Jan. 22, 1880] 



NA TURE 



277 



absorption to have made any perceptible progress. Next 

 to them by far the most important are — 



The Tajiks, who, here, as elsewhere in Central Asia, 

 represent the old civilised Iranian communities, co- 

 extensive with the former limits of the Persian empire, 

 but since the ascendency of the Turki, Mughal, Afghan, 

 and Brahui races, now forming politically the subject, 

 socially the settled, trading, and agricultural elements in 

 these regions. Persian, or some variety of it, is still 

 everywhere their mother-tongue ; hence, in Afghanistan 

 they are collectively known either as Parsivan, i.e. Persian- 

 speaking, or Dehgan, i.e. peasants or agriculturists. " The 

 Tajiks are Iranians, a remnant of the old Persian popula- 

 lation subdued by the Afghans, but still speaking Persian 

 and retaining the Persian type of features" (F. von Stein, 

 in Petti mann's Mittketluntpn for March, 1879); religion, 

 Sunnite. Remotely allied to them are — 



The Hindkis, of Hindu stock, who have been long 

 settled here chiefly as traders, forming numerous commu- 

 nities, especially in the eastern districts, said to be mostly 

 of the Shatri caste ; religion Brahminical, speech 

 Hindustani. 



The Hazaras and Aimaks, occupying the northern 

 highlands between Bamian and Herat, the former in the 

 east, the latter in the west, are undoubtedly of Mongolo- 

 Tatar stock, though now speaking rude Persian dialects. 

 They claim descent, some from the Toghiani Turks, some 

 from the Koreish Arabs, others from the old Kibti race, 

 but seem really to be military colonists settled here by 

 Jinghis Khan, Manku Khan, and Timiir. The Aimaks 

 (the term simply means horde, tribe, clan), are of the 

 Sunni, the Hazaras of the Shiah sect, and are conse- 

 quently fiercely opposed to each other. Owing to this 

 circumstance they have often been regarded as of different 

 races, but "there seems no reason to doubt that the 

 Aimaks and Hazaras are the same people, though sepa- 

 rated ... by the different sects they have adopted" 

 (Col. C. M. MacGregor, "Afghanistan," p. 246); type, 

 high cheek bones, with small grey eyes, scant beard, and 

 low stature. The Aimaks occupy the Ghor highlands, 

 which must have been almost uninhabited when they 

 settled there, for we read in the National Chronicle that 

 about 1 190 A.D., Sultan Shehab-ed-din removed all the 

 Afghan tribes from the Ghor to the Ghazni highlands, 

 "in order to become the bulwarks of the seat of empire 

 and hold in awe the infidels of Hindustan." Of the 

 Aimaks there are four main divisions, the so-called 

 "Char Aimak" (" Four Hordes") : Taemuris, Taemunis, 

 Hazara-Zeidnats, and Suris, with a total population, 

 according to some authorities, of about 450,000, including 

 those now settled in Khorassan. The Hazaras, numbering 

 at least 150,000, occupy the region stretching for 250 

 miles west from Kabulistan, and are divided into thirty- 

 eight main branches with numerous subdivisions, under 

 chiefs bearing various titles, such as Khan, Sultan 

 Ikhtiar, Vali, Mir, Mettar, and Turkhan, and hitherto 

 practically independent of the Durani Amirs. Akin to 

 them are — 



The Kataglians, a main branch of the Uzbeks, forming 

 the bulk of the population in Kunduz and Balkh, that is*, 

 the region now known as Afghan Turkestan, stretching 

 from the northern slopes of the Hindu-Kush to the left 

 bank of the Upper Oxus. They take their name from a 

 legendary Kata, from whom they claim descent in two 

 main streams, the Beth-bula and Cheguna, with five and 

 eleven sub-divisions respectively, each named after one of 

 Kata's sixteen sons. Most of the tribes occupy the 

 country south of the Oxus, but 7,000 families are now 

 settled north of that river, consequently in Bokhara 

 territory ; religion Sunnite, speech Turki ; type, small 

 stature, broad face, high cheek bones, sparse beard, small 

 oblique eyes. Are now mostly settled agriculturists and 

 traders. 



The Badakhshis, or natives of Badakhshan, in the 



extreme north-east, beyond Kunduz, and abutting on the 

 Pamir table-land, are a pure Aryan race, intermediate 

 between the Iranians and Hindus, and of the same stock 

 as the highland Tajiks, whom Ch. de Ujfalvy groups 

 under the collective name of Galenas. 1 Chief divisions, 

 Darwazi, Roshani, Shugnani, and Wakhi, or Wakhani ; 

 religion Sunnite, speech Aryan, with Persian and Indian 

 affinities. The Wakhi is a distinct variety, retaining 

 many old Sanskritic elements, hence R. Shaw thinks it 

 may be a relic of a primitive organic Aryan language 

 current here before the race issued from the Pamir, or 

 divided into Vedic and Zendic. It would be interesting 

 to compare it with the Jagnob, which de Ujfalvy tells us 

 is unintelligible to the other Galcha tribes of Ferghana. 

 A Galcha skull which has found its way to Paris, has 

 been examined by P. Topinard, who pronounces it to be 

 identical with those of the early Keltic Aryans. If their 

 speech also should prove to be of an organic Aryan type, 

 as constituted previous to the dispersion, de Ujfalvy' s 

 view might be unreservedly accepted that "Ces pays 

 mysterieux recelent sans doute le secret de l'origine de 

 notre race." 2 



The Baloches, of Iranian stock, and regarded by the 

 Afghans as their brethren, are represented in Afghanistan 

 chiefly by a number of hill tribes in the south-east corner, 

 and by some nomads in the south and west along the 

 Lower Helmand. Most of them belong to the Rind 

 section of the Baloch race, the more important being 

 the— 



Kasranis and Bozdars, on north-west border of Dera 

 Ghazi Khan : numerous sub-divisions, the Bozdars alone 

 with sixty-four septs (Major Minchin). 



Khosahs, south of Sanghar Pass towards Shikarpur ; 

 four divisions : Kalulani, Bakiani, Toniani, Sariani. 



Lagharis, overlooking the Sakhi-Sawar Pass, Dera 

 Ghazi frontier ; four divisions : Aliani, Hadiani, Boglani, 

 Habtiani ; fifty-six sub-divisions. 

 Gurchanis, south of the Lagharis, about Chachar Pass. 

 Maris, Sham district, east, north, and north-west of 

 Kachi ; four divisions : Ghazani, Loharani, Bijarani, 

 Mazarani ; twenty-two sub-divisions. The Mazarani 

 have separated from the rest, and are now settled west 

 of Sebi and north of the Bolan Pass. 



Bugtis, south of the Maris ; two divisions : Firozani, 

 Zarkani ; thirteen sub-divisions. 



Kayanis, Seistan, former rulers of that country ; by 

 some said not to be Baloches, but Kakar Afghans. 



Religion, Sunnite ; speech, a rude, uncultivated variety 

 of the old Persian ; type, regular Caucasian features, 

 light or brown complexion ; hair often chestnut and even 

 fair ; eyes light grey and sometimes blue, especially in 

 centre and north. Of the many forms of the national 

 name, Baloch, Biloch, Beluch, Baluch, Biluch, &c, Ba- 

 loch is the best, coming nearest to the true pronun- 

 ciation, as Pottinger assured his French translator, M. 

 Eyries. 



The Kid-Bashes, or " Rei Heads," known collectively 

 as Gholam-Khani or Gholam-i-Shah, "servants of the 

 King," are of Turki stock, and have been settled in 

 Herat, the Gulkoh Mountains, but chiefly in Kabul since 

 the time of Nadir Shah. The term was originally applied 

 by Shah Ismail to the Nikalu, Jav.ansher, and four other 

 trusty Turki tribes to whom he owed his successes. But 

 since then they have become a sort of brotherhood "much 

 akin to the Beyyadiyah or ' White Boys ' of Oman, and 

 bearing some analogy to the Mormons" (W. G. Palgrave, 

 " Report on Province Trebizond," 1868). Those of Kabul 

 form three divisions : the Jawansher, originally from 

 Shisha, the Afshar, Nadir Shah's tribe, and the Morad 

 Khani, composed of all the other Turkis who have from 



1 " Le-Badakchan est egalement habite en grnnde partie par des Tadjiks 

 monlagnards " (Bull, de la Soc. de Gc\>.. March, 1S7J. p. 250). But Robt. 

 Shaw (" High Tartary ") says that physically ihuy approach nearer to the 

 Kashnurians and other Aryans of Northern India. This is borne out by 

 their speech, which is more akin to the Sanskritic than to the Iranic family. 



2 Loc. cit. p. 252. 



