Tauki is a term which referred to apparently disparate social groups in Balochistan at the start of the 20th century, particularly in the Kharan region.
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Etymology
A 1907 work theorised that their name is probably derived from the fortress of Tauk, which Timur took on his march from Seistan to Bast in 1383 AD.
Distribution
The Tauki were said to number 12 families at the start of the 20th century, living in separate and unrelated groups at Hurmagai and in Sarawan. Two Sarawan Tauki families, also known as Samezai, were attached to the Kambrari, with the remainder having emigrated to Larkana in Sindh at the end of the nineteenth century and are said to have engaged in cultivation.
The Taukis of Hurmagai claimed connection with the Barr Kishanis of Panjgur. Originally shepherds they became cultivators as well, owning land in Hurmagai and paying one-fourth of the produce as revenue. Their headman in 1907 was Mauladad. They intermarried with the Hejibaris and Mastihanzais.