The Kakazai ( ps, کاکازي / ککےزي / ککازي,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Mamund The Mamund (or Mamond) ( ur, , ps, ) is a Pashtun clan which is a part of the larger Tarkani tribe. The clan is located principally in the Watelai valley (also known as Mamund Valley), Bajaur, but also owns villages on both sides of the D ...

clan, are part of the larger

Tarkani The Tarkani ( ps, ترکاڼي '; ur, ترکانی) or Tarkalani ( ps, ترکلاڼي '; ur, ترکلانی) is a Pashtun tribe mainly settled in Bajaur Agency, Lower Dir district of Pakistan but originally hailed from the Laghman province of m ...

( ترکاڼي) tribe who are primarily settled in Bajaur Agency, Pakistan, but originally hailed from the Laghman province of

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 ...

. However, it has grown and scattered around to such an extent that it is recognized as tribe of its own.

Etymology

The name "Kakazai" means "descendants/offspring/children of ''Kaka'' (کاکا / ککا)" (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 languages ...

, ''Kaka'' literally means Uncle and used to address an elderly person as well as Paternal Uncle whereas ''Kakae'' = a contemporary but obsolete Afghan name for a male.''"Tareekh-e-Kakazai Tarkani"''
(a.k.a.''"Hidayat Afghani-Tareekh-e-Kakazai

"'' - (Originally Published May 1933 in Urdu)پښتانه قبيلی وپېژنئ - ډاکټر لطيف ياد - خېبر وېب پاڼه
pp 86-89 & 261-262 & 310-312 (in Pashto) ''Zai'' ( ps, زي, fa, ) = ''descendants/offspring/children of'', a root also used in other

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

tribes such as Yousafzai). Given that

, the father of Kakazai, had two sons: Kakazai and Wur or Wara ( ps, ووړ), meaning small, little or minor, also known as Wur Mamund or Wara Mamund ( ps, واړه / وړہ مَاموند ), meaning small, little or minor

or descendants/offspring/children of small, little, minor

, thus, in this particular case ''Kakazai'' means ''descendants/offspring/children of the elder person/brother'' hence also known as Loi Mamund ( ps, لوی ماموند; ur, لوئی / لوئے مَاموند ), meaning great, large, huge, big

or descendants/offspring/children of great, large, huge, big

. Spelling variants include: Kakizi, Kakaezai, Kakezai, Kakaizai, Kakay Zai, Kakayzai, Kakeyzai, Kaka Zai and Kakkayzai.Kakezai/Kakazai Afghan/Pathan Tribe, ''Tazkara'' by Khan Roshan khan
online scans of Urdu text''"Report of the commissioners appointed by the Punjab sub-committee of the Indian national congress"''
- Indian National Congress. Punjab Subcommittee, K. Santanam, British India, 1920 (Page Number: 290, 291)

History

Early history

The Kakazai, along with other

tribes, came to

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

during invasions such as those of

Mahmud of Ghazni Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...

and Bahlul Lodi, settling in various regions.''"Tazkara"'' (also called''"Tazkira-e-pathan"''), Khan Roshan khan, pp 176-181 (in Urdu). Noting the martial legacy of the Kakazai

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

, Pir Moazzam Shah in his book ''‘Tawareekh-e-Hafiz Rahmat Khani’'' (Page 89-91 - Originally Published in 1624 AD) and Olaf Caroe in his book ''‘The Pathans 550 BC-AD 1957’'' (Page 184-185 - First published in 1958), wrote about a battle between the Yousafzais and the Dilazaks in which Malik Haibu ( Dilazak) was given the first sword blow by Payenda Kakazai Tarklanri but eventually got beheaded by Burhan Kakazai Tarklanri sword blow while fighting on the side of the Yousafzais in order to aid them to conquer Bajour from the Dilazaks."Tawareekh-e-Hafiz Rahmat Khani" by Pir Moazzam Shah rearranged with notes by 'Roshan Khan', Published by Pashto Academy, Peshawar University (1976), (Page 89-91 - Originally Published in 1624 AD)The Pathans 550 BC-AD 1957 by Sir Olaf Caroe, (Page 184-185 - First published in 1958), Macmillan Company, Reprinted Oxford University Press, 2003 For the invading armies, much of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

and other areas became a repository with rest houses, cantonments and border posts established to keep an eye on things in the region as well as to keep abreast of any new information (such as the possible weakening of another empire etc.), and many officers along with their families would settle there. As is still very true in large areas of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

and

belt, the land is often quite barren and hostile only capable of hosting a limited population. Once the population or a tribe's numbers exceeded a certain threshold, they would often travel East to more settled areas (

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

etc.) or would be pushed out by other tribes in the search of productive agricultural land. The area of Sialkot principally, as well as Faisalabad,

Wazirabad Wazirabad (Urdu/ pa, ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Wazirabad District. Famous for its cutlery products, it is known as the city of cutlery and is also quite famous for its foods. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of th ...

and parts of Lahore, had much productive agricultural lands and were ruled by a series of

families many of whom were Kakazai but also Burki and Niazi

.Dictionary of the Pathan Tribes of the North West Frontier of India"''
(Part I. North of the Kabul River, including all Mohmands, and tribes west of the Indus), published by The General Staff Army Headquarter, Calcutta, India -(Originally Published 1910) :: The ''Kakazai'' Pashtuns are mentioned on Page 22 (under ‘K’ -''Kakazai''), Page 12 (under ‘D’ -'' Daulat Khel'' - A sub-division of Kakazai Pathans), Page 26 (under 'K' - '' Khulozai'' - A sub-division of Kakazai Pathans), Page 29 (under ‘M’ -'' Maghdud Khel'', '' Mahsud Khel'' and '' Mahmud Khel'' - sub-divisions of Kakazai Pathans), Page 47 (under 'U' - '' Umar Khel'' - A sub-division of Kakazai Pathans) and Page 50 (under 'Y' -'' Yusaf Khel'' - A sub-division of Kakazai Pathans)

British-Raj era

Many Kakazai, Burki and other notable

families had previously settled in

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

and Gurdaspur districts of Pre-independent

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 ...

where they had set up colonies. A major Kakazai group from Gurdaspur,

East Punjab East Punjab (known simply as Punjab from 1950) was a province and later a state of India from 1947 until 1966, consisting of the parts of the Punjab Province of British India that went to India following the partition of the province between ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

settled in twelve villages, including Babal Chak, Faizullah Chak, Sut Kohiah (Satkoha), and Wazir Chak, near Dhariwal. At the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in August 1947, having been initially told they (being Muslim) would be in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, they were caught up in the ensuing violence and the survivors displaced when their area became part of

Modern era

Today, the majority of the Kakazai reside in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, they reside in Marawara District, and the Barkanai and Shortan areas of Kunar as well as some areas of Laghman. In Pakistan, they reside in all provinces, particularly in the areas of Dara Kakazai (Valley of Watelai, also known as

Valley),Dara Kakazai (Valley of Watelai or Mamund Valley), Federally Administered Tribal Area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan :: Bajaur Agency ( Lagharai, Kalozai, Kaga, Mukha, Maina and Ghakhi areas of Mamund Tehsil),

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

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Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Abbottabad Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourth ...

, Sialkot (The Kakazai are still among the dominant tribes in Sialkot despite city's cosmopolitan flavor, and are still the original owners of vast swathes of prime land in this district.), Dera Ghazi Khan,

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, Jehlum,

Bhalwal Bhalwal ( Punjabi and ur, ), is a city and capital of Bhalwal Tehsil of Sargodha District in the centre of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 99th largest city of Pakistan, according to 2017 census. The city of Bhalwal is the headquar ...

, Sargodha,

Chakwal Chakwal ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city in Rawalpindi Division, Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 66th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west of the federal capital, Islamabad and 270 kilomet ...

, Gujrat, Chak Karal, Isa Khel,

Musa Khel Musakhel can refer to: *the Musakhel tribe of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Musakhel District, Afghanistan, part of the province of Khost, Afghanistan **Musakhel, Khost, the administrative centre of the district of the same name in the province of Khos ...

, and Killi Kakazai ( Pishin,

Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

).Encyclopedia of Pakistan"''
- Biographical Research Institute, Pakistan, 1961 (Page Number: 550, 906) Consequently, the Kakazai

s not residing in

-speaking areas, despite practicing

Pashtunwali Pashtunwali or Pakhtunwali ( ps, پښتونولي) is the traditional lifestyle and is best described as a code of honor of the Pashtun people, by which they live. Scholars widely have interpreted it as being "the way of the Afghans" or "the code ...

and maintaining dress, cuisine and martial legacy as per their

traditions, do not exclusively speak

but may speak other languages indigenous to

such as

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

, Siraiki,

Hindko Hindko (, romanized: , ) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pun ...

and

Balochi Balochi, sometimes spelt in various other ways, may refer to: * Balochi language, a language of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan * an adjective for something related to the Baloch people, an ethnic group of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan * an adjecti ...

Sub-divisions

*Daulat Khel *Khulozai *Mahsud Khel *Maghdud Khel *Mahmud Khel *Umar Khel *Yusaf Khel

References

{{authority control Sarbani Pashtun tribes Bajaur Agency People from Bajaur District Ethnic groups in Laghman Province Ethnic groups in Kunar Province