Bakhtiari people
Total population | |
---|---|
~1,000,000 (2001) Bakhtiari Luri | |
Religion | |
Shia Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Lurs |
The Bakhtiari (also spelled Bakhtiyari; Persian: بختیاری) are a Lur tribe[2] from Iran. They speak the Bakhtiari dialect of the Luri language.[3][4]
Bakhtiaris primarily inhabit
A small percentage of Bakhtiari are still nomadic pastoralists, migrating between summer quarters (sardsīr or yaylāq) and winter quarters (garmsīr or qishlāq).[5]
Origins
Although there have been several suggested theories for the origin of the Bakhtiyaris, historians and researchers generally agree that they are Lurs. According to folklore, the Lurs are descended from a group of youngsters who survived and fled from the demon
A second theory suggests that the Bakhtiyaris were originally from
Another theory supported by some historians is that the Bakhtiyaris are descended from
Genetics
According to research into
Etymology
The term bakhtiari can be best translated as "companion of fortune" or "bearer of good luck"[9] The term has deep Persian roots, and is the result of two smaller words bakht and yar complied together. Bakht is the Persian word for "fortune" and yar, iar, iari literally means "companion".[9]
The latter designation largely relates to the nature of the tribe's annual "migration". This has to do with the harsh nature of Bakhtiari life, and overcoming of countless difficulties that Bakhtiaris have faced in the Zagros ranges. In this sense, Bakhtiaris view themselves as a hardworking tribe, facing numerous obstacles every day, and yet fortunate enough to overcome each of these challenges as a solid unit.[9]
Nevertheless, the origins of Bakhtiaris are ancient, and it may have very well been the case that the tribe underwent a series of name changes throughout its history. However it is mostly claimed that the designation "Bakhtiari" came largely into use some time in antiquity.[10]
In
History
In c. 913, Lorestan was split up into realms; Lur-i Buzurg (Greater Lur) and Lur-i Kuchak (Lesser Lur). The Bakhtiyaris are first attested in history in the early 15th-century. In 1413, the arrival of several Bakhtiyari clans such as the Astarki, Kutwand, Raki, Janaki and Zallaki are mentioned by the
Constitutional Revolution: In Iran's contemporary history, the Bakhtiari have played a significant role; particularly during the advent of the country's
Pahlavi Period: With the expansion of Bakhtiari influence, urban elites (particularly in Tehran) began to worry in regards to a potential Bakhtiari takeover of Persia's affairs. Prior to this point, the Bakhtiari had largely remained within their own territorial boundaries. The Bakhtiari influence would continue to play an important role within the early 20th century politics of Iran.
Music
The Bakhtiari are noted in Iran for their music which inspired Russian composer Alexander Borodin.[19]
Culture
Livelihood and dwellings
Bakhtiari nomads migrate twice a year with their herds for pasture: in spring to the mountains in their summer quarters (sardsīr or yaylāq), and in autumn to valleys and the plains in their winter quarters (garmsīr or qishlāq). The livestock the Bakhtiari mainly raise are goats, sheep, horses, and cattle. However, some Bakhtiari also engage in agricultural occupations, and mostly cultivate wheat and other cereal grains. Nomadic Baktiari rely on trading and bartering with nearby villages and populations to obtain products they don't have or are unable to create themselves (like agricultural goods). Temporary dwellings for the Bakhtiari include rectangular tents or brush or wood shelters. These types of dwellings are used when moving their herds around. Recently, some Bakhtiari have urbanized and began to settle in large villages and even in cities.[20]
Language, gender, and religion
Shia Islam is the main religion followed by both the nomadic and sedentary Bakhtiaris.[20] However, according to a Shia cleric in Iran some Bakhtiari Lurs have converted to Zoroastrianism in recent years.[21]
Despite the patriarchal nature of Bakhtiari society, women enjoy a rather high degree of freedom. This was because of their importance in the Bakhtiari economy as weavers, in which colorful and stylish designs on carpets made them very popular among buyers. However, after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Bakhtiari (along with Iranian society in general) underwent rapid changes so presently, Bakhtiari women do not have the same kind of privileges they had before the revolution.[20]
Notable Bakhtiari people
- Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiari
- Ali-Qoli Khan Bakhtiari
- Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari
- Hossein Gholi Khan Ilkhani
- Khalil Esfandiary-Bakhtiary
- Najaf Qoli Khan Bakhtiari
- Shapour Bakhtiar
- Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary
- Laleh Bakhtiar, author[22] and former professor at the University of Chicago, who wrote a feminist re-interpretation of the Koran.[23]
See also
References
- ^ "Bakhtyari (people)". ethnologue. 19 November 2019.
- ISBN 978-9004060562.
Lur -- an Iranian people living in the mountains in southwestern Persia. As in the case of the Kurds, the principal link among the four branches of the Lurs (Mamasani, Kuhghilu'i, Bakthiari, and Lur proper) is that of language.
- ^ "Bakhtiâri". Ethnologue. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "LORI DIALECTS". Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "BAḴTĪĀRĪ TRIBE". Iranica Online. 1988. Archived from the original on 2011-04-29.
- ^ a b c d Karimi & Maghsoodi 2013.
- ^ R. Spencer Wells et al., "The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (August 28, 2001
- ^ Nasidze, I., Quinque, D., Rahmani, M., Alemohamad, S. A. and Stoneking, M. (2008), Close Genetic Relationship Between Semitic-speaking and Indo-European-speaking Groups in Iran. Annals of Human Genetics, 72: 241–252.
- ^ a b c [1] Archived January 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Garthwaite., Gene R. Khans and Shahs : a Documentary Analysis of the Bakhtiyari in Iran. New York: Cambridge UP, 1933. Print.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-563-20900-3.
- ^ "Bakhtiari Family". Bakhtiari Family. Archived from the original on 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- ^ a b "Constitution". Bakhtiari Family. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- ^ Douglas, William O. "The Bakhtiari Save the Constitution." Strange Lands and Friendly People. Hicks, 2007. 114-20. Print.
- ^ Lily Sardarian Bakhtiari. Bakhtiaris and the Constitutional Revolution (A Summary).
- ^ ISBN 90-04-09738-4. p. 285-286
- ^ a b "Oil". Bakhtiari Family. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- ^ a b "Shapour Bakhtiar, Fariba Amini". The Iranian. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- ^ Ullens de Schooten, Marie-Tèrése. (1956). Lords of the Mountains: Southern Persia & the Kashkai Tribe, pp. 113-114. Chatto and Windus Ltd. Reprint: The Travel Book Club. London.
- ^ ISBN 1-57958-468-3.
- ^ "Cleric Says Some Iranian Muslims Converting to Other Religions".
- ISBN 978-0-7567-7802-6.
- ^ Badawy, Manuela (2007-03-24). "Woman re-interprets Qur'an with feminist view". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2007-03-27.
Further reading
- Cronin, Stephanie (2000). "Riza Shah and the disintegration of Bakhtiyari power in Iran, 1921–1934". Iranian Studies. 33 (3–4): 349–376. .
- Karimi, Asghar; Maghsoodi, Hamid Reza (2013). "Bakhtiyārī". In ISSN 1875-9831.
- Fariba Amini. "The first moderate: Shapour Bakhtiar".
- Ali Quli Khan Sardar Assad and A. Sepehr. Tarikhe Bakhtiari: Khulasat al-asar fi tarikh al-Bakhtiyar (Intisharat-i Asatir) (The History of Bakhtiari). 766 pages. ISBN 964-5960-29-0. Asatir, Iran, 1997. In Persian.
- Bakhtiari language summary[1]
- Shapour Bakhtiar. Memoirs of Shapour Bakhtiar. Habib Ladjevardi, ed. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1996. 140 Pages. In Persian. ISBN 978-0-932885-14-2.
- Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiary. Le Palais des Solitudes. France Loisirs, Paris, 1991. ISBN 2-7242-6593-9.
- Ali Morteza Samsam Bakhtiari. The Last of the Khans: The life of Morteza Quli Khan Samsam Bakhtiari. iUniverse, New York, 2006. 215 pages. ISBN 978-0-595-38248-4.
- Gasiorowski, Mark. Just like that: How the Mossadegh Government was overthrown. in particular bullet point 2 on the role of Soraya Bakhtiari; compare with her account in Le Palais des Solitudes cited above.
- Arash Khazeni, The Bakhtiyari Tribes in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 25, 2, Duke University Press, 2005.
- Pierre Loti. Vers Ispahan. Edition Calmann-Levy, Paris, 1925. 330 pages. Travelogue with Bakhtiari contact. See also Ross and Sackville-West from same period.
- Elizabeth N. Macbean Ross (1921). A lady doctor in Bakhtiari Land. London: Leonard Parsons. Out of copyright and available at dli.ernet.in Archived 2019-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, Travelogue, see also Loti and Sackville-West from same period.
- Vita Sackville-West. Twelve Days: An account of a journey across the Bakhtiari Mountains in South-western Persia. Doubleday, Doran & Co., New York, 1928. 143 pages. Travelogue, see also Loti and Ross from same period.
- F. Vahman and G. Asatrian, Poetry of the Baxtiārīs: Love Poems, Wedding Songs, Lullabies, Laments, Copenhagen, 1995.[2]
External links
- Bakhtiaris
- BBC documentary describing Bakhtiari nomadism. (The Ascent of Man by Dr Jacob Bronowski)
- Minorities At Risk: Assessment for Bakhtiari in Iran
- Bakhtiari - travelling in Iran 1998
- A Bakhtiari folk-song sung by Shusha Guppy in the 1970s: The Lor Youth.
- Web-page dedicated to the documentary The Bakhtiari Alphabet by Dr Cima Sedigh at Sacred Heart University.
Note: Some video clips as well as some production photographs of this documentary can be viewed through this web-page. The production photographs can directly be viewed here. - Bakhtiari Alphabet at IMDb
- Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life at IMDb
- People of the Wind at IMDb
- The Snow Calls at IMDb
- ^ "Bakhtiâri". Ethnologue.