Religion as a Space for Kalash Identity A Case Study of Village Bumburetin Kalash Valley, District Chitral

Abstract

The study was conducted in Bumburet valley of district Chitral, Pakistan. Qualitative anthropological research technique was adopted for acquiring the ethnographic data for the research in hand. This research paper is an attempt to understand ancestral and cultural traditions, faith, mystic experiences, oral history and mythology of the Kalash people. The natives' concept of sacred and profane, fundamental principle of purity and impurity and the use of religion as a source of socio political strength have also taken into the account. Religion is a universal phenomenon which has existed even in the Stone Age and preliterate societies and serves as a source of identification for the people. Among the Kalash religion is the main divine force for their cultural identity. Religious identity is constructed both socially and culturally and transmitted to the next generation. The changes brought in the religion are the consequence of asserting power to make it more of cultural and group identity rather than a pure matter of choice based on individual's inner self or basic fact of birth. The role of Shamans and Qazi is very significant. They teach and preach youth the rituals, offering and sacrifice. The contemporary Kalash believes in one God but the Red Kalash believed in variety of gods and deities, which includes Irma (The Supreme Creator), Dezalik/ disini (goddess of fertility), Sajigor (the warrior god), Bulimain (divider of riches), Maha~deo (god of promise), Ingaw (god of prosperity), Shigan (god of health), Kotsomaiush (goddess of nature and feminism) and Jatch / Zaz (A Super Natural Being).

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