>Rodw at 09:08, 1 June 2021

2021-06-01T09:08:41Z

New page

{{Short description|Ethnolinguistic group native to the greater Kashmir region of South Asia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2021}}
{{For|the similarly named ethnic group inhabiting Northern Europe|Balts}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Baltis
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = File:Kids of Tarashing.jpg
| caption = Balti children photographed in [[Tarishing]], [[Gilgit-Baltistan|Gilgit−Baltistan]] in September 2008
| population = {{flagicon|Gilgit-Baltistan}} [[Gilgit-Baltistan|Gilgit−Baltistan]]: 247,520 – 28% ([[1998 Pakistan Census|1998]])
*
{{flagicon|Jammu and Kashmir}} [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]: 51,918 ([[2011 Indian Census|2011]])
| popplace = {{plainlist|
* [[Gilgit-Baltistan|Gilgit−Baltistan]], [[Pakistan]]
* [[Ladakh]], [[India]]
* [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
}}
| rels = '''In Pakistan:'''
*
Majority [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]] [[Islam]]<br/>{{small|(predominantly [[Shia Islam]],<ref name="Bakshi1997">{{cite book|last=Bakshi|first=S.R.|title=Kashmir: History and People|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC|year=1997|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-85431-96-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC/page/n196 186]}}</ref> small minorities of [[Noorbakshia Islam|Noorbakshia Sufi Islam]] and [[Sunni Islam]])}}
*
'''In India:'''
*
Majority [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]] [[Islam]]
*
{{small|(small minorities of [[Buddhism]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/ST14.html|access-date=2021-05-31|website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>)}}
| langs = [[Balti language|Balti]], [[Hindustani language|Hindi–Urdu]]
| related = [[Purigpa|Purigpas]], [[Ladakhis]], [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]], [[Dardic peoples|Dards]]
}}

The '''Balti people''' or '''Baltis''' are an ethnic group of [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] descent who are native to the [[Pakistan|Pakistani]]-administered territory of [[Gilgit-Baltistan|Gilgit−Baltistan]]. They are also found in the [[India|Indian]]-administered territory of [[Ladakh]]—predominantly in the [[Kargil district]] with smaller concentrations present in the [[Leh district]]. Outside of the greater [[Kashmir]] region, Baltis are scattered throughout Pakistan, with the majority inhabiting prominent urban centres such as [[Lahore]], [[Karachi]], [[Islamabad]] and [[Rawalpindi]].

==Origin==
The origin of the name ''Balti'' is unknown.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Peter C.|last1=Backstrom|first2=Carla F.|last2=Radloff|editor-first=Clare F.|editor-last=O’Leary|title=Languages of Northern Areas|series=Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan|volume=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zRpiAAAAMAAJ|year=1992|publication-place=Quaid-i-Azam University|publisher=National Institute of Pakistani Studies|isbn=9698023127|citeseerx=10.1.1.860.8811|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zRpiAAAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=ptolemy 5]}}</ref> The first written mention of the Balti people occurs in the second century BCE, by the [[Roman Alexandria|Alexandrian]] astronomer and geographer [[Ptolemy]], who refers to the region as ''Byaltae''.<ref>{{cite book|first=Banat Gul|last=Afridi|title=Baltistan in history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQFuAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publication-place=Peshawar, Pakistan|publisher=Emjay Books International|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mQFuAAAAMAAJ&dq=ptolemy 9]}}</ref> The Balti people themselves refer to their native land as ''Balti-yul'' ({{Translation|'Land of Baltis'}}); the modern name of ''[[Baltistan]]'' is the [[Persian language|Persian]] rendering of this name.<ref>{{cite book|first=Syed Muhamad Abbas|last= Kazmi|chapter=The Balti Language|editor1-first=P. N.|editor1-last=Pushp|editor2-first=K.|editor2-last=Warikoo|title=Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh: Linguistic predicament|chapter-url=http://www.koshur.org/Linguistic/7.html|year=1996|others=Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation|publication-place=New Delhi|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=8124103453|pages= 135–153]}}</ref>

==Language==
The [[Balti language]] belongs to the [[Tibetic languages|Tibetic language family]]. Read (1934) considers it a [[dialect]] of [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]],<ref>''Balti Grammar'', by A. F. C. Read. London: The Royal Asiatic society, 1934.</ref> while [[Nicolas Tournadre]] (2005) instead considers it a [[sister language]] of Ladakhi.<ref>*N. Tournadre (2005) "L'aire linguistique tibétaine et ses divers dialectes." ''Lalies'', 2005, n°25, p. 7–56 [http://tournadre.nicolas.free.fr/fichiers/2005-aire.pdf]</ref>

==Religion==
[[Bon|Bön]] and [[Tibetan Buddhism]] were the dominant religions amongst Baltis until the arrival of [[Islam]] in [[Baltistan]] during the 14th century, predominantly through [[Sufism|Sufi]] missionaries such as [[Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani]]. The [[Noorbakshia Islam|Noorbakshia Sufi]] sect further propagated the Islamic faith in the region, and most of the Balti people had accepted Islam by the end of the 17th century.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Little Tibet: Renaissance and Resistance in Baltistan|url=https://www.himalmag.com/little-tibet-renaissance-and-resistance-in-baltistan/|date=1998-04-30|website=Himal Southasian|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-20}}</ref> With the passage of time, a large number of Baltis converted to [[Shia Islam]], while a few converted to [[Sunni Islam]].

The Baltis still retain many cultural traits of pre-Islamic [[Bon|Bön]] and [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] rituals within their society, making them a unique demographic in [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baltistan.eus/news/articles/the-nurbakhshi-religion-in-baltistan | title=The Nurbakhshi religion in Baltistan | publisher=Baltistan Foundation | access-date=7 March 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603134645/https://www.baltistan.eus/news/articles/the-nurbakhshi-religion-in-baltistan/ | archive-date=3 June 2019 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Balti language]] remains highly archaic and conservative, closer to [[Classical Tibetan]] than other [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan languages]].

Baltis see congregation in [[Mosque|mosques]] and [[Khanqah|Sufi Khanqahs]] as an important religious ritual. Khanqahs are training schools introduced by early Sufi saints who arrived in the region. The students gain spiritual purity ([[tazkiah]]) through this training (meditations and contemplations) under well-practiced spiritual guides who have already attained a certain degree of spirituality.{{Expansion needed|reason=Vague|date=January 2021}}

Mosques in Baltistan are predominantly built in the [[Architecture of Tibet|Tibetan style of architecture]], though several mosques have wood-finishings and decorations in the [[Mughal architecture|Mughal style]], which is also seen in the [[Kargil district]] of [[India|Indian]]-administered [[Ladakh]], across the [[Line of Control]].

Today, around 60% of Baltis are Shia Muslims, while some 30% practice Noorbakshia Sufi Islam, and 10% are Sunni Muslims.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC|title=Kashmir: History and People|last=Bakshi|first=S. R.|date=1997-01-01|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=9788185431963|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

In India, 97% of Baltis are [[Muslims]] and 3% of Baltis are [[Buddhism|Buddhists]]. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-Series/ST14.html|access-date=2021-05-31|website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>

== Cuisine ==
{{Expand section|date=January 2021}}
Balti cuisine is rather well-known. One delicacy includes spicy [[curry]], cooked in a [[karahi]] (a heavy, bowl-shaped cast-iron pan with two handles). This dish is often eaten with thick [[naan]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Human: The Definitive Visual Guide|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2004|isbn=0-7566-0520-2|editor-last=Winston|editor-first=Robert|location=New York|pages=437}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gilgit-Baltistan|Gilgit−Baltistan]]
**[[Baltistan]]
*[[Balti language]]
* [[Balti (food)|Balti (dish)]]
* [[Genocide of Kashmiri Shias]]
* [[Tibetan Muslims]]
* ''[[Three Cups of Tea]]'', a book about an [[Americans|American]] humanitarian involved in building schools in Baltistan (as part of a larger [[AfPak]] campaign)
* [[Sart]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Muhammad Yousuf Hussainabadi, 'Baltistan per aik Nazar'. 1984.
*Hussainabadi, Mohamad Yusuf. Balti Zaban. 1990.
*Muhammad Yousuf Hussainabadi, 'Tareekh-e-Baltistan'. 2003.
*[http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2985.pdf Addition of new four letter to tibetan scripts by Yusuf Hussainabadi] Indian Muslim.
*Akhond Muhammad Hussain Kashif "Malumaat e Gilgit Baltistan" 2013.
*Shumal kay Sitarey by Ehsan Ali Danish Sermik.
*Azadi e Gilgit Baltistan by Muhammad Yousuf.
*Documentary film, [https://vimeo.com/channels/260876/409415255] Fathima the Oracle (2020, dir. Geleck Palsang), [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10298024/] description at IMDB.com

{{Ethnic groups in Pakistan}}

[[Category:Balti people| ]]
[[Category:Himalayan peoples]]
[[Category:Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Shia communities]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of India]]
[[Category:Social groups of Gilgit Baltistan]]
[[Category:Tibetan people]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Pakistan]]

Balti people - Revision history

>Rodw at 09:08, 1 June 2021