Chakee
Encyclopedia
The Chakee are a Muslim
community found in the state of Gujarat in India
. A small number are also found in the city of Karachi
in Pakistan
.
community of Sindh
. According to theeir traditions, a Soomra
prince Chaneeeswar invaded Sindh
with the help of Alauddin Khilji
to dethrone his younger brother Dodha. Once the Khilji
s overthrew Dodha, they expelled many of his supporters, who took refuge in Gujarat. The local rulers in Kutch, Jamnagar
and other parts of Saurashtra gave refuge to these Soomra. A few Soomra hid with members of the Lohar
and Ghanchi
community and came to be known as Chakee. They are distributed mainly in the cities of Bhuj
, Mandvi
, Mundra
and Moghpat in Kutch, as well as the district of Jamnagar
. The community speak the Kutchi
. In Pakistan
, they are found mainly in Chakiwara
area of Karachi
. tanga
with many Sindhi
loanwords. There customs are similar to many neighbouring Muslim
Maldhari communities, such as the Halaypotra
. The Chakee community is divided into fifteen clans, the main ones being the Allahyo, Makkad, Khokhra, Davva, Banani, Lela and Kotuda. These clans are named after the village of occupation or an ancestor. Each clan is of equal status, and intermarry. The community however prefer marrying close kin, and parallel and cross cousin marriages are preferred.
The majority of the Chakee are now agricultural labourers, while a few are involved in plying cammel carts. A significant number of the Chakee have immigrated to East Africa
and the Gulf States
. In addition, a large community exists in Karachi
, where the neighbourhood of Chakiwara
is a centre of the tribe. Like other Gujarati Muslim
s, they have a caste association, known as the Chakee Jamat. This acts both as a welfare organization and as an instrument of social control.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in the state of Gujarat in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. A small number are also found in the city of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
History and origin
The Chakee claim to be a clan of the SoomraSoomro
Soomro or Soomra is a Sindhi tribe in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan, Pakistan.- History and origin :The Soomra Dynasty was established by the Soomro tribe of Sindh. The Soomra ruled Sindh from 750-1351. Following the 985 CE expulsion of the Qarmatian Muslim sect from Iraq and Egypt, the...
community of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. According to theeir traditions, a Soomra
Soomro
Soomro or Soomra is a Sindhi tribe in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan, Pakistan.- History and origin :The Soomra Dynasty was established by the Soomro tribe of Sindh. The Soomra ruled Sindh from 750-1351. Following the 985 CE expulsion of the Qarmatian Muslim sect from Iraq and Egypt, the...
prince Chaneeeswar invaded Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
with the help of Alauddin Khilji
Alauddin Khilji
Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...
to dethrone his younger brother Dodha. Once the Khilji
Khilji dynasty
The Khilji Sultanate was a dynasty of Turko-Afghan Khalaj origin who ruled large parts of South Asia from 1290 - 1320. They were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India...
s overthrew Dodha, they expelled many of his supporters, who took refuge in Gujarat. The local rulers in Kutch, Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
and other parts of Saurashtra gave refuge to these Soomra. A few Soomra hid with members of the Lohar
Lohar
Lohar is an ethnic sub-caste found among Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in Northern India and Northern Pakistan. Originally this community was a warrior tribe living in provinces of Kermanshah in Iran right up to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. In India the Lohars are also known as Vishwakarma, Sharma,...
and Ghanchi
Ghanchi (Muslim)
The Ghanchi are a Gujarati Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. A small number of Ghanchi are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan. - Origin :...
community and came to be known as Chakee. They are distributed mainly in the cities of Bhuj
Bhuj
Bhuj is a city and a municipality in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510 and was made the state capital by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital laid formally on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th...
, Mandvi
Mandvi
Mandvi is a city and a Municipality in Kachchh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao of the Kachchh. The old city had a surrounding fort, and remains of the fort wall can still be seen to this day...
, Mundra
Mundra
Mundra is a census town in Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Mundra Port is the largest private port in India.-Geography:The town of Mundra is located about 50 km from Anjar which is one of the major towns in the district of Kutch in Gujarat. The other important towns in this...
and Moghpat in Kutch, as well as the district of Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
. The community speak the Kutchi
Kutchi language
Kachhi Kachhi Kachhi (also spelt Cutchi, Kutchhi or Kachchhi, is an Indo-Aryan Language spoken in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat as well as in Sindh.- Closely related languages :...
. In Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, they are found mainly in Chakiwara
Chakiwara
Chakiwara is one of the neighbourhoods of Lyari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The area gets its name from the Chakee, a community of Gujarati Muslims....
area of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. tanga
Present Circumstances
The Chakee speak a dialect of KutchiKutchi language
Kachhi Kachhi Kachhi (also spelt Cutchi, Kutchhi or Kachchhi, is an Indo-Aryan Language spoken in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat as well as in Sindh.- Closely related languages :...
with many Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
loanwords. There customs are similar to many neighbouring Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Maldhari communities, such as the Halaypotra
Halaypotra
The Halaypotra are a Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat in India and a province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are one of a number of communities of Maldhari pastoral nomads found in the Banni region of Kutch.-History and origin:...
. The Chakee community is divided into fifteen clans, the main ones being the Allahyo, Makkad, Khokhra, Davva, Banani, Lela and Kotuda. These clans are named after the village of occupation or an ancestor. Each clan is of equal status, and intermarry. The community however prefer marrying close kin, and parallel and cross cousin marriages are preferred.
The majority of the Chakee are now agricultural labourers, while a few are involved in plying cammel carts. A significant number of the Chakee have immigrated to East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and the Gulf States
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
"Arab states of the Persian Gulf" or "Arab Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" or "Arabic Persian Gulf states" or "Arab States of The Gulf", are terms that refer to the six Arab states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, bordering the Persian Gulf....
. In addition, a large community exists in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, where the neighbourhood of Chakiwara
Chakiwara
Chakiwara is one of the neighbourhoods of Lyari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The area gets its name from the Chakee, a community of Gujarati Muslims....
is a centre of the tribe. Like other Gujarati Muslim
Gujarati Muslim
The term Gujarati Muslims is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the State of Gujarat in west India, who speaks the Gujarati Language as a mother-tongue and follows certain customs different from the rest of Indian Muslims...
s, they have a caste association, known as the Chakee Jamat. This acts both as a welfare organization and as an instrument of social control.