I stumbled upon this photo of my great grandfather today. Although a tiny image that's faded and worn with time, the story of my tribe still burns alive within the traces of his face. In his eyes I see a history of poverty, struggles, dignity and kindness. When we were little, my cousins and I would lie on our cots at night and my grandfather would tell us stories of this man, his father. It was through those stories in the dark of the night I learnt about two big values that matter most to my tribe. Honor and Kindness. Not having enough to eat but sharing your meals with less fortunate,  opening the doors of your home to strangers, finding it a great honor to serve others and to speak kindly of others. I later discovered the extremes of these values and understood how cultures and tribes get stuck in unhealthy forms of belief. And the only way out is to recognize and remember who you truly are. In our work against "honor" killings, we don't tell tribes to let go of their beliefs, but to remember what truly makes them honorable. To me it has always been this culture of kindness and giving and the long prayer that my grandfather makes every night for the healing, health and happiness of the world and every single person in it. #PakistaniTribalwoman #pakistanstories #tribalcommunities #kinship