Tribes of the Muree Hills

Muree is a mountainous region situated in northern Punjab, and culturally is distinct from the adjoining plains of the Punjab. It is home to five distinct tribal groupings, each with their own origin myth and occupying their own distinct territory.
The northern half of the Murree Tehsil is held entirely by the Dhund, who claim to be Abbasi Arabs, claiming descent from the Prophet Mohammad's uncle Abbas ibn Abdul Mutalib. The Satti tribe, which claims Rajput ancestry is found confined to the hilly Kotli Sattian Tehsil. In between these two tribes, are wedged the Kethwal, who claim descent from the Greek general Alexander the Great. The Dhanyal hold the western half of the Murree Tehsil, known as the Karor illaqa, as well as villages in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Like the Awan, the Dhanyal claim descent from the Prophet Mohammed's son in-law Ali. The small of the Murree Hill tribes are the Jasgam, who hold several villages in the hilly portion of the Kahuta Tehsil. Like the Dhund, they claim to be Abbasi Arabs.
The plateau is bordered in the east by the Murree Hills. Unlike the tribes settled on the Plateau, for the tribes of the Murree Hills and Birote, paternity is not the only fact worth considering. The author of the Rawalpindi District Gazetteer wrote the following:
"The family bulks much less largely. Family pride is much weaker and more uncommon. Every family is split with feuds which generally have their origin in the domestic disputes to which polygamy gives rise. All the hillmen are democratic and no respect is paid to family pretensions."

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