The Dalak are an ethnic group found mainly in western

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Technically, the word dalak is derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

word ''dalaka'' which means to rub. Their preferred self-designation is now Salmani, as the word ''dalak'' is seen as offensive, and the community were traditionally associated with the profession of barbering.

Origin

The principal function of the Dalak is cutting hair, circumcision, the performance of music at certain events such as marriages for their patrons and carrying out certain minor surgical operations. Littler is known about the origin of the Dalak, but a possible connection with the Afghan Jat cannot be ruled. Unlike the Jat, who are nomadic, the Dalak are essentially a settled urban community, with settlements in

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

, mainly in the neighbourhood of Kurt, and in Chisht as well as other towns of western Afghanistan. A claim is now being made that they are descended from Salman Al Farsi, a Sahabah of Mohammad, hence the new name Salmani meaning a descendant of Salman. During the summer months, the Dalak leave their urban settlements and visit various villages, where they perform circumcision, entertain at weddings, cut hair and occasional perform agriculture labour. A patron client relationship exists with the local sedentary population. Historically, they were given in grain in return for their services, but increasingly they are now being paid cash. Their patrons belong mainly to the Aimaq, Tajik and Uzbek communities, and their culture is not dissimilar to the other

Dari Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī ...

speaking communities. However, there is virtually no intermarriage between the Dalak and neighbouring ethnic groups, and as a community they are strictly

endogamous Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultu ...

. The Dalak are Sunni Muslims, although they incorporate folk beliefs.The Mongols of Afghanistan : an ethnography of the Moghols and related peoples of Afghanistan by Schurmann, H. F. pages 225 to 227

References

{{Ethnic groups in Afghanistan Ethnic groups in Afghanistan Dom in Asia Dom people Romani in Afghanistan

Origin

See also

References