Darî

The Darî, also known as Dirî, are a Kurdish tribe based in the border region between Turkey and Iran, with a large exclave based in Iraqi Kurdistan, most notably in the Badînan province.

Etymology

The tribe's name, "Darî", which is considered to be of Greek origin, means "Tree" in both Greek and Kurdish. The tribal history of the Darî teaches Greek origins dating 14th generation with Cihangîr Axa. The ancient Greek colony of the Dorians in Asia Minor is thus a likely lineage. Julius Pokorny [1] derives Dorian from dōris, "woodland" (which can also mean upland). The dōri- segment is from the o-grade (either ō or o) of Proto-Indo-European *deru-, "tree", which also gives the Homeric Δούρειος Ἱππος (Dourios Hippos: Wooden Horse). [2] This derivation has the advantage of naming the people after their wooded, mountainous country.

Darî / Dirî

The Darî tribe branches into two clans: Îsabegî and Dimbilî.

They speak the Kurmancî dialect of Kurdish, as their Shekak, Doski, Herki, Beyzade and Ertosh neighbours do, albeit with vernacular tribal distinctions. The linguistic distinction is just one of many forms of demarcation in tribal Kurdistan. Other ways of demarcation include the style of clothing, the cuisine and the social etiquettes of each tribe, which can vary considerably from one tribe to another.

Generally, the Darî tribe is considered traditionalist, yet not conservative like some of their more pious neighbours. Moreover the Darî have, until recently, had great influence in the region. The events of the Islamic Revolution in Iran sent the then-leader and head of the Darî tribe, Cihangîr Axa, into exile after years of resistance against Teheran scattered the tribe across the world.