The Katir (also spelled Kati, Kator and Kata) are a
Nuristani tribe in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.
Etymology
The Katir
a 'tɘor Kata Kafir group was ''numerically'' the most dominant group of the
Siah-Posh (Persian "Black Wearer/Clothed") tribes. They owned approximately forty villages in the Bashgul valley and numbered about 40,000 (1890).
The upper part of the Bashgul Valley of
Nuristan
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, wi ...
(
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
) is known as Katirgul. It is called Lutdeh in
Chitrali and ''Kantozi'' in
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
.
According to George Scott Robertson, the Katir ''Siah-Posh'' clan settled in Katirgul valley was called Kamtoz (or ''Camtoz'') in Pashto and Lutdehhchis in Chitrali (''
The Kafirs of the Hindu Kush
''The Kafirs of the Hindu Kush'' is a book written by Sir George Scott Robertson, illustrated by Arthur David McCormick, and published in 1896 by Lawrence & Bullen Ltd.
Significance and narrative
Sir George Scott Robertson was the first V ...
, p 71''). But American investigator ''Richard Strand's'' website suggests that the name ''Kamtoz/Kamtozi'' may apply to all Katirs of the former ''Siah-Posh'' group, including the Ramguli and Kulam Katirs'
Alternative names for Kamtoz are ''Camtozi'', ''Kantozi''.
Despite their fiercely independent nature, the Katis, together with the Kom tribe, were tributary to the Mehtar of
Chitral. The nature of this tributary relationship was inconsistent because the Katis and Koms would often raid Chitrali territory for livestock and head-hunting. In retaliation the Mehtars would invade the Bashgul Valley and enslave entire villages. During the reign of Mehtar Aman-ul-Mulk the relationship was formalized and the Kafirs would pay an annual tribute of slaves.
Numerous scholars have connected the names Katir/Kator/Kata and
Kom people (Afghanistan), Kam/
Kom
Kom or KOM may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan
* Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon
* Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India
* ...
with ancient
Kambojas
Kamboja ( sa, कम्बोज) was a kingdom of Iron Age India that spanned parts of South and Central Asia, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature. Eponymous with the kingdom name, the Kambojas were an Indo-Iranian people o ...
and identified the
Kafirs, especially the ''Siah-Posh'' Kafirs, as having descended from ancient. The Kata Tribe also lives in Chitral and very much mixed with Chitralies. There is a popular stone by the name of Kata Boht situated in Ozhore (Juwara) Valley Chitral. The Kata Tribe also lives in Ozhore and also other part of Chitral. The other fact is the tribe lives in Gram; ''gram'' is a Nuristani word (of Indo-Aryan origin) meaning "village" (as a "community"). In ancient times, people were considered rich according to their ownership of animals or land. As the Kata tribe in Chitral was considered to be relatively rich, over time, Chitrali speakers began to use ''kata'' to mean "rich" or "big".
History
Kafiristan
Kāfiristān, or Kāfirstān ( ps, کاپیرستان, prs, کافرستان), is a historical region that covered present-day Nuristan Province in Afghanistan and Chitral District of Pakistan. This historic region lies on, and mainly comprises ...
is a mountainous region of the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...
that was isolated and politically independent until the conquest by
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
conquest of 1896. The region became a refuge of an old group of
Indo-European people
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
probably mixed with an older substratum, as well as a refuge of a distinct Kafiri group of
Indo-Iranian languages
The Indo-Iranian languages (also Indo-Iranic languages or Aryan languages) constitute the largest and southeasternmost extant branch of the Indo-European language family (with over 400 languages), predominantly spoken in the geographical subre ...
, forming part of the wider
Dardic languages
The Dardic languages (also Dardu or Pisaca) or Hindu-Kush Indo-Aryan languages, are a group of several Indo-Aryan languages spoken in northern Pakistan, northwestern India and parts of northeastern Afghanistan.
The term "Dardic" is stated to b ...
. The inhabitants were known as "
kafir
Kafir ( ar, كافر '; plural ', ' or '; feminine '; feminine plural ' or ') is an Arabic and Islamic term which, in the Islamic tradition, refers to a person who disbelieves in God as per Islam, or denies his authority, or reject ...
s" due to their enduring polytheism (closely related to Vedic religion) while other regions around them became Muslim. However, the influence from district names in Kafiristan of Katwar or Kator and the ethnic name Kati has also been suggested. The Kafirs were divided into
Siyah-Posh, comprising five sub-tribes who spoke
Katɘ language while the others were called
Safed-Posh
The Nuristanis, formerly known as Kafiristanis, are an ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian lang ...
comprising Paruni, Waigeli, Wamai and Ashkun.
The Nuristani/Kafir people practiced a form of ancient Hinduism, infused with accretions developed locally.
Kafirs represent non-Rigvedic Aryans, identical with the
Dasas
''Dasa'' ( sa, दास, Dāsa) is a Sanskrit word found in ancient Indian texts such as the ''Rigveda'' and '' Arthasastra''. It usually means "enemy" or "servant" but ''dasa'', or ''das'', also means a "servant of God", "devotee," " votary" or ...
. That their ancestors were pre-Rigvedic Aryans can be inferred from lingusitic, ethnological and theological evidence. The Kafiri/Nuristani languages contain certain phonetic features not found in
Indo-Iranian languages
The Indo-Iranian languages (also Indo-Iranic languages or Aryan languages) constitute the largest and southeasternmost extant branch of the Indo-European language family (with over 400 languages), predominantly spoken in the geographical subre ...
. Their chief deity is Imra i.e.
Yamaraja
Yama ( sa, यम), also known as Kala, and Dharmaraja is the Hindu god of death and justice, responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Yamapuri. He is often identified with Dharmadeva, the personificati ...
which was brought there by the Dasas who worshipped Asuras especially Yama and
Varuna
Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...
. Their primary goddess was Disani. They also worshipped
Indra or Inder.
Invasion of Timur (1398)
On his way to India, Timur attacked the Siyah-Posh in 1398 A.D. after receiving complaints from the trading city of
Andarab
Andarab is the name of a large stream in Afghanistan and of the valley it empties into.
The stream which originates in the Hindu Kush, near Khawak Pass, and flows to the west for about 75 miles before merging into the Surkhab.
Andarab valley
...
by raids from Kafirs. He penetrated it from Khawak pass and restored an old fortress there. Timur personally proceeded against the Kator/Katwar and sent a detachment of 10,000 soldiers against
Siyah-Poshas under Burhan Aglan and had the fort of Kator/Katwar deserted by Kafirs destroyed while the houses of the city were burnt.
The Kafirs took refuge on top of a hill and many were killed in the ensuing clash. Some held out for three days but agreed to convert after Timur offered them the choice between death and Islam. They however soon apostatised and ambushed Muslim soldiers in the night. They were however repelled and a number of the Kafirs were killed, with 150 taken prisoner and later executed. Timur ordered his men "to kill all the men, to make prisoners of women and children, and to plunder and lay waste all their property." His soldiers carried out the order and he directed them to build a tower of skulls of the dead Kafirs. Timur had his expedition engraved on a neighboring hill in the month of Ramazan. His detachment sent against Siyah-Posh however met with disaster with Aglan routed and fleeing. A small detachment of 400 men under Muhammad Azad was sent and defeated the Kafirs, retrieving the horses and armour Aglan lost. Timur captured a few places later, though nothing more is stated, presumably he left the Siyah-Posh alone. He then proceeded to exterminate the rebellious Afghan tribes and crossed the Sindhu river in September 1398.
[
]
Conversion to Islam (late 19th century)
The territory between Afghanistan and British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
was demarcated between 1894 to 1896. Part of the frontier lying between Nawa Kotal in outskirts of Mohmand country and Bashgal Valley The Landai Sin Valley, or the Bashgal Valley, is a geographical feature of Nuristan Province, eastern Afghanistan, formed by the Landai Sin River which empties into the Kunar River (also called the Chitral River) at Barikot, Kamdesh District in Nu ...
on outskirts of Kafiristan were demarcated by 1895 with an agreement reached on 9 April 1895. Emir Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI (Pashto/Dari: ) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Ag ...
invaded Kafiristan in the winter of 1895-1896 and captured it in 40 days according to his autobiography. Columns invaded it from the west through Panjshir to Kullum, the strongest fort of the region. The columns from the north came through Badakhshan
Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...
and from the east through Asmar
Asmar ( ps, اسمار) is one of the major cities in northeastern of Kunar province of Afghanistan and is the district center of Bar Kunar district, which is located in the most southern part of the district in a river valley.
History
The name ...
. A small column also came from south-west through Laghman. A small number of Kati refugee's escaped across the border into Kalash territory which was on the British side . Villages were founded in a number of valley's with Brumbutal in the Bumboret valley and Kunisht in a neighbouring Kalash valley ,however these to would become Islamic within a generation . The Kafirs were converted to Islam and resettled in Laghman while the region was settled by veteran soldiers and other Afghans. Kafiristan was renamed as Nooristan.
The former Kafiristan's people were renamed Nuristani (The Enlightened Ones) from the proper noun Nuristan (Land of Enlightment). Presently they are known by Nuristani Kata or simply Kata.
Georg Morgenstierne
Georg Valentin von Munthe af Morgenstierne (2 January 1892 – 3 March 1978) was a Norwegian professor of linguistics with the University of Oslo (UiO). He specialized in Indo-Iranian languages.
Studies
During the years 1923 to 1971, Morgens ...
visited the Bumboret Valley in 1929 during his field work on Nuristani (Kafir) languages. He encountered the two last remaining unconverted "Kafir" priests of the region, called Bagashai and Kareik. Bagashai deceased after 1935.Enhet i mangfold? 100 år med religionshistorie i Norge 1898-1998
Wlodek Witek
(1892-1975), National Library of Norway, Oslo.
Around 1890, the Katir Kafir ''division'' was further sub-divided as under:
* The Katirs of
Bashgul Valley.
* The Katirs or the
Kti Valley,
* The Kulam Katirs of the
Kulam
Filipino witches are the users of black magic and related practices from the Philippines. They include a variety of different kinds of people with differing occupations and cultural connotations which depend on the ethnic group they are associat ...
country and
* The Ramguli Katirs of
Ramgul Valley.
* The Kata of Chitral:
Gobor,
Rumbur,
Bumboret
* The Jana Matongdir Katirs of
Ozhor Valley.
See also
*
Hindukush Kafir people
The Nuristanis, formerly known as Kafiristanis, are an ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani languages, Nuristani branch of ...
*
Kom
Kom or KOM may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan
* Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon
* Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India
* ...
*
Kata-vari
*
Katirs
*
Kamtoz
*
Kam
*
Kafirstan
*
Katawar
*
Nurestan
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, w ...
*
Nuristani people
The Nuristanis, formerly known as Kafiristanis, are an ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian langua ...
*
Nuristani languages
The Nuristani languages, formerly known as Kafiri languages, are one of the three groups within the Indo-Iranian language family, alongside the much larger Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups. They have approximately 130,000 speakers primarily in ea ...
References
{{Reflist
* ''The Kafirs of Hindukush'', 1896, George Scott Robertson
* ''An Account of the Kingdom of Caubol'', London, M Elphinstone
* ''Tribes of Hindukush'', Craz (Austria), 1971, J Biddulph
* "The Kâta". Retrieved July 4, 2006, from Richard F. Strand
''Nuristan, Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush''
Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
Ethnic groups in Pakistan
History of Pakistan
1398 in Asia
Nuristani people
1895 in Afghanistan
·
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