Pathan - what's in a name?

The Pathans are Muslims and speak Pushtu. They are also known as Pakhtuns, Pashtuns, Pushtuns, and Pakhtoons. The perhaps 20 million Pashtuns are considered the largest tribal society in the world. What does `tribal' mean? The term derives from Latin tribus (`tree'), and indeed, the Pashtuns have structured their society like a genealogical tree: their groups and sub-groups are ordered like the branches and sub-branches of a tree. Local folklore has it that all Pashtuns are descendants of one named ancestor. However, there is no agreement about the common grandfather's name; some name him Qais Abdurrashid, others say he was Daru Nika or Khaled bin Walid - the great General of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him!).