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HISTORY OF HUNZA
Human’s 30,000
inhabitants have been ruled by the same family for 1960
years. They long believed themselves the equals of the
great powers, years. Probably because of their
impregnability. A legend states that the Hunzakuts, as
the people of Hunza are known, are descended from five
wandering soldiers from Alexander’s army. It is true
that some of the people are fair- haired with blue or
green eyes. In central Hunza the people speak
Burushaski, Wakhi and aboriginal language.
Hunza
retained its isolated independence until the British
conquered it; on the fruits of caravan raids slave
trading and attacking it’s neighbors. It did not become
par of Pakistan until 1974, and even now the Mir of
Hunza retains much of his traditional importance. The
society is co-operative rather than competitive; there
is remarkably little difference in the people’s weather,
each family growing enough corn, apricots and walnuts
for its own use. The economy used to be entirely
self-sufficient, but this is rapidly changing as the
Karakoram Highway opens up the valley.
Hunza was the
likely model for the Shangri-La of James Hilton’s novel
‘Lost Horizon’ where he describes it as a country of
peace and contentment where the people do not ago. The
myth of the longevity of the Hunzakuts probably stems
from the fact that it was selected by the National
Geographic magazine as the kingdom where people loved
longest, free from social stress and succored by their
high intake of apricots and low intake of animal fat.
Fruit was, and is, the staple diet. During the summer
the people used to eat nothing else; in order to
conserve fuel and precious cereals cooking in the summer
months was forbidden. In winter the people ate flour
made from apricot kernels and drank brandy distilled
from mulberries, and wines from the grapes that used to
grow everywhere, smothering the poplars and roofs.
You see in Hunza a large number of old people, most of
them apparently in good health, but few, if any, live to
be 120. Life is as hard in Hunza as it is elsewhere in
the northern areas, particularly in the early spring
when the supplies of stored food are running low.
THE BURUSHO
The Burusho, also known as the
Burushas, are known to inhabit three rugged
mountainous areas of northern Pakistan known as
the Hunza, the Nagar, and the Yasin Valleys.
However, most of the Burusho live in the Hunza
Valley. No one seems to know the exact origin of
the Burusho but according to a legend, three
soldiers from the army of Alexander the Great came
and settled in the Hunza Valley around 300 BC.
Another legend that says that the Burusho were
driven from northwestern India into Pakistan by
Indo-Aryan invaders. For hundreds of years the
territory of Hunza was ruled by a prince. Then
from 1892 until 1949 the British ruled this
territory. In 1949, Pakistan gained control of
Hunza when a truce made by the United Nations
brought an end to the fighting between Pakistan
and India. The Burusho are a proud people and they
are very warm and friendly. Most of them are
farmers but some are involved in tourism and
trade.
Some of the Burushas serve in the
military or work for the government. The family
ties of the Burusho are very important. The
husband is always the head of the household. The
Burusho usually do not intermarry with other
ethnic groups in the area, not even the Hunza or
Nagar Burusho. Their houses are built of concrete
or stone and are not very warm during the winter
months. Kerosene is often used for heating because
wood is scarce. The Burusho eat mainly fruits,
grains, and vegetables. Some of their favorites
are peaches , apricots, and nuts. They raise
sheep, cattle, and goats for milk and wool. Their
chief industries are production of woolen cloth
and dried apricots.
The spoken language of the
Burusho people is “Burushaski”. It is their
primary language but is not yet a written
language. Qualified workers are needed to develop
a written language for the Burusho . The Hunza,
Nagar, and Yasin Valleys all have a distinct
dialect. Most similarities are found between the
Hunza and Nagar dialects. Urdu is the national
language of Pakistan and is also the secondary
language of the Burusho.
Traditionally, the
Burusho were animistic, believing that non-human
objects have spirits, but Islam is now their
primary religion. The Burusho differ from valley
to valley as to which faction of Islam they
follow. Most are Ismailis, while others may be
Shia or Sunni Muslims.
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