Random question concerning tribal identity

[Nekrofrost]

So my grandfathers father was from oghai(its near mansehra) and his lineage goes back to kunar or something but anyways he moved to the place i am from which is in nizampur,district nowshera. My question here is that im not too sure about what tribe he was from cuz some my uncles(and my dad) say we are yousafzai from my great grandfathers side and the other dont know(or care) and my family calls themselves khattak cuz thats what most of our bloodline is so should i keep having the khattak identity or is it stupid(hell this whole ****ing question is stupid but eh) ?

[Elite Pakhtun]

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. You know your ethnicity. I'd look into it out of personal interest though.

If people ask, I'd just say khattak, and maybe elaborate afterwards.

[HindustanTimes]

Pashtun tribal system is pretty Cool....How you guys even keep track?

If I ever get billionaire rich, I will start my own tribe, marying lots of women..

[Charsi Malang]

So my grandfathers father was from oghai(its near mansehra) and his lineage goes back to kunar or something but anyways he moved to the place i am from which is in nizampur,district nowshera. My question here is that im not too sure about what tribe he was from cuz some my uncles(and my dad) say we are yousafzai from my great grandfathers side and the other dont know(or care) and my family calls themselves khattak cuz thats what most of our bloodline is so should i keep having the khattak identity or is it stupid(hell this whole ****ing question is stupid but eh) ?

You're not alone bro. There are a lot of people who aren't sure of their tribal identity, either because they have become displaced from their own tribes original abode and haven't included their tribes name in their surname, and as a result have forgotten over the generations or some people just haven't bothered.

Sometimes you can identify yourself with the tribe that is in abundance in your area for example your district in Nowshera which is predominantly Khattak just to keep things simple. For example in Kohat a lot of people would call themselves Bangash even if they aren't simply because the Bangash tribe is in majority there. Of course there are many other tribes living there who are not Bangash.

The tribes you read about in history books are only the very large tribes or tribes that hold very important trade routes or have contributed significantly at some point through history. There are many smaller Pashtun tribes that exist that we may not have come across as they may be isolated or not been highlighted through history.

I would personally say stick to Yusufzai. It's a difficult one to answer though.
This works in another way as well. I have come across many non Pashtuns here in the UK who may be from Pashtun dominated areas who now include certain Pashtun tribes names in their own identity. It fools most people but not those who know them from back home.

I always encourage the use of tribal surnames in favour of "Khan". I hate that name.

[Nekrofrost]

You're not alone bro. There are a lot of people who aren't sure of their tribal identity, either because they have become displaced from their own tribes original abode and haven't included their tribes name in their surname, and as a result have forgotten over the generations or some people just haven't bothered.

Sometimes you can identify yourself with the tribe that is in abundance in your area for example your district in Nowshera which is predominantly Khattak just to keep things simple. For example in Kohat a lot of people would call themselves Bangash even if they aren't simply because the Bangash tribe is in majority there. Of course there are many other tribes living there who are not Bangash.

The tribes you read about in history books are only the very large tribes or tribes that hold very important trade routes or have contributed significantly at some point through history. There are many smaller Pashtun tribes that exist that we may not have come across as they may be isolated or not been highlighted through history.

I would personally say stick to Yusufzai. It's a difficult one to answer though.
This works in another way as well. I have come across many non Pashtuns here in the UK who may be from Pashtun dominated areas who now include certain Pashtun tribes names in their own identity. It fools most people but not those who know them from back home.

I always encourage the use of tribal surnames in favour of "Khan". I hate that name.

Im thinking of sticking more to khattak mostly because my great grandmother and also my grandmothers are khattak and idk i feel i have more khattak in me than yousafzai. But i really appreciate your answer. Ive always kinda felt alone in this cuz most other pashtuns ive met are either the kind that dont even speak pashto or they are full on kaliwal tribal ones so i feel weird when im in between.

[Charsi Malang]

Im thinking of sticking more to khattak mostly because my great grandmother and also my grandmothers are khattak and idk i feel i have more khattak in me than yousafzai. But i really appreciate your answer. Ive always kinda felt alone in this cuz most other pashtuns ive met are either the kind that dont even speak pashto or they are full on kaliwal tribal ones so i feel weird when im in between.

Pashtuns are a patriarchal society bro. You are automatically the same race or tribe your father is from. That is if you want to do it properly, and that's how other Pashtuns will view you as well.

As for full on kaliwal tribal Pashtuns, there are many differences between us,who are born and have grown up in the west and those kali folk. However, I still feel one can learn a lot of good things from the proper tribals.

[toughpashtun]

Based on what you wrote in this thread and in one post on a previous thread,I deduce that your forefathers were Yusufzai but then moved to Nowshehra and intermarried with local Khattaks.
So you are basically a mixture of Khattak and Yusufzai.
But keeping in mind that tribal identity passes from father to son/daughter, I would call myself a Yusufzai if I were you.And then you can explain if anyone is interested to know the details.

[Nekrofrost]

The real reason im kinda hesitant on the whole yousafzai thing is that not even my family is sure of it which is why we've always called ourselves khattak. But i see what you guys mean tho.
It means alot to hear your guys feedback.

[Elite Pakhtun]

I'm a bit confused now, after reading other people's responses. Why do most of your family call themselves khattak? I assumed it was the last name, or at least that yhey had a good reason for it.

Someone earlier said khan is too genetic. That is true, but it's an honorable name. The problem is too many people just pick it up and either don't know their history, or they fabricate it. I'm sure this isn't limited to khan. I bet every tribe has fakers somewhere.

[Nekrofrost]

I'm a bit confused now, after reading other people's responses. Why do most of your family call themselves khattak? I assumed it was the last name, or at least that yhey had a good reason for it.

Someone earlier said khan is too genetic. That is true, but it's an honorable name. The problem is too many people just pick it up and either don't know their history, or they fabricate it. I'm sure this isn't limited to khan. I bet every tribe has fakers somewhere.

The reason being that my granfathers were born and raised in my village which is a majority khattak area so they just adopted the tribal culture i guess. Also once when i asked my dad why he simply said "khattak is better" so eh idk.

[Nekrofrost]

I bet every tribe has fakers somewhere.

My mother grew up in karachi and she says that alot of muhajirs claim yousafzai lineage for some reason despite being muhajirs.

[Dmsn]

Do Pashtuns Marry within same tribe or mix with other tribes?

How did the different tribes even start? And how old are the tribes, anyone knows?

[Nekrofrost]

Do Pashtuns Marry within same tribe or mix with other tribes?

How did the different tribes even start? And how old are the tribes, anyone knows?

I can answer the first question here(the rest can easily be read about on the internet).
But as far as marriages goes its pretty much normal idk about back in the day but nowadays inter tribal marriages are very normal but obviously in some places where the tribes are at where they might not be that normal. Tho its more common to get married to your own tribe because pashtuns often get married to relatives or fellow villagers.

[Charsi Malang]

My mother grew up in karachi and she says that alot of muhajirs claim yousafzai lineage for some reason despite being muhajirs.

Your mother is correct. Majority of muhajirs I have known (not all) claim to be Pathan, and within that, they claim to be Yusufzai. Not one of these could understand or speak a word of Pashto, none of their family members for the past 200 years have ever been able to speak or understand Pashto. Every one of them would start pulling funny faces and getting offended if you sat in a gathering with them and other Pashtuns and started speaking Pashto. They would treat being Pashtun as a caste and argue with you till they are blue in face that you don't need to be able to speak or understand Pashto to be Pashtun.

These people would be a lot more respected if they simply claimed that their ancestors were Pathans, but they cannot be classed as that any more as they are so far removed from Pathan society.

There is a lot of dignity in honesty.

[Shapur]

Pashtuns are patriacal so if your dad says you are Yusufzais then you are Yusufzai, doesn't matter about your mom's side.

It makes sense as there are still Yusufzais scattered around Kabul, Nangarhar and Kunar region.