The Thari also known as the Dhatki (, ) are an Indo-Aryan

ethno-linguistic group An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major ba ...

who reside in the

Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...

, which is divided between

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

as well as

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The Thari live primarily in

Tharparkar Tharparkar (Dhatki language, Dhatki/ sd, ٿرپارڪر, ur, ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar district. The district is t ...

, a district 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 ...

, parts of Kutch district 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 ...

, and

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

Lifestyle and Culture

The Thar live in the harsh environment of the Thar Desert, which explains why they are always running after their water, camel, donkeys, etc. The Thari marry early, often during teenage years. They wake up early and herd the animals with the females waking up earlier than the men. The Thari are known for their carpet industry, and earlier in history they used to make

shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folde ...

s. The Thari also celebrate

Lok Mela Lok or LOK may refer to: Places * Lok, Serbia, a village * Lok, Levice District, Slovakia, a village * Lok, Pakistan, a village * Loka (pronounced Lok): a plane of existence in Dharma People Surname Lok (English origin) * Anne Locke, Lock ...

, along with the

Sindhis Sindhis ( sd, سنڌي Perso-Arabic: सिन्धी Devanagari; ) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who speak the Sindhi language and are native to the province of Sindh in Pakistan. After the partition of British Indian empire in 1947, man ...

. The Thari have suffered throughout history due to the environment they live in, but as the world progresses into a new era, the Tharis have been suffering even more with no cars or phones. The music of the Thari is regarded as Rajsthani music with a "little spice" to it. The

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...

of plants used by the Thari people has been considered affective by scientists. The Thari, whether

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, have always been peaceful to each other. Some Thari women work

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

mining jobs across Sindh. In recent years, the PTI party of

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

has been working to improve conditions of the Thari people.

Clothing

The clothing of the Thar is a mix of

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the region * Rajasthani architecture * Rajasthani art ...

and Sindhi clothing, as well as a small influence of

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

. The Thari women wear

Ghagra choli Ghagra choli (also known as lehenga choli and locally as chaniya choli) is a type of ethnic clothing for women from the Indian Subcontinent, notably in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Pu ...

s, a type of Punjabi and Gujarati clothing with the Thari men wearing a

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...

and sometimes wearing a Shalwar Qameez. During funerals, Thari women wear

bangle Bangles are traditionally rigid bracelets which are usually made of metal, wood, glass or plastic. These ornament are worn mostly by women in the Indian subcontinent, Southeastern Asia, Arabian Peninsula, and Africa. It is common to see a bride ...

s and Thari men wear black dresses.

Language

The Thari people speak the

Dhatki language Dhatki (धाटकी; ڍاٽڪي), also known as Dhatti (धाटी; ڍاٽي) or Thari (थारी; ٿَري), is one of the Rajasthani languages of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. Dhatki is closely related t ...

, a

Indo-Aryan language The Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily concentrated in India, Pa ...

of the Rajasthani subgroup. The Thari also speak Sindhi and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Mai Bhaghi Mai Bhagi ( ur, مائی بھاگی) (c. 1906 – 7 July 1986) was a Pakistani folk musician, born Bhag Bhari in Mithi in Thar, Sindh. Mai Bhagi grew up in a village in the Thar Desert. Her father was Wanhyun Fakir and mother was Khadija Maga ...

, A Thari women who sang in Sindhi and Urdu # Fozia Soomra, A Thari Singer # Sohail Sangi, A Thari journalist and activist working at ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

'' # Ram Singh Sodho, A member of

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ur, ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League") is a Conservative nationalist political party in Pakistan. As of the 2018 parliamentary election, it has a re ...

Mahesh Kumar Malani Mahesh Kumar Malani ( ur, مہیش کمار ملانی) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018. He is the first non-Muslim to win a general seat (non reserved seat) in the National A ...

, A member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...

# Muhammad Usman Diplai, A Thari poet who wrote in Sindhi #

Jam Saqi Jam Saqi (Sindhi: ڄام ساقي) (October 31, 1944 – March 5, 2018) popularly known as Comrade Jam Saqi, was a left-wing politician from Sindh, Pakistan. He was previously the general secretary of the Communist Party of Pakistan. Saqi was impr ...

, General Secretary of the

Communist Party of Pakistan The Communist Party of Pakistan ( abbr. CPP; ur, کمیونسٹ پارٹی آف پاکستان) is a communist party in Pakistan. History Founding The CPP was founded in Calcutta, India, soon after the establishment of Pakistan on 6 March 1948 ...

Arbab Ghulam Rahim Arbab Ghulam Rahim ( ur, ; born 1 January 1957) is a Pakistani politician who served as the Chief Minister of the Government of Sindh from 2004 until 2007. Early life Arbab Ghulam Rahim was born in the Diplo Tehsil of Tharparkar District. ...

, Chief Minister of Sindh # Lal Kumar, a Thari cricketer who played for the

Hyderabad Cricket Team The Hyderabad cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, run by the Hyderabad Cricket Association. It is part of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group and has seen scattered success over its many years in the Ran ...

# Chettan Mal Arwani, A member of

# Bherulal Balani, A member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh # Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi, A Thari

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

cleric who is the president of Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Fiqah-e-Jafaria # Vasand Thari, A Thari singer, poet, and journalist #

Mai Dhai Mai Dhai ( ur, مای دھائی) is a Pakistani classical singer hailing from Tharparkar, Sindh. She formed a folk-band called Mai Dhai Band composed of Jamal Shab, a harmonium player and dhol player, Muhammad Fakir. Mai and her band has p ...

, A Thari singer # Gian Chand, A member of the

Senate of Pakistan Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly makes up the Parliament of Pakista ...

# Ghulam Mohammad Lot, A member of

Pakistan People's Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded i ...

# Abdul Qadir Junejo, A playwriter and columnist who wrote in Sindhi and Urdu #

Sharjeel Memon Sharjeel Inam Memon (Urdu: ), sd, شرجیل انعام ميمڻ , born 14 June 1974) is a Pakistani politician who was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from June 2008 to May 2018. Early life and education He was born on 14 June 197 ...

, A former member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh # Khatu Mal Jeewan, A member of the

and the

Krishna Kohli Krishna Kumari Kohli ( sd, ڪرشنا ڪماري ڪولھي ; born 1 February 1979), also known by the nickname Kishoo Bai, is a Pakistani politician who has been the member of the Senate of Pakistan since March 2018. She is the second Hindu wo ...

, A member of the

Rana Parshad Sodha Rana Parshad aka Rana Patta was 18th king of Amarkot (Umerkot) (1530/1556). He gave refuge to Mughal king Humayun when he was defeated by Sher Shah Suri and nobody was offering him refuge because every kingdom was frightened of Sher Shah Suri. P ...

, 18th King of

Umerkot Umerkot (formerly known as Amarkot) is a city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The local language is Dhatki, which is one of the Rajasthani languages of the Indo-Aryan language family. It is most closely related to Marwari. Sindhi, Urdu and ...

Rana Ratan Singh Rana Ratan Singh was a hereditary land owner in Umerkot Umerkot (formerly known as Amarkot) is a city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The local language is Dhatki, which is one of the Rajasthani languages of the Indo-Aryan language famil ...

, Thari activist during British rule # Rana Chandra Singh, One of the Founding members of the

# Rana Hamir Singh, Current ''Rana'' of Umerkot and member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh

References

{{Ethnic groups in Pakistan Indo-Aryan peoples