The Ghorbati (also known as Mugat or Hadurgar) are an ethnic group and originally a nomadic community in Iran[1] Afghanistan, and Central Asia, where they are part of the various communities termed Lyuli.[2] They are mostly situated in Iran, where others have migrated from. They trace their ancestry to Sassanid Persia.[1]

In 1976–77, the Ghorbati in Afghanistan numbered 1,000 families (ca. 5,000 people).[2] Some settled in Peshawar, Pakistan, and some subgroups are connected to the Basseri and Qashqai tribes.

Occupation

Their traditional occupations include carpentry, smithery, peddling, manufacturing and selling domestic goods, writing prayers, and dealing with livestock. Older women practiced fortune telling and healing.

The sieve-makers are known as Ghalbelbaf and Chighalbaf in Afghanistan, Kalbilbof in Tajikistan, and Ghirbalband in Iran. Some also had governmental or religious roles. Overall, they were Afghan citizens; they held ID cards and were conscripted, unlike the related Mugat "Jogi" community.

Language

Their mother tongue is Persian,[1] but they have their own dialect known as Ghorbati (see Persian Romani), which is a secret language with a heavy Persian base — also known as Mogadi (in Shiraz), Magadi (in Herat) and Qazulagi (in Kabul).[3]

Name confusion

The Ghorbati have mainly been confused with the Dom people because the latter are known as Qurbat or Kurbat (Arabic: قرباط/كربات), which is an entirely different name that appears similar to Ghorbat (Persian: غربت). However, this is cognate with the Romani name Gurbeti, but there is no proof of any historical connection between these groups, and the Ghorbati are believed to be nomads who move eastwards rather than being of Indian origin like the Koli, Roma and Dom.

They are distinct from the Koli, although in some regions the terms koli and ghorbati overlap; these words are used regardless of what tribe is being described. The slur ghorbati has been used for people that were displaced during the Iran-Iraq war.[4]

Status

Ghorbats from Iran have also migrated to Maharashtra and other parts of India in the 1970s, although some subgroups were already present in Mughal India since the 16th century.[5] Other alternative translations write the group's name as Ghorbat, Gurbat, Ghurbati, Qorbat. They are a severely marginalised minority in Iran, suffering from a range of social problems.[6] Some Iranians consider the Ghorbati Il-e Fiuj community to be "Pakistani mafia".[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 FREDRIK BARTH (1961). NOMADS OF SOUTH PERSIA. p. 91.
  2. 1 2 John Middleton (1995). Africa and the Middle East. G.K. Hall Company. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-8161-1815-1.
  3. ↑ International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. 2003. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-19-513977-8.
  4. ↑ Roma. Vol. 4. Roma Publications. 1978. p. 43.
  5. ↑ Aparna Rao; Michael J. Casimir (2003). Nomadism in South Asia. Oxford University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-19-565745-6.
  6. ↑ Phillips, David J. (December 12, 2001). "Peoples on the Move: Introducing the Nomads of the World". William Carey Library – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ R. Khanam (2005). Encyclopaedic ethnography of Middle-East and Central Asia. Global Vision Publishing House. p. 643. ISBN 978-81-8220-065-4.
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