The Kalasha (Kalasha: Kaĺaśa, Nuristani: Kasivo) or Kalash, are a Dardic indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They speak the Kalasha language, from the Dardic family of the Indo-Aryan branch, and are considered a unique tribe among the Indo-Aryan peoples of Pakistan.
The neighboring Nuristani people of the adjacent Nuristan (historically known as Kafiristan) province of Afghanistan once practiced the same polytheistic religion as the Kalash. However, by the late 19th century much of Nuristan had been converted to Islam, though evidence has been shown they practice the religion secretly and state their Muslim to get rid of outside forces, but the Kalash of Chitral maintained their own separate cultural traditions.
Regions with significant populations = Chitral District, Pakistan
Languages = Kalasha {Urdu or Pashto also understood widely as second languages}
Religion = Kalash Religion
Related ethnic groups = Nuristani
Total population = ca3,000 (???) / Kalaasha Language Speakers = 6,000 (2010)
[Kalasha Valleys]
Kalasha Valleys (Kalasha-mondr: Kaĺaśa Desh, Urdu: وادی کیلاش) the Three Kalasha Valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir are called Kalasha Desh in Kalasha Language, and also known as Kafiristan. The valleys are part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
{ BUMBURET }
Bumburet (Kalasha: Mumuret, Urdu: وادی پمپوریت) is the largest valley of Kalasha Desh in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
The Bumburet valley joins the Rumbur valley at 35?44′20″N 71?43′40″E (1640 m), and then joins the Kunar Valley at the village of Ayun (35?42′52″N 71?46′40″E, 1400 m), some 20 km south (downstream) of Chitral. To the west the valley rises to a pass connecting to Afghanistan's Nuristan Province at about 4500 m.
The valley is inhabited by the Kalash people, and has become a tourist destination.
{ RUMBUR }
Rumbur (Kalasha: Rukm?) is one of the three Kalasha valleys situated in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
{ BIRIR VALLEY }
Birir Valley (English: Birir Valley, Urdu: وادی بریر) is one of the Three Kalasha Valleys of Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan is called Birir Valley in Kalasha Language, and also known as Kafiristan.
KAFIRISTAN :
Kāfiristān or Kāfirstān (Pashto: کافرستان) is a historical region that covered present-day Nuristan Province in Afghanistan and its surroundings. It was also referred to as "Afica"[citation needed], but this was changed because of its close similarity with the name of the continent Africa. This historic region lies on, and mainly comprises, the basins of the rivers Alingar, Pech (Kamah), Landai Sin, and Kunar, and the intervening mountain ranges. It is bounded by the main range of the Hindu Kush on the north, the city of Chitral in what is now Pakistan to the east, the Kunar Valley in the south, and the Alishang River in the west. Kafiristan took its name because the inhabitants of the region were non-Muslims and were thus known to the surrounding Muslim population as kafirs, meaning "infidels". They are closely related to the Kalash people, a fiercely independent people with a distinctive culture, language and religion.
Source : Wikipedia