Religion:Meghwar Bhil
ميگهواڙ ڀيل | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Pakistan | 87,000[1] |
| Languages | |
| Sindhi Bhil, Marwari, Sindhi, Balochi, Saraiki | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bhil | |
The Meghwar Bhil also known as the Sindhi Bhil (ميگهواڙ ڀيل) are a Sindhinised sub-group of the Bhil people who live in the Sindh, Punjab, and Balocistan provinces of Pakistan . They are a major Hindu community in the region, and are one of the only Hindu groups in Pakistan who are known to not leave Sindh during the Partition of India.
Culture
The Meghwar are considered by some to be a subcaste of the Chamars.[2] The Meghwar of Punjab are rather poor, and are peasants. Most of them work labour jobs around the country to sustain themselves. The Human Rights Commission of the United Nations found out that many Meghwars were actually slaves, even after Pakistan had abolished slavery of the Bhil people in 1992.[3] In Sindh and Balochistan, the Meghwars are far worse off than the ones in Punjab, with many being forced to convert to Islam. Nearly 95% of the Sindhi Meghwar live in rural areas in Badin, Thatta, and Mohrano as well as in cities like Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, and Karachi.[4] Many Meghwars and Kolis have converted to Ismaili Shia Islam in Khebar, Sindh. Many Meghwars have committed suicides in Tharparkar for unknown reasons.[5] Many Meghwars of interior Sindh frequently sacrifice animals to their 'goddesses', a tradition which has died off in recent years.[6] Sunita Parmar, a member of the Meghwar Bhil community, ran for the Assembly Constituency Elections in 2018.[7]
Language
Many Meghwars speak Sindhi Bhil, a distinct variety of Sindhi with Sanskrit influences. Some speak Marwari and others speak Balochi, Sindhi, and Saraiki.
References
- ↑ https://www.peoplegroups.org/Explore/groupdetails.aspx?peid=6381
- ↑ Wagner, C. Peter; Dayton, Edward R. (1978). Unreached Peoples (79 ed.). David C. Cook Publishing Company, 1996. p. 215. ISBN 9780891911463. https://books.google.com/books?id=kddNK7N_1MwC&q=meghwar+people.
- ↑ "The Meghwar Bhil of Pakistan". https://www.prayway.com/unreached/peoplegroups1/712.html.
- ↑ Ghulam, Hussain (2020). "Bhil of Pakistan". Caste and Class Politics in Muslims of South Asia (Quaid-i-Azam University). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343611243.
- ↑ "Momal 58th woman to commit suicide in Thar". https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/722927-momal-58th-woman-to-commit-suicide-in-thar.
- ↑ Schaflechner, Jürgen (2018). Hinglaj Devi: Identity, Change, and Solidification at a Hindu Temple in Pakistan (illustrated ed.). Balochistan and Sindh: Oxford University Press, 2018. p. 288. ISBN 9780190850524. https://books.google.com/books?id=khBADwAAQBAJ&dq=meghwar+people&pg=PA288.
- ↑ "UNPO: Sindh: Meghwar Woman First of Community to Run in Assembly Constituency Elections". https://unpo.org/article/20943.
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