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ThePashtun tribes (Pashto:پښتانه قبايل), are tribes of thePashtun people, a largeEastern Iranianethnic group who speak thePashto language and followPashtunwali, the social code of conduct forPashtuns. They are found primarily inAfghanistan andPakistan and form the world's largesttribalsociety, comprising over 60 million people and between 350 and 400 tribes and clans.[1][2][3][4][5] They are traditionally divided into four tribal confederacies: theSarbani (سړبني), theBettani (بېټني), the Ghurghusht (غرغښت),[6] theKarlani (کرلاڼي) and a few allied tribes of those that areIsmailkhel,Khel,Ludin,Sakzai, andZai.
Folkloric genealogies trace the ancestors of the Pashtuns toQais Abdur Rashid and his three sonsSaṛban (سړبن),Bēṭ (بېټ), andGharghax̌t (غرغښت) as well as an adopted son, not directly adopted by Qais Abdul Rashid, but the identity of the adoptee, Karlāņ (کرلاڼ), as well as the man who adopted him. According to some books written on the history of the Pashtuns, it is either unclear or controversial.[7] TheKarlani confederacyOrmur Baraki, who became the progenitor of theKarlani.[8]: 33
There are several levels of the Pashtun tribal organization. The "tribe" is subdivided into kinship groups, each of which is akhel andzai. Akhel orzai is further divided intoplarina, each of which consists of several extended families.[9] A large tribe often has dozens of subtribes whose members may see themselves as belonging to each, some or all of the sub-tribes in their family tree depending upon the social situation: co-operative, competitive or confrontational.[10]
Tarbur refers to a "tribe" split into two or more clans.Tarbur means "cousin" in Pashto, so tarbur could be an enemy as well in the Pashtun culture that they can occupy your land or property. Every Pashtun tribe is then divided into subtribes, also calledkhel orzai.Zai in Pashto means "descendant".William Crooke has said thatkhel is from an Arabic word meaning "association" or "company".[11]
Akhel is often based in a single village,[12] but it may also be based on a larger area including several villages, or part of a town.[13][14]
Plarina is related to theBactrian termplār, which derives fromOld Iranianpiðar (in Bactrian andPashto, Old Iranian /ð/ usually yields /l/), and is related toSanskritpitar and English "father". The plural form ofplār isplārina. Aplārina is considered only when the 7th generation is born, meaning the father of multiple families (kahol). Usually, the 7th forefather is assumed to take from one-and-a-half century to two centuries.Kul (pluralkahol) is the smallest unit in Pashtun tribal system, named after an ancestor of 1.Zāman ("children"), 2.Lmasay / Nwasay ("grandchildren"), 3.Kaṛwasay ("great-grandchildren"), and 4.Kaoday ("great-great-grandchildren"). Once the fourth generation is born, it would be labelled a "family" orkūl.[citation needed]
TheBettani speak variousPashto dialects. TheGhilji or (Gharzai) of the central region aroundPaktika speakCentral Pashto, a dialect with unique phonetic features, transitional between the southern and the northern dialects of Pashto.[8] TheLohani (Rohani, Nohani)Marwat, as well as some other minor Lodi tribes and the Bettani proper, speak the MarwatLodi Bettani dialect, which is a southern Pashto variety, however, its phonetics are different from the southernKandahari Pashto. The Sheerani tribe of the Bettani confederacy speaks another southern dialect. The northern Bettani clans speak the northern or "hard" Pashto variety. Some of the Bettani lineages, including some (but not all) clans of theNiazi, have abandoned Pashto. Today they speak other languages, likeUrdu,Hindko,Saraiki,Punjabi andDari.[citation needed]
TheGharghashtiKakar,Naghar,Panni,Mandokhel, andMusakhel and other minor tribes settled in the region aroundQuetta andZhob. TheLoralai speak a dialect which is a "soft" Pashto dialect, similar to theKandahari dialect. TheSafi, a fewJaduns, and other minor northern Gharghashti tribes speak the northern or "hard"Pashto variety. TheJaduns, living on the Mahabun mountain slopes aroundSwabi speakPashto, while those living in Hazara speakPashto andHindko.[8]: 26 Some clans of theSafi tribe speak thePashayi languages but are mostly bilingual inPashto.
TheKarlani speak some of the most distinctive Pashto dialects which are lexically different from standard Pashto varieties, considered phonetically varied. Furthermore, the Karlani dialects have a tendency towards a change in the pronunciation of vowels. Depending on the particular dialect, the standard Pashto [a], [ā], [o], [u] may change into [ā], [â/å/o], [ȯ/ȫ/e], [i], respectively.[15] In the Karlani dialects ofWaziristan,Bannu,Tani (southern Khost), andMangal, follow the vowel shift to the greatest extent, these four vowels normally change into [ā], [o], [e], [i], respectively. TheOrmur tribe settled in some villages in Waziristan and Logar, who gave their name toOrmur the folkloric ancestor of theKarlani, which spoke theOrmuri language which is distinct fromPashto.[8]: 33 However, in general theOrmur are bilingual inPashto, particularly in the KarlaniWazirwola dialect.
The SouthwesternSarbani tribes, most notably theDurrani, speak theSouthern Pashto dialect, a "soft" dialect of Pashto; while northwestern Sarbani tribes speak theNorthern Pashto dialect, a "hard" dialect of Pashto. Both of them are considered upper class dialects. In addition, a small section of theTarin clan of the Sarbani living east ofQuetta speak the distinctiveWanetsi (Tareeno) dialect, which is considered by some modern scholars to be distinctive enough to be classified as its own language.[16]
The origin of Pashtuns is unclear and obscure. The early ancestors of modern-day Pashtuns may have belonged to the old Iranian tribes that spread throughout the easternmost Iranian plateau, modern scholars have suggested that a common and singular origin is unlikely due to the Pashtuns historical existence as a tribal confederation. Various theories of varying credibility have been put forth, such descent from Saka, Hepthalites and Pakhtas.[17][18][19][20][21] Often characterised as a warrior andmartial race, their history is mostly spread among various countries of the easternIranian Plateau and the North West Indian Subcontinent. One theory suggests that the modern Ghilji lineages descended from the medievalKhalaj or Khilji tribe. Some Bettani lineages, however, are said to have descended in part from the medievalGhorid people. The Bettani are named after their folkloric leader or ancestor,Shaikh Bet Baba (claimed to be among the firstPashto-language poets), who lived in the Altamur range, located between theLogar andZurmat valleys. He is reported to have been buried inGhazni.[22]
In the 15th century, the Bettani are known to have mainly inhabited the Logar, Zurmat, and Ghazni regions.[22] Subsequently, many of their lineages settled to the northeast, spreading up to theDamaan Valley,Mianwali, and parts of the present-dayHazara Division ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in the east, and parts ofKunduz Afghanistan in the north. In the 19th century, the traditional way of life of the Bettani combined small-scaleirrigated agriculture with seasonalnomadism or seminomadism. They engaged in pastoral migrations, along the mountain slopes in summers, and inversely, towards theIndus plains in winters.[22] From the 13th century, various Khilji dynasties and ruling entities took control in theBengal andDelhi Sultanates of theIndian subcontinent.
In the 15th century, the Lodi tribe founded theLodi dynasty, the last dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. In the 16th century, theSur Empire with its capital at Delhi was founded bySher Shah Suri, a member of theSur clan of the Bettani confederacy. Between 1709 and 1738, theHotak clan of the Ghilji tribe ruled theHotak Empire based first inKandahar, Afghanistan and later very briefly inIsfahan, Persia.[23]
In the 16th century,Taj Khan Karrani of the Karlani tribe founded theKarrani dynasty, the last dynasty to rule theBengal Sultanate. Several Karlani clans served in theMughal army. TheBhopal State, in the present-dayMadhya Pradesh state of Central India, was founded in 1723 byDost Mohammad Khan Mirazikhel. He was from theOrakzai clan of the Karlani tribe, and was a mercenary in the Mughal army.[24] After his death in 1728, his descendants, theNawabs of Bhopal, continued ruling the state untilHamidullah Khan, the last sovereign nawab of the dynasty, officiallyacceded the state toIndia in 1949.[25]
Ahmad Shah Durrani of the Sadozai clan سدوزائی یا سدھنof theAbdali tribe (now known as "Durrani" after him) established theDurrani Empire in 1747 with its capital atKandahar. Ahmad Shah adopted the titleDurr-e Durrānī ("pearl of pearls" or "pearl of the age"), and the name of his tribeAbdali was changed to "Durrani" after him.[26]: 242 Ahmad Shah is now regarded as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan. He controlled areas fromKhorasan in the west up toKashmir and Delhi in the east, and from theAmu Darya in the north up to theArabian Sea in the south. It was the second-greatest Muslim empire in the second half of the 18th century, surpassed in size only by theOttoman Empire.[27]
In 1826,Dost Mohammad Khan, of the Barakzai clan of the Durrani tribe, founded theBarakzai dynasty centered atKabul.[28] The Barakzai dynasty ruled present-day Afghanistan until 1973 whenMohammed Zahir Shah, the last Barakzai king, was overthrown in a bloodless coup by his own cousinMohammed Daoud Khan. The coup ended theBarakzai kingdom and established theRepublic of Afghanistan (1973–1978).[29] The currentheir apparent and crown prince of the Barakzai kingdom (23 July 2007 – present) isAhmad Shah Khan.
During theDelhi Sultanate era, the PashtunLodi dynasty replaced theTurkic rulers inNorth India. Some ruled from theBengal Sultanate. Majority Pashtuns fought theSafavids andMughals before obtaining anindependentstate in the early 18th century,[30] which began with a successful revolution byMirwais Hotak followed by conquests ofAhmad Shah Durrani.[31] During the 19th and early 20th century, theBarakzai dynasty found itself involved perforce between anAnglo-Russian military and diplomatic confrontation known as the "Great Game".[32] Pashtuns are the largest dominionethnic group in Afghanistan and ruled as the dominant ethno-linguistic group for over 300 years.[citation needed]
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