CULTURE IN PAKISTAN
Pakistan has a rich and unique culture. Many cultural practices, foods, monuments, and shrines are rooted in its Muslim, Mughal and Afghan past. Ancient Indus Valley ruins, Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples, Islamic tombs, Mughal palaces and British-era mansions are scattered throughout the country. Sculpture jewelry, silk embroidery, engraved woodwork and metalwork are just some of popular art forms. The women’s version of the shalwar kameez, the national dress, is brightly colored while those favor by men are solid-colored browns and grays, usually worn with a sherwani or achkan (long coat). [Source: Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation. tourism.gov.pk ]
Each of Pakistan's ethnic groups adds a distinct pattern and fabrics to Pakistan’s rich cultural tapestry. Folk literature consists of stories and songs about legendary or historical figures. Folk plays based on legends have traditionally been popular in rural areas, while movies have been popular in the cities. Cricket is far and away the national sport. [Source: Blackbirch Kid's Visual Reference of the World, The Gale Group, Inc., 2001]
The variety of Pakistani music ranges from diverse provincial folk music and traditional styles such as Qawwali and Ghazal Gayaki to modern forms fusing traditional and western music, such as the synchronization of Qawwali and western music by the renowned Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Major Ghazal singers include Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanum, Tahira Syed, Abida Parveen and Iqbal Bano. The arrival of Afghan refugees in the western provinces has rekindled Pashto and Persian music and established Peshawar as a hub for Afghan musicians and a distribution centre for Afghan music abroad.
Until the 1990s, the state-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation were the dominant media outlets, but there are now numerous private television channels such as Geo TV, Indus TV, Hum,ARY, KTN, Sindh TV and Kashish. Various American, European, and Asian television channels and movies are available to the majority of the Pakistani population via cable and satellite television. There are also small indigenous movie industries based in Lahore and Peshawar (often referred to as Lollywood and Pollywood). Although Bollywood movies are banned, Indian film stars are generally popular in Pakistan.
Cultural Influences on Pakistan
Modern Pakistanis are a blend of their Harappan, Indo-Aryan, Indo-Iranian, Saka, Parthian, Kushan, White Hun, Afghan, Arab, Turkic, and Mughal heritage. Waves of invaders and migrants settled down in Pakistan through out the centuries, influencing the locals and being absorbed among them. Thus the region encompassed by modern-day Pakistan is home to the oldest Asian civlization (and one of the oldest in the world after Mesopotamia and Egypt), Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BC — 1500 BC). [Source: Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation. tourism.gov.pk ]
Pakistan is strongly influence by the cultures of India, Persia and the Muslim world. In the 1950s and especially in the 1960s when Pakistan was more secularized the arts flourished and the atmosphere was freer. There was cabaret dancing restaurant. In the 1970s when Islamic groups became stronger. Public performances were banned. When democracy was restored in 1988 some dance returned but by then the Muslim extremist were entrenched and the atmosphere was not as free as it was in the 1960s.
Pakistan has consistently been on the U.S. piracy list, accused of copyrights theft on copyrighted material such as movies, music and computer software.
Islam, Religion and the Arts in Pakistan
There are two major sects, the Sunnis and the Shia, in Islam, of which the Sunnis are by the most dominant in Pakistan. They are differentiated by Sunni acceptance of the temporal authority of the Rashudin Caliphate (Abu Bakr, Omar, Usman, and Ali) after the death of the Prophet and the Shia acceptance solely of Ali, the Prophet's cousin and husband of his daughter, Fatima, and his descendants. Over time, the Sunni sect divided into four major schools of jurisprudence; of these, the Hanafi school is predominant in Pakistan. [Source: Peter Blood, Library of Congress, 1994 *]
Sufism is very strong in Pakistan and Islam in India and Pakistan is influenced by Sufism. Experts say about 60 percent of Pakistani Muslims regard themselves as Sufi followers. Much of the literature, poetry and music associated with Pakistan is inspired by Sufism (See Qawwali Music below). The music and poetry appeals to Sufis and non-Sufis alike. Non-Sufis often attend Sufi concerts and festivals. Even so Sufis are considered heretical by some in Pakistan. The Muslim Qadiani is considered heretical in Pakistan. Sufis in Pakistan embrace a personal approach to their faith and often have different beliefs on how their government should be run.
Non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan include Christians, Sikh, Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Kalash. The most visible groups of non-Muslim minorities are Hindus and Christians. Hindus are found largely in the interior of Sindh and in the vicinity of Quetta in Balochistan. Christians, representing almost all West European dominations, are found throughout the country; many are engaged in menial work. Other minorities include Zoroastrians (also called Parsis), largely concentrated in Karachi, and members of groups relatively recently designated as non-Muslim, notably the Ahmadiyyas.
According to “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices,”Art is one area in which religion does not play a significant role so long as proper Islam decorum is kept (women, for example, must dress properly, and sexual content is forbidden). The Sufi orders are known for a special category of devotional music called Qawwali, which involves vocal chanting of words from the prophets, as well as tributes to God. [Source:“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices,” Thomson Gale, 2006]
According to “Cities of the World”: An Islamic presence in the subcontinent introduced new outside elements of creativity. The period of Moghul rule, particularly, was marked by great achievements in architecture, examples of which are still world famous. In Lahore, the palace-fortress called the Red Fort, begun at the time of Emperor Akbar, and the Badshahi Mosque (one of the largest in the world), erected during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, are fine examples of Moghul buildings. Also at Lahore is Shalimar, the Garden of Bliss, a good example of a formal Moghul garden. [Source: “Cities of the World”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002]
Government Support of the Arts in Pakistan
The Pakistani government supports the arts and humanities, in part through the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) , which oversees the National Gallery, the Sadequinn Gallery, and the National Music and Dance Center. These institutions hold regular exhibitions, performances, seminars and theater workshops. [Source:“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices,” Thomson Gale, 2006]
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”: The National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad holds 130,000 volumes. The largest university library in Pakistan is that of the Punjab University at Lahore, with a collection of about 398,000 volumes, including some 20,000 manuscripts. Sizable collections are also found at the University of Karachi (105,000 volumes) and the University of Sindh (244,000 volumes). Other important libraries are the Punjab Public Library in Lahore (259,000 volumes), the Liaquat Memorial Library (147,000 volumes), the Central Secretariat Library (110,000 volumes), and the National Archives (35,000 volumes), all in Karachi. The International Islamic University in Islamabad holds 100,000 volumes. There are about 300 public libraries in the country, but only about 30 libraries have a collection of 10,000 or more volumes. The Punjab Public Library in Lahore is the largest with a collection of about 256,000 volumes. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]
Ministry of Culture of Pakistan promotes the documentation, preservation, conservation and development of Pakistan’s diverse cultural heritage. The Ministry's primary responsibilities are the promotion of culture and the arts through its attached departments and subordinate organizations. Its activities include the organization of events relating to the visual and performing arts, both locally and internationally; the encouragement of artists and establishment of art/cultural organizations; the maintenance and preservation of archaeological sites and National Monuments; support and regulation of the Film Industry. It is also engaged in Cultural Exchange Programs and Agreements with foreign countries. [Ministry of Culture's Government web portal: www.culture.gov.pk ]
Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNC) promotes the visual and performing arts. Its role as guardian of the artist community encompasses a wide range of activities designed to promote the performing and visual arts, liaising with the federal and provincial government and assisting local cultural bodies in the arrangement of their activities. PNCA has specialized departments like National Performing Arts Group and the National Puppet Theatre. The organization promotes and regulates theatre and music festivals featuring local and international musicians and theatre groups. The Film Division promotes screenings of foreign films and arranges Pakistan's participation in international film festivals. The National Art Gallery houses the extensive national art collection and organizes periodic exhibitions of local and international artists. [PNCA's website: www.pnca.org.pk]
National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) is a specialised organization that works towards creating an awareness of cultural legacy by collecting, documenting, preserving and disseminating folk and traditional heritage. The Lok Virsa Complex is located at Garden Avenue, Shakarparian Islamabad. National Museum of Ethnology (Heritage Museum) depicts the history and living traditions of the people of Pakistan both from the mainstream and the remotest regions of the country. The location of this landmark achievement at Islamabad enriches the federal capital and adds to its attractions. Lok Virsa is an affiliate member of UNESCO, World Craft Council, International Council of Music, Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO, International Council of Museums and similar other world organizations for the dissemination of art works. [Lok Virsa's website: www.lokvirsa.org.pk]
Iqbal Academy, established in 1962, is a statutory body of the government. It promotes and disseminates works on the poet-philosopher and national poet of Pakistan, Allama Iqbal. The work of the Academy is two-fold. Its objectives are the research and compilation of material on the cultural, literary, philosophical and other movements of the poet?s time and the study of Iqbal?s work. In concordance with this, seminars, lectures, study groups and conferences are arranged in Pakistan as well as abroad. It also organises archive projects and exhibitions. The publication program publishes research studies and other material on the subject. Iqbal Academy Library developed the first true Multilingual Library Database in 1989. The Iqbal Award Program offers scholarships, fellowships, lectureships, awards and donations to deserving scholars. [Iqbal Academy's website: www.allamaiqbal.com]
Quaid-i-Azam Academy was established on the 100th Birth Anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1976. The Academy is a research organization committed to promoting the study of the Founder of the Nation and the Pakistan Movement. The Islamabad unit of the Academy is called the 'Quaid-i-Azam Papers Wing' and was established in order to compile original documents of the Quaid-i-Azam. The other unit is located in Karachi. The Quaid-i-Azam Academy holds talks, lectures, seminars and conferences. It also institutes scholarships, gives awards and collects funds through the government and the private sector. It aims to establish a self contained research library, acquiring copies of documents currently in possession of the Directorate of National Archives, the Quaid-i-Azam Papers Cell, and in private collections.
Peripatetics
The term “peripatetics” is used to describe nomads and traveler who do not live off the land or animals as most nomads do but rather earn money in other ways such as working as street performers, animal trainers, peddlers and tinkerers. They roam around the countryside and travel from town to town and have flexible skills and the ability to speak several languages. Snake charmers, traveling puppeteers, street acrobats, and traveling blacksmiths fall into the category of peripatetics, who are sometimes called Gypsies. Sometimes sadhus are considered peripatetics. [Source: Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia, edited by Paul Hockings, C.K. Hall & Company, 1992]
Peripatetics are ethnically diverse and found throughout South Asia. There are believed to be between 5 million and 10 million of them. The groups are generally grouped by trade. Most are Hindus, although some are Muslims and Sikhs, and they have a somewhat vague status in the caste system. Peripatetics of a given trade are generally of the same caste but sometimes the rules are somewhat ambiguous as to whom they perform or work for. Some work for only people of the same caste. Others work for castes outside their own caste. They generally speak the language of their home village or camp as their first language but also speak the languages of the places they travel in. The also are familiar with the customs and economies of the places they work and try their best to fit in.
The existence of peripatetics is attributed the abundance of weekly markets, fairs and pilgrimages in India that bring large groups of people together and create markets that peripatetics can exploit. Peripatetic groups were described in the Vedas (written between 1000 and 700 B.C.). The Rig Veda describes traveling dancers, snake charmers, flute players, fortune tellers and beggars. Ancient Tamil literature also describes traveling entertainers and also describes nomadic wanderers who acted as intermediaries for royals. In the British colonial period these people were often described as Gypsies.
See Separate Article RICH CASTES AND ENTERTAINER CASTES factsanddetails.com
Qalanders
The Qalanders are itinerant people who travel from village to villager with performing animals. Found throughout South Asia, particularly in northern India and Pakistan, they do rope climbing, magic tricks, puppetry, tightrope walking, music and tricks with trained animals. [Source: Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia, edited by Paul Hockings (C.K. Hall & Company]
There are several tens of thousands Qalanders. They share a number of characteristics with the Roma (Gypsies): a similar language and similar nomadic habits. The Qalanders are very good with languages. Many of them can speak five or more languages. They are mostly illiterate. Their nomadic lifestyle precludes attending schools.
The Qalanders have a very long history. Entertainers with bears and monkeys are mentioned in texts from the Vedic era (1000 to 700 B.C.) They are also mentioned in many old folk tales and histories. They traditionally migrated between Peshawar and Delhi but their routes were disrupted by the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and trouble in the Punjab in the 1980s.
Qalanders have traditionally viewed the world in terms of themselves and outsiders and prefer to keep their relations with outsiders limited to business and entertainment situations. They typically have a normal circuit and try to visit every village and town on that circuit twice a year. They try to vary their routine and visit when it is not expected so as to generate an element of surprise and novelty to their visits. The Qalanders have carefully studied the customs of the villagers they visit and have tried to figure out the best way to exploit them. At the same times they are reluctant to reveal information about themselves, lest their lifestyle be altered. Thus little is known about them.
Qalanders own no land or permanent shelters. They travel around in carts pulled by donkeys and sleep in tents. All their possession are carried with them. Their tents are of the Bender type used by peripatetics throughout Asia. The tents have barrel-vaulted ribs supported by vertical end poles and horizontal ridge poles. Qalanders tend to pitch them in fallow fields, along canal banks or near railroad tracks. In urban areas they set up their tents in vacant lots. Viscous dogs are kept to guard their camps. They subsist on chapatis, cooked lentils and cereals, vegetables, goat’s milk and tea.
Qalanders often announced their presence by banging on small but highly resonant drums and/or goatskin bagpipers. They also use the same instruments to provide background music for their routines. They try yo hit villages and towns right after the harvest and accept wheat and other grains for payment and try finding work at weddings and festivals. They may hit as many as three villages a day. The grain they receive is taken to markets and exchanged for cash, silver and gold and other goods they need. As the post harvest season comes to end they head to the cities. See Separate Article RICH CASTES AND ENTERTAINER CASTES factsanddetails.com
Kanjar
The Kanjar are an ancient widely, dispersed group of artisans and entertainers spread through South and Southeast Asia. They are known as dancers, singers, musicians, carnival ride operators and prostitutes. Many make their living selling small terra-cotta toys they make door to door in settled communities. They are somewhat similar to the Qalanders and have traditionally been most numerous in the Punjab and the Indus River Valley in northern India and Pakistan. They used to travel a regular circuit between Rawalpindi, Lahore and Delhi but this route was disrupted by the partition of India and Pakistan.
As is true with the Qalanders, there are several tens of thousands Kanjar but it is difficult to get an accurate count of their numbers because of their nomadic ways. They share a number of characteristics with the Roma (Gypsies)—a similar language and similar nomadic habits—and can speak many languages. They are mostly illiterate and have a very long history like the Qalanders. The discovery of ancient terra cotta figures in Harappa like the ones that Kanjar make today suggest that Kanjar-like people may have been around at least since the time of the Indus civilization (3000 to 1500 B.C.).
The basic social unit is the traveling group, which is made of several families. All materials and animal resources are owned by the group and no specific differentiation is made between children and adults. Children pitch in and help with all the chores and activities that adults do. Especially attractive girls are trained to be entertainers. They Kanjar have their own legal system like the Qalanders and similar ideas about religion and death. An incapacitating illness is greatly feared because it slows the mobility of the group.
Sindh Culture, Art and Sports
Sindhis are the natives of the Sindh province, which includes Karachi, the lower part of the Indus River, the southeast coast of Pakistan and a lot of desert. The culture of Sindh area has its roots in the rainless desert and utilizing the Indus River to coax a living out of it. The endless scrub-dotted landscape has nurtured a hardy, handsome people that have developed rich mystic poetry, music and art that thumbs its nose at the harsh environment. The Sindhi people are mainly the product of Aryan-Dravidian intermarriages with input from immigrants from Central Asia and the Middle, including Iranians, Turks, Arabs and even Africans. Though most people are Muslims there are also some Zoroastrians (Parsis), Hindus and Christians. [Source: Ministry of Culture, Pakistan pakistanculture.org ]
The Sindh is a repository of varied cultural values built on a foundation of being home to the great, ancient Indus Valley civilization and enriched by being a crossroads of many cultures and peoples. With that being said, Sindh's cultural life has also been shaped, to a large extent, by its comparative isolation from the rest of the subcontinent. A long stretch of desert to its east and a mountainous terrain to the west served as barriers with the Arabian Sea in the south and the Indus in the north provided the easiest access.
Melaas (fairs) and malakharas (wrestling festivals) are popular. Three-days Urs for great Sindhi poets and Sufi mystics are celebrated with great exuberance reverence at their shrines on specific times of the year. Folk performers impart the universal message of the Sufi Saints with Qawwalis and Kaafis. Sufi mysticism can also be found in poetry of Shah Latif, who wrote in about peace, love and beauty, and Sachaal Sarmast. is another saint poet of Sindh who served the humanity through his poetry. In villages of Sindh, the gatherings between castes are largely restricted to men. The locale for such interactions being the otak (autak).
Sindhi craftsmen are also known for producing lovely lacquerware and beautifully-painted tilework. Women are skilled embroiderers and decorate their tunics and the skull caps of men with patterns made from pieces of mirror. Mirrorwork, the sewing of tiny pieces of mirror onto cloth, is a Sindhi speciality and used to decorate the brightly colored clothes many Sindhi women. Blue-glazed tiles from Sindh decorate mosques and shrines all over the country. *\
The Sindh jhooman is a folk dance that honors a national hero. “Sindhi children play local variations of games, such as hop-scotch, marbles, and tag. Wrestling is a popular spectator sport in villages, while men enjoy cockfighting, pigeon racing, and camel racing as well as cricket and field hockey.
Punjabi Culture
The Punjab has distinctive forms of architecture, literature, poetry, dance and art. It is known for its bawdy folk epics, sufi poems by Shaik Farid, and romantic epics such as Heer Ranijha, Sassi Punun, and Mirza Shahiban, all by Muslim writers. Pahadi (or Hill Style) artists from the Punjabi hills have “displayed a fondness for perspective scene painted in soft colors, probably a result of their admiration of the Mogul imperial style.”
Lahore is considered the intellectual and cultural center of Pakistan. has a reputation for being relatively laid pack and liberal. It is known for its festivals, good food, intellectuals, poets, musicians, lively night life, open-air restaurants, rich cultural life, universities, and Westernized elite not piety and Islamism, although that exists too. Many of the most stunning buildings were built by the same Mughal Emperor who constructed the Taj Mahal. Lahore is full of Kipling references, and links to Hindu myths and Mughal history. Its museums and art areas are second to none.
The Gidda is an ancient Punjabi dance performed by woman. Known for its simple, graceful movements, it has traditionally been performed in open courtyards The dance begins in a circle and breaks into two semi-circles and groups of four to six. Dances associated with Harayana include the duph, a dance named after a drum that begin slowly and builds in intensity as the dancers beat on their drums; and the Lahore, a dance performed after the work in the fields is completes and features witty call-and-response exchange.
Bhangra is a funky, beat-driven style of Punjabi folk dance music. Popular in India and Pakistan and among South Asians in Britain and the United States, it combines traditional Punjabi drum-and-percussion music of field workers with Western dance music "in every-shifting East-West hybrids.” It is know for driving, danceable rhythms, ecstatic singing and goofy keyboard riffs.
Traditional bhangra music is performed at harvest festivals called bisakh. The name of the music is derived from the word bhang—Punjabi for hemp or marijuana—the crop that was often being harvested. The chanting lyrics are meant to entertain fields works and keep their mind off their work. It often incorporates humorous references to wives and mother-in-laws. Bhangra dancing is very popular and performed during the Baisakhi festival in the Punjab. It is performed by men and is very robust and energetic. Drummers playing dholak drums usually play at the center of the dancers.
The rhythm for the music is intended to match the movement of a reaper with a scythe. It is provided by a dhol, a large barrel drum found in many places in western Asia. It is struck with a stick for the basic rhythm on one side. Complicated cross rhythms are played with the hand on the other side and embellished with rhythms from tablas and dholak drums. Dances were developed to accompany the music. Around 200 years ago, bhangra became a popular form of entertainment. The dhol was replaced by the dlolak, which is quieter and better suited for playing more complex rhythms. Other instruments such as the alghoza (duct flute), thumbi (one-stringed fiddle), Indian harmonium, santoori were added.
Pashtun Culture, Folklore and Sports
The Pashtuns (Pathans) are an ethnic group that live in western and southern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan and whose homeland is in the valleys of Hindu Kush. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the main access to the Pashtun area. To the north and west of Peshawar (capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) spreads the vast tribal area that some say is the home of the biggest tribal society in the world. It covers rich and diverse area of snow- and forest-covered mountains, barren hills and fertile agricultural area, embracing the scenic areas around the Swat, Naran and Kaghan. Parts of Gandhara, which dates the sixth Century B.C., were on Pashtun land. Famous conquerors and explorers such as Mahmood of Ghazna, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, Tamurlane, the emperor Babar, Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali all passed through region. The federally administered tribal areas include South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram, Aurangzai, Khyber, Mohmand and Bajor. [Source: Ministry of Culture, Pakistan pakistanculture.org ]
Pashtun crafts include metalwork made of brass and copper and traditionally made baskets. Pashtun visual art is expressed in the artwork on trucks, embroidered waistcoats and elaborately decorated rifle butts. Stone carving like that traditionally done on tombstones is also done on planters, table tops and wall hangings. Pashtun dancers perform their famous "Khattack Dance". Buz kashi (literally "grabbing the dead goat") is played in the Pashtun areas of Pakistan. See Separate Article BUZ KASHI factsanddetails.com
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”: “Naiza bazi, a game involving riding horses and throwing spears, is a sport enjoyed among the Pashtun. Some Pashtun also have rock-throwing competitions. Atan is a famous group folkdance of the Pashtun. [Source: revised by M. Kerr, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009 *]
“Social get-togethers are the major form of entertainment. The Eids, religious holidays occurring twice a year, are also times of celebration and entertainment. Certain card games are played amongst Pashtun as well. Kite flying and pigeon flying were popular among Afghans of many backgrounds including Pashtun. Banned under the Taliban, since 2001 these recreation forms have been revived. One novelistic account of two Afghan boys and their love of kite-flying is Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner (2003) and the film of the same name (2007).
Even many Pashtuns live in remote villages, they are not totally isolated. They have access to satellite television and CNN. The Pashtuns have been the subjects of films such as the “Man Who Would Be King” and an old film starring Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn
The Pashtuns originated the idea of decorated buses and trucks. At one time the cars of choice among Pashtun tribesmen were Chevrolets. One man had 136 of them, most of the from the late fifties. To illustrate why they were so popular one man jumped up and down on the roof of the car. "See," he said, "Sturdy! They don't make them like that anymore." Chevies used like minibuses carried five people in the front seat, eight in the back seat, others in the trunk, more on top, and a few on the fenders. In Peshawar London-made fire trucks from the 1920s were still being used in the 1970s. [Source: Mike W. Edwards, National Geographic, January 1977]
Many Pashtun have traditionally been illiterate. They have a strong oral tradition of epic poems and legends. Their literature glorifies Pashtun poets and Muslim generals who fought infidels and not so different from Osama bin Laden. Their greatest poet, Khushhal (died in 1689) wrote love poems and patriotic anthems. Among the famous Pashtun stories are "Adamkhan and Durkhani" are Pashtun adaptions of Persian stories. Characteristic Pashtun folk songs and dances are performed as wedding parties, festivals and sometimes funerals. Certain quatrains, known as matal, and chorus singing is popular among the Pashtun. [Source: revised by M. Kerr, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
Baloch and Balochistan Culture, Music and Sports
The Baloch, also know the Balochi, Baluch or Baluchi, are an ethnic group that live primarily in the sandy plains, deserts and barren mountains of southeast Iran, southwest Pakistan and southern Afghanistan. Balochistan is an isolated, rugged, waterless region and Baloch are known for inscrutable individualists. Their tribal way of life, unchanged over the centuries, revolve around grazing their flocks on seasonal basis and coaxing out food crops in the harsh environment. The Balochi, Brahvi, Pashtoon and other ethnic groups of Balochistan speak different languages but share similar literature, beliefs, moral order, customs and Islam. [Source: Ministry of Culture, Pakistan pakistanculture.org ]
The Baloch are not particularly known for their folk art or crafts. Examples of Baloch culture include leather crafts, embroidery, mirror-work, various things made of dwarf palm leaves, folk songs and the signature Baloch dish — sajji. Women are skilled at embroidery and decorate their clothes with elaborate geometric and abstract designs. They make felt from sheep's wool, and use it weave rugs for their own use and for sale. Baloch living in the big cities and towns enjoy the same sports and activites as other Pakistanis. Those that follow a traditional seminomadic way of life in the remote areas of Balochistan get enjoyment from traditional festivals, music, dancing and folk culture.
Music and poetry has traditionally been provided by professional minstrels called “loris” that are a subordinate group that performs menial tasks and are descendants of slaves captured in battles. In the old days it was their responsibility to exchange and relay information between Baloch communities. In many ways it was their work that helped shape Baloch identity. Baloch culture has many elements that pre-date Islam. The veneration of tribal heroes and belief in the power of ancestral spirits reflect these ancient practices. In the old days, Balochi customarily performed specific rituals and sacrifice at the graves of heroes. Similar rituals are conducted today at the shrines of Muslim saints.
Music is an important fixture or events and ceremonies with the exception of death rituals. Dancing is featured at weddings and festivals. Men's dances reflect the warrior traditions of the Baloch. Drums, lutes, and the shepherd's flute are the most common instruments used to accompany the singing and dancing. Professional musicians traditionally came from the non-Baloch Lori and Domb castes. [Source: “Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures,” The Gale Group, 1999]
D. O. Lodrick wrote in “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”: “Popular games include chauk, a type of checkers introduced from Sindh and played with wooden pieces on a cloth divided into squares. Moves are governed by six or seven cowrie shells, which are thrown on the ground in the manner of dice. Ji, a game of tag, is played by village boys and young men. Games such as wrestling and horse-racing are useful in developing skills in young men for war. Shooting and hunting are favorite pastimes among the upper classes. Card games and gambling are also popular among some groups. *\
Brahui, Culture, Arts and Sports
The Brahui are a Dravidian language group of tribes that live mostly in Balochistan and the Sindh. D. O. Lodrick wrote in the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”: “Dancing is an important feature at events such as weddings and funerals. The local country dance known as chap has largely been abandoned, however. “Like other women of the region, Brahui women embroider their garments with colorful designs. Tents and rugs are made from sheep's wool or goats' hair. [Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009 *]
“The Brahuis have an oral tradition of folk songs and heroic poems. These are sung by a class of professional minstrels and musicians called Dombs, who are attached to every Brahui community. Musical instruments include the rabab (an Afghan stringed instrument plucked with a piece of wood), the siroz (a stringed instrument played with a bow), and the punzik (a reed instrument). These have replaced the dambura (a three-stringed instrument played with the fingers) that is found in the more isolated areas. *\
“Horse-racing and target-shooting were traditional sports popular among the more affluent sections of the Brahui community. In the past, the Brahui had to depend on their own resources for entertainment and recreation. They found this in their family celebrations, their traditions of folk song and dance, and in the festivities accompanying religious observances. This is still true for nomadic Brahui today. Epic poems are performed by specialist poets known as Lorî, who are considered as belonging to the lower-status groups in Brahui society. Their traditional occupation was to serve the Brahui at marriage ceremonies, playing the dhol (drum) at festivities and at funeral ceremonies. Folk songs are most often sung by the Brahui without musical accompaniment, although both men and women play musical instruments such as the sironz (a fiddle) and the dambura (a plucked string instrument). Women play the daira (tambourine). The Brahui settled in Karachi or villages on the plains have access to more modern forms of recreation. *\
Punjabi Culture
The Punjab has distinctive forms of architecture, literature, poetry, dance and art. It is known for its bawdy folk epics, sufi poems by Shaik Farid, and romantic epics such as Heer Ranijha, Sassi Punun, and Mirza Shahiban, all by Muslim writers. Pahadi (or Hill Style) artists from the Punjabi hills have “displayed a fondness for perspective scene painted in soft colors, probably a result of their admiration of the Mogul imperial style.”
Lahore is considered the intellectual and cultural center of Pakistan. has a reputation for being relatively laid pack and liberal. It is known for its festivals, good food, intellectuals, poets, musicians, lively night life, open-air restaurants, rich cultural life, universities, and Westernized elite not piety and Islamism, although that exists too. Many of the most stunning buildings were built by the same Mughal Emperor who constructed the Taj Mahal. Lahore is full of Kipling references, and links to Hindu myths and Mughal history. Its museums and art areas are second to none.
The Gidda is an ancient Punjabi dance performed by woman. Known for its simple, graceful movements, it has traditionally been performed in open courtyards The dance begins in a circle and breaks into two semi-circles and groups of four to six. Dances associated with Harayana include the duph, a dance named after a drum that begin slowly and builds in intensity as the dancers beat on their drums; and the Lahore, a dance performed after the work in the fields is completes and features witty call-and-response exchange.
Bhangra is a funky, beat-driven style of Punjabi folk dance music. Popular in India and Pakistan and among South Asians in Britain and the United States, it combines traditional Punjabi drum-and-percussion music of field workers with Western dance music "in every-shifting East-West hybrids.” It is know for driving, danceable rhythms, ecstatic singing and goofy keyboard riffs.
Traditional bhangra music is performed at harvest festivals called bisakh. The name of the music is derived from the word bhang—Punjabi for hemp or marijuana—the crop that was often being harvested. The chanting lyrics are meant to entertain fields works and keep their mind off their work. It often incorporates humorous references to wives and mother-in-laws. Bhangra dancing is very popular and performed during the Baisakhi festival in the Punjab. It is performed by men and is very robust and energetic. Drummers playing dholak drums usually play at the center of the dancers.
The rhythm for the music is intended to match the movement of a reaper with a scythe. It is provided by a dhol, a large barrel drum found in many places in western Asia. It is struck with a stick for the basic rhythm on one side. Complicated cross rhythms are played with the hand on the other side and embellished with rhythms from tablas and dholak drums. Dances were developed to accompany the music. Around 200 years ago, bhangra became a popular form of entertainment. The dhol was replaced by the dlolak, which is quieter and better suited for playing more complex rhythms. Other instruments such as the alghoza (duct flute), thumbi (one-stringed fiddle), Indian harmonium, santoori were added.
Northern Pakistan Culture
Azad Kashmir in northern Pakistan is rich in natural beauty. Its snow-clad mountain peaks, green valleys, flowers and a climate that varies from arctic to tropical, join together to make it a favorite tourist attraction. The beautiful valleys there includes Neelum, Jhelum, Leepa, Rawalakot, Banjosa, Samahni & Baghser. Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Bagh, Sudhanoti and Kotli. Among the famous products from the regions are mushrooms, honey, walnuts, apples, cherries, medicinal herbs and plants, resin, deodar and kail, chir, fir, maple and ash timbers. [Source: Ministry of Culture, Pakistan pakistanculture.org ]
Gilgit-Baltistan has been at the crossroads of various civilizations for centuries. Not so long ago, it was the central theatre of the "great game in which the erstwhile empires maneuvered for strategic supremacy while caravan of traders, sundry adventurers and explorers traversed the serpentine coil of tricky mountain paths that came to be known as "silk route" . The isolation associated with the Karakoram Mountains ensured that Gilgit-Baltistan, developed and preserved its unique history, cultural values and traditional political identity. The territory of Gilgit-Baltistan consists of seven districts namely Gilgit, Ghezir, Hunza Nagar, Diamar, Astore, Baltistan (Skardu) and Ghanche. [Source: Ministry of Culture, Pakistan pakistanculture.org ]
The Bursusho, also known as Hunzakuts, are dominant ethnic group of the Hunza valley in far northern Pakistan. Embroidery and wood carving are the most developed forms of visual arts. Dancing, music and dramatic arts are important components of ceremonial life. The Burushos also have a oral traditional of literature, folk tales, anecdotes and songs. Bollywood films with girls dancing suggestively in the rain are popular. VCRs and televisions made their way to the Hunza Valley in the 1980s and 90s. Entrepreneurs rented them to people who carried the equipment home in a wheelbarrow.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (tourism.gov.pk), Official Gateway to the Government of Pakistan (pakistan.gov.pk), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022