PATHAN RIFLE

      The Pathans are a group of tribal people who have inhabited the mountainous areas of what is now called Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the political border between these two modern nations means little to the Pathan people who travel freely across their territory, regarding the border as little more than a line drawn by foreigners to separate two nations to which the Pathans feel no clear allegiance. The Pathans themselves have no central authority, but are divided into many tribes scattered throughout the mountainous tribal areas of northwest Pakistan and mid- to south-east Afghanistan.

      Officially, the tribal areas are beyond the authority of the Pakistani Government. This is a hold-over from the days of British rule in India when Britain experienced first-hand the difficulty of ruling the geographically dispersed, yet intensely unified Pathans. When Pakistan was created in 1947 it simply inherited the tribal areas that had been originally set-up by the British Government and has made few changes in its relationship to them.

      The world is very familiar with the image of the Pathans as fierce fighters, but rarely seen is the everyday life they have been fighting to protect. The Pathans are an extremely self-contained people. They are contained within their own designated ethnicity (that of 'Pathan', distinct from Pakistanis or other Afghani peoples), and language (Pashto, distinct from Urdu spoken in Pakistan, or Dari or various Turkic tongues spoken in Afghanistan). They are contained within their isolated, mountainous territory stretching across two nations, within their separate tribes (60 of them), then small villages, and even within the villages, both homes and mosques are surrounded by high mud walls.

      As all Pathans are strict Sunni Muslims there is other evidence to suggest that the Pathans originally came from Arabia. They are the descendants of a great warrior who was the constant companion of the Prophet Mohammed. Pathan life is structured around and through their practice of Islam and their adherence to the Pathan code of life -- ideals of bravery, honor, especially defending a woman's honour, loyalty and hospitality. Revenge is also a key component of this code and neither time nor distance affects the wronged from eventually seeking revenge. During their attempted rule, the British noted that a Pathan's most prized possession is his rifle. It's not clear how this rifle arrived in Badenoch

Based on a web paper by Ravenna Michalsen, 2002 . See classes.yale.edu/03-04/anth500b/viewing_notes/VN_Pathans_RM.htm