Yusufzai
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The Yusufzai (also Yousafzai, Esapzey, or Yusufi) (Urdu: یوسف زئی) are one of the largest Pashtun tribe. The majority of the Yusufzai tribe reside in the North West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, with some tribal Yususfzais settled along the Afghan border. Yusufzais are the predominant population in the districts of Swat, Mardan, Malakand and Swabi. They speak the northern variant of "Pukhtu" with the hard "kh" replacing the softer "sh" of southern Pashtun tribes. Their manner of speaking Pashto is universally recognised as being the purest among all Pashtun tribes.[citation needed] (See discussion.)
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[edit] History
In their migration eastward, arrived at Kabul when Mirza Ulugh Beg was governor. He succeeded his father, Shah Rukh, who was a son of Timur (Taimur-e-Lang), in 1446 A.D. In the time of Babur, who first came to Kabul in 1504 A.D. the whole of the Peshawar district had already been colonized by different Afghan tribes e.g Swatis and Dilazaks; and, on his second visit, fourteen years later, he found the Yusufzais had spread well into Swat. The settlement of the Yusufzais in their present limits, on these data, must, therefore, have been and subsequent to the dates above-mentioned.
An account of the Yusufzai migration from Kandahar, their wanderings, and final settlement in their present limits, is their take over on the lands from the Afghan tribes Dilazaks and Swatis, whom, with much difficulty, they had been forced to leave the land, across the Indus to the Hazara mountains (now known as the Hazara Division) where lies the beautiful city of Abbottabad and Mansehra (where Swatis predominated with their sir name Swati, reflecting their link to the region) after a single but desperate and decisive battle fought on the plains between the villages of Gadar and Langarkot. Babur himself took part to subdue the tribes against yousafzais, matchlocks had been used for the first time against the Jahangiri sultan Mir Haider Ali Gebri of Bajour. Bibi Mubarka had married to King Babur, and had also been titled as "Afghani Agacha".
Historically, Yousafzais have shown great bravery against Sikhs and Britishers in the 18th and 19th century, esp the clans of Swat and Black Mountain of Hazara, The famous battle of Ambela took place in 1863.
[edit] Demographics
After settling themselves firmly in the plains, the Yusufzais pushed on into the hill country beyond and in a few years became the masters of Swat and Buner. Three sections of the tribe, the Hassanzai, Akazai and Chagharzai, inhabit the west slopes of the Black Mountain, and the Yusufzai country stretches thence to the Utman Khel territory. The Kamalzai Yusufzais inhabit Hoti of Mardan District. The population demographics of entire Yusufzais (of all linguistic groups but have Yusufzai blood line) is unknown but the Pashtu speaking Yusufzais are from 3-6 million in numbers.
[edit] Theories of Origin
The Yusufzais are said to be descended from one Mandai, who had two sons, Umar and Yusuf. Umar died, leaving one son, Mandan; from Mandan and Yusuf come the two primary divisions of the Yusufzais, which are split into numerous subdivisions, including the Isazai, Malizai, Akazai, Ranizai and Utmanzai. There also have been some theories that they are descended from the lost tribes of Bani Israel.
[edit] Sub-Tribes
- Akazai
- Chagharzai
- Hassanzai
- Isazai
- Kamalzai
- Maddakhel
- Malizai
- Ranizai
- Utmanzai
[edit] Indian Yusufzais
During the Mughal rule, thousands of Yusufzais migrated to present day India with Mughal and Lodhi dynasties. Some of these families went on to become the ruling Nawab families, such as the Nawab of Rampur's clan who are Yousefzais. The Yousefzais of India settled permanently in many parts of India, such as Bhopal, Rampur, Tonk, Bareilly and Baroda. The Rohillas were members of Yusufzai tribe. After independence of Pakistan and India in 1947, most of them migrated to Pakistan and settled mainly in Karachi and some to Peshawer and Lahore. Their centuries of stay in India has changed their native language from Pashtu to pure Urdu. Now almost none of them can even understand the Pashto language which has led them to be classified as Mohajir in Pakistan. Also, most of the Yusufzai who migrated back from India can claim only partial Pushtun bloodline(possibly only one paternal forefather) with successive generations of out-breeding which has altered their DNA and genetic profile. Many Mohajir have also came up with concocted paternal lineages to further their social position in Pakistani society to move away from being labeled as being purely 'Mohajir' and as such have strived to adopt to the local dynamics in Pakistan by any means necessary. This has led to the fact that most pure Yusufzai tribes in Pakistan reject the migrant Yusufzai as being their own kinsmen anymore as the loss of of the cultural, phenotypic and linguistic traits have become quite pronounced in these migrant tribes. They have played a very important role in the promotion of Urdu language.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
