Mangur is one of the largest Kurdish tribe of northwestern Iran and has a minor presence in northern Iraq. Historically semi-nomadic and war-like, they are native to a basin on the little Zab river called “Mangurayeti”[1][2][3] in Mukriyan[4][5] and also inhabit the districts and cities of Sardasht, Piranshahr, Mahabad, and Pshdar District, the latter of which is in Iraq and not considered to be a part of the geo-cultural region of Mukriyan.[6]

Mangur was one of the Kurdish tribes in the Bolbas Federation.[7] The others were Mâmash, Piran , Zerzâ, Herki and Shekâk.[8]

A tableau portrait of Aryana Xanum, a Kurdish noblewoman of likely Mangur origin, dressed formally in traditional Mukriyani Kurdish Attire

Sub-tribes

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Mangur households were typically named after their founding patriarch’s mother. This made most Mangur families patrilineal-matronymic as they were surnamed after a paternal grandmother.

The Mangurs are divided in six main different matronymic sub-tribes based on, and named after, their respective foremother. The relationship between these six ancestral mothers is vague and unclear though traditionally they are believed to be either sister-wives or biological sisters. The clan names are as follows:[9]

  • Amān
  • Šamʿ
  • Zīn
  • Zarrīn
  • Ḵeder
  • Morowwat

The 'Amān,' 'Šamʿ,' 'Zīn,' 'Zarrīn,' and 'Ḵeder' clans are mostly based in Piranshahr and Sardasht while the 'Morowwat' clan is based in Mahabad. The largest of these sub-tribes is the 'Morowwat' clan.[10] Historically, these sub-tribes acted as their own tribe and were constantly at war with each other and were disunited.[11]

History

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Mangur chieftains

In the winter of 1928-29 the Mangur, the Mâmash and other tribes rebelled against Reza Shah and occupied Sardasht though they lacked the forces to extend the revolt more widely.[12][13] The Mangur were among the tribes to initially back the Soviet-backed Republic of Mahabad in 1946. However support for the republic soon fell after the withdrawal of Russia. The Mangur Tribe, and other surrounding tribes withdrew their support.[14]

Pre-marital romance was tolerated by the Mangurs, as well as other Bolbas tribes, although it was almost always expected the couple soon formally marry or elope. These love marriages were called “radu khstn.” Most Bolbas women had been in at least one love marriage in their life and it is considered an honor. This caused conflict with the surrounding settled-feudalistic Mokri tribe,[15] whom measured a woman's honor in “delicacy and modesty” rather than “strength and stubbornness,” who promoted the ban of this practice.[16][17] Bolbas first-time brides were also notably older than first-time brides of surrounding tribes. The Mangurs were of the last Kurdish tribes to practice this tradition, continuing the practice until the 1980s.[18]

The Mangur were notorious for banditry and raiding.[19][20][21] Female Mangur bandits were also present in Mangur raids.[22]

References

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  1. ^ van Bruinessen, Martin (1992). Agha, Shaikh and State. the University of Michigan: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 88. ISBN 9781856490184.
  2. ^ Naval Intelligence Division (3 September 2014). Iraq & The Persian Gulf. Taylor & Francis. p. 377. ISBN 9781136892660.
  3. ^ Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (1908). The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (Volume 38 ed.). Harvard University: The Institute. p. 457.
  4. ^ Ates, Sabri (21 October 2013). Ottoman-Iranian Borderlands. Cambridge University Press. p. 235. ISBN 9781107245082.
  5. ^ "مه نگورایه تی". www.mangurayeti.com (in Persian). Archived from the original on 30 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "KURDISH TRIBES – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  7. ^ Minorsky, V. (1957). "Mongol Place-Names in Mukri Kurdistan". Mongolica. 19 (1): 75. JSTOR 609632.
  8. ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica". Iranica Online.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica". Iranica Online.
  10. ^ "KURDISH TRIBES – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  11. ^ Harris, Walter (1896). From Batum to Baghdad. Harvard University: W. Blackwood and sons. p. 196.
  12. ^ David McDowall (14 May 2004). A Modern History of the Kurds. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-85043-416-0.
  13. ^ Stephanie Cronin (24 January 2007). Tribal Politics in Iran: Rural Conflict and the New State, 1921-1941. Routledge. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-1-134-13801-2.
  14. ^ E. O'Ballance (18 December 1995). The Kurdish Struggle, 1920-94. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 29–. ISBN 978-0-230-37742-4.
  15. ^ Brill, E J (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill. p. 188. ISBN 9789004097933.
  16. ^ Hyndman, Jennifer; Giles, Wenona (28 June 2004). Sites of Violence. University of California Press. pp. 124–125. ISBN 9780520237919.
  17. ^ Najmabadi, Afsaneh; Joseph, Suad (2003). Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures (Volume 2 ed.). Brill. p. 215.
  18. ^ Cabi, Marouf (2021). The Formation of Modern Kurdish Society in Iran. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 9780755642267.
  19. ^ McDowall, David (1997). A Modern History of the Kurds. Indiana University: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 73. ISBN 9781860641855.
  20. ^ Ate, Sabri (2013). Ottoman-Iranian Borderlands. Cambridge University Press. p. 200. ISBN 9781107033658.
  21. ^ Koohi-Kamali, Farideh (2003). The Political Development of the Kurds in Iran. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 73. ISBN 9780230535725.
  22. ^ Millingen, Fredrick (1870). Wild Life Among the Koords. The University of California: Hurst and Blackett. pp. 243–244.