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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India and Pakistan | |
| Languages | |
| Kanjari • Hindi • Rajasthani • Bhojpuri • Urdu • Punjabi Dogri Kishtwari | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism • Sikhism • Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Patharkat |
The Kanjari are a tribe with significant populations in India and Pakistan. The Kanjari language is spoken mostly by the Kanjari people living in Punjab. Kanjari is a lesser-known Indo Aryan language, but almost all also speak Punjabi.
History
British India
In the British Raj, the Kanjaris were listed under the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act as a tribe "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offenses."
India
The Kanjari were denotified in 1952 when the Criminal Tribes Act was replaced by the Habitual Offenders Act. However, the community carries considerable social stigma, mainly due to the association of their culture with traditions distinct from mainstream Indian culture. Kanjaris are also known as Gihar which is not a notified tribe. The 2011 Indian census showed a Kanjari population of 115,968 in Uttar Pradesh.
For centuries, Lucknow was a hub for affluent families would send their children to be educated in Lucknow. This has been home to a large community of Kanjari for centuries. A recent study found that: "A Kanjari hears the music of tabla and ghungroo from the day of her birth and must begin her formal education before her non-Kanjari friends start going to school."
Pakistan
In Pakistan, two distinct communities go by the name Kanjari. Over the centuries they became associated with the profession of peripatetic craftsmen and entertainers, best known for the terracotta toys they produce. The term 'Kanjar' is a slur generally used to refer to a person of low moral character than as a reference to the tribe.
The Kanjaris associated with Lahore are a pagan South Asian 'Hindu' tribe that converted to Islam and Sikhism.
Although nomadic, the Kanjari follow a set route and often maintain a relationship with the villages they visit. Many of the men work as agricultural labourers. Their tents are made from split bamboo or munji grass, and their encampments can be found at the edges of villages, as well as in urban areas such as Faisalabad and Lahore.
Popular culture
They are the subject of the Hindi story Indrajal (Magic in English), by Jaishankar Prasad.
In the Lollywood film Bol, prominent character Saqa Kanjari, financially helps a fanatic hakim after the latter bribes the police to cover up the honour killing of his son. The hakim in return had to bear a daughter for Saqa Kanjar's daughter Meena.
See also
References
- ^ Kanjar Social Organization by Joseph C Berland in The other nomads: peripatetic minorities in cross-cultural perspective / edited by Aparna Rao pages247 to 268 ISBN 3-412-08085-3 Köln : Böhlau, 1987.
- Nanta Village The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1908, v. 18, p. 367.
- Dayal, Surbhi (February 2020). "Kanjar subculture: socialisation for amongst traditional entertainers in India". Culture, Health & Sexuality. 23 (2). Taylor & Francis: 273–283. doi:10.1080/13691058.2019.1705397. eISSN 1464-5351. ISSN 1369-1058. OCLC 41546256. PMID 32031496. S2CID 211047159.
- "A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh". Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area by Fouzia Saeed, Oxford University Press, page 61
- Kanjar Social Organization by Joseph C Berland in The other nomads : peripatetic minorities in cross-cultural perspective / edited by Aparna Rao pages247 to 268 ISBN 3-412-08085-3 Köln : Böhlau, 1987.
- Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area by Fouzia Saeed, Oxford University Press ISBN 0195797965
