ڀيل | |
|---|---|
 Bhils of Sindh | |
| Total population | |
| 170,000[ citation needed] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
Pakistan | 170,000 [1] |
India | [2] |
| Languages | |
| Sindhi Bhili, Dhatki, Marwari, Sindhi, Saraiki | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bhil | |
The Sindhi Bhils/Bheels ( Sindhi: سنڌي ڀيل) are a Sindhinised sub-group of the Bhil people who live in the Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. They are one of major Hindu community in the region, and are one of the Hindu groups in Pakistan who are known to not leave Sindh during the Partition of India. [3]
Culture
The Bhils are considered by some to be remaining community of Indus valley civilization [4] [5] The Bhils mostly work as peasants and are very poor. Most of them work labour jobs around the country to sustain themselves. The Human Rights Commission of the United Nations found out that many Bhils, Meghwars and Kolhis were actually slaves, even after Pakistan had abolished slavery of the Bhil people in 1992. [6] In Sindh and Balochistan, these people are far worse off than the ones in Punjab, with many being forced to convert to Islam. Nearly 95% of the Sindhi bhils live in Thar desert in rural areas in Tharparkar, Umerkot, [7] Badin, Thatta, and Mohrano as well as in cities like Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, and Karachi. [8] Many bhils of interior Sindh frequently sacrifice animals to their 'goddesses', a tradition which has died off in recent years. [9]
Language
Many Bhils speak Sindhi Bhil, a distinct variety of Sindhi with Sanskrit influences. Some speak Dhatki dialect of Sindhi and some speak Marwari and others speak other dialects of Sindhi, and Saraiki.
See also
References
- ^ "(PDF) Bhil of Pakistan".
- ^ "Annexure - Ib / List of notified Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-07.
- ^ "The thriving Shiva festival in Umarkot is a reminder of Sindh's Hindu heritage". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "Who are the Bhils?". MeMeraki.com. 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ Shah, Hawabai Mustafa (1991). Aboriginal Tribes of India and Pakistan: The Bhils & Kolhis. Sindhi Kitab Ghar.
- ^ "The Meghwar Bhil of Pakistan".
- ^ "Prints of Group of Bheels (Bhels), Sindh, India (now Pakistan)". Mary Evans Prints Online Photo Prints. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ Ghulam, Hussain (2020). "Bhil of Pakistan". Caste and Class Politics in Muslims of South Asia. Quaid-i-Azam University.
- ^ Schaflechner, Jürgen (2018). Hinglaj Devi: Identity, Change, and Solidification at a Hindu Temple in Pakistan (illustrated ed.). Balochistan and Sindh: Oxford University Press, 2018. p. 288. ISBN 9780190850524.
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