The Burkis --who are based out of South Waziristan for the last 800 plus years-- are bilingual with their "mother tongue" consisting of the softer Waziri Pushto and Urmari. Urmar is a language supposedly of West Iranian extraction. The Burkis primarily inhabit Kaniguram which is north-east of Wana in SWA/Pakistan. They also live in other parts of Pakistan and there are pockets in Afghanistan near Ghazni and in Logar province.
Due to being embedded within the Mahsudi territory in SWA, the Burkis are considered by Mahsudis as brethren of sorts except when "war" or minor skirmishes occur between the two from time to time. The two "tribes" share an intimate, yet complex, relationship that is hard for an outsider to understand.
The Burkis are known in the FATA as being great Pushtun warriors whose ancestor, Bayazid Khan, fought a major insurgency against Emperor Akbar. They are considered hot tempered, yet intelligent and excellent negotiators/peace makers by fellow Pushtuns of the area. More importantly, they are considered as the armory of the Mahsuds due to their small arms cottage industry which, however, doesn't rival Darra Adam Khel's.
