This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Skatergal (talk | contribs) at 10:16, 8 February 2009 (←Created page with ''''Sindhis''' (Sindhi: سنڌي ) are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh now a provin...'). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 10:16, 8 February 2009 by Skatergal (talk | contribs) (←Created page with ''''Sindhis''' (Sindhi: سنڌي ) are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh now a provin...')(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Sindhis (Sindhi: سنڌي ) are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh now a province of Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan are predominantly Muslim but there are also smaller minorities of Hindus and Christians. After the Partition of India in 1947, majority of Sindhis who were Hindus were forced to migrate to India due to the Persecution of Hindus in Pakistan, although some Hindus still managed to remain in Sindh.
Ethnicity
Home to the Sindhu Kingdom, a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, the name as suggests refers to the people living along the banks of the Sindhu River, or Indus River known today. Infact the terms Hindu and Hindustan are itself is derived from Sindhu, Sanskrit for the Indus River This together with a popular suffix -ostān, which is also derived from Persian (ostan), meaning land gave birth to the word 'Hindustan', which was rendered as Hindusthan . Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan language speaking people who have been modified by mainly Iranian, Turkic, Afghan and indigenous tribal populations over time. As a result of their geographic location and countless invasions and migration, the Sindhis display a wide variety of phenotypes.
Non Ethnic Sindhi occupants since 700 A.D
As regards the composition of the Non Ethnic Sindhi population the two main stocks that inhabit Sind are related to, and common, one with the Punjab and another with Balochistan. The majority stock is that of Rajputs and Jats who are the partial descendants of Sakas, Kushans and Huns who also constitute the majority of the population of the Punjab. During Kalhora rule a number of Jat tribes such as the Sials, Joyas and Khawars came from the Punjab and settled in Sindh. They are called Sirai i.e., people from the north, and speak Siraiki, a group that overlaps and is sometimes considerable transitional between the Punjabis and Sindhis.
The two main Rajput tribes of Sind are: the Samma, descendants of the Samma Dynasty tha ruled Sindh during (1351 - 1521 A.D.); and the Sumra, descendants of the Sumra Dynasty who ruled Sindh during (750 - 1350 A.D.). Among other Sindhi Rajputs are the Bhuttos, Bhattis, Buriros, Lakha, Sahetas, Lohanas, Mohano, Dahars, Indhar, Chachar, Dhareja, Rathors, Dakhan, Langah etc.
The smaller stock is that of Balochi tribes settled in various parts of Sindh mostly during the last five hundred years or so. Since they were martial people and ruled over Sindh for some time before the arrival of the British, they acquired vast lands in the province with the result that a large number of present-day Sindhi landlords are of Baloch origin. According to the 1941 census, which was the last one held before independence, Balochis formed 23% of the total Muslim population of Sindh. Balochi tribes are spread over Balochistan, Sindh and the south-western districts of the Punjab. This group is almost entirely Muslim.
A third sub-stock of the Sindhi population comprises the partial descendants (or claimants) of Muslim conquerors, administrators and missionaries who were mainly Arabs, Persians, Afghans and Turks (including the Mughals). They are a small minority settled in cities and towns and have largely blended with the other components of the population and yet maintain something of a sub-culture and are often referred to as Ashraf or the noble descendants of Muslim immigrants with a certain degree of prestige in society. Of this third element, Muslim Arabs have possibly contributed the most to the development of the modern Sindhi language and literature and to the advancement of its intellectual and cultural activities.
Another group of people who are largely overlooked in any discussions about groups and culture of Sindh are Haris a name derived from the term Harijan formerly used to describe Dalit people of India. These people are generally believed to be the descendants of indigenous populations that were enslaved by various invading people. Many are still living under abject poverty and in slave like conditions in rural Sindh, because of the benign neglect and only nominal efforts by the government to improve the situation. Some are nominally Hindus where as others have converted to Islam and moved on as artisans and wage laborers.
The last group of immigrants are the Urdu speaking Muhajirs who occupied Sindh after the Partition of India.
See also
References
- Significance of Hindu and Hindu dharma (Hinduism) Sindhu is a river in Sanskrit, in Persian it becomes Hindu.
- Guardian Unlimited: What does -istan" mean as in Pakistan, Uzbekistan or Afghanistan?
- Britannica reference of Hindustan