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 A Tajik (Sarikoli) farmer inTashkurgan | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 China (Xinjiang) | 50,265[1] |
 Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan) | 1,000–2,000[2] |
| Languages | |
| Sarikoli,Wakhi,Tor Tajik | |
| Religion | |
| Shia Islam (NizariIsmailism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherIranian peoples | |
| Tajiks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 塔吉克族 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Sarikoli name | |||||||||
| Sarikoli | تۇجىك /Tujik | ||||||||
InChina, the terms "Tajik" and "Tajik nationality" (Chinese:塔吉克族;pinyin:Tǎjíkèzú) encompass three distinct ethnic subgroups: theSarikolis,Wakhis, andTor Tajiks.[3] The Sarikolis and Wakhis are ethnicPamiris who live in thePamir Mountains ofTashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, inKashgar Prefecture,Xinjiang. The Tor Tajiks areethnic Tajiks who reside in the village ofTor, also in Kashgar Prefecture.[3] The Tajik nationality is one of56 nationalities or ethnicities officially recognized by the Chinese government.
Despite their name, the majority of Tajiks in China are not ethnicTajiks but ethnicPamiris, a differentIranian ethnic group who speak the Eastern IranianPamiri languages.
Early 20th-century CE travelers to the region referred to the group as "Mountain Tajiks",[4] or by the Turkicexonym "Ghalcha".[5]Sarikoli- andWakhi-speaking Tajiks were also referred to as "Sarikolis" and "Wakhis", respectively.[6][7]
ThePamiri peoples are believed to be the descendants of theSaka-Scythians who inhabited modern-dayXinjiang.[8][9] ThePamiri languages are descended from variousScythian languages.[9]
The town ofTashkurgan was the capital of theSarikol Kingdom (色勒庫爾) in the Pamir Mountains.
Xinjiang and itseastern Iranian-speaking peoples underwent gradualTurkification following the region's conquests andsettlements by Turkic peoples such as theUyghurs andQarakhanids. By theMongol period, most of these eastern Iranian peoples had assimilated into the Turkic community. The Tajiks claim to be descended from the remaining eastern Iranians who still resided in the Pamir Mountains of Xinjiang. This claim is supported by medieval Chinese literature, documents and modern archaeological evidence.[10]
According to oral tradition,Nasir Khusraw led a mission to the region with four of his disciples: Sayyid Hassan Zarrabi, Sayyid Surab Wali, Sayyid Jalal Bukhari, and Jahan Malikshah. Khusraw purportedly told some of his disciples to settle down in the area to continue to aid and preach to the local converts aboutIsmailism. Many contemporarypirs (holy men) claim descent from these early disciples.[10]
The Tajiks were administered by theQing under a system ofBegs (chiefs) like the rest ofXinjiang. The Qing claimed suzerainty over theTaghdumbash Pamir in the southwest of Xinjiang, but permitted theMir of Hunza to administer the region in return for theirtributes. TheHunzas were tributaries and allies to Qing China, acknowledging China as suzerain from 1761 onward.[11][12]
The Tajiks practiced slavery, selling some of their own as a punishment. Submissive slaves were given wives and settled with the Tajiks. They were considered property and could be sold anytime. Their slaves came from numerous sources; for example,Sunni captives such as theKyrgyz were enslaved in retaliation for Kyrgyz slave raids against the Tajiks. Sunni slaves were also brought fromHunza (also known as Khujund),Gilgit, andChitral. Slaves from Chitral and Hunza passed through the Pamir Mountains on their way toBukhara, present-dayUzbekistan. The Tajiks were labelled "Rafidites" by the Sunnis, who did not consider them Muslims asenslaving fellow Muslims is contrary toSharia law.[13]
There were hundreds of slaves sold by Tajiks. Most foreign slaves in Xinjiang were Tajiks; they were referred to by the Sunni Muslim TurkicUyghurs as "Ghalcha".[14] Tajiks made up the majority of slave trafficked and sold in Xinjiang to the Sunni Muslim Turkic inhabitants and they were seen as foreigners and strangers. Serfs were treated in a "wretched" manner.[15]
FollowingYa'qub Beg's conquest ofYettishar, in 1870 he ordered the en masse deportation of all Sarikolis toKashgar. They remained there for 2 years before they were allowed to return to theTashkurgan region.[16]
An anti-Russian uproar broke out when Russian customs officials – three Cossacks and a Russian courier – invited localUyghur prostitutes to a party in January 1902 inKashgar. This caused a massive brawl between severalRussians and localUyghurs, the latter acting on the pretense of protecting Muslim women. Qing officials quickly dispersed the crowd and sought to end tensions immediately to prevent the Russians from building up a pretext to invade Xinjiang.[17][18]
After the riot, the Russians sent troops to Tashkurghan and demanded that local postal services be placed under Russian supervision. The Russians attempted to negotiate with the Begs of Tashkurgan, but the Begs feared that the Russians would not stop at their demands of the postal services and would aim to seize the entire area from the Qing. Tashkurgan officials even went as far as to petition the Amban ofYarkand to evacuate the local population to Yarkand so they could avoid being harassed by the Russians.[19][20]
In the mid-1940s around 9,000 Tajiks lived in Xinjiang, while others moved to other Central Asian countries and provinces of China.[21] During theIli Rebellion from 1944 to 1949, Uyghur forces butchered the livestock of the Tajiks as they advanced south.[22] Uyghur rebels who were backed by the Soviets destroyed Tajik crops and acted violently against Tajiks and Kyrgyz.[23]
The population of Tajiks in Xinjiang numbered 41,028 in 2000 and 50,265 in 2015.[1] Sixty percent of the Tajik population reside inTashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County. As of 2016, more than 4,000 Tajiks lived in nearbyPoskam County (Zepu).[24][1] Some Tajiks live inKokyar (Kekeya) andKargilik County (Yecheng).[25]Tar Township inAkto County,Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, is a Tajik township.
The languages of the Tajiks have no official written form.[26] The vast majority speak theSarikoli language, which has been heavily influenced byChinese,Uyghur, andWakhi.[27] A minority speak theWakhi language.[28] Sarikoli and Wakhi areIranian languages, commonly classified in thePamir orEastern Iranian areal groups.[29]
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 Islam portal • China portal | ||||||
The Tajiks are adherents of theNizariIsmaili sect ofShia Islam and are still a little isolated from the rest of the worldwide Ismaili community, though their communication with other Pamiri (Ismaili) peoples has never stopped. The Chinese authorities allow a fewIsmaili religious buildings to function inTashkurgan, the clerics of whom are appointed by the secular Chinese authorities. Restrictions by the Chinese government bar foreign Ismaili preachers from openly working among the Tajiks. The religious leader of the Nizari Ismaili sect, theAga Khan, was once barred from conducting business with Ismailis in China.[30]
From 2 to 4 April 2012,Aga Khan IV paid an official visit toÜrümqi, the capital of Xinjiang, at the invitation of the then governor of Xinjiang,Nur Bekri. Delegations of theAga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the Xinjiang government met to discuss future cooperation. Bekri agreed to collaborate in several thematic areas of mutual interest, including poverty alleviation, education, investment in tourism, and financial services.[31] TheAga Khan IV had last visited China in 1981.
Tajiks have been caught up in the China's crackdown on Muslims that has taken place since 2017, despite the fact that they have tended to be not politically active. Only a singlemosque is allowed to operate in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, and children under 18 are not permitted to attend it.[32]
At least three generations of relatives live under the same household in a traditional Tajik family. Each family has a familial hierarchy determined by a family member's age and sex, with the senior male acting as the head of the family. The responsibilities of the men tend to be providing for the family and looking after the children and elderly. The women's responsibilities are to raise the children, attend to household duties, and care for the elderly. The senior male is in charge of managing the entire household and the family's wealth through consulting with the rest of the men in the house. The young men are discouraged from seeking an independent life outside the household unless they receive collective consent from the family. Failure to do so can forfeit them from inheritance.[10]
Marriages are usually arranged by the parents of the prospective groom and bride from the asking of the daughter's hand up to the wedding. The families of the couple also decide on the dowry amount, plan the engagements and wedding dates, and choose who can attend. About three days before the wedding, the families come together and initiate a feast for the people in the area who have lost relatives in the last year or so. These people then approve of the celebration by tapping on a hand drum.[10] Funerals are conducted by first doing the Islamic rites of cleansing the body and praying for the deceased. This is followed by the family who burn incense and close any room or ceiling windows as this is believed to purify the path for the deceased. Every family member is expected to attend the funeral or make up for it with a visit to the family. For forty days after the burial, the closest relatives of the deceased will begin to abstain from personal comforts like by keeping their hair unkempt or uncut. On the last day, friends and family come together to bathe and clean the mourners and to convince them to return to their daily lives.[10]
The two main celebrations of the Tajiks areNowruz (the Persian New Year;ched chader in Sarikoli, meaning "cleaning the house") and the Pilik festival. Right before Nowruz begins, families rigorously clean their homes and sprinkle the inner walls withputuk (wheat flour) to wish for a successful year. Each household bakes a cake for the occasion to share with guests. The guests are welcomed on the doorstep by dusting someputuk on their right shoulder. Meanwhile, Pilik is dedicated to commemorating the dead. Families light candles and pray for the souls of the dead while circling the light and pulling the flame towards their face. This ritual lasts two days. On the first day, families light candles inside the house. On the second day, they visit the local cemetery and light a candle for each deceased relative and place it on their graves.[10]
Seasonal rituals such asZuwur zoht (irrigation) andTeghm zuwost (seed sowing) used to be commonplace but presently apir (a local religious master) orkhalifa (a religious functionary who is trained under a pir) blesses the agricultural implements in the fields by reciting verses from theQuran.[10]
Because of the harsh and scarce environment in which the locals live in, Tajiks mostly rely on cultivating whatever arable land is available and engage in small-scale animal husbandry. Other types of subsistence also include selling traditional embroidery, clothes, hats, and other arts and crafts. However, this is only a seasonal operation. There are also a few governmental wages available but salaried jobs are few and the demand is very high.[10]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Yakub Khan, to quell insurrection, sent hither an expedition, and deported the Sarikolis en masse to Kashgar in 1870, but allowed them to return two years later.
2016年末，全县总户数（含塔西南勘探开发公司）65684户，其中县属户数59804户；总人口208950人（含塔西南勘探开发公司），其中，维吾尔族175686人，占84.1％，汉族27131人，占13％，塔吉克族4463人，占2.1％，其他民族1670人，占0.8％。
有维吾尔族和塔吉克族等2个民族。
| Sino-Tibetan |
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| Austronesian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mongolic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kra–Dai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tungusic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indo-European | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overseas diaspora |
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| Related | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Immigrants and expatriates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Underlined: the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups ranked by population in their language families according to2020 census | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
