Balti people

 ( Ethnic Groups In India ) 

The Baltis are a Tibetic ethnic group who are native to the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Indian-administered territory of Ladakh, predominantly in the Kargil district with smaller concentrations present in the Leh district. Outside of the Kashmir, Baltis are scattered throughout Pakistan, with the majority of the diaspora inhabiting prominent urban centres such as Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

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Origin The origin of the name Balti is unknown.

(1992). 9789698023126, National Institute of Pakistani Studies. . ISBN 9789698023126

The first written mention of the Balti people occurs in the 2nd century BCE by the Roman Alexandria astronomer and geographer Ptolemy, who refers to the region as Byaltae. The Balti people themselves refer to their native land as Balti-yul (); the modern name of the Baltistan region is the Persian language rendering of this name.

Syed Muhamad Abbas Kazmi (1996). 9788124103456, Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 9788124103456

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Language The Balti language belongs to the Tibetic language family. Read (1934) considers it to be a dialect of Ladakhi language, Balti Grammar, by A. F. C. Read. London: The Royal Asiatic society, 1934. while Nicolas Tournadre (2005) instead considers it to be a sister language of Ladakhi.* N. Tournadre (2005) "L'aire linguistique tibétaine et ses divers dialectes." Lalies, 2005, n°25, p. 7–56 [1] The Balti language remains highly archaic and conservative, closer to Classical Tibetan than other Tibetan languages.

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Religion The Baltis still retain many cultural traits of pre-Islamic Bon and Tibetan Buddhism rituals within their society, making them a unique demographic group in Pakistan.

Bön and Tibetan Buddhism were the dominant religions practiced by the Balti people until the arrival of Islam in Baltistan around the 14th century CE, predominantly through Sufism missionaries such as Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani. The Noorbakshia Sufi sect further propagated the Islamic faith in the region, and most of the Balti had converted to Islam by the end of the 17th century. While Shia Islam had a presence in Baltistan since the late 16th century, Shia along with Sunni missionaries began actively proselytizing among the Balti around the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Around 60% of the Baltis are Shia Muslims, while some 30% practice Noorbakshia Sufi Islam, and 10% are Sunni Muslims.

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See also

• Gilgit-Baltistan
• Baltistan
• Balti language
• Mayfung
• Three Cups of Tea, a book about an Americans humanitarian involved in building schools in Baltistan (as part of a larger AfPak campaign)

Categories: Ethnic Groups In India, Ethnic Groups In Pakistan, Himalayan Peoples, Muslim Communities Of India, Shia Communities, Social Groups Of Gilgit Baltistan, Social Groups Of Jammu And Kashmir, Tibetan People

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