Pashtun tribes

Indo-European migrations

The Pashtun tribes (Pashto: پښتانه قبايل), are tribes of the Pashtun people, a large Eastern Iranian ethnic group who speak the Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali, the social code of conduct for Pashtuns. They are found primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan and form the world's largest tribal society, 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: the Sarbani (سړبني), the Bettani (بېټني), the Ghurghusht (غرغښت),[6] the Karlani (کرلاڼي) and a few allied tribes of those that are Ismailkhel, Khel, Ludin, Sakzai, and Zai.

Folkloric genealogies trace the ancestors of the Pashtuns to Qais Abdur Rashid and his three sons Saṛban (سړبن), Bēṭ (بېټ), and Gharghax̌t (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] The Karlani confederacy Ormur Baraki, who became the progenitor of the Karlani.[8]: 33 

There are several levels of the Pashtun tribal organization. The "tribe" is subdivided into kinship groups, each of which is a khel and zai. A khel or zai is further divided into plarina, 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]

  1. ^ Glatzer, Bernt (2002). "The Pashtun Tribal System" (PDF). New Delhi: Concept Publishers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  2. ^ Romano, Amy (2003). A Historical Atlas of Afghanistan. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 28. ISBN 0-8239-3863-8. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  3. ^ Syed Saleem Shahzad (October 20, 2006). "Profiles of Pakistan's Seven Tribal Agencies". Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Ethnic map of Afghanistan" (PDF). Thomas Gouttierre, Center For Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha; Matthew S. Baker, Stratfor. National Geographic Society. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  5. ^ "Ethnologue report for Southern Pashto: Iran (1993)". SIL International. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Retrieved 18 Feb 2016.
  6. ^ https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/military-review/archives/English/Militaryreview_20080630_art011.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ Usman, Omar (2010-05-05). "Karlani Tribes: A Note on their Origin". Khyber.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved 2020-06-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Coyle, Dennis Walter (2014). Placing Wardak Among Pashto Varieties (Master's thesis). University of North Dakota.
  9. ^ Wardak, A. (2003) "Jirga – A Traditional Mechanism of Conflict Resolution in Afghanistan" p. 7 Archived 2006-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, online at UNPAN (the United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance), accessed 10 January 2009
  10. ^ Wardak, A. (2003) "Jirga – A Traditional Mechanism of Conflict Resolution in Afghanistan" p. 10 Archived 2006-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, online at UNPAN (the United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance), accessed 10 January 2009