Pashayi people

Pashayi

Young Pashai man with flower hat
Total population
(Approx. 500,000[1])
Regions with significant populations
Laghman, Kapisa and Nangarhar
Languages
Pashai language
Pashto also spoken as second language[1]
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Pashtuns, Kalash, Nuristani and Kashmiris

Pashayi or Pashai are a Dardic ethno-linguistic group living primarily in eastern Afghanistan. Their total population is estimated to be 500,000.[1] They are mainly concentrated in the northern parts of Laghman, Nangarhar, Kunar, Kapisa, Kabul, Baghlan, Nuristan, and also in Ghazni. Some believe the Pashai are descendants of ancient Gāndhārī.[2][3] Many Pashai consider themselves Pashtuns speaking a special language,[4] and many are bilingual in Pashto.[1] Pashai communities can also be found in the Chitral district of northwestern Pakistan. The majority of Pashai are Sunni Muslims and are often referred to as Kohistani,[4] while a minority are Nizari Ismaili Muslims.

Pashae, or Pashie or ("Padshahi") are attributive plural forms, meaning of the ("Kingdom" Padshahi"'). The Pashai are still found by that name in the Bamian and Lughman districts in the southern valleys[5]

Notable individuals

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 http://www.sil.org/asia/ldc/parallel_papers/ju-hong_yun.pdf
  2. Pashai. Everyculture.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
  3. M. Longworth Dames, G. Morgenstierne, and R. Ghirshman (1999). "AFGHĀNISTĀN". Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0 ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV.
  4. 1 2 Pashai, Ethnic identity in Afghanistan, on nps.edu
  5. Henry Walter Bellew An Inquiry into the Ethnography of Afghanistan; p. 143

External links

Media related to Pashai people at Wikimedia Commons


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