Gujjars, Bakerwals and Paharis
Recent context : The Save Tribals March, a street agitation launched by Gujjars, Bakerwals in opposition to the government’s move to include Paharis into the scheduled tribes list has been cancelled.
Who are Gujjars, Bakerwas and Paharis :
Gujjars :
- Gujjar is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan, Kashmir and Afghanistan divided internally into various clan groups.
- They are classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) in 12 states. while in Jammu & Kashmir and some parts of Himachal Pradesh, they have Scheduled Tribe status.
- Gujjars and Bakerwals who were included in ST list in 1991, constitute 14% of J&K population.
Bakerwals :
- The Bakarwal community is listed as Scheduled Tribes along with Gujjars in Jammu and Kashmir, India in 1991.
- They are a nomadictribe they spread over a large part starting from Pir Panjal Range to Hindukush to Ladakh located in Himalayan mountains of South Asia.
- They are shepherds and goatherders at large and seasonally migrate from one place to another with their herds.
- They are found in the Jammu and Kashmir state of north India.
Paharis :
- The Pahari people or Pahari-speaking people is a cover term for a number of heterogeneous communities inhabiting the Indian regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
- Pahariis an ambiguous term used to describe a variety of Northern Indo-Aryan Northern Indo-Aryan languages, most of which are found in the lower Himalayas.
- Paharis are classified as a linguistic minority.
Syllabus : prelims; various tribes and communities in news
