have muqadam and a wadera and even the elders and nobles of the family in a section acted as waderas on the smaller scale. In short a tribe has a well defined disciplined structure from top to bottom and from the chief of the tribe to the elder of the family.6 In the times of the emergency a consultative assembly is convened and on the democratic pattern the sessions of discussions are held to sort out the problems and floated the suggestions for the solution of that problem. Decisions by the chief of the tribe and Muqadameen of larger sections about the policies are presented in front of smaller sections of the tribe and after that it is considered the decisions of the whole tribe. For example almost seventy years ago a tribe i.e A tribe which was spreaded approximately over three thousand and Eight Hundred square miles could be gathered and assembled within three days on a specific place when this tribal system was at its zenith.7 Decision for internal strife among the sections of the tribe and murder cases are decided by the chief along with the elders of different sections of the tribe. But the quarrels in the same section of the tribe are usually decided by the chief of that certain section. He summons both parties and listen their grievances and as per his own sense and sagacity and according to law of shariat made the decision and very often the decision is correct because the chief of the section have the sources to collect information through clandestine means. The decision depends upon the character and the honesty of the accused or the pledge or oath taken on the Quran. If the pledge is taken then decision is made upon this solemn pledge. As when the tribal system was implemented in letter and spirit then the chief of the tribe, chief of the sections and elders of the families (wadera’s) decision were accepted without if and buts and without ill will and their verbal decisions were accepted and implemented . But due to change of circumstances and after the implementation of frontier crimes regulation, 1901, there is much more Government interference and even now the idea behind the decisions made in the Jirgas is changed now.