Madakhel

The Madakhel is a Pakhtoon/Pashtoon/Pathan tribe. It is a division of the Isazai clan of the Yousafzai tribe. Colonel Wylly, Harold Carmichael, 1858-1932, described these people as leaving no space for further descriptions and definitions.^[1]

“

The Yousafzai is an agriculturist, generally fine, well-limbed man, of a good physique and appearance with great deal of race-pride, well dressed and cheery, while his hospitality is proverbial.

”

History

The Mada Khels are from the family of The Black Mountain (Tor Ghar) Tribes. They are a division of the Isazai clan of the Yousafzai tribe.^[2] Mada Khels are the descendants of Mada the son of Isa (Isazai) and the grandson of Yusaf/Yousaf/(Yousafzai).^[3] The Mada Khels are further divided into four Sections; each Section having two or more sub-sections.^[4]

Sections and sub-sections

Sub Clan	Section	Sub-section (Khel)
Mada Khel	Hasanbaz Khel	Bara Khel and Gunda Khel
	Bazid Khel	Alrabi Khel and Tota Khel
	Hassan Khel	Said Ali Khel and Sultan Khel
	Mada Nama

Geography

Mada Khels are among the dwellers on the Tor Ghar (Black Mountain). Mada Khel country is on the northern slopes of the Mahaban Mountain down to the right bank of the Indus and is bounded on the north by the Hassanzais, on the east by the Indus, on the south and west by the Tanolis and Amazais. Most of the villages are on Mahaban Mountain, with two on the banks of the Indus. The easiest approaches to Mada Khel territory pass through Hassanzai territory.^[5] Few families migrated to Agror (Oghi) and Sangar village of Tehsil Balakot. These tribes claim their history from Takhat Bai Mardan and Allai Battagram.

Culture and traditions

Like other Pashtoons, Mada Khels maintained their cultural identity and individuality. They lead their lives in accordance with code of ethics of Pashtoonwali, which combines Manliness, Goodness, Gallantery, Loyalty and Modesty. Mada Khels have also maintained the Pashtoon customs of Jirga (Consultative Assembly), Nanawati (Delegation pleading guilty), Hujhra (Large drawing room) and Melmasteya (Hospitality).^[6]

Language

Pushto is the basic language of Mada Khels. Living away from urban centres and having less interaction with people from other languages, Mada Khels speak pure form of Pushto. Due to migrations for better prospects of life and marriage in non-Pushtoon families, some Mada Khels adopted other languages such as Hindko and Urdu.

Recent developments

On 28 January 2011, Tor Ghar became the 25th district of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. Judba is the Capital of this newly born district with multiple tehsils:

• Judba
• Kandar Hassanzai
• Mada Khel

Most of the Mada Khel areas come under the Mada Khel tehsil.

References

1. Wylly, H.C. (1912). "From the Black Mountain to Waziristan". London, Macmillan. p. 56.
2. Ibbetson, Sir Denzil; Maclagan, Sir Edward (1911). A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province: Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883. superintendent, Government printing, Punjab. p. 10.
3. Watson, Hubert Digby (1992). Gazetteer of the Hazara district, 1907. Sarhad Urdu Academy. p. 166.
4. Murray, J. Wolfe (1899). A Dictionary of the Pathan Tribes on the North-west Frontier of India. Office of the Superintendent, Government Print., India.
5. Wylly, H.C. (1899). "II". A Dictionary of the Pathan Tribes on the North-west Frontier of India. Office of the Superintendent, Government Print., India. pp. 24–53. Madakhel, p. 24, at Google Books
6. Singh, Surinder (2008). Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia. Pearson Education India. pp. 336–. ISBN 978-81-317-1358-7. |first2= missing |last2= in Authors list (help)