introduction
Museums are the wealth of our history and a gift from our ancestors. Nestled in the heart of high mountains of Yasin, the Brushoo Museum a thrilling experience for tourists and adventurers.
The Brushoo Museum an asset of the people of Yasin. It is the only museum where the history of the Brushoo people is preserved in its finest form. Unlike the Pakistan Monumental Museum with its sumptuous modern day building in the heart of Islamabad, the Brushoo Museum is set up in an ancient house aging some 400 years.
The caretakers of Brushoo Museum
The property of the Museum is taken care by few locals.
Moreover, Barkulti valley is only 20 minutes ride away from Taus, and it is located at the junction of Silgan and lower Yasin. Therefore, the management of Brushoo Museum rests in the hands of few elders of Barkulti valley, and there is no exclusive support of any government organization.
Enclave in a centuries old compound made of stone and mud, the Brushoo Museam has a story to tell.
Infront of the Museum there is a waranda standing firm on its archaic form. In the left corner of the waranda an unassembled water mill( پن چکی) takes us back into the centuries old process of grinding wheat.
The walls of the Brushoo Museum provide us a time travel to the past of the Brushoo people and their way of living.
After entering through the wooden door into the local house that holds centuries old artifacts which are indegenous to the region where Brushoo people lived for centuries.
The Museum floor is made of mud and it has been furnished by locally produced wood.
On the floor locally made carpet(پلیکس) is laid that reflects the local skills and indegenous ways of living of the Brushoo people.
The Brushoo Museum is a replica of the local traditional houses of Yasin. The roof of the Museum is supported by four wooden pillars and the interior of the ceiling is designed like the traditional house. It was infact a house which was later turned to Museum to restore the past of Brushoo people in its best form.
On one of the pillar there hangs a guilding stick which is some 150 years old, and that has a cylindrical bulge on the top, and this cylindrical bulge acts as a carrier of things like tea leaves or tabbaco.
The Museam is house to the traditional dress wore by the groom and bride on their wedding days.
The indigenous long coat called the “Chugha” in Brushaski language is a handmade dress made of wool.
In addition to the traditional dress the bride and groom also wear footwear ( Huchó) made of leather or skin of animal. Traditionally, the Chitrali cap made of wool is also the part of man’s wear.
A collection of archaic locally made Rifles( Chikit and Chamkh) are hanged on the front wall of the house. These were locally made armaments which were widely used for hunting and warfare purposes.
Even the manual tools for making bullets are preserved in the Museum with great sublimity.
The most interesting things are the kitchen utensils which are preserved and they out number all the other stuff in the Museam. Iron pots of various sizes are collected which reflects the rich past of the people in terms of indegenous dishes. The other very famous Cauldron termed as the “Chidin” in local languages is also collected in the Museam and it is used to cook food on festivals and other occasions like marriage.
There are shoe like stones of various sizes, these are actually shoes’ frame to carve out leathers to make shoes for all ages.
Multiple of them are collected in the Museum , and they are said to be centuries old. When there was limited trade with the outside world then people of these region were skillful enough to manufacture shoes from leather (Huchó), but today there is no existence of local or traditional shoes makers.
Hanging besides the local armaments are the traditional bow like slings. These slings resemble bow, but they don’t use arrows to hit the target instead they use small spherical stones. These slings are traditionally used to hunt birds, therefore they are insignificant in regards to modern day usage, but history still remains significant in all its sublime forms.
Another very interesting thing about the museam is the grain pit that is dug beneath the floor of the Brushoo museum.It has been historically used to preserve wheat and miaze grains. Moreover, there are many mesmerizing stuffs in the museum to witness and be thrilled.
So, don’t hesitate to visit this symbol of history whenever you got a chance to visit the mountainous valley of Yasin.
