What constitutes a Pashtun?

[roadrunner]

I've heard if you speak Pashto, you're a Pashtun.

If we look at this logically, an American that can speak Arabic does not become Saudi Arabian.

So what is it that makes one a Pashtun, do you think?

I'll comment after reading some of your comments..

[roadrunner]

Ah, thanks.

What was the majority opinion on what constitutes a Pashtun?

[roadrunner]

The majority pretty much said Blood and Language are both important.

Language can be discarded, can't it? An Arabic speaking European American doesn't become an Arab.

So why is that important?




I just read the first page.

Some said "A Pashtun is one who is born to Pashtun parents".

I assume this then means their lineage is Pashtun.

So we have different degrees of Pashtun lineage, since Pashtuns will be mixed to varying degrees.

But then what is/are the Pashtun traits, and what are the foreign mixed traits?

[roadrunner]

So anyone have any idea what are the Pashtun traits, and what are the foreign mixed traits?

[roadrunner]

Pashtuns follow everything in Pashtunwali.

There are many great topics here in PF covering this. If you specific questions I can help you.

Is lineage or appearance not important to you?

In the west sometimes it's done on the basis of color, for example.

Are Pashtuns more politically correct than people in the west?

[roadrunner]

A Pashtun is based on lineage and language. Is it clear now Roadrunner Jaan?

But why do you base it on language.

Edit: I gave a poor example before.

Here's a better one.

An Englishman goes to Canada, after some generations his offspring speak French as their first language.

He is still regarded as of English descent right. Are they of the English ethnic group? They might be classed as Canadian-English people that speak French.

Notice the language seems unimportant.

So why do Pashtuns hold the language as much more important than, for example, the English?

I'm not saying it's not important btw. Indeed Pashto has a rather amazing history that has nearly been forgotten by a lot of Pashtuns, or pilfered by others. But what makes it different to say English?

I do understand lineage might be something important. But if it were lineage what shall we say are the Pashtun features and traits?

[roadrunner]

Roadrunner if you take Pashto away from a Pashtun, what's left? Pashto is not something we speak. Its something we do and live by.

Pashto is a language.

What is your definition of Pashto?

Although it does not make you a non-Pashtun, you are missing out on a lot if you cant speak Pashto. You cant understand the culture nor can someone have the same qualities that our language teaches us.

How does Pashto give people qualities? It's just a language.

I understand about appearances, even if they actually mean nothing.

Pashtuns are not all of same race, its Pashto that has united us.

So Pashtuns are a linguistic grouping like the Iranic people, or the Arabic people?

[roadrunner]

A Pashtun should be defined as someone who follows Pashtunwali and most considerably someone who himself has the dignity to proudly say he is a Pashtun. Ghani Khan said, everyone has a Pashtun within them. A Pashtun is defined by blood+language.

Again language.

Is there a Western definition of ethnic group and an Eastern one?

Why is there a difference?

An Englishman goes to Canada, after some generations his offspring speak French as their first language.

His offspring are still regarded as of English descent.

They might be classed as Canadian-English people that speak French.

I suppose they might be called Canadian-French, it depends how you do it, by lineage or by language.

Most westerners I think would say language is irrelevant in this case.

What would you call them, Canadian-English, or Canadian-French?

You can't call them Canadian-English-French. It doesn't sound quite right. One must be more important than the other. Lineage or language?

[roadrunner]

To be a Pashtun Most importantly its your blood. Please forgive me, its the pride you take for your tongue, I understand your taking into the next level of nationalism by which Language overcomes Race and sometimes a Religion, but in reality you know this as well as I. There is no such thing as "Pashtun by Blood", if it was, The society makes laws as well family traditions by which we fallow without noticing and this comes part of our habit and everyday thing, our blood has nothing to do with it.

I'm not sure what you mean here.

You say most importantly it's your lineage. But then you say there is no such thing as a Pashtun lineage.

Why not?

[roadrunner]

lineage is valued more. But what I am implying is that language is extremely important.

Do you understand now?

So as long as a Pashtun has Pashtun parents, then they are Pashtuns.

It's a start.

But what is the Pashtun lineage?

Does it have any physical traits we can see? Or personality traits?

[roadrunner]

Pashtun lineage today is mixed with many different kinds of races who intermingled with us. What I am implying is that if you belong to a tribe that is charecterized as a Pashtun tribe, your lineage of that tribe is important.

There is also another theory that Pashtun is also defined by language, those people argue without Pashto there is no Pashtun.

So as you learned so far there are 2 theories in defining Pashtuns. I am more settled with lineage since it shows you belong to a Pashtun tribe. We have close to 600 tribes.

All people are mixed. It's possible Pashtuns more so, though I wouldn't say 100% this is true.

I'd like to know the Pashtun traits.

Going back to before the first invasion, when the first Pashtun groups migrated into the area.

How did these people look? What were they like? Would they be the indigenous Pashtuns?

[roadrunner]

Afghanmeansdanger, are you a Tajik? I've noticed you elevating them in quite a few of your posts? There's nothing wrong with being a Tajik, I'm just wondering out of personal interest.

[roadrunner]

So there's not really too many Pashtun traits except for the Pashtunwali is what your saying

[roadrunner]

Right so what you're saying according to your definition is that a Pashtun is someone that follows the Pashtunwali.

Anyone else?

[roadrunner]

In my opinion,
A Pashtun is someone who follows the Pashtun culture(Tribal affiliation,linguistic measures etc] We should not force the identity on someone. Saying you are a Pashtun comes down to following Pashtunwali and speaking Afghani(Pashto).

So a Jamaican who happens to have all those Pashtunwali traits (hospitality, invincibility, intelligence etc), and decided to learn Pashto is a Pashtun?

But an Afghan Pashtun, who happens to, unfortunately, not be as intelligent and because of this isn't so hospitable is tossed aside into the no ethnic group bag?