Tajiks

-3,5 million;
- second largest group after the Pashtuns;
- speak persian;
-live in the north east and west;
- are sunni muslims;
- educated elite;
- whealthy;
- significant political influence in Ministries and public services;
- sedentary people;
- principle inhabitants of Tajikistan;
- slender, light skinned, with aquiline noses and black hair (ocasionally red or blond);
- concentrations in Afghanistan:
plains-dwelling tajiks (herat province and indian border)
town-dwelling traders (around Kabul)
skilled artisans, prosperous farmers (in the mountains)

( Land owners emergede as village leaders)

- the poorest live in the mountains and are farmers.

PASHTUNS

They constitute the majority of the population of Afghanistan, just under half of the population.

The Pashtun people are mostly farmers, herdsmen and warriors. They are sedentary farmers, combining cultivation with animal husbandry. Pashtu is their native language, but they also speak Urdo as a second language. They are Sunni Muslims.

The Pashtuns played an important role in Afghanistan’s history. More recently, they became known for being the primary ethnic group that comprised the Taliban.
Nowadayas, the Pashtuns play an important role in the regions of South and Central Asia and the Middle East, as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan politics. They are the highest ethnicity on the social ladder and dominate governmental bodies.

The Pashtun’s total population around the world is estimated to be around 42 million. Pashtuns are also an important community in Pakistan - about 15% of the total population - where they are prominently represented in the military and are the second-largest ethnic group.

- This is a video that I found about the Pashtun people:

HAZARA PEOPLE

The name of the Hazara people derives from the Persian word hazar, which means “thousand”. The term was originally used to refer to the Mongol military unit of 1,000, but was later applied to a distinct group of people.

Physically these people are Mongoloid. We cannot deny the Mongol descent, because of the Hazaras’ physical attributes and parts of their culture and language.

It is in the 15th century that we first hear about the Hazaras.

In the 18th century they have faced several wars and forced displacements. The Pashtuns had persecuted and forced them to flee from many parts of today’s Afghanistan to Hazarajat.

The Hazaras have suffered several social, economic and political discrimination through most of the 20th century.

They constitute about 9% of Afghanistan’s population.

CULTURE

Hazara people, outside of Hazarajat, have adopted the cultures of the cities where they have lived. In Hazarajat they have retained many of their own customs and traditions.

LANGUAGE

Hazaras often speak Hazaragi, a variety of the Persian language. Many of the urban Hazaras in the larger cities, like Kabul and Mazari Sharif, do not speak Hazaragi but Kaboli or regional varieties of Dari Persian. The Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan often include Urdu and English words as part of their language.

RELIGION

Hazaras are predominantly Shi’a Muslims, and there are some that are Shi’as of the Ismaili denomination. There is also a small number of Hazaras that are Sunni.

Ethnic references in 'The Kite Runner'

The Kite Runner - Pashtun Racism

Presentation

"Ethnic groups in Afghanistan"
- Pashtuns [Rita Santos]
- Tajiks [Susana Filipe]
- Hazaras [Vanda Boucinha]
- Uzbeck and Turkmen [Cátia Caetano]
- Nuristanis, Aimaqs and Baluchis [Hugo Melo]