The Khataks’ Tribal Chronicle (XVII-XVIII): Extraliterary Text Functions

Abstract

The paper briefly examines underlying ideology and extraliterary functions of the texts, which constitute the largest part of the Pashtun historiographical work Tarikh-i murassa' (finished in 1724) and may be classified by genre as tribal chronicle. Under discussion are two related extraliterary functions, both pertaining to the general idea of continuity. It is argued that the principal ideological message of the chronicle, on the one hand, aims at maintaining the continuity of the accepted tribal knowledge of the past and, on the other, strives for the necessity of abiding the laws of power succession within ruling clans ac cording to the principle of primogeniture.

Artistic functions of poetic elements in “The Khattak Chronicle”

“…not translated from another language) historiographic composition written in the Pashto language -in terms of its content, style, and functional features is thoroughly concordant with traditions of Persian historical literature of the said type, primarily the literature of the Mughals, which was engendered by the above-mentioned Memoirs of Babur. Comprising texts which belong to various genres, «The Khattak Chronicle» is predominantly based on diary entries and memoirs written by the rulers of the Khattak tribe, namely Khushhal Khan (d. 1689) and his grandson Afzal Khan (d. circa 1740/41) [5]. In point of fact, «The Chronicle» consists of a collection of narrative tales (i.e.…”