Kanjar Tribes:
A teenage member of Kanjar nomadic tribe was beaten to death by his fellow tribe members near Chainpur Bazaar in East Champaran district, Bihar, recently.
- The Kanjar are a nomadic tribe of North India and Pakistan.
- They are most concentrated in the fertile and more densely populated areas of the Indus River valley and Punjab.
- They were labeled a “criminal tribe” during colonial rule, later decriminalised after the Independence.
- There is no accurate demographic or other census information on Kanjar in either country.
- Kanjar owns no land or permanent shelters. They survive by traveling from community to community through diverse regions, transporting their physical possessions on mule-drawn carts (rehra) or donkeys.
- They have historically been associated with occupations like hunting, fishing, basket weaving and entertainment.
Linguistic Affiliation: - Kanjar are fluent in several languages and many regional dialects of Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.
- Their own language, Kanjari, has affinities with Indo-Aryan Prakrit and Romani.
- Chakri is one of the most popular folk dances of the Kanjar tribe.
