Major Henry George Raverty’s brief work with the title, ‘An account of Upper and Lower Suwat, and the Kohistan, to the source of the Suwat River; with an account of the tribes inhabiting those valleys’ was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Volume XXXI, No.I. To V. 1862) Calcutta in the year 1862. That work of Major Raverty is produced here on this website for the interest of the readers and research scholars. Raverty wrote: (PART 26)
From the town of Tarnah to the village of Man-yar, to the north, are the Solizis, who also hold the three large villages of Pala’i, Sherkhana’i, and Zor-mandda’i, mentioned at the commencement of this article, to the south of the Suwat mountains, at the entrance of the Morey Pass, together with the Baz-darah valley, containing tne villages of Baz-darah-i-Bala or higher, and Baz-darah-i-pa’in, or lower, and the hamlet of Morah. Their chief town is Tarnah, and Mir Ealam Khan is chief of the Soli-zis.
From Man-yar, in a northerly direction, to Chhar-bagh, are the Babu-zis ; from thence in the same direction are the Maturri-zis, who hold some lands among the hills, and a few small villages ; and thence to Khonah are the whole of the Khazi-khel; and from Khonah to Pi’a, the most northerly village of Upper Suwat, are the Janakis, or Janak-khel.
Crossing into the lanwdah, we find the Khwadozis located as follows. From Brrangolaey to Ramorrah are the Khadak-zis and Abazis, who dwell together; from Ramorrah to Ouch are the Adin-zis; from Ouch to Sue-gali are the Shamu-zis; from Sue-gali to Nungali are the Nikbi-khel; from thence to Landdaey are the Sebjunis who hold a few small villages; and the remainder to the south are Shamizis. The number of families or houses of the Akozi sept of the Yusufzi tribe are thus computed, without generally enumerating the fakirs, and others not Afghans, of whom there are considerable numbers.
BAIZI DIVISION
Rarrmzi’s…6,000 families
Soli-zis,…10,000 famalies
Babu-zis,…7,000 families
Maturri-zis,… 4,000 families
Khazi-khel,…12,000 families
Janak-khel,….6,000 families
KHWADO-ZI DIVISION
Khadak-zis, and Aba-zis,….6,000 families.
Adin-zis,….8,000 families
Shamu-zis,….7,000 families
Nikbi-khel,…2,000 families
Sebjunis,….4,000 families
Shami-zis, ….. 6,000 families
Grand Total,… 88,000 families,
which at the usual computation of five persons to a family, would give to the Suwat valley the large number of 440,000 inhabitants, not including Hindus, Paranchahs, Suwatis, and others. This I think is not over the mark; for it must also be remembered that the valley is more densely populated than any district I have ever seen, in proportion to its size, either in India or the Panjab. Indeed some of the districts to the north of Peshawar are populated to an extent the English have little conception of.
The number of families was chiefly furnished by Mir Ealam Khan of Tarnah. The Khan Sahib asked him questions, to which the Mir replied. There was this slight difference, however, in the mode of computing; for example: The chief said the Rarrni-zis were 6,000 matchlocks. I asked what he meant thereby; and he replied, that he meant families who could send one adult male capable of hearing arms into the field, which generally is one to a family. It is a very fair mode of computation, and a generally correct one.
Reference (Source Details):
‘An account of Upper and Lower Suwat, and the Kohistan, to the source of the Suwat River; with an account of the tribes inhabiting those valleys’ was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Volume XXXI, No.I. To V. 1862) Calcutta, pages 268-270.
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