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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 9, p. 16.

16 THE BRIĪHUIS lbrāhim at the present day. Early Baloch poems also describe them as the Brāho. In the light of anthropometrical measurements recently made, Mr. Risley classes the Brahuis as Turko-Iranians. It seems not unlikely that they also contain remnants of those hordes of broad-headed nomadic people who came into India at the beginning of the Christian era and are known by the generic term of Scythians. We first find the Brahuis in authentic history divided into groups clustering round Kalat under a chief drawn from their senior branch, the Mirwaris, and called Mir Umar. Driving out the Jat population of the Jhalawan country, they made themselves masters of the whole region between Mastung and Las Bela. Only Mir Umar's descendants are now regarded as true Brahuis. They include the Ahmadzais, the ruling family, with their collaterals the Iltazais; the Sumalanis, Kalandaranis, Gūrgnaris, Kam- baranis, Mirwaris, and Rodenis. As the power of the chiefs expanded, the name Brahui was extended to the various groups which were in- cluded in the confederacy from time to time, numbers of Jats, Afghans, and Baloch being thus absorbed. The Brahui is of middle size, square-built and sinewy, with a sharp face, high cheek-bones, and long, narrow eyes. His nose is thin and pointed. His manner is frank and open. Though active, hardy, and roving, he is not comparable with the Baloch as a warrior, but he makes a good scout. The songs and ballads of the people celebrate no days on which hundreds were killed, as in the case of the latter. With few exceptions the Brahui is mean, parsimonious, and avaricious, and he is exceedingly idle. He is predatory but not a pilferer, vindictive but not treacherous, and generally free from religious bigotry. His extreme ignorance is proverbial in the country-side: I If you have never seen ignorant hobgoblins and mountain imps, come and look at the Brahui.' The Brahui wears a short smock descending to the knees and fastening on the right shoulder, wide trousers often dyed black or brown, and a felt cap or a turban. His foot-covering consists of sandals or embroi- dered heavy shoes. He is fond of having a waistcoat over his smock, and he also wears a black overcoat (shial). A woman's dress consists of a long shift profusely embroidered in front. If married, she wears a kind of corset, lacing behind. Her hair is done in two plaits joined at the back and covered by a long cotton scarf. The Brahui language has long been an interesting puzzle to the philo- logist. Like the Basque of Europe it stands alone among alien tongues, a mute witness to ethnical movements occurring before the rise of authentic history. It has no literature of its own, and our limited knowledge of it is due to European scholars. Some have connected Brahui with the Aryan group, others with the Kol language of Central India; while others, among whom is Dr. Trumpp, place it with the Dravidian tongues of Southern India. Dr. Caldwell refused Brahui a