The Tajik People

The Tajiks reside in relative isolation in the glacier-capped Pamir Mountains of West China near the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia. Towering mountains surround this specially designated Tajik district on three sides and desert on the fourth. The largest concentration of Tajiks live on the edge of Tashkorgan, a small town (population 5,000) that lies 10,000 feet above sea level on the outskirts of a large glacial valley. Tashkorgan is located just off the historically famous Silk Road, an ancient trade route between China and Central Asia. It is a full day's bus ride from Kashgar, the nearest Chinese city.

The 35,000 Tajiks in West China are ethnically related to the more than 2 million Tajiks in Tajikistan. However, because of their isolation they are said to be culturally and linguistically distinct from their ethnic kin across the border. The Tajiks have inhabited Central Asia since the dawn of civilization and are most closely related to the people of Iran. The Pamir mountain tribes have been classified as Homo-Sapiens Alpinus, a different subspecies from the majority of the world's population.

The Tajiks are semi-nomadic shepherds, herding cows, yaks, sheep, camels and mules. Their livelihood is primarily animal husbandry. They grow a few crops, such as highland barley, peas, wheat and other crops suited for the cold climate and high altitude. They drive their herds to highland grazing grounds in early summer and return home in autumn to harvest the crops and pass the winter.

Information on Chinese Tajiks is very scarce and sometimes conflicting, particularly concerning language. The most reliable sources mention several different languages and dialects including Sarikoli, Wakhi, Tajik and Shugni. Apparently, the majority speak Sarikoli, a language not spoken outside of China. An American travelling through the area found that some of the farmers could understand some Persian. All of the languages mentioned are Indo-European languages related to Persian (Iranian). There is no written language, and the children actually learn and study in the Uygur language. The Uygurs are another minority group in West China who are of Turkic descent. Their language is the trade language of West China.

After a long history of warfare and domination by neighboring nations, the Tajiks were again subjugated by the Communists around 1950. The Chinese subsequently sent in a large military force to keep order. Each year since then the ratio of Chinese to non-Chinese has increased in favor of the Chinese. The policy of the government is to move enough ethnic Chinese into an area so that they constitute the majority. Despite the improvements and limited autonomy proffered by the Chinese, there still seems to be some resentment towards Chinese rule throughout West China.

The Tajiks follow the Ismaili Sect of Islam. Passing through the area, there is no evidence of a mosque and no calls to prayer can be heard during the day. This suggests that they are not strict adherents to Islam. In fact, they appear to be a superstitious and animistic people. They differ greatly from the Uygur people who are militant, devout Muslims.