Location: Baloch is located on the south-eastern Iranian plateau between the Indian sub-continent and Central Asia. Balochistan is divided politically between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.
Language: The Balochi language is classified as a member of the Iranian group of the Indo-European language family which includes Kurdish, Persian (Farsi), Pashto, Dari, Tajik, Ossetian. Balochi is closely related to Kurdish and Persian. Balochi is spoken in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, the Arabian Gulf States, Turkmenistan and East Africa. It is difficult to estimate the total number of Balochi speakers, although they probably number around six million.
History: Their name, "Baluch," is shrouded in controversy. Some say it means "nomad," while others claim that it is an old Persian word meaning "the cock's crest." Their history is just as mysterious. Some have traced their origins to Nimrod, son of Cush (Noah's grandson). But while some things are uncertain, they do know that they first moved to the region in the twelfth century. During the Moghul period, this territory became known as "Baluchistan."
Daily Life: The terrain and climate in Balochistan has traditionally been suited to and supported nomadic pastoralism, date-palm cultivation, dry-crop agriculture, raiding and fishing. Because Balochistan is located at the crossroads of routes to the more fertile areas of the Indian sub-continent, particularly the Indus valley, various groups have passed through the territory over the centuries.
Resources:
Amin Goshti’s Balochi Home page http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/goshti/index.htm
Balouch Culture & History http://members.tripod.com/albelushi/
Written by: Hiromi Izumizawa