Kalasha Peoples Call for Cultural Survival

Kalash culture to figure as Unesco heritage

ISLAMABAD: In order to preserve endangered living culture of Kalash Valley, the government documented it for inscription in World Heritage List of Unesco.

A one-day workshop was organised on Wednesday at Lok Virsa on preparation of the nomination dossier for inscription.
In his opening remarks as chief guest, Federal Secretary for National Heritage and Integration Faridullah Khan informed the participants that his ministry had come up with a plan to safeguard the endangered heritage property.

In this connection, it has been decided to immediately launch preparation of the nomination dossier, he said.

“This necessitates full involvement of all stakeholders including local governments, NGOs/INGOs, provincial and federal governments,” he maintained.

The discussions revolved around certain measures to be taken to safeguard Kalash cultural heritage including devising an inventory of endangered elements of tangible and intangible culture; efforts for documentation and preservation of Kalash culture in model Kalash villages of Bamborate, Birir and Rambur; safeguarding Kalash language from outside elements; protecting Kalash religion; seeking ways and means to preserve the music of Kalash in its original form; and protecting Kalash nomenclature.

Talking to media, Lok Virsa’s Executive Director Khalid Javaid said Lok Virsa had established a creative diorama at the National Heritage Museum to depict living culture of the Kalash people.

Lok Virsa has also published a book on Kalash which can facilitate students and researchers to undertake further cultural studies on this neglected area, he added.

The present Kalash community is restricted to three parallel valleys of Chitral district i.e. Bomboret, Birir and Rambur.
In Birir and Rambur, Kalash people outnumber the non-Kalash while in the more picturesque Bamboret valley the non-Kalash people are in a slight majority.

These three narrow V-shaped valleys are situated in the South-West of Chitral town, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In 2007, the local government department created a separate union council of Bamboret for the Kalash valleys.

The word Kalash bears three meanings: Kalash is a name of the tribe; name of pagan religion and name of endangered language.

According to historical references Kalash were majority population in Chitral who ruled the area in 12th century. The recent history shows that Kalash population is on the decline.

In 1951 Census, the Kalash population was 10,000. During the last 60 years, the population of the Muslims in Chitral is increasing at the rate of 2.5 per cent per annum and the population of Kalash has decreased from 10,000 to 3,700.

Influential and Famous Kalasha Curator Passes Away

Influential Kalasha tradition leader, cultural mediator and ancestral effigy artisan  Shah Juan of Rumboor also dearly known as Sabika mimbar in Chitral region passed away on  August 2, 2011.

Sabika is believed to be in his late 80’s and is one of the distinguished Kalasha elders who left his mark as prolific tradition guardian and curator.

Young Sabika is known to have mobilized and taken the Kalasha community in confidence of the prospects of their protection in Pakistan as a non-Muslim  ethnic minority group after annexation of Chitral into Pakistan in 1969. He was a great admirer of Pakistan’s founder and named his own son ‘Quide-e-Azam’ after him.

In his lifetime, Sabika worked as a guardian curator for the survival of the Kalasha heritage and tradition particularly through his creations of ancestral wooden statues to keep the historical memory of his people alive. This indigenous way of archiving historical memory in shape of wooden statues in conjunction with ancestral knowledge intrigued several historians, anthropologists and linguists from abroad and aided them in research on the ancient culture of Chitral. His creations of wooden effigies are show-cased in Lok Versa Islamabad and in several ethnic art galleries abroad.

Some of the high profile dignitaries he had met to promote Kalasha heritage include Prime Minster Bhutto, General Zia, Benezir Bhutoo, Lady Diana and President Musharaf . Sabika, had a convincing authority on historical and cultural knowledge of the region.He was able to peacefully negotiate and settle countless inter-clan  and community disputes. He also represented Kalasha in district council and in law suits which dealt with communal pastures with outsiders.

Shah Juan was famous for his hospitality, wit and folktales which routinely  attracted visitors from all over Chitral to his riverside lodge in Rumboor.

Sabika leaves behind a legacy of tradition and its continuity, ingenuity and artisan-ship, friendship and hospitality. He was a true cultural ambassador of the Kalasha people and a great son of Chitral.

The Kalasha of Rumboor are holding a three day “rites of passage” in honor of this prestigious Kalasha man in the recent history of Kalasha.

Gona Chawmos -Kalasha Winter Solstice Begins

Gona Chawmos Yat Shuruk hawaw. Saw Mocbhian Kay Kalashon Ghenaw Tazaghi Aman zhe Afiat…
Kalasha Winter solstice begins from 8th with Zarazari (bon fire) till 21st Dec.
To  Kalasha chawmos is regarded as big historical memory of them as People and Society.

Chawmos is coming together and celebration of all the elements of Nature, Community, Mountain Spirits, Deities, Ancestors, Thanksgiving, Initiation rites, Chanting ancient myths, and end with carnival for the start of New Year.
Kalasha gather at mountain altars, Clan temples to give offerings and share feasts, to pray, meditate and for Peace, Health and Social Well being.

Breaking News:Climatic Catastrophe- Kalash Valley destroyed by Glacial Flooding

A massive glacier in the pastures of Kalash Valleys at the elevation of 5000m has been erupted due to the recent rains and has flooded the Kalash valley of mumuret.The shape  of scenic mumuret valley has changed due to this enormous and powerful flood that uprooted most of the timber forests on its way to the valley.The rain water further caused its own streams from the mountains which added to the vilocity of the flood. It is reported as of now that most the land  for cultivation and houses in the main land have been swept away. There are no human casualities reported but the livelihood of the indigenous kalasha people has been severly damaged.The ready crops of wheat- barely and fruit trees mainly walnuts along with precious livestolk and domestic animals have got destroyed. 

(Individuals and Organizations intersted to send releif and humanitarian assistance can directly write to us)

Free Online Kalasha-English Dictionary

We have the pleasure to bring  your attention towards the first & free Kalasha-English Online Dictionary. We hope that  online Kalasha dictionary will be of greater help in a bid to strengthen the Kalasha language’s vitality in years to come . The endangered language dictionary is one of its kind which provides a chance to Kalasha and Non-Kalasha speakers/readers to familiarize themselves with the orthography of Kalasha language and to cross language barriers  aiming at greater understanding of Kalasha language and ancient Kalasha Culture itself . Online Kalasha dictionary comes as an handful tool to engage Kalasha language readers and linguists to maintain the use of Kalasha language in technological era. The Language of Kalasha People known as Kalasha or Kalashamondr is one of the severely endangered language in UNESCO ATALS of endangered Languages.

We are greatly thankful to the compilers of Kalasha Dictionary Ron Trail and Gregory Cooper for their life long work on documentation of Kalasha Language and making it available in print and digital format in collaboration with Quidz-e-Azam University Islamabad Pakistan.

Kalasha Rites of Spring – Zhoshi Begins

To all the readers and memebers of Kalasha community, A very happy Kalasha Zhoshi-Spring Equinox !
More on the Spring rites and events and photos yet to come…

Athanassios Lerounis Freed

The unharmed release of Athanassios by Taliban after 8 months of captivity comes as a great relief for Greek and Kalasha People who have been waiting with fear and hopethanasios Lerounis ran a welfare centre and school in Chitral district, and has lived in northern Pakistan since the mid-1990s. He was kidnapped by some 30 gunmen believed to be from neighbouring Afghanistan in a September encounter that killed a security guard.
Greece’s ambassador in Islamabad, Petros Mavroidis, said Mr. Lerounis was freed on Wednesday but was still with Pakistani authorities in Chitral. He was expected to reach the Pakistan capital later Thursday, Mr. Mavroidis said, adding that he had no other details.
Exactly how or where Mr. Lerounis, who police said is in his 50s, was freed was unclear.
A Pakistan government official, Rehmatallah Wazir, said months of negotiations among tribal elders, security agencies and Afghan Taliban were involved. He also said security forces “rescued” Mr. Lerounis, but wouldn’t describe what he meant by that.
The Greek had been held at one point in Afghanistan’s Nooristan province, but now “he is with us. He is safe and in good health,” Mr. Wazir told The Associated Press via phone.

BO ZIAT KIRIK DYITA -Heavy Snow in Kalasha Valleys

KaLaSa Deshuna Bo ziat Kirik dyita.

SECOND DELEGATION LEAVES FOR NURISTAN

The second delegation from Chitral headed by Abdul Majid (former Nazim) has left for Nuristan province of Afghanistan to begin second round of talks to recover Teacher Athanasios Lerounis, who was kidnapped on 8th sept.
Abdul Majeed, a former union council nazim, headed the previous delegation and was the person who was allowed to meet Athanassios in person. The militants had demanded $2 million ransom and release of three important Taliban leaders.
Kalasha sources confirmed the departure of the negotiating team but did not give any details about the demands made by the kidnappers. The Kalash people in Mumuret Valley had vowed to launch peaceful protest movement after Eid for the safe recovery of Professor Athanasios. But now they are threatened not to do protests amid security for their own lives as small non-Muslim indigenous people in Pakistan.

TALIBAN DECLARE TERMS FOR RELEASE OF ATHANASSIOS

The delegation sent to Nooristan to speak to the abductors for release of Athanssios Lerunis have return to Chitral. The Taliban want 2 million $ ransom and release of three taliban in Pakistan.Mr. Athanasius has said that he is fine and had no any serious problem happened to him since the day of his crossing to Nooristan. “Now I am living with a group of Taliban and they are very hospitable and try their best to for my life and security”, the letter goes and adds that the behaviour of Taliban to him is very good. “I would like to thank all these people who try their best to solve my problem and special thanks to Mr. Majid and Mr. Nasir who came to Nooristan to visit me and to try to solve the problem”, the letter goes. “Please call my relative, members of the NGO Greek Volunteers and my Embassy in Islamabad and inform them that I am good in my health and do not worry about me”.This was for the first time that any confirmed news regarding his location has been received.