Mohana (tribe)

The Mohana or sometimes pronounced Mohano are a Sindhi tribe, that is historically connected with fishing. Many Mohana prefer self-designation Mir-bahar, which means lord of the sea. They are found through out Sindh, but are concentrated along the shore of Lake Manchar. In Baluchistan, the Mohana are often referred to as Meds, and are found mainly in Makran. According to some traditions, the Mohana are descendents of the Scythian Meds, who lived on the banks of the Indus a thousand years ago. They are one of the Sindhi tribes mentioned in the Chachnama. ^[1]

The Mohana are not only fishermen, but sailors snd boatmen as well. Many are employed on fishing trawlers in Karachi. They have many sub-divisions, the main ones being the Karachia and Laria. Each sub-division inter marries, although there is a preference in marrying close kin. They also have a close relationship with the Mallaah community of coastal Sindh, and the two groups often intermarry. ^[2]

The Mohana of Punjab

The Mohana are also found in Punjab, especially in the districts of Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur, along the banks of the Indus river. Unlike the Sindh Mohana, a number of Punjab Mohana are settled agriculturists. They have nine clans which are as follows:

• Ichchhe
• Manchari
• Balhara
• Nihaya
• Khaura
• Hir
• Hussre
• Kat-Bal

All these clans intermarry and consider themselves of equal status. Most Ichchhe are now farmers, with their villages found along the Indus. The Balhara or Bilhara are now entirely landowners and cultivators, owning several villages on the Chenab and Indus.^[3]

The Mohana are strictly endogamous, very rarely marrying out of their tribe. However, there customs are similar to tribes of a similar status found along the banks of the Indus such as the Jhabel and Mallaah. They speak Seraiki among themselves and Urdu with outsiders.

See Also

• Mallaah

References

1. ^ Gazetteer of the province of Sind by Edward H Aitken 1907 pages 177 to 178
2. ^ Gazetteer of the province of Sind by Edward H Aitken 1907 pages 177 to 178
3. ^ A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of Punjab and the North West Frontier Province Volume page 124 by Horace A Rose