Yashkuns

Yashkuns
یشکنز
Regions with significant populations
Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Kohistan
Languages
Shina, Burushaski, Urdu
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Dardic peoples

The Yashkun or Yashkuns (Shina: یشکن) are a sub-group of the Shina people, an ethnic group in northern Pakistan. They speak Shina and Burushaski languages.

Etymology

According to Karl Jettmar (1980), the name Yashkun is from Burushaski, meaning "aboriginal, local inhabitant".

History

According to A. H. Dani (2001), Yashkuns are indigenous to northern Pakistan. Dani suggests that Yashkuns are ethnically related to the Burusho people of Hunza Valley; accordingly with Shina migrations into Gilgit-Baltistan, Yashkuns gradually adopted Shina language in place of Burushaski. This scenario is supported by the fact that the proportion of Yashkun population increases northwards, with their highest share in Hunza, Nagar and Astore. Additionally, many Yashkuns in Hunza still speak Burushaski.

The Yashkuns, in terms of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, have 29.47% H, 13.68% T and 13.68% M; these are most often found, respectively, amongst the modern populations of West Eurasia, South Asia, and East Asia. Yashkuns are closely related to the neighbouring ethnic groups such as Khos and Wakhis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Barton, Amber Marie (2016). An Odontometric Investigation of the Biological Origins and Affinities of the Yashkuns of Astore, Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern Pakistan (Thesis). California State University. pp. 5, 22–23.
  2. ↑ Edwards, Stephen R. (2006). Saving Biodiversity for Human Lives in Northern Pakistan. IUCN. p. 2. ISBN 978-969-8141-86-8.
  3. ↑ Jettmar, Karl (1980). Bolor and Dardistan. Islamabad: National Institute of Folk Heritage. p. 25. OCLC 15812986.
  4. ↑ Khan, Muhammad Umer; Zahid, Tazeen; Sabar, Muhammad Farooq; Masood, Tayyaba; Ali, Qurban; Han, Shiming; Ahmad, Ajaz (2024). "Ethnogenetic analysis reveals the Bronze Age genetic affiliation of Yashkuns with West Eurasians". Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 31414. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-83136-6. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 11682329. PMID 39733090.