PASHTUN ETHNOGENESIS
IRDC PASHTUN LINES: http://drakenberg.weebly.com/pashtun-line.html
PDF: http://www.apnaorg.com/books/english/the-pathans/book.php?fldr=book
The Pathans
550 B.C. - A. D. 1957
OLAF CAROE
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Indo-Iranian
Saka and Kushan
White Huns (Epthalites)
The origins of the
Pashtun are unclear. Pashtun tradition asserts that they are descended
from Afghana, grandson of King Saul of Israel, though most scholars
believe it more likely that they arose from an intermingling of ancient
Aryans from the north or west with subsequent mixing. DNA Genetics is revealing new answers.
Their warrior traditions have been "codified" in the Pakhtunwali, the unwritten code observed by Pashtun warriors to preserve their honor. Basic elements of this code are hospitality, the blood feud, the right/duty of asylum, and the defense of the honor of the women of one's own tribal subsection.
The PATHAN (Pashtun) people form the dominant ethnic and linguistic community, accounting for just over half the population. Tribally organized, the Pathan are concentrated in the east and the south. As they gained control over the rest of the country in the 19th century, however, many of them settled in other areas too. The Pashtuns mostly speak Pashtu (although some residing in Kabul and other urban areas speak Dari) and are generally Sunni Muslims. They are divided into tribal and sub-tribal groups to which they remain loyal. These tribal divisions have been the source of conflict among Pashtuns throughout their history.
Even today, the Pashtun parties are divided along tribal lines. The majority of Pashtuns make their living off of animal husbandry and agriculture as well as some trade. In Afghanistan, Pashtuns have traditionally resided in a large semi-circular area following the Afghan border form north of the Darya-e-Morgab east and southward to just north of the 35' latitude. Enclaves of Pashtuns live scattered among other ethnic groups in much of the rest of the country, especially in the northern regions and in the western interior due to the resettlement policies of Amir Abdul Rahman Khan, who ruled Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.
From its founding in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, Afghanistan has traditionally been dominated by the Pashtuns, who before 1978 constituted a 51% minority in the country. However, as a result of the 1979 Soviet invasion the population distribution in Afghanistan has changed. About 85% of the 6.2 million Afghan refugees who fled to Iran and Pakistan and around the World due to the Russian invasion and the war that followed it are Pashtuns. This, accordingly, lowered the percentage of Pashtuns inside Afghanistan temporarily and raised the percentages of the country's other ethnic groups. By the mid-1990s many of the refugees returned restoring the Pashtuns to their status of the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan constituting about 45% of the population.
The Soviet invasion of December 1979 has been the major determining factor in Afghanistan's ethnic relations since that point in time. From that time Until mid-1991 the various factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, all dominated by Pashtuns, controlled the country's government. All other factions either opposed or aligned themselves with the PDPA (with most in the opposition), including several Pashtun factions. It is not within the scope of this chronology to document the constant shifts in alliances between various factions, both between the opposition and government camps and within them. However, it should be noted that most of the factions were ethnically homogeneous and were engaging in a constant shifting of alliances worthy of traditional balance of power theory and continue to do so today. The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 has only affected the power relations among the country's various factions but has not changed the fact that they are in constant competition with each other.
The Dari-speaking TAJIK are the second-largest community, accounting for approximately 25% of the population. They are strongly identified with sedentary farming and town life, mostly in the fertile eastern valleys north and south of the Hindu Kush. Some 11% of the population are Turkic, mostly UZBEK and TURKMEN, who live in the northern plains as farmers and herders. The central mountains yield a meager living to some 1.1 million HAZARAS, a Mongoloid people who mostly speak Persian. There are many smaller communities, the most important of which are the NURISTANIS of the high mountains of the east and the BALUCH of the desert south. http://www.afghan-network.net/Ethnic-Groups/pashtuns.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakhtunwali
Pashtunwali (Pashto: پښتونوالی) or Pakhtunwali is a non-written ethical code and traditional lifestyle which the indigenous Pashtun people Afghanistan and Pakistan follow.[1][2] Some in the Indian subcontinent refer to it as "Pathanwali".[3] Its meaning may also be interpreted as "the way of the Pashtuns" or "the code of life".[4]rural tribal society. It is not only practiced by members of the Pashtun diaspora but also by some non-Pashtun Afghans or Pakistanis who live close to Pashtuns.[4]
There are nine main principles of Pashtunwali.[4]
The native Pashtun tribes, who are often described as fiercely independent people[5], have inhabited the Pashtunistan region (Afghanistan) since at least the 1st millennium BC.[6][7][8][9] Much of their mountainous territory has always remained without government rule or control. This is perhaps the main reason why the indigenous Pashtuns still follow Pashtunwali codes, which is a basic common law of the land or "code of life".
Pashtunwali rules are accepted in Afghanistan and Pakistan (mainly in and around the Pashtun region of country), including by some of the Pashtun communities around the world. Some non-Pashtun Afghans and others have also adopted its ideology or practices for their own benefit. On the other hand, many urbanized Pashtuns tend to ignore the rules of Pashtunwali most of the time. Passed by generation to generation, the Pashtunwali rules guide both individual and communal conducts. It is socially practiced by the majority of the Pashtuns and helps to promote Pashtunization.[4]
Ideal Pukhtun behaviour approximates the features Pukhtunwali, the code of the Pukhtuns, which includes the following traditional features: courage (tora), revenge (badal), hospitality (melmestia), generosity to a defeated...[10] —Maliha Zulfacar, 1999 Pashtuns embrace an ancient traditional, spiritual, and communal identity tied to a set of moral codes and rules of behavior, as well as to a linear record of history one thousand and seven hundred years.[11]
Pashtunwali promotes self-respect, independence, justice, hospitality, love, forgiveness, revenge and tolerance toward all (especially to strangers or guests).[12] It is considered a personal responsibility of every Pashtun to discover and rediscover Pashtunwali's essence and meaning.
It is the way of the Pathans. We have melmestia, being a good host, nanawatai, giving asylum, and badal, vengeance. Pashtuns live by these things.[13] —Abdur, A character in Morgen's War
Some useful words that signify individual or collective Pashtun tribal functions are given below in the Pashto language. Although there could be many principles involved but the following nine form the major components of Pashtunwali.
Pashtunwali dates back to ancient pre-Islamic times but is still widely in use, especially by the
References
External links
Their warrior traditions have been "codified" in the Pakhtunwali, the unwritten code observed by Pashtun warriors to preserve their honor. Basic elements of this code are hospitality, the blood feud, the right/duty of asylum, and the defense of the honor of the women of one's own tribal subsection.
The PATHAN (Pashtun) people form the dominant ethnic and linguistic community, accounting for just over half the population. Tribally organized, the Pathan are concentrated in the east and the south. As they gained control over the rest of the country in the 19th century, however, many of them settled in other areas too. The Pashtuns mostly speak Pashtu (although some residing in Kabul and other urban areas speak Dari) and are generally Sunni Muslims. They are divided into tribal and sub-tribal groups to which they remain loyal. These tribal divisions have been the source of conflict among Pashtuns throughout their history.
Even today, the Pashtun parties are divided along tribal lines. The majority of Pashtuns make their living off of animal husbandry and agriculture as well as some trade. In Afghanistan, Pashtuns have traditionally resided in a large semi-circular area following the Afghan border form north of the Darya-e-Morgab east and southward to just north of the 35' latitude. Enclaves of Pashtuns live scattered among other ethnic groups in much of the rest of the country, especially in the northern regions and in the western interior due to the resettlement policies of Amir Abdul Rahman Khan, who ruled Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.
From its founding in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, Afghanistan has traditionally been dominated by the Pashtuns, who before 1978 constituted a 51% minority in the country. However, as a result of the 1979 Soviet invasion the population distribution in Afghanistan has changed. About 85% of the 6.2 million Afghan refugees who fled to Iran and Pakistan and around the World due to the Russian invasion and the war that followed it are Pashtuns. This, accordingly, lowered the percentage of Pashtuns inside Afghanistan temporarily and raised the percentages of the country's other ethnic groups. By the mid-1990s many of the refugees returned restoring the Pashtuns to their status of the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan constituting about 45% of the population.
The Soviet invasion of December 1979 has been the major determining factor in Afghanistan's ethnic relations since that point in time. From that time Until mid-1991 the various factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, all dominated by Pashtuns, controlled the country's government. All other factions either opposed or aligned themselves with the PDPA (with most in the opposition), including several Pashtun factions. It is not within the scope of this chronology to document the constant shifts in alliances between various factions, both between the opposition and government camps and within them. However, it should be noted that most of the factions were ethnically homogeneous and were engaging in a constant shifting of alliances worthy of traditional balance of power theory and continue to do so today. The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 has only affected the power relations among the country's various factions but has not changed the fact that they are in constant competition with each other.
The Dari-speaking TAJIK are the second-largest community, accounting for approximately 25% of the population. They are strongly identified with sedentary farming and town life, mostly in the fertile eastern valleys north and south of the Hindu Kush. Some 11% of the population are Turkic, mostly UZBEK and TURKMEN, who live in the northern plains as farmers and herders. The central mountains yield a meager living to some 1.1 million HAZARAS, a Mongoloid people who mostly speak Persian. There are many smaller communities, the most important of which are the NURISTANIS of the high mountains of the east and the BALUCH of the desert south. http://www.afghan-network.net/Ethnic-Groups/pashtuns.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakhtunwali
Pashtunwali (Pashto: پښتونوالی) or Pakhtunwali is a non-written ethical code and traditional lifestyle which the indigenous Pashtun people Afghanistan and Pakistan follow.[1][2] Some in the Indian subcontinent refer to it as "Pathanwali".[3] Its meaning may also be interpreted as "the way of the Pashtuns" or "the code of life".[4]rural tribal society. It is not only practiced by members of the Pashtun diaspora but also by some non-Pashtun Afghans or Pakistanis who live close to Pashtuns.[4]
There are nine main principles of Pashtunwali.[4]
The native Pashtun tribes, who are often described as fiercely independent people[5], have inhabited the Pashtunistan region (Afghanistan) since at least the 1st millennium BC.[6][7][8][9] Much of their mountainous territory has always remained without government rule or control. This is perhaps the main reason why the indigenous Pashtuns still follow Pashtunwali codes, which is a basic common law of the land or "code of life".
Pashtunwali rules are accepted in Afghanistan and Pakistan (mainly in and around the Pashtun region of country), including by some of the Pashtun communities around the world. Some non-Pashtun Afghans and others have also adopted its ideology or practices for their own benefit. On the other hand, many urbanized Pashtuns tend to ignore the rules of Pashtunwali most of the time. Passed by generation to generation, the Pashtunwali rules guide both individual and communal conducts. It is socially practiced by the majority of the Pashtuns and helps to promote Pashtunization.[4]
Ideal Pukhtun behaviour approximates the features Pukhtunwali, the code of the Pukhtuns, which includes the following traditional features: courage (tora), revenge (badal), hospitality (melmestia), generosity to a defeated...[10] —Maliha Zulfacar, 1999 Pashtuns embrace an ancient traditional, spiritual, and communal identity tied to a set of moral codes and rules of behavior, as well as to a linear record of history one thousand and seven hundred years.[11]
Pashtunwali promotes self-respect, independence, justice, hospitality, love, forgiveness, revenge and tolerance toward all (especially to strangers or guests).[12] It is considered a personal responsibility of every Pashtun to discover and rediscover Pashtunwali's essence and meaning.
It is the way of the Pathans. We have melmestia, being a good host, nanawatai, giving asylum, and badal, vengeance. Pashtuns live by these things.[13] —Abdur, A character in Morgen's War
Some useful words that signify individual or collective Pashtun tribal functions are given below in the Pashto language. Although there could be many principles involved but the following nine form the major components of Pashtunwali.
Pashtunwali dates back to ancient pre-Islamic times but is still widely in use, especially by the
- Melmastia (hospitality) - Showing hospitality and profound respect to all visitors, regardless of distinctions of race, religion, national affiliation as well as economic status and doing so without any hope of remuneration or favour. Pashtuns are considered to be the most hospitable people in the world. A Pashtun may go to great lengths to show his hospitality.[4][14][15]
- Nanawatai (asylum) - Derived from the verb meaning to go in, this is used for protection given to a person who requests protection against his/her enemies. The people are protected at all costs, in many cases even people running from the law must be given refuge until the situation is clarified.[4] It can also be used when the vanquished party is prepared to go in to the house of the victors and ask for their forgiveness. (Is a peculiar form of "chivalrous" surrender, in which an enemy seeks "sanctuary" at his enemy's house).
- Badal (justice) - To seek justice or take revenge against the wrongdoer. This applies to injustices committed yesterday or 1000 years ago if the wrongdoer still exists. Justice in Pashtun lore needs elaborating: even a mere taunt (or "Paighor") is regarded as an insult - often, shedding the taunter's blood is the only acceptable redress (and if he isn't available, then his next closest male relation). This in turn may lead to a blood feud that can last generations and involve whole tribes with the loss of hundreds of lives.[4]
- Tureh (bravery) - A Pashtun must defend his land/property, family and women from incursions wherever he or she might reside. A Pashtun should always stand brave against tyranny and he should always be able to defend his property, family, women and the honour of his name; killing the offending party is an acceptable recourse for an attack on any of these.[4]
- Sabat (loyalty) - Loyalty must be paid to one's family, friends, and tribe members. Disloyalty is extremely shameful in Pashtun culture, and a Pashtun's family, friends, and tribe members are also shamed if one is disloyal.
- Imandari (righteousness) - A Pashtun must always strive towards thinking good thoughts, speaking good words and doing other good deeds. Pashtuns must behave respectfully towards all creations including people, animals and the environment around them. Pollution of the environment or its destruction is against the Pashtunwali.[4]
- Isteqamat - Trust in God (known as "Allah" in Arabic and "Khudai-ta-Allah" in Pashto).[4] The notion of trusting in the one Creator generally comports to Islamic tawheed). belief in only one God (
- Ghayrat (self honour or dignity) - Pashtuns must maintain their human dignity. Honour has great importance in Pashtun society and most other codes of life are aimed towards the preservation of one's honour or pride. They must respect themselves and others in order to be able to do so, especially those they do not know. Respect begins at home, among family members and relatives.[4]
- Namus (Honor of women) - A Pashtun must defend the honor of Pashtun women at all costs and must protect them from verbal and physical harm.[4]
References
- ^ "Ethnic Groups". Library of Congress Country Studies. 1997. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+af0037). Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "The People - The Pashtuns". Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). June 30, 2002. http://www.cal.org/co/afghan/apeop.html#1. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ The Dawn: Ahwalay Riyasatay (Tarikhi wa Maashrati Pusmanzar)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Banting, Erinn (2003). Afghanistan the People. Crabtree Publishing Company. p. 14. ISBN 0778793354. http://books.google.com/books?id=fl8cd15sc7wC&lpg=PP1&dq=inauthor%3A%22Erinn%20Banting%22&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ Shane, Scott (December 5, 2009). "The War in Pashtunistan". Abdul Hai Habibi. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/weekinreview/06shane.html. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ Sabahuddin, Abdul (2008). History of Afghanistan. Global Vision Publishing Ho. p. 15. ISBN 8182202469, 9788182202467. http://books.google.com/books?id=XfDYtxfOvTYC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ Nath, Samir (2002). Dictionary of Vedanta. Sarup & Sons. p. 273. ISBN 8178900564, 9788178900568. http://books.google.com/books?id=yGBaXO54-HwC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA273#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ^ "The History of Herodotus Chapter 7". Translated by George Rawlinson. The History Files. 440 BC. http://www.piney.com/Heredotus7.html. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
- ^ Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor (1987). E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. 2. BRILL. p. 150. ISBN 9004082654, 9789004082656. http://books.google.com/books?id=GEl6N2tQeawC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA150#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ Maliha Zulfacar, Afghan Immigrants in the USA and Germany: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Ethnic Social Capital (Kulturelle Identithat Und Politische Selbstbestimmung in Der) (Paperback) (February 1, 1999). pg.33. ISBN 3825836509
- ^ "Afghan and Afghanistan". Abdul Hai Habibi. alamahabibi.com. 1969. http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/Afghan_and_Afghanistan.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Nadjma Yassari, The Sharīʻa in the Constitutions of Afghanistan, Iran, and Egypt. pg. 49.
- ^ Leonard Schonberg, Morgen's War (2005) p. 218.
- ^ Rob Schultheis, Hunting Bin Laden: How Al-Qaeda Is Winning the War on Terror (2008), p. 14.
- ^ Rizwan Hussain, Pakistan and the emergence of Islamic militancy in Afghanistan (2005), p. 221.
External links
- Pashtunwali by Wahid Momand
- Special report on Pashtunwali by U.S. Army Major, John H. Cathell
- Harvard Law School - Tribal Law of Pashtunwali and Women’s Legislative Authority
- The Pashtunwali's Relevance as a Tool for Solving the Afghan Crisis by Craig C. Naumann
- The Economist - The Pushtuns' tribal code
- Pashto Language & Identity Formation in Pakistan