A Transient Life Behind the Mended Cloth Walls: The Khanabadosh of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to delineate different factors associated with the spatial mobility of the khanabadosh[1] community located in Changaryano Daag in the fringes of Hathian Bazzar, District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Empirical data for this micro-focused ethnographic research was collected through participant observation, key informants, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. Khanabadosh, under study, is going through a transitional period of spatial mobility towards permanent settlement, which reflects the evolution of the given society from a mobile to a settled mode of life. Hence, through time some of them are permanently settled so far. The findings of the study show that there were multifaceted factors that pushed them to move from one place to another. Those factors include socio-economic, seasonal conditions, delinquency, illiteracy, and the issue of national identity cards.

[1] The word khanabadosh is derived from the Persian language, which is the composite of two words: khana, which means home, and dosh, which means shoulder. Literally, it means the people who carry their “houses on their shoulders” or “with houses on their back.” They are the people who do not have permanent places for houses, move from one place to another in search of life’s necessities and do not have permanent dwellings (Angelillo, 2013; Ali, 2019).