The Sindhi Bhils/Bheels (Sindhi: سنڌي ڀيل) are an Sindhinised sub-group of the Bhil people who live in the Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. They are one of major Tribe Community in the region, and are one of the Hindu groups in Pakistan who are known to not leave Sindh during the Partition of India.[3]
ڀيل | |
|---|---|
 Bhils of Sindh | |
| Total population | |
| 170,00000[citation needed] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Pakistan | 170,0000[1] |
 India | [2] |
| Languages | |
| Sindhi Bhili, Dhatki, Marwari, Sindhi, Saraiki | |
| Religion | |
| Tribe | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bhil | |
Culture
editThe Bhils are considered by some to be remaining community of Indus valley civilization[4][5] The Bhils mostly work as peasants and are very poor. Most of them work labour jobs around the country to sustain themselves. The Human Rights Commission of the United Nations found out that many Bhils, Meghwars, and Kolhis were actually slaves, even after Pakistan had abolished slavery of the Bhil people in 1992.[6] In Sindh and Balochistan, these people are far worse off than the ones in Punjab, with many being forced to convert to Islam. Nearly 95% of the Sindhi Bhils live in Thar desert in rural areas in Tharparkar, Umerkot,[7] Badin, Thatta, and Mohrano as well as in cities like Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, and Karachi.[8] Many Bhils of interior Sindh frequently sacrifice animals to their 'goddesses', a tradition which has died off in recent years.[9]
Language
editMany Bhils speak Sindhi Bhil, a distinct variety of Sindhi with Sanskrit influences. Some speak Dhatki dialect of Sindhi and some speak Marwari and others speak other dialects of Sindhi, and Saraiki.
History
editBheel was one of the very oldest tribe In Pakistan, Sindh and Gandawa (in Balochistan) was one of the provincial headquarters of the Bhil dynasty.[10]
Notable People
edit- Krishan Bheel - Leader
- Poonjo Mal Bheel - Leader
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bhil of Pakistan".
- ^ "Annexure - Ib / List of notified Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2013.
- ^ "The thriving Shiva festival in Umarkot is a reminder of Sindh's Hindu heritage". DAWN.COM. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Who are the Bhils?". MeMeraki.com. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Shah, Hawabai Mustafa (1991). Aboriginal Tribes of India and Pakistan: The Bhils & Kolhis. Sindhi Kitab Ghar.
- ^ "The Meghwar Bhil of Pakistan".
- ^ "Prints of Group of Bheels (Bhels), Sindh, India (now Pakistan)". Mary Evans Prints Online Photo Prints. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Ghulam, Hussain (2020). "Bhil of Pakistan". Caste and Class Politics in Muslims of South Asia. Quaid-i-Azam University.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 1998 District Census Report of [name of District. 1999.