Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-01
4 MYSTERIOUS PEOPLE.
The kafirs-.-A Race OF unknown
Origin..- Ar They neceudcd from
Ono of tleNandcr'- Golanicsg
london !Nc yrpph.


accurate knowledge vt katilStan, the
land vi mystery, which lies within the
late Einga m Ot the amccrS. Military
operations, however, have not brought
us witnin reach ot the hack-chd pco-
pie, y as the katirS are called, or brought
amy ot them into our camp. 81 the
campaign bids fair to end leaving this
truly wonderful country quite uncN-
plored, haniiStan, close hy. is also
place vt marvClS, and its folk lore
would add to Grimm and Andersen
chapter about hcar.kngS and the Nar-
glnn such rs would rival amy vt the
legends Of the Harta mountains or
'rhuringia katirstau i even moro in.
tcrcSung than its ncighborS, for il is not
only IN lis tabled myths that this cloud
land is So delightfully."- mysterious, but
III every detail Gifts life and manners,
the looks dress, food, religion, and Gus.
toms Of the country that mhahit il.
Who are the katirS, and where is their
countryS thc question WAS us ied an
Afghan or Cahul he would probably
answer that they were intidcl dogs who
live TO the north" vt his city, and their
women and children are IT such sur
passing beauty that the agents OF rich
citizens are always ON Il lookout for
purchase The size of their country
no one knows exactly, hut the love
herb grows there valuable
plant indeed, for Whoever pos
scSScS II can command the affection Of
amy one he p)caScS and gold of
very pale color, but pure gold never
lhclcSs, is found in their fields with the
maize They cat little grain, however,
for the katirs live nn cheese and curds,
meat and fruit, chiefly the last, which
grow wild all over their hills, and their
orchards are wonderful They have no
earth IN their country t. spare. SO the
black clad built their houses Of cakes
Of row-dung and sand mixed together,
hut Mater they have III abundance,
since every hill is divided from the
next 10y II stream, which the people
cross Ivy swinging bridges made vt creep
crs They kill every Mussumnu they
find within their border and drink his
blood; indeed, some Of the knlirs are
canmhnlS, Such in effect would prob.
ably I've the total amount of IN Afphau's
knowledge of this large body of his fell
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. for katriSMu. partly
from its sinister traditions and the
memory Of lis traditional blood fcud
with Islam, and partly from the I'M.
doubted vindictivCncss Of the people
toward Mohammcdnus, is sealed book
to the cast \ tribe of mountainous,
known as the Nmrha Moslcms, who,
to suit circumstances and 10 "romnlo-
date themselves to local fash. IN in re-
ligion, are only true believers ON the
M0hnmmedlnn side OF the frontier, and
spit ut the mmc of Allah on tho kalr
side, net rs Il means OG communication
between the "hlack-ehd and their
ncighhors, AMI, were il not for them, il
is probable that the kniirs would not
l." "hlo I" hold amy intercourse with
the utter world nj all
II the east itself ii 50 ignorant ur this
remarkable race, and If their next
nclghboro and rcputcd kinsmcn, the
i)ards, really know nothing about them
II is not surprising that III the west the
knlir Of Aghanistan should be II com
plrtc mystery. Who ARE they? Some
say they are Arabs, while others ho-
licVc them To be Greeks Now rcmem-
bcring how Alexander sowcd colonies
along the roadside NJ he went To, and
returned from India, il such II theory
micnahle, especially ns some Of the
MohammcdAn tribes, once kaiils, claim
European descent. The knlirs them
selves the Slnh Posh or "hhck clnd =
from their wearing black shecp.sllin
conts with the hairy side outward
cannot, or will not, explain their own
origin, for the few who have been
caught ut intervals by inquisitive
Engllshmcn have only made matters
worse 10y oheerlully accepting for them
selves amy lineage that happened
to be suggested, Arab, Hebrew,
or Helene, Their language kansha
would, it might have been supposed
have given clue, but here again df.
liculty arises, for the kaiirs in commn.
hlcailng with their neighbors use II
mongrcl tongue, of which the vocabu.
lary, ~ fir ~ il il yet compiled, dclics
any important pathological differences
being drawn 10y il, through is ndmix
tire of several dialects Persian, Push
too, llindi, and Sanskrii, in varying
proportions, with a large percentage Of
words md idioms "a which no eastern
vernacular offers any analogy, From
time Ia time Oriental scholars have
given their attention to this cthnolog
zeal mystery, and notably IIurncs,
Wolfe, Nigno, and Bcllew, without any
conclusive results; but Dr.. Lcitncr Of
Lahore, has now contributed further
inHalment Of yocnbnlnr compiled
from the bps Of Kain two Of them
being prisoners captured by the Man
nraiah IF Cashmere ia the war with the
Tribes beyond the Indus III 1866 which |
promises % lay the foundation 10 some
ding like a sound knowledge Of the lin.
guistic ecceptrcitics peculiar to these
unknown folk. He himself, however,
has not Is yet any pronounced opinion
upon their origin.
The people lis We have said. hate the
Mohammedans with surprising fer
yor, not only from traditionary feuds,
but because 10 this day the Alg ans
and others carry on 4 systematic brl.
gaudagc upon their frontiers, for the pur-
D0gp az gtpalinV thpir women and child.