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| ’’Note’’’: ''This article relates to Pre-1895 conditions of Kafirstan''. | |||
| ] | |||
| '''The former name''' (until 1895) of ] (or Nuristan) was ]. This historic region lies on the southern slopes of ] and mainly comprises basins of the Alingar, Pech, Landai Sin and ] rivers and the intervening mountain ranges. Its northern boundary is the main range of the Hindukush, eastern the ]i border, its southeastern the Kunar ] and westernen the ''Kamah'' river. The people were formerly known as ] which was a ] appellation for those not believing in ] or the teachings of ] ]. | |||
| A ferocious, fiercely independent and culturally distinctive people, the Kafirs followed paganism until 1895 when they were conquered and forcibly converted to Islam by ] ]. Their region was renamed as Nurestan (''Land of Light'') and the people as Nuris (''The Enlightened Ones''). | |||
| ==Etymology of term Kafir== | |||
| According to the conventional ], the name "Kafir" derives from Arabic '']'', commonly translated into ] as "infidels" or "idolaters". ''Kafiristan'' then would be "The Land of the Infidels". This explanation would justify the renaming of the country after its ]. | |||
| Many historians <ref> such as Thomas Watters, Moti Chandra, Suniti Kumar Chaterjee, Surya Kanta, Dr J. L. Kamboj. '''See Refs in Foot Notes 3 below'''.</ref>, however, opine that the local name "Kafir" comes from ''Kapiś'' (= ''Kapish''), the ancient ] name of the region that included historic Kafiristan; which is also given as ''Ki-pin'' (or Chi-pin) in old ] chronicles. That name, unrelated to the Arabic word, is believed to have, at some point, mutated into the word ''Kapir''. This ] phenomenon is not unusual for this region. The name of King ], who once ruled over this region, is also found written as "Kanerika", an example of "ś" or "sh" mutating to "r" <ref>Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 1856, p 239, by Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland; Indian Caste, 1877, p 286, John Wilson; India of To-day, 1906, p 280, Walter Del Mar.</ref>. In a similar way, ''Kapiś'' -- the name of the people of Kapiś/Kapiśa, is believed to have changed to Kapir and then Kafir <ref>Ref: Publications, 1904, p 124, Published by Oriental Translation Fund (Editors T. W. Rhys Davis, Dr S. W. Bushel, London Royal Asiatic Society); Census of India, 1961, p 26, published by India Office of the Registrar General; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahabharata, Upana parava, Journal of Uttara Pradesh Historical Society, Vol XVI, Part II, pp 48-50; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboj, Dr Satyarti Shastri; The Kambojas Through the Ages, 2005, p 94, Kirpal Singh; | |||
| See also: Kāṭhakasaṅkalanam: Saṃskr̥tagranthebhyaḥ saṅgr̥hītāni Kāṭhakabrāhmaṇa, Kāṭhakaśrautasūtra, 1981, p xii, Surya Kanta; cf: The Contemporary Review, Vol LXXII, July-Dec, 1897, p 869, A. Strahan (etc), London; See also: On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629-645 A.D., 1904, 124, Dr Thomas Watters. '''See Link:''' ]http://books.google.com/books?id=N9YMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA124&dq=Kanerka,+kafir].</ref> <ref>In ancient Sanskrit literature, there are numerous instances where the name of the people was obtained from the geographical territoty they occupied. Thus Kamboja was both the name of the people as well as their country. Similarily, Gandhara, Abhisara, Kosala, Panchala etc. were names of people as well as their countries. In a similar way, the inhabitants of Kapisa were known as Kapisa, thence Kapis ==> Kapir ==> Kafir.</ref>. One of the dominant clan of the Kafirs till recently was known as ''Katir''. | |||
| The second change from ''Kapir'' to ''Kafir'', may have occurred spontaneously, since the exchange of "p" by "f" is fairly common in ] <ref>cf: An Abridged Malay-English Dictionary (romanized), 1908, p 95 | |||
| by Richard James Wilkinson.</ref>. It may also have been the result of confusion or intentional wordplay with the ] word, since the Kafirs were indeed ]s until 1895. | |||
| The derivation of Kafiristan is now fairly easy since ''-stan'' in Iranian language means country, abode or place. Thus, Kafiristan would literally mean the ''land or abode of the Kafir peoples'' i.e people belonging to Kapiśa. | |||
| Today it is disputed if the term ''Kafir'' really defines a traditional ]. | |||
| ==Classification of former Kafiristan Kafiri== | |||
| Prior to the 1895 Islamization, the Kafiristan Kafiri were socially organized into several tribes, which were conventionally classified into two major groups, the Black-Robed (or the Siah-Posh) and the White-Robed (or the Sfed-Posh). That classification was neither scientific nor convenient. While the Siah-Posh clans had much in common in dress, language, customs and appearance among themselves, the Safed-Posh clans were not only very dissimilar from the Siah-Posh clans, but also from each other. George Scott Robertson, therefore, had reclassified the Kafiristan Kafiri more scientifically into the following divisions: | |||
| ===The ] (Siah-Posh) Kafirs=== | |||
| The Siah-Posh or black-robed Kafirs consisted of one very large and widely spread ], the Katirs, and four smaller clans: the Kam, the Mumo (Madugalis), the Kshto (Kashtoz), and the Gourdesh (present-day Dungulio). "They were collectively known as Kamoges or Kamojis" (Ref: Nature - p 222, Nature Publishing Group). | |||
| ====Black-robed Katir Kafirs==== | |||
| The Katirs were probably the more important than all the remaining Kafir tribes put together. They owned in 1890 several valleys, had a total of about forty settlements and numbered about 40,000. Each Katir clan was independent of the others but they all acknowledged the same origin and a general relationship. The Katirs had inhabiting various valleys as Siah-Posh communities entirely independent of one another but all acknowledged a common origin and a general relationship to the others. | |||
| =====Katir Kafirs of Bashgul Valley===== | |||
| This Katir clan inhabited in 1890 the ] from Badawan to Sunra in the border of Madugal country. It owned twelve villages beside small settlements. Alternative names for Bashgul Katirs are Kamtoz and Lutdehchis. | |||
| =====Katir Kafirs of Kati Valley===== | |||
| The Kati or Katawar/Kataur clan were in 1890 a small independent subdivision of the Katirs, who lived in the ]. They owned two settlements in all. | |||
| =====Katir Kafirs of the Kulam Country===== | |||
| The Kulam Katirs lived around 1890 in Kulam country and owned four villages. | |||
| =====Katir Kafirs of Ramgul Valley===== | |||
| The Ramgulis or Gabariks were the most numerous division among the Katir Kafirs. In 1890 they lived in the westernmost parts of Kafiristan on the ] frontier. They inhabited several side tracts beside the main valley, from which they took the name of Ramgul Kafirs. Around 1890 they owned about 24 large settlements. | |||
| ====Black-robed Kam Kafirs==== | |||
| The second major clan from the Siah-Posh tribe were the Kam Kafirs (native name) (''Kamoz'' in Pashto or ''Kams'' of George Robertson: See The Kafirs of the Hindukush, p 71). M. Elphinstone calls them ''Camoze'', ''Caumojee'' and ''Camoje''. Others call them Kamoges. This people had inhabited the lower Bashgul and the lateral valleys from the confines of ] country to the ]. Kams had owned more than seven major and several small settlements and numbered approximately 20,000 in 1890. One of their villages was named ''Kamu'' (Kambu) and their military headquarters are also in present Nuristani time known as ''Kamdesh'' or Kambrom. The country of the Kams is also in present-day Nuristan called ''Kamstan''. | |||
| The Kams were said to be the fiercest and most intractable of all Kafirs and the most to be dreaded for their ] prowess. They had hold much better together, and it was for this reason that, though not a numerous people, they were greatly respected by the neighboring tribes as well as by ]is and the ]. The Kams had control the destiny of Bashgul valley and were said to be its virtual kings (George Roberston). | |||
| ====Black-robed Mumo Kafirs==== | |||
| Numerically, like in present Nuristani time, the Mumo Kafirs (alternative but not native names were ''Mumans'' or ''Madugal'') occupied next position to Kams. They occupied a short tract of country between the Kams and the Katir of Bashgul Valley. They had in 1890 and have also in present time three large settlements and a few smaller ones. | |||
| ====Black-robed Kshto Kafirs==== | |||
| The Kshto Kafirs (alternative but not native names are ''Kashtoz'' or ''Kashtans'') owned in 1890 one large village called Kashtan beside few small settlements. The village was close to and west of Kamdesh | |||
| ====Black-robed Gourdesh, Istrat or Dungulio Kafirs==== | |||
| There was a little colony of Siah-Posh Kafirs at Gourdesh or Istrat which was an extremely overcrowded village. The Gourdesh folk (native present-day Nuristani name is presumably Dungulio) were said to be very different from all the other Siah-Posh Kafirs and to be, in great part, a remnant of an ancient people called Aroma. They formerly hailed from Aromabrom which had been a great village up in the ]. | |||
| Like in present-day Nuristani time, the dialectic variations of '']'', the language spoken by all the five clans of the Siah-Posh denomination, are very slight and mutually intelligible. The Kafirs of the first four divisions of Siah-Posh denominations had a common origin. | |||
| ===Vasi Kafirs=== | |||
| The Vasi Kafirs (native name), also known as ''Prasungulis'', lived like in present Nuristani time in a high valley called Prasengul. They were stated to be very ancient people, and probably the ] or otherwise the earliest immigrants of their area. The Vasi were entirely different from the Siah-Posh Kafir tribes and the Kalasha and Askunu of the ] denomination. They owned in 1890 six large villages. Simple, timid, stolid-featured and rather clumsy, they were otherwise remarkable for their industry and powers of endurance. | |||
| ===Kalasha Kafirs=== | |||
| The Kalasha Kafirs (alternative but not native names were ''Wai'' or ''Waigali'') were the most important clan of the former ] denomination. Like the Kams, the Kalasha were very brave, warlike and handsome people. They were remarkable for their hospitality. The language they spoke is quite different from the ] on the one hand and the ] on the other. Kalasha owned in 1890 about ten villages. | |||
| ===Askunu Kafirs=== | |||
| The Askunu Kafirs (alternative but not native names were ''Ashkun'' or ''Yeshkun'') were a small and less known tribe of the so-called ] group. In physical characteristics, they were friendly to the Kalasha Kafir and seem related to them, but the language of the Ashkuns was and is also in present Nuristani time quite different and mutually un-intelligible from the ] and the ]. The Askunu owned around 1890 two settlements. | |||
| The combined group of the Vasi, Kalasha and Askunu Kafirs was in former times known as ''White-Robed'' (Sfed-Posh) or ''Red-Robed'' (Lal-Posh) Kafirs. But George Robertson has rejected this classification as being both inconvenient and unscientific. | |||
| ==Chitral Kafiri== | |||
| The '''Chitral Kafiri''' or ''']''' has a unique position in the Kafir classification. In Chitral, they are also in modern times known as “Black Kafirs”. Due to the lack of historic information and references, the exact relation of this tribe to the former Kafir people cannot be clearly ascertained. At present it’s only sure, that the Kalasha of Chitral has in contrast to the majority of the former Kafiristan Kafiri (present-day Nuristani), a different Indo-Iranian origin. These two populations descend from dissimilar branches of the ], a division that goes probably back some 5,000 years. Nevertheless there are heavy Kafiristan Kafiri influences in the language, religion and culture of the Chitral Kalasha. | |||
| According to linguist , a professional in this area, the ] apparently adopted the name of the former Kafiristan Kalasha, who at some unknown time extended their influence into ]. A reference for this assumption could be the names '''kâsv'o''' respectively '''kâsi'o''', used by the neighboring Nuristani ] and ] for the Kalasha of Chitral. From these the earlier name '''Kasivo''' (instead Kalasha) could be derived. | |||
| ==Slave population== | |||
| Besides the major tribal groups of Kafirs as described above, there was a ] population, usually war captives, or purchased from other Kafir tribes. They performed menial work and included craftsmen like carpenters, blacksmiths, wood-carvers, weavers, drummers. All slaves were considered impure and were prohibited from approaching the ] or house of a priest. House slaves lived with the family which owned them and enjoy higher status than the artisan slaves. A portion of slave population were probably the remnant of ancient people subjugated and enslaved by the following dominant Kafir tribes. All slaves seemed to wear the Siah-Posh dress. | |||
| It is sometimes assumed that the present-day ] are the remainder of their originally slave population. | |||
| ==Kafir languages== | |||
| Previously the Hindukush Kafir languages were added to the family of ] or ] languages. These classifications are considered as outdated. Today, all former Kafir languages are added to the new group of ] which represents the third branch of the ]. An exception constitutes the language of the ]; which is regarded to be a Dardic language. | |||
| , an authority in this area, defined five Nuristani languages, each spoken in several dialects. Major dialects include Kata-vari, Kamviri, and Vai-ala. Most of the Nuristanis in Pakistan speak Kamviri. These are influenced by, and sometimes classified as Dardic languages; but this is more of a geographical classification than a linguistic one. | |||
| List of present-day ]: | |||
| * ] (Ashkun) 2000 speakers | |||
| * ] (Bashgali, includes ], ] & ] ]) 24,200 speakers | |||
| * ] (Prasuni) 2000 speakers | |||
| * ] (Waigali) 2000 speakers | |||
| * ] (Gambiri) 1000 speakers | |||
| Note, the Tregami are the only present–day Nuristani which haven’t a direct Kafir ancestor. They developed out from a reminder of the army of ] ] and some subjugated local Kafir population. | |||
| Prior this new grouping, the Kafiri comprises Kamkata-viri, Kalasha-ala and the Vasi-vari as its main ]s, where the Kamkata-viri was the most common and was spoken by the predominant Siah-Posh tribal group. Kamkata-viri had several sub-dialects but the employers of one seem to understand all the others. The other two dialects, the Kalasha-ala and Vasi-vari, have no similarity between them as also with the Kamkata-viri of the Siah-Posh. Geographically Kafiristan was located in the middle of ] and ] and thus ] the group of Kafiri dialects naturally had similarities with both the Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups. The dialects of the Kafiri coincide with the distribution of the Kafir ]s in Kafiristan. Kafiri had no ]. | |||
| Kafirs maintain that very young children from any valley could acquire the ] but only those born in Presun could ever converse in Vasi-vari and still only roughly. To non-Presun ears it was disconcertingly difficult and perhaps impossible to learn ]. | |||
| ==Kafir marriage== | |||
| In pre-1895 Kafir society, the population was ] as well as ]. Marriage within one's own and mother's ] was prohibited. A Kafir mostly had more than one wife, but rarely more than five. It was a reproach to own only one wife.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} Marriage was a bargain business where a wife was purchased from her parents by settling on a the price. A ] was then killed and a feast was given to formalize the marriage. Divorce, when it came up, was simple and uninstitutionalized. A husband could simply send his wife away.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} | |||
| Upon the death of a brother, a Kafir man was permitted to take possession of all of his dead brother's wives. | |||
| This former ] Kafir practice stands in stark contrast to the present-day marriage tradition of the ], also known as "Black Kafirs." Kalasha boys and girls can propose and arrange their own marriages, although some marriages are also arranged by families. The divorce in the Kalasha community is very simple, as a woman or man may leave his or her spouse at any time. | |||
| ==Kafir women== | |||
| Little respect was shown to women folk except in particular cases to a few of advanced years. Usually the women were mistresses, slaves and field-workers. Physically, they were capable of enormous labour and were very enduring. The young girls were very beautiful but as they grow, their faces wear out due to harsh physical labor. While the responsibility for the defense and maintaining grazing grounds & live stock fells on the males, that of agriculture and field-work fells on the females. The women were usually considered a chattel and had no rights as against their husbands or, failing them, their male relations. They could not inherit or possess property. | |||
| ==Kafir religion== | |||
| Before their conversion by Abdur Rahman, the Kafirs were practitioners of ancient pre-Islamic traditions. There were lingering traces of ancestor-worship and fire-worship. The Kafir religion was a blend of ] ]s, ] beliefs, ] tenets and diverse ] as well as ] reminiscent of the ] of ]. ] (from ] ] (=Yamaraja), ] ]) was the supreme god of Kafiristan. He was the god of creation. God ] was the chief ] of god Imra. ] or ''Great Gish'' was the god of war, and was extremely popular among the Bashagul Katir Kafirs. H. A. Rose in his Glossary of Tribes and Castes, identifies god ''Gish'' with the ] god ''Kishna'' or ] (Krishna appears as Gisane in ]). Besides, there were other gods of lesser significance. They converted to Islam in the 1880s. | |||
| ==Kafir Characteristics== | |||
| Both the Kafirs and Afghans are brigands by instinct and both are careless of human life. Perhaps the Kafirs are the worst of the two in both respects, but a Afghan makes the account more than even by his added perfidy and cunning (Robertson). | |||
| All the neighboring Musulman tribes have an intense hatred of the Kafirs because of the injuries the former have received at the hands of the Kafirs through the ages. The Kafirs love to dance to their war god Gish after killing Musulmans. | |||
| The Kafirs love to fight. Their inter-tribal hatred, sometimes, goes to the limits of absurdity, thus entirely deadening their political foresight. It is probable that there is no single tribe of Kafirs at the present day Kafirstan which is at peace with all other tribes. Some of their inter-tribal wars have continued for generations, and the one between the Kamoz and Katirs of Ramgulis went over a century. | |||
| The Kafirs are highly revengeful. For honor's sake, a man of any position in the clan (even the slave) having been killed by an outsider clan must be avenged by blood. No matter what, a murder has to be avenged under all circumstances. | |||
| Blood-feuds within a tribe do not exist, but if a fight did start, it was the duty of all witness to intervene at once. The slayer of his fellow, even by accident, has to pay a heavy compensation or else become an outcast. The stigma attaches itself to children and their marriage connexions. Kafirs have true conceptions of justice. There is no death penalty since a fighting male is too valuable a property of the whole tribe to be so wasted. | |||
| Though in his raids into hostile territories, whether of Kafirs or Musulmans, the Kafir spares neither men, nor women, nor even children and though, he holds human life as of very little account, and though in hunting, he appears to employ brutal methods of getting his game, yet he is not cruel by nature. Though highly passionate and wildly independent, the Kafir can be easily appeased. Though exasperated to such fury by centuries of persecutions by Musulmans, the Kafirs, in general, are harmless, affectionate and kind hearted people. They are indeed a model of politeness. They are merry, playful, fond of laughter and of very social and joyous disposition. The Kafirs are splendidly loyal to their friends and are accustomed to grandest acts of self-sacrifice and bravery. Kafirs are very hospitable. They are kind even to a Musulman when they admit him as their friend or guest. | |||
| The Kafirs are remarkable for their cupidity. They can be easily bribed, can do anything for money. But in matters of honor, no Kafir can ever be won by any amount of cash, whatsoever (Robertson). | |||
| Kafirs are extremely jealous of one another, no matter how they have intermarried. Kafir hates Kafir more than he hates Musulmans, which sometimes leads to internecine strife. | |||
| It is as natural for a Kafir to thieve, as it is for him to eat. The children are encouraged to steal. | |||
| Kafirs are remarkable for their reckless courage, furious bravery and towering love for freedom. | |||
| The war strategy of Kafirs is to wear down the enemy by playing purely defensive tactics. They hold positions, form little ambushes, and seek to cut off stragglers and harass the invaders in every possible way. Then when the enemy, from accumulated losses, begins to retreat, the tiger-footed Kafirs attack him on all sides like a swarm of hornets. At this point, the dogged resistance turns into furious bravery. A Kafir never fights so well as when the advantage is to his side. He plays a winning game splendidly. Each man tries to emulate the traditional heroes of his tribe and will performs some of the grandest deeds of courage and heroism to gain the admiration of his tribal fellows. | |||
| The Kafir of Bashgul is ever on the raid and on watch for a chance for a Musulman's life. The killing of Musulmans is ranked the chief object of a Kafir's life since his social position is dependent on the number of Musulmans he kills. A robe of honor (a Shawl) is awarded to those who have killed four or more Musulmans. | |||
| In Kafir opinion, a good man is one who is a successful homicide, ever ready to quarrel, of an amorous disposition, a good dancer, and a good stone-quoit player. | |||
| A Kafir exudes impression of personal dignity, self-respect, self-confidence, strength and gracefulness. | |||
| Kafir society is essentially democratic and the Kafirs are theoretically all equal. | |||
| The Kafirs, as seen above, seem to be as degraded in many respects as it is possible for this type ever to become. If it were not their splendid courage, their domestic affections and their overpowering love of freedom, the Kafirs would indeed be a hateful people. In other respects, they are what they have been made by uncontrollable circumstances. For them, the world has not grown softer as it has grown older. Its youth could not be crueler than its present maturity, but if they had been different, the Kafirs would have been enslaved centuries ago. Their present ideas and all the associations of their history and religion are simply bloodshed, assassinations and blackmailing; yet the Kafirs, though a highly wild people, are not savages. Many of them have the heads of statesmen and philosophers. Their features are Aryans and their mental capabilities are great. Their love of decoration, their carving and their architecture all point to a time when they were higher in human scale than they are at present (Roberson). | |||
| ==Kafiristan Kafir people and the ]== | |||
| The earlier view was that the Kafirs were descendants of a once powerful people who came from the west. But ] data suggests that they were a remnant of original ] or ] population of Eastern ]. They appeared to be ''a mixture'' of an extremely ancient element related to oldest known population of central ]s (''the Presuns''), the element with resemblance to the ] and a type with ] traits (''the Siah-Posh/Kalasha groups'') which goes back to the ancient prototype of these races preserved in the midst of ] ascendancy. | |||
| According to Robertson, the dominant clans of former Kafiristan, the Katir (Kamtoz), the Kams (Kamoz) and the Kalasha (Wais) were mainly descended from the ancient Aryan population of Eastern Afghanistan, who refused to embrace Islam in tenth century, and fled for refuge from victorious Musulmans to the hilly fastnesses of Kafiristan. | |||
| Parts of former Kafiristan (Nuristan) formed a portion of the ] strapy of the ] in the fouth and third century BCE. The people of the region were then called ] and described as of mixed ] descent. Possibly, they occupied much wider area then and were gradually forced to their present mountainous fastnesses by the Muslim onslaught during medieval era. One of their dominant clans is still known as Kam (Kamoz), while the other is called Kamtoz, which remind us of the name ] (Donald Wilber, W. K. Fraser Tytler, M. C. Gillett, Dr Raychaudhury, Herbert Harold Vreeland, Clifford R. Barnett, Dr S Chattopadhyaya etc). | |||
| Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval ] notes that the Siah-Posh tribe living in Hindukush descended from the ancient Kambojas. | |||
| Discussing the Kambojas, Dr Wilson also notes that there is an apparent trace of their (''Kamboja's'') name in the '''Camojes''' of Kafiristan who may have retreated to the mountains before the advance of the ] ]s (See: Vishnu Purana, H. H. Wilson) | |||
| The physiognomic features and other physical characteristics of the Siahposh tribes resemble those of the ] population of greater ]. Like the (''unmixed'') Kamboj, they have fairly tall stature, fair-body color, light brown or some times green eyes, brown and some times blond hair, slender and straight or acquiline noses, high physical and mental tenacity & stamina etc. | |||
| ==Logic of Greek influence on the former Kafiristan Kafir people== | |||
| There are some points of resemblance between the former Kafirs and the ancient ] sacrificial observances and in some of their domestic utensils like the wooden dish stand of the Kalasha Kafirs. They seemed to be fashioned in ] mould. The ] and ] among the Kafirs (] and ] etc.) had been practiced in the ancient ]. Traces of Greek influence are also often quoted as visible in former Kafir ]. Some further Greek cultural elements could also partly be identified in Kafiristan. | |||
| It can therefore, be fairly conjectured that some of these former Kafir tribes were still influenced, as the ancient Eastern ] ] was influenced by the Greeks (Robertson). | |||
| It is also stated by some that the former Kafiristan Kafir physiognomic features are like the present-day Nuristani, particularly ]. | |||
| Based on above, some writers tend to claim that the former Kafiristan Kafirs may have descended from the ] of ]. But the above factors may only imply Greek cultural and social influence on the ancestors of the Kafirs and in no-way they establish any ethnic connection between the Kafirs and the Greeks. Others still see the Kafirs as a historical link between modern day Europeans and their Indo-European ancestors. In this case, it demonstrates that modern Europeans were largely already in their present physical form when they lived in Afghanistan, or that they possibly evolved some of these traits while living there. The evidence of Red and Blonde hair, along with their varied eye colors, (their historical isolation due to being fierce, mountainous, non-muslim tribes until the turn of the 20th century possibly helped to concentrate these genes more so then in other places like India) and their fine features, make some of them even resemble present day Europeans from Western and Northern Europe. Their hypothesized relation to the Goths would also support this notion. Further more, when the English (a German and Scandinavian people genetically) invaded Afghanistan In 1839, the Kafirs sent a deputation to Sir William Macnaghten in Jalalabad claiming relationship with the fair skinned British troops who had just invaded the country. | |||
| The Greeks or ]s were apparently in the minority in ]n ], and the majority of ancient Kafirs were a different ] from the Yavanas. Any subsequent ancient Greek influence would have been easily adopted by the Kafir ancestors because of their geographical closeness. The ancient Greeks are known to have greatly excelled in the natural sciences and medicine, and therefore, though barbarians in Brahmanical view, they were still regarded with honor on this very count. The ancient Kambojas appear to have borrowed heavily from these scientific Greeks. | |||
| It is indisputable fact of history that the ]s and their good ancient neighbors, the Kambojas had shared common culture and social customs like short-cropping of their head-hair (''Kamboja mundah Yavana mundah''), observing only ''two social classes'' such as ] (master) and ] (slave) (''Yonakambojaseu annesu cha panchchantimesu janapadesu dvea vanna''), and non-entertainment of the ]s in their countries and so forth. | |||
| The former social structure of the Kafirs also followed two social classes i.e ''freeman'' and the ''slaves'' which obviously alludes to their links to the ancient ''Kamboja-Yona'' group. | |||
| The classical expression ''Yonekambojesu'' of the ] texts as well as of king ]'s ] also betrays very close relationships between the Kambojas and the Yonas or Yavanas. | |||
| Thus, the ancient Kambojas were indeed very deeply influenced by the ancient Greeks or the Yavanas, and this fact was visible ''in an isolated community like the Kafirs'', as has been noted by George Robertson and some other observers. | |||
| It is also historically accepted that the ancient Kambojas had followed ]an constitution. The isolated Kafiristan Kafir society was essentially still ] and the Kafirs were theoretically all equal as reported by Robertson. This fact again seems to connect former Kafirs with the ancient Greeks and the Kambojas. | |||
| The ''shot put'' and ''wrestling'' argument suggested by some to establish ethnic connection between the Kafirs and the Greeks also does not carry conviction. | |||
| The ancient Kambojas and Yonas are both known to have been good ''wrestlers'' as is corroborated by ] evidence (''Tara Yavana. Kamboja......niya.yuddhah. kushalah''...See: MBH 12/101/5). | |||
| And, the ''shot put'' has also been ''very popular in ] including the ] population since ancient times''. | |||
| Similarly, the ''stone-quoit'' was also a popular game among the former Kafiristan Kafirs as it is also among the Kambojs and other people of Panjab. | |||
| ''The Balck-Robed (Siah-Posh) tribe of the Kafiristan Kafirs was stated by scholarship to be the descendants of the ancient Kambojas'' (See: references at the end). | |||
| ==Kafiristan Kafir people in history== | |||
| The first ] appellation of Kafirs occurs in 1020 CE in the writings of the historians of ] of ]. | |||
| ] historian Ibn al-Hussain Baihaki makes second reference to (Siah-Posh) Katirs and calls them ]s. He claims that 'all the Hindu Kators were brought under the rule of ] Masud' (1033 CE) (Early History of India, I, p 128). | |||
| Third reference occurs in ''Tuzak-i-Timuri'' where the Kafirs came into conflict with Sultan ] (1399 CE). Timur found the Siah-Posh tribes (Katirs and Kams) apparently holding a ] extending from the frontiers of ] to mountains of ] and containing numerous villages and towns with capital at Jorkal. The ruler is stated to be Adalshu, Uda or Udasu. Timur describes the Katirs as men of a powerful frame and fair complexion, idolaters for most part, and speaking a tongue distinct from ]i, ], ] or ]i. Timur attacked the Katir strongholds reaching as far as Kashtur while ''prince Rustam'' advanced into the territories of the Kam Siahposh (See: ''Tuzak-i-Timuri'' p 400-408). | |||
| In fifteenth century, Sultan ], descendant of Sultan Timur led expedition against the Siah-Poshes and thereby earned the title of Ghazi. | |||
| ] ] ] notes the ''Panjshir Musulmans'' as paying tribute to their neighbors, the ''Siah-Posh Katir''. | |||
| Moghul emperor ] sent his son ] in 1581 against the Siah-Posh Kafirs of the mountains of Katir. | |||
| Abu'l Fazl, in his history of Timur's expeditions, speaks of the ''Hindúán-i-Katir'', '' a country which is described as bounding territories of ''Buner, Swat and Bajaur'' on the north''. | |||
| In 1839, the Kafirs sent a deputation to ''Sir William Macnaghten'' in ] claiming relationship with the fair skinned ] troops who had invaded the country. | |||
| The people are mentioned in the story '']'' | |||
| Following their conquest and convert to Islam in 1895 by ] ], the Kafiristan Kafiri people disappear. On its place the radical Islamic ] culture developed out. | |||
| ==Ancient Roots of the Kafirs== | |||
| The Kafirs people, till recently collectively known as Kamoges or Kamojis, are stated to have been remains of a considerable ancient people among whom were original Kashmerians and a greater part of Badakshan and Kabul as far as Deggan tribes, and on the southern face of the higher ridges of ] extending to an unknown distance. Though whole of their pristine population being subjected to ] conquerors and having mixed with them, they have lost their pristine individuality of national character but still among the Kabulis, in particular, it is still not infrequent to observe heads and figures that might serve for models to the sculptors who would portray a ] or a ] according to the refined idealism of the ancient ]s. The Kafirs have oval faces, their brows are well-arched and the nose and mouth even more refined than the Greeks. They are still fairer, generally, with lighter hair and blue eyes. Blending with nearest black-haired tribes, the ancestors of the Kamoges are believed to have given rise to ancient ]s and with the faired-haired on north, they are said to have produced the handsome tribes of the ] (ref: The Natural History of the Human Species: Its Typical Forms, Primaeval Distribution, Filiations,...pp 403-405, Charles Hamilton Smith). The name Kamoge or Kamoji apparently reminds one of the ancient ]s living in ], ] as well as in ]. See: ]. | |||
| ==References== | |||
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| ==See also== | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| * Peoples of Nuristân. Retrieved July 08, 2006, from ''Richard F. Strand: Nuristan, Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush'' . | |||
| * ''The Kafirs of the Hindukush'', 1896, Sir George Scott Robertson. | |||
| * An Account of the Kingdom of Caubol, Vol II, 1815, M Elphinstone. | |||
| *Political History of Ancient India, 1996, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee. | |||
| * Tribes of the Hindukush, 1971, John Biddulph. | |||
| * The Vishu Purana 1972, H. H. Wilson. | |||
| * Achaemenids and India, 1974, Dr S Chattopadhyaya. | |||
| * Bombay Gazetteer. | |||
| * Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, 1843. | |||
| * Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1874. | |||
| * Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboj. | |||
| * Sidhant Kaumudi, Arathparkashka, 1966, Acharya R. R. Pandey | |||
| * Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval India, 1971, N. L. Dey | |||
| * The Gates of India, 2002, Dr Thomas Holdich. | |||
| * The Kafirs of the Hindu Kush: art and society of the Waigal and Ashkun Kafirs, Max Klimburg. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
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Latest revision as of 23:46, 24 May 2015
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