Some four hundred
years back a Polo match was going on in between Sher and Strangers
Chinese on whole Pamir as playing field. There were no spectators Sher
was on the Yak against the stranger horses. He looked back to Shimshal
if the Chinese drove the ball to Shuijerab he looses he will abandon all
lands from Pamir to the Hunza and if he is able to drove the ball over
the Shimshal Pass towards Shuwert, he will win title to all territory
from Shimshal to Raskam. All the history was in his eyes .How his father
Mamu Singh A Burusho from Baltit (Central Hunza) And a member of the
wazir family was sent to Sarikol, Central Asia as ambassador, but on
deteriorating relation ship with Hunza He fled Sarikol with his wife
Khodija a Wakhi. They made
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Avgarch Pasture on the slopes of
Qarun Pir as their home. He built up his flocks of sheep and goats after
several years living their he migrated into the lower reaches of the
Shimshal Valley. He was an elder man without children at that time but
then came a saint (Holy man) Shams he gave the news of a Son to Mamu
Singh they named the son Sher, he grew up as strong man and fine Hunter
.On one of the hunting trip he wandered up a side valley in to the
Pamir, where he met a group of
stangers, who had
with them a number of horses and small Yak. Both Sheer and the stranger
claimed Pair as their own. Eventually they agreed to resolve the dispute
with a Polo game, He was succeeded in driving the ball over Shimshal
Pass and beyond Shuwert.Having won the territory Sher begun at once to
explore it as far as Raskam.Half a year later, when his family had
finally given up hope of his life he returned back and married a Wakhi
woman from Sarikol who bore him several sons, the descendants of whom
founded the three main lineage grouping as Shimshal; Gazikator,
Bakhtikator and Baqikator. Late in the last century a missionary from
Sarikol ventured in Hunza, and preached the Ismaili gospel to the ruler
of Hunza who accepted the faith. Shimshali have been devout Ismailis
since then.
Shimshal is farming and herding community of some 1100 inhabitants,
situated at the northeastern Hunza. Shimshalies occupies the upper
portion of the valley, which descends west in the Hunza River valley at
Passu and which separates the Ghujerab and Hispar Mustagh ranges of the
Karakoram mountain system the villages are situated on the series of
glacial and alluvial deposits. Surrounded by nine peaks above 7000
meters.
Shimshal territory have innumerable
peaks, glaciers and trekking routes, Shimshalie Community has exclusive
control of the vast areas of high altitude land. Shimshal pastures cover
about 2700 sqkm of the Central Karakoram, with in that area they
maintain over three dozen individual
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pastures, including three large and
highly
productive alpine
areas
Shamshale community is one of
the few comminutes
remaining in Pakistan's Northern areas that grows enough agricultural
produce to feed itself. At an altitude of 3000 to 3300 meters above sea
level the cultivated area is 250 hectares at the upper limit of single
crop cultivation, they mainly grow hardy cereals (wheat and
barley)Potatoes, peas and beans, apricots and apples. Small quantities
of garden vegetables are also grown by some households Despite
the location of Shimshal is 60 km from
Karakoram High way (3 Hour jeep drive from Passu) the people of Shimshal has
a strong obligation to preserve their unique physical and cultural
environment. They are one of the few Pakistan's mountain communities
that retain a strong commitment to a surplus-oriented economy based on
transhumant livestock herding and agricultural production. They also
retain beliefs; knowledge and practices relating to nature that have
been lost elsewhere.
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