He is often lustful, but not a suitable partner. Haji Firuz emerged out of siyah-bazi , and his popularity is tied to the growth of these performances in the s and s in Tehran.
The popular cause to defend Haji Firuz came to a fore after the revolution. While some of the narratives developed during the Pahlavi era, they became more formalized and virulent out of a reaction to the Islamic Republic and its control over public culture in Iran.
Ayatollah Khomeini was known for indicting the United States as the very embodiment of injustice, including racism, 17 and the Islamic Republic fashioned itself as the leader of anti-imperialist movements for the Global South. To mitigate this, government officials cracked down on siyah-bazi in the early years of the Islamic Republic. Some siyah-bazi theater actors continued with their shows but avoided painting their faces. Haji Firuzes were generally discouraged and sometimes arrested.
Some attributed his blackface to soot from the Chaharshanbe Suri fires that Iranians jump over on the last Tuesday night of the year, while others suggested that Haji Firuz was actually a Zoroastrian priest whose face was blackened from tending to a sacred fire.
And yet, I have never come across an account of anyone becoming black in the face from jumping over a fire, nor does the idea that Haji Firuz might have been a mobad fit with Zoroastrian ideas of purity and cleanliness. In both cases, the explanations take examples that are popularly considered as native or ancient to Iran and make logical leaps to connect them to Haji Firuz as a part of a shared cultural heritage.
The Shahnameh presents Siavash as a chivalrous and dignified prince. His name, Sia-vash, originally Sia-vakhsh, refers to his black horse. This does not align with premodern etymologies of the name, and no reference in the Shahnameh suggests that he was Black or a jester. Bahar described Haji Firuz as Siavash arisen from the dead, his blackened face an ashy return to the living world. Nor does it mention why a resurrected prince would use pidgin Persian or expressions of servitude, such as calling for his master.
Connecting Haji Firuz to elements of pre-Islamic Iran, either through distorted ideas of Zoroastrianism or misreadings of characters from the Shahnameh, frames Haji Firuz as a cultural figure whose existence is threatened by a hardline Islamic government. At the same time, material representations of Haji Firuz grew more common, further embedding his visuality into Nowruz traditions.
From Haji Firuz yarn dolls made by blind patients to raise money for the Kahrizak Foundation to greeting cards of Haji Firuz playing his tambourine, Haji Firuz has been consistently portrayed with a red outfit, a rounded hat, and a blackened face. A doll or an illustration without a black face may not even be recognizable as a Haji Firuz, but rather may be mistaken for a doll wearing any red outfit.
The importance of the blackened face, however, is diminished in live-action, as other characteristics, such as accent or comportment can communicate the racialized caricature in the absence of blackface.
Ensafi, who has performed on the radio, in television, in films, and on stage since the s, spoke with me about his experiences in theater before going onstage as the siyah in Chillih Zari va Chillih Amu Jun. Ensafi ushered me into a dressing room to talk about siyah-bazi, its history, and his experiences.
Nowruz is a holiday for millions of people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, who usher in the new year on the spring equinox, which occurs on March 20 or 21 every year. Nowruz is still the most important celebration for Iranians, as well as for some million people in the neighboring countries from different ethnic and religious backgrounds that were once part of the Persian Empire.
In ancient times, Persian kings invited people from around the empire to the royal court to celebrate Nowruz and to bring gifts. Over time Nowruz has become the embodiment and essence of the Iranian culture.
It is not just a celebration of the new year; it is the symbol that proclaims that the people who lived in these regions have not given up their ancient traditions.
Nowruz signifies opposition to foreign invaders too, having survived the Greek, Arab, and Mongol invasions. In the years following the Islamic Revolution, the appearance of Haji Firouz, singing and dancing in the streets, was among the early signs of opposition to the Islamic rulers who deemed Nowruz to be a pagan celebration. Some parts of traditions have changed in different parts and evolved throughout the years in different parts of the world.
Haji Firouz might be one of them. All Cultures change over time and get rid of traditions that are no longer considered appropriate. We live in a world where information spreads fast and far on social media. It is embarrassing to celebrate an ancient tradition with a symbol that is considered insulting and dehumanizing in many parts of the world.
Haji Firouz is not an inseparable part of the Nowruz traditions. If it must be part of the celebrations, it is time to abandon the blackface. Share on Social media:. The highest social class in the community are the Durzadehs, Africans who came to Iran for maritime work. Because of their notable status, the Durzadehs regard themselves as higher than the Ghulams and Nukars, who came to Iran as slaves.
The caste system is so rigid that the marriage between the Durzadehs and the Ghulams or Nukars is strictly forbidden. In Bandar Abbas, however, the Afro-Iranian communities have assimilated to a much larger degree, and interracial marriages are not uncommon.
The belief in zar can also be found amongst indigenous populations in Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Related to zar is gowati, the belief that dancing has healing properties. Bandari music and dancing have its roots in gowati, which has been largely eclipsed by the shiny costumes and Los Angeles Iranian music industry. Despite the popularity of bandari music, however, the depiction of Afro-Iranians in popular media is fairly scant.
The film follows the story of a boy who is orphaned by the Iran-Iraq war and escapes war-torn Khuzestan for safety. Bashu finds himself in the entirely foreign Mazandaran province in Northern Iran, where his adoptive mother buys extra bars of soap to wash his skin clean from its darkness, children bully him for his complexion, and villagers call him a bad omen. Baizai addresses racism and ignorance directly, taboo topics in mainstream Iranian culture.
The neglect of Afro-Iranians by most Iranians stems from a number of factors, most of which stem from the Aryan myth. Beyond this, the lack of Afro-Iranian presence in media further reinforces any preconceived notions that exist about Africans in Iran: that they simply do not exist. Standing in the middle of a crowd, the man in this video relates his experiences with lighter-skinned Iranians in Tehran pestering him questions about his blackness. Because many are unfamiliar with Afro-Iranians, especially in more northern areas of Iran like Tehran, many quickly assume that people with darker skin are foreigners.
I am black Iranian except that this is because I am mixed with an African father and Iranian mother. I grew up in Tehran hence never saw Afro-Iranians, next trip to Iran will include the South and exclusively meeting the people I resemble.
Would love to meet more African-Iranians both of mixed heritage and those from the south. Thank you so much for this article. Afro-Iranian culture and history is important , we need more education about this topic. Thank you so much for this article… I am an African Persian, my father is from Abadan and Ive spend so many years since i was 14 trying to gather information about my African Persian history… I am 40 years old now and there is still very little information out there and it doesnt help that the country is constantly going through wars and sanctions.
Hi Zangi, please get in touch I would love to talk to you as I am writing my dissertation on Iranians with African heritage. Blackface is deemed racist in the context of the US experience with slavery. Of course blackface in Iran and the US are not synonymous, but I believe that depicting Haji Firuz in blackface is a majorly influence by the East African slave trade in Iran during the 19th century. Blackface is not the only slave marker when it comes to Haji Firuz. Other markers include:.
This othering—and thus, dehumanization—is what I have deemed here as racist. Explanations of the blackface as soot from the fire, etc, serve to only prevent a critical dialogue about the use of blackface in Iranian society. Is this the only article you have written? Many of us would buy it… great info and great responses! I am not debating the history or slavery or the heritage of afro-iranians, however haji firouz predates all of this and has a different symbolism than what you think.
Haji pirooz is not supposed to resemble a black person. It is a symbol of those who tended to the fire in the zoroastiran temples. Because of their job, their faces would be black with smoke and coal. And there is a reason why haji pirooz wears red, it is again related to the symbol of fire. As in most instances regarding social prejudices, it is not so much the word as it is the intent and mind-set associated with the word.
Thank you. The point nowadays is not whether slavery as an institution has ended in Iran. The more urgent concern are the effects it has left on the hearts and minds of the oppressor and the oppressed. In America, we have been learning over the past decades that the institution of slavery has left its ugly mark in the social attitudes of blacks and whites. That is our challenge here. My hope is that Iranians of whatever color will begin to tackle the thornier issues of societal bigotry and biases.
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created.
Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest.
Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory. Thus, by His mercy, hath the commandment been recorded by the Pen of justice. Let no man exalt himself above another; all are but bondslaves before the Lord, and all exemplify the truth that there is none other God but Him. The Kitab-i Aqdas, p. But He never intended that the slaves be mistreated and to be set apart from the rest of society much as one would separate a leper s and banish the lepers to a place apart from the community.
Better that the sufferers should cleanse themselves of such afflictions. Else, they should be restricted by an enlightened societies laws and mandates against such behavior. Much of this is hard for many of my fellow Americans to accept in their hearts and minds. In the meantime, maybe my Arab and Iranian brothers and sisters will be able to understand all these things and implement them so as to outshine the rest of the world.
Oh dear dear dear, Haji Firooz is originally driven from Khajeh Pirooz. Totally another meaning and context than described here. Thank you for the article, though I have some problems with it. Original Arabs are black. All the Imams were black. Their are books who describe Imam Ali as a very dark skinned person. To say most of the Afro Iranians came from slavery is disingenuous and I would ask anyone to show definitive proof, which supports such claims.
I can say the sky is purple and be the president of the United States, but it would still be a untruth. Now how do I sustain my claim that these people probably are the oldest populations in Iran? Well, what did eye witnesses say about the Persian population in earlier times? The blacks in India called Sidis are also not slaves.
Those people were part of the Axumite empire and they went there as rulers, not as slaves. I call such claims into question, as he makes the claim, yet shows no documentation that proves these people were slaves, other than him saying so.
However, there is clear proof, documented that these people came as conquerers. Also if you read the book "Kebra Nagast" which is a book that chronicles the dynasties of the Axumite empire, it says their empire stretched to India. If I remember right, Strabo another historian also said the Persian population was partly Ethiop black in his day he was around 64 B.
Which means eurocentric claims that Africans only showed up in large numbers outside of Africa as slaves is moot! Africans are the first people on this planet earth and as such they would have wondered out and settled down.
Where they had large concentrations and less interaction with outside peoples, the populations remained fairly dark, which is what you see in Iran today. I totally agree with your post Tunka Manin. These articles, while educational, are also dangerous because they brainwash people to associate slavery with black people and to assume that black people outside of africa have to be descendants of slaves. African history in the Middle East is very ancient. Reducing that history to blacks being nothing but slaves, is not only insulting but very racist.
If anyone were to assume that all Blacks found in non-Black countries were descendents of slaves that would be ignorant indeed. But I think the purpose was to be educational. Indeed, to insult such a person, the lighter-skinned Muslims resort to hurling this epithet. In Oman, it is often felt, especially in the other villages and wadis, that the mark of black skin is a sign that a person is an ancestor of a slave, and therefore is relegated of a lower status. To ignore these nuances is to show an unwillingness to correct the peredominant perception of the worth of a person based on skin color.
Forging a community that transcends the mis-conceptions of skin color is the next great hurdle for humankind. The majority of your comment has nothing to do with Afro-Iranians. If you read his work, he recounts the writings of Khyzran an African fugitive slave from Iran in But I think we should be careful when we talk about dark skinned Iranians or Middle Eastern people.
0コメント