Gujjars of Kashmir

Gujjars are an ethnic group of nomads who would have partly left the present-day Georgia around the 5th century A.D to migrate to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although having adopted a part of the local culture and converted to Islam, the Gujjars of Kashmir also retained their traditional culture, the peasant organization and the common language to all Gujjars despite their localization. While they seem to have been ruling over great kingdoms in the IX and Xth centuries, they have since been part of the most disadvantaged classes in India. In Kashmir, the Gujjars are classified as "tribe " by the Indian government and benefit from a support program which provide an educational and financial support, as well as administrative representativeness and protection of their cultural specificities.