Kalash - the heirs of the ancient Aryans

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

High in the mountains of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan, in the province of Nuristan, several tiny plateaus are scattered. Locals call this area Chintal. A unique and mysterious people - the Kalash - live here. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that this Indo-European people by origin managed to survive almost in the very heart of the Islamic world.

Meanwhile, the Kalash profess not Islam at all, but polytheism (polytheism), that is, they are pagans. If the Kalash were a large people with a separate territory and statehood, then their existence would hardly have surprised anyone, but today there are no more than 6 thousand Kalash people - they are the smallest and most mysterious ethnic group in the Asian region.

Kalash (self-name: kasivo; the name "Kalash" comes from the name of the area) - a people in Pakistan, living in the high mountainous regions of the Hindu Kush (Nuristan or Kafirtan). Population - about 6 thousand people. Were almostexterminated as a result of the Muslim genocide by the beginning of the 20th century, as they profess paganism. They lead a secluded life. They speak the Kalash language of the Dardic group of Indo-European languages (however, about half of the words of their language have no analogues in other Dardic languages, as well as in the languages of neighboring peoples).

In Pakistan, there is a widespread belief that the Kalash are the descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great (in connection with which the Macedonian government built a cultural center in this area, see, for example, "Macedonian ќe grad kulturen centar kaј hunzite in Pakistan"). The appearance of some Kalash is characteristic of the Northern European peoples, among them blue-eyed and blondism are often found. At the same time, some of the Kalash also have an Asian appearance that is quite typical for the region.

The religion of the majority of Kalash is paganism; their pantheon has many similarities with the reconstructed ancient Aryan pantheon. The statements of some journalists that the Kalash worship "ancient Greek gods" groundless … At the same time, about 3 thousand Kalash are Muslims. Conversion to Islam not welcome Kalash people trying to preserve their tribal identity. Kalash are not descendants of the warriors of Alexander the Great, and the Northern European appearance of some of them is explained by the preservation of the original Indo-European gene pool as a result refusal to mix with alien non-Aryan population. Along with the Kalash, representatives of the Khunza people and some ethnic groups of the Pamirians, Persians, etc. also have similar anthropological characteristics.

Scientists attribute the Kalash to the white race - this is a fact. The faces of many Kalash people are purely European. The skin is white in contrast to Pakistanis and Afghans. And light and often blue eyes are like the passport of an infidel kafir. Kalash have blue, gray, green and very rarely brown eyes. There is one more stroke that does not fit into the common culture and way of life for the Muslims of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kalash have always been made for themselves and used furniture. They eat at the table, sitting on chairs - excesses that were never inherent in the local "aborigines" and appeared in Afghanistan and Pakistan only with the arrival of the British in the 18th-19th centuries, but never caught on. And from time immemorial Kalash used tables and chairs …

Horse warriors of the Kalash. museum in Islamabad. Pakistan

At the end of the first millennium, Islam came to Asia, and with it the troubles of the Indo-Europeans and in particular the Kalash people, who didn't want change the faith of the ancestors to the Abrahamic "teaching of the book." Surviving paganism in Pakistan is almost hopeless. Local Muslim communities persistently tried to force the Kalash to convert to Islam. And many Kalash were forced to submit: either live by adopting a new religion, or die. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Muslims carved out by the thousands of Kalash … Those who did not obey and even secretly sent pagan cults, the authorities, at best, were driven from fertile lands, driven into the mountains, and more often they were destroyed.

The brutal genocide of the Kalash people continued until the middle of the 19th century, until the tiny territory that the Muslims called Kafirtan (the land of the infidels), where the Kalash lived, fell under the jurisdiction of the British Empire. This saved them from complete extermination. But even now the Kalash are on the verge of extinction. Many are forced to assimilate (through marriage) with Pakistanis and Afghans, adopting Islam - this makes it easier to survive and get a job, education, position.

Kalash village

Life of modern Kalash can be called Spartan. Kalash live in communities - it's easier to survive. They live in houses that are built of stone, wood and clay. The roof of the lower house (floor) is at the same time the floor or veranda of another family's house. Of all the amenities in the hut: table, chairs, benches and pottery. Kalash know about electricity and television only by hearsay. A shovel, a hoe and a pick are clearer and more familiar to them. They derive their vital resources from agriculture. Kalash manage to grow wheat and other crops on the lands cleared of stones. But the main role in their livelihood is played by livestock, mainly goats, which give the descendants of the ancient Aryans milk and dairy products, wool and meat.

In everyday life, a clear and unshakable division of responsibilities is striking: men are the first in labor and hunting, women only help them in the least time-consuming operations (weeding, milking, household). In the house, men sit at the head of the table and make all the decisions that are significant in the family (in the community). Towers are being built for women in each settlement - a separate house where the women of the community give birth to children and spend time on "critical days". A Kalash woman is obliged to give birth to a child only in the tower, and therefore pregnant women settle in the "maternity hospital" ahead of time. Where this tradition came from, no one knows, but Kalash do not observe any other segregation and discriminatory tendencies towards women, which infuriates and amuses Muslims, who, because of this, treat Kalash as people out of this world …

Some Kalash also have an Asian appearance that is quite typical for the region, but at the same time they often have blue or green eyes.

Marriage. This sensitive issue is decided exclusively by the parents of young people. They can also consult with the young, they can talk with the parents of the bride (groom), or they can solve the problem without asking the opinion of their child.

Kalash do not know days off, but they cheerfully and hospitably celebrate 3 holidays: Yoshi is a sowing holiday, Uchao is a harvest festival, and Choimus is a winter holiday of the gods of nature, when the Kalash ask the gods to send them a mild winter and good spring and summer.

During Choimus, each family slaughters a goat as a sacrifice, the meat of which is served to everyone who comes to visit or meets on the street.

The Kalash language, or Kalasha, is the language of the Dardic group of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Distributed among Kalash in several valleys of the Hindu Kush, southwest of the city of Chitral in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. Belonging to the Dardic subgroup is questionable, since slightly more than half of the words are similar to equivalent words in the Khovar language, which is also included in this subgroup. Phonologically speaking, language is atypical (Heegård & Mørch 2004).

Very well preserved in the Kalash language basic Sanskrit vocabulary, For example:

Russian Kalasha Sanskrit

head shish shish

bone athi asthi

piss mutra mutra

village grom gram

rajuk rajju loop

smoke thum dhum

oil tel tel

mos mas meat

dog shua shva

ant pililak pipilika

putr putr son

long driga dirgha

eight asht ashta

broken chhina chhinna

kill nash nash

In the 1980s, the development of writing for the Kalash language began in two versions - based on Latin and Persian graphics. The Persian version turned out to be preferable, and in 1994 an illustrated alphabet and a book for reading in the Kalash language based on Persian graphics were published for the first time. In the 2000s, an active transition to the Latin script began. The alphabet "Kal'as'a Alibe" was published in 2003.

Religion and culture of Kalash

The first researchers and missionaries began to penetrate into Kafiristan after the colonization of India, but the truly voluminous information about its inhabitants was provided by the English doctor George Scott Robertson, who visited Kafiristan in 1889 and lived there for a year. The uniqueness of Robertson's expedition is that he collected material on the rituals and traditions of the infidels before the Islamic invasion. Unfortunately, a number of the collected materials were lost while crossing the Indus during his return to India. Nevertheless, the surviving materials and personal memories allowed him to publish the book "The Kafirs of Hindu-Kush" in 1896.

The pagan temple of the Kalash. in the center is the patrimonial pillar

On the basis of Robertson's observations of the religious and ritual side of the infidels life, one can reasonably assert that their religion resembles transformed Zoroastrianism and cults of the ancient Aryans … The main arguments in favor of this statement can be attributed to fire and the funeral rite. Below we will describe some of the traditions, religious foundations, cult buildings and rituals of the infidels.

Family pillar in the temple

The main, "capital" of the infidels was a village called "Kamdesh". The houses of Kamdesh were located in steps along the slopes of the mountains, so the roof of one house was a yard for another. The houses were richly decorated intricate wood carvings … The field work was carried out not by men, but by women, although the men had previously cleared the field of stones and fallen logs. Men at that time were engaged in sewing clothes, ritual dances in the village square and solving public affairs.

Priest at the altar of fire

The main object of worship was fire. In addition to fire, infidels worshiped wooden idols that were carved by skilled craftsmen and exhibited in sanctuaries. The pantheon consisted of many gods and goddesses. The god Imra was considered the main one. The god of war, Guiche, was also highly revered. Each village had its own petty patron god. The world, according to legends, was inhabited by many good and evil spirits fighting with each other.

Family pillar with swastika rosette

For comparison - the traditional pattern characteristic of the Slavs and Germans

V. Sarianidi, relying on the evidence of Robertson, describes the religious buildings as follows:

“… the main temple of Imra was located in one of the villages and was a large structure with a square portico, the roof of which was supported by carved wooden columns. which, wrapping around the trunk of the column and crossing, rose up, forming a kind of openwork netting, in its empty cells were sculpted figures of amusing little men.

It was here, under the portico, on a special stone, blackened by caked blood, that numerous animal sacrifices were performed. The front facade of the temple had seven doors, famous for the fact that each of them had one more small door. The large doors were tightly closed, only two side doors were opened, and even then on especially solemn occasions. But the main interest was the door wings, decorated with fine carvings and huge relief figures depicting the seated god Imru. Especially striking is the face of God with a huge square chin, reaching almost to the knees! In addition to the figures of the god Imra, the facade of the temple was decorated with images of huge heads of cows and rams. On the opposite side of the temple, five colossal figures were installed supporting its roof.

Having walked around the temple and admired its carved "shirt", we will look inside through a small hole, which, however, must be done stealthily so as not to offend the religious feelings of kafirs. In the middle of the room, in the cool gloom, you can see directly on the floor a square hearth, in the corners of which there are pillars, also covered with amazingly fine carving, which is an image of human faces. On the wall opposite from the entrance there is an altar, framed by images of animals; in the corner under a special canopy stands a wooden statue of the god Imra himself. The rest of the walls of the temple are decorated with carved caps of an irregular hemispherical shape, set on the ends of the poles. … Separate temples were built only for the main gods, and for the minor ones, one sanctuary was erected for several gods. So, there were small churches with carved windows, from which the faces of various wooden idols peeped out."

Among the most important rituals were the selection of elders, the preparation of wine, sacrifices to the gods, and burial. As with most rituals, the selection of elders was accompanied by massive goat sacrifices and abundant treats. The election of the chief elder (justa) was made by the elders from among the elders. These elections were also accompanied by the recitation of sacred hymns dedicated to the gods, sacrifices and food to the assembled elders in the candidate's house:

… the priest present at the feast is seated in the center of the room, a lush turban is wrapped around his head, richly decorated with shells, red glass beads, and in front - branches of juniper. His ears are studded with earrings, a massive necklace is worn around his neck, and bracelets are worn on his hands. A long shirt, reaching up to the knees, freely descends on embroidered trousers tucked into long-toed boots, over which a bright silk Badakhshan robe is thrown, and a ritual dance hatchet is clutched in his hand.

Patrimonial pillar

Here one of the seated elders slowly gets up and, having tied a white cloth around his head, steps forward. He takes off his boots, washes his hands thoroughly, and proceeds to sacrifice. Killing two huge mountain goats with his own hand, he deftly puts a vessel under the stream of blood, and then, going up to the initiate, draws some signs on his forehead with blood. The door to the room opens, and the attendants bring in huge loaves of bread with twigs of burning juniper stuck in them. These loaves are solemnly carried around the initiate three times. Then, after another plentiful treat, the hour of ritual dances comes. Several guests are given dance boots and special scarves, which they use to tighten the lower back. Pine torches are lit, and ritual dances and chants in honor of the many gods begin."

Another important rite of the infidels was the rite of making grape wine. For the preparation of wine, a man was chosen, who, after carefully washing his feet, began to crush the grapes brought by the women. Bunches of grapes were served in wicker baskets. After thorough crushing, the grape juice was poured into huge jugs and left to ferment.

Temple with family pillars

The festive ritual in honor of the god Guiche proceeded as follows:

… early in the morning the villagers are awakened by the thunder of many drums, and soon a priest appears on the narrow crooked streets with furiously ringing metal bells. A crowd of boys follows the priest, to whom he occasionally throws handfuls of nuts, and then rushes to chase them away with feigned ferocity. Accompanying him, the children imitate the bleating of goats. The face of the priest is whitewashed with flour and smeared on top with oil, in one hand he holds bells, in the other - an ax. Writhing and writhing, he shakes his bells and a poleaxe, performing almost acrobatic acts and accompanying them with terrible screams. Finally, the procession approaches the sanctuary of the god Guiche, and the adult participants solemnly arrange themselves in a semicircle near the priest and those accompanying him. Dust began to swirl to one side, and a herd of fifteen bleating goats, urged on by the boys, appeared. Having completed their business, they immediately run away from adults to engage in children's pranks and games …

The priest approaches a burning campfire made of cedar branches, giving off a thick white smoke. Nearby are four wooden vessels, prepared in advance, filled with flour, melted butter, wine, and water. The priest thoroughly washes his hands, takes off his shoes, pours a few drops of oil into the fire, then sprinkles the sacrificial goats with water three times, saying: "Be clean." Approaching the closed door of the sanctuary, he pours and pours out the contents of wooden vessels, reciting ritual incantations. The young men serving the priest quickly cut the kid's throat, collect the spattered blood into the vessels, and the priest then splashes it into the burning fire. During this entire procedure, a special person, illuminated by the reflections of the fire, sings sacred songs all the time, which gives this scene a touch of special solemnity.

Suddenly, another priest rips off his hat and, rushing forward, begins to twitch, shouting loudly and waving his arms wildly. The main priest tries to calm down the "colleague" who has dispersed, finally he calms down and, waving his hands a few more times, puts on his hat and sits down in his place. The ceremony ends with the recitation of verses, after which the priests and everyone present touch their foreheads with the tips of their fingers and make a kiss with their lips, signifying a religious greeting to the sanctuary.

In the evening, in complete exhaustion, the priest enters the first house he comes across and gives his bells for safekeeping, which is a great honor for the latter, and he immediately orders several goats to be slaughtered and a feast in honor of the priest and his entourage is made. So, for two weeks, with slight variations, the celebrations in honor of the god Guiche continue."

Kalash cemetery. The graves strongly resemble northern Russian gravestones - dominoes

Finally, one of the most important was the burial ceremony. The funeral procession was at the beginning accompanied by loud women crying and lamentations, and then ritual dances to the beat of drums and the accompaniment of reed pipes. Men, as a sign of mourning, wore goat skins over their clothes. The procession ended at the cemetery, where only women and slaves were allowed to enter. The deceased infidels, as it should be according to the canons of Zoroastrianism, were not buried in the ground, but left in wooden coffins in the open air.

Such, according to Robertson's colorful descriptions, were the rituals of one of the lost branches of an ancient powerful and influential religion. Unfortunately, now it is already difficult to check where is a scrupulous statement of reality, and where is fiction.