REGARDING A VISIT TO KAFIRISTAN IN 1977.
As an extension of our trek in the Hindu Kush of Pakistan in 1977 we trekked into the valleys of Kafiristan. This is a seldom-visited part of the globe with the only access being by foot through some dangerous cliffs and crags. There were two valleys visited, Rambur and Bamboret. This is an area peopled with individuals who are, or at least were at the time of the visit totally separate and isolated from the people of Pakistan.
They are said to be remnants of the forces of Alexander the Great who remained behind as the soldiers returned to Greece.
As contrast to the majority of the Pakistani population they have a pagan religion where they worship wooden images, mainly of goats. They make and drink wine and are sexually promiscuous. Physically they appear more Caucasian, many with blue eyes.
Our stay with them over a several day period gave us a good chance to observe and photograph their unique daily life, and idiosyncratic dress. One dark night I observed a ritual dance around a gigantic bonfire where the Kafiri men and women circled back and forth in an almost hypnotic trance, a primitive ritual never to be forgotten.
This group has existed uneasily with their Muslim neighbors. Another group of Kafiri people live in some valleys in Afghanistan, on the other side of the border. Early in the 20th Century they were brutally forced to convert to Islam. The name was changed to Nuristan, where people have seen the light. It has been written that this is perhaps the area where Osama Ben Laden has taken refuge. Through recent reports it is understood that the Pakistani Kafiris are experiencing ethnic cleansing.