Sikhs have a group identity which has been evident for some generations. Part of this identity relates to their pride in the former Sikh Empire which they ceded entire to the British in the middle of the last century. The newly established Punjab boundary between the Dominions of India and Pakistan cuts straight through this territory. What happens to the nature of Sikh identity in the future will depend upon a number of factors. This paper limits itself to an investigation of the processes by which the identity was formulated. The paper suggests other processes as well as synthesis, adding one which the anthropologist will recognize as peculiarly “cultural.”
