Shina people


The Shina, also known as the Shin are a Dardic tribe residing in southern Gilgit–Baltistan, Chitral and the western part of the Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, as well as the Dras Valley and Kishenganga Valley in the northern region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. They speak an Indo-Aryan language, called Shina, which has varied dialects, such as Brokskat.

Geography

In Pakistan, The Shina is the major ethnic group of Gilgit-Baltistan and Shin language is spoken by an estimated 500,000 people living mainly in Gilgit, Diamer, and Baltistan of Gilgit-Baltistan autonomous region and Kohistan District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Shina individuals differ from other Pakistani people on the basis of a different culture, norm, and language. The Shina people are found in Shinkari, Gor, Chilas, Tangir, the Indus Valley below Sazin, and the upper part of the Gilgit Valley above Ponyal. Many Shina people have also migrated to Karachi and Islamabad for employment, carrying out business, and education purposes, and many of them have permanently settled in these cities.
In India, the Shina people are found in Gurais, as well as in Dah Hanu and beyond the city of Leh.

History

The Shina people originally practiced Hinduism, as well as Buddhism. As such, the Shina, particularly the Dangariké caste, were referred to by their neighbours as "cow people". Even after the majority of the ethnic group's conversion to Islam, orthodox Shins would continue to neither eat beef, drink cow's milk nor touch any vessel containing it; a dead cow or a suckling calf is considered especially unclean. In Gilgit, Hunza and Nagar, the Hindu Shins formerly practiced sati, which ceased before A.D. 1740. 1877, in that region, marked the last year that Shina men underwent Hindu cremation rites. Many castes of the Shina people, such as the Açar'îta caste, converted to Islam in the 19th century and this faith is now observed by the majority of the ethnic group; a minority of Shina speakers, chiefly the Brokpa caste, continue to practice Buddhism and Hinduism.

Castes

Shin is an ethnic group comprising following castes:
Mah Noor et al. found west Eurasian mtDNA in 89% of Shina samples, which included 11.1% from the following haplogroups, H14a, T1a, H2a, T2, U7, U5b and HV2. Besides, 11.1% of the samples belonged to haplogroup M54, which is of South Asian origin. According to the researchers, the high frequency of western mtDNA haplogroups in the Shina samples indicate their West Eurasian ancestral origin. The presence of South Asian haplogroups however reveal minor genetic admixture of Shina with surrounding South Asian groups.

Pre-Islamic Hindu Shin names

Male Shin Names
MoosingHubba SingRam Sing
KummosingGissingPoonyar Sing
MelSingChumar SingSingoo
Dem SingBoonyal SingDingoo
Boomersing, HinnasingGelsing,
name="ReferenceA">Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh John Biddulph Sang e meel Publications Page 99

Female Shin Names
Sheli BaiSookoomullRozi Bai--
ShubibiBibi HarzuShermull--
Shoosha BaiBaiDoodiSoti Poti

Religion

India
Muslims: 45100
Buddhist: 3144
Hindu: 133

Festivals

The Shina festival of Chili marks the commencement of wheat sowing, as with other celebrations in the Indian subcontinent, including Lohri and Makar Sakranti. Chilli also formerly had a connection with the worship of the cedar. Cedar worship is prevalent among historic the Hindu communities of Himalayas, from the Hindu Kush region to Himachal and Uttarakhand. It is known as Deodar, which is derived from the Sanskrit word Devadaru, which means "wood of the gods" and is a compound of the words deva and dāru. The Cedar is also sacred in Kafiristan.