Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Religions of the Indigenous People of South Asia Online

Get access Subject: Asian Studies


Edited by:
Marine Carrin (Editor-in-Chief), University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, and Michel Boivin, Centre for South Asian Studies (CNRS-EHESS), Gérard Toffin, Centre d’Études Himalayennes, Paul Hockings, University of Illinois at Chicago, Raphaël Rousseleau, Université de Lausanne, Tanka Subba, North-Eastern Hill University, Harald Tambs-Lyche, University of de Picardie-Jules Verne (Section Editors)

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Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Religions of the Indigenous People of South Asia strives to reflect the diversity of indigenous cultures of South Asia with its many language groups and religious traditions. Shaped by their own mythologies, these tribal religions differ in form and content from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity, though variants of the latter traditions have been adopted by some indigenous people. Religion is taken in a broad sense and includes aspects of morality, symbolism, identity formation, environmental concerns, and art. Far from being simple survivals of an earlier stage, these religions often show remarkable capacity for adaptation and change. The approach is contemporary rather than a reconstruction of an anterior state, though it does not overlook relevant historical processes.

More information: Brill.com

Kalash

(6,750 words)

Author(s): Boivin, Michel
Today, the Kalash inhabit the three valleys of Rumbur, Birir, and Bumburet, all located south of the district capital Chitral in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a maximum elevation of 1,670 m. While there were barely 1,300 Kalash in 1980 (Loude & Lièvre, 1980, 11), they now number about 3,000 people, the total population in the valleys being 9,000. The balance between the Kalash and Muslims in the valleys is as follows: 65% Muslims in Bumburet, 35% Muslims in Rumbur, and 50% M…
Date: 2021-11-10