Kalash of Cultures - Pakistan: http://youtu.be/qEXnEfdvv6s
Kalash of Cultures - Pakistan: http://youtu.be/qEXnEfdvv6s
The argument:
1. Watch the video; this Dardic mountain tribe plays polo. They fiercely fought for their independence through the ages, till the British arrived; at which point they adopted some British customs like playing polo on weekends (although they claim they invented the game first).
2. The Kalasha have lived in geographic isolation for so long that their DNA has diverged. But, there are markers to suggest that they come from around the Mediterranean(that is, that they are Dardic). There are 2 theories as to how they got there:
a. They were travellers along the silk route who decided to settle in a scenic location and sell spices, apricots and cherries(the latter two do not grow in the subcontinent, only in the Mediterranean; and with no contact with the outside world for centuries, there's no other way they could've gotten these fruits)
b. They are descendants of Alexander the Great's armies; who refused to fight and settled in the surrounding regions. This would explain how they were such good fighters, able to defend their lands till the British arrived. This view is more widely held.
3. The Kalasha, due to their district appearance, are still referred to as 'Kafir' or outsiders, by the people who inhabit surrounding regions. Their religion was originally pagan,; and they are the descendants of those who carried out the only pagan invasion of Afghanistan. The Kalasha follow a pagan religion to this day. The city of Chitral is also the eastern border of Kafiristan according to the wiki page linked below, which fits with the breadcrumb from Kipling's book, The Man Who Would Be King. According to the story, Peachy dies in Kafiristan(Chitral), while Danny heads back to Lahore, where he too dies. Once Peachy's trail ends, Hank will have to follow Danny back to Lahore. From there the story will continue.
4. Their language is Indo-Aryan, claimed by experts in the field to be the closest living language to Sanskrit. This is explained by their geographic isolation and lends credence to the fact they're from around the Mediterranean (ancient Greek too, is very closely related to Sanskrit).
From this I think we can safely assume that Hank is in Chitral, Pakistan; with the Kalasha people and will probably head to Lahore next.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalash_people
http://www.ancient.eu/Kalasha/
http://www.kuriositas.com/2012/07/the-kalash-white-tribe-of-pakistan.html?m=1
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4811627
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalash_language
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Would_Be_King
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafiristan
Originally shared by Hank Johnson
I’ll be leaving this village soon.
I was pretty worn down with exposure when I got here, still need a few days to come back to strength.
The people here have been unquestioningly hospitable and helpful. Their cuisine is excellent. Sparse, like the land itself, but rich with flavor and history. Their ability to use this land and climate to its fullest is earned through centuries of subsistence farming and hardship. The flavors: A whole different story. You would work out ancient trade routes through the cuisine itself; tracing back the movement of armies and merchants in both time and every cardinal direction.
Perhaps one day I’ll write a piece on culinary archeology. Fascinating. I appreciate, by the way, the efforts that have gone to reassemble the ‘breadcrumbs’ I had left out there. I was able to track down a number of them after my recursion, but some remained.
Each one helps. I will write more about the so-called 'Diodati Epiphany' tomorrow. Heading out to watch a polo match now.
They fall under poset median and sassanid eastward migration path branch the of IndoIranian diaspora. I think you're on to something here.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty certain there is a Pakistani and Afghan variant of this dish, maybe different name but its more or less a hearty form of minced lamb stew served with bread that you tear or crumble and mix with the stew before eating it. It's quite delicious. I recommend everyone to try it if they haven't had the chance. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abgoosht
ReplyDeleteAnd lastly: Turmeric. That's the key spice ingredient in this type of dish. And the main spice route for it leads to India and China where it was cultivated and procured and traded by merchant's all the way to Mesopotamia and Greece. and literally hundreds of wars have been fought over control of that route.
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files it's much more likely that they were soldiers who just decided to stay back with their families, rather than mythical indo-aryan migrants. Either way, there's a clear Greek connect, which means Hank is nearing the end of Alexander's route. Also, they play polo, in the middle of the Himalayas, where nobody else plays polo. That's the most important point I was trying to make xP
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files About the spices: yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly. That's exactly what travellers who settled along the spice route would be growing. Temperate fruits like cherries, as well.(refer Hank's previous post)
ReplyDeleteShit dude you're right. They are genetically anchored around the pattern. And have been there since before Alex's conquest. my battery is about to run out but check out the regional battle logs in history and any important Karvansara outposts.
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files I have no idea what the connection is to Karvansara. Afaik once Alexander's trail runs out(in Punjab, Pakistan), Hank will switch to Kipling's trail and continue to Gaya, India; which is where the Buddha gained enlightenment (Yes, Darsana is in fact the Sanskrit word for enlightenment). I'll make a post about that if he goes to Lahore, Pakistan next ;)
ReplyDeleteKaravansaras link routes. It's where people would be able to congregate across the continent and trade, which includes spices, information, stories, ideas and beliefs. http://books.google.com/books?id=cewRuZfaMuwC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=Buddha+spice+route&source=bl&ots=6aDzJddZxJ&sig=OvpiYvnPxSgCpguRhObnfWBiKsk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RjJMVLaHIaru8QG0nYCADQ&ved=0CGMQ6AEwGA
ReplyDeleteIt should also be noted that among perceived benefits of turmeric that are on clinical trial, combating Alzheimers disease (Advanced and irreversible memory loss and mental deterioration) is one of them.
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files oh ok! Yes that makes sense. That's Sanskrit for 'a place where we can do our work(business)'. A marketplace, in short :)
ReplyDeleteYes. Sanskrit Farsi Arabic and Greco Latin/ Anglican have very similar Indo Etymological roots for words. And Caravansaras as historical places were a set of designated outposts for trade "caravans" to rest and exchange with others. These Caravansaras predate Alexander's conquest and are the continents land equivalent of harbors, and main places of merchants/business people to get items to sell at their local Bazzaars later.
ReplyDeleteAlso, so you know Polo was originally an Achmenian and Greater Indo sport called "Chogan" (widely considered a game reserved for Kings or Nobles or none peasantry classes) So the Kalasha were not the only ones who played this game but seems to be one of the few in the Steppes who never stopped.
ReplyDeleteHere you go. Hank is doing something I expected and failed to clearly bring up yesterday. He's attempting to take two very distinct movement and allegorical paths in the region as one. Ballsy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iranchamber.com/sport/chogan/chogan_history.php
Mario Valenzuela II Yik Sheng Lee , I will personally say Rahul Ashok s finding and discovery reference has significant value.
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files no man, he's just following the book.. Peachy dies in Kafiristan, Danny goes back to Lahore and then dies. Peachy's trail will run cold now, so he'll follow Danny's to Lahore. Then Danny's will die and he'll find another book to follow. I'm thinking, this one http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_(novel) it starts in Lahore
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files no, didn't know about polo being from the steppes. Nice :)
ReplyDeleteRight, but then that's what a part Kipling's core literary allegories and influences come from, the life and history of the region and the two distinct set of routes and outposts along with the modern equivalents. The Silk and Spice routes were paths of extreme value and vitality to the region's population and economy, and whichever "King" controlled a major part of the movement and lands would have the most power and wealth. However kings and their armies normally would not March on the exact same paths as the silk road as information of their movement would travel through the region and put their force in compromise. In order to make proper strategic movement whether it was militarily or diplomatically, they would dispatch smaller units of scouts who would ride on horse back to outposts like the Caravansaras and exchange horses to reduce the amount of time and keep riding. The pathways normally taken by these scouts and pages would be along the "Royal Road" ancient trails along the mountainous steppes of the region as opposed to the dlat and safer travel roads done by the Caravans below. The Royal Road is a path of knowledge and means of keeping information or exchanges as secrets over The Silk road which served to spread or propagate what was to be given to the commons.
ReplyDeleteThis is my personal supposition but Kipling's story of a man who would be King plays out like an Allegorical tragedy and hubris of what happens to people who attempt to make a conquest and ascend to ranks of royalty without not having made the responsible choices and actions necessary to maintain any real power over the consequences of their actions. I would need to review my notes more on that one, but I hope what I bring up helps with the depth of Hank's travel.
ReplyDeleteYik Sheng Lee The Blackhorse23 Files But it's so much simpler than that :/ Right now he's following Peachy and Danny. Peachy dies in Kafiristan(Chitral, Pakistan, where the Kalasha live. Refer link in post). Once Peachy dies, he'll have to follow Danny. Danny goes to Lahore and dies there. End result, he has to go to Lahore next. Given that the theme of this anomaly is Darsana, I suspect he'll head east(towards Darsana) and not away from Darsana (Arabia). But hey, I could be wrong. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Would_Be_King
ReplyDeleteYes. He is most certainly heading east. But first hes going south.
ReplyDeleteWhere he is going and where the path to Darsana Originated from are not the same destination ;)
ReplyDeleteYik Sheng Lee from Lahore to somewhere, then.. Let's wait and see ;)
ReplyDeleteCorrect Yik Sheng Lee Alexander's conquest ended in India, and the marked paths matches his but where he goes further afterwards may differ both in conguence and geographical locality. As Rahul Ashok noted the Sanskrit meaning of Darsana means "Enlightenment" or gaining "sight" it is all about broadening a greater perspective of the world around you, and a philosophical variant of what a seasoned seeker does "the more you see the more there is for you to seek your sight in. " The Diovatti Epiphany is a Anglo European parallel of the same story arch which I'm curious as to how it develops. But if I were to wager a fires l guess and trajectory after India we are going to follow the snake eastward to China and the pacifics. You go further east than that you end at the western Americas where the "Western" mindset of "Empire" solidified in western Roman times ended.
ReplyDeleteYik Sheng Lee yes but what's unclear is if he's still following Alexander or the characters in Kipling's story.. From the posts it seems like he's being led more by Danny and Peachy than anything else..
ReplyDeleteYik Sheng Lee of course, the Ptolemies! How could I forgotten! (Slaps forehead)
ReplyDeleteRahul Ashok Lahore was Kipling's favorite place, but it was in India when he lived there. Also Kipling named his homestead in the US (I seem to recall, in Vermont?) After a pavilion that was in Lahore.
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files turmeric is a natural anti inflammatory, taken in large quantities, it acts more strongly than ibuprofen. It is related to ginger, which is also antiinflammatory.
ReplyDeleteRahul Ashok peachey did NOT due in Kafiristan, his partner did. Peachey came back to tell the narrator the story in Lahore, then died of sunstroke in an asylum.
ReplyDeleteThe Blackhorse23 Files darsana in its current usage likely is closer to the word epiphany in meaning... Where God inhabits human consciousness
ReplyDeleteVenus Velatura I'd actually counter and say reaching a state of Darsana is what comes after an epiphany. Or rather an epiphany is a singularity in which Darsana can be achieved. Also another etymological variant worth pointing out is Darsan form "Dars" (three root Indo letters are D,R and S) which means "lesson" or "teaching" and Darsana can be "The Teachings" with the a giving whatever being taught a type of mystical or greater significance. Personally that's what I have keyed into as I feel I'm learning more and more about the world and it's past including my own ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso Re : Turmeric
Yes, the active ingredient is Curcemon and it is a form of Ginger root and natural anti inflammation agent, which seem to play a key part in reducing the chances of having Alzheimer's in later life. Here is a UCLA medical study on it. http://alzheimer.neurology.ucla.edu/Curcumin.html
The Blackhorse23 Files thank you! This could potentially prove to be very helpful with the cognitive impairments that have been keeping me from going back and finishing my graduate studies. I knew of Turmerics help for my arthritic issues, but I will be asking my rheumatologist and neurologist to look at the referenced publications to see if changing my DHA/fish oil/curcumin formulations will help improve cognitive function. Thanks! Sorry for the off-topic everyone, back to your regularly scheduled encoding now.
ReplyDeleteHappy to help esp if it actually helps improve your overall health :) def check out other spices along the route as well. A great many of them come with mild psychoactive or cognitive properties. For example Saffron which also is cultivated there as Rahul Ashok brought up has some mood altering properties and and a natural anti.depressant like St John's wart plant in Europe,.
ReplyDeleteVenus Velatura ah yes, got mixed up between Peachy and Danny :). Either way it's Lahore next. Let's see what happens from there. Check http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_(novel) , another novella by Kipling; except this story begins in Lahore. Also, the character in the book and the story closely revolve around Darsana. Yes I know it's still purely hypothesis till a breadcrumb points us this way.
ReplyDelete