The Kho (,
), or Chitrali people,
are an
Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group
An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major bas ...
native to the
Chitral District
Chitral District (; ) was a district in the Malakand Division of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 14 August 1947 to 2018. It was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering an area of 14,850 km2, before spl ...
in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
, Pakistan and the
Gupis-Yasin and
Ghizer districts of
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...
. They speak an
Indo-Aryan language
The Indo-Aryan languages, or sometimes Indic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family. As of 2024, there are more than 1.5 billion speakers, primarily concentrated east of the Indus river in Ba ...
called
Khowar
Khowar (, ''Khōwār'', ), also known by its common exonym Chitrali, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic group, primarily spoken by the Kho (Chitrali) people, native to the Chitral region and surrounding areas of Pakistan.
Khowar is th ...
.
History
The Kho people are likely descendants of those who migrated to their present location in Chitral from the south.
The Kho people spread throughout Chitral from the northern part of the region, specifically from the
Mulkhow
Upper Chitral District (; ) is an administrative district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Kho people are the dominant ethnic group in the district, forming 99.84% of the total population.
Chitral River flows across the lengt ...
and
Torkhow Valley
Torkhow is a town and Tehsil in the Lower Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located 108 km from the main city of Chitral, it borders the Wakhan valley of Afghanistan. Shagram is the administrative centre of the valley. The ...
.
According to
Morgenstierne, the original abode of the Kho was
northern Chitral in the valleys around
Mastuj
Mastuj () is a tehsil and a valley in Upper Chitral District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Mastuj is the principal settlement. It is located at 36°17'0N 72°31'0E with an altitude of 2359 metres (7742 feet). There are ruins of ...
.
The Kho started expanding into southern Chitral around the early 14th century under the ''Rais''
Mehtars.
Later on, the Kho expanded eastwards into the
Yasin and
Ghizer valleys under the ''Khushwaqt'' dynasty in the 17th century.
In ancient times the Kho people practised a faith akin to that observed by the
Kalash today.
In the 14th century, many of the Kho converted to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
though some previous customs continue to persist.
With respect to Islam, the Kho are primarily
Hanafi Sunni Muslims although there exists a substantial population of
Ismaili Muslim
Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept M ...
s in the Upper Chitral region.
Language
The
Khowar language
Khowar (, ''Khōwār'', ), also known by its common exonym Chitrali, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic group, primarily spoken by the Kho (Chitrali) people, native to the Chitral region and surrounding areas of Pakistan.
Khowar is th ...
shares a great number of morphological characteristics with neighbouring
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages, also called the Iranic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau.
The Iranian langu ...
of
Badakhshan
Badakhshan is a historical region comprising the Wakhan Corridor in northeast Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic ...
, pointing to a very early location of proto-Khowar in its original abode in Upper Chitral, although from its links with the
Gandhari language
Gāndhārī was an Indo-Aryan Prakrit language found mainly in texts dated between the 3rd century BCE and 4th century CE in the region of Gandhāra, located in northwestern Pakistan. The language was heavily used by the former Buddhist cult ...
, it likely came from further south in the first millennium BC, possibly through Swat and Dir.
The ethnologists
Karl Jettmar Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl of Austria, last Austrian Emperor
* Karl (footballer) (born 1993), Karl Cac ...
and Lennart Edelberg noted, with respect to the Khowar language, that: "Khowar, in many respects
sthe most archaic of all modern Indian languages, retaining a great part of
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
case inflexion, and retaining many words in a nearly Sanskritic form.”
Khowar is spoken by around 800,000 people in Pakistan.
Most of the Kho people also use
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
as a second language.
Culture
Chitrali folklore lays great emphasis upon supernatural beings, and the area is sometimes called "Peristan" because of the common belief in fairies (''peri'') inhabiting the high mountains.
The
Barmanou
The Barmanou (or Barmanu or Baddmanus) is allegedly a bipedal humanoid primate cryptid that inhabits the mountainous region of northern Pakistan. Shepherds living in the mountains have reported sightings.
The Barmanou is the Pakistani equival ...
is a popular local legend, often referred as the indigenous equivalent of the
Yeti
The Yeti ()["Yeti"](_blank)
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...
of the Himalayas.
Polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
is a popular sport and pastime for the Kho people. Polo traditionally played by the Kho has little rules or organisation.
The
Shandur Polo Festival is a sports festival held annually from 7 to 9 July in the
Shandur Polo Ground. The polo tournament is played between the teams of
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...
Districts and
Chitral
Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...
District, under freestyle rules. The tournament is held at Shandur Top which is the world highest polo ground at an altitude of 3,700 meters (the pass itself is at 3,800 meters).
Traditional Chitrali clothing includes the
Shalwar Kameez
Shalwar kameez (also salwar kameez and less commonly shalwar qameez) is a traditional combination dress worn by men and women in South Asia, and Central Asia.
'' Shalwars'' are trousers which are atypically wide at the waist and narrow to a ...
and the
Pakol
The Pakol or Pakul (, , , Pashto: پکول) is a soft, flat, rolled-up, round-topped men's cap, usually worn in eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is typically made of wool and found in a variety of earthy colours, such as brown, black, grey, ...
(Chitrali hat).
Genetics
According to Aziz ''et al.'' 2019, the western Eurasian
mtDNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in ...
haplogroups were observed predominantly and mostly shared in Kho samples with overall frequency of 50%. These include HV8, H19, H57, H24, C and, C4a haplogroups. The South Asian haplogroups and its relevant subgroups including U4, U4c, U6, U5a, and W were also found in Kho samples with overall 37.5% frequency. Another South Asian haplogroup, M30 was also identified for Kho samples with frequency of 6.2%. The haplogroups and haplotypes specify the origin and linkages of an individual and population. The mtDNA haplogroup analysis eventually demonstrates the western Eurasian ancestral origin of Kho samples. However, the presence of few South Asian haplogroups with a minor proportion revealed that Kho might be an admixed population of western Eurasian and South Asian genetic component.
Notable people
See also
*
Chitral, Pakistan
References
{{reflist
External links
chitraltoday.net
Social groups of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Dardic peoples
Upper Chitral District
Lower Chitral District
Ethnic groups in Malakand