THE IRANIAN PEOPLES.
In the history of India frequent mention is made of the Gnebers, who, though great numbers of them were destroyed in the struggles with for eign conquerors, are dispersed throughout the country, but arc found espe cially in Gujerat. They arc Persians who fled before the approaching Mohammedans, and consequently they unite India and Persia only super ficially.
Class cation.—The ethnologic transition between the two countries is formed by that Iranian people bordering on India, the ///chans, or, as they call themselves, the Pukhtaneh (in the west Pashtaneh), whose language, the Pukhtu (Pushtu), occupies a position similarly intermediate between the languages of the two countries. Their most eastern division, the Lohanis, live in India east of the Suleiman Mountains, and are separated into many tribes, the I'efiris, Shiranis, and others. Next come the Per a'nranis, or the Eastern Afghans, in the north-eastern part of Afghanistan, who are also divided into many tribes; and, finally, the II 'es/ A/; bans, one of whose principal tribes, the dwells to the south of Kabul, and another, the Dztranis, occupies the more level but less fertile South-west Afghanistan.
South of these, next to the Brahuis—of whom we have spoken (p. 2S2) —dwell the (p1. 6), who are Mohaunnedans, and to whom the nomadic tribe of the Xasirs in Afghanistan probably belongs. Their language is closely related to the New Persian, and they seem to have come at a late period from the west to their present seats. They are divided into three tribes, and are brave and predatory. Their weapons are the gun, dagger, sword, and shield (p1. los, jig. 6), often also the spear.
We now mention the Tajiks (p1. t to, I, 2), living in Kabul, to the north in Badakshan, and to the table-land of Pameer, and also in I3okhara, Balkh, Herat, and Seistan, where they have intermingled lunch with the Afghans and Beloochees, and also in Khiva; they are especially numerous in Western Iran, where they are called Parsiv:in, Persians. They speak only Persian, are agriculturists and tradesmen, and as such are dispersed far beyond the boundaries of their own country. They are not deficient in valor, and they make excellent soldiers. They were formerly
fire-worshippers, but now profess Mohammedanism.
The Lures in Luristan (middle-sized, strong, of brown color) are lin guistically closely related to the extremely thievish Kurds (pl. 73, figs. 6, 9), who live to the north of them as far as the upper Tigris and Lake Van. To them belong the Dushik Kurds, dwelling south-west of Erzeroum, who have preserved many ancient customs, although they, like the other Kurds, are Mohammedans. The Guranes live among them like a peas ant caste by the side of a warrior caste (Spiegel). To the independent Iranian tribes belong also the Tats, near Baku on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, and the inhabitants of Mazanderan, on the south ern coast.
Next follow the Armenians, or Haiks, whose unmixed tribe, according to Khanikof and Spiegel, lives in Astrakhan. In their native country they have been exposed to various intermixtures with Semites, Turks, etc. Their language, soinetimes called the Haikanic, is an entirely independ ent branch of the Iranian family. The Osseles, or Iron (that is, Iran ians), as they call themselves, have reached a still more western point: they dwell in the Caucasus, where they inhabit the central passes. Their language and customs are evidence that they belong to the Iranians, and perhaps to the Armenians.
`We can do no more than simply mention here the Armenian colonies which have spread as far as Hungary and Poland. In ancient times all Iran was united under the sceptre of the Persian kings; at present Armenia belongs to Turkey, while Persia, Afghanistan, and Beloochistan constitute three independent states.
Physical briefly to the physique of the Iran ians, we may mention the dolichocephalic but rather high skull, whose vertex and occiput are flat. However, the form varies: in the east—East Iran is the true home of the Iranians—it is more pronounced than in the west. The stature in the east is inferior to that in Persia proper and Armenia, where it is often distinguished by slenderness together with perfect vigor. The uncommon size and clumsiness of the feet must not be overlooked.