Origin and Background of the Mamasani Tribal Confederation (Presenting new hypotheses)

The Mamasani tribal, as one of the Lor ethnic groups settled in the northwest of Fars province and the foothills of the Zagros, has played a significant role. Varying views regarding the origin of the Mamasani tribal are the main purpose for investigating its emergence, its historical and geographical background, its political structure, and the establishment of its tribes in their different territories. In regard to the research hypothesis, it seems that the Mamasani tribal, having a long-lasting historico-geographical background, gradually migrated to the region of Shulistan in the late Safavid period and formed a political structure with a 4 + 1 + 1 pattern (4 Mamasani Lor tribes, 1 Shul tribe, and 1 Qashqai tribe), based on characteristics of power, authority, shrewdness, and type of livelihood, apart from the position of the chieftain (Ilkhan). The present study is a basic data mining research based on the descriptive-analytical method by collecting archival documents (primary sources, local histories, and reliable historical texts) and field data (interview and observation). Based on in-depth and extensive studies, eight new hypotheses have been proposed about the origin and historico-geographical background of the Mamasani tribal confederation, its migration to Shulistan in the late Safavid period, and its political structure. Based on these hypotheses, the results show that in the aftermath of the late Safavid collapse of Mamasani chieftainship in Posht-e kuh in Kohgiluyeh, Mamasani tribes (Baksh, Javid, Rostam, Doshmanziyari) gradually entered to the region of Shulustan. After an early peaceful coexistence with Shuls, They overcame them and formed a new territory under their own chieftains. Consequently, the structure of the Mamasani tribal confederation was shaped, consisting of four Mamasani tribes, one Lor tribe of Shul, and one Turkic tribe of Qashqai but due to lack of a single leadership, socio-political disintegration, and intratribal and extribal (with other tribes and the central government) conflicts were intensified.