| Kohistani. | Pushto (the Afghan Language). |
|---|---|
| 1. To-morrow night to Lahore I will go. | 1. To-morrow night to Lahore I will go. |
| Douche rate Lahore bajanwa. | Saba shapa ba Lahore shazam. |
| 2. Thou silent be. | 2. Thou silent be. |
| Tohe chut guda. | Tah chup shai. |
| 3. Prepare, ye young men. | 3. Prepared be, O young men. |
| Jubti masha. | Saubhal she zalmú. |
There is a song very current in Kohistan which begins,—
Palas kulal mariga, Patane jirga hotiga, Johle johal madado propár asáli = “In Palas a potter was killed, in Patan the jirga (or tribal assembly) sat.”
“The corrupted (Jirga of Malaks) took a bribe, and retaliation was ignored.” The Afghans are called Pathans.
Religion.—They have been converted to Islám since four or five generations, and they have forsaken their old religion so completely that no tinge of it now remains; and when a Kohistani is told that they are “nau-Muslims,” that is, “new Muhammadans,” he becomes angry.
Muslim learning, and the building of mosques have become common in Kohistan, and now we find twenty or thirty learned mullas in every considerable town, besides hundreds of students, studying in mosques.
Dress.—Their national dress consists of a woollen hat, brimmed like that of Europeans, and a loose woollen tunic having a long جاكى along the right breast, so that one can easily get out the right hand to wield one’s arms in a fight. Their trousers are also made of wool and are very tight. In the summer they wear a kind of leathern shoes borrowed from the Afghans, but in the winter they wear a kind of boots made of grass (the straw of rice) reaching to the knees. They call it “pájola.”
Till very lately their only arms were a small “khanjar” (dagger), bows and arrows; but they have borrowed the use of guns and long swords from the Afghans.
The dress of their women consists of a loose woollen head-dress with silken fringes, a woollen tunic and blue or black trousers of cotton cloth, which they call “shakara.” Generally their women work with their husbands in the corn-fields, and do not live confined to their houses.
Government.—They have no chiefs like the Afghans, but influential Malaks lead them to battle, who are paid no tribute, salary, etc.