Brokpa: Difference between revisions

The Brokpa speak an Indo-Aryan language called [[Brokskat]], which is a variety of the [[Shina language]] currently spoken in the [[Gilgit]] region.{{sfnp|Radloff, The Dialects of Shina|1992|p=99}} (During the [[British Raj]], it became common to refer to the people of the Gilgit region "Dards" using ancient nomenclature. The Brokpa are thus "Dards" living in the midst of Tibetic Ladakhi and Balti people.){{efn|In current parlance, the term "Dards" is used for the speakers of [[Dardic languages]]. The Brokpa are "Dards" on this account as well.{{sfnp|Kogan, On possible Dardic and Burushaski influence|2019|loc=p. 263, footnote 1}}}}

 

 

The Brokpa might have expanded from the Gilgit region upstream along the Indus valley until reaching their current habitat, viz., the lower Indus valley of Ladakh next to the border with Baltistan.{{sfnp|Jina, Ladakh|1996|p=93}} The time frame of this expansion or dispersion is uncertain, but their chiefs are believed to have ruled at [[Khalatse]] until the 12th century, where the remnants of their forts can still be found. Their rule over this region ended during the reign of the Ladakhi kings [[Lhachen Utpala]] and his successor [[Lhachen Naglug]].{{sfnp|Vohra, Ethnographic Notes on the Buddhist Dards|1982|p=70}}