Pashtuns Katie Jenkins

Background “From the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD the regions where the Pashtuns lived saw immense migrations of peoples from Central Asia and the Middle East…”(Khan) Have eastern Iranian origins Appear to be primarily of Aryan descent Some claim to be descendant of Arabs, while some claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great’s Greeks

Culture Traditionally pastoral nomads Many tribes “Each tribe is divided into clans, subclans, and patriarchal families.” (“Pashtun”) Language: Pashto Have many traditional stories in both in Pashtu and Persian Religion: mostly Islam; some follow Sunni Muslim

Culture Are attached to an unwritten code called Pashtunwalli Hospitality is important Use the tribal council, jirga, to resolve conflicts and make decisions Value courage, taking reverence, and protecting one’s honor Eldest male has complete authority- households are made up of man and wife, unmarried children, and married sons with their families

Culture Clothing: male- qmis(loose-fitting shirt that goes to the knees), shalwar(full trousers tied at the waist), chaplay(thick leather shoes), a vest, pagray(turban), and a chadar(long, wide piece of cloth worn on the shoulders) Female- Rural women: baggy trousers, a long shirt belted with a sash, and a length of cloth over the head City women: baggy trousers, a qmis, cotton cloth over their head, and a burqa(veil that covers them from head to below the knees)

Pashtun dress

Culture Religion prohibits them from eating pork, and drinking alcohol Eat: rice, vegetables, milk products, meat, eggs, fruits, and tea Choral singing, poems called matal, and Attan(folk dance) are important Education was disrupted by the Russian invasion and still by civil warfare Traditionally held in religious institutes and mosques As of late 90’s: both boy’s and girl’s schools in nearly every village

Attan- folkdance

Culture Social gatherings are the major form of entertainment Sew unique designs on their clothes and wear small hats made of silk Play Naiza bazi( game involving riding horses and throwing spears), have rock throwing competitions, buzkashi, or goat pulling, wrestling, sword fighting, and more recently football Differences between clans and families has caused a lot of violence and killing

Naiza bazi

Pashtun Women “The lives of Pashtun women vary from those who reside in conservative rural areas, such as the tribal belt, to those found in relatively freer urban centers.” (“Pashtun people”) Many are tribal and illiterate, but others have become educated and fully employed Many wars in Afghanistan have slowed their gaining of rights Currently- some work as traditional housewives, while others are urban workers Literacy rate is still lower than men Abused Slowly beginning to gain equality

Pashtuns in Afghanistan Count for over half of the population Live in southeastern Afghanistan “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.” (“Pashtuns of Afghanistan”) Russian invasion lowered this percentage temporarily and other ethnic groups rose Until mid-1991, the Pashtuns dominated the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, which controlled the government Caused alliances to form- now in constant competition with each other

Pashtun location

Pashtuns in Afghanistan Currently the president is Pashtun (Hamid Karzai) Have high government posts: Army Chief (Gul Hasan Khan) and Ministries Pashtun politicians Ayub Khan and Ghulam Ishaq Khan attained presidency Became known as the primary ethnic group in the Taliban Late 2001, US invasion removed Taliban from power

Important Pashtun Political People Hamid Karzai Gul Hasan Khan Ayub Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan

Works Cited "Pashtun." Countries and Their Cultures. Advameg, Inc. , n.d. Web. 3 Mar 2013. <http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Afghanistan-to-Bosnia-Herzegovina/Pashtun.html>. "Pashtuns of Afghanistan." Pashtuns of Afghanistan. WebMedia iNteractive, n.d. Web. 3 Mar 2013. <http://www.afghan- network.net/Ethnic-Groups/pashtuns.html>. Khan , Ismail . "History and Origion of Pashtun (Pakhtoon)." SWATIAN.com. SWATIAN.com, 10 09 2005. Web. 3 Mar 2013. <http://www.swatian.com/history/pashtun_history.html>. "Pashtun people." New World Encyclopedia. 2007. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pashtun_people>.