The Kanjars are a Muslim tribe native to Pakistan, with small populations also living in India. The Kanjari language is spoken mostly by the Kanjari people living in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Kanjari is a lesser-known Indo-Aryan language, but almost all Pakistani Kanjars speak Punjabi as well.

History

British India

In the British Raj, the Kanjaris were listed under the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act as a tribe "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offenses."

India

The Kanjari were denotified in 1952 when the Criminal Tribes Act was replaced by the Habitual Offenders Act. However, the community carries considerable social stigma, mainly due to the association of their culture with traditions distinct from mainstream Indian culture. Kanjaris are also known as Gihar which is not a notified tribe. The 2011 Indian census showed a Kanjari population of 115,968 in Uttar Pradesh. For centuries, Lucknow was a hub for affluent families would send their children to be educated in Lucknow. This has been home to a large community of Kanjari for centuries. A recent study found that: "A Kanjari hears the music of tabla and ghungroo from the day of her birth and must begin her formal education before her non-Kanjari friends start going to school."

Pakistan

In Pakistan, two distinct communities go by the name Kanjari. Over the centuries they became associated with the profession of peripatetic craftsmen and entertainers, best known for the terracotta toys they produce. The term 'Kanjar' is a slur generally used to refer to a person of low moral character than as a reference to the tribe. Although nomadic, the Kanjari follow a set route and often maintain a relationship with the villages they visit. Many of the men work as agricultural labourers. Their tents are made from split bamboo or munji grass, and their encampments can be found at the edges of villages, as well as in urban areas such as Faisalabad and Lahore.

Popular culture

They are the subject of the Hindi story Indrajal (Magic in English), by Jaishankar Prasad. In the Lollywood film Bol, prominent character Saqa Kanjari, financially helps a fanatic hakim after the latter bribes the police to cover up the honour killing of his son. The hakim in return had to bear a daughter for Saqa Kanjar's daughter Meena.