Tajiks of Xinjiang

Tajiks

Total population
41,028 (China)[1] 1,000~2,000 (Tajikistan, Sarikoli)[2]
Regions with significant populations
Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County
Languages
Sarikoli, Wakhi
Religion
Ismailism
Related ethnic groups
Iranian peoples

Tajiks (Sariquli Tajik: [tudʒik], Tujik; Chinese: 塔吉克族; pinyin: Tǎjíkè Zú), are an ethnic group that lives in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. They are one of the 56 nationalities officially recognized by the government of China.

History

During the Tang dynasty, the members of the ethnic group were referred to as "Cina-deva-gotra" (from Sanskrit; Chinese transcription: 至那提婆瞿呾羅, 支那提婆瞿怛羅, or 脂那提婆瞿怛羅). The name literally means "descendant of Han and the sun-god" (漢日天种 or 日漢天种).^[3]

The name originates from a story about the Persian (波利剌斯) emperor marrying a Chinese wife.^[4][5][6]

During the Qing dynasty, the Tajiks were administered by a system of Begs like the rest of Xinjiang.

The Tajiks of Xinjiang practiced slavery, selling some of their own as a punishment. Submissive slaves were given wives and settled with the Tajiks. They were considered property and could be sold anytime. Their slaves came from numerous sources, enslaving Sunni captives such as Kirghiz in retaliation for Kirghiz slave raids, or from Kunjud, Gilgit, Chitral. The Tajiks also sold some slaves to Bukhara. The Sunnis called them Rafidites and did not consider them Muslim.^[7]

The Tajiks were among the supporters in the army of Jahangir Khoja when he attacked the Qing at Kashgar in 1826.^[8] The Tajiks dressed in black clothing.^[9] During the attack the army captured several hundred Chinese, who were taken to Kokand. It was reported that many of the Chinese captives became slaves, accounts of Chinese slaves in Central Asia increased.^[10][11] The Tajiks bought two Han Chinese slaves from Shaanxi, they were held as slaves for a year before being returned by the Tajik Beg Ku-bu-te to China.^[12]

Most foreign slaves in Xinjiang were Shia Mountain Tajiks, they were referred to by Sunni turkic muslims as Ghalcha.^[13]

In the 1940s around 9,000 Tajiks lived in Xinjiang.^[14]

During the Ili Rebellion, Uyghur forces butchered the livestock of the Tajiks as they advanced south.^[15] The Soviet backed insurgents destroyed Tajik crops and acted aggressively against the Tajiks and Kirghiz of China.^[16]

Distribution

The population of Tajiks in China numbers 41,028 (2000). They are located in China's western Xinjiang region with 60% living in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County. Despite the name "Tajik" that is used to refer to them, the Tajiks of China do not speak the Tajik language. Early 20th century travelers to the region referred to them as Sarikoli,^[17][18] "Mountain Tajiks,"^[19] or Ghalcha.^[20]

Language

In China, the languages of the Tajik people have no official written form.^[21] The great majority speak the Sarikoli language, which has been heavily influenced by Uyghur, Chinese, and Wakhi.^[22] A small proportion speak Wakhi.^[23] Sarikoli and Wakhi belong to the Pamir language group of the Eastern Iranian language group.^[24]

Religion

The Tajiks in China are adherents of the Nizari Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. Restrictions by the Chinese government bars foreign Ismaili preachers from openly working among the Tajiks in China and the religious leader of the of Nizari sect, the Aga Khan, is barred from offering aid to the Tajiks.^[25]

External links

• The Tajik ethnic minority (China) (government website, in English)

References

1. ^ "The Tajik Ethnic Group". China.org.cn. June 21, 2005. http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/EthnicGroups/136950.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-10. 
2. ^ Pam Arlund (2000). "Research on Bilingual Phenomenon of Tajiks in Kashgar Prefecture". Language and Translation 61 (1): 12. ISSN 1001-0823. http://www.xjass.com/ls/content/2008-11/15/content_40826.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
3. ^ 房, 若愚; 葛丰交. "Patriotic traditions of Tajiks (塔吉克族的爱国主义传统)" (PDF). Tribune of Social Sciences in Xinjiang. http://scholar.ilib.cn/A-QCode~xjsklt200603027.html. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
4. ^ Xuan, Zang; Bianji. Great Tang Records on the Western Regions. 12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Tang_Records_on_the_Western_Regions. 
5. ^ "Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books" (JPG, HTML & PDF). http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/toyobunko/VIII-5-B2-9/V-1/page/0124.html.en. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
6. ^ Gu, Bingshu. "The Tajik People: Crown on the Roof of the World". Glamour of Traditions. http://engine.cqvip.com/content/k/85887x/2004/000/006/sk51_k6_11148884.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
7. ^ Sir Thomas Douglas Forsyth (1875). Report of a mission to Yarkund in 1873, under command of Sir T. D. Forsyth: with historical and geographical information regarding the possessions of the ameer of Yarkund. Printed at the Foreign department press. p. 56. http://books.google.com/?id=JxwPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA56&dq=tajiks+kirghiz+enslave#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
8. ^ Robert J. Antony, Jane Kate Leonard (2002). Dragons, tigers, and dogs: Qing crisis management and the boundaries of state power in late imperial China. East Asia Program, Cornell University. p. 282. ISBN 1885445431. http://books.google.com/?id=SLxuAAAAMAAJ&q=Backed+by+Kirghiz,+Tajiks+and+White+Mountain+supporters,+Jahangir+invaded&dq=Backed+by+Kirghiz,+Tajiks+and+White+Mountain+supporters,+Jahangir+invaded. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
9. ^ John King Fairbank (1978). The Cambridge History of China: Late Chʻing, 1800-1911, pt. 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 363. http://books.google.com/?id=4eBtAAAAIAAJ&dq=ghalchas+jahangir&q=there+were+also+Ghalchas+(mountain+Tajiks)+whose+black+costumes+gave+rise+to+rumours+in+Siberia+that+Europeans+were+fighting+. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
10. ^ Laura Newby (2005). The Empire and the Khanate: a political history of Qing relations with Khoqand c. 1760-1860. BRILL. p. 97. ISBN 9004145508. http://books.google.com/?id=KTmO416hNQ8C&pg=PA97&dq=khoqand+chinese+slaves#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
11. ^ John King Fairbank (1978). The Cambridge History of China: Late Chʻing, 1800-1911, pt. 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 371. http://books.google.com/?id=4eBtAAAAIAAJ&dq=kokand+slaves+chinese&q=kokandis+made+slaves+of+all+the+%27Chinese%27+whom+they+took+prisoner%2C+and+the+khan+. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
12. ^ James A. Millward (1998). Beyond the pass: economy, ethnicity, and empire in Qing Central Asia, 1759-1864. Stanford University Press. p. 298. ISBN 0804729336. http://books.google.com/?id=MC6sAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA298&dq=shanxi+merchants+slaves+tajik#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
13. ^ Ildikó Bellér-Hann (2007). Situating the Uyghurs between China and Central Asia. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 0754670414. http://books.google.com/?id=NKCU3BdeBbEC&pg=PA20&dq=xinjiang+trade+banned+by+qianlong+bek+system+serfs#v=onepage&q=xinjiang%20trade%20banned%20by%20qianlong%20bek%20system%20serfs&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
14. ^ Andrew D. W. Forbes (1986). Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: a political history of Republican Sinkiang 1911-1949. Cambridge, England: CUP Archive. p. 6. ISBN 0521255147. http://books.google.com/?id=IAs9AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=warlords+and+muslims#v=snippet&q=tajiks%20sarikol%209%2C000&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
15. ^ Eric Shipton, Jim Perrin (1997). Eric Shipton: The Six Mountain-Travel Books. The Mountaineers Books. p. 488. ISBN 0898865395. http://books.google.com/?id=aY9ImH3Vna8C&pg=PA488&dq=china+tajik+turki#v=onepage&q=china%20tajik%20turki&f=false. Retrieved 2010-10-31. 
16. ^ Andrew D. W. Forbes (1986). Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: a political history of Republican Sinkiang 1911-1949. Cambridge, England: CUP Archive. p. 204. ISBN 0521255147. http://books.google.com/?id=IAs9AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=warlords+and+muslims#v=onepage&q=tajiks%20antagonised&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
17. ^ A Journey of Geographical and Archarological Exploration in Chinese Turkestan A Stein - 1904 - [sn] ... 15,800 feet above the sea), into Chinese territory on the Taghdumbash Pamir, using the yaks of the Sarikoli herdsmen...
18. ^ The Heart of a Continent - Younghusband - ...an encampment belonging to a Sarikoli, who very kindly asked me to have some refreshment... (pg 242)
19. ^ Through the Unknown Pamirs; the Second Danish Pamir Expedition 1898-99 By Ole Olufsen
20. ^ Denis Crispin Twitchett, John King Fairbank (1977). The Cambridge history of China, Volume 10. Cambridge University Press. p. 71. ISBN 0521214475. http://books.google.com/?id=9skBUtc0YTwC&pg=PA71&dq=tajiks+ghalchas+mountain+tajiks+iranian+speaking#v=onepage&q=tajiks%20ghalchas%20mountain%20tajiks%20iranian%20speaking&f=false. Retrieved 2011-01-11. 
21. ^ BARRY RUBIN (2000). Guide to Islamist Movements. M.E. Sharpe. p. 71. ISBN 0765617471. http://books.google.com/?id=wEih57-GWQQC&pg=PA71&dq=tajiks+darian+china#v=onepage&q=tajiks%20darian%20china&f=false. Retrieved 2011-01-11. 
22. ^ Arlund, Pamela S. (2006). An Acoustic, Historical, And Developmental Analysis Of Sarikol Tajik Diphthongs. Ph.D Dissertation. The University of Texas at Arlington. p. 191. http://repositories.tdl.org/tdl/handle/10106/438. 
23. ^ Felmy, Sabine (1996). The voice of the nightingale: a personal account of the Wakhi culture in Hunza. Karachi: Oxford University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0195775996. http://books.google.com/?id=gTtuAAAAMAAJ&q. 
24. ^ James Stuart Olson (1998). An ethnohistorical dictionary of China. Greenwood Publishing Group,. p. 319. ISBN 0313288534. http://books.google.com/?id=IOM8qF34s4YC&pg=PA319&dq=tajiks+china#v=onepage&q=tajiks%20china&f=false. Retrieved 2011-01-11. 
25. ^ UNHCR Refworld, CHINA: Xinjiang's Ismailis cut off from international Ismaili community [accessed 13 May 2009]