On occasions of betrothals, marriages, circum cision, they have great rejoicings, and perform the martial Khatak dance. A number of men with drawn swords revolve to the music of the pipe (Surnai) and drum. Their movements at first are slow and in measured time, their swords being alternately held aloft above their heads, or sweeping down towards the ground, as if to cut an enemy. These Movements become quicker, the music more spirited, the dancers shout their war-cry, and swords flash through the dust and smoke as they revolve wildly round the fire, keeping it up until quite exhausted. It is worth seeing. The Khatak were mixed up with the fortunes of Akbar, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Ahmad Shah, and since the 15th century the strife amongst themselves has been incessant. They are a warlike but turbulent race, but, as mentioned, have been uniformly loyal to the British. A branch of Khatak are iu Yusufzai.
The Barak is a large and important branch of the Khatak, living S. of the Tiri Toi, and W. of the Sag,ri and Bangi Khel. They are of the Tani section, and under the British rule are all managed by the Nawab of Tin. They possess the lands of Daresh Khel, Bahadur Khel, and Latammar, the valley of Nari, all Chaontrah, the Loeghar mountains, and the country of Guilt Khel, between the Spinghar and Shin,ghar ranges and the tract of Laud Kamar. They arc a well behaved, fine hardy race ; are the swiftest foot men and best mountaineers in the country, famed for their courage. They number 5000 fighting men.
Bangi Khel are of the Bolak branch of the Khatak, who inhabit the hills to the north of Kalabagh, ou the Indus, in the Bann district, lying between the Tiri Khatak and the Sagri lChatak. They are wild in their habits, their hills are barren and often without water ; they were in old days noted robbers, but are now peaceable and well-behaved ; they are fine active, athletic mountaineers, and of a frank bearing, grazing cattle and cutting wood for the markets of Kalabagh. A few are in the Panjab Frontier Force. Their sections are the Abi Khel, Tarka Khel, Tapi Khel, and Maraj Khel. Their inhospit able country has caused them much inconvenience, and led to disputes between them and the Sagri Khel of the Khatak.
Ano Khel, a section of the Tani division of the Khatak, to which the Khatak chiefs belong.
The Nasrati is a small, high-spirited tribe of Khatak, who dwell in the valley below the Shinghar range, and also pasture and cultivate the Thal.
The Babar section of the Khatak reside chiefly in ICani, on the left bank of the Indus. They have large flocks of sheep and goats, and they eat the flesh and drink the milk of camels.
The Bangash is a Pathan tribe who inhabit the Miranzai valley, the Kohat defile in British territory, and also the valley of the Kuram river in Afghanistan. They are said to be descended from a person named Ismail, who was surnamed Bankash or Bangash. Their sub divisions are the Garu, with the sections Amir, Jamshidi, and Miranzai ; and the Samalzai, with the sections Tuzi. Namani, and Alizai. They are said to have come from Gardez in the Ghilzae country, from which they were driven by the Ghilzac about the 14th century. They then settled in Knram, where they remained for another hundred years. Another account is that
they came from Seistan, and are of the same race as the Jat. The emperor Baber (A.D. 1504) found them located in Kuram, which was formerly divided into Bangash-i-Bala and Bangash Pain, Upper and Lower Bangash. Since the middle of the 18th century the Turi have been gradually dispossessing the Bangash from Bangash-i-Bala, and now every Bangash attaches himself to a Turi as his Naik or protector. Their numbers in Kuram are 5600. The three main divisions of the clan are the Miranzai, with three clans ; Baizai and Samalzai, with five sections. The Miranzai took up the lands of Nariab, Upper Miranzai ; the Baizai inhabit the Kohat valley proper, and the Samalzai are in the wild jungle district of the same name. They are not deemed courageous by British officers. They are hospitable. They have .behaved well to the British. In 1853 they the right of occupying the Kotal of the Kohat pass, and their share of the pass emolu ments was settled at Rs. 3200. Other accounts describe the Samalzai clan as noted for their bravery, and that they could turn out 700 fight ing men.
Bangash are of the Shiah sect. The 1868 census showed 31,774 Bangash in British territory. Sultan Muhammad, Barakzai, up to 1848 held Kohat as a fief from the Kabul government. It was then taken possession of by the British on account of hostility evinced during the second Sikh war. The Khan of Hungu, in the Bangash country, was in the British service as revenue collector, when he was murdered by one of his own relatives. The khanship descended to his son. The Bangash tribe have suffered much from the raids of their bill neighbours, Waziri, Orakzai, Turi, and Kabul Khel. The Miranzai valley belonged to the fief of Sultan Muhammad, but, being an outlying locality, was overlooked when Kohat was taken possession of. The Kabul government then lost no time in arranging for the occupation of Miranzai, which appeared to have been vacated ; so Sirdar Azim IChan, the governor of the Kuram province, in 1851 summoned the Miranzai to surrender, but they petitioned the British to include them in Kohat. Upder the circumstances this request was acceded to. They were in their hearts hostile to the British Government, as indeed they were to any government whatever. They offered to guard the Kotal, and asserted that they had a hereditary claim, stronger than that of the Afridi, to occupy the ridge. The Kotal was then made over to them, and as the Afridi refused to open the pass, it was resolved to establish a blockade, and the Afridi were debarred from entering the Kotal and Peshawur valleys. While these arrange ments in 1853 were progressing, the Guli Afridi suddenly attacked the Bangash people on the Kotal, and seized that post. Several Bangash chiefs were killed in the encounter, and Major Coke, who was present, was slightly wounded. Upon this check, the Bangash people obtained the alliance of the small though warlike tribes, Bazoti and Sipah. These were independent, and dwelt in the hills near the pass. The southern section of the Jawaki Afridi also joined tl.e league.