Wakhi (ethnic group)

Wakhi

Portrait of a Wakhi man
Total population
Est. 70,000-100,000
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, Russia
Languages
Wakhi
Religion
Ismaili Islam, Ethnic religion

The Wakhi people, or Khik (called Guhjali in upper Hunza, Pakistan), are an ethnic group in the Wakhan of today's Badakhshan region located in northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. They also live in adjacent areas of Tajikistan, Xinjiang and in Pakistan, both in the Chitral District and in Gojal). They speak the Wakhi language.

A very rough estimate puts the population of Wakhis between 70,000-100,000. The population is divided among four different countries: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Xinjiang in north-western China. In China the Wakhi are officially recognized as "Tajiks", in Afghanistan they are officially called "Pamiris", while in Tajikistan Wakhi are recognized by the state as Tajiks but also self-identify as Pamiris and in Pakistan they refer to themselves as "Pamiris" and Guhjali. The major religion of Wakhis is Nizari Ismaili Shia Islam, being followers of the Aga Khan and ethnic religions.

The Wakhi are primarily nomadic depending on their herds of yaks and horses. They often have two residences one for winter and one for summer. Their houses are built of stone and sod.

In Pakistan, the central organization of Wakhis is the Wakhi Tajik Culture Association Pakistan (WCA), an organization that is working with the Pakistani Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Lok Virsa Pakistan. The WCA aims to preserve the Wakhi language and culture and to record its poetry and music. The WCA has arranged more than twenty programmes since 1984, including cultural shows, musical nights, large-scale musical festivals with the collaboration of Lok Virsa Pakistan, Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), and Pakistan Television. In 2000, the WCA won a "Best Programme" organizer award in the Silk Road Festival from the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf.