The mystery behind the Jadgal warriors
July 26, 2008
Karachi
Moments before his death, Haji Jalal clutched his little grandson and told him to avenge the deaths of his brothers.
“Reprisal is our tradition. I hope you can do this so my soul can rest in peace.”
The “our” in this case is the warrior tribe Jadgal. Jalal and his brothers belonged to the tribe, and had moved to Karachi from Dashtiari in Iran in 1935. The reason they were in Iran in the first place dates back hundreds of years. Then, the chieftain of a tribe in Dashtiari needed to settle an old score, so much so that he trekked all the way to Sindh and persuaded the elders of the Jadgal tribe to go back with him. Post-battle, many warriors settled there, and today, many of the descending families are citizens of both Pakistan and Iran. In Karachi, they are clustered in Lyari, Golimar, and Malir. Those living in Dashtiari still communicate in Sindhi, with little change in dialect. Their marriage customs, too, are nearly identical to Sindhis’. The community is known as a bridge between the two countries.
However, nearly a century ago, many members of the warrior tribe uprooted and migrated back to Sindh. Some arrived directly to Karachi. Others arrived via Lasbela, but all ended up in Karachi.
Haji Jalal and his two brothers were among them. They arrived in Karachi as the survivors of a tribal war. Many other tribe members had already come to Karachi. Haji Jalal joined Karachi Port to earn a living. Jalal’s brothers, however, had left behind enemies, who traced them all the way from Dashtiari to Karachi and murdered them. Condemned to spend the rest of his life alone, Jalal remained haunted by their deaths.
The grandson he bequeathed the task of avenging his brothers’ deaths to, Ellahi Bakhsh Jadgal, has now grown up and is associated with a social development organisation. He says that the members of what is left of the tribe admire it for its developmental work in the city, but the generations spent in an urban environment have snuffed out the warrior instincts so prevalent in their ancestors.
“Most people no longer believe in the causes they fought for.”
They do, however, hold their other customs in high regard. Ellahi Bakhsh Jadgal talks about more of the tribe’s customs.
“Traditionally, mothers start collecting clothes for their children’s weddings when the children are two years old. A costly embroidered wedding dress is common for rich and poor parents of grooms.” The mothers stitch the clothes for their children’s weddings.
At the weddings themselves, there is little of the music that is so common elsewhere. Instead, there is – or was – a storytelling session. Jadgals did not produce much in the way of literature, but were famous for their storytelling, which was how weddings and other festive occasions were celebrated. The only concept of music at a wedding in the tribe would be background music being played on an instrument brought especially from Dashtiari, while food was being served. Storytelling was the primary form of entertainment. With time, certain storytellers, such as one Kamalan, gained popularity and were in demand on both sides of the Pakistan-Iran border. Most of the stories revolved around war heroes, although since none of them were written down, the story usually died with the storyteller.
“We are not sure how many storytellers are left,” says a member of the tribe. Whatever the number, it has been estimated that there are very few, most of whom are elderly. The once thriving storytelling tradition has nearly died out.
The origins of the Jadgals are murky. An old Balochistan gazetteer reveals that a tribe called Jatt, presently called Jadgal, is “quite old” and used to reside near the Jhalawan region. This tribe fought the Arab forces in Kankan. The writers have been unable to trace its history beyond this. Some intellectuals call it the oldest tribe from Balochistan. Others say it is a merger of different Balochi tribes, including Rind, Barozai, Mengal, Langov, Dashtiari, Sardarzahi. The evidence suggests the Jadgals adopted the language and culture of wherever they stayed. Today in Karachi, Jadgals have settled in Baloch-dominated areas, but speak Sindhi.
jan.khaskheli@thenews.com.pk
Moments before his death, Haji Jalal clutched his little grandson and told him to avenge the deaths of his brothers.
“Reprisal is our tradition. I hope you can do this so my soul can rest in peace.”
The “our” in this case is the warrior tribe Jadgal. Jalal and his brothers belonged to the tribe, and had moved to Karachi from Dashtiari in Iran in 1935. The reason they were in Iran in the first place dates back hundreds of years. Then, the chieftain of a tribe in Dashtiari needed to settle an old score, so much so that he trekked all the way to Sindh and persuaded the elders of the Jadgal tribe to go back with him. Post-battle, many warriors settled there, and today, many of the descending families are citizens of both Pakistan and Iran. In Karachi, they are clustered in Lyari, Golimar, and Malir. Those living in Dashtiari still communicate in Sindhi, with little change in dialect. Their marriage customs, too, are nearly identical to Sindhis’. The community is known as a bridge between the two countries.
However, nearly a century ago, many members of the warrior tribe uprooted and migrated back to Sindh. Some arrived directly to Karachi. Others arrived via Lasbela, but all ended up in Karachi.
Haji Jalal and his two brothers were among them. They arrived in Karachi as the survivors of a tribal war. Many other tribe members had already come to Karachi. Haji Jalal joined Karachi Port to earn a living. Jalal’s brothers, however, had left behind enemies, who traced them all the way from Dashtiari to Karachi and murdered them. Condemned to spend the rest of his life alone, Jalal remained haunted by their deaths.
The grandson he bequeathed the task of avenging his brothers’ deaths to, Ellahi Bakhsh Jadgal, has now grown up and is associated with a social development organisation. He says that the members of what is left of the tribe admire it for its developmental work in the city, but the generations spent in an urban environment have snuffed out the warrior instincts so prevalent in their ancestors.
“Most people no longer believe in the causes they fought for.”
They do, however, hold their other customs in high regard. Ellahi Bakhsh Jadgal talks about more of the tribe’s customs.
“Traditionally, mothers start collecting clothes for their children’s weddings when the children are two years old. A costly embroidered wedding dress is common for rich and poor parents of grooms.” The mothers stitch the clothes for their children’s weddings.
At the weddings themselves, there is little of the music that is so common elsewhere. Instead, there is – or was – a storytelling session. Jadgals did not produce much in the way of literature, but were famous for their storytelling, which was how weddings and other festive occasions were celebrated. The only concept of music at a wedding in the tribe would be background music being played on an instrument brought especially from Dashtiari, while food was being served. Storytelling was the primary form of entertainment. With time, certain storytellers, such as one Kamalan, gained popularity and were in demand on both sides of the Pakistan-Iran border. Most of the stories revolved around war heroes, although since none of them were written down, the story usually died with the storyteller.
“We are not sure how many storytellers are left,” says a member of the tribe. Whatever the number, it has been estimated that there are very few, most of whom are elderly. The once thriving storytelling tradition has nearly died out.
The origins of the Jadgals are murky. An old Balochistan gazetteer reveals that a tribe called Jatt, presently called Jadgal, is “quite old” and used to reside near the Jhalawan region. This tribe fought the Arab forces in Kankan. The writers have been unable to trace its history beyond this. Some intellectuals call it the oldest tribe from Balochistan. Others say it is a merger of different Balochi tribes, including Rind, Barozai, Mengal, Langov, Dashtiari, Sardarzahi. The evidence suggests the Jadgals adopted the language and culture of wherever they stayed. Today in Karachi, Jadgals have settled in Baloch-dominated areas, but speak Sindhi.
jan.khaskheli@thenews.com.pk
