The major ethnic groups in the district are the Pathans, the Jamoots and the Balochi, who between them account for around 87 percent of the district's total population. The remaining thirteen percent consists of non-Muslims (mostly Hindus), migrants from India (mostly Urdu speaking), other ethnic groups of Balochistan, and settlers (mostly Punjabis).

Mode of Living: About 65 percent of the district's population lives in rural areas, and the rest in Sibi town and Harnai town. The rural population lives in conglomerates (villages), big and small. The preferred mode is to live in big villages for reason of security and ease of access to amenities such as water, education, communication, health facilities, marketing facilities etc.

In rural areas, kinship and tribal aspects in the mode of living are still preserved and firmly guarded by the major ethnic groups. For example, the seasonal migrants who come to Sibi during September/October are allowed to set up huts mostly outside the villages. No rent is charged. Nor is the land sold to them. When land is sold, it is as a rule sold to another member of the clan or tribe. Within a village, the joint family system of living is clearly manifested in the housing pattern. The general pattern is that several households, sometimes as much as a dozen, live in separate houses constructed close to each other, and enclosed by a common boundary/protective wall, with a common entrance. It is a fortress-like settlement. The more prosperous people live in "havelee", i.e. mansions accommodating several households of a clan, but this way of living is declining. The havelees that exist are old.

Major source of Income: Agriculture is the single largest source of income of the district's population taken in general and also of its major ethnic groups considered individually. The other major sources are off-farm employment and trade. There are, however, some differences between the ethnic groups and between the localities in the district, as briefly described below.

Baloch derive the bulk of their living from farming, livestock raising, wage employment, and self-employment (informal sector). The chief sources of the latter category are: vehicles operating for goods /passengers, donkey carts, camels and camel carts, and petty trading on carts, foot paths, street corners' etc. These sources of self-employment are still minor sources of Baloch income, but are rapidly growing in importance.

Pathans' major sources are largely the same as of the Baloch, but the difference in their relative contribution to their total income is less sharp as compared to the Baloch. Agriculture is their major source of income, but unlike Baloch; self-employment (trading) occupies the second position followed by wage employment.

Jamoots derive the bulk of their income from business, agriculture and wage employment, in that order.

Food habits of the Baloch, Pathans, and Jamoots are more or less similar in so far as the common people are concerned. The income levels and exposure to urban influences, rather than the ethnicity factor, seem to influence the difference in food habits and composition.

The times of the meals are: morning (for breakfast), midday (for lunch, the major meal), evening (for tea), and after sunset (for dinner, the second major meal). Late morning tea is regularly had in urban areas and by the relatively well off people in rural areas. Visitors are invariably served hot/cold drinks and snacks. The diet of commoners and the average middle class is more or less as shown below.

• Breakfast: Roti (bread) with tea; the children are given locally made biscuits, too.
• Lunch and DinnerThe most common items are roti, dal (pulses) or / and vegetables
• Evening Tea Adults have tea only, while children take tea with biscuits.

Milk is a daily food item, which is sufficiently available to most households. Those who have cows and buffaloes make butter, part of which is directly consumed by the family, while the remaining butter is processed into ghee.

All meals are freshly cooked. In the summer season, the temperature is so high that the curry gets stale within an hour or so after it is cooked. For that reason meals have to be prepared afresh at each mealtime. Although the factor of heat is absent in the winter season, every meal is prepared afresh as a matter of habit, as people are used to freshly made bread and curry at each meal time. Usually all family members, who are at home at mealtime, eat together. The meal is arranged on a chaddar (blanket) spread on the floor.

In respect of social organisation in rural Sibi, the three major ethnic groups exhibit different characteristics. One thing is, however, common among the three groups, namely the high propensity for group living, group action when confronted with an alien entity, and a sense of separate ethnic entity which all of them guard jealously. The emergence of the Jamoots movement is a clear manifestations of this characteristic. A brief description of the social organisation is as follows.

Baloch: The Baloch are still faithfully adhering to the sardari system, which is rather authoritarian. The decision making process is of a bottom-up type, but it is heavily influenced by the Sardar's (chief's) views. The Sardars should incorporate the most commonly expressed views in their schemes, but they do not necessarily do that. Tribesmen follow their decisions, even if these may not be entirely consistent with their own perception of needs and priorities.

Pathans: The Pathans have strong preference for independent existence. They prefer to have direct contact with the state authorities. The traditional jirga still commands respect and status in their social system, but it is steadily losing influence.

Jamoots: This ethnic group is still largely subservient to Baloch and Pathans. But it is emerging as a distinct and powerful group with separate leadership. It is more progressive than the other two and carries characteristics of both.

The district’s population is mulit-ethnic, and no single ethnic group enjoys clear majority.

Some characteristics are common to all of the major ethnic groups, but in most respects they distinctly differ from each other. The tribal mode of living is dominant in rural areas where nearly 65 percent of the district’s total population lives. Pathans live in almost all Pathan villages and the Balochis in all Balochi villages. The same applies to a lesser extent to jamoots who are found in both Pathan and Baloch concentrated settlements, besides Jamoot concentrated areas.

Agriculture is the major source of income of Balochis and Pathans, while jamoots derive the bulk of their income from business and wage employment. The sources of income and employment of the population in general are, however, under going gradual diversification, away from farming.

The joint family system is still dominant, but a trend towards nuclear family system is observable. The age old institution of vulvar is still there but is looked donw upon by the younger generation.

The social organization i.e. the authority pattern has not changed much among the Balochis who are still strict adherents of the Sardari system. The Pathans are, however, more individualistic. The Jamoots, who are largely subservient to Balochis and Pathans, are the most progressive of the three groups.

In so far as women are concerned, not much improvement has taken place in their role position, and status. The vulvar system is still as strong as it was a century ago. Women’s mobility is strictly controlled by their men. They are overburdened with work, denied proper access to education and medical facilities, not associated with decision makiing at home, and not given any inheritance. This applies to rural women. The urban women are comparatively better placed in these respects, but they too are denied their due respect and role.

Use of child labour is widespread, and seems to be increasing.

In so far as the overall law and order situation is concerned, it is fairly satisfactory by the provincial standards. Inter tribal conflicts flare up now and then, but are not frequent.

The major issue of concern are i) contribution of tribal modes of social organization ii) denial of due rights, role and status of women; iii) widespread use of child labour; and iv) continued ethnic conflicts – through less than before. The informed local people have expressed much concern about these issues which need be overcome within the shortest possible time to which end acceleration of process of equitable development is one of the major necessary conditions.

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