1 163
2 The Na^a.
3 tbeir hamadyaa.* He gives the following as their pedigreet :
4 Ghalzoe.
5 Ibrahun.
6 Sah4k.
7 I
8 Tarakki.
9 I
10 Mamai.
11 I
12 Nisir (Nasu).
13 r j
14 (Spin) Malizai. (Sfir) Nasu Khel.
15 (Tor) Umarzai.
16 Mandai (few, and now
17 almost unibiown).
18 The descendants of Ndsir (Nasu) had a feud with another clan of
19 their own division of Sahdks {sic) and so went over to the Tokhi
20 division whose hamsdyas they became for a time. But, he adds, the
21 Ndsir was probably only an adopted son of Mamdi, and their appear-
22 ance indicates the foreign descent of their immediate predecessor. He
23 would regard them as being descended from one of the^Turk tribes
24 located on the western frontiers of the Ghazni kingdom towards the
25 Afghanistan, by the Turk feudatories under the Sam^nis and the
26 Turk Sultdns of Ghazni, like the Kharo^i branch of the Ghilzais and
27 the Jdji andTuri tribes of Upper Baugash (Kurram).
28 The Ndsirs took part with the Ghilzais in the conquest of Persia and
29 were subsequently incorporated with the Hotaki section of the Ghilzai
30 which is considered the chief branch of that tribe. The Ghilzai leader
31 Seddl Kh^in who opposed Nddir during their expulsion was a Ndsir.
32 Nat, fern. Natni, fr. .Sanskr. na^a, a dancer. The Nat is the typical
33 gipsy caste of the Punjab. It is possible that there may be properly
34 some distinction between the Nat ^iid the Baziqar ; but the two words
35 are synonymous in general parlance. Some say that the Bdzigar is a
36 tumbler and the Nat a rope-dancer ; others that the Bdzfgar is a
37 juggler as well as an acrobat, while the Nat ‘s only the latter, and it
38 is possible that those who reach the higher ranks of the profession may
39 call themselves by the Persian name ; others again say that among the
40 Nats the males only, but among the B^ziears both sexes perform ; and
41 this latter distinction is reported from several Districts. On the whole
42 • Raverty points out that ndsir = assistant or keeper. Cf. Aw4n.
43 t Dames gives the following table : —
44 Nisir.
45 I
46 r
47 Mallizai.
48 Spi'nkai (Spin).
49 I
50 tJmar (Umarzais).
51 Nisir (Naslrzais).
52 Jalal. Bar, Azgkar. Salak. Zangi. Yahya. Washai Kamal.
53 J ^Ashi
54 Bori. Ni4mat. Musazai. ShAdizsi,
55 Of one
56 mother
57 Of one mother.
58 iAsbi
59 Khels).