Grey Tribe

Lore & Background

They are traditionally divided into four tribal confederacies: the Sarbani, the Bettani, the Ghurghusht, the Karlani and a few allied tribes. Folkloric genealogies trace the ancestors of the Pashtuns to Qais Abdur Rashid and his three sons Saṛban, Bēṭ, and Gharghax̌t as well as an adopted son, Karlāņ. The origin of Pashtuns is unclear and obscure. The early ancestors may have belonged to old Iranian tribes. Various theories have been put forth, such as descent from Saka, Hepthalites and Pakhtas.

Reader's Guide

There are several levels of Pashtun tribal organization. The 'tribe' is subdivided into kinship groups, each of which is a khel and zai. A khel or zai is further divided into plarina, each consisting of several extended families. A large tribe often has dozens of subtribes. The smallest unit is kul (plural kahol).

Did You Know?

• The Bettani speak various Pashto dialects, including Central Pashto and the Marwat Lodi Bettani dialect.
• The Karlani speak some of the most distinctive Pashto dialects, with a tendency towards vowel shift.
• The Southwestern Sarbani tribes speak the Southern Pashto dialect, while northwestern Sarbani tribes speak the Northern Pashto dialect.
• In the 15th century, the Lodi tribe founded the Lodi dynasty, the last dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate.
• The Sur Empire was founded by Sher Shah Suri, a member of the Sur clan of the Bettani confederacy.