Identity/Location

People Name: Baloch

Primary Language: Balochi Speakers: 99%

Second Language: Urdu/Farsi Speakers: 40%

Third Language: Sindhi/English Speakers: 05%

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam

Alternate Names: Baluch

Dialects: Makrani, Rakhshani, E. Hill

Location: Southwest, Central, East

Country: Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan

Percent Christian (Pakistan): 1.5%

Percent Evangelical: .6%

PPL Code: PAK-BGP

Ethnologue Code: BGP

Marc Code: 2030

Country Data/Population

Total People (Year): 5 Million

In This Country (Year): 3 Million (Pakistan)

Other Countries (Pop/Yr): 2 Million

Urban Percent: 30%

Adult Literacy: 7%

-*-*- Populations are estimated due to lack of accurate census data -*-*-

Socio-Economic
 

Occupations: Farming, Nomadic Herders: sheep, goat & camel, Carpet Weaving, Manual Labor In Small Urban Factories, Truck Driving & Manual Labor On Farms, Street Cleaning, ETC In The Gulf States. A Very Small Educated Elite Have Entered Professions In Pakistan Or Are Involved In Literary Pursuits.

Income Sources: Primarily From The Sale Of Farm & Animal Products & Carpets. Some Earn Wages In Urban Occupations, But At Least Half Of The Baloch In Karachi Are Unemployed. Many Families Receive Remittance From Relatives Employed In The Oil-Rich Gulf States.

Products: Wheat, Wool, Fine Carpets & Intricate Embroidery On Long Blouses For Women Are Traditional Crafts; Coal, Marble Items Such As Bowls & Book-Ends & Lamps Are Carved From The Soft, Multi-Hued Alabaster Found In Baluchistan.

Trade Partners: Most Of Their Items Are Bought By Non-Baloch Pakistani Traders At A Very Low Price.

Basic Diet: Rice, Wheat Bread, Chicken, Fish, Curries, Tea

Recreation: Singing, Dancing, Poetry, Reading, Soccer

Art Forms: Carpet weaving and intricate embroidery; Poetry Reading (Epic & Romantic); Singing of ballads & lullabies.

Festivals: The feasts of the Muslim year are widely celebrated, such as, the breaking of the month of fasting and the Feast of Sacrifice. A great deal of visiting from house to house takes place. During these occasions, fine clothing is worn by those who can afford it. They are very hospitable and enjoy conversations in one another's homes. Weddings are complex and involve the whole community. These events last for several days. Soccer is also enjoyed by young men.

Media (Radio/TV/Newspapers/Film/Videos/Recordings): Most Baloch have radios and, in urban areas, own color TV sets. Films in the national language (Urdu) are widely attended in cities. Balochi language radio broadcasts are heard for several hours daily over Quetta Radio but cannot be heard by a million more Baloch in Karachi. Baloch broadcasts are also beamed from Iran and Kabul, Afghanistan presenting propaganda. few gospel broadcasts are broadcasted. Gospel recordings cassettes are available in several Balochi dialects, but have not been widely distributed. Cassettes of the Gospels of Luke & John in Rakhshani dialect are available.

Society

Family Structures: Baloch have traditionally lived in extended family groups along tribal lines. The grandfather has had the role of a patriarch. Authority in the family group would descend through the father and eldest brother. Migration to cities like Karachi has tended to loosen loyalties to the extended family and thousands of Baloch men who labor in the Gulf States must live apart from their families for long periods. In this case, groups of Baloch men, often from the same village, share a small dwelling.

Neighbor Relations: The Baloch usually have a strong sense of community. Their neighbors are often kinfolk and cooperate in projects of mutual benefit is the rule. In urban settings and foreign lands, the Baloch cluster in their own communities. Inter-tribal rivalry and warfare has been common and blood-feuds necessitate the avenging of wronged relatives.

Rule/Authority/Selection: In the past and in many parts of interior Baluchistan today, the Baloch live under a feudal system and owe absolute loyalty to tribal chief or sardar. In the urban setting tribal loyalties are breaking down and the new authority figures are student leaders, poets and writers, publishers and a few politicians. Democracy is not practiced in areas inhabited by Baloch.

Social Habits/Groupings: The Baloch Student Organization which has been strongly influenced by Marxism is the most influential group, especially among the young. They, together with guerilla groups lead in the struggle for national autonomy. Communities that have migrated to Karachi from towns in Iran have social clubs. Baloch living in the Gulf States have Mutual Welfare Associations that meet frequently to discuss politics, read poetry and assist destitute Baloch and those with special problems. Several tribes from the interior manage lodges or community centers in Karachi which are presided over by sub-chiefs.

Development

Most Baloch living in urban areas like Karachi have electricity, cold running water and basic sanitation in their small homes built of brick or cinder block. Relatives from the Gulf have brought back color TV's, stereo radios, refrigerators, etc... However, in the interior of Baluchistan they lack these amenities. Most villages are without electricity or plumbing.

0=None 1=Poor 2=Fair 3=Adequate U=Unknown

Health Care __1__

Balanced Diet __2__

Good Water __1__

Shelter __1__

Electricity __2__

Education __1__

Radio __3__

Telephone __1__

Public Transportation __1__

Culture Change: Rapid

Acculturation To International Society: Near

Self Image: Threatened

Living Conditions/Community Dev. Status

Food: Dry bread (nan) is the staple accompanied by tea when available. Rice is often prepared for the main meal with lentils or chicken or lamb chunks and curry.

Shelter: Settled Baloch live in a few rooms surrounding a central courtyard. A high wall separates the courtyard from the street. The houses may be built of mud or cinder blocks. Many in the interior live in reed shacks or goat hair tents.

Clothing: Both men and women dress in baggy pants drawn at the waist (Shalwar) and long shirts or blouses that extend below the knees outside the Shalwar (Kamiz or Pashk). The women's blouses are intricately and colorfully embroidered with a wide center pocket. The men wear black, blue or tan whereas the women wear bright colors like red, orange and green.

Health Care: The Baloch in Karachi have access to relatively modern government hospitals. In the interior there are few clinics, but most Baloch rely on traditional herbal medicine, amulets and exorcism.

Water (Domestic/Agricultural): There is a chronic shortage of water all over Baluchistan, much of which is desert. The flow of the few rivulets is unreliable. Wells are few and far between. Most drinking water is contaminated. In Karachi there is a regular water supply, but it is far from pure. The Sind is well watered by a network of canals from the Indus River.

Energy/Fuel: In Karachi, most cooking is done on a gas burner. There is a huge field of natural gas in northeast Baluchistan, but most of the gas is transported to more favored provinces which is a source of great resentment to the Baluch. Coal is mined in Baluchistan and is available to the wealthier folk for heating during the cold winters. The rural folk often gather twigs or burn camel dung.

Judicial System/Trial Punishment: Baloch living under the tribal system present their cases to and are judged by the tribal council of elders (JIRGA). The chief (SARDAR) is the final arbitrator and those living in towns and cities are subject to Pakistani courts which are a mixture of the British & Islamic legal systems. Satisfaction is often obtained by kinfolk taking vengeance against the offender and his sub-tribe.

Crisis/Conflicts-History/Status: The Baloch have a strong national pride and are seeking political autonomy. Internecine disputes and the numerical superiority of their neighboring ethnic groups (Iranis, Punjabis) have resulted in their subjugation. Intermittent insurrections in Pakistan & Iran have been going on for decades.

Children/Youth

Education/Type of Schooling: The large majority of Baloch children receive no formal education. The rate of literacy hardly exceeds 5%, much lower among women. No formal education is given in the Balochi language. Some children in urban areas attend government schools in the Urdu medium. Most children are trained by their parents to participate in appropriate family tasks.

Labor/Tasks: Children help with work in the home. Boys in rural areas care for the elders or go fishing. Girls weave carpets or do embroidery.

Problems (Morality/Family/Insurrections/ETC.): Well over half of the urban youth are unemployed. Those with some education soon realize that the doors to better jobs are closed due to ethnic discrimination. Boredom, disillusionment and resentment lead to drug addiction. Statistics indicate that more than half of the Baloch in the ghettos of Karachi are addicted to heroin which is readily available. Some young men join guerilla groups. Others seek employment in the oil-rich Gulf States. Many have accepted scholarships to study in the Soviet Union.





Source: http://www.peopleteams.org/baloch/