"They drank wine, had their dance paces Bacchic worship, their country like Greece, valleys and water fields identified by a screen of mountains comforting after Hindu Kush deserts. And those faces so familiar ... " chroniclers tell of the conquests of Alexander. 
Indeed, deep in the mountains the Hindu Kush forests are oaks, sky and light reminiscent of the Mediterranean, the grape growing, wine and grappa like the cicadas sing ... The people have light skin and green eyes, I shared the surprise of these men. But this is not the color of their skin that lies the most amazing but
well in the traditions of the Kalash people. All of northern Pakistan, a part of Chinese Turkestan and Iran but also the north of India are inhabited by these peoples to unclear. They probably arrived with the Indo European invasion came from the plains of northern Europe from the 3rd millennium BC JC. They raided the shelves of Iran, through the Hindu Kush and reached the Punjab plains and the first Chinese Turkestan. Given their languages and despite the persistent legend, they are not the descendants of Alexander's soldiers, but maybe those of Dionysus! The Kushan empire from these people nevertheless shows many Greek influences ...
After three days of roads from Gilgit in beautiful green valleys populated of Ismaliens always so hospitable and tolerant, after crossing the neck of Shandur or runs the most prestigious polo tournament between Pakistan the best teams Gilgit and Chitral, I came to Chitral, the capital of the region of the same name. in this region, just three hours of Chitral Jeep on steep roads, only 6 hours walk from Afghanistan, the last people "infidel" is trying to save his astonishing identity against its neighbors Muslims. In the late 19th century, the Sultan of Kabul has launched against the Kafiristan, "land of infidels," the greatest offensive put an end to these beliefs on the face of the Afghan Hindu Kush.
There are now only three valleys about 30 km each and last Kalash live in 4000.
Entering these valleys, one discovers a fantasy world, where tales of extreme beauty, mistresses of the waters and lakes filled with gold, fall in love with shepherds in impossible love, oules bad spirits haunt the forests, where the gods communicate through shamans, punish misconduct by curses and protect the Kalash.
reigns in the three valleys genuine harmony. The houses are open to neighbors, men and women mingle and share their daily lives. These are dressed in black robes embroidered with yellow and orange, they wear many necklaces of glass beads yellow and orange, and long dresses made of shells. Their eyes are deep green, their nose is long and prominent cheekbones, they are sometimes very beautiful.
Children play cricket with bits of wood, swimming in pools or jumping from rooftop to rooftop. They eat ripe apricots and climbing in the trees above and they laugh as much as their parents. Women still are smiling, do not hesitate to approach and attempt to discuss with looks troubling.
Nature is generous, the trees are huge and full of fruit, green fields and plenty of water and pure. They do not seem to strive to work, work in their religion is the result
punishment from God, so a chore. The sin of Adam and Awa, or that of another woman who at the time or snow was cheese and when it was enough to bend down to eat, washed her son with the gift of the gods, unhappy that they transformed into forming snow, and the man known work ... They have no text, their religion and made oral histories and legends that Behar, sort of shamans or elders tell during religious festivals, sacrifices or winter evenings. Their memory is inexhaustible. If they have a god, Khodia, bigger than the others, creator of the universe and of Adam and Awa with the clean side of Adam, they also have a multitude of gods who intercede for them with Khodia. In every valley, there are sometimes special gods returned from Afghanistan after the killing and the conversion of Kafirs. In their mythology, like Jews, they migrated 500 years before finding the Tsyam they were subsequently expelled. They say they are descended from one of the 7 son of Adam and Awa, who murdered his brother to take his wife's father is Muslim.
Men and women drink wine Kalash, a kind of grappa, sometimes smoked hashish that grows like a weed. They drink mainly during ceremonies that are very festive and sometimes allow throw all the grudges.
This unusual world, which arouses curiosity and imagination and remind our children's stories, it does stand to proselytize Muslim and Western materialism brought by tourists and traders?
During these few days, I allowed myself to dream ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment