The Bafan are a Muslim community found in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in India and a province of

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

in Pakistan. They are one of a number of communities of

Maldhari Maldharis are herder, herdsmen community in Gujarat, India. Originally nomads, they came to be known as Maldharis after settling in Junagadh district (mainly Gir Forest). "Maldhari" is an occupational term which refers to people from a variety of c ...

pastoral nomads found in the

Banni Banni is a village in the Gambia. It is located in Wuli District in the Upper River Division Upper River was one of the five Divisions of the Gambia. Its capital was Basse Santa Su. It was subsequently reorganised as the Basse Local Governme ...

region of Kutch.People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part One edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 87-90

History and origin

The Bafan claim to have originally from Sindh, and are a clan of the Thaheem tribe. They are said to have gotten the name ''bafan'' on account of their practice of eating boiled meat. The word bafan in the Kutchi means to boil. After leaving Sindh, the tribe's first settlement in Kutch was the village of Nagiari. The Bafan are now found mainly in Kutch, with smaller communities in

Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...

and

Sabarkantha Sabarkantha district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state of India and is located in the northeastern part of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Himatnagar. Geography Sabarkantha District is bounded ...

Present circumstances

The Bafan speak a dialect of Kutchi, with substantial Sindhi loan words. They have four lineages, the Makani, Aliyani, Jassani, and Issacuola. Each of these live in a particular locality known as falia. Each of these clans are of equal status, and intermarry. Marriages are preferred with parallel cousins. The majority of the Bafan are settled agriculturists, and few have access to irrigation facilities. They are essentially a community of marginal farmers. Historically, the Bafan were pastoral Maldhari nomads, raising buffaloes, cows and sheep, and grazed them in the Banni region. A few families are still nomads and are involved in selling milk to

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

. They often migrate to Saurashtra with to graze their cattle. Like many other Kutchis, the Bafan have migrated to others parts of India in search of work. The Bafan have a caste council, known as the Nagiari Jamat. This jamat has representatives on the Muslim Education and Welfare Society, an organization based in

. The Society provides free boarding and lodging to the poor students, and also looks into the general welfare of the Muslim community. Like most Kutchi Muslims, they are

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Muslims, but incorporate many folk beliefs.

References

{{Indian Muslim Social groups of Gujarat Tribes of Kutch Maldhari communities Samma tribes Jat tribes Sindhi tribes in India Muslim communities of Gujarat

History and origin

Present circumstances

See also

References