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 One, without knowing much about their life, must have seen a caravan of people traveling on foot or camelback, carrying all their luggage, from one place to another in different parts of the country. They, wearing long heavy clothes where females with dark-red dyed frock and men with their big turbans are distinct from distance, are famous nomad tribes, known as “Powandas’. The Powanda means wanderer or without a permanent home. The Powandas are famous for their nomadic life through out central Asia. Powandas originated in Afghanistan, later on, through transaction, many of clans adapted their migrations within Pakistan. They both, since 1947, are common in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The live under permanent migration from cold to warm areas in winter, and from warm to cold areas in summer. An exact number of Powandas population may not be known as no census exists that can reveal their number, nonetheless, as some surveys show, it ranges from 250,000 to 300,000. Their number is believed to have increased rapidly after Afghan revolution in 1978 which forced a large section of Afghan population, including nomad tribes who feared the forcible conscription by the PDPA regime into Afghan militia, fled the country for refugee status in Pakistan. According to the Pakistan census commission report, there are two kinds of nomads: Afghan and Pakistani nomads. Nonetheless, because of the deep cultural-lingual similarities between the two, it is hard to distinguish between the two. They wear a similarlike dresses and speak a common language without any significant difference of dialect. According to another survey, majority of nomads, actually belonging to Afghanistan, claim Pakistani based Powandas because of fear of law and order agencies.

Powandas lead a different but a tough life-style, which to many anthropologists, is adapted to support the amenities of life, they are immured in. They travel long journeys during migration on foot. “The camels/mules carrying luggage may provide a ride to children, old or sick, however, for a young Powanda, it is aberrant to ride,” said a Powanda. He bragged of once traveling with a caravan from Ghazni in Afghanistan to Sheikarpur in Sind and back. He covered all the distance on foot. He, nevertheless, cleaning up his wrinkled forehead of dirt, agreed to~ old-age factor that thwarts his will for such a long journey on foot.

Being tough to different herds of life, they are still less tolerant of extreme harshness of weather both in winter and summer, though they appear less disturbed by cold winters than hot summers. “We are perturbed by extremeness of weather as we live in tents. It is awful to live in tents during summer in plain areas and during winter in high altitude areas,” said an old Powanda. He, however, nodded to the fact that during winter, resulting of the shortage of pasture due to snows threatens cattle-raising, and they move to summer habitats in Punjab, Sind and even NWFP with a possibility of plenty of pasture to graze our cattle. “We pitch our camps near water-sources, preferably a- canal or stream,” said another Powanda.

Powandas migration was commonly observed in India, Iran and central Asian states. An anthropological approach to their life-style shows a variety of norms different from other people. Absolute majority of Powandas are Pushto speaking, many of them speak or understand Dan (a version of Persian) too. They have a strong sense of group homogeneity with a little acceptance of relationship outside their clan. Powandas may claim to whatever tribe, as many of them did in a bit to get 1.D or refugee status, the range of relationship recognition is not beyond third cousinship. A Powanda family, usually comprising of uncles, cousins, and in-laws, with a male of oldest age as their clan chief, range from 30 to 70 persons. A possibility may arise that different clans camp together under security or jobs availability circumstances, nonetheless, the togetherness cannot wither away the division of relationship. A partition exists within the camp area for keeping distance among opposite sexes. They are more committed to family rigidity to cross the family limits for outside clan marriages easily.

Intermarriages within a clan are common among Powandas. “The marriages are arranged without conceding much consent from female side,” believed an anthropologist, “as male chauvinism is dominating amongst Powandas.” “The intermarriages support Powandas’ group homogeneity in larger way,” a female Powanda said, “A lad can be lost if he is married outside clan, particularly when his wife clan is stronger,” she later on added, “who will marry our girls. An outsider may not be willing to join our camp.” Females constitute an important component of Powanda society. Powanda women is sturdy and tough. Besides doing much of housework, they graze outside and fetch heavy loads of water. They facing the toughness of life support their men on all fronts of life. According to a Levy officer, during an armed encounter between dacoits and powanda near Balochistan-­Sind border, after the dacoits attacked the Powandas camps one night, females showed an equal courage of reversing attack. The encounter left two Powandas dead, including a woman with an old style rifle in her blood-dyed hands; four caulties were on other side.

The girls are married in young ages from 14 to 18 years. Those unmarried are distinct from once change in dress wearing. They always white “shalwar”. A “khal” small tattoo is put on her face after she is engaged. Before marriage, she is under a restriction not to speak with his fiancé or take his name in public. It is an occasion of great jubilation for Powandas when a marriage takes place. The girls, dancing in circles and singing ballads and songs, appear a show hopping on and off to a stranger from distance.

The Powandas lack any literacy or familiarity with growing modernity of life. The literacy rate among Powandas is zero. They may travel in different corners; yet imbibe less that can change their morms of life. “Economic and social stratification,” agreed on sociologist, “can their Powanda status.” The number of Powandas, during the last many decades has been dramatically reduced. Many tribes in Afghanistan, abode of Powandas, and Pakistan have ceased migration by settling down in different towns, where now they are engaged in farm and trade business. Many leading Pathan tribes in Balochistan and NWFP, such as, Nasir, Kundi, Noorzais, Marwat and Niazi were, centuries back, Powandas. Those who have made enough earning by hard-labor as daily wager or sheep raiser, as majority of Powandas do after they migrate to different cities, and have bought any immovable property, a gradual change in their life-style started. This is experienced during last decade after thousands of Powandas given Afghan refugee benefits and was restricted not to migrate. They were less inclined to migrate and supported a settled life in mud-made houses. Their children now go to local schools/muktabs, and denounce themselves as Powandas. If provided fair opportunities of education and employment, they may in future be a responsible member of regular society, no matter being tamed than their Powanda parents who lacked all basic facilities of life a citizen can be entitled to. Powandas lead a different life­style. The majority of them, being hard-working and haughty to all hardship of life are nor exposed to settled life. Few of them may be exposed to modernity of life, however, they lack opportunities to adapt it. Those having gone any economic and social stratification show little-inclinations, to drift from a nomad to civic life.