Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

PEOPLE

mats and baskets. The Kotas of the Nilgiris subsist on carpen- try, tool making and pottery. v Pastoral and cattle herders: The Todas of the Nilgiris in South India are a pastoral type, with the care of buffaloes and the duties connected with the dairy farm as their sole occupa- tion. Even their religion is centred on the buffalo. Other herders in South India are the Gollas, Kurubas and Lambadas. In west- ern India the cattle herders are the Bharwads and Rabaris of Gujarat. vi Folk artist type: Tribes whose main occupation is snake charming, singing and dancing, acrobatics, conjuring etc. The Kalbelas of Rajasthan (snake-charming, magic shows, singing and dancing), and' Dommaras of Andhra Pradesh (acrobatics ) fall in this category. vii Labourers: Agricultural and non-agricultural. Agricultural work is available in the locality itself. Non-agricultural work is available in the locality as well as distant places. Chotanagpur in Bihar is a well-known source of non-agricultural labour. The tribals of this area have been working in the tea gardens of Assam and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Santhals have been employed in the Bihar iron mines and industry. viii Traders : The Bhotiyas of Almora and Garhwal in Uttar Pradesh have close business contacts with the border areas of Tibet. They sell food materials, cosmetics and articles of daily use in exchange for goods like salt, borax, wool, sheep etc. The establishment of tea plantations in Assam provided larg- escale employment for tribals and put them into direct touch with the forces of modernisation. It also gave them settled employment and a break from subsistence living. The next stage was the opening of mines, coal, manganese and iron ores in the hitherto isolated tribal areas and the location of basic, large-scale modern industry in the central zone. These developments have accelerated the pace of assimilation and development for such of the tribals who have found employment in the plantations, mines and facto- ries. Social and Political Organisation We must generally know about social organisation of tribes in some detail. Anthropologists state that a tribe is an organisation of people who identify distinctly from others in terms of culture, language and other typical features with some degree of racial homogeneity and clan system. Kingship exercises greater influ- ence in family and community activities. The political unity of a tribe lies in drawing the kins together at larger levels of phratry and moiety. Law and religion are peculiar institutions, governing their life. Totemism describes their religious faith. On the whole a tribe is a peculiar system with distinctive features of culture, language and race. It is cut away from modern societies. Most of the tribes have a headman, generally hereditary in nature, who acts as the spokesman of the community in dealing with outsiders and who settles disputes. The headman is generally the eldest man of the dominant clan. In some of the bigger tribes like the Santhals, Bhils, Mundas etc there are two headmen each with his own field of interest and prescribed duties. Some tribes (the Mundas of Chotanagpur) elect their leader. Most tribes have a council of elders headed by the headman who settles disputes, takes decisions regarding ceremonies, agri- cultural schedules etc. The panchayat which consists of all the adult members of the village also settles disputes and serves to express

the common will of the village community. These institutions have overlapping functions and authority varying from situation to situ- ation. In the new democratic set-up in India, statutory panchayats based on elections have been created by the Government. These have eroded the powers of the tribal panchayat. There is a great variety of familial organisation. The Gaors and Khais, two of the most important tribes of the north-eastern region, are based on the matriarchal. Most others are patriarchal familial organisation. Forms of Marriage Monogamy, in which union takes place between a man and a woman, is the most prevalent form of marriage among the tribals. Marriage is generally of the permanent type. In certain tribes (the forest hunting tribes of South India viz. Irula, Kathunayakan, Korga of Kerala and Yandani of Andhra Pradesh) divorce and remarriage are common. Divorce could be on account of ill-treatment in the husband's home or because of barrenness on the part of the wife. Along with monogamy the most common form of marriage is polygamy. It has two major types. They are polygamy. Polygamy is a broad category implying multiple spouses. Specific types are discussed separately. Polygamy (one husband having many wives) has been adopted by the Nagas in the Himalayan region, Gonds and Baiga in middle India and the Uralis, Muthuvans, Kan- ikarras, Paliyans, Pulayas in south India. Polyandry (a number of men with a common wife) is practised by very few tribes. The practice is concentrated among the tribes of the central and north-eastern Himalayan region in the north and some tribes of the Nilgiri Hills and some other parts in the south. The Khasas of Dehra Dun and the Todas of the Nilgiri Hills although they generally practise monogamy now, practise fraternal polyandry to some extent. Among the Khasas when the eldest brother marries, his wife is also regarded as the wife of his younger brothers. There are eight ways of acquiring a mate among the tribes of India. They are: a) Probationary marriage; b) Marriage by capture; c) Marriage by trial; d) Marriage by purchase; e) Marriage by service; f) Marriage by exchange; g) Marriage by mutual consent and elopement and; h) Marriage by intrusion. Probationary marriage has been reported from among the Kukis. A young man may live with a girl in the latter’s house for some weeks at the end of which they may decide to marry if they find themselves to be compatible. Otherwise, they separate with the young man paying compensation in cash to the girl’s parents. Marriage by capture is prevalent among the Nagas and the Itos, the Gonds and the Bhils. Among the Gonds, simulated capture often takes place at the request of the girl’s parents in the case of girls who have remained unattached too long. The bride’s party makes a pretence of resistance when the bride is carried away. A mock fight takes place and the bride is expected to weep and lament. Besides physical and simulated capture, there is also ceremo- nial capture. Among the Kharias and the Birhors, a man desirous of marrying a woman will lie in wait for her in a public place or a fair and surprise her by applying vermilion mixed with oil to her fore- head. This is regarded as being tantamount to marriage. Some tribes require a young man to prove his courage and physical prowess before he can claim the hand of any girl in