Satti

The Satti (Urdu: ستی ) is a tribe of Punjab, Pakistan.What's in the name: Satti - the Seven Heavens or the Seven Dimensions of the String Theory.

The word Satti means ‘essence’. It is also known as ‘saat’ or the elixir. Some call it steel or strong. Others consider it honest. In numeral it is digit seven which can be symbolized with seven days of the week. It sounds similar to Sati which was widow burning ritual introduced in India. The phrase Jatti Satti means worldly and heavenly or physical and spiritual. Today, the given name to a man may have no relevance to his personality. However this was not true in the past especially among tribes in the mountainous regions of Western Himalayas. A lazy boy would be named ‘thella’ or slow. One who was hotheaded would be called ‘Kerko’ or bitter. It was true for girls too. A man may be given a name based on his personality or temperaments. A clever man was given name Kagh or crow. Totta or parrot was also a valid name given to a talkative man. His offspring are known as Tottial. Hence it is most likely that the name Satti had some personality traits built in it.

Tehsil Kotli Sattian: The British rulers established scenic Murree hills as a summer station. This was also the administrative unit for the region. Murree served as the Tehsil headquarter for almost a century. With growing population there was a need to establish a sub-administrative unit to serve people living in distant areas. Students from Murree and Kahuta studying in Karachi University and other colleges started a movement to address this issue in early 1980s. This issue was supported by all section of people. Eventually, the issue was raised with the Punjab Government by (late) MNA Khaqan Abbasi and (late) Col. Yamin Satti, the then Punjab transport minister. It led to the establishment of Tehsil Kotli Sattian which serves people’s needs in distant parts of former Kahuta and Murree tehsils. Satti tribe mainly inhibits Tehsil Kotli Sattian although some also live in Murree, Kahuta, and Abbotabad. Some scattered families also live across river Jehlum in the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Other tribes that live in these Western Himalayan Mountains are Dhund, Kethwal and Danial. Across the river Jehlum, Sudhen and Maldial live in Kashmir. It appears that somehow the ancestors of all these tribes were either family members or close relatives. Although the religious and other external influences have cultivated varied ideas that these tribes are alien to this land which does not appear pragmatic. A DNA test may be a good starting point for those who want to explore this issue further. The Dhund tribe is famous in commerce and exerts a significant influence in politics both in mountains and in nearby capital Islamabad. Danial tribe is famous in real state dealerships and in general business. Kethwals are famous for civil services positions and have produced good diplomats. Sattis are known for their services in armed forces. But any single tribe does not exclusively monopolize these professions. Danial and Dhunds also produced good soldiers. Kethwals are witty politicians and good businessmen too. Mutual respect, inter-tribal honor, marriages, faith and trust are the founding stones of these tribes inhibiting mountains. It appears that Sattis, like other tribes, belong to ancient Aryans who either escaped slavery after some wars or preferred to live tough but independent lives. They had their own weighing and measuring scales. These scales were instrumental in trading grains, and other produce. Measurements with hand-length were used to estimate building space, land demarcation, timber measurements or fodder scaling mainly grass and corn stocks. Unlike weights the length measurements had no standards. Seller would prefer smaller man to measure the length while the buyer would prefer taller man with longer arms. They were expert in their local technologies consisting on agricultural tools, tanneries, timber, blacksmith, etc. Building ploughs, sickles, hoes, etc. was an art mainly carried out by blacksmiths who were also expert carpenters and masons. The weavers were responsible for weaving clothes and sewing them. The British cotton mechanization in Lancashire finally made these artisans jobless and most of them opted other professions such as preachers. Each village still has a cobbler family who exclusively reserves shoe business rights. However, factory made leather merchandise have reduced these skilled people into either repairmen or they also gave up and joined the industrial lives in cities. Each village still has a barber/musician. They meet local needs. The farmers were supposed to harvest the land and produce grain. Then each farmer would share a portion of his produce with blacksmith, weaver, cobbler, barber, beggars, etc. This was a kind of primitive communism where money was non-existence till late 1960s in some far-flung parts of Himalayas. All these people lived in perfect harmony and were considered a unit or braderi (brotherhood). Such society was organized around strict caste system. The castes were mainly a division of labor and well integrated as a surviving unit. Their losses and gains were shared. The blacksmith knew that if he did not maintain the tools in good conditions then the produce would be affected that would affect his share. Similarly, cobbler knew that the good goat’s skin would yield good profit so it is vital to keep the farmer happy. And farmer knew that he was nothing without other skilled workers of the society. Although the society was living a tough life but there was not much concept of rich or poor who are weighted in currency in today’s life. All these primitive relations have drastically changed in past few decades. The life full of trust and love was void of money. And a life full of money is definitely void of these great human values. However, the society was also stagnant and lost differentials to move forward.

The Justice System:The tribal justice system is far superior to the colonial court rules. The objective of the justice system was to maintain a healthy and fair but a delicate social fabric for citizens of the tribe. The system would work like this. If a dispute arises between party A and party B then both would try to resolve themselves. If the matter was irresolvable then the complaining party would inform the other of date, time and place for Jirga. Both parties would request their respective elders for participation. Both parties would explain their grievances. After hearing and questioning both parties, each will elect either one or two representatives with one neutral head. They will negotiate the settlement which would have least brunt on any one and acceptable to both parties A and B. The objective to reestablish friendship or maintain relationship so that both can live amicably. The whole process was quick, fair, free of any financial burden, full of respect and at the end brought back the effected together. Both parties would be asked to hug and shake hands. Both would give up any hatred and enmity. Sometimes such gestures would lead to new relationship between two opponents. Most of the murder cases are still decided based on this system. That is one reason that one who would commit homicide would never run away from law. All those who committed murder would always take their weapon and report that they have committed this crime. Not a single out of over a dozen one who had committed murder that I personally know ran away from the law. And none of those were hanged as the matter was amicably settled. On the other side are the courts which start with bribes and insults by police. Then severe torture, extended lockups, court fees, attorney’s charges, twisted justice, bribery by the whole judicial system and at the end the matter is moved further up to higher courts. It is a system of business run by corporate machine. The police and some lawyers have agents who instigate people to take the matters to courts. However, most severe cases return to Jirga for final settlements.

Religion: It appears that Sattis, like other local tribes, had informal religious tendencies. They were mainly pagans who would bury their dead and build convents. They revered trees and still hold them sacred. It is a good practice at this time of environmental chaos. It is known that Sattis converted to Islam after meeting a saint. He is known as Berri Imam and buried in Islamabad. Before converting to Islam and even to some accounts in far-flung areas in the regions, Sattis used to slaughter cows or goats take out its blood and ferment it which was locally known as ‘ghaber’ or curd. Then they would mix this curded blood with corn flour and serve it as a delicacy to their guests. Eating blood was prohibited in Islam and they gave up this practice couple generations ago. Today most Sattis are Sunni Muslims although there are some Wahabis who have been mainly influenced by the Arabian culture.

Economics: A great deal of information about this region can be obtained from the handbook written by Professor Sabir Satti.

Education:The people of the region have great love and respect for knowledge. This tendency is equally found in all inhabitants of the region. Kethwal tribe has produced highly educated bureaucrats and diplomats. Dhunds have produce world-class business executives and religious scholars. Sattis have produce good scientists and doctors. Daniel tribe has produced good politicians and businessmen.

The Martial race:People inhibiting harsh mountain terrains naturally grow tough and endure a great deal of physical hardship. There is no written history about military adventures of the tribe in the region. Each tribe tells anecdotal stories about their bravery and achievements. There was nothing to conquer in these mountains. The land was plentiful and it would take all the energy to wrestle nature for simple survival. However, there are some stories of conflicts in the region. Maulana Kauser Niazi has recorded one such conflict. Maulana Niazi wrote about Berri Imam and his adventure in Sattian area. According to Maulana, Berri Imam directed and commanded Satti army to fight idolaters in the region. According to Maulana, the idol worshippers, Dhunds, were defeated and Islam was spread in the region. Local people, as a folklore also known as Seena Gazette or oral news, tell the flip side of this story. Berri Imam, as a Sufi saint, visited Dhir Kot village situated near Patriata. He used to live and meditate in forest. One day he visited the home of Mr. Sher. In olden days man carried only one name. Berri Imam asked for water. When water was presented to Imam, he washed his hands, face and feet. Then he offered prayer. This made Mr. Sher very angry. Mr. Sher told his guest that it was rude to use water to wash his hands, face and feet as his wife had to walk thousands of yards downhill to fetch it. At this anger, Berri Imam asked the host to accompany him. In nearby slope, Berri Imam asked him to dig. Water started oozing out after a shallow dig. Mr. Sher and other spectators considered this as a miracle and apologized Berri Imam. Berri Imam then told about his faith and invited them to join Islam. Sooner most of the Sattis followed Berri Imam and accepted Islam. Berri Imam also extended this invitation to Dhund tribe. Dhunds refused to accept this offer. Then Berri Imam told the local people that now Jihad was their duty to fight those who were offered Islam but rejected it. Initially Satti refused to go on fight against their fellow tribe. They told Berri Imam that Dhunds were greater in numbers, occupy strategic places and were powerful. The story goes that at that time Berri Imam prayed and said God will help you if you are righteous. He declared ‘now on in this Jihad Sattis are sickles (darantees) and Dhunds are grass (gha)’. The Jihad eventually led to Dhunds’ defeat. They crossed the river Jehlum and establish a new town Dir Kot in present day Azad Kashmir. There is no doubt that Berri Imam had directed this conflict but it was more like a feud than any large-scale war. Further it was confined to one region and probably was fought with sticks and swords. And it was customary for people to move away from a troublesome spot. Given all these parameters, we do not know what were Dhunds’ beliefs and why they rejected Berri Imam’s Sufi Islam. And also it was just a local dispute that used to be routine conflict in mountains. However the news of this event spread around and helped bring Sattis into militancy. But the truth remains that today Dhunds have more Islamic seminaries and religious scholars than Sattis have.

Mountain tribes in Murree, Kahuta and Kotli Sattian, like people in the entire mountain regions, were averse to slavery. They lived fiercely independent lives since day one. It was known as Aap Raji or self-rule. However, different governments tried to subjugate these tribes from time to time with little success. The turning point arrived during Sikh rule which saw unprecedented atrocities carried out by Sikh armies against mountain tribes. The head of a Satti man was worth five rupees, a male boy two rupees and a child bearing woman was worth one rupee. Sattis used to call Sikhs as Lal Khors or red cannibals. Sattis were confined to higher reaches which were almost outside the approach of Sikh armies. However it forced Sattis to develop a complete self-sufficient lifestyle. They developed their own agriculture, hand mills, water mills, ploughs, etc. But they were deprived of any access to education, health or other civil amenities. This historic treatment is still meted out to them by the present rulers in Islamabad. The entire Tehsil Kotli Sattian region has no college (just one higher secondary school). On the other side of the border in Azad Kashmir, the Poonch district (liberated in 1947) has universities, postgraduate colleges for males and females, teacher-training institutes, Cadet College etc. When British and Sikh fought each other Sattis naturally sided with British and Sikhs were finally defeated with the combined efforts of Sattis and British Indian army soldiers. The papers of Sikh surrender were signed at Rawalpindi. Sikhs also meted out similar punishments to other tribes who gallantly fought back them in the entire mountain ranges. The British declared Sattis as martial race and would happily recruit them in their army. The rivalries with Sikhs and subsequent alliance with Brits brought Sattis into regular military profession. Martial race does not prove that the other tribes had less fighting capabilities. It was partially political, partially economical and partially historical. The British always wanted to set one tribe against other as their ‘divide and rule’ policy. This served them least in these mountains as tribes in these regions seldom fell prey to such machinations. Economically army was the only viable profession for Sattis to survive. The land was not fertile enough to satisfy the growing needs of the region. And historically Sattis had been serving in Dogras army when these regions were part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, their militant skills paid off big time when an armed struggle was launched in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947-48. Ali Ghor Satti’s home in Malot Sattian served as a transit point for arms and men across river Jehlum. Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim of Sudhen tribe managed to acquire 500 Lee Enfield rifles and 45000 bullets which were stored safely in Ali Ghor Satti’s home. On the other side of the river was his son-in-law, Shukar Muhammad Satti, who coordinated the operation to safely transport arms and ammunition across river Jehlum. Young Satti and Sudhen men swam across freezing river Jehlum and successfully managed to supply weapons to warriors and participated in the fight. The first attack was carried out against Dogra army unit stationed at Thorar. The warriors successfully climbed the rear vertical cliff of the army posts by using ropes and vines made of local shrubs. The enemy was ambushed from behind which left him bewildered with significant causalities. The rest were captured and kept as prisoners of war. This was the starting point of Jammu and Kashmir liberation movement. The region of Poonch would not have been liberated without Sattis participation. The main reason to join the Poonch uprising was the harsh treatment meted out to Kashmiris by their rulers. Since Sattis and Sudhens have been related through different bonds, it was natural to respond to such calls. See the Striking Symmetry. When the Government of Pakistan joined in, the liberation command was assumed by a 30 years old Brigadier Saddiq Satti who went all the way to Poonch city. Later the Pakistan army headquarters recalled him and eventually the city fell to Indians.It is not true that Sattis showed their bravery only in regular army. Captain Riaz Satti was the right hand man to famous Indian nationalist leader Subash Chandra Bose and worked in the capacity of his secretary. Most WWII prisoners from Satti tribe joined Indian National Army of Bose. For detail please read a book written by Muhammad Idrees Satti.Five war memorials in the Satti region were built to commemorate the gallantry during WWI. Nowhere on this earth such a small population had so many gallantry monuments built in such a number. After the creation of Pakistan the role of regular army has been mainly ceremonial and their combatant role has been reduced to contain minor insurgencies. However, still a good number of Satti youths continue to join armed forces for economic reasons.

The Murree Revolt:Prof. Karam Haideri has elaborated the story of Murree in his book, Dastan-e-Murree. It will be unfair to ignore the revolt that took place in nineteenth century in Murree. There are many version of this event. The local tribes in Murree planned to attack British residency at Kuldana and it was decided that Dhunds, Satti, Kethwal and Danial would participate in it. The plan was put together in a home where an old woman, named Sunnu, was also present and heard the plot. Her brother was working as a chef with the British resident commander. Ms. Sunnu was worried about the safety of her brother during this forthcoming attack. She immediately contacted her brother and asked him to take leave for few days as the resident would come under attack. Her brother asked for leave from job and he told his boss about the 'planned attack' as the reason for leave. The chef was arrested and put under military security. The British troops immediately called reinforcements from nearby cantonments such as Barrian. British established ambushes all along the gullies or passes. It is said that the warriors from the Dhund tribe launched the attacked before the set date. Some claim that Dhunds thought that Satti and other tribal participation would dilute the booty. Others claim it was not the greed for loot but sensing that British had already knew the plan it was tactically moved earlier to maintain the element of surprise. Whatever the case the revolt was crushed with an iron hand. It is told that when Satti warriors arrived under the command of Mr. Borra Khan the British forces were everywhere. When confronted by British commander, Mr. Borra Khan flipped the story and told that he came to help the British as a payback of their help against Sikhs. This saved him and his warriors from decimation. Some consider this as a cowardly act while other consider it as a great diplomatic move. Mr. Baz Khan, a Dhund chief, was hanged along with his sons and other fellows. The quest to liberate Murree was doomed forever. Tactically the revolt was defeated. Morally it succeeded as it showed the rebellious nature of mountain inhabitants against slavery.

Inter-Tribal Relations: It appears that all tribes living in these mountains share same bloodline. Again this claim can be either proved or rejected by DNA analysis. But no tribe may carry a pure bloodline, as inter-tribe marriages have been common. Such marriages help consolidate the relationships among various tribes. Sattis proudly claim that their forefather, Baba Satti, had married a Kethwal woman. Similarly Sudhen and Satti have a long history of intermarriages. This was one of the many reasons that motivated Sattis to join armed struggle against Dogra rule in Kashmir.

Respect for Nature: It was not uncommon to observe ancient Aryan rituals among Sattis at different occasions. After a cow would bear new calf, her milk known as Boleey (colostrums) would be cooked and shared among neighbors. A small part would be thrown in water spring. A water spring would be full of local fauna and flora. Then for many weeks the milk would be given to neighbors and relatives one by one. Finally the family would utilize the milk for themselves. This kept them closely well knitted and dependable. Food would be cooked at the start of cultivation season. After prayer the food would be distributed in four parts. One part would be left on a boulder for birds. The other part would be given to oxen who used to plough the field. A third part would be given to men who would drive the oxen. The fourth part would be given to house members. It eventually became symbolic and then disappeared with the disappearance of agriculture itself. No animal or even an insect such as spider would be killed unnecessary as they were considered vital members of ecosystem. However, with the introduction of British firearms for games some animal and bird species in the area have been completely wiped out in the past century. Trees at personal property as well as at sacred sites were considered as blessings. People in general believed that living trees worship God and it brings heaven’s blessing in the area. Hence they would protect tress and take what was needed. Today developers have huge plans to destroy the regions millions years old forests and replace them with commercial property. There is a fierce resistance on the part of all tribes to protect Himalayas and the future of human race. But how long they will be able to hold Himalayas sacred. As past experience show once the curse of money and greed crept in, all these shared values vanished in just few decades.

Distribution

Before the creation of "Kotli Sattian" as a separate Tehsil from Murree - the Satti tribe were the second largest group. Now they form a much smaller proportion of the population of Murree Tehsil, limited mainly to the 'Gehl Sattian' areas and a few groups living in Circle Bakote.

The Satti's form a large part of the population in the following areas.

*Kotli Sattian
*Burhad
*Gola
*Jawa (Burhad)
*Mateel
*Dournayan
*Karal
*Kahuti (Sangri)
*Kohas (Sangri)
*Bhattian
*Kamra
*Ghanuyan
*Chaint
*Dhanda
*Chahjana
*Whagal
*Dhir Kot Sattian
*Sari
*Bhan
*Sarmandal
*Balawara
*Perchan
*Santhanwali
*Santh Sarrullah
*Korrina Kalan
*Boochal
*Mallot Sattian(Mirzapur,java,Aziz Abad,jhangla Gala,kalari,navala,kari Basi, Runnatie, Kalaparh, Braverrah, Harindah Evinachovana, Kayyd, Kabbotta, Donga Kheter, Dhand, Parile, Pathwerah, Barhian, Nakharah, Kathola. Dhundi, Narrat, Ojana Qurie, Harrh, Rakkh, Singolre Saamriat, Darramirahan, Dimmat, Muimtazabad, Janmere, Runnatre)
*Thoon
*Lehtrar
*Narr (in Kahuta Tehsil)
*Punjar(in kahuta Tehsil
*Jameerie ( in Kahuta Tehsil )
*Jewra

In the following areas Sattis are in minority:
*Doga
*Thel