Kalash Tribe of Pakistan
I wonder if this is the tribe we heard of while in Iran. A friend had visited a tribe living up in the mountains in Pakistan. They were supposed to be of Zoroastrian descent – a couple of things that point to this are 1) wearing a Kusti type thread around their waist/arms, and 2) leaving their dead in a ‘ dry well’ on the side of the mountain.
This friend we had in Iran had visited these villages, and he said they were a very close knit community, not keen on having interaction with others. Of recent times, some youth have ventured into the cities around for education.
Would these be the people who are going to come out when the time’s right and resurrect Zoroastrianism?
Fascinating to say the least
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Courtesy : Firdosh Tolat
It is obvious that about 50% of the men, women and children look absolutely Parsee. However, there may be some Macedonian, and could be others too. However, there is Athenian because many Athenians adopted the Achaemenid customs and were instrumental in the spread of Zoroastrianism as they were in the service of the Persian kings and lords and were influenced by the lifestyle and religion. Also they moved further east into remote mountain areas formed villages for trading and establishing hospitality businesses of providing food and housing. Some could be traders too. Along with the Athenians, the Armenians and possibly Phoenicians could be mixed too as they were traders. During the reign of Cyrus the Great and later repaired and improvised by Darius the Great people from what is now Italy (Royal Route) and nearby regions established mountain towns on the trade route from the west to east. As Macedonians, Greeks and Nordic-Greeks, nomadic Arabs, etc enter the picture. The evolution of the phenomenon could have occurred for over 500 to 1800 years.
i leant during my service life that a tribe – latest about 1000 or so in number living secluded lives – not mixing at all, exists in Ladakh; may be they may be connected to the Pak mountain tribe.
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