IRAN, BALOCH PEOPLE Photo: Bahar Mohamadian Young girl in Adam Balochi village in Chabahar The Baloch are an Iranian people inhabiting the province of Balochistan in Iran and Pakistan as well as neighboring areas of Afghanistan and the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia. The Baloch speak Baluchi, which is consid- ered a north-western Iranian language and the Baloch are generally considered an Iranian people accordingly. The Baloch are predominantly Muslims. About 50% of the total Baloch population live in Balochistan, a western province of Pakistan. They make nearly 3.6% of the Pakistani population, about 2% of Iran's population (1.5 million) and about 2% of Afghanistan's population. Children dance in one of the villages In Balochistan, Southern Iran The Baloch dress their children in the typical cultural “Balochis” outfits – a sense of pride and beauty. Living in a mountainous region of a harsh climate, the Balochis have been able to preserve their culture. They are organized into tribes consisting of clans. Until long into the 20th century nomadic lifestyles were central to their culture, when settled lifestyles gained ground. Their villages are of mud-brick or stone houses. Their economy involves raising of camels, cattle, sheep and goats, their agricul- tural products are oranges, pomegranates, mulberries, bananas, grain, tobacco, rice, cotton, sugarcane and indigo plants. They produce carpets and embroidery of high quality. Attia, little girl in Chabahar, Southeast Iran. Her family is dark-skinned. The Balochi population counts between 7 and 30 million, according to different estimates. 11 million is probably the correct, this being the total number of Balochi speakers. About 1.6 million live in Iran. The name Balochi apparently means "wan- derer". Their original homeland is the Iranian plateau. Being the people of the regions through which the caravans between Iran and India passed, the Balochis, made sure they had a part of the profits. Not having formed any state or established real cities, banditry became their ways. This brought them in constant conflict with rulers and generals. A boy is playing Gheychak, a local music of Balochistan Baloch woman in Chah Bahar The Balochi generally live in remote mountainous and desert regions, which have protected them from invasion and allowed them to form a distinct cultural identity. Balochi customs and traditions are conducted according to codes imposed by tribal laws. The Baloch men wear long shirts with long sleeves and loose pants. The dress is occasionally accompanied by a pagh (turban) or a hat on their heads. In contrast to Pakistan, the Iran Balochi dress code is more conservative in sense of length and material. Some Baloch women in Iran also cover their faces with thick red color wools (Burqah) and wear a Saree, which is the head scarf and Chadar, which is a long veil. Children in Zabol The Baloch are traditionally nomads, but settled agricultural existence is becoming more common; every chief has a fixed resi- dence. The villages are collections of mud or stone huts; on the hills, enclosures of rough stone walls are covered with matting to serve as temporary habitations. The Baloch raise camels, cattle, sheep, and goats and engage in carpet making and embroi- dery. Their agricultural methods are primitive. Local dusty soccer field, in Laniari, Dashtyari Balochi are mainly Sunni Muslims, with a minority of Shi'is. There is the tradition of holding feasts for political negotiations. Balochi women enjoy relatively great freedom, there are fairly strict regulations on lifestyles for both men and women. Balochi clothing is colourful with intricate patterns, but is still very practical. Men use baggy trousers and turbans. Their tents are black, made from goat hair, effectively blocking out heat, rain or the cold of winter. For a Balochi, his tent is of more than practical and economic importance, it is a central dimension to his pride and personality. Baloch around Polan Village. They have no birth certificates. In Iran there are about two million ethnic Baloch and a majority of the population of the eastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province is of Baloch ethnicity. The Afghan portion of Balochistan includes the Chahar Burjak District of Nimruz Province, and the Registan Desert in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The governors of Nimruz province in Afghanistan belong to the Baloch ethnic group. In Pakistan, insurgencies by Baloch nationalists in Balochistan province have been fought in 1948, 1958–59, 1962–63 and 1973–77 with a new ongoing and reportedly stronger, broader insurgency beginning in 2003. Historically, "drivers" of the con- flict are reported to include tribal divisions, the Baloch-Pashtun ethnic divisions, marginalization by Punjabi interests, and eco- nomic oppression. In Iran, separatist fighting has reportedly not gained as much ground as the conflict in Pakistan, but has grown and become more sectarian since 2012, with the majority-Sunni Baloch showing a greater degree of Salafist and anti- Shia ideology in their fight against the Shia-Islamist Iranian government. All pictures are copyright by © Bahar Mohamadian | Official Website