Bakarwal

Bakarwal

Bakarwal

Ethnic community in Jammu and Kashmir

The Bakarwal, (also spelled) Bakkarwal or Bakrawala, are a nomadic ethnic group who along with Gujjars, have been listed as Scheduled Tribes in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh since 1991.[1] Bakerwal and Gujjar is the largest Muslim tribe and the third-largest ethnic community in the Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir.[2]

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They spread over a large area from Pir Panjal to Zanskar located in the Himalayan mountains of India. They are mainly found in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.[3][page needed][4][page needed]

History and origin

The Bakarwals claim the same origin as Gujjar. The Gujjars are known by many names: Ajjadh, Dohdhi Gujjars, Banhara Gujjars, and Van-Gujjars.[citation needed]

The Bakarwals claim to have traditionally practiced Hinduism,[5][better source needed] before their conversions to Islam.[citation needed]

The Bakarwals belong to the same ethnic group as the Gujjars, and inter-tribal marriages take place among them.[6][full citation needed]


Etymology

The term Bakarwal is an occupational one and is derived from the Gojri word bakara meaning goat or sheep, and wal meaning "one who takes care of".[3][page needed]


Economy

As sheep and goat rearing transhumants, the Bakarwals alternate with the seasons between high and low altitudes in the hills of the Himalayas. From here, it is clear to see that the Bakarwals mainly follow a migration route through the foothills of the Himalayas as they can be found on the Upper Himalayan Range all the way down into the Lower Himalayan Range.[3][page needed]

Social status

As of 1991, the Bakarwal were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's general reservation program of positive discrimination.[7][8]

In 1991 the Bakarwals, Gaddis and Gujjar were granted tribal status in Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government after an exhaustive study. The Bakarwals were entered into revenue records as a separate tribal category according to the Indian constitution. Bakarwals belong to the same ethnic stock as the Gujjars, and inter-tribal marriages take place freely among them.[9]


References

  1. [1]
    Bamzai, Sandeep (6 August 2016). "Kashmir: No algorithm for Azadi". Orf. Observer Research Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016.
  2. [2]
    "History & politics of systematic marginalization of Gujjar-Bakerwal tribe: A Subaltern Narrative".
  3. [3]
    Khatana, Ram Parshad (1992). Tribal Migration in Himalayan Frontiers: Study of Gujjar Bakarwal Transhumance Economy. Gurgaon, India: South Asia Books (Vintage Books). ISBN 978-81-85326-46-7.
  4. [4]
    Sharma, Anita (2009). The Bakkarwals Of Jammu And Kashmir: Navigating Through Nomadism. Delhi, India: Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-81-89738-48-8.
  5. [5]
    Roychowdhury, Adrija (13 April 2018). "The Bakarwals: Behind Kathua rape and murder, a persecuted tribe that's both Muslim and Hindu". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2023. They believe that their ancestors were Hindus and hence they share the same blood and history with their Hindu counterparts.
  6. [6]
    Raha, Manish Kumar; Basu, Debashis (1994). "Ecology and Transhumance in the Himalaya". In Kapoor, Anuk K.; Kapoor, Satwanti (eds.). Ecology and Man in the Himalayas. New Delhi: M. D. Publications. pp. 33–48, pages 43–44. ISBN 978-81-85880-16-7. citing an unpublished paper by Negi, R. S. et al. "Socio-Economic Aspirations of Guijjara and Bakerwal"
  7. [7]
    Government of, India. "Scheduled Tribes list of Jammu and Kashmir, India" (PDF). www.tribal.nic.in.
  8. [8]
    "List of Scheduled Tribes". Census of India: Government of India. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013.
  9. [9]
    "Neither Jammu, nor Kashmir: Bakarwals who've come into focus after the Kathua rape case need to be given citizenship". 10 June 2019.
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