The term, ‘tribe’ is derived from the Latin word ‘tribus’ which is used for ‘a group of persons forming a community and claiming descent from a common ancestor.’ However, tribal distinctive cultural traits, tradition language and beliefs are primary components of their society along with Social & ecological isolation which has changed its forms with the rapid evolution of the nature of their societies. And yet their traits of tribalism and nature have been remained more or less same over the globe. But, In India, Tribal nature is different from Millenarian movement in Melanesian, Oceania, Africans and American in two respects; First, The Tribal have not been entirely isolated from the main currents of Indian history and secondly, the colonial system did not have a direct and disastrous impact on the tribal system in India as it has in other parts of world.
Epitome of tribality;Gujjar and Bakarwal: The Gujjar and Bakarwals is the third Largest Tribal ethnic group of Jammu and Kashmir. The Gujjars and Bakarwals put together are 20 percent of the population of the J&K. Bakarwals and many Gujjars nomads are considered as the world largest transhumance in the modern world. The Gujjar as an ethnic group lives in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and other parts of world known by the different spellings include Gurjara, Gujjar, Gurjara and Gurjara. The spelling The Gujjars (Go= Cow) tend cattle (mainly buffaloes) And the Bakarwals (Bakri= Goat) herd goats and sheeps.though the large sections of the Gujjar population of Poonch Rajouri have permanent homes, but they situated in very far flung area’s of town and Bazaars. They live in the lap of high mountains under a very poor conditions of livelihood and dwelling in huts or hamlets. While the Gujjar of Jammu and it’s peripheral areas and Gujjar of the Valley of Kashmir are seasonal migrant with no permanent home. They still lives homeless life under the temporary tents or small huts. Situation of Bakarwal is more worse than Gujjars.The term “Bakarwal” is used under the different nomenclature of gojri/ Urdu/ Punjabi/ dogri terms, as “Bakra” meaning goat or sheep and “wal” meaning (one who takes care off). Essentially, the term “Bakarwal” implies for the specific occupation as goat herders /shep herders. But both Gujjars and Bakarwals belongs to the same ethnic group that speaks same language and have common culture, traditions and customs. Inter marriages freely take place among them.
The Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes are the most famous, unique and significant ethnic group among the nomadic pastoral tribes in world which is prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir. They largely dependent on cattle, goats, sheep and horse keeping. The Gujjars have two groups, first those who practice transhumance and sway with their (herds) between the High alpine pastures (Margs) and the low altitudes of the pir Panjal range and the Jammu plains. Second are those Gujjars who have settled now in most of the villages situated along the annual routes of migration backward and isolated areas of the main towns. There is a big debate among the anthropologist historian and sociologist about their original place. and each group of scholars have Proposed a different theory of originality. However they are majorly categorised into Eight types by Khursheed Ahmad Bhat. Mr. V.A.Smith and other scholars believes that Gujjars are locals. Similarly Expert anthropologist Dr. Cornik also bear that there is no major difference between the faces of Gujjars with that of ancient Indian communities. Contrary to the other Indian Tribes which are supposed to be one of the earliest settlers in the area, Gujjar and Bakarwals are generally believed as an migrant group from Mediterranean or central Asian region in many phases and Gujjar and Bakarwals were probably the last one. Like other Indian tribes, Their culture and tradition also manifests some of the oldest tribal traditions in the country. For later, the terms such as atavika, vanavāsi “forest dwellers”, girijan “hill people” or “Damin-i-Koh” Are also used. Adivasi carries the specific meaning of being the original inhabitants of a given region and was specifically coined for that purpose in the decade of 1930.
Like the tribesmen of Indian mainland who resented the British encroachments upon their tribal system, Gujjar Bakarwals could never resent to upper castes exploitation which reflects in the poetry form like Seharfi, Folks and Baits. It could never be imagined that how the community had passed through memory of torture, Servitude oppression & suppression. Memories of sighs, griefs and unheard anecdotes of oppression. Still Hoping for progress, Upliftment & prosperity and waiting for illumination of hope and statesmanship. The patience of Gujjar and Bakarwals needs million of synonyms.
Like the other tribal group of India who Since the 1850s were loosely referred to as Depressed Classes, or Adivasi of their specific region from the very early days of British rule, the Gujjar Bakarwal were too depressed and Marginalized ethic group of J&K who was subjugated since the 19th century onwards. They were deliberately kept away from the socio-political activities till the 1947.contrary to the other tribal communities of India who never migrated from or to elsewhere and thus were original inhabitants of forest areas and annoyed by the British Raj by indirect encroachment in their natural rights of “Jal” (water) “Jangal” (forest) “Zameen” (land ) at the hands outsiders (Dikus) , Zamindars Or moneylenders, the Gujjar Bakarwal were pushed back into lap of mountains and kept in isolation by dominant upper class and castes of Poonch Rajouri including both Hindu and Muslims. While the Gujjar of Jammu and valley region were direct under the control of Dogra rule. Therefore their economic resources were directly exploited ruling class and kept them away from the Socio-political dynamic due their religious identity of being Muslims. Similarly, the upper castes of both Hindus Muslims in area of Poonch Rajouri also restricted their socio-political movement and exploited them economically by the virtue of ruling class. Their social isolation developed kind of stereotype mind-set about them in the mind of advance or upper caste as a backward and uncivilized. It inevitably paved way for the Stigmatism in the physiology of entire state about their cultural traits, customs, language and dress up, which is still prevailing subconsciously in the mind of whole population of state irrespective of Poonch Rajouri, Chenab, Kashmir valley or main Jammu area. For example Sujada Bashir(DDC) in an interview said that”waqar Rasool aur is k sathi pta nhi kis Gujjar gaon se nikle hue hn” ( I don’t know Waqar Rasool and his colleagues belongs to which village of Gujjars).Similarly A famous Pahari Singer Tariq Pardesi in an voice recording said that “ Gujjar Muh nhi dote” (Gujjar don’t wash their face) are few very recent examples.Gujjars and Bakarwals still feels themselves inferior to other caste. It is still a physiological impression in pretext of mind-set that their language though rich and old but inferior to others. Gujjar and Bakarwals subconsciously conceive Gojri culture and language as inferior to others and hesitate to disclose their identity or speak their mother tongue at the public places and easily follow up the identity or language of other upper castes of the pir Panjal region. In the decades of 60s 70s to which our parents belongs. They share their personal and eyewitnesses memories about how they were publicly embarrassed tortured and humiliated by upper castes due to their identity of Gujjar and Bakarwals. Ghosts of that mockeries imprinted in the subconscious of Gujjar and Bakarwals that they still feels reluctant to speak in their mother tongue Or wear their cultural dresses in front of upper castes of the region. Their oral records and poetry expression is full of humiliation suppression and oppression that they had been considered as an untouchable in public places by the upper castes due to their identity of being Gujjar & Bakarwal .this was also a reason of their preference to isolated or backward areas of the mountains in paradox to Indian tribes who were originally inhabitants or habitual to the isolation. Like the tribesmen of Indian mainland who resented the British encroachments upon their tribal system, Gujjar Bakarwals could never resent to upper castes exploitation which reflects in the poetry form like Seharfi, Folks and Baits. It could never be imagined that how the community had passed through memory of torture, Servitude oppression & suppression. Memories of sighs, griefs and unheard anecdotes of oppression. Still Hoping for progress, Upliftment & prosperity and waiting for illumination of hope and statesmanship. The patience of Gujjar and Bakarwals needs million of synonyms. While it is a supposed theory that some sections of the British government directly attempted to destroy some tribal region of India, while the Gujjar and Bakarwals in the 1947,following the partition in Jammu were massacred in millions like carrots and radishes to change the demography of the peripheral area of Jammu region. This genocide or Holocaust is believed an unwritten and unrecorded history of the partition. The tribal suppression Is very painful among all the other oppressed classes but, what is more painful that, it was not given enough space in Indian historiography and the Jammu & Kashmir historiography respectively. Due to non representation of Gujjar and Bakarwals they remained backward even after Indian independence. It was very recent (from 1970 onwards) that some prominent leaders of community came into contact of other tribal groups of outside the Jammu and Kashmir to think upon lamentation and possible way out. While inter-disciplinary research by Anthropologist looking at their historical setting and sociologist looking at caste and society while historian seeing it as ‘primary form of resistance against the imposition of colonialism in general canvas could prepared avenue to grant them ST status in 1991. This special status helped them in an steady Upliftment and development in all spheres which still need a lots of attention and deliberation. But with the introduction of ‘ST amendment Bill 2023’ is again a deliberate plan to repeat the vicious cycle, that to going add to that group of upper castes (Paharis) on the Linguistic basis which was mainly responsible for their historical backwardness.! The historical sources and researches which are very little and not more than just beginning, should be explored more extensively socio-economic background of tribal. More importantly their history should be constructed through their eyes of unwritten and written records, like folklore and tradition which are endangered by the forces of modernity. In words of K Suresh “They tried to vain to regain their unfettered freedom to mould their life through their crude and primitive weapons but the forces buffeting their small and shrinking world overwhelmed.”
(Author a PG student of history at Aligarh Muslim University from Surankote, Poonch has mailed this article to “Kashmir Horizon” for publication in this newspaper. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
