Fashion 3: The traditional Dress of Kalasha Men

The traditional Dress of Kalasha Men

The traditional costume of a Kalasha man of rank namusi moch, using Darling‘s descriptions, consisted of various pieces denoting various symbols of rank. The woolen Chitrali Cap with plume or cheish (a symbol of leopard or man-killer); the loose white sheep‘s wool pants, called bhut or boot (a symbol of his membership in the growei (sacred male community of the Kalasha)); bands called shumans around his chest, a symbol of honour, and apricot seed garlands called jajey ghu around his neck (the symbols of prestige); markhor hide moccasins (shara kandali kalun) only worn by men of rank who have given merit feasts (like biramor); and puttees around his calves are woven with symbols of horns of the sacred male goats (Darling 1979: 186). The traditional woolen dress of men consisted of three pieces. A woolen baggy pant called bhut or boot, a woolen upper garment, and a Chitrali cap. Woolen pants sualak (shualak) and goat hair cloak called ghui or walghui were also worn by goatherders. Silk and brocade robes as signs of rank were and are still worn on important occasions. Belts or pattis of various types, length and colors were also used by men. Different studies give different terms for various pieces of traditional dress for men (Sheikh 2013: 115)1

Jackets: “The traditional jacket was made from wool (in warp faced plain weave) - sometimes with embroidered decorations on the shoulders and Kao'shelak border above the sleeve hem. It has gone out of use during the last 35 years. Peter Parkes had such a jacket made, which is now in Oxford. 55 years ago a man in Rumbour wearing a similar jacket, but cut in a different way. It had many borders and the Kalash told that it was bought from the Nuristanis. They still remember, that earlier the men wore vests from goat skin with holes for the arms, when it was very cold. Later they began to wear the woolen shawls from Chitral. Nowadays the men prefer factory-made coats bought new or second hand in the shops. The woolen Chitrali coat with extra long sleeves is also popular, but is too expensive for most Kalash men.

Brocade coats: For festival ceremonies men of significance sometimes wear the Tja'park (= made in Japan?) - a glittering long coat made from synthetic brocade in strong colors with golden or silvery designs. Such coats are also frequently used for funerals over the other fine clothes on the dead person - to honor them both for men and for women. 

 Vests: Underneath most men wear a cotton vest with pockets for money, identity-card etc.. Over the kameez nowadays many men even wear a vest - either the woolen Chitrali vest or imported new or second hand ones. Trousers: The traditional trousers (Boodt) are made from white wool: Nowadays these trousers are not only used for the initiation of the boys, but also at feasts by some of the elder men. Quite a few men of all ages wear them, when it is very cold in the winter. It is made in warp faced plain weave. The warp is set in the top of the second hole of the loom for the men's trousers and in the top of the first hole for the boy's. For the boy's trousers it is woven in one long piece, for the man's trousers two pieces are made - with broad coloured borders and long lish-bound fringes in each end For the boy's trousers the piece is folded lengthwise in the middle, the gusset is cut out and then the long piece is divided in two. For the men's trousers the two pieces are sewn together also in the sides. The wrong side of the borders is turned outwards, as they are to hang down with the right side outward after the belt is put on. The knee hems are stitched with "buttonhole stitches".

 The leggins: In winter many men wear the Kuta'wati - the woven leggins, that are also part of the costume for the boys when they are dressed in the traditional trousers. The leggins are made in plain weave ending in colored borders. The last three wefts are made thick (instead of lish), and after being taken from the loom, the loose warp threads are braided in about 16 plaits, that are stitched together with a long braided string, which ties the legging around the leg. The winding starts at the ankle and ends below the knee around the edge of the trousers

Shalwar-Kameez: The Shalwar-Karneez suit is worn by most men in Pakistan. It is mostly made from a cotton-synthetic mix, which makes it easy to wash and dry without ironing. The loose cut makes it very comfortable to wear. It is no wonder, that this dress now has been taken into use - also by the Kalash men and boys -as soon as money economy entered the Kalash society. Schools have come and so the school uniforms: Dark grey shalwar-kameez suits arid black caps with a red crescent or a diamond above the peak are now worn by many small boys. 'Now they dress like all other school boys in the country. The school uniform symbolizes, that the boys at school develop an identity as citizens of Pakistan besides their Kalash identity. The surrounding world enters the valleys, enters the Kalash minds.“2

1 Shabnam Bahar Malik, 2015, Traditional Costumes of the Kalasha Kafirs of Chitral, 

2 Sperber Glavind, Brigitte, 1990. Kalash: Dresses, Body Decorations and Textile Techniques. In Proceedings of the Second International Hindu Kush Cultural Conference, pp 32-35