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{{Short description|Muslim community in North India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{infobox ethnic group
{{infobox ethnic group
|group= Mirshikar
|group   = Mirshikar
|poptime =  
|poptime =  
|popplace ={{hlist | {{flagcountry|India}} | {{flagcountry|Bangladesh}}| {{flagcountry|Pakistan}} | {{flagcountry|Afghanistan}} }}
|popplace = {{hlist|India|Bangladesh|Pakistan|Afghanistan}}
|langs ={{hlist | [[Urdu language|Urdu]] | [[Hindi language|Hindi]]}}
|langs   = {{hlist|[[Urdu language|Urdu]]|[[Hindi language|Hindi]]}}
|rels=[[Islam]]
|rels     = Islam
}}
}}


The '''Mirshikar''' are a [[Muslim]] community, found in [[North India]] who were traditionally hunters and trappers of birds and small animals. This should not be confused with the title of the same name used for the high position of "chief huntsman" and served in the courts of Persian and Mughal rulers and taught them to hunt.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bernier, Francois |title=Travels in the Mogul Empire. A.D. 1656-1668. Translated and annotated by Archibald Constable in 1891.  |edition=2| year=1916| publisher=Humphrey Milford | place= London |url=https://archive.org/stream/travelsinmogulem00bernuoft#page/182/mode/2up/|page=182}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| journal=Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal | volume=3 | title=Note on the Shungar falcon| author=Phillott, D.C. | pages=113–114 | year=1907|url=https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753002183785#page/113/mode/1up}}</ref>
The '''mirshikar''' are a Muslim community, found in [[North India]], who were traditionally hunters and trappers of birds and small animals. Some were recorded as bird-catchers in [[Bihar]] around 1964.<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofbombay611964bomb#page/380/mode/2up/ |pages=370–384 |title=Notes on migrant birds of north Bihar| author=George, P.V.| year=1964| journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society | volume=61| issue=1}}</ref> They can be found in [[Bihar]] and [[West Bengal]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Samiuddin |first1=Abida |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEXFxCK-ulUC |title=Global Encyclopaedic Ethnography of Indian Muslim |last2=Khanam |first2=R. |publisher=Global Vision Publishing House |isbn=978-81-8220-299-3 |pages=521–522}}</ref>


==History and origin==
==Practices==
In one mirshikar community in Bihar, young men needed to prove themselves fit for marriage by catching a ''loha sarang'', the [[black-necked stork]] known for being vicious. The practice was stopped when{{When|date=September 2025|reason=When did the boy die? Year/decade/century would help understand how far back the practice stopped.}} a boy was killed in the process.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Grubh, B.R.|author2= Shekar, P.B.|year=1968| title=Blacknecked Stork (''Xenorhynchus asiaticus'') and the marriage of Mirshikars|journal=[[Newsletter for Birdwatchers]] | volume=8| issue=3|pages=1–2|url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW9#page/n2/mode/1up}}</ref>


The word Mirshikar is a combination of two [[Urdu]] words, mir meaning lord and shikar meaning a hunt, and their name means a leader of a hunting party. They are mostly concentrated in the Indian states of [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]]. The Mirshikar speak a dialect which is a combination of [[Urdu]] and [[Hindi]]. Mirshikars in Bihar hunt both by day and night and work alongside other trapper communities like the Mallahas. Most are into animal husbandry. They are emerged from the pashtuns (Pathans) who were came from the poor villages.{{cn|date=April 2021}} They started so many different profession over the time for the survival.{{cn|date=April 2021}} The main profession was the hunting. They started calling themselves 'MIRSHIKAR' for their own satisfaction in the society as the term 'MIRSHIKAR' means 'Lord of the hunters' until this community was proposed by the government. Mirshikar community, because of their low literacy rate was unable to emerge again as Pashtuns (Pathans) but their title remain the same as Khan, Pakhtan, Alam, or with no title -for Male. On the other hand, Nisha, Khatoon, Khatun, Aara, Parween are used as the title for the Female till now Beside this, there is a Massive number of Mirshikar Muslim having the title 'KHAN' referring to this title as their predecessor's title and claimed that they are often known as the 'LATHMAAR PATHAN' and a pure orthodox Muslim. 'LATHMAAR PATHAN' is referred to the pathan groups which are very talented in order fight with Laathi (Bamboo stick).{{cn|date=April 2021}} Nowadays Mirshikar are making a growth  in the literacy rate in which reservation for the MIRSHIKAR Muslim is playing a major role for their upliftment.<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofbombay611964bomb#page/380/mode/2up/ |pages=370–384 |title=Notes on migrant birds of north Bihar| author=George, P.V.| year=1964| journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society | volume=61| issue=1}}</ref> In some parts of Uttar Pradesh the tribe name is reduced to ''maskar''.<ref>{{cite book|page=105| url=https://archive.org/stream/tribescastesofno01croo#page/n333/mode/2up/| title=The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh. Volume 1| author=Crooke, W.| year=1896| place=Calcutta| publisher=Government Press}}</ref>
Ali Hussain, from a mirshikar community in [[Manjhaul]], is acclaimed for his work as a bird trapper for the [[Bombay Natural History Society]]. He worked with [[Salim Ali]] and other ornithologists to aid the [[Bird ringing|marking]] and study of birds. In 1998, he was flown to [[Jackson County, Mississippi]], US, and during his one-week visit, he demonstrated his trapping techniques and helped capture 10% of the [[sandhill crane]] population in the state.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=nacwgproc| year=2001| chapter=Use of traditional Indian trapping methods to capture sandhill cranes| author1= Hereford, S.G.| author2=Grazia, T.E.| author3=Nagendran, M.D.|author4=Hussain, Ali| title=North American Crane Workshop Proceedings.|page=220}}</ref> His method is now standard in crane research.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Parker, Jeannette M.|author2= Folk, Martin J.|author3= Baynes, Stephen B.| author4=Candelora, Kristen L.|chapter = Use of Clap Traps in Capturing Nonmigratory Whooping Cranes in Florida| year=2008| title=North American Crane Workshop Proceedings. Paper 196.|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nacwgproc/196}}</ref> In 1998, the [[Films Division of India]] recorded a documentary featuring Hussain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://filmsdivision.org/shop/nm0370-birdman|title= Birdman. News Magazine. 370. Directed by Shankar Patnaik. Produced in 1998.|publisher=Films Division, India|access-date=16 September 2016<!--| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m56iBHvGPlg --> |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/m56iBHvGPlg |archive-date=15 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
 
== Practices ==
In one Mirshikar community in Bihar, young men needed to prove themselves fit for marriage by catching a ''loha sarang'', the [[black-necked stork]] known for being vicious. The practice was stopped when a boy was killed in the process.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Grubh, B.R.|author2= Shekar, P.B.|year=1968| title=Blacknecked Stork (''Xenorhynchus asiaticus'') and the marriage of Mirshikars|journal=[[Newsletter for Birdwatchers]] | volume=8| issue=3|pages=1–2|url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW9#page/n2/mode/1up}}</ref>
 
Ali Hussain from a mirshikar community in Manjhaul in Begusarai is acclaimed for his work as a bird trapper for the [[Bombay Natural History Society]]. He worked with [[Salim Ali]] and many other ornithologists to aid the [[Bird ringing|marking]] and study of birds. In 1998 he was flown to Jackson County, Mississippi and during his 1-week visit, he demonstrated his clap-trap and noose-trap techniques and helped capture 10% of the sandhill crane population of Mississippi.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=nacwgproc| year=2001| chapter=Use of traditional Indian trapping methods to capture sandhill cranes| author1= Hereford, S.G.| author2=Grazia, T.E.| author3=Nagendran, M.D.|author4=Hussain, Ali| title=North American Crane Workshop Proceedings.|page=220}}</ref> His method is now a standard in crane research.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Parker, Jeannette M.|author2= Folk, Martin J.|author3= Baynes, Stephen B.| author4=Candelora, Kristen L.|chapter =Use of Clap Traps in Capturing Nonmigratory Whooping Cranes in Florida| year=2008| title=North American Crane Workshop Proceedings. Paper 196.|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nacwgproc/196}}</ref> In 1998, the Indian government Films Division recorded a documentary featuring Ali Hussain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://filmsdivision.org/shop/nm0370-birdman|title= Birdman. News Magazine. 370. Directed by Shankar Patnaik. Produced in 1998.|publisher=Films Division, India|access-date=16 September 2016<!--| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m56iBHvGPlg -->}}</ref>
 
==Present circumstances==
 
The Mirshikar are scattered are across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. They are an endogamous community, marrying close kin.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} The majority are landless agricultural labourers.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} There has also been a steady emigration of the Mirshikar to other  states of India, where many are now found. A few are also involved in the manufacture of bamboos flute. Just like other Muslim community in India they are also an extremely marginalized community, with a poor literacy rates. The Mirshikar are [[Sunni]] [[Muslim]]s, and are fairly orthodox.<ref>People of India Bihar Volume XVI  Part Two edited by S Gopal & Hetukar Jha pages 686 to 688 Seagull Books</ref>{{more citations needed|date=September 2016}}
 
==See also==
* [[Qalandar (clan)]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Dom people}}
{{Indian Muslim}}
{{Indian Muslim}}
[[Category:Dalit Muslim]]
[[Category:Dom in India]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of India]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Bihar]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Bihar]]
[[Category:Dom people]]
 
[[Category:Romani in India]]
 
{{Islam-stub}}

Latest revision as of 16:05, 4 October 2025


Mirshikar
Regions with significant populations
  • India
  • Bangladesh
  • Pakistan
  • Afghanistan
Languages
Religion
Islam

The mirshikar are a Muslim community, found in North India, who were traditionally hunters and trappers of birds and small animals. Some were recorded as bird-catchers in Bihar around 1964.[1] They can be found in Bihar and West Bengal.[2]

Practices[edit | edit source]

In one mirshikar community in Bihar, young men needed to prove themselves fit for marriage by catching a loha sarang, the black-necked stork known for being vicious. The practice was stopped when[when?] a boy was killed in the process.[3]

Ali Hussain, from a mirshikar community in Manjhaul, is acclaimed for his work as a bird trapper for the Bombay Natural History Society. He worked with Salim Ali and other ornithologists to aid the marking and study of birds. In 1998, he was flown to Jackson County, Mississippi, US, and during his one-week visit, he demonstrated his trapping techniques and helped capture 10% of the sandhill crane population in the state.[4] His method is now standard in crane research.[5] In 1998, the Films Division of India recorded a documentary featuring Hussain.[6]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ George, P.V. (1964). "Notes on migrant birds of north Bihar". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 61 (1): 370–384.
  2. ↑ Samiuddin, Abida; Khanam, R. Global Encyclopaedic Ethnography of Indian Muslim. Global Vision Publishing House. pp. 521–522. ISBN 978-81-8220-299-3.
  3. ↑ Grubh, B.R.; Shekar, P.B. (1968). "Blacknecked Stork (Xenorhynchus asiaticus) and the marriage of Mirshikars". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 8 (3): 1–2.
  4. ↑ Hereford, S.G.; Grazia, T.E.; Nagendran, M.D.; Hussain, Ali (2001). "Use of traditional Indian trapping methods to capture sandhill cranes". North American Crane Workshop Proceedings. p. 220.
  5. ↑ Parker, Jeannette M.; Folk, Martin J.; Baynes, Stephen B.; Candelora, Kristen L. (2008). "Use of Clap Traps in Capturing Nonmigratory Whooping Cranes in Florida". North American Crane Workshop Proceedings. Paper 196.
  6. ↑ "Birdman. News Magazine. 370. Directed by Shankar Patnaik. Produced in 1998". Films Division, India. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2016.


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