ABSTRACT
The issue of Sikh identity dates back to the time of the Gur3s and has not been resolved 500 years later. The first definition of a Sikh by legislation came as the consequence of the Gurdw1r1s Act in 1925 and was later modified in 1971. I begin with an analysis of identity at the time of the foundation of Sikhism, that is, with the early Sikh community under the guidance of the first Sikh Gur3, N1nak (1469-1539) in order to assess what a Sikh was prior to the Gurdw1r1s Act and, indeed, prior to the formation of the Kh1ls1 by Gur3 Gobind Singh in 1699.
