AFRICAN WINDS AND MUSLIM DJINNS.

TRANCE,
HEALING, AND DEVOTION IN BALUCHISTAN

by Jean During

The African Baluchis

During their migration from West to East, the Baluchis absorbed numerous
ethnic groups. The most exogenous elements in this assimilation process were
the Africans who live today in large numbers notably in Karachi.' These
Africans are so well integrated that the Baluchis often deny their foreign
origins. They say that Baluchis had settled in Zanzibar and in Tanzania since
an unknown time, and that their descendants had come back to their country
of origin physically and culturally affected by this sojourn. They brought
back with them customs, chants and exotic dances, and spoke only Tanzanian.
Such explications speak to the ability of the Baluchis to integrate ethnic groups
of all origins (Brahu'is, Sindi, Makrini, Jatt, etc.) regardless of race, while
adopting elements of their culture. They prefer to forget sometimes that there
are descendants of slaves among them, but they do remain aware of the
African origin of certain traditions, notably evident in the zdr and lewd musical
rites.

Two (or three?) African rites

Many trance rites of African origin have spread around the Persian Gulf
and Gulf of Oman. The Somali zar is practiced in Cairo as well as in Iranian
Southern Khuzistin and the coast of Baluchistan. Original instruments such
as tall-standing drums of different sizes and the African Lyre tanbura are used
(Hassan 1980). In Baluchistan, zir is only found in Chihbahir and Karachi,
two coastal towns that have cultural affinity despite their distance from each
other. The officiants are in general of African descent, and certain sung
formulas have preserved African words whose meaning is unknown. The
names of spirits often betray their origins,2 and furthermore, they are all
considered "pagans."
The lewa is another rite brought from Africa which is found in Chihbahir,
Karachi, as well as in Oman where many Baluchis live. Lew& is sometimes
described as the 'African jungle dance' (afriqajangali dans). It takes place in
open air and in public, from evening until dawn, to the sound of an oboe
sorna or a clarinet zamr), accompanied by three percussion instruments: two
variants of tabl/dohol, the rahmani and the smaller keysal (Riahi 1977:7), as
well as a long bongo called mogholman. According to Baluchi musicians, "there
isn't any melody," only a very elementary and repetitive motif over a rapid
dance rhythm in 6/8. The officiants are African Baluchis, but the participants
are of all origins. Some wear African costumes and make up and sing African
words whose meaning has been lost. Nowadays, the lewa is nothing but a
dance for amusement, practiced notably on Thursday evening in weddings.
But sometimes this dance leads to a frenzy that has a rapport with trance.3
Despite similarities, z ar should not be confused with other trance rites:
the le'b gudti (or gudti damdli) which is widespread in various forms in all the
Makrin (Southern Baluchistan), in the Sind, and among certain groups in

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