Kho people
Ethnic groups in Pakistan (dark-green area is Khowar)
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (1,000,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Afghanistan |
14,700 |
 Pakistan |
4,21,031 as of 2011[1][2] |
| Languages | |
| Khowar, Urdu, and Pashto can be understood as second languages |
|
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni and Ismaili) Kalash religion (minority) |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Dardic peoples | |
The Kho people (Khowar: کھو), also known as Chitralis (چترالي), are the Dardic ethnic group of the people of Northern Pakistan with few members residing in Afghanistan.[3] They speak the Khowar language, one of the Dardic languages, also known as Chitrali.
Contents
Culture
The Kho culture is one that pays heavy emphasis on poetry, song and dance. Kho people also have a great respect of law and order. This in contrast to the generally lawless traditions of almost all of the neighbouring regions. Much of this can be attributed to Chitral being a stable kingdom for most of its history,[4] where the rule of law and the will of the ruler came before tribal concepts such as revenge and isolationism.
Because of Chitral's location at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia the Kho people display a wide variety of cultures, largely depending upon their ancestral ethnic group and family history.
Languages and dialects
According to the linguist Rehmat Aziz Chitrali[citation needed], the founder of Khowar Academy, there are seven dialects of Khowar language which are spoken in Pakistan:
Urdu and Pashto are also used as second languages.
Folk music
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Kho music and musical instruments are very famous in the region. Folk singers and reed instrument players have a special respect in the Kho society and are a must in their festivities. Mainly used instruments are SurnaiShehnai, Sitar, and reed instruments. The Kho sitar is a popular musical instrument in Chitral It is made out of mulberry wood with five steel strings arranged in three courses, the outer ones have double strings, tuned in unison, while the inner course is single. here are few most popular music tone of the area.
- Shishtoo-war (Sauz) is popular folk music played with shehnai on happy occasions, mostly at marriages etc.
- Shab-daraaz (Dani) is a sad tone based on heartbroken love poems.
- Ghalhwar is a combination of Dani and Sauz. This is a mixture of fast and classical music played at the starting of a polo match.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, the Khowar people majority found in Khyber pakhtunkhwa region which includes, Malakand Division, Chitral District, Dir, Swat and Peshawar District. This people are also found in Gilgit Baltistan.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, Kho people are found in Afghanistan's Northern region, majority in Badakhshan, Kunduz, Balkh, and Takhar.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-100947-KPK-population-increases-by-516-pc-in-13-years-data-shows
- ↑ http://www.chitraltoday.net/about-chitral/
- ↑ http://chitral.gov.pk/chitralorigins.aspx
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- chitraltoday.net
- Chitrali Khow article at Hindu Kush Trails
- Wikipedia pages with incorrect protection templates
- Use British English from October 2012
- Use dmy dates from October 2012
- "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation
- Articles using Template:Infobox ethnic group with deprecated parameters
- Articles containing Khowar-language text
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015
- Ethnic groups in Pakistan
- Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
- Social groups of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Dardic peoples
- South Asia
- Chitral District
- Chitrali people
