AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is, like many other countries in that area, as much a collection of tribes in the same geographical area as a country. Ethnic groups in the country (per the CIA World Factbook) include: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Aimak, Turkmen, and Baloch. The Afghanistan History and Entertainment Portal gives details about the ethnic groups and includes a chart of sub-tribes. Therefore, do not expect the ethnic arts of Afghanistan to be homogeneous, and do expect them to ignore country borders.

"The modern nation-state of Afghanistan was mapped by British bureaucrats at the end of the nineteenth century as a way of keeping their Empire from touching the Russian Empire, so as to avoid superpower conflicts. This kept Afghanistan neutral and uncolonized, but with arbitrary borders. Physically, the country presents a huge mountainous spine surrounded by areas of desert and steppe, open on all sides to neighboring lands: Pakistan, Iran, and the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, with a tiny Chinese border in the Wakhan panhandle of the northeast."— Mark Slobin.

Dance

The folk dances of Afghanistan are popular with Western ethnic dancers, possibly because of the beautiful costumes which are a show in themselves during the frequent spins and turns.

• Miriam Peretz in a theatrical rendition. Miriam is a professional dancer based in the USA.
• Miriam Peretz in a theatrical rendition. Venue is 2009 Festival of the Silk Road in San Jose.
• Khattak sword dance of Pashtuns. The venue is the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
• Silk Road Dance Company at the Tirgan Festival in Canada in 2011.

Music

• Afghani sheet music exchange on Facebook.
• Smithsonian Folkways has issued several albums of Afghanistan music.
• Aziz Herawi, noted for his skill on the dutar and the rubab.
  • In concert with his son and several other musicians. The venue is the annual Worldance concerts in Salt Lake City.
  • Aziz Herawi's Amazon.com page, where his music is available for purchase.

Costume

• The folk costumes of Afghanistan: the traditional costume of the Afghan folk musicians is a favorite with American musicans playing ethnic music, and the beautiful dresses of Pashtun, Kuchi, and Hazara style inspire ethnic clothing costumers who have fabulous bits of scraps that need using up.
• Folkwear includes an Afghan Tribal dress in their pattern line.
• Contemporary men often wear a shirt very similar to the Indian/Pakistani Shalwar Kameez on top and loose-fitting pants, probably with large gusset at the crotch.
• A typical Afghani coat is constructed in what I call the 'Stan' style: rectangular front and back, trapezoid sleeves attached to trapezoid side pieces, and a collar. Textile Museum of Canada has close-up views in their on-line museum.

Culture

• Nuria Tahan: A Week in Afghanistan: A Proud and Friendly Spirit Against All Odds. Habibi Vol 14 issue 4 (1995). Brief encounters with Koochi Nomads and an Afghani wedding.