By Iqbal KhwajaTHATTA: Karians, the genuine aborigines of Sindh, are often seen busy working in fields, lanes of poor-dominated areas and outside some business establishments all around the province. Their outfit and living clearly distinguish them from other inhabitants of Sindh. Turns of centuries have changed almost everything in the world but Karians remained stoic and stolid.
Hardworking Karians have several things common among their own lot. They are very particular in selecting profession and residence. Similarly they deal with other people on a set pattern when face situations like matrimonial, moving from one area to another one and other matters concerning one family, a portion of the community or the whole tribe. Karians' stubborn attitude is perhaps the main reason that they could not adjust themselves with the other tribes and communities living in the same province. Even their dialect, is slightly different from other Sindhi dialects spoken in the whole territory. Despite having claim of being the ancient populous of the province, Karians kept themselves away from politics till date. Though one may find Karian families at any place the main concentration appeared to be lower Sindh and Tharparkar. According to a survey, about 30 Karian families are settled at Sujawal, 20 at Mirpur Bathoro, seven at Darro, and nine at Chuhar Jamali.
Nathu Kario, a blacksmith having a shop in Mirpur Bathoro told this scribe that Maharaja Rana Partab Singh, a ruler of Chitor Singh (India) who was Karian tribe's spiritual leader, had over a century ago, disallowed them to make pucca houses and advised them to keep on moving from one place to the other instead of confining themselves to a particular piece of land. But now, Nathu said, the deadline set by the Raja for his advice was over. The decree is no more valid, he added, as the sitting spiritual leader Maharaja Nandlal has lifted the ban. 'Many of our tribesmen were now trying to raise pucca houses and organize themselves,' he said. Karian have a vote bank of 155,000 throughout Sindh, he claimed saying that majority of them lived in Noakot, Umerkot (Tharparkar) and Mirpurkhas districts. There are several theories about the Karians' arrival in Sindh but historians agree that they are genuine aborigines and that no other tribe or community is believed to have lived on the soil of Sindh earlier than the Karians.
Professor M.B. Pithawala, in his book Marvels Of Earth writes, 'Sindh is mainly a sea-born land. In this valley, the people who first occupied Sindh were the forefathers of those now called Karians, Kols, Bheels and Santhals. Mr Pithawala observes that the skulls, excavated from Moenjodaro in 1922-23, were of Karians or, some evidences confirm the tribe's name as, Kolorians.
Sir Grearson in his book Linguistic Survey of India writes: 'Evidence seems to show that the language, now spoken by the Karians/Kolorians is nearly the same as that of the people of Indo-China, from Malayan peninsula to Australia.
A section of the Indus, from where Satawah canal passes through Shahbunder sub-division, was called 'Popat', (Parrot) in olden era, he says. The Kolorians and Kols used to sacrifice a parrot before entering the Indus water.
Mr Corter, a renowned archaeologist, says that Karians were promoters of the neolithic or new stone age. E. Marselen and Sir Henry Sharp in The History of India write that the two races, the Kolorians/Karians and the Dravidians may have dwelt side by side. This theory is now generally accepted but another theory claims that Dravidians came later from north, west or south of Sindh when the land, now submerged, is supposed to have stretched from India towards Australia. The Karians are living in subhuman conditions with most of the male members of the tribe being blacksmiths. However, they are professionals having expertise in producing agricultural implements, axes, hatches, shackles, plough etc.
The Karians are not interested in glamour but all they want is the provision of basic amenities including water, power, gas etc. They are also willing to be represented in elected Houses. Some of them called for the authorities' favour in educating their children.