Life of the Pushtun?

The Pashtun people range  from the highly  educated who live in  cities, to village farmers, and tent dwelling nomads.  City dwelling Pashtuns, live much like their Uzbek, Tajik, and Hazara neighbors.  They remain strictly independent, however, and are usually recognizable by their language (Pashto), lighter skin, and larger build. 

 Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations on earth with an economy devastated by war, civil strife, and drought. Industry is almost non-existent and people are highly dependent on livestock (sheep and goats), and farming. A major source of income comes from the poppy fields, used to manufacture heroin. Aside from heroin production, wheat, fruit, nuts, carpets, and wool are also sources of income for the Pashtuns.

Pakistan’s economy and infrastructure are much stronger than that of Afghanistan, yet many of the Pashtuns live in remote villages, and seek out a meager existence off the land. Pashtuns on both sides of the border cooperate in the production and export of heroin.

 In the villages, most Pashtun  homes  are  made of dried mud.  The homes usually consist of 2-3 rooms, interlinked by inner doors with a veranda for each room.  Each house also has a courtyard which contains plenty of outside cooking space, a bin to store grains, and a pen to house the animals.  Wealthier members of the village may have  two courtyards, one  specifically for women.  In poorer homes, there is only one courtyard where women sit and work, taking cover when male guests arrive.  Each home is surrounded by a mud wall, maintained and strengthened by adding a simple mixture of mud and straw.  Furniture in Pashtun homes is usually limited.  Pashtuns sit and sleep on cushions on the floor.  They eat on plastic runners spread on the floor. Rural Pakistani Pashtuns prefer to sit and sleep on simple rope-strung beds. These days, it is not uncommon to see TV's in many homes, although this is restricted to the more affluent.  For all Pashtuns, both city and village dwellers, privacy is very important.  No door or window is placed in the home where a female member of the family can be seen from the outside.

In contrast to the value of independence in the west, the  Pashtuns  place  high value on the family. Honor and dishonor not only affects  how society views an individual, but all of the  extended  family as well.  The  family is the foundation upon which Pashtun social structure is built, and it is a patriarchal structure.  All of the family,  including  the married  sons, live together in the parent’s  home.  One home could possibly hold up to three generations, each of them living  under the authority of the father or oldest living brother.