Пашаи: этническая группа Афганистана

Ethnic group in Afghanistan

Pashayi or Pashai (/pəˈʃaɪ/; Pashayi: پشه‌ای, romanised: Paṣhəy) are an Indo Aryan ethnolinguistic group living primarily in eastern Afghanistan. They are mainly concentrated in the northern parts of Laghman and Nangarhar, also parts of Kunar, Kapisa, Parwan, Nuristan, and a bit of Panjshir. Many Pashai consider themselves as Pashtuns speaking a special language, and many are bilingual in Pashto whereas other Pashai, such as those in Panjshir and Parwan, have been assimilated by Tajiks. Some Pashayi people are also based in Central Afghanistan.

The Pashayi people historically practiced ancient Hinduism and Buddhism, along with tribal religions. Pashayis and Nuristanis were native to the Kunar Valley and Laghman Province, near Jalalabad in north east Afghanistan, until they were displaced to less fertile mountainous region by successive waves of immigration by Ghilji Pashtuns. Ovesen and Keiser suggest that Pashayi people were not driven up into the mountain valleys where they reside, rather, they were indigenous inhabitants of their respective regions before the rise of the Gandhara civilization. In the 13th century, Marco Polo traveled through the region and described the locals as practitioners of sorcery and witchcraft, as well as calling them a "pestilent people” and crafty". Polo claimed that the men wore brooches and earrings decorated with gemstones and that the main diet of the locals consisted of rice and meat. According to the Tabakat i Akbari of Nizamuddin Ahmad, Mughal Emperor Akbar had dispatched his younger brother Mirza Muhammad Hakim, who was a staunch adherent of the missionary minded Naqshbandi Sufi order, against the infidels of Katwar in 1582. Hakim was a semi independent governor of Kabul. The Sifat nama yi Darviš Muhammad Hān i Ğāzī of Kadi Muhammad Salim who accompanied the expedition mentions its details. During the 18th century, Pashtuns forced Pashayi people to convert to Islam, and conversions continued into recent history. According to Pashai oral tradition, in the mid 18th century, Deishamir Baba conquered Darra i Nur Valley and converted the people to Islam. The valley was inhabited by Kafirs who only were armed with bows and arrows, whereas Deishamir Baba and his army had firearms. Deishamir Baba was from Kunar Valley, and he came to Darra i Nur through Pech Valley and Aret and Shumast villages. The kafir rulers Bhim Raja of Bambakot, Shultan Raja of Sotan, and Sher Raja all surrendered to Deishamir Baba and converted to Islam. Laṇā Raja of Shemul was defeated and he fled the region. Muturu Raja of Utran fought with Deishamir Baba for a longer time, but eventually converted to Islam and became an ally of Deishamir Baba. Deishamir Baba had two sons, Ranga and Japar, and six grandsons. The six grandsons are the ancestors of the Pashai in Sotan. In Darra i Nur, Deishamir decided to give permanent land settlements to family and followers instead of introducing a rotating land tenure system known as wesh, which integrated and strengthened the segmentary lineage systems of the Kohistani people, allowing them to ward off Pashtun attempts of invasion. By not introducing the wesh system, the Darai Nur valley's economic cohesion was strengthened and was therefore more immune to "Pashtunization". He invited Aṇu and Kolalek from Kordar to settle in Kandak, and Yarukei from Chelas to settle in Shemul. In return, they had to guard the north of the valley and water supply. He also allowed the Kafir Kalautar from Wama to settle Amla with his goats, on the condition that Kalautar give Deishamir tribute of a kharwar of cheese annually. Kalautar was later expelled because he would not convert to Islam but continued to pay tribute. In the south of the valley, the remaining Kafir rajas were under pressure due to lost allies (Bhim Raja and Shultan Raja) as well as poor land due to lack of water, and thus moved to the east. Bambakot's main market known as the Hindu Quarter also declined with the going of the Hindus. According to Ovsen, these events occurred in the early 1800s. According to a work published by Jeffrey H. P Evans von Krbek at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Durham in 1977, an observer known as Masson claimed the Pashayi people can be traced back to the Pasiani tribe, mentioned by Strabo as one of the Scythian tribes. However, Jeffrey states that Masson’s research in the 1830s was devalued by a lack of clarity. By the early 21st century, the Pashayi were often referred to as Kohistani, while a minority are Nizari Ismaili Muslims.

Reportedly, there have been accounts of the Pashayi population in Nangarhar being referred to with ethnic slurs, such as "Sharee", a slur which can be translated to “hillbilly” or “country bumpkin”, as well as "grisband" (meaning a can of oil in Pashto) which implies they are "primitive, simple and struggle to cope with urban life". The usage of these slurs has led to a rise in ethnic tensions in eastern Afghanistan and the deepening of divisions in the region. As a result of these negative comments, some Pashayi people only interact with those of their own ethnicity, rather than other ethnic groups. As the Pashayi have a distinctive culture, behavior, and fashion from those in the areas in which they inhabit, they have been isolated by those from other ethnicities, leading some to believe that the Pashayi people are "ignorant" or "threatening". On 16 May 2023, Pashayi tribesmen organised a protest in the Nurgaram district of Nuristan Province against the Taliban against alleged mistreatment and ethnic discrimination under the local Taliban commander, Mawlawi Saadullah, resulting in clashes although no deaths or injuries were reported. Additionally, when an all Pashayi Taliban squad took control of the National Assembly building on 15 August 2021 and were recorded speaking their language, some of the Afghan diaspora could not understand and therefore referred to them as “Pakistani agents” on social media platforms such as Twitter.

The Pashayi engage in a mixed economy of agriculture and herding. They also hold meetings known as marat to resolve issues, which has similarities to the Pashtun Jirga, where Pashayi elders are also present and lead the discussions. The Pashayi people additionally perform a dance where young people gather in a circle, hold each other by their shoulders and begin singing songs. This is performed at weddings or during celebrations, and lasts for 20–25 minutes.