Kom (people)
Encyclopedia
The Kom or Kam or kamboj are a Nuristani
tribe in Afghanistan
and Pakistan
.
Most used alternative names are Kamozi, Kamoz/Camoze, Caumojee/Kaumoji, and Camoje (M. Elphinstone, George Roberston, Richard Strand).
Abdur Rahman Khan
, the Kom Kafir people in Afghanistan
were forced to convert to Islam
. Every former Kafiristan Kafiri were renamed Nuristani
(The Enlightened Ones) respectively Nuristan (Land of Light). In present time there are now known Nuristani Kom or simply Kom.
At the end of the 19th century, they were living in the lower part of the Bashgul Valley, known as Kam,Kamboj (George Scott Robertson), Kamdesh in Khowar
, and Kamoz in Pashto
, and in the adjacent valleys.
Numerous scholars have connected the names Kom and Kata
with ancient Kamboja
and identified the Kafirs, especially the Siah-Posh Kafirs, as having descended from ancient Kambojas
(H.H. Wilson, M. Elphinstone, Bombay Gazetteer, D. Wilber, M. C. Gillet, W. K. Fraser Tytler, J.R.A.S.
1843, J.A.S.B. 1874, etc, etc).
Though not a numerous people, the Kom were greatly respected military prowess by neighboring tribes as well as by Chitralis
and the Pashtun people
. The Kom control the destiny of Bashgul valley and were said to be its virtual kings (George Scott Roberston). The Kom were tributary to the Mehtar
of Chitral
until 1895.
The political headquarters of the Kom of the Siah-Posh Kafir clan were at Kombrom. The country of the Koms is also in present-day Nuristan called Komstan.
Nuristani
The Nuristani people are an ethnic group Aryan-Iranian to the Nuristan region of northeastern Iran and Afghanistan. The Nuristanis are a people whose ancestors practiced what was apparently an ancient Indo-Iranian polytheistic religion until they were conquered and converted to Islam in the late...
tribe in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Most used alternative names are Kamozi, Kamoz/Camoze, Caumojee/Kaumoji, and Camoje (M. Elphinstone, George Roberston, Richard Strand).
History
In 1895, following their conquest by EmirEmir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.The third son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, Abdur Rahman Khan was considered a strong ruler who re-established the writ of the Afghan government in Kabul after the disarray that followed the second...
, the Kom Kafir people in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
were forced to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Every former Kafiristan Kafiri were renamed Nuristani
Nuristani
The Nuristani people are an ethnic group Aryan-Iranian to the Nuristan region of northeastern Iran and Afghanistan. The Nuristanis are a people whose ancestors practiced what was apparently an ancient Indo-Iranian polytheistic religion until they were conquered and converted to Islam in the late...
(The Enlightened Ones) respectively Nuristan (Land of Light). In present time there are now known Nuristani Kom or simply Kom.
At the end of the 19th century, they were living in the lower part of the Bashgul Valley, known as Kam,Kamboj (George Scott Robertson), Kamdesh in Khowar
Khowar language
For the ethnic group, see under Chitrali people.Khowar , also known as Chitrali, is a Dardic language spoken by 400,000 people in Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan , and in parts of Upper Swat...
, and Kamoz in Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
, and in the adjacent valleys.
Numerous scholars have connected the names Kom and Kata
Kata (people)
The Katir or Kator/Kata are a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan.-History:In 1895, following conquest by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, the Katir Kafir people in Afghanistan were forcibly converted to Islam. The former Kafiristan Kafiri were renamed Nuristani from the proper noun Nuristan...
with ancient Kamboja
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
and identified the Kafirs, especially the Siah-Posh Kafirs, as having descended from ancient Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
(H.H. Wilson, M. Elphinstone, Bombay Gazetteer, D. Wilber, M. C. Gillet, W. K. Fraser Tytler, J.R.A.S.
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
1843, J.A.S.B. 1874, etc, etc).
Though not a numerous people, the Kom were greatly respected military prowess by neighboring tribes as well as by Chitralis
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
and the Pashtun people
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
. The Kom control the destiny of Bashgul valley and were said to be its virtual kings (George Scott Roberston). The Kom were tributary to the Mehtar
Mehtar
Mehtar is a Persian word meaning "Mighty" and was used in several ancient area of Pakistan to denote the local ruler. It is the title of the ruler of the former State of Chitral....
of Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
until 1895.
The political headquarters of the Kom of the Siah-Posh Kafir clan were at Kombrom. The country of the Koms is also in present-day Nuristan called Komstan.
See also
- Nurestan
- Nuristani people
- Nuristani languagesNuristani languagesThe Nuristani languages are one of the three groups within the Indo-Iranian language family, alongside the much larger Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups. They are spoken primarily in eastern Afghanistan...
- Hindukush Kafir people
- KatirKata (people)The Katir or Kator/Kata are a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan.-History:In 1895, following conquest by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, the Katir Kafir people in Afghanistan were forcibly converted to Islam. The former Kafiristan Kafiri were renamed Nuristani from the proper noun Nuristan...
- KamviriKamviriKamviri is a dialect of the Kamkata-viri language spoken by 5,500 of the Kom people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are slight dialectal differences of the Kamviri speakers of Pakistan...
- KambojasKambojasThe Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...