There are many tribes In Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya ranges of Gilgit Baltistan, Chitral and Kohistan:
Wakhi
The Wakhi people belong to an ancient Iranian stock of people, whose language Wakhi is the most primitive form of Persian still spoken and differs from the Tadjik language. They have a rich folklore of songs and tales, with their language now written in an Arabic form. The common identity of the Wakhis is a religious heritage dating from the beginning of Islam. In the early 20th century, two complete handwritings of the Persian” Original Text It (Umm- al- kitab) were found in the Wakhan corridor, proving to be of an Arabic text originating from 8th Century Iraq. More recently the Wakhis converted to Ismaili-ism and follow the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, Prince Kareem Aga Khan. Due to the influence of the present Aga Khan and his humanistic western approach to the Ismaili faith, there is a liberal attitude towards the Quran and a general acceptance and openness towards the scriptures in general. The story of the Wakhi’s migration to there present places of habitation is interesting. As a people they had always been content with the scarce resources they had and had never looked beyond their borders for shelter on political or religious grounds. The Wakhi’s though found themselves in trouble by the second half of the 19th century, with the first refugees crossing into Chitral in 1886, due to an unknown cause. The next major migration occurred from 1919 probably due to the general effect of war, famine and mass people migrations resulting from the Bolshevik takeover of Central Asia. The final migration did not take place till 1937, due to pressures and persecutions from the rulers in Afghanistan compulsory recruitment of Wakhi’s into the army. The Wakhi’s still live as semi-pastoral society, depending largely on agriculture and cattle-raising. This however has been seriously disrupted by the upheavals of occupation, and now civil war in Afghanistan and Tadjikistan. Maybe this is one of the primary reasons for the Wakhi people In Chitral, the Wakhan Corridor and High Pamir to now be reported to be widely addicted to opium. This has had disastrous effects on health and income generation. The only place where the Wakhi people have developed and prospered has been in the Gojal region of the upper Hunza valley. Here they predominate and live at unity with their fellow Ismaili Hunzakot neighbors. Benefiting greatly from contact with this progressive people group and the business and tourist opportunities presented by the Karakoram Highway now linking Pakistan with China.
The Wakhs
The inhabitants of Wakhan , Boroghil and Gojal-Upper Hunza are the Wakhi tribe who belong to an ancient Iranian stock, They have Moingolide features and it is believed they are the master speakers of Ghalcha language of the past.. A thin wedge of Afghan territory known as the “Wakhan corridor” separates Tajikistan and Pakistan which is the home land of these nomads. In Chitral and Ishkuman, Wakhan is known as Wokh and the people as Wakhi, in Hunza the name of Wakhan is Gojal and the people of Wakhan as Gojali. In the past the name of Hunza was little Gojal, while Wakhan was known as big Gojal.The Wakhi live as a semi-pastoral society, which depends on agriculture and cattle raising. The Wakhi huts are made of mud and due to climate conditions their huts have no veranda or corridor. All the rooms in the house are interconnected and have one outlet at a convenient place well protected from the wind. There is a small outlet for smoke and light. Cooking is done in the living room, while grain storage is in a separate room connected to it. If in the neighborhood of a settlement a suitable base area of stone is located then a central storages place is constructed having separate areas for different families. The people are peace loving modest and friendly. Crimes do not exist in this society and the people have a peaceful existence. Due to the harsh weather and long winters people are addicted to opium.Trans border relations of the frontier people are very common in areas where borders are mere unnatural barriers. When the Persians and Tartars subjugated the areas north of the Hindukush in the 12th century the southern valleys of the Hindukush gained a distinct identity under different names as Bolor, Dardistan, Tibet Gujal, Kashkar etc who were divided by the chains of mountains however the Ghalcha and Dard people living on the northern and southern side of the Hindukush have been close to each other despite the natural hurdle of the mountain chains.Trade caravans and pilgrims from eastern Turkistan used to cross over the Kurambar Boroghil and Darwaza passes into Chitral and this caravan route served as a permanent link between these regions. Many people from Chitral crossed into Wakhan for permanent settlement. The Wakhi herdsmen usually came with their flocks to the Boroghil for summer camps. Wakhi horsemen used to visit for Polo and Buzkashi as far south as Razdan field in Torikho valley.The Wakhi art, craft and architecture occupy a distinct place in the neighboring area. There are certain festivities which mark particular occasions and vary from valley to valley. The Wakhi are fond of music Daf open drum and flute and Rabab are popularly played. Male members are responsible for farming, weaving woolen clothes. While women look after the house and cattle. Source
Chitral Kho
The Chitrali people, who call themselves Kho, are not Pathans. Although their language, Khoar, belongs to the Dardic group, it has strong connections with the languages of the Pamir and Wakhan regions to the north, and with Iran. It is presumed that their language Khoar, has been spoken in the area since early 5th century B.C. It is said that the Kho were aborigines of this area, from where they sprang and spread in the surrounding valleys of Kalam, Swat, and to Ghizar in Gilgit . There is a big stone in the village of Warijun Mulkho, which bears the name of “Kho Boht” or the “Stone of Kho”. According to folklore, this was the place from where “Kho” people and their language Khoar spread in and around the surrounding valleys.
One of the early explores Col Durand, who saw them for the first time in 1888 wrote it was impossible not to be taken with the Chitralis, their nobles were pleasant men to meet, fond of sports, courteous and hospitable, the people were splendid mountaineers, fond of laughter and song, devoted to polo and dancing.The Kho are good mountaineers who seem to be impervious to cold or fatigue and after a long days climb would love to sit beside a fire and sing throughout the night. They are of fine physique with a good eye and are keen hunters of small and big games.The Kho, though his livelihood is from subsistence agriculture is rich at heart, he must have a green shady patch in which to relax in the afternoon. Hospitality is overwhelming-the generous Kho has to plant a few fruit trees to be able to offer fruit to his guests and travelers passing by. No home in Chitral is without flowers, roses are abundant and villagers will travel long distances to get new varieties of flowers. Theirs is an area that offers a festival, almost every month of the year.
Gujjar Tribe
It is really a feast for the eyes to see the flocks of cattle-sheep, goats, cows and buffaloes trotting by the roadside escorted by some ferocious dogs to the tune of the whistles of their masters. Masters are elegantly clad with beautifully embroidered garments. These are the gypsies of the Himalayas, popularly known as Gujjars who are always on the move.
Several books on the cultural heritage of Gujjars have been published so far but their place of origin is not established yet. Most of the historians stress upon the fact that they came from the Middle Asia and reached India in search of green pastures and meadows. Some of the researchers believe them to be a section of the valiant clan of the Huns while others claim them to be true Aryans who established their colonies in the northern part of this country spreading up to the plains of Ganges. Gujjars have been mentioned in several epics and in a number of classical books with myriad noun forms-Gujjar, Gujar, Goojar, Goojjar, etc. In Harshcharita by Bhan Bhat, there is a reference that during the reign of Prabhakar Vardhan there were some powerful domains of Gujjars. We find mention of these Gujjars in the diaries of foreign travellers that there were several powerful kings of Gujjars who used to assist the more powerful kingdoms and thus were the deciding factors in tilting the power from one kingdom to another.
There are still some Gujjar settlements in several Middle East countries which point to the fact that once they were settled there and established their kingdoms. Several such families are still there in the ravines and at the base of Hindukush which speak Gojary language similar to that of the language spoken by the Gujjars of this part of the world. Gujjars reside in several cities and the localities of Attak, Peshawar, Jhelam, Rawal Pindi, Gujranwala, Sialokote, Lahore, Swat, Kohistan,Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan etc. in Pakistan.
Introduction
The Gurjara clan appeared in northern India in about the fifth century AD. During the Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent, many of the Gurjar Hindus converted to Islam. Gujjars are mainly concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic plains, the Himalayan region, and eastern parts of Afghanistan, but some are established in Pakistan. Gujjars have given their names to several places in Pakistan, including Gujranwala, Gujjar Nallah, Gujar Khan, Gojra and Gujrat.
Kalash People
The Kalash people, the tribe that inspired Kipling live their daily lives deep in the valleys of the Hindu Kush, the unforgiving mountain range at the border of Pakistan with Afghanistan.The Kalash are a people who have links with Greece in almost everything but proximity. They dance around night-time fires; they make wine and indulge in ancient Olympic sports such as wrestling and shot-put. With their piercing blue-green eyes, strong features and olive skins, even Alexander the Great was convinced of the Hellenic connection.
Kalasha tribe are one of the most remarkable cultures on the planet. With a population of just over 3,000, the largest minority group in Pakistan, they are an oasis of color and warmth in stark contrast to the seemingly inhospitable land that surrounds them. Despite their isolation, or perhaps because of it, the Kalash people are welcoming to Western visitors.There are two ways to enter the valleys: by foot or, landslides permitting, by road. Understandably, most people prefer the 90-minute jeep ride from the trading Centre of Chitral, just 32 kilometers north-east. There’s not really any other reason to take the trip – everyone, including half the men of the valleys, it seems, are packed inside, and while most are returning from work in the Chitral souvenir shops, it’s entirely believable that some are just along for the ride. With just the right amount of speed, a liberal sprinkling of hair-pin bends and a conservative use of the brakes, you can imagine these ancient jeeps are propelled by sheer adrenaline.
Dur Cultural Center the valleys are idyllic and a haven from the hustle and bustle of Pakistan’s major cities and tourist attractions. Walnut and jujube trees cling to the lower slopes, while carefully cultivated sugarcane fields thrive along rivers at the bottom of each.It is here, deep within the Hindu Kush, that travelers come for a taste of another life, another time. Villages are little more than a scattering of wooden homes, and although there has been a recent blot on the Brumboret landscape in the form of a three-star hotel, most travelers prefer the simple charm of a 250-rupees-a-night ($10) guesthouse with twin rooms, meals on request and gardens at the rear.
In the smaller valleys of Birir and Rumbur, it’s also possible to stay in family homes, and with comparatively few visitors there’s never a shortage of invitations, no matter how hot or sweaty you appear.Kalash Drummer But if the first thing that strikes you about the Kalash is their disarming hospitality, then the second is their appearance. The word “Kalash” means “black” and refers to the clothing worn by the women and girls. It’s quite a misleading label, and while the men have definitely drawn the short straw in the clothing stakes, the elaborate garb of the women is anything but. Women tend to dress in very colorful and elaborate clothes in stark contrast with the rest of Pakistan. For the travelers who make the effort, this vibrant display is well worth it.
Not everyone who makes the trip is so warmly received. Because the Kalash are pagans and worship a pantheon of gods including Dezao, the creator, or Jastak, the goddess of family, love, marriage and birth, rather than Muhammad, they are free from the restraints of Purdah. As such, they represent more than just an oddity for the Pakistani men who come to ogle the bare flesh.
The Kalash have always been proud of their way of life and recently so is the rest of Pakistan. Traditionally the Kalash were ostracized by their majority neighbors and forced deep into the mountains for their religious beliefs, they have been tolerated through gritted teeth. It is only recently, once communications improved and the tourist interest soared, that the Pakistani authorities have tried to understand this wonderful culture.
Yashkun Tribes Of Gilgit Baltistan
It is unanimously believed about the Yashkun that they are related with Aryan. They migrated via Hindu Kush to the Northern Pakistan. Dr. Leitner reports that they are a mixed race. But many other scholars such as Durand, Drew, Schomberg, John Keay and Schmidt have refuted it.
In the history, Yashkuns came via Pamir to the sub-continent before the Şiņ tribes. They are in majority in Giglit, Punial, Raushan, Hakis, Sumal, Gupis, Phandar, Yasin, Ishkoman and Chitral. In Kohistan, Chhilas, Astor, Gurez, Dras, Gultari, Talil and Soro, the Şiņs are in majority.People call them differently in different areas. For instance, Borish, Dorshak, Boristi and so on. I think that these are the terms for the tributaries of the Yashkun. It is not the reason that they are Yashkun and are called by different names in different places. Although the comprehensive tribal system has finished among them but there are the remnants.
Rono are indeed Yashkun. Their social status is known with reference to their mother by the term of Gushpoor and Rono used for them. The sons born with the Raja’s wife coming from the Raja’s own kinship, were called Gushpoor and others are called Rono.
The belief that Şiņs are superior and so reluctant to marry among Yashkun is based on the hypothesis founded about them in marriages. This distinction exists internally even among Şiņs also who are same by genealogy. The Şiņs preferably marry within the ranges of their own castes. In reality, there is no up and low in terms of their castes as Şiņ and Yashkun both are counted as “Ulsia” ( subjects, bonafied residents. Ulsia is a Pashto word meaning public).
‘The Brushos and Yashkuns are the same people or different ones’; this issue is still to be looked through. A deep and thorough study is needed of their branches to find an answer to this question.
Yashkun is a big community who exist from Northern Pakistan to Chitral having countless branches. They took the rule from Şiņs in Northern Pakistan in 1200 A.D and ruled as “Raja” for quite a long time. During their reign, the influential people took control of the local collective resources and the law and order situation had been worse.
During that ime, feuds were common and people were made slaves. One well known and respectable Yashkun woman, Queen Jawari ruled over Gilgit. Perhaps she was the first and last woman ruler, not by name but in true sense, in the land of a merciless and tough cliffs of Korakoram.Sherbaz Ali Khan Bircha says, “They (Yashkun) are the second ancient people in this area. Some historians consider them the important branch of the Great Yuchis. Currently, they are in majority in Hunza, Nagar and Ghizar.”
Many branches of Yashkun are found in Indus Kohistan. These people are formally absorbed in the local Jirga system. Their many other branches are found in Chhilas, Darel, Tagir, Tumar, Harban and Sazin.In Harban, the Yashkun branches are that of Mohlea, shatie, Baksurie, Kashar Jie, and Bakhdarie.
In Gial of Darel, the entire population belongs to Yashkun. In lower Mankial are found salie, shatae, Mohlae while in lower Samigal are found Karimae, Metkalie, Yardate and Goene branches. In Basha, their only branch Sadarkhane is found. Their branches found in Tagir are called GuRkai, JashTe:re, Ragarkhane, Masarkhane and Siptarlie.One thing may be mentioned here. A new study is required in North Pakistan on the subject of Yashkun and their caste branches to sort out those groups who have intermixed with the Yashkun but in fact they are not Yashkun.
The Hunza people, or Hunzakuts
Are people who have lived centuries in their very own isolated valleys. They speak Wakhi and the Shina. The Wakhi reside in the upper part of Hunza locally called Gojal. Wakhis also inhabit the bordering regions of China, Tajikstan and Afghanistan and also live in Gizar and Chitral district of Pakistan. The Shina-speaking people live in the southern part of Hunza. They could have come from Chilas, Gilgit, and other Shina-speaking areas of Pakistan many centuries ago.
The Hunzakuts and the region of Hunza have one of the highest literacy rates as compared to other similar districts in Pakistan due to the interest of His Higness Karim Aga Khan whom most of the Hunzakuts follow as their spritual leader.
Local legend states that Hunza may have been associated with the lost kingdom of Shangri La which was mentioned in the Novel of James Hilton “The Lost Horizon”. The people of Hunza are by some noted for their exceptionally long life expectancy, others describe this as a longevity myth and cite a life expectancy of 53 years for men and 52 for women, although with a high standard deviation.
The Broshuski or Burusho or Brusho people live in the Hunza, Nagar, and Yasin valleys of northern Pakistan. There are also over 300 Burusho living in Srinagar, India. They are predominantly Muslims. Their language, Burushaski, has not been shown to be related to any other. They have an East Asian genetic contribution, suggesting that at least some of their ancestry originates north of the Himalayas
The Hunza and Macedonia
The local Burusho legend says that the people of Hunza descend from the village of Baltit, which had been founded by a soldier left behind from the army of Alexander the Great a legend common to much of Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. In 1996 an ex-patriate Macedonian linguist attempted to demonstrate a link between Burushaski and the modern, Macedonian language, and told the Hunza about the modern state of Republic of Macedonia. His proposed linguistic connection has not been accepted by other linguists, and genetic evidence only supports a Balkan genetic component in the Afghan Pashtun, not the Burusho. Nonetheless, in 2008 the Republic of Macedonia organized a visit by Hunza Prince Ghazanfar Ali Khan and Princess Rani Atiqa as descendants of the Alexandran army They were greeted by the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and heads of the church, but the opposition dismissed the visit as populism. This political support of a connection with the Hunza parallels Greek relations with the neighboring Kalash people of Pakistan, who also claim Alexandran ancestry. The issue may thus have more to do with nationalism and the Macedonia naming dispute than with the Burusho themselves
Here is an Expert from the Book “An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China” By James Stuart Olson
BURUSHO
The Burushos also known as Hunzus, Hunzukuts, and Burushaskis are a mountain people who live primarily in Hunza State and Nagir State in Pakistan. They live in deep valleys and gorges cut by the Hunza River and its tributaries, Currently, the population of the Burushos exceeds 60,000 people. Some live across the Pakistani-Chinese frontier in the immediate border region of Tibet. Ethnolinguists are unable to classify the Burusho language. but it is divided into two dialects that reflect Burusho locations in I-lunza and Nagir. Burusho legend claims that they descend from three European soldiers left behind when the armies of Alexander the Great began their retreat from the region. Each of these soldiers founded a viIlage?Ba]tir. Ganesh, and Altit- and all Burushos claim to descend from the peoples of one of these villages. Burushos live in heavily fortified villages constructed 9.000 or 10,000 feet in altitude and hundreds of feet above the Hunza River gorge. Most Burushos are subsistence farmers who plant their crops in carefully attended terraced fields, Their major crops are potatoes. beans, wheat, barley, millet, rye, buckwheat, rice, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. They also raise cattle, goats, sheep, and chickens, and they continue to hunt to supplement their diets. Burusho society revolves around four major patrilineal clans. all of them located in the city of Baltit, and several minor clans distributed widely through- out the region. The four major Burusho clans are the Buroongs,* the
Diramitings. the Baratilangs,”? and the Khurukuts.* In addition to the clan system, Burusho society is divided into live classes, including the Thamos. the royal family; the Uyongko and Akabirting, who lil] most government posts; the Bar, Bare. and Sis groups, who farm the land; the Baldakuyos and ‘1`silgalashos, who are teamsters and carriers for other groups; and the Berichos, who are ethnic Indians. The Baldakuyos and Tsilgalashos are the Burushos most likely to {ind their way across the border into China because they help transport commodities along the Pakistanti-Chinese trade routes. Burushos are virtually all Muslims of the Ismaili tradition. They look to the Aga Khan as their spiritual leader. They are less likely than other Pakistani Muslims to observe their daily prayers, fast during Ramadan, and regularly attend the local mosque.
For centuries, the l-Iunza Valley in the Karakoram Range was one of the most isolated territories of the world. ln 197*8, however, Chinese and Pakistani work- ers completed construction of the Karakoram Highway, which cut directly through the Hunza Valley, linking up the region to commercial trade routes between Pakistan and the People`s Republic of China. The total Burusho pop- ulation today totals only approximately 60,0lI] people. of which only a few hundred live at the end of the Karakoram Highway in China. SUGGESTED READING5: J. T. Clark, “Hunza in the Himalayas: Storicd Shangri-La Undergoes Scrutiny.” Natura! Htstmjv 72 (l963l. 38-45: David Larimer. The- Burushaski Language. 1938; John McCarry, “High Road to Hunza,” National Geographic l85 {March l994). ll4??34; Hugh R. Page. Jr., “Burushos.” in Paul V. I-lockings. ed., The Eucyrlripedia of World Cultures. vol. 3. South Asia. 199l.
SHIN TRIBES
The Shins of the eastern part of Kohistan are geographically, by kinship, by tradition, language and culture are related to the Shins of Chhilas, Gilgit, Astor, Darel, Tagir, Haramosh, Gultari, Gurez, Dras, Soro and Baltistan. It is unanimously believed that these people came from Central Asia via Khyber to Pakhli above Darband and to Siran and then to Kohistan. Their initial inhabitation was the area between Kohistan and Chhilas upward beyond Darband and Siran valley. Their migration to Kashmir and Ladakh continued from two directions. One from Pakhli and Siran valley via Muzaffarabad and, two further north from current Kohistan and towards Jammu and Ladakh from there. Mohammad Hasan Hasrat has written:
These people are Shin of Indo Aryan race. These groups are settled from Baltistan’s area Khurman to the highlands of Himalayas in the south of River Indus at the last edge of Rondoo i.e. they all are settled at one and the same direction.Hasrat says that these people came in this region from the side of Broshal during the 10th century, for the second time during the 11th century and for the third time during the last three decades.The Shin tribes and groups who reached at the edges of Ladakh and River Kishan Ganga, had migrated earlier than the others. In Jammu and Ladakh, the term “Dard” has been used for them for some time. But as Dr. Leitner himself says, “The name ‘Dard’ was not claimed by any of the race that I met. (G.W. Leitner 1889,
Schomberg has written rejecting the notion of Dard genealogy that:
“The initial difficulties have been increased by the use of the word Dard and Dardistan for the people and country, applied not merely to Gilgit but to the Indus Valley, generally between Ladakh and the Punjab. Suffice it to say that term Dard is unknown to the people in this district and Dardistan is equally incomprehensible.” (Schomberg 1933)
Mohammad Shuja Namoos has written on the basis of the data collected by Drew, Moor Craft, Leitner and Biddulph that half of the population around Dras is of Shins’. In Poreg and Ladakh all three groups of Shin, YashkuN and Doms are found. Severak groups came to Soro valley from Bunji (Gilgit). Drew wrote that in a few villages in Central Ladakh Bud Dards were settled who said that their ancestors had migrated from Gilgit. Those Shin Dards who are settled in Hano village, have forgotten their mother tongue and speak Tibbati language now. Larsen has mentioned some people in his book “Valley” who told him that their forefather had come there from Chhilas. But Stine has refuted his hypothesis. In my opinion, it is not a matter of wonder to reject it because in the past, the series of migrations have been going on. The author of this book has collected authentic data about such families that support the author of “Valley”. It should be kept in mind here that the sub-groups and the tribes of Shin have been
Occasionally migrating to the north from the current Siran valley and Kohistan and to the valley of Kishan Ganga, Astor, Rondoo and Central Ladakh. The migration to Gurez valley via Muzaffarabad from Kohistan is proven from the Faqra (Shins) community of Palas who have been traveling back and forth until partition of the sub-continent.
It won’t be out of place to say here that from the very beginning these people were divided into two big groups. One of these two groups is the one that is settled in Kunar valley of Afghanistan, Dir Kohistan, Kalam Kohistan and in the area between Bankhar and Khandia in Indus Kohistan on one side. The other group is called Shin. They all are related genealogically. But they had either split from each other long ago or their migration may have taken place in different times.
The Shins invaded YashkuNs in the north and expanded their settlements. They have been pushing out the YashkuNs further to the north. Dr. Jettmar has doubted about it that the Shins were already spread in Kohistan and in the lower areas and further down up to Pakhli and that since it all was under Bilor Kingdowm, the Shins used this situation to advance and stretch their land.
Major settlements of the Shin are not found in Nagir, Yasin, Ishkoman and Chitral. It indicates that these people migrated to this area via Khyber, stopped in the area upward from Pakhli and then moved further to the north. There are a large number of Shin groups, tribes and branches. Following is a description about some of these important groups and tribes.
The (Shin) Darma/Darmae/Daram Khel
It is the largest tribe of the Shin group. It is interchangeably called daRma, Daroma, Darom or daRmai. It has seven sub-tribes. Of these, the people pertaining to Poensa and CeraT, are settled in Palas, Jalkot and Kolai. These Poensa and CeraT have at least fifty sub branches. Many people of these tribes live in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Hazro, Hazara, Chhilas, Juglot, Kargah Nala, Muzaffarabad and several other places. The people pertaining to two sub-tribes of the CeraT and Poensa are found in Astore, Gilgit, Thako, Buji and Gor. The people of another “Rom” or “Roma” (Rom means a group alliance of the population in a particular area sharing an exclusive control over internal matters and values without an external intervention) are settled in Baltistan. John Biddulph says that these people in Baltistan consider themselves belonging to the Shin of Gilgit and Astor and they are further distributed into four further sub-tribes namely sharshang, Gabor, doro and Yodyo. The people pertaining to the remaining sub branches of daRma are found in Muzaffarabad’s valley namely Kel, Phulwai, Gurez valley and Talil. Gurez is known as GureN in Kohistan. Their elders say that they had migrated there from GureN.
The daRma people of Astor also say so about themselves. The author of this book has himself met with the daRma people of Kel and Phulwai who have certified the settlement and existence of daRma in the valley of Gurez. The existence of Faqira branch pertaining to daRma of Palas in Gurez has already been confirmed. These people would visit Palas to meet their relatives till the partition of Indian sub-continent. The Sorma people of daRma from Palas are found in Kargah Nala in Gilgit and Chhilas also who migrated there from Jalkot and Palas. The two sub-tribes of daRma in Kohistan namely CeraT and Poensa are further distributed into four sub-groups called Sorma, PhiRie or Phiria, Bhoe Mugla and derkhana. The daRma in Astor and Gilgit use the word “Wazir” also preceding to their names. These people were reputed in the local history for their wisdom. In the history they were known for being expert of Wesh system (land distribution). So the Swati people of Allai and Kata and Pukhtoons would take the well-known Wesh expert in Palas, Khawas Khan, for carrying out their land distributions. They have been entangled in internal and external group feuds with each other.
BOTO
This tribe is known as BOTO in Chilas and Boto in Jalkot and Palas. The Boto in Palas and Jalkot are a part of Khuka tribe of Shin. Description of this tribe is found in various books. It is the oldest tribe having settled in Chilas.
Khuka and Manka
These both are the old residents of Kohistan. They are in majority in Jalkot and Kolai while their population in Palas is one fourth. Until 1500 A.D the Khuka and Manka of all three valleys were united.
Among them and the daRma, there is an equality. There are sheer majority in Kolai. Numerous of them are provisionally or firmly settled in Chilas, Gilgit, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Muzaffarabad, Hazro and Rawalpindi. In Palas and Jalkot their four “tabin” are known as charkha:Re, laghRa, KorTa and KhoTa.
The Khuka and Manka in Gilgit had migrated there many centuries ago. They have been the helpers of Dogras and the English in Gilgit. They had played important role in establishing Dogra rule there. The British Political Agent in Gilgit, John Biddulph has stated in his book “Tribes of Hindu Kush” that the Government would give these people grants in return to their cooperation.
Maloe
Wazir Mohammad Ashraf has described in the 13th Edition of his thesis on “Shina Language and Literature” referring to Mohammad Hassan Hasrat about a Shin tribe by the name of Maloe. These people are found in Bonji, Astor and Gilgit areas.
The Shins of Darel
Not much information is available about the relationships of the main branch of the Shin tribe in Darel with the Shins. However, they are found in Gial, BhaguC, Samigal, lower Mankial and upper Mankial. Previously these places had a different name which shows that those names were given by their ancestors. The following names were told to me at the place of Gumari. These names show that these are the names of the old tribes. These people are associated with the community of YashkuN, KamiN and Dom and economically benefit with all four castes in these ranges under “haiTi” system. All these four castes have the right to possession of the land, forests and other natural resources. Several sub branches of the Shins of Darel are found at various places. These branches are called “Tabar” by them which is equivalent to the “khels” among Pakhtoons. Their branches found in upper and lower Samigal are as follows:
Their one branch is known as “kache” as given in the list. It is said that “”atle”, “mane” and “kalamdarae” are its branches. They are decedents of a Shin person, Kawati’s sons named Atli, Man and Kalamdar.
The Shins of Tagir or Tangir
There are three tribes of the Shins of Tagir. In the way of the Shins in Darel, they are also organized in “Tabar” by race and in economic ranges under “hai/ti” system. The Shins of Darel and Tagir belong to the same branch. Like the Shins of Kolai, Palas and Jalkot, the Shins of Darel, Tagir, Harban and Sazin are internally the same and these people also believe it. But it is very hard to trace their exact genealogy. Their names are as below.
The Shins of Sazin
In Sazin also, Shins are in majority while YashkuNs and KamiNs are merged into their organizational ranges. These people have four large organizational ranges or clans.
The Shins of Harban
Shins are in majority in Harban also. But the branches of YashkuNs and KamiNs are also found here. They are organized in four cirlces or “haiTies”. A few “maru:ts” and “Doms” also live in this area and they are not merged in their organizational units. Their organizational structure is like that of the tribes of Jalkot and Palas. These people are divided into four “hors” or ranges. They give the name of “Tabar” to their sub-branches.
The Shins of Basha
There are five branches of the Shins in Basha whose names are “qalmoe”,”baidile”, “masharkhane”, “yarkhane, and “shiriae”. Of these “qalmie”, “baidalie” and “yarkhane” are found in Harban also.
The Shins of Thor
Shins are in majority in Thor. They belong to three large branches. They believe in being the decendents of three men named Jodro, Dodoko and Shal. These names of the “haiTis” of these people are Jalvi, Dodoki and Sarie after the names of their ancestors. A few branches of YashkuN and KamiN are also merged in their “haiTis”. Following are the names of the Shin branches available to me in Thor.
The Israeli Source of the Pathan Tribes
“From the book, Lost Tribes from Assyria, by A Avihail and A Brin, 1978, in Hebrew
by Issachar Katzir”
As children, we heard from our parents, who come from Afghanistan, stories about the Ten Tribes who were lost during the destruction of the Temple, about meetings with the country people with whom they had contact in trade matters, about Jewish customs and names – and it all sounded inconceivable and fascinating. Like all children, we enjoyed hearing about tribes of Israel preserving their forefathers’ tradition, bearing arms and awaiting the day of redemption.
From Mr Yisrael Mishal, who lived in Afulah and was formerly President of the Afghanistan Jewish community, I often heard unusually fascinating quotations and stories uttered repeatedly and Mr Mishal gave live examples of his meetings with Pathans who dwell on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Who are the Pathans? They are also called Afghans or Pishtus after their language. They identify themselves with their former name ‘sons of Israel’, even though nowadays they live as Muslims. In Afghanistan they are said to number six to seven million, and in Pakistan seven to eight million. Two million of them live as beduins. Outwardly, the Pathans are similar to the Jews.
From their ancient customs, one can point to a connection between the Pathans and the Jewish people. They make up about half of the population of Afghanistan, in the region called Pushtunistan, on the eastern border of Afghanistan. Over ninety per cent of the inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. Later modernisation has penetrated into this State, and even less in the hilly areas near the border. In these places, the Pathans continue to live in the tribal framework as their fathers and forefathers did. The legal system operates according to the Pashtunwali,” the Pashtun Laws, parts of which are similar to the laws of the Torah.
The Pathans are known for their physical strength. They are tall, light-coloured and handsome, good soldiers and for the most part bear arms from a young age. They are diligent and intelligent, faithful to an exemplary degree and are known in the world as outstanding hosts.
What is the Ethnic Origin of the Panthim?
The Panthim are not similar in their outward appearance or in their character to any of the ethnic groups which populate this environment: the Indian group-Iranians, Mongolians, Turks or Persians. Most of the researchers are of the opinion that the origin of the Pathans is indeed Israeli. The aliyah to Israel of Afghanistan Jews and the volume of evidence heard from them on this subject about the customs of the Pathans corroborate this idea.
Relationship to the Tribes of Israel
There is interesting evidence about the preservation among the tribes of family trees on their origin, and on their relationship to the fathers of the Israeli people. These family trees are well preserved. Some of them are penned in golden lettering on deerskin. The names of the tribes speak for themselves: the tribe of Harabni (in the Afghan tongue) is the tribe of Reuben, the shinwari is Shimeon, the Levani – Levi, Daftani – Naftali, Jaji – Gad, Ashuri – Asher, Yusuf Su, sons of Josef, Afridi – Ephraim, and so on.
The former monarchy in Afghanistan has a widely-spread tradition according to which their origin was from the tribe of Benjamin and the family of King Saul. According to this tradition, Saul had a son called Jeremia and he in turn had a son called Afghana. Jeremia died at about the same time as Saul and the son Afghana was raised by King David and remained in the royal palace during the reign of Solomon too. About 400 years later, in the days of Nebuchadnezer, the Afghana family fled to the Gur region (Jat in our times). This is in central Afghanistan and here the family settled down and traded with the people of the area. In the year 622, with the appearance of Islam, Muhammed sent Khaled ibn Waleed to the ‘sons of Ishrail’ to spread the word of Islam among the Afghanistan tribes. He succeeded in his mission, returned to Muhammed with seven representatives of the residents of Afghanistan and with 76 supporters. The leader of these people was ‘Kish’ (the name of the father of Solomon). According to the tradition, the emissaries succeeded in their assignment and Muhammed praised them for this.
The Place of the Assyrian Exile
According to the Bible (the second Book of Kings, Chronicles 1 and 2), the ten tribes were exiled to Halah and Havor and the river Gozan and to the cities of Maday. According to the tradition of the Jews of Afghanistan, the river gozan is ‘rod jichan’ (river in Persian is rod), one of the tributaries of the Emo-daria, which descends in the vicinity of the town of Maimane. The city of Havor is, they say, peh-Shauor (Pash-Havor’) which means ‘Over Havor’ in Afghanistan, and today serves as the centre of the Pathans on the Pakistan that the whole area populated the ancient Assyrian Exile. There are researchers who claim that all the Jews living in southern U.S.S.R. along the Emor-daria’ are the descendants of the ten tribes – the Bucharins, Georgians, etc. As we know, a group of ‘‘B’nei Yisrael’ some of whom settled in Israel, is also found in India and Afghanistan. The existence of the Pathan tribes is therefore in the heart of the area in which the ten tribes are found.
The Similarity of the Pathans to the Jews
The British, who ruled Afghanistan for a long time, found it difficult to distinguish between the Pathans and the Jews, and called the Pathans ‘Juz’ – Jews. The Jews, too found it hard to distinguish between themselves and the Pathans when the latter are not wearing traditional dress. Afghanistan has about 21 peoples and languages and only the Pathans, apart from the Jews, look clearly Semitic; their countenance is lighter than that of other peoples and their nose is long. Some of them also have blue eyes. Since most of them grow beards and sidelocks like Jews, this also adds difficulty to an attempt to distinguish between them and the Jews.
Jewish Customs
Even though the Pathans accepted Islam voluntarily and forcibly, they maintain Jewish customs preserved from the recesses of their past. The book contains considerable evidence taken from Jews of Afghanistan who lived in the neighbourhoods of the Pathans and had contact with them. The evidence doesn’t relate to all the Pathans or to all the tribes and places. However, it does prove the existence of Jewish customs among the Pathans. The research on this subject still requires completion, both quantitative and qualitative. Let us note the customs in headline form only: sidelock, circumcision within eight days, a Talith (prayer shawl) and four fringes (Tsitsit), a Jewish wedding (Hupah and ring), women’s customs (immersion in a river or spring), levirate marriage (Yibum), honouring the father, forbidden foods (horse and camel food), refraining from cooking meat and milk, a tradition of clean and unclean poultry, the Shabbat (preparation of 12 Hallah loaves, refraining from work), lighting a candle in honour of the Shabbat, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) prayer (some of them pray turned in the direction of Jerusalem), blood on the threshold and on the two Mezzuzot (in times of plague or trouble), a scapegoat, curing the ill with the help of the Book of Psalms (placing the Book under the patient’s head), a Hebrew amulet (Kamia), Hebrew names (also. for neighbourhoods and villages), Holy Books (they especially honour ‘the Law of Sharif’ which is the Law of Moses), and rising when the name of Moshe is mentioned.
As for the Pathan law, they have laws similar to the Jewish law. The Magen David symbol is found in almost every Pathan house on an island in the Pehshauor district. The rich make it of expensive metals, the poor from simple wood. The Magen David can be seen on the towers of schools and on tools and ornaments.
Archaeological and Other Evidence
Apart from synagogues, Sifrei Torah, Hebrew placenames and tribal family trees, there also exists evidence on important archeological finds: near the town of Herat in Tchcharan, old graves were found on which the writing was in Persian and in the Hebrew language. The graves date from the 11th to the 13th centuries. In an opposite fashion, so it seems, there are a number of inscriptions engraved on rocks in ancient Hebrew script near the town of Netchaset.
In the ‘Dar el amman’ museum in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, there is a black stone found in Kandahar, on which is written in Hebrew.
It would be appropriate to end this article with one of the pieces of evidence. Mr Chiya Zorov of Tel Aviv notes: When the Bolsheviks rose to power in Russia, they divided the large area of the southern part of central Russia into smaller districts such as Tanjekistan, Turkemanistan, Kazchastan, etc. In Tanjekistan, which is in northern Afghanistan, there was a village by the name of Dushme. When Stalin gained power, he called the village in his name, Stalinabad. It started to develop and grow and many Jews then began to stream into Tangekistan. They found that the Tanyakis light candles on Friday evening. When the Jews went to visit them, they revealed that they eat a dish made of meat stuffed with rice called Pacha, which is characteristic of the Bucharian Jews and is eaten on Friday night. When they asked them what it was, the Tajiks replied that this is an ancient traditional food of theirs and its name is Pacha. They also said that they have a tradition that they were once Jews.
Rabbi Saadia Gaon discussed at length with the Hacham Hivay Habalchi and in the opinion of the speaker, in that period (10th century) the Jews were inclined to assimilate into Islam and it was about this that they were arguing.
The scholar Ibn Sina, born in Buchara, also lived at the time. The teacher Tajiki said that he, too, belongs to the Jews who were forced to convert, assimilated into Islam and are called Tchale. As recounted, the meaning of his name is Even Sina – son of sinal (and up to this day in many languages, and also in Hebrew, the words are similarly pronounced – Sinai, Sin Sina) and perhaps this is why he called himself Ben Sinai, in other words, son of the Torah which came forth from Sinai.
The Maharaja of Mardan was a scholar who completed his studies at the University of London and would often visit the converts of Mishhad who lived in Pehshaurf. He also visited a Jew called Carmeli, who told Mr Hiya Zorov that the Maharaja always said the day would come when they would learn to distinguish the origins of all people and then they would know that all the peoples in the vicinity of Afghanistan were once Jews. The Maharaja published a book in English and wrote of this in the introduction to the book. But the book was lost. There was a time when the author Hiya Zorov, with late President Ben-Tsvi, who considered it of great importance, tried to find the book, but in vain.
Some of the Bucharian Jews have a tradition that they are among the people of the First Temple possibly from the Ten Tribes, but he doesn’t know about this and afterwards they were joined by Jews from the Second Temple Exile.
Scribe:
Pakistani Cricketer Imran Khan who married Jemima Goldsmith is a Pathan
