Anthropos: Anthropos, 69.1974

Anthropos, 69.1974

Bibliographic Data

Journal

Structure Type:: Journal

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

Persistent identifier:: BV043334262

Title:: Anthropos

Sub Title:: internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- u. Sprachenkunde

Place of Publication:: Fribourg

Publisher:: Ed. St. Paul

Year of Publication:: 1906

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Domain:: Social and cultural anthropology > General overview

Journal Volume

Structure Type:: Journal Volume

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711778

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711778

Persistent identifier:: 1510649436189

Title:: Anthropos, 69.1974

Year of Publication:: 1974

Call Number:: LA 1118

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Journal Issue

Structure Type:: Journal Issue

Title:: Bd. 69, 1974, Heft 3-4

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Journal Article

Structure Type:: Journal Article

Title:: Social Structure in the Southeastern Hindu-Kush: Some Implications for Pashai Ethno-History

Other person:: Keiser, R. Lincoln

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

446 R. Lincoln Reiser Anthropos 69. 1974 tain pastures to graze in the spring and summer. Although this pattern is found in many Pashai speaking areas, as well as most of the Hindu-Kush and Kara koram region, there are also many differences between various Pashai valley 5 - Pashai is classified by linguists as an Indie language of the Dardic branch- It has linguistic borders with several other languages. It borders Persian in the Northwest; Pakhto in the Southwest, South and Northeast; and the Nuristani languages of Ashkun and Kati in the North, Of the few researchers who have conducted investigations among the Pashai speaking people, the Norwegian linguist, Georg Morgenstierne, has published almost all of the available material concerning this group. Based o 11 distributional and linguistic evidence, Morgenstierne concludes that tin? Pashai speakers once held main portions of the Kabul and Kunar Valley 5 ■ Further he feels that the present-day Muslim Pashai are descendants of the Hindu-Buddhist civilizations located in the ancient kingdoms of Kapisa and Nangrahar (1967: 11; 1944: vi). Thus the contemporary tribal and peasant mountain people who speak Pashai are the degenerate remnants of once high 01 civilizations swept away by invasions of Pakhto speaking Afghans. Echoing Morgenstierne, Karl Jettmar states that "... the ancestors of the Pashai tribes lived in the central region of the classic Gandhara culture before the) were expelled to the mountain valleys south of Kafiristan” (1959: 86). \Vhh e historical records indicate that the population of the Pashai area converted to Islam fairly recently, Morgenstierne feels that this in no way means the religion of the immediate pre-Islamic period was similar to that found 111 neighboring Nuristan. The Nuristanis were converted to Islam in 1896 and before that exhibited a set of pagan rituals and beliefs that are in some wa) 5 strikingly similar to ancient Indie and Iranian religion h In contrast to the pre-Islamic religion of Nuristan, Morgenstierne feels the paganism of the Pashai people was more a debased form of Hindu-Buddhism (1967: 12). Thus Morgenstierne states there is a basic cultural difference between the Pashai and their Nuristani neighbors to the north. The Nuristanis are the direct descendants of early Indo-Iranian tribes who migrated from Cento Asia into the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East at various times during the second millennium before Christ. They have, therefore, inhabited thei mountain valleys since ancient times "...and have never belonged to the coin munity of civilized Indian peoples” (Morgenstierne 1944: viii). In contract- according to Morgenstierne, the Pashai people migrated to their pres e11 location from the main river valleys to the south and at one time formed the population of societies with complex civilizations. Morgenstierne feels, difference between the Nuristanis and Pashais with regard to the developm el ^ of music and poetry may be a manifestation of the different historical roots the two ethnic groups. The rich heritage of the Pashai in ballads and songs m a 3 be a retention of aspects of Buddhist-Hindu civilization. In comparison to fh lS relatively rich tradition, the "stunted poverty” of Nuristani poetry stands i 1 strong contrast (1944: vii). 1 See, for example, Lennart Edelberg’s film These were Kafirs.

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Anthropos, 69.1974

Journal

Journal Volume

Journal Issue

Journal Article

Table of Contents

Downloads

Full record

This page

Image fragment

Formats and links

Formats

Links

Cite

Full record

This page

Citation recommendation