"They are fond of liberty, faithful to their friends, kind to their dependants, hospitable, brave, hardy, frugal, laborious and prudent."

Background

Pakhtoon designates a person who speaks Pukhtu. Pathan is a Hindi term adopted for them by the British. The racial composition of the Pukhtoons is less than clear. The tribes who dwelled in the area in the days of the Greek historians are believed to be part of the great Aryan horde which had moved down from Central Asia a millennium earlier. Over the course of centuries, the Greek, Persian, Turk, and Mongol invaders who passed through the Frontier have added their blood.

Nearly one-third of the population of NWFP is non-Pakhtoon. In the tribal areas, they are called Hamsaya or Kadwal. In the border areas of Hazara and Derajat, social norms more closely resembling those in Punjab and Kashmir may be discerned. Clan groups remain important, but mainly as social networks, particularly for marriages. Chitral has a separate language and culture of its own; a visible difference crossing over from Dir is that the carrying of arms is uncommon. Most distinct are the indigenous Kalash, people now confined to three small valleys in Chitral. Their way of life is rooted in the worship of ancestral spirits and trees. Their unique customs attract a lot of attention from visitors. However, due to the conversions of the Kalash to Islam, their age-old traditions are rapidly becoming extinct.

Around 68 per cent of the households in NWFP are Pukhtu speaking, eighteen per cent are Hindko speaking while Seraiki is the mother tongue of four per cent. Around eight per cent of households speak local languages, such as Kohwar in Chitral district, while Urdu and Punjabi speaking migrants account for only two per cent of the households. With the exception of Sindh, Islam came to NWFP earlier than to any other part of South Asia.

PUKHTOON SOCIETY

The Pukhtoon society comprises both the people of the tribal areas and the settled districts of NWFP. The tribal society has been the focus of many studies as it has kept alive the true Pukhtoon ethos. The Pukhtoon of the settled districts have however been subject to external influence and have moderated some of the more traditional aspect of their culture and customs. The Yousafzai, Muhammadzai and Khalil tribes belong to the settled districts and have limited links in the tribal areas. All other Pukhtoon tribes of the settled districts have extensive affinal and consanguninal ties with the tribal Pukhtoons.

The Pukhtoon society is individualistic despite the rigid behavior prescribed by clan membership. While Pukhtu speaking people constitute one cultural and social entity, Pukhtoon society is divided into tribes, based on genealogies. The tribes are sub-divided into Khels, which may be equated with clans. Within the Khels, the basic division is the expanded family group. The leader of each family group is called a Malik, and the most important of a group of Maliks is designated as the leading Malik of the Khel. The usual object of allegiance is the Malik, and in settled districts, a Khan. They gain their title by their ability to lead followers in public affairs. A Pukhtoon Malik is however no more than a first among equals, and acquires the status through personal merit and the ability to inspire fellow tribesmen. Primogeniture is not recognized, and leadership is accorded to the most capable.

The social structure in the settled districts has altered a great deal from the tribal order. The Khans have lost much of their original leadership role in the settled districts. Agriculture is a notable characteristic of the culture of both the settled and tribal areas. In the former, it is however more developed in terms of irrigation, cultivation of cash crops and utilization of modern technology. The literacy rate is higher in the settled districts, especially for women. The trend towards having nuclear rather than extended families is also more pronounced in the settled districts.

The Jirga is the Pukhtoon assembly in which all public and private affairs are settled. The Jirga, of which the Khan is the head, now contends with the state judiciary in the settled districts. Rules of the federal and provincial governments are enforced through state intervention. The decisions of the village Jirga in the districts have to be reinforced by the court of law if the law enforcement authorities have also registered the case. Unlike in the tribal areas, a legal permit is required for the manufacture and possession of arms and ammunition. The Hujra is traditionally a male club and social centre, which exists in every village of the tribal as well as settled areas. It is the focus of community opinions and actions. While Hujras exist in the villages of the settled districts as well, they have lost much of their functional importance.

Traditionally, the conduct of Pukhtoons was guided by a code of honor called the Pukhtunwali. The foremost commandment of the Pukhtunwali is Badal or revenge (revenge is a dish which tastes better cold, Pukhtoon proverb). The obligations to take revenge for wrong falls not only upon the man who has suffered it, but also upon his family and tribe. Insults and retaliation hence involve clans and perpetuate blood feuds. The most frequent causes of trouble are money, women and land (zar, zan, and zamin). In rare instance, feuds are terminated when the weaker party throws itself on the mercy of its enemy, called Nanawati or acceptance of a bonafide truce, when blood money may be accepted in lieu of revenge. The third component of Pukhtunwali is Melmastia, or hospitality towards a guest, stranger, or an enemy if he seeks it. A formal escort or assurance of safety to a guest or enemy is called Badragga. The Pukhtunwali provides for law and order in a harsh environment, and is still a strong force in the tribal areas.

Women are intelligent and aggressive within the limits prescribed by custom. They play an important role in arranging marriages and alliances between families. Women also provide the practical means of implementing Melmastia. Women of the working classes are responsible for domestic work, some outdoors. They do not observe Purdah in the same way as the affluent classes. With modernization, more and more women have emerged into the working world and can be found performing well in offices and industries.

FAMILY

An attractive feature of the Pukhtun way of life is the joint family system, which signifies their deep love for the family’s solidarity and welfare. The desire for communal life emanates from a consideration of economic security and integrity. All the family members, even the married sons, live jointly in a house large enough to separately accommodate each married couple under the authority of the father who as head of the family, manages the family affairs and exercises an immense influence in his own domain.

All the earning hands of the family, married as well as unmarried, contribute their share of income to the common pool of resources. All expenses on food, clothing, education, health, birth, marriages and deaths are defrayed from the common fund. The mantle of authority falls on the eldest son’s shoulders after the death of the father or when old age renders him unable to discharge his functions. The internal management of the household rests with the mother who exercises her authority within her own sphere of influence. The joint family system, however, is gradually giving way to individualistic trends under the impact of modern influence. It is losing its hold, particularly in educated classes and well off sections.