カラーシャの谷
Krakal situates as the last villages in Bumboret valley where is the most scenic and popular among three Kalasha valleys.
Inspite of that Kalasha community keep conservatism in their life style, people in Krakal always grasp the new tide from the out world.
Early those days of my staying in Bumboret valley, around thirty years ago, I recognize that some of the Krakal villagers had easily converted to Christianity without understanding what is really but seemed to be blinded by the gifts the missionaries had offered. Nowadays those who once converted to Christian say they are Kalasha.
Many new activities for the Kalasha came up from the Krakal people, for example, sending their children to study in the city of Pakistan by the help of Christian, sending a group of the Kalasha to Greece and entertained a performance on TV there, to send some youth to study in Greek by the help of the Greek volunteers.
Also, boys to wear jeans with new hair cut looking like exactly the boy from Karachi, women to go shopping without escorting man in Chitral bazaar, etc, nowadays other Kalasha do too, but the agitators usually from Krakal. (Only the first Kalasha international marriage was not from there, from Balanguru, that was my husband.)
photo above: Boy from Krakal dancing in Burn village in Cawmos festival, 2014
Two years ago when I visited Krakal I was surprised how it had changed but telling the truth it wasn’t so bad. Although the Kalasha traditional taste had been partly dropped, there looked clean and organized. There were small shops and restaurant, definitely good for the tourists.
photo left: Inside of Krakal, 2017
In July, this year, I visited again Krakal village, I was astonished. The village was gone! that was my first thought because in front of the village huge hotel with restaurant has occupied, hiding all Kalasha houses behind. Both structure and interior are far different from the Kalasha tradition which destroys all scenery.
Eid holidays was just finished, so my Kalasha brother’s village, Burn, was almost empty but in Krakal still many Pakistani tourists from down the country were hanging around. Inside the village you don’t see the local Kalasha but the tourists and smell of the stink from the drain.
I found the Krakal tourist village goes on the wrong way. I can not say not to do business for tourists but want to say do not sell the Kalasha land and soul by money in extreme way.
