| Also Known As: Doma,Dumaki
Description:
Domaakí - also known as Dumaki or Domaá - is a language spoken by a few hundred people living in the Northern Areas of Pakistan.
It belongs to the the Indo-European language family, and can be affiliated to the Dardic group of the Indo-Iranian branch.
Domaaki is the traditional tongue of the Dóoma (sg. Dóom), a small ethnic group scattered in extended family units among larger host communities. According to local traditions, the Dooma's ancestors came somewhere from the south; according to the Domaaki speakers themselves their forbearers arrived in the Nager and Hunza Valleys from Kashmir, in separate groups and over an extended period of time via Baltistan, Gilgit, Darel, Tangir, Punial and even Kashghar.
In former times, Domaaki speakers traditionally worked as blacksmiths and musicians, but nowadays they are also engaged in a variety of other professions.
In almost all places of their present settlement the Dooma, who are all Muslims, have long since given up their original mother tongue in favour of the surrounding Dardic Shina. Only in the Nager and Hunza Valleys has Domaaki survived until the present day.
Domaaki can be divided into two dialects: Nager-Domaaki and..... full article at Wikipedia |
