View source for Pawindah, Border, and other Tribes

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This article is an extract from <br/>

PANJAB CASTES <br/>

SIR DENZIL CHARLES JELF IBBETSON, K.C. S.I. <br/>

Being a reprint of the chapter on <br/>
The Races, Castes and Tribes of <br/>
the People in the Report on the <br/>
Census of the Panjab published <br/>
in ''' 1883 ''' by the late Sir Denzil <br/>
Ibbetson, KCSI <br/>

Lahore : <br/>

Printed  by the Superintendent, Government Printing, Punjab, <br/>

1916. <br/>
''Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees ''<br/> 
''with the contents of this article.''
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[[Category:India|P]]
[[Category:Communities|P]]

== Pawindah, Border, and other tribes==

The tribes not possessing sufficient importance 
to merit detailed description are — 

''' The Zarkani''', a small colony of Shekhs who settled some 500 years ago in a corner between 
the Gandapur and Mian Khel country, under the foot of the Sulemans. 

''' The Baluch''', a small tribe of uncertain origin affiliated to the Lodi tribes.' They seem to have 
come in with the earhest Pathan invaders. They hold the country round Paniala, at the foot of 
the Salt-range where it leave the Indus to turn northwards, and are the dominant race in the 
north of the cis-Indus pjrtion of the dis trict. 

''' The Khasor''', with the Nur Khel and Malli Khel, form a small tribe which claims kinship with 
the Lodi, who repudute the claim. They hold the Kliasor range, or the ridge, of the lower Salt
range which runs down the right bank of the Indus. 

'''  The Ghorezal '''  , a petty clan of the Tabarak Kaka, and the Miani, an insigniticaut pawindah 
clan of the Shlrani tribe, hold lands in the Gomal valley, the former lying south and the latter 
nor th of the Luni river. They graze their flocks during summer on the western slopes of the 
Sulcmans. A portion of the Miani are independent pawindahs, but closely alhed to those of our 
plains. 

'''  The Kundi''' are a small pawindah clan who claim descent from the ancestor of the Niazi; 
They settled in Tank with the Uaulat Khel Lohani, and originally held the tract along the Suheli 
stream in the North-east corner of Tank. But within the last 50 years Marwat immigrants have 
encroached largely on their eastern lands. They are a lawless set and great robbers, and the 
proverb runs — A dead Kundi is better than a live one.  

The Pawindah Tribes.— These tribes, which have been described generally in section 398' 
although not holding lands in the district, are of considerable administrative interest, as enormous 
numbers of them spend the cold weather in the pastures on either side of the Indus. The principal 
tribes are noticed below : — 

The Nasar claim descent from Hotak, a grandson of Ghilzai ; but the Hotak say that they are 
a Biloch clan, and merely dependent on them.3 They speak Pashto, but differ from the Ghilzai 
in physique. They are the least settled of all the paivindahs, and winter in the Derajat and 
summer in the Ghilzai country, having no home of their OAvu. Their chief wealth is in flocks and 
herds, and they act as carriers rather than as traders. They are a rough sturdy lot, but fairly well 
behaved. 

''' The Kharoti '''  say they are an offshoot of Tokhi, mother of Hotak mentioned above. But the 
Tokhi say they are descended from a foundling whom the tribe adopted. They hold the country 
about the sources of the Gonial river in Warghun south by east of Ghazni, and they winter in the 
Tank tahsil. They are a poor tribe, and many of them work as laboirrers or carriers. Dr. Bellew 
identifies them with the Arachoti of Alexandes's historians, and points out that they still live in the 
ancient Arachosia. He considers them and the Na-ar to be of different origin from the mass of the 
Ghilzai. 

''' The Suleman Khel ''' are the most numeroas, powerful, and warlike of all the Ghilzai 
,and hold a large tract stretching nearly the whole length of the Ghilzai country. 
Those who trade with India come chiefly from the hills east of Ghazni and winter in the 
northern trans-Indus tract. They bring but little merchandize with them, but go down
country in great numbers, where they act a; brokers or dalldls between the merchants 
and other pawindahs. They are fine strong men and fairly well behaved, though not bearing 
the best of characters. 

The Mian Khels have ah-eady been described in section 401. The trading and landowning 
sections are still closely connected, and in fnct to some extent indistinguishable. 

''' The Dutanni''' inhabit the Warrak valley and the country between  the Waziri hills and 
Gomal. They are a small, but well-to-do tribe, and trade with Bukhara. 

It is not perhaps impossible that these may be of Biloch origin. The Khetran, perhap.^ of 
Pathan origin, have become the nucleus of a Biloch tribe ; while 351 men of Derah Ismail returned 
themselves in this Census as caste Biloch, tribe Andar, which latter is one of the Pawindah tribes 
of Pathans. 

2 Macgregor says they are quiet and inoffensive. 

3 One story makes them the descendants of a gang of blacksmiths who in the 14th century 
accompanied the Mran Khel on cue of their return journeys to Khorasan and settled there. 


''' The Tokhi''' were the most promient of all the Ghilzal tribes till the Hotak gave rulers 
to Kandahar ahout 1700 A.D. They hold the valley of the Taruak and the north valley of the 
Argaudah, with Kelat-i-Ghilzai a-; their principal centre. 

''' The Andar'''  occupy nearly the whole of the extensive district of Shalgar south of Glazni. 
With them are associated the Musa Khel Kakar. who are descended from an Andar woman, 
and live south and west of Shalgar.* 

''' The Tarakki'''  winter about Kandahar. They are largely nomad. 

'''The Border tribes''' — The mostimportant tribes on the Derah Ismail border are, beginning from 
the south, the Qasrani Biloch and the Ushtarani, already described in sections 883 and 401, 
the Shirani, and the Mahsud Waziri. The Waziri will be described when I come to the 
border tribes of Bannu (section 404\ 

'''The Shirani ''' have already been mentioned and their origin described in section 400. They 
occupy the country round the Takht-i-Suleman. hounded to the north by the Zarkanni stream 
and to the south by the Ushtarani border, their principal habitat being the low valleys to 
the east of the Takht. They are divided inti the Shirani proper who bold the greater part 
of the tract, the Rabar of our plains described in section 401, and the small tribes of Hiripal 
and Jalwani lying to the south of the Shirani proper. They are of medium height, wiry, and 
active, and wild and manly in their appearance. Their dress consists of a couple of coarse 
blankets, and their principal occupation is agriculture.