~TVDY
CENSUS OF INDIA 1961
VOLUME XIII
PUNJAB
PART V (B) ( i )
[CHAMARS. KHATtKS, NATS, PERNAs. i ,. KOLIS OR KORIS, SIRKlBANDS, SIKLIGARS AND SAPELAS] ~ 1 Officer n Offi.:er VLA. "!!'- estig':ltor ., )
.. , LL.B. ldent of ryana
fi1cer. ncr:l1• India phil .. OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF ne-r
I'~ t·" I I-"'~'" " .._..._ , ./ ,I 'J",: I ..' ..,. . . . , '.1 I. : FOR W' 0 R D ..... _ . , 4'~ I j ',' ,; ,~.. ' i.~ ~~e"'c:n:ti tU't~ori' lays down th'lt 'IJth:~' ;~:~e~'~ . shall promote' wi th special c are the ,educational and economic in teT'es t of the we,aker sec t;i.ons of the people and in' par ticu18r' o( the "3c peduled CaS te:s. and Jcheduled Tribes and Shall proteet t~em from social injustice and all forms of exploi tEition. Il
To assist states in fulfilling their responsi bility in this regard, the 1961 census provided a series of special' tabulations of the social and economic data on Scheduled C:1stes and Scheduled Tribes.
The lists of 3cheduled C~$tes and Scheduled Tribes are notified bv the President under 'the Consi tut ion and the Parliament is empowered to include in or exclude from the lists, any caste or tribe. During the Census operations, the enumerators frequently face the problem of identifying the Scheduled C'stes and Scheduled Tribes. 1'1. the President! s notific atiori, though in~ S·Qn9' cases, the names of the sub-castes and sub-tribes and synonyms are given, there are many cases where such names have not been provided in the list. The Census enumera tors, therefore, require guidance about the acceptance or rejection of daims that they come across during the operp tions of Some communities to be treated as sub-castes or sub-tribes of the notified Sched1lled castes or Scheduled tribes. For this purpose, the Census Organisation has thought it wise to unde~take detailed ethnogr ahic studies in respect of Scheduled C "stes and Scheduled Tribes of I nc3.i a. This is also in conformi ty with the pas t Census tradition of presentj_ng authentic ethnographic account of Indian communities. For conducting the ethnographic' studies, a number of pncill:hry operations, are undertaken by the Social Studies Unit of the office of the Registrar General, India, as well as the staff of the Superintendents of Census Operations in the various Stgtes. These ancillary operations include: (i) compilation of available informa tion on each Scheduled Caster and Scheduled 'I'ribe and prep ar ation of bi bliogr aphy in respect of them; (ii) prep ar a tion and interpretqtion of mai)S showing d.istribution of Scheduled Cp,stes and Scheduled Tribes over time and space; and (iil) special studies on c-u:.tural, technologi,c al and economic chang es taking pI qce arno ng th e various tribq1 communi ties. Dr . .a.K.Roy Burman, Deputy Registrar General, India, Handicrafts and Social Studies Un! t assisted by She A.L.Kur.up and She N.G.Nag, Research Officers 1s co-ordi nat~dg all the studies a,t the Central level. At the State J_e7e:~ . Superintendent of Census Operatio'ns and his staff are collabo .. rating in conducting the field inv~stigation and preparing the reports. She J.L.A1~ora, H.C.S., Deputy Superintendent of Census Operations Haryana, supervised the studies at ,,:",P'" St,qte level. She J.R.VRshisthR, Tabul~~ion Officl=>r prepar(
( CONTD .•••... 2. ) / the dr afts X~RX for Chamars, Khatiks, N ats and P ernas, She G.D.S~ngla, TabulatLon Officer for Kalis or Koris, and She Kulbhushan Lakhanpal, Economic Investigator for Sirkiband: '3ikligars: andSpelas. I· .. avail of this opportunity to extend my w'arm thanks to all of my colleague$ Who have undertaken various' studies with differe,nt aSpects of the Scheduled Caste : and Scheduled Tri bes for .;India.' '
A. CHANDRA SEKHAR . REGIS'IRAR GENERAL,INDIA , , .
ULACHHMAN~
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. "As an aqjunct o'f 1961 CenSu~,., preparation of e:.thno- gr ap,hi.c··monogr cp hs on a numbe'r 0 f se~ected S~heduled Cas tes , Scheduled Tribes ,and ethnic groups W1 th s pecl al status and ethnogrcphic glossarie's on all Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tr ibe:> have be.en taken up by the Census Organisation. . • i ,. r ;~. • ' , .. ". In India. the census C?rganisation haS a long tradi t~on ef undertaking· ethnographic studies. .Besides, tbere are certaih'·reas'ons why, for its own op JrationaL.purposes, it is 'necesspry t:or t.he Census Organis3tion to ,t~e :up such studies. ',During census ,operation, the Census. organisati(?_n is required to make a complete enumerati'Qt'l of Sll'th~'Sqhedllled Castes and Scheduied Tr'ibes in the c·01.1htry. ' !he ethnogr aphic studies are required .to establish ~he identity of·.:thG various communi ties' including th'eir .SJegne nts.. 'The 50:ci.9.1· poundaries of v~riops cO.lJlmunities are hot· 'always rigid:, theyare in a state of. flux. E.thnographic studies' are, :requ.ir~d to k89p tr 3. ck o·f' thes.~ 'changes as well, c'bher\ll1se c~mp arIson of consecutive census figures would give altogether waJong picture 'in respect of them. There is another aspect of study in respect ,of Schedule.a Gaste~ and dcheduled Tribes in which t,h;~ ?ensus org~~s:atlon, as wal;t "as ,the welfare Rnd planning agencies are in~eres·ted.:.±± is! ethno-demography. In 1961 Census, sep 3I' ate' ·"tables 'were' prep ared in re spe ct of the Scheduled Caste.s: .,and SCheduled. Tribes on the following items:-
-; (1) industrial claS·sifi·cation of persons at work and. non-'workers. by s ex~ .' . . . , . (ii) age. and mari tcil statu~ ,.... ,
; (iii) educ ation:'_
(1 v} ~reli~ion', (v) ,persons not at ',work c·lassified by s ex and type 'of Rctivity for S'c~eduled Castes, . - ~ --, " :" ". l perso'n,s not .. Clt ,work class'tfied by sex and type of act':ivi ty for Scheduled' "TrIbes,
(vi1) mot~er . '8:>ngue . ~nd· biling\lalism' for Scheduled Tribes. , . - . t ; .! The data. available in: these tabl eS are to be analy sed in respect '6f' each. '~cheduled Gaste and SCheduled Tribe. so 'that the historical and.. cultural f actors responsible for the demogr'aphic pattern can q;e :L,deritifled 'and the impact of the emergent demog'i'a'phic pa-tt,?Tn ,ani _the:so'cial structure can be determined. . ,. . . .' , .The ·insight gained by the .Census organisRtion, through ethnograpplc' studied of the SChequled~C8stes and Sct.J.eduled Tribes will be. use,ful for 'interpretation e f the demo graphic pa~tern for the C"ountry as a whole. Racent studies'
, , ..... II • (CONTD ...... 2. ) . ,,' .. - - 2 ... to some accounts a contemporary of Kabir and like him a disciple of Ramanand and according· ··to "others. he lived in the time of Akbar. He is said ,.,w h~ve born at Henaras and complied certain books which "fl.re' held in reverence·; -'and he is quat ed in the lai G~,anth.' " .- ... Ramdasi and 'Ravidasi terms are loosely used 'lTith _" ... several different 'me'aning~. According to "Ibbetson, Ramdasi is most probably the corrupt~on of the word Ravidasi, and Ramdds is identified Hith Ravidas. Most of the S~kh Chamars style thems elves Ramdasis. ',It is generally explained that the fifth guru, Ramdas, first admitted chamars into Sikh community but this theory is untenable, and the marne was probably adopted because it dlosely resembled Raidas or Ravidas. Various legends are given about Ramdas or Ravidas. s~me of these are given below.
Ramdas was a des~endent of Chanu. His mother, Kalsia, ,,,as childless, "but one r'iay a faqir (mendicant) came to her and she gave him flour, In =eturn of Which he promised h.er a son. Oll his return, hj_s _~~Ell_ cross -questioned him, as he was unable to prono"'J.!1ce -I:;~le nama Parmeshwar and learning of his promis~ dBclared t~at as-nD son had been besto wed on Kalsia in her destiny. the .faqir must be born to her. So o.e was born as Ramdas? !~s 11is rlother was a Chamari (chamar female) he refused her breas~s, u~til his ~ru--bade him suck. One day when placed by his mother e.t e. spot where Ramanand used to pass, he was touched by that teacherts sandals, and when he cried out was told by him to be silent and repeat Ram, Ram~ Thus was s~pernatural power bestowed on him. 'Contrary'to the (hamar IS cus.lcoms Ramdas wore a i.§:g~ sounded ," a conch, and worshipped :.c.ols. :'l16 .Brahmans appealecf to the magist~ate, whereupon Ra~das cast the idols into a tank"but they returned to him, WD8reas thg Brahmans failed in a similar test. Again ~R:l'1£!r±x:k~:;;'E1Ra::;-\ cu·;~-t~ing his neck open Ramdas exhibited four janoo~(sac~oG ~~rG~d) or. gold~ 3ilver, copper and thread, typical of the fo~r .'!ugg. '::'hene8fo·.'th he vias I known as a famout bh~g!!~.!... ' Most of the Ramdasi ChC',mars have -abandoned leather work, for the loom and arc ri:nor.VD. Q:J Bona Buna or Bunia, a0d'
, they are ~argely founu in IJudhiana, and Patiala Distri,cts. e' Chamars are also variously styled as Dhed or Dherh, Golia, Rahtia,. 'etc., the terms appli8d to' any low fellow. The term Chura-Chamar is often used to deno.te the group formed by ,two castes, just as Mochi-Julaha is used, ~ut it does not ' imply that the two are identical ... ILl Slrsa, a Chamar is called Meghwal as a compliment. The Mog~1wal claim dE?scen"t~from, ' Meghrikh who was created by Narai!1, In His'sar, District the principal sub-caste of Chamar.s is Ghandor, '''hich is said to trace its origin from Benara.3 and :... ts members do not tan leaving that to the Chamrc..ngs and Khatiks e,nd working only·, in prepared leather.
II GOO GR.1PHICAL DISTRIIi11..tLOlL... @'D £gPP"J-lll.TION TRENDSJ.-
Chamars are fonr..d ti.1.roughout India. In Punjab" ~he) are chiefly concentratec in .ilmbala (107,555), Sang,rur (171, +41),
(C1rrw.. • ~ " ••• ~ • eo. 3., ) - 3 Ludhiana (i~7i' 196) J. Hissar (145~ 943), Karnal '(126 176) Gurgaon (123 '/32), patiala (122 496), Rohtak (:ill21, '124) ; Kangra (79,373~1 ~hatinda (75;4~4), .Ferozepur (57,434) Gurdaspur (54,4~7), H6shi~rpur (52,145), and MahendragJrh (50,4~3) Districts.' Their populat10n is low in Jullundur (35,168), Amritsar (11,542), Simla (8,819), Kapurthala (5,772) and Lahaul, & Spi ti (10) .,Districts. III AQE & SEX DISTRIBUTION:- .....The following table shows- age and s exwis e distribution of dham~rs as per 1961.
AGB .... GmUp 0-14 ~ilk5-44 - 45 + Age not Total stated
Males 387,419 330,850 137,655 318 " 856~242 Females' 343,834 296,426 99·270 258 739,798 Total 731,263 627,276 236~925 576 1,596,030
Rural and Urban distri bU:~.. lZ!H '7 • • .~ -:._. , , . , Ninety-one percent Chamar population lives in rural areas, and only nine percent in towns and cities. This would be clear from the table given billow. ' :.-.'.: .,- Persons Males Females Percentage. Rural -.1,.451, 771 776,330 91 Urb~n 144,259 79,912 9
IV FAMILY,CL~KINSHIP AND OTHER 'ANALOGUS DIVr_gIONS;- A chamar family has patrilineal descent and patrilocal resid-ence. The authority and pos i tion of the head at the household is the main factor responshble for succes sful functioning of the j Qint fa.mily syst em. If he cannot roconcile divergent inter~3ts in the household, the members fall apart and the j oint, family dj,sintegrates, successively into intermediat e arid simple families • Paucity of a'ccommodation and petty quarre.ls among women usually re sult in the breaking up of joint 'familiese Simila~ly, a father finding fiis son to be an economic burden or vice versa, sets up a separate home for him. Simple family,a couple liyes with unmarried qhild_l'en; an intermediate family is composed of a couple living With unmarried brothers, sis- ,ters and one of the parents; and the 'joint family conslsts of a number of couples living together. \ The averatg'e size of a chamar family is 4 to 6 mem bers. Out of 160 Chamar families surveyed fn different
,( CO ~D •••••• '" 4 .. ) ... 4 - vil1ages of ~uD.jab, 2 had a single member 20 had 2 to 3 members 71 had 4-6 members, 51 had 7"f19 members 'and only 16 had at least 10 member.s each. ·The gots or sections of Chamars are numerous and some. of them are large. Ibbetson has count ed the foliowing important gots of Chamars in Punja.b: JEahlIlLiJ.ia, Chauhaq, Bhatti, Badhane Bains, Batoi, Ghameri, Hir,.. Jal, Kathana, Mahmi, Phundwai , Sindhu. .
The following Eots (exa~amous units) were reported during the field investigatrDns by the respondents from different villages of Punjab:- (1) Chauhan, (2) Bhourniya (3) Kaliya (4) Khichi (5) Dhairia (6)Garo (7) SUmerwal (8) gahmniya (9) Kharia (10) Katariya (J,.1) Mehra (12) Barupal·· (13) ·seewal (14) Tobar ~Hx:kXRR (15) Hailote (16) Bangar (17) Karanhe (18) Panv!ar (19) Bains (20) Jassal (21) Garang (22):Bhasri (23) Hanse (24) Mal~o~re (25) Bhattiwal. '4_V DWELLI NG; 1IJRESS ,ORNAMENTS-. -FOOD AND_Q_THBILMATERr AL_ OBJECTS DISTINCTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY:-
DWELLING:- The abodes of Chamars are mostly of adobe bricks, consisting of'one to three rooms~ The roof is either thatched and slanting side"vays 01' made of beams or wooden logs a'nd rafters overlaid'wi th sarkanda X2RN:r:~' . ~ ,~ .:'_- ": and ea~th, respectively and in that case it ~is flat in shape o In case the' household is engaged in shoo-making, the front room is generally used as a' place of work while the o'cher rooms are 'us'ed' for residential purposes.. There is 'no pro'vision for latrines and bath in such houses. Separate kitchens and cattle 'sheds' are sometimes provided: otherwis-e a 'portion of the courtyard adj ointm.g front:'_s p:t~ce is enclos ed by a four feet, high thin mud wall to cook meals there during the fair weather and inside the house 'when it rat.ns!; and cattle e1'3 st'alled in the back toom of the house. The f:'ooring is '~achcha and periodically coated with a liquid of mud and dung. The houses do not pro~nde any ventilators , though windows can be oocaSioqally seen. In case of thatched . '" - hou~es, the .rooms ,lie apart though, quite close to each other-" ~ 1 '.' 'I •
", ': ,.~: L, ," ,The GOvernment Depa:rtment for Harij an ,.velfare has ". "aiaed the construction of pucca houses in recent years and some 'of the Chamars have been benefited. The well-to-do cha mars'have also buiit' pucca houses of t~eir own with lintel:roofs or those consisting of wooden beams, rafters and tiles pasted with cement. ' , --DRESS: - A kamiz or shirt worn over a s'leeveless t}:att vest constitutes the upper garment of males. The 10'lver gar ments'consist of a pyjama, loose trousers, with a kachhjL or shott drawers worn underneath. Turban is the common head goal'r Males at work put only a vest and an unde~unr as this is the
(CO NTD •••••• 5.) 5 most comfortable and convenient dress for field workers. Jumper, a full sleeved shirt extending down to the knees and having a button nea~ the neck, worn over band~ a sleeveless and bmttonless short shirt, is the upper garment of Chamar \voman. Salwar is the lower garment and chunni or dopatta (scarf) is the common headwear. Elderly males and females generally ''lear clothes of hand spun cotton yarn while the young persons wear poplin, silk and pat~ a c~th having a coloured lining. Females wash their clothes more frequently than males. The clothes '.vorn by elderly persons are generally \vorn out and dotted with patches. Newly married women generally wear comparati vely clean dresses. On festivals and marriages women dress up gaudily, red being their favourite colour. Men attending a marriago wear a startched muslin turban, a new shirt and a white or coloured chadra. . During \\Tinter season, a woollen sweater is generally worn over the shirt to prevent the chill though some persons also possess warm coats made of patti cloth. Males often wrap themselves in a Chadar or ~es~. ORNAMENTS: -
ornaments are purchased at the time of marri~ages only and generally the sa~e set of ornaments is successively us.ed at marriages af a number of sons. In maNY cases orna ments have to be disposed of to pay old debts or to purchase s orne articles of necess i ty. Hales \ wear fe,,, ornaments 1i ke a gold ehhap (finger~ring), ka~~ (iron bangle), and a t avi t gold or silver amulet) ·worn rou'1d' th8 1J1ceps or the nect:k. Some old persons wear mundran (gold ear-rings) .. In daily life women wear balian or ~~nte (ear-rings of gold or silver) teeli or koka_~gold nose pin~ Women also wear round their necks tavits (amulets) made of silver) Another amulet made of silver or l.ron b:.mds ,,,orn by women is ca:llec~ . ~in£_tavit. These are given by faithcurers to women to be wom at the time of marriages as a protection against the evil in- fluences of ghosts and spiri ts ~ Similarly, necklaces of coins and beads stringed together are put round the neck of ~ildren to guard them against the witches. At the time of marriage a bride gets some gold and silver ornaments from her parents as well as from her father-in-law. Gussal patti is a silver ornament worn round the ankles and presented to the bride by the father of the bride-groom~ The ornament is not used in daily life. Ghari Choori (silver bapgles) is presented to a bride at the time of marriage. The brld·e must wear phuls conical gold or silver ornaments) worn on either side of t1i91i(7ad sent to her by her father-in-law at the time of betrot.hal. Dh~"lJ. ' a betel leaf shaped gold ornameht sL:spended at the breast -- with the help of a black thread~ haarr (a si.lver necklg.ce), glass bangles and chhap are the other ornaments worn by women. FOOD AND DRINKS:- The staple food of Chamars during summer is wheat and gram, while in winter it is maize, jowar and bajra.
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The statement at annexene A revea~ that Chamars especially females are largely illiterate. Only 29 percent' males in urban areas and 17 percent fn rural araas are Iiter ate. The corresponding figures for females are 6 percent and 2 percent, respectively_ VIlli ECONOMIC LlFE;- Chamars make and mend shoes, thongs for the cart, and whips and other leather work, and above all they do an immense deal of hard work in the fields as agricultural labourers and tenants. The Sikh Chamars have taken to weaving.' They no longer do the begar as ~~·d:Vit1~~·~·p ast. ; .. ~(~~~ also found in Military and other Governm,ent services 0
1al The ~~~~ classification of the chamars of the state according to 1961 census is as fo110ws:- oeeupat10nal cate- RUral Urban 19ories. M F M F
As cultivator 1,24,163 54,778 2,571 520 As agricultural labourer 1,24,213 19,533 3;304 404 In Minning 6,516 854 735 97 At Household industry 71,537 1~,596 8,7?9 1,526 In Manufacturing , . other than house- 14,272' 2,163 10,939 526 hold industry In constnuction 7,201 558 2,501 211 In trade and commerce 2,895 116 1,522 188 Transport, storage and communications 3,045 13 2,424 28 I Other services 6a,218 7,742 8 911... 2 748 Non-workers 3,60,270 5, 74,088 3~,226 60,099 Tanning and currying hides 6','860 1,212 ' 1,437 91 and skins . Scavenging 277- 141 74 14
In 1961, in the rural areas, out of 776 330 males and 675,441 females, 416,060 males ('54 percent .) and .101,353 femal·e;:; (15 percent) were. workers. funong the workers, 124,163 males and 54,778 females were cultivators, 124.,213 males and 19,533 females were agricultural labourers, and 6 516 males and 854 females were in mining quarrying livestock, forestry, etc. There were 71,5~7 males and 15 596 females ·at household industry and 14,272 males and 22 :i63 females in non-ho"11S ehold industry. . Construction employ eU 7 201 males and 558 females; Trade and Commerce a'bsorbed 2 ,89~ ma.;t.es and 116 females; ,Transport, storage and Communica tion .gave, work to 3,045'. males and 13 females; while other (CO NTD ••••••••• 8. ) \
- 8 services employed 62,218 males .and 7,742 females. Among .all the rural workers, 6,860 males and 1 212 females were actively engaged in tanning and currying of hides apd skins; and 277 males and 141 females in scavenging.
Similarly, in ~ban area~, out of 79 912 males and 64;347 females ,. 41,686 males (52 percent) and 4 ~48 females (7 per cent) were workers •. !1lIlong the '>'1orkers, 2,571 males and 520 females were cultivators 3,304 males 'and 404 females agrlcultural labourers and 7;;51 males and 91 femalEjs'in 'mining-;' ·quarrying, Ii vest6ck, forestry, etc: Household industry e~plpyed 8 779' males and 1,526 females, and non housenold industry iO,939 males and 526 females. There were 2,501 males and 211 females in Construction; 1,522 males and 188 females in Trade ~nd Commerce; 2 424 males and '28 females 'in Transport, Storage and communication and 8,911 males and 748 females in other services. Among all the urban Workers, 1,437 males and 91 females were engaged in the special.o.ccupation of tanning and currying of hides ...- and skins and 74 males and 1.4 females in scavenging. The above statemelliits reveal that while in the rural areas a great majority of them is engaged in agriculture and househoi d industry, in urban areas, their avenues of income are household as well as non-household industry and oth.er services.
;U_LI FE CYCLE: - .
~EFS~_PHACTICES QQ.NNECTED WI;.TH BIRTH: - . Conception they believe, is controlled not by man but by God and fakes- place when the husband and the :,:n::x; wife achieve orgasm si-multaneously. When a woman starts missing her regular menstrual cyc1e$ and deve10pes .. nausea, she is believed to have become pregnant 0 Pregnancy is confirmed in the third month when the face of the expec tant mother becomes pallid. During the first two months of pregnancy ~he avoids walking over uneven surfaces and carrying heavy loads to prevent abortion. A pre gnant woman is not allowed to expose her person to th~ eclipsed sun, eat food from a house affected by ceremonial pollution and visit haunted places lest the foetus-should be deformed,. Expectant mothers generally che~ different types of earth such as gachni and chalk-pe~8ils ~ Delivery is expected to take place during or at the end of the ninth m~tbof pregnancy. I~ the time of delivery approaches).§ne' attends only to light work to repuce strain. ..:1 midwife, ge:nerally of chamar caste, manipulates delivery •. Should the delivery be difficult) the midwife gen~ly massages·the belly of the expantant mother and a±so gives her gruel of dry grapes, aniseed and dry ginger. he umbilical cord is cut '>1i th a sickle and is buried under ground near the bed of the mother. The baby is hathed and a drop of honey or sweet water is put into its mouth. For a day
(' CO NTD • • • • • • • • 9 .; ) ... 9 or two following birth, the infant is given ~nam-ghutt~ a solution of ~wain and sauq!~ On the second or the ~hird day, a virgin purs-5ome khabal grass in the,water contained in a mug and washes the mother's breasts with It. She gets one rupee, Then-the infant is made to suck malk from its motherrs, breast. For some days following del3.. very the woman in con finement takes hot milk treated with ~e~ She is also given dabra to recoup her health. Dabra consists of a number of indigenous substances having medicinal value, E=hee b wheat-fl- our/ j aggery. _ ' On the 5th or ,7th day following delivery, the mother takes her bath and prepares karah dish which lS distributed in the name of the Guru-ane-ancestors. After this she resumes her normal "(.V'ork. -G~l:'effienial p'oHutiOlt ~awtj~ (water diety) is worshipped by offering porrid~ge oblm. ions which are also offered to fiJ1O: burnt near a lJell, Porridge is also distributed amon~ child~eh. For about a year, the infant is fed mainly on its mother's breast. During the third year, the child is put on light diet. In case the mother be ill or sutfering from some infectious disease. the infant lS spoon fea on a CO\oJ'l,S t buffalo 's or goat ~s milk from the very 'b"eginning. In order to wean away Na a child, the mother applies rasont. to her breast. The body of a weak chile is massaged 'Wi th ghee. Whenever a child suffers fro~ 5hank. i.e. he gets frightend, the mother moves 5 tr 7 cfii:~ies over his head and throws them into the fire. Ii' the pungetJ:'.:; smell of the burning chillies does not temporarily induce couSh, the child ±X is believed too be possessed by E... fpost and in tr.Lat case a fai th curer is chlled. If n .ellj 1,(1 gOGS OL1 c:~yinG and appears to be in pain, 5 or 7 small chapatis of i-.rbeat-flour are baked on an iron-girdle on griO si3e, :'lade,. ~G touch by the child and fed to a black dOG. 1'his r::1.tuj,l,-:tt is bolieveg, relieves-the pain of th8 child~ :t is considered a good omen if the ~hild cuts teeth in tLe 10".ver jail! first. If, however, he cuts tetdth in tho Uppe~ ja"Vi"f::i.rst, it is considered a bad omen adv8rsely affect~ng the inRterests of the maternal unc1e Who is, therefore, called to perfomm some magic rites. The mother with her child goes o.nd sits at the boundary of the villRge. The ID9.ternal uncle approaches them but does not talk with ~is sister. He t.ouches the teeth of the child seven times '\.oJ'ith seven pice coins which are put in a metal cup one after the other. The me-l,:;al cup containing the coins is thon buried under ground. The mother and the child come back home, and the mat ernaI undiee returns to his village. yet another precaution taken to immunisj3 the child to the influence of evil spirits, is to make fuim wea~ an amulet and an iron bangle. Barren women gene::ally perform -Goonas to become fertile. It is believed by some J:;hat j.f Q b.u:ren: ~,,,omen removes a lock of hair from ";;he hsad of a child whose tonsure ceremony has not yet been performed and takes bath over it, th(:J child dies and his soul migratos to her womb and she is later on blessed with a son. Barren ,..reman' frequently consult the
( ,CO NTD ••••••••• 10 • ) / 10 f~itw;:curers who advise them to got: to the cremation ground, wlthout being observed by an~body. They must carry back St::lme ashes from there and mix it in kheer which is to be fed to a bachelor. It is believed that the boy who takes this kheer dies and the woman who ~erformed the too~gives birth to a son. Barr~n women are always looked down upon with suspi cion and children are not allowed to visit their homes especially on the Di\~li Da~ when they are believed to be particularly susceptible to the evil effects of toona. Similarly, a new born baby is protected from a gaze of a barren woman lest he should die. ~ still birtns and infant deaths are attributed to toonas performed by issueless women. It is believed that Ir-a pregnant women happens to step over the charmed articles of toon?! the child in her womb dies. Similarly, an infant may die if he happens to pass over the toona. ~gain, if a pregnant woman happens to pass close to a haunted place she is believed to be struck by a witch and her pregnancy ends in a still birth.
Marriage~ustoms:-
The practice of early betrothal wa~ a common feature of the chamar community in the past. It was 10 years for males and 7 years for females. :'l"ovl boys and, girls are mostly betrothed at the age of 14 and 10 years, respecti vely. The age for ~ marriage is about 18 years for boys and 14 to 16 years for girls.' The 1961 census data shows that out of 387,419 males' and 343,834 females only 4,563 males and 14,126 females were found to be married in age group 0-14 years. The marriago may be solemnised earlier but the muklawa (consumation) ceremony takes plnce after the attainment of puberty.
Chamars constitu~e an endogamous caste and avoid alliance mm in the gotra of father, mother q grand-mother and grand mat., grana mother" Monogamy is the only form of marriage. Widow remarriage is approved. Both senior levirate and, junior levirate' are allowed among Chamars.t.e: ntaPl."'y" t-}:re 7Mew of the deceased brother-; '/i Chamar family is always anxious to retain ,the wido,., in their own house. Widow memarriage takes place according to the ceremony known as karewa. The brotherhood is assembled and in their .. presence a scarf or a chadar is put on the widow and her new husband, who are seated together. The new husband serves the £h~, a community meal, to the bradri (brother hood). Sometimes even these rituals are not performed, though the community frowns upon a 'l.vidow remarria ge without karewa! Men cannot afford to 'di vorce their wives, firstly, because the latter greatly augment family income by contributing labour and secondly, because tho former does not generally hav'e enough money to contract a second marriage. 11isunder standings and dissenttons between the couple are generally resolved through tho good· offices of the community'panchflyat.
( CONTD ••••••• 11. ) - - If, however, both are 'willing to s eparat e, t-he wife goes to stay with her parents and later on takes another husband while the husband is free to take a new wife. It would seem that the w1she~ of the wife have greater importance than those of her husband, because there is/remedy against her ~~p refusal to live with him. ~
MARRIAGE CEREMONIES~- The betrothal ceremony known as mangna is performed on an auspicious day. TJge father and relatives of the girl visit the' house of the boy apply' a tilEk to his forehead and give him some money. Shakkar is distributed among the relatives and bradari present on the occasion. The parents ,9+ the boy send·to~he girl some presents consisting of fivG seers of ladd~, 'a suit of clothes consisting of a chunni, ·jum~er and sal var, a pair of sandals and a suhag patiari containing mehandi~ parandi " ncHIl.-po11sh, Iux :j toiIet soap, bE looking glass, com, datan~ antimony, surkhi and a pair of silver phuls.
The ~eremony following man&na is known as the sending of a saba chithi by the girl's parents. The letter contabing marriage daEe' and timing is sent alongwith five kilos of shakkar through the intermediary to the boy's father on an appointed day. Shakkar is distributed among the mem-bers of the community. A piece of mauli (sacred red thread) containing somec01ns, shells and an iron ring are tied round the r1 ght wrist of the boy. For some days preceding the marriage day, the body of the bride as well as that of the bridegroom is cleansed fi V9 and s.even times, respecti vely with an ab~t~rgent called £atn~
Before the departu.re of the marriage party to to· bridels vfllage, the bridegroom is dressed in clothes ), brought .by hi.s maternal uncle. T.he dress includes a turban, tl- a vest a.PY'jama, a kachha' (underwear) and a sehra (",edding I • ass embied bradarl, relatives and friends give to the bride-"-') groom neondah or salami which consists of a present of one or -two rupeas and· a piece of cloth tyro yards long. The communi ty is served a m~al known ,.s brahmbho,i. The bride groom is conducted by women to a well. They put ~Didge and )0 ~BRX incense over live charcoals placed near-lhe \ , ,well and .. the bridegroom pays obe:J_sance. there. The parents of the ,bridegroom carry with them suits of clothes known as vari and sub'at; patiari:, 'ito . p,e pr~sent ed to the bride. They also carry some· ornaments •. 'The bridegroom carrying a sword in his hand takes his seat i~ a bullock cart and the marriage party conSisting of about 40 persons leaves for the village of the bride. ", On arrival, the marriage party is accommodated in a dera and is 'served refreshment~. The go-between offers one, ·:r;upee and 'some shak~to the bridegroom on behalf of the brid'e'! s parents. The brlde groom's father sends vari and ornaments through the go-betvleen 'flho put's these articles in t~e lap of the bride.' Before the actual marriage ,. the red
( CO NTD~•• ; •••••• 12 • ) ... 12
cloth wrapped roun1 the tirido is tied to the £~rna of the bridegroom. Pheras, (C-i,r OU}!l,ambul at ions ) genera:rry:-take plac2 at about 4.00 a.m. The brid~ takes a bath before the ~eras but the bridegroom need ~ot do so. A vedl is set up ana a chaunk is traced on the, ground. Mango wood is burnt. Samt~_ consisting of ·~akkar ,. ghee s esarn&:, and barely is collect~oo. The father and maternal unG i e of t e bridegroom as well as the bride throw §amagri'into the fire ahd the caste-priest presides. The' father of the bride p'eri'orrns', kan.yadan. The relati ves of the bride put a pi'ce or two irit-o' a garBY!, (metal, bowl)' which is passed round and the money is claimed by the caste priest. Besides, he is paid Rsl,.':.25 by each party. Then the bride's mother offers salami to her son-in-law by gi\~ng him a two:..yard long piece of cloth, one rupee and a lump of ~ At the following meal, the bride's father presents. to the bridegrbom's father one rupee and a chadra as milni. At; the farewell ceremo_ny .!!hat 'consisting of suits of clothes, utensils, ornal]lents and cash varying between Rs.21 and Rs.IOI are' exhi bit ed before the bradari. The mother-in-law offers salami to the bridegroom.---Her maternal uncle ~uts the oriae in the ~llock cart and the two ~ams (fathers of bride , , and bridegroom) embrace each other and exchange cloves and car , damom...... - " When the"marriage party returns home, the mother of the bridegroom accompanied by other 'women receives the couple. She lights an earthen lamp having four wicks in a platter 'and ,carries some sugar and waves it round their faces thrico. Similarly) a rupee coin .is pas'~ed over their heads and given to a virgnn. The sisters do not allovthe bridegroom to enter the house unless he pays- a ru:pee to-.. each one of them. The 'next morning, tho couple i~ taken out for a ceremony kno1.vI!. as ,chhatian khelna. (Ficus religio1lllsa..tree).' They gently beat each .. other with mulberry, sticks. Pipal and a well are then worshipped. Returning home, the cou~le is given a test by putting a one-ruppe coin and 25 paise co;i.n in a I2rat (brass-tray) containing turmerEc solu~i6n and silver bangles. They conpete with each other in picking up the rupee' coin. There is a lot of amusement. The rupee and four anna coins are then made over to some virgins. Tho muklawa ceremony after which the couple settles down to a regular married life takes place generally when the qoy is 18 and the 'girl i~. 16 years old. '
BELIEFS AND PRACTI CES CO-NNECTED 'WI TH....QEATH : -
, Chamars firmly believe that '3. woman dying in her confinement gets transfo,rmed into a churel (evil spi~. Altl ... Barren women are also believed to be wande~ing as evil spiri{s aft er death. Chamars crGmat e their dead except children below the age of 8 years who are burmed. The corpse is bathed and wrapped in new clothes and placed over a bier made of EmE bamboo poles. A silver coiq, 'is pu,:t iqto the mo~th of the dead person. ;h person dying· late· in the "e~ni-ng is ,cremated the ,:,;n'Jxt morning. .A small round ball of bar1.~ flOUT own as ind T.~ s ro en near. he ea of the corpse by the relat· eo' e deceased.. ' t. , . 1s pl'aced ·on t.he ground before li.f~~0:g.,_ the l?ier -. \If c -s carri e d by' four persons e, The _b__r__adari .eJi1id:ioQ.~cl:(L"1:es: J$ t he fm:;_er al procession .. ' Half w-ay to t;fie cremation grC?und, thi:l bler 1s placed on the ground, offered' a Dind . to the accomp animent o-? recl tation of holy sermons by the priest. The pall-bearers known as kandhis 1n ter change posi tions. A pi tcher full of water./'f\ ... 13
A pyre of wood- is prepared at the cremation ground. Every person consider(s it his religious duty to place at # least one log of wood to the pyre. The oorpse is then placed on it with the head pointing to the. 'north and the feet to the south. .1fter the corpse has been largely consumed by fire, ~he son or the brother of the deceased performs kapal kriya_by striking the skull of the corpse thrice with a bamboo pole. They believe that the s-oul or the breath of the dead remains locked up in the skull and must be freed by breaking the skull. The moment a person dies in a hous.e all the earthen vessels are empt.ied of water and are refilled only after his cremation. TIle persons carrying the bier sleep on the grourufor two days. On the third day they a re fed 'on rice. The bones and ashes of the dead personoc are co~lected by his near relatives and placed in a red coloured small bag away from the house. They are later on consigned alongwith some coins to the waters of a river. An earthen lamp is kept burning at the place of death during the following nine nights.. On t'he tenth day, dasahi ceremony is perfor·med. by men and women taking bath and washing their clothes at a ¥ell or stream and feeding vi~gins and the caste-priest. Mourning at the death of a man and a woman continues in the house for 16 and 13 days. respecti vely. Relatives visit and offer condolence. Women perform siaE..§! by 'ltTeaping and beating their breasts rythmically when one of them announces loudly some words complimentary to the dead person.' The terah 'ceremony of a dead woman takes p1ac~~ on the ~3th day following her death. The caste-priest is invited to place 13 pitchers and perform some worship. water is then offered at a tree. The chargi is served meals and offer ed rtxaocUMU sehja consisting of art-j ('le,s l_1sed by the deceased, clothes worn' by her and a few utt.lnsils. A solah cere mony on ~he death of a male is similarly performed on-rhe-- 16th day and marks the ·edd of ceremonial pollution.
X BELl mON:-
Chamars are both Hind~s and Sikhs, The statement given below shows the religious distribution of Chamars in rural and urban areas as per 1961 census ',' Total Hindus Sikhs. Persons Males Fema:----Males Females Males 'l<'enales. <:-- ,;... . .:-. les • L 128.470 1,,*51,771 776,~30 675,441 624,871 546,971 151,459 J
1 144,259 79,912 64,347 64,486 52 ,409 15,426 11,938 The main deity of Chamars is saint Ravidas, The legends about him have been discussed in detail in the first Chapter. A proceSSion is taken out on the birthd~ of Ravidas" and bha~an§. eulogizing his life and teachings are sung. Chamars also havG faith and worship the 'major Hindu gods and goddesses £.nd the local deities and pirs. The Sik..."l Chamars, besides Ravidas, ~ (CONTD •••••.•. 14. ) ~y homage to the Sikh ~s and celebrate gurparbs. They do not make sacrifices of ammals :Bor pleasing a deity. • XI .. INTER-COMMUNI TY RELATIONSHIP:-
Chamars stand f~r above the Churas in caste hierarchy. They do not render any be~~ now to the land owners. At marriages~ they are served by pr~ests of their own caste and usually have their separate drinking wells, mhey. can draw water from a common well, visit the temple fur gurdwar~ take food and drinks from a dhaba in the same uten sils which~e offered to the cleancastes, and can sit close to a cleansaste person in a religious congregation, cinema show, pus or train. XII. STRUCTURE OF SOCIi'lL CONTROL, PRESTIGE AND LEADERSHIP:- Chamars have their mvu Community Panchayat under the aegis of which they settle their intra-family and inter family disputes. The community panchayat is a voluntary organisation aiming at regulating the social life of Chamars. It has UEE neitherany elected office bearers nor any political economic or religious programme. No record is kept of its activities. It derives its authority from the unanimous support of the members who believe in settling their disputes with the help of elederly persons instead of fighting them out in law-courts. Theoretically, every person in a village is a member of the caste panc~ayat but actually the number of active members is small. he jurisdiction of the panchayat does not extend to any definite area. It varies accormng to the nature of the dispute and the villages invo~ved in it. Broadly speaking, the main, functions of the community panchayat is to preserve social norms and safeguard the interests of the community. On marriages, the presence of important members of the community panchayat is essential. The community panchayat also I?E~ibes the patt·ern of behaviour of the brotherhood like interdinning and intersmoking with the other communities.
li.CHHMAN II
. '" ''''/ ~-- 1, I" I'I". _,.-'f~f'I'" ~ "--- /"[, it ' <41' , ...... "" ---....___ I I, . II, 1,1('",:, '~I. ~ ~ ! If'" •• l ~ ...... • i I... "[I! Ie 1. Name i ~denti ty, OlQ,ln & Hlst ory. ' ...... ~ .. ,' ,': ('{jlfJ't.'th'i* . ~.--.. . . . ·J.\bati:b..~e t;~ .am) The oriGin of the c:=tste "is obscure. ~.ccording to same members of the caste 1n Rissnr. District, KhRtik is a corruption of "khal - tlilk" "m1ch' ileans to improve tho skin by t anni'1g and hEiIng. ICCOrd!ne to another version at Kalka in Ambala District· thoy 1t/ere ~alled khRtlks becau:se '_Khat being butchers, :they proJuced the.-soundL-KhA.'i-.t._1Ibile cutting the meat into small pi~ces. ~oth these exp anat10ns refer to Khatiks as... an ... occupational r::n.ste. "Brahma, they say, ass! goed to thel!1 a goat "s skin ·the bark qf_ t.rees and lac so they grnze cattle dye the skins of r,onts·· ~nd deer find tan hides t.,rith bark and lac" (Ros,C Glossnr'r , Vol. II,. P500)! !!~istribution and popu!atlon trend • . . '-~"- .... ;; .... Distribution: Khatiks. are found in Punj a1), uttar "Pradesh, Madhya Prad..esh,. Raj asthan, Mahar as ht ra. , Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. As per 1961-Ce-nsus, in PUnj ab, 't hey· are found l~rgely in Gurgaori (3,481)., His~ar (3,341), Amba1a (2,853), Rohtar (2,718), Mahendragarh (2,558), Karnal(2,141), Ferozeour (1,978) and Bhatinda (954) .Dist~icts .• Population trend: The popUlation of Ehatiks in Punjab .' during the .. last sJ-x Censuses (19~1-1961)' is given below·:- Year of· Census Persons. Males 'Females' Percentage· .~ Decade VRriation, ,Ii • : *1911 14,606 7 C61 . 6,645 .'. , 8' 362 • • "'1921, " 15,557 , 7,195' .. (+) '6.5 n931 N.A. N.A. N.A.· ;. . . • • 1941 N.A. N.il. N .A •. • • 1951 I . . , N.A. N.A. N.li.: '. • • ~ : .1961. ' 21,998 :. .11,370 10,.628 .~ 1" C+) 41.4 • ! . J .. ; . >It includes Muslim Khatiks a].so. ; , .' :' The populat1.on of Khatiks has increased by 50.6 percent during :the last 50 years between 1911 and 1961. The incr·ease. 'is Phenomina.l in view of the' fact thRt a. lRrge majority of ,Khatiks 'in 191 i and .1921 were of Muslims who have mig'ratecl to Pakistan after partition. Sex-ral:to.- :The sex ratio of, IGiatiks has 'regist'ered 11 marked increase from 835 in'1911 to 860 'in 1921 and to 935 in 1961 • . In rural areas, the sex-ratio' is· as high as 994 while in urban' areas, it is 897. ( CaNTD •••••• 2 .. ) 2"" • .' 1'" i,." .~:~; -"': "':."r..:: r ~ ,~ .. :r. '.l\:''' .~. • "-;~.' ::.. : ',. }";' .; I .Age- group$ t ".. ' Th'51, ta::Pl~ gi ven, be~L~Jil .:shm-lS· tl).e" age. and s,ex alst;ri but~on of.i Kha:tii.'ks·: in-. 196~.' ~ :,:~. _. . . ;-,.::,j. ,.. ;" .,.,' .",.. . ~: j. :!' '. :t;- 1 ) ....: " ! r'; 45 and above age grlDup L' '''-:'-(-"Age [.Lot stated M F. . M F. 1,SS07"i'~: 1, 19{?:'-,.. ',': :',: ,:' '.':1 ,6., . 12.' ;.. : :·i J' :~~-. t~:: :"! ~.. i't 'J " .,:. f .. . it.; J :.. • :~' .'''." ~ .. ~. It wouldl b:e,·obse:tNed,.:fro_Ip.;_;t.he above table that about ~~p-ercent :personS are. 'cffiareOl;'6elow 15 yearSr,' 39': - pel.'cent are in the acti(vG age-gr'O\lP 1'5';'44· years: :anCUthei:t.emain~ .&ng ';13 p~r.Cent are ptiddle,..aged and old, persons or,"45 years and ab,ov,e,tage'.-J.·,:.<;·'·,,· ",.~""., ".:,!" .', i .. J • ' .!' "'!:""([' ""fi'f"' ¥.~~'.' ,f": ;';.1 ,"., 1. ' ''':', r:1 .J. Ruial.,'and·,,:~rba~·'::Distribut1on.:, :"", , About 60 ·percent : Kb.atiks :,~~ -IIVe",ihg·ur. -iin~~:a.rfla.s ~~arld: 40 'p'~rqen~' in·:ru.ra:l 'a:ceas.. ' . .' .,..) ...):~ ~ 2. i .. .f ~,~.: I" "'. ;~:'.. :) ~ ~:~\ .r· '. " .'~ ... ~ .. : '. " _Persons Males; _Females j ' .. • (.:~ ~ "i it.. :' 1::.: .;.. :." '~:r" :'f t: ftC L :or:!.' ~ Rural, 8,923 --_·_··4.;476··· ..·-- -~.---...... -.... - il; 447-" . ~Trban:-i3,075· .. ,';: 8,,894 .. ',"', ... ~~: ·.:6,18~ ..:....:...:,. ' ...... _- .... : 1'"# •••• ·.l, \. t r: ; .. "I. .., .' I ,. ,'.. .,. ~':, 'il::£1 f:Physical Char[;tct·i!I'1s'tics·i.' ;. " .. ' .:. . ~ ._ . .- \~\ .: . . ~ , f: .:1- • I .. . I: ~ . ~ :' I~ t (.. .~ .,~. ~ I .~ .~ . ',': " . ACGorQ:i:ng to Ib1;l~ts o~, : "the' l\hatik ap~ears to be by origin a scav~nger.Wt:>'ls riq l.r;lg':ip. :bhe:'social scale py' . taking .to dyeing. and. tan.q.inih but hp.s not attained td . the st'at~s of. a y~or.ker in·.leatl1er .... H~ is.h~lo.s:ely Ckin to: the'Pas'i' and' may-:':everi',ba-"a sub-g:t'(5up':'of':that' caste." (Rose, Glossary Vol. II p.50l). Their phYSical features .~r~~~~~b,J~;:~ik= ~,~~~os a .. _Qf ,J3almikis or .!CliUX.M. ::. -,: . IV. l'am11y, clan, kinship and other ano~ogous diviSions. )\;: • • 'I...... ~ " . "A Khatik fmL~y has patriiitlealL descent and . ',~" ", patrilocal·lIesidence. "''Fl1ey a'}:'e divided into various gots " or su b-di v:i:s-i6ns. Ibb~t~'on has- mentioned four gats of Ba:gri group . o~ ,Khatiks it;. :i?,a"ZB:.l, ,~~oh 'claim ,:Khatti des cent. T..hese are Ja~eria:; BairiW'a:r~ ~q_gwa.1 arid KA.inchi: .. (Rose GlossarY:·Vol. II p. 500). Other gots collect_ed d:u:ring th:~ field st}.ldi.es ~~ ! .. '),'" . .: ~. ~.: .... C ~ - ."" ~ ~t· a re enumerated below. . ,t... • :",", ". ""'.' '" ,_ , . GUi:-gac/n tDistrlc,t": ~cn:l:lUhan,: ·Phll'ai14 / ~.:~irwan'7, B~gri, Punwar . ,... ' " ;: Ratwain" }(ha,s's ',br :IlliincJ~H, '~Gajmotf~ ;Slii i - • ';''', I. ..' ware 'Sa'nwar:ia ,; :Raj o'r·e'.-''-: ,:,' "'j . ; .... :. ~r.·.. ~.: -_ .' ""'-"'M',{' I~r ...... ····r:'r~" 'I'." ,Hissar Distt. ' CtiaUh'an, Kh1'c~ar',':SoTankhi, Bunde'la,I.Sakhla, DUrl:de:~,a" Me~l~~.~::b ,2h~c~iwal'- Pc;n~a~, . I :_ r! -' '" .. Na~ora-,~· Gpa'!lva}:a.,. -.i,nn w,ar, Ba~~~w'~ .-:.:: .. ,":,:::~;";: ," ...... :~, Roht·akDi"stt. '." Tan:war,- Khinchi,~ '-Ra~'war;" SQlatikhi,- Mah?nd wa~ia, Choh?-n, ~a~.mir·e, Ba:~ GUj'j'a.p',,13arsiwal, Panwar, .'iSslwal, Bagrl, Kammowal, Chetiwal, Chawla, Kat ari a, Bas IvaI, • . ( Cl) NTD •••••••3 • ) 3 " Karn81 Distt. ,C.b,sl,~1!?n., Mal1tlania, Ho,ge 1 Tamboor, Khotian, Pachisia-, Chodeh Rane, Jakh Moltani, Bar Gu~ja-r, Eambooria, Gor Khude, ,~angsaria, Marthi. " ' . Junbala Distt. Sunkhar, !llahba_pi, Khalrange. v~ Dw-lliri'g, Dre.s.s~;. ,ornaoent,.? Foo~_ " ~elling. Khatiks live inS3pn.rate localities o~",adjacent to houses of other Scheaulea castes. Their d~elling in villages are mostly Kachcha~ consisting of a single room} and adjoining kitchen and a comp.ouhd in fr.ont of it in RohtaK District; and two rooms and an enclosod 'compound in Hissar District. In toyrns; Khatiks have both ,kachcha and .~££!! house ~ A pucca house consists of two rooms iJ:? Hansi town'CHissar District), two to fout rooms "in RevJar,~ tOvm and one to three rooms in Sohna toym lGurgaO.n D~::rt;.ricty~ While a kachcha house generally contains one to' tvlO ro6ms, .only. ' In Villages a compound enclosed by 5 to 6 feet high mud, walls is a common feature of their diVelli~gs, and is used for sleeping pdf,rp os e during summer, bas king sun 'in .vlintel! .and. for tethering cattle a'nd even for 'ypoking meals in some cases. , chh..lJa_houses have sarkarida cum bamboq ~~oofS while pucc§_ ouses have !)lostly brimkcum mUdJement roofs. The \·ralls of ~£h§: houses ar'e plastered with a 'qlixture of mud, dung and strqiVS on Diwali and Boli. festi vals. The tQnning pits are 'J~onstructe~ away from the babitation. In' towns, ill,OSt of the houses .have· facilities pf electricity, water-supnly, bath roolfis and latrines while in 'villa-ges· no such facili ti es are genera.lly available. Dress. The dress of~a male adult consists of a pagri_ (turban), Kurta (coll'arles,s shirt) and dhoti (saeet) •. The Y9ung perso:~s wear' kamiz (sh~rt) ,and' Eyj ana . (trouser.s.), and are gene:I'13.~ly bareh~aded., ThEj. KhA.tiks working as labourers wear shfrt and kachaa' (drawers)· orily., ' The feiiaihes' wear coloured clothes' of ,chhint "'lhich consist of odhna (s carf) , ,jumper (shirt) Ft..nd ghagra or lehanga (skirt). Young ladies are getting fond-. of s,alwar (trous ers ). Both sexes wear leather shoes of ordinary type. 1"'''- Ornanents. Khatik wom.e~ wear ornansnts of s'ilver. The COmr:lon st aoop.g them include ~!Q( bangles'), galsori" hanns and taveez (necklaces), bali and sulia patti '(ear-rings )'2 paatl, kari.,_ chhailkara , .. ane). .nai vari (anklets), anguthi (f1.nger-rlng), ...... ~i and borla (pendants on,~for;eh?,a:d). The women wear no nos e .... ·O'Fnament·. . .. --.. ,,, , : : . '~ ...... _ ...... -... _ ,_ . . "" Fo29...!.. : Khatiks take" chapatis o~,:wheat, gram, harley and baj ra fJ.·ours, gene~ally mixed Wl. th puls~s.· Very few among them purchase -gegetables reguiarly. R~ce, is taken ',?uring SumJ:ler at dinner and on festive oGcasions. ·Khatiks· are largely non-vegetar.i,fil:ll. ' . ._.The ,'flesh of co.;,,;, 'b~ffalon. cat and of a dead animal or bird is-~crons-idered tabooed food. At Rewari, Khattks reported that tbey' did 'not t a:ke even P'~ and fish. They are not used to hunting. A. goat, , s.ne.ep or cock is tilled occasionally or the L'HO}a,t is purchased from a butcher's shop. Meat is not taken on (CONTD •••••4 .) - 4 tuesdays, purnima (full moon day), ill!!.§:Y§;§_(no moon day) and ekadashi (11th day of the moon). Vegetable ghee and larson oiDs used as a cooking medium. ' Goat 1S milk is . used for drinking and preparing tea. During summer, lassi (butter milk) is taken with lunch. Most· of them also drink and smoke huqqa (hubble bubble). VI ~ronmental sanitation, Hygienic Habits, Disease and Treatment. . The standard of environmental sanitation is low and the members of thecaste are given to unhygienic and unclean habits. Their occupation of tanning and dyeing leather being dirty and foul-smelling, they do not take care of cleanliness of body)toeth and dress. MediciRes are obtained from a hospital, dispensary, a vaidya or hakeem to cure the diseases. Amulets are also tried. VII-Language and literac~ Khatiks have no special dialect of their own. They speak the dialects of their areas which are akin to Hindi. They are largely illiterate. The rate of literacy is as low as 15.3 percent: 27.0 percent for males and 2.7 percent for females. In urban areas, it is 30.4 percent for males and 3.1 percent for females whereas in'rural areas it is 22.0 percent for males and 2.3 percent for females. out of 11,370 males and. 10,628 females 1,;610 males and 145 females are literate without educational qualification, 1,333 aales and 143 females have acquired primary or ~O~ basic standard of education, and only 138 males and 4 females did matriculation"or hi gher education. The table given below shOiYS education among Khatiks in rural and urban areas separately. 5 VIII - Ecgnomic Life. According to 1961-Census datR, out Of 11 370 I!l~les an~'10 ;628 femal.es 5,51,4 males and 1,012 femaies were vlorkers. t:!oltlong . the .workers, .650 males and 442 females returned as cultivators ,. 280 males and 167 :f:emale's as agricultural labourers and ·129 males and 5 females were .en,gagS'd in mining quarryin,g, , livestock,. forestry, etc.' Household Industry cQvere.d 1,084 males and 210 females C'l:nd non-Household. Industry, 59~ males and 37 females. Constnmction . empl.oyed 182 males and· 10 females, trad~ . and '. Commerce 11671 males and .23 females, Tra.nspqrt, storage and Communicat~ons 121 males and 3 females Wh'i.a:e 999 males and 115 females were engaged in Other Services. The statement given below shows ., t.heir occupations for'rural and urban areas separately:- <1" 'f" Rural Urban· M. F. Total' Workers 2,338 75'7 3,176 265 I "As Cultivators 592 411 58 31 II ..'is agricultural Labourer 182 144 98 23 II~ In mining, QUarry~ .' ~ng, Livestock, Fore- stry, ~t;C. 44· 2 85 3 I V At HousehoJd Industry.55i3 1~5 OOB- . lOS VX In l1an1).facturing other·than· House- hold IndUstry . 67 4 531 . 33 VI In Construction. 21 3 161 . , 1·,:' VII In' Trade and ..... Commerce, 421 7 1,250' 16 'VIII, In Trans port ,: ,." , . ;Btorage and Communications. ' 21' 100 '3 IX 'In other services 434 81 965 34 I·b.· may be observe,d., from the abov~ s'tateq,ent that in the r·ural areas',' the main source of ~ncorre are agriculture, ho usehold industry, ~rade and Commerce and other services while in urban' areas ,. these are trade and CGmmerce, Household Ind.ustry and ~ther services. , 'rbJ() traditional occupations of Khatiks are ~t anning' and. Ayeing Of_:,goat and sheep, sJdns, re.arin~ of !;.oats '?_nd "sheep pigs' and poultry, 'and, butchers trade. Most of them ';'st'111' carryon thes e occupations. They are graqually ·taking' to other occupations 'l~~e g~ner_al . merchants grocers, agricultural labourers and,te~ants, ..l man\'ial la~ourers, and pedlars of art:Lcle's of daily use, ." unQ$t1.y, general merchandise. . ~ . ..: l.... . I X llte Cycle. , - ..t .; .,.' , . . " 6 of married life it is feared that there is something wrong with the husban~ or the wife. Instead of consulting a Physician? a Khatik vlife keeps fasts, wears amulets! offers water to the Sun, peepal tree or shive lingam (pha ~s) to please the deities for getting progeny~ The first delivery generally takes place at the '1IlOman's paternal house. f!ill. untrained dai of Dhanak, Chura or Chamar Caste is ca~led to attend tq d'eli very. At the birth of, a son, the dai beats a thali or 'metal plate anO hangs stringed leaves of neem, E..§!.epal, sirtsor mango tree on the principal,- dqor of the house to announce the ne,v arrival. Some youn,g girl' of the same i2~ in which the child is born~ makes two hand impresions with ~etu (red earth) o-n either siae of the entrance doors of al he rooms belonging to persons having the,same-EQ1 For this work, she receives some coins fD~m each househola belonging to the same got. The child 'is made to ~aste a mixture bf sugar and ghee.' ',' On the si~t~' day the chhati ceremony is performed. In,the morning, the virgins are served with sweet boiled rice. In 'the eveni,ry.'g, the baby is brought out side the house and is made to look at stars. The women of the hous ehol'd and brotherhood sing' gay songs and offer ~oney to greet the newly bvrn son~ GUr and boiled grams are distributed among them: The ceremonial po~lution lasts for 10 days. On the tenth dey, dashotan ceremony is performed ~ A d egradl;ed Purbia Gaur Brahman is called to perform a havan and thus to purify the house. .-1 lunch is served to the in.vi tees mostly" belonging to the s arne cast e. The kooan Eoojan or well worship ceremony is performed on the p.al;'ticular dey told by the Brahman, inany cas e after Dashotan ce,.remony.. 'The motl1er,. escorted by other ladies, goes to the 'vill'hg~ vlell, lights a lamp 1 ,throws som~ riee grains in it, walks seven, times . around ~t, pays obe~sance ,~o the water-god, and carries a Earbi (metal bowl) full of water from the well to 'home which is ~pri~kled there. The I . ,vomen acc'ompanying her Sing songs all the '1Imy and on the . :well. 00. reaching house, she plasters the house floor? with cow-dung and mud and p'rep'ares karah-pooris which are j' served to the small girls in the name of Devis (goddesses). ,. Khatik women have faith in evil influence. For forty days following delivery;. t,he mother does not visit haunted Iiaces, d'oes not take Deals 'fr,om the hands of the 'n ei ghb our s and avoid's .the ·shad Ow Of issueless widows. An irOn spike and a tumbler full of water are placed beneath her cot towards the head to keep off evil spirits. Lights are not put off 'on the first.' two nights following delivery. Fire is also placed in a small pit dug near the entrance gate of the house. Many khatiks make pilgrimage to the ter::lple of Has ani Devi at Gurgaon, at a convenient time. ~I I' Th'e J:1~ther 1''5 diet consists of gruel of s aunf , ajwain_ and jaggery for the .first two or three d~ys, halwa, khichri (hotchpotch) or dalia (ponrldge) for th~ next ten days or so and panjeeri of wheat flour, ghee, dry (CONTD ...... 7.) 7 fruits, gu.n sugar, et c. lat er on. .Hilk is gi ven to her regulariy • Normal diet ~s given only after one month. B., Mai:'riage CUstoms. The age a,t l1!a:r:rlage was r,eported to '5'e 15 years for girl and 18 years, for boy in Rohtak and Karnal Districts, and 12 years for E~X±N girl and 14 years for bpy i'n Gurgaon and Hissar Districts. It was also reported that child marriage,existed in the past but this practice has almost ceased.ffiHe only cases of child marriage are found now in those cases where·a man may have two or three daughters - and for the sake of economy, he may' .. !ike to marry them simultan~.e1i eously but' here again, ~.the 'mukla~ (consummation), may take ~late'on1y when the glrl, attains the, age of puberty. " Khatik is an endogamous Caste. The sub-caste and the village' or locality of a town in which they liv~,are considered exog~~Qus units. 'In Gurgaon and IU-ssar Districts, some Khatiks stated t,hat the sub-caste belonging t9' mother and grandm9ther are also e-xogamous units but in Rohtak and 'Karnal Districts' ,. thes e two sub-castes were not cared for 'and only th'e sUb-caste of the father was prohibitory for mar1,tal unions If The , ~ and girls in the same villag~ or ,16cality of a: . tdv~n are considered as brothers and' sisters, and marital ,uniop. between them is socially disapproved, even though the,- ~ot§.. may be different., Cons anguineous' marriages ar,e' anned among Khatlks. ' Marriages by exchange of " ,sisters (batta) are also looked down upon. The Kha:tiks , of vill'age Panauri in District Karnal reported that they do not form marital ties with Pasi [patiks J l , (who r ear pi gs) and Ghora: Khaj ao Kh~tt;lm ~ '(who dri ve tongas) • '" Widow remarriage is allowed Rnd practi-sed. A ~dow more than 40 years having encumbrance as a rule does not remarry. A younger brother has a cla,im ove'!' lffS. elder brother's widow but the vine versa is scorned 0, 'Marriage is considered an ess ential performance ° Spinsterhoo'd"artd. celibacy are deriilled ° Di vorc-e is' not prevalent. .,', .... -; ... , ."" Me'no'gamy is the prevalent type of marriage .. Polyandry is abhorred, though a few cases of polygYQY may re fo und. A man may contract a second n1arriage in cas-e the first wife is barrene ' Marriage is, contracted through negotiations.. <; Generally the relatives and friends act as ~termediarieso ~ Bride-price ,exists among poorer sections only bllt the , well-to-do Khatiks would consider the marriage of a daughter as an act of charity (Qgng) Marriage is solennised strictly according to ';,", ,p.J:l;L.qdu rites, thougJ; ip ,,??-s,}L.2~, Sikh Khatik~ 2 ,illLand I,earal, .. , .L.e. marriage by S~kh r~ ta.s inay :be :!7l!eferrea. Khatlks ('Mukhave their ~ Purbia GaL!r Brahman ,priests Who also attend ,,- to othe,r Schetluled Castes. The practice of dowry is also gradually getting popular among 'vell-to-do Khatiks. ( CONTD ••••••• 8. ) 8 Beliefs and Practices Concerning Death. Khatiks believe that the time for a human being is >pre-1~x~~ by G9d • Accidents and diseases are only the means to effect this and when a person1s days are completed, all medicines fail. TIley have also faith in rebirth after death, and the man e~Rerienc~pleasure and pain{ in the" world according to h~s< karmas (actio'ns). " '. ' Kbatiks burn 'their dead. When a' person is about to die, 'he is nade to 'lie on the ground. The dead body i,s bathed and wrapped in a white sh/J:!Oud in case of males and red shroud in case of females. The old clothes are made over to Chuhra. The corpse is laid on a bier made of bamboo and green leaves and is c/itrried to the crema~ion g'ound in the form of a mourning. procession. On half way to the cremation grOund the bier is plac~d on the ground and pin£_(balls of bari ey flour) 'are offered in the name of the departed soul and an earthen pitcher is broken towards the head of the corpse by the chief mourner. The women acco~panying the procession return to the house, whi1e the m~. mourners again proceed towards the cremation ground. On reaching ther~, a pyre of about 7 ID?Rnds of wood is ,c !;'" , ~ On the third day following death, the bones and ashes of the dead are collected and taken to Ganges for' im.sersion. Ceremonial poplution lasts for 12 days. On the thLrteenth day, terah cerenony 1s· observed when the Brahman priest performs ~~p. _1. community dinner is held and charities are given to the·acharaj Brahman. This concludes the death rituals. ' ", x. Reli giOfu. ,Khati ks are Hindus by religion. 'iccording to 196+-Census datal out of 11,370 males and 1°1628 females, 11.,356 ma es and 10,619 females are H~ndus and onlY: 14 ,males' and, ,9 .females are S,ikhs. The table given below shows religion of IQ1atiks for rural and urban areas separately:- Total H.~i~n~du~~~_ Sikh. ~rar M. 4,476 F 4,447 ~4,468 F 4,442 M 8 F 5 Urban '. M. 6,8,94 . F 6,.181 M 6,888 F 6,177 M 6, -F 4 Khatiks. have faitp ,in all the gods and goddesses of Hindu pantheon, but their favourite ( CONTD •••••• 9. ) - 9 dieties are Bhairon, and Mata Masani, stationed at Gurgaon. They observe all Hindu fasts and celebrate the Hindu ~estivals like the other Hindu castes of their areas. XI. tnter-community Relationship. Idtatiks command a good social status among J_ .IU ..... t." the Scheduled' Castes. In cast e ;Q.QigaFehy, they stand I'U~ • higher than Churas, Chamars, Dhanaks, Mazbis and have better social status than all the nomadic tribes. They do not dine or smoke with these castes, while most of the above mentioned castes are said to accept «ooked food from t her.!. They have access to temples and gurdwaras and common well. They utilise the services of Brahman barber and washerman. XII. Caste Panchayat. The Khatik panchayat 1s synonymous with the caste brotherhood. Whenever some dispute arises xfktR vnthin two persons of the caste, four or five important persons of the brotherhood are nominated oa the spot for the purpose and their office is not hereditary. Generally -speaking, no fine are imposed, if any, these are of small ~~ount ten or twenty rupees and are used for charitable purposes'. The culprit is not forced to offer a community dinner. The penality of ostrac~zation is out of date. The main emphasis is to make the guilty acknowledge his fault and beg pardon for the same in a temple or gurdwara before the community. Some guilty persons are asked to have a bath at the holy Ganges before anybody establishes or resumes any relation with them. Swearing bV dharam, cow and own son is also commonly used to test the innocence or faultlessness of a person. ~LACHHMANtl Nat I - Name, indentity, Origin and History. The v.o:rd is derived from Sanskrit tNata t , a dancer., 'rJ1e N::lt 1s the typical gypsy cqste of the punjab, though they are gradl)al.ly _ge,tting ~ccustomed to settled life, spe'cially ~fter 'partition. In_,general parlance, N~t and Bazigar are synonymou's, teY'ms. 'Some distih.c!;.1on is made '\' ,between Nat and Bazigar. According to pose'Glossary (vol-.II P.163) , "So.me say that the Bazigar 1s a i>u.mbler and the'Nat arope dancer; others that the Bazlg'ar is ". "'a' 'jUggl,8.r as 'Well ,as" an acrobat, 'While 'the Nat is' only .t):le latter, and' i-t , i -P,oQulation Trend. The popUlation of Nats in punjab during the , l:;d~t j~ix Censuse,s ,is given below:~. ," , Years 0 f I: -Pe~sons. Males Females Percen tage Decade G.onsus ___ Variation. *1911 1,130 509" , 621 *1~1 2,649 1,379 IJ?!7tH1~t (+) 134.4 " 1931- N. A.. ' N ",;A~ N. A" • • , . 1941 N • A.' N. A.. R.-A" • • 1951 N • A. ,: N • A" ' N • A'. • • 1961 1,~82' 1;('62 920' (-) 25.2 includ.es Muslim Nats US(ll; * . t. ~ " , " ." _ The populat.ion. of N''lt.s has inc:r~ased by 75.4 percent ,du,rin'g 1911-1961, but as compare'd'to popul-ation of 1921, it has ,decreased by. ~P~A J?~rcen t in 1961. , - , Con td •• 2. **Ros~ Glossary vol., II ~oi64. w ... ~ ." . '" - $2:- Sex-ratio. The sex-ratio of Nats has greatly decreased from 1,220 in 1911 to 921 in-: 1~21. It was only 866 in 1961. Age-groups. The table given belov.; shows the distribution o'f Khatik~ accord'ing to sex and ~road age- groups. ~ Total. _.Me 0-14 _ Age 15-44 P M F. M F M F 1,982 1,062 920 503 424 -382 353 Age 45+_ _ ___A~ not Stated. ' M, F M F 167 142 1 Rural-Urban Distribution ~ Ninety- seven percent of Khatik population lives in villages, and only three percent in Urban· areas. The table given belo\lT shows the distribu tion of population for Rural 8'1d "Urban' areas sepanatelY. Persons Males Femals Rural 1,924 1,027 ---8grr-- Urban 58 35 23 III-:-"Phvsicial Cha~teristics: Information not available. .' (" IV - Famtly,Clrul, KinshiI2.__illld other Analogou's divisions. Nats. are patril'ineal in .descent and their families have patri loc:::tl residence. ' , ' . A.ccording to Rose Glossary Volume 'rI p.164, chamga, Bero'arid Banur are said to be the'Nat clans, but one account divides them into O~cupationSll groups, such as snake charmers, jugglers and, dancers, monkey' exhi bitors, herbalists :and so' on. , L\.ccording to field investigation, some of the. .'.gots of· Nats . collected in Rohtak and Gurgaon Districts are Da:r;,q_k,Kalota, Googia, Bhet or Bheet, Bhat,ti, Ratan, and Kanota.' In Karnal District the Nat gots are stated to be Chauhan, Marar, ' Pandir, and Paniwar. ' . v. - D-welling, Dres~ OrnameD"t, Food. The forefathers of the Nats used to live i).1 S'irki:i whi ch coul£!. be easily carried from plR ce to pl'1ce;; ~t presen'&, the young.er N ats who move about, as is demanded b,~' the nature nf th~ir pro fessir,:m, Ii ve in accommodation provided to them "by their hosts in towns and villages. Some of them'even now. live in Sirkis and ar~ therefore well known as SirkibRnd. Most of ~he Nats have now perm:ment houses in villages which are located in com~act forn, in the locality of ,other Scheduled Castes. ,A Nat house usually consisting of one or two rooms, ~~ a k8chcha single- storeyed structure, wi th or ~~hout a separate kitchen. The walls are made o~ mud clods or suri-dried bricks, and t he v roof is ,made of thatcped • mA:terial and earth. The floo'rings'are invariably kachcha.!_ The houses are devoid of ventilators and windows. , ., Dress. The male dress consists of- a kurta (a collarless 'Shirt), a dhotl (sheet of cloth) rod pagrITturb:m~. The Con td .3. - s 3:-- . younger gene~r~t;i.on is di.scardin g. the use of turban, and wearin~ tr'ousers or :~i in pl'ace of dhoti. In winter, s~e8 ter, coat" ~ ~lanket are also used .• These are sometimes'" . offered to them by ~heir patron cl ien.ts.o,rdin qry country-made shoes are .commonly used by them. . A Nat woman dons kurt_g (shirt), ghagra or lehanga (sKirt). and odhna (sca;rf). Gh.qgr.a is beinf'; replaced by suthan :( trousE?rs) •. Younger .l'adies are getting f.ond of .l!d.!!illgr ahd .§.alY..a!.~ .. The cloth is mostly,of yellow ·or black colours •• Silken and newly tailored clothes are. worn on festive occasions '-They have started wearing s··mdals and chappals apart from, the .. common u's'age-- of ordinary leather shoes. Ornaments. Male wear only e'ar-ringsand finger rings. Fem81es adorn their ·bodias wi th a large number of sll ver ornaments like tlE1:. or Hang) (necklace), K.qra (bang:)_es), BaliAn (ear-rings)t Jhan}i£!r and baank (anklet;s) ,. of silver, and laung, (nose-plug) , and teeli(ngsepin) or ·gold.. , ." Food. Nats are non-vegetarians and are also used to hunting., They catch jackals, pigs, poroupines,partridges and water fowls, to cook them into mrat dishes. Meat is also purchased from':'the market.They do not .tAke 'bel?f and carrion. They take 'Ito/heat, millets and pul,ses. Tea,tob1cCO and wine are their main r- stimulan ts •. The consumption 0 r. ·milk and desi ghee is me,qgre as ~ew among them keep cattle. VI En vironrnental SEmi tation, Hygienic' Habi ts, Disease and Tre a tmen..t_. Like most of the .Scheduled Castes, Nats are not accustomed to en,:Viror; 'len tal san;i tqtion and hygienic hAbits. ,The,~r. hous.es are,· d1rk and dingy. Medicines are now largely .sought from hospitals/dispensari·es, a yg~ or a hakeem. Amu~ets are a1,so , quite frequently o'btained for c"uring diseases in addition :to scientific treat·ment. ~II. Language, Liter~cy. Nats have no dialect of t''heir olm: They speak the " ·dialect cO!!llTIon to othli3r people of their,are.a.~, . ,~ . ' . Nats are highly illiterate Caste.; Out of 1.062 males ',& 920 .females, 935~ales and 915 females are illiterqtes •. . . Among the Ii terates, 83 males· and' 2 f.em~l es are literate without educational level, 41 m"lle.s and. 3 females are primary .0:r:.Junior Basic and .. o1}ly.,8 rp.qles . .rec~~;ved::m,?-triculation or highe.r edp.cati9h·. T'h!3, table gi ven ):~elow... shows the education amopg Nats for. rural ·and urban areas· .separately . •! •. • ~ . . . ~ot.q)_ II~ i terat e . Literate (without e·ducational level) M F M'- - __ . F M . - F "R. 1,0?7 '897' .904. .895 ·80, .1 ··U .. 39< 23 31' 20 3 1-. '.: lo. tl,.. t">o '~Primary or Junior Basic MatriculatiQ_n_' and above. .1.\. M F M - ,'. F R. 40 1 :.3 , .. If 1 2 Con td ••.• 4. VIII. ECQ1lQwic Life." " ' l\.S per 1961-Census o''-lta, out of 1,052 male and 920 female NBts~ S08 m'3.1es and ,~.,.. females are workers. I\mong the workers, 245 m'8,les and 155 female~ we,re returned as culti vat~rs and '75 mq18's and 15 females as agricultural lahourers. Thirty males and 16, fem:lies were engaged'in household industry and 11, m'11es and 5 females in manufacturing 0 ther than household .. ind~stry. Con st.ruction employed 4 m!3le co; , trade and Commerce '10 males and 3 .. (emr=l.les,transport, storage and communication 8 males and other services 125 males and 56 females. The statemen t gi ven below shows the industrial cl8,ssification of workers for rural and urban areas separately:- , __ Rur,~al=-__ Urb::m M F M F Total Population. 1,027 897 ~5 23 Tot'al Workers 487· 243 21 7 As CuI ti vators 245 155 As Agriculturql labourers 75'.... 15 In Mining,Quarrying, Forestry,Livestock etc'. At Household Industry 30 16 In Manufacturing other than Household Industry , 4 ' 2 7 3 In Con s tru ct ion 4 In Trade & Commerce 10 3 'In '1'r~nsport,'1torqge 'arid ~ Communi c.qtlon s. 8 .. In Othe:r se 'Y'vi ces III 52 14 4 Th.e above st·atement shows tI-J.at the main occupations of Nats are agr'i'c'uitl;r~ anq,."Q~(~er services. They also follow their tradition'3l occupations of singing, d::mcing and pe-rforming acrobatic feats. 'Some of their feqts represent humour, skill, tact 0 f 'balancing weights and gymJIlastics. They are often invited on marriages·to·:provide recreation. N at.. s '"also 'rect te' mythological legends. They receive customary biannual p8y'mentsof '~. five to t'V,Tenty in c!3.sh and kind from .. their pqtrO,l.'l households. They al so' pl~y on harmonium besides be8ting the drum. IX. Life CEle. J2j.rth. The village untrained d::ri, mostly of ChuhrFt or Dhanak Caste, with t he assistance of some other elderly women of the household ,qnd neighboIirhood,f:.lttend to delivery.She is given rupees five, gbo'ut two' seers of foodgrFtins and in case of the birth of 8 son,she also claims 8 suit of clothes. The new born'baby is bFtthed with lukewarm water ::rnd made to taste some sweet liquid. J§Il amghu t ti ( an indj ginous herbal p~eparation) is given to it quite frequently to remove the ind~gestion. Next day after birth, the ba~v is made to suck the motherts breast and continues to be fed on mother's ,milk for about one year.' The mother is, given nutritive ·····,dte-t of-.g:E§..§:., 'milk :and-.Q1!Pjeeri to r'ecou,p her health. '. II' ChhatL.., ceremony is performed on' the ,.sixth day follow:!-ng birth. Both the mofher and the baby~Kre batltr~ and the ,... house -cle'an-ed. 'The b·::rh.y~'is ,made.:t¢ ,wear the clothes for tte 'first time. Two or four children are given;, sweet dishe,s like ITalwa or sweet boiled rice. ~he child is brought out of the room in t'he evening. The brotherho"9. women Offer four annas to one rupee "",ach to the mother after encircling it thrice over the he,'1d of the nevJly born baby. (Jon tn •••5. - sb~- :_,'-;"\:' ...... dl:..~ tJ..Jl.LJ.~.L011 lasts for 13 days. During thi3 period the mother does not visit the neighbourers and mostly remains con fined to bed. She al so avoids the shadow of is",ueless widows and keeps 8.ome article of iron bene~th her bed to ward ,Off_' evil eye. OJ? the 13th day, the house is cleaned, utensils are scou,~ed, ana t he virgins are fed. The well worship takes place after 40 days, following birth. The mother escorted by ot her women o,r the bro t !;lerhood goes to t he viII age well. She offr;rs some" gtains there, ignites a lamp and pays obeis~mce to the water- god. She carries a un tens il full of well water to1ihe house. The women sing gay songs to 'greet 1h e b.qby. Marriage ctl,'3toms. The normal age of marriage of a Nat boy md girl is stated to be .16 years and 14 years respectively. The custom of child betrQthal exists among Nats and in that case·the age Of betrothal is 12. years forthe boy and ten years, for t he girl. Nat is' an endogamous caste but the sub ca.ste to whi~h they belong are exogamous._,Gross-cousin marri~~es'are also allowed, Widow remRrriqge is prevqlent and divorce.' is allowed.' A woman who finds it dif~icult " to pull on wi th, her presen t hu sband elopes with her lover. Later on the coIIttTluni ty P'IDch1.yat fixes the 8I!lount of compensation to he p.qid by the new husband to the previous husb9nd. Monogamy is the g~neral practi~. POlygJry is socially arlowed but there are few cqses of polyg\my. , Polyandry is condemned and socially bl3nned. Bride pri ce exi !:its among the Nat community which r.qnges between 115.500 and 115 .1,000. Exchange marrigges i, e. exchange 0 f bride sis al so prevalent. The m~rriRge is solemnised according tofue Hindu method of phera( circumambul ation round the sacred fire). The Br8hm,9l1 priests do not of~iciate on the mR.rriages.Generally the intermediary or go between directs ~d conducts the marriage ceremonies. Death. Before Partition, the N ats used to bury t heir dead but now most of them have started burning them. x. Religion. Nats are mainly Hindus. Out of 1,062 m::lles and 920 females, 900 mqler.; and 906 fem3.les are Hindus, en d only 82 males and 14 females are Sikhs. Too t!}bl' given below shows the religion of Nats for rurR.l and urban areas separ~~y~.- Totql Hindus Sikhs. • M F. M F M F Rural 1,924 1,027 897 946 883 81 14 Urban 58 35 23 $4 23 1 The Nats have faith in 1.11 the Hindu gods :nd goctsses. Besides they also pay reverence to variol1-s Muslim nirs. T~iSY celebr"lte all the Hindu festi V.!J.l9. The Slkh Nat::> workship the Sikh Gurus. XI. tn_ter-J:!ommuni ty ReI ation shl p. The Nats eD-joy .q higher socia.l st.qtus tha.I'} the Cnuras, , Charnars, Khatiks, Dhanaks, etc and rmk equal to Bazigars and ·f'ernas. They were never untouchables. They c-m draw \-Jater from t h:? cornnon viII age well and have ac"es 8 to the viTIagc Contdo ••• G. .~ .. ' ,", . ' - : 6:- temple. They do not Bccept food from the ,.,ther Scheduled Castes, or smoke wi th them.' The m'lin Cause' of t-heir low status has been that they were a vagr;:mt tribe in t he past and the;;_r women were immoral. The Brahman priests do not attend at their marriages. ' XII. Caste Pancha~at; There is no regulqr Caste P8.llchayat among the NA.ts. Ordj,nary disputes of their communi ty are sett'1ed by the old and reputed persons of their cornmunity.. Some times disputes are reconciled by th"" 'Well-to-do persons of t he village like the headman, the village Sarpanch or the 'vill~ge Bania. The marriage dispu tes are also settled by the relativeY themselves with the help ofother influential persons of th€?lr caste. In ter- caste disputes are re f~rred to t-he .st ~tutory panchayat. ·r ":' I,' ' L ...... ~ .. ~ - ." ! ,; '_. ~.... _, " , '-.. ; • ,t';If , . , .... , , PER N A 1. N~e, ,Identity;;: Origin ahd-"H1sto,ry:. " !", , ' " Pe'ri'lcS:.. is a' minq~" y~grant trlb~ of gips1es, very sJmilar._ to the N.ats and Bazi,g~rs '. There'">"is a widespread \elief, .that Perna w~men added' prostitution to their tradition al occl:}atio~ of dancing and singin_g A '. Tn~ originx of the word l?erna is.obscu.re., In ,G1:l.rgaoh~"it·:was stated by some membe.x.'s 6:r'the caste th?-t ~he.y: or;t\gi~ally belonged to Ahir, Caste. ,.- Sine,e" they reslde~":tii sirkis ,they are . , , ,a~sb 's'ometimes, called: sirkiband 1 :thqugh it is a name' of _,i ',:' l separate Scheduled Caste in' PunJ'ab., .;. , , ' 'II •. Di~tri bl?-tion and POE1!;La't,~Qn Tren~ ~ ... .. , ... ~a, where found. Fe'rnas are, .found in ,Punjab only though tmQt' they ,have' be~n declared as a Scheduled cas'te in Deihi also.. :k:~ under the President' of lndi a'5 Modified Order of 1956:\, In Punjab,'thBy' are confin~d '-nO" Gurgaon (157 persons) and Roht~k (70 persons) Districts only~ . , :Popu.lation ~~~- The pop'ulatl,on of Pernas' 'tas 171 persons including 89 males and 82 ,females in 19111 and 385 persons including' 199 males and 286 females in 19G-l o At ,the t~me of ,1961-Censu's; th,ey counted 227 persons including 121' males and 106 females a Their ,popRation ,has, th~S ~n~reased by "32 .. 7 percent ciuring the years " 1911_1961 but as compared, to 19212 it has qec~eased by percent in 1961. It may be statea that d~ring 1911 and 1921, their population includes Hindu-as well as MUsl~~ P.ernas.' ~ ...... sex-ratio.- The sex-ratio of Pernas has decreased from 921 in 1911 and 935 in 1921 to 876 in 1961. Their sex ;hatio is quite hi gh (989) i'n rural areas and quite low (481) in urban" areas. ,,'.:., ,: i.~""\: ,.:,.',: Age- grou2.L,.- Out of a t,o~al PQPulq_tion o:f; ....227· .. pers ons in , I clud:in:g 121 m~l~s and 10~ fem$.les, 1:05 'n~.rso!).s, including· 64 rrw.l.e~ an_d 41 females (4~6, percent) -,aI\9 cl1.11dr~n below 14 years.,. 90 perpons ,i,ncliidtng.,40 ffi,a1es .and ,50 females (40 percent) ar;e in the acti v,e age-group 'Or)' 15-44 years, ,and 32 pe'rsons including 17 males a,nd 15 females (14 per cent), are in the age-group 45 year~ and above·~ '. Rural-Urban Distribution .. - Pernas live' xnostlY"ln rural areas 0; 1,'he palli gi VGn beiOl-T.: shows the rUTal' aop urban ~ - . . distributioh of .t'ernas: -' __ ' _Males...... _.. ...__ " Females Percentage. Rural 187 94 (93 82.'38 Urban 40 " 2,7.' ' . ", 1';3'- ' ~7,,62 • • _ '. ~ 't " - .... • I , ",'- . ,' _ ~ • .. ~ __'. .J.• ..,.. . ' .. IiI';' "Phy's,ical ,Ch8.racteri~tics:~' ~,.,", ~ : ,". _... I nformati'on not aVaila,ble:. . , •• r...... '- .JI _' ,IV. Family,- Clan, Klnshj.p and other Analogus Divisions. . . ~ " ' .. & • " .. _'" A perna i'8.rnily has been stated to be both , ' (Contd eo. 0 .:? .) _r: . 2 ..... ,.;.. ..:.. ..:: ... _. patrilocal and .. .tn$l,triloc·al ·'biit-·th~· )iominti'di ty"~~s patrilineal in descent. . ;. " .. r· .' .'. ~ ~ . ,,.. ~ • " .i ' _ ~ .. ", ' .. " ... ~,.. J • \. .... • t '-~ ~p·:.c}Urgaon District their ~main: g'ots are stated ·to be Bachh~alihir, Ataw.at,· Kaalkha.r·,. ~~ra~'~aavat; _ Mohniainka . ~Chayaniaink'a, Meethaut',~.'Dhanau:t, and :·.G:Ulab. In Rohtak J;istr1.ct, some of ·their gots ' are Ahlawa~., Bachhwali : ~ambhawat, ·War's.gaw-'at, Dhanawat, Sahlke., and .Meet~·&wat. ," • .' *,' _,' ,~i' ,\ t .' ~ • ". r- " '._' V. ,:; Dw~lling'l" Dress, Ornament, FoQd:: .~ '."" " J. • " ',::.1 . . . .I'. ~ ',;., "0' __ ., - Dwellinlk.· Pernas have, n.o \ permanent dweJ.¥-.;1n·gs:· ...... ·· They ,move abou't "in groups ·.!hf 5" to 10 families, carryj.:ng·>all the.. hou;s.ehold goods with them. They s e~ up !:heir portabl,e, hou's'9s' ca.lled sirkis' on the outs kirts of. a' villag~ •., ,The!' ."f:v.ont .' :{ ..... portion is mostly, open"'while the ·:~o·o.{ and: thel thr~e .wa~ls consist of sirki sheets' which are supp'ort'ed on a 'number' of small bamboo poles fix'ed in the gro und. It is generally six to seven' feet ,high and cove'rs an area of about '~O:-to' 45 square fee't. Each marr'ied. couple generally"l-ives in a separate ,sirki l;lut.·'In,winter, separat.e: ·siiiki huts' are" also set, up for stalling cattle at night. The front lies' oPPosite to the direction 6t idnd' or. ±lain, a,nd the hut·s· .', are set up at a hi gher ground. No re gular, patt ern' is ':~ , " followed in setting up . the huts., They are' erect-ed acco~d_', ing to the ~onvenience .sind space ava,ila'Qle. It' takes' hardly hali' an hqu?:, t~o erect"' a §..1rifi hut •. The pernas do not light lantern.. or lamps in their huts at, hight for fear of' eat ching fire. ThEiy',generally stay, at a,place for about,"one month. '.:...... "' .... :.'. Dress. - The'dres,;'3 Of /3:, male consists of a kamee'z '(sh:frt 'w~:th collars an,d ches't'-pocket), a PXj_§.~, .9.hg_~i qT t.ahmat and "'c a white' pa,gr1 (t'urban). In winter, coat,' swea~er, khes , , (cotton plaid) and quilt .:l:!:'e used. ' .'. - ,. ,I .;....~ ...... , . Females wear k-3.meez. ( shil~t vii th collars' 'and breast pock~t), ~a1.1:i~ and9qhana (s ~a:rf) •. ' ' ,.' '-. , , Ornaments. - Males wear f Inf$cr _rings and ear-rings, usual'ly . of s i1 ver • Thei r w:omen wear 1m 1'a "(ba_r:lgl'es),, kari ~ (anklets) , Kanth!. (neck~ace)i baa·li (ear.~rings), mundri '(fiqge~-_ring) ~ .. and 1au,ng (~ose,-p ug).. Exc~pt· the l'ill!1!!h~ which is made , .. :," o~ glass':"pearls and l~ng or gold, ~11 lbther' ornamentp' a,r~:, -;: "~' made of silver •. -Some of the:i.!' females also tattoo thei'r .. ' ... . cheeks with dots. ",:., ~ ':, ...... Food e.... Pernaa are 'non-vegetari~ns but th~y esch:";rw:~fle'sh of cow buffalo and. dead anim'als i::.nd birds. ,To.eir fa:vourite . meats are mutton and pork, l;ITh0at ~_J~'ajL~and "pulses are their staple food. They smoke huqqA,',at:1CL ~'i0uld also dri~ on ' . festive occasions. They 11:.S8 th-a miIlc of go'ats for .drinking"~> .. - and preparing tea. ".,'-' ,.' VI. En-gironmental Sani:-t'ation,l1ygienic Habi,ts', Disease ill},d Treatment. . " .> ," Perna communj.ty lives a 'v~ry u.Qhy.gi~nid" 'life , in'the" opeh, With no lights at night •. The 'place ~.s, usually (CONTD ••••.• 3 .. ~ 3 devoid of bathroom, ~ltchen and .latrine. The open place ~~~ infront of the sirki huts ~erV~q, all these purpos es. Their cibothes and utensils "are usually dirty. The diseases are treated by g~tting medicines from a hospltal"dispensary, y~~.dya 'or Kakeem. Amul~bs are ~.. . also obtained from fa1thcurers ~, ' , ' VII. Language andRteracy ~ Pernas speak the's ame language as spoken in Rol}tak and Gurgaon Dlstri,cts. - , " , They are a totally illiterqte Caste. Out of 227 persons including 121 males and 106 females, only one female is literate without educational level, and one male , has attained primary standard :xt:ffi of education. Vl;.II- Economic L:tfe.. According to ,196b.>CerisU's, out of ~?7 pel'son'S, including 121 males and ,106 ffiemaTes, 60 persons inqluding 45 males and 15 femB;les ".:are' vTOrkers 0 Among the woIikers ~ ·19 males andL~ j'e:.males are engagec;'!' in Livestock, J..!.. 23 ma,le!:! and 5 female in Household Industry,,.:.~an,d 3 males and 2 females in ~ther ~rvic~s~ The most' impottant occupation of ,P~:rs ons at pres~nt is rearing of sheep goats, and donkeys. i, They move "about grazing the cattie arid selling them at profit. They also keep, dogs to look after their cattle. 'The numb~r of sheep ~ goats and donkeys 0 med by each of the six households or a Perna camp in a Roht.a~ village is given .' below: - '.V ' " "1-, • S .• No. Name of the, No. of goats No .. of _ ~ No,.' of. donkeys .~ . The wool of the sheep is 'shorn tw;i..~e :a year and is sol~,. Donkeys are kept mo~tly fO'r carrying their house hold b~longings from one p}a ce to 'the other~, 'They 'a.r'e' ,; also sold if the owner is jon need of Money an<'i a' ~1?tori:ie+" is available. " '", , '-', _, '.1 maj'or part of "cheir incorri~ is, however earn~d by their.. women, thr.ough begging. YO'Ltng ladies genera11y "go' '~nt-o the Vill51ge habi tat;ion in groups· of tv{o or 'three. , They s;i-ng songs and begt a,los,. 'l'he aI'ticles: of daily use ,like food,-grains, gur and pulses are obtair.ed ,in this way. It I " _ . - ( CO NTD •••, ••,4.) .. II. '" : ...'..Y' 4 1s said that their women are very pr'essin'g tn their demands and -once they enter a 110118e, they would not J_eave it with out,receiving something. They will sing songs even be£ore " -:a: cr.owd of-' young' lads :tncase ,they aTe ready to offer them .. ~ ~ a. ) i' ••.. spm.e ,money 0 ',: ': ", • • " _, ' ' : __ .~ .... , " ,,' The Pernas' 'know the art of dancing and'· singing ':t_Pl the .accomp,.44niment 0,1' plus ical i,nstruments ~ Somet irnas ;:'ithey; are il.l::ited, bY~ihig~-landlords"Ll the villages for such ., performances ~~. They·~ak~. hnq als6.~"soinetime~, sell.·sirkis but it 'is not the:tr regular profession •. They refuse to prostitute their women now, though ~Jome local pers ons have reported that their wbmen do ~b secretly. . ... ~, .A..' Birth cus-'~oms ~- The expectant mother is segregated to .at s,ep!3-rate sirki Iru,_t. T'.ne village dai, ~l!ldlor the e.laerly ;women of the camp attend :to deli very 6 ,J,' eir'::!le ~s ld,~awn round her ~l'l).t, to avert the entry of an,evil spirit;.. ,~,I;The dai is paid 1'1 ve rupees at the birth of a s on~ and two rupee? at the birth of a daugilter. _T~"le :child is n~~~d by the Caste. pries t 7 on the 15th day foll'owing birth .• , A charmed .. ornament called iE:~ez ~. offere!3- by tho' same: priest is, worn to tho cbild. ~he priest is p~i4 ~v.pee one anq twent y _.fi ve p ai s e " " I .,: .. • ) .. ~ Ceremoni al 'parllution las t's' for seve n days only. On the seventh' day~ the,.npkt·o:ran~ t3:le 'baby take, bath and . wear pew clothe,s. . She, pr?:9aros !5.~ an.d I?,Q_oL~_ (~¥eet 'f:ried chapat:Ls),~ These are '.:2~rs;-; ofj.'e,rod to ~he ~aI;th in the~ name of Ha.s ani.' goddess of ~ Gu-:;,g~:l.O,l' anq ancestor$ ;and "th'en plstriQlitedamor:.g ·th9 virgin· gj_ ·.'~s,... Th9 motn~r als 0 w~1Ships the lvate:r-god ~" ~bo goos ·~Cl a WGJ_l :;3.10ng ~vl:th other ladies, offers s orne gi'ains there 1 and retuI'n~ 'vi th a Iota_full of water 0 ' " , , '. ,'B. Marriage Cus!2~ -"-,, "'''--'' ...... " The ridrmal c,gs aT rilart~~.a-g'(;' Is --l'6' years'''Tor boy and 14 years for gil'l. 'I'ilJ Ferna ea~';:;e loosely con~titutes an endogamous uui t, 8.5 som9tirr.(3) th('.:/ al~a, purchasE? ; women of low castes. Tho sale and p':'I,'cnas9:, of girl:?::':is a common feature peculiar to the Perna (!ommuni-iJv. The cases of the,ir women elop:Lng 1:r1 th men of O'cher' cast'es' are al~iO frequent. In ,!'!uch cases, the man eloptng 'vIi th the woman of the~r community is traced out and a price lS charged frombim. The -S'tlp':'-c-a:ste coristf:tutes an eJ'::og:aIllou'S 1.: ni.t for marital rela tions. Cross-cous::1.n ma:C'riages are also found in the .~, ~ I •• : r , .... ; (c on JGd ': ~ ., ~~ -~; ~ 'e, n 5. ) I I· '. \ . r r \. ..;. , , ,," . I r , - . .' ; .' , r 5 • ~ ...... ~ 1. oS 't . ,r ' ~{. I: ', . . S.No:~ , . Name' , .:' ,', Relationship ,Age ·.~o. of marriages. , '.'!.> : V" : , -.to head:· . .' --. .,' . ; '. '. ~------1 •. Leela Head. ,. 45 years TYrO ., .' , 2. Banis'iri~ Brother ~ -SO years One 3. P'ula Brother 75 years One 4. u-odhu Bnother 40 yea-rs Two 5. Mus addu Brothe.r,· . '.' 30 y'e~;rs. One 6, Ded Datt.· Son-in-1.at/'" .. 27 years',,· Two '7~ So 6hand, Nephew 22 years One ,8.'. ' Nek;t __ ' :Nephew ;.... '17 years One Polyandry is not ope~ly allbw~d but it appears that their standard of morality wop.ld not 9bject it.. There is no restriction on wicrC;w -remar'I'nrge':';--': Ytmng widows are . s old while the 'old ones' continue t,o stay with the same family. T.h~ price of ai~ndow d~pends on ~er.beauty and charm, and it r,ari-ges between ~ •.1,09Q and Rs.2 ,.000. ~ The purchaser expe cts .-t,O earn 'money by makIng a s·how of h;er dances. 'r .Diyorce, is ~as1ly allowed •. 'l'he' community will have no obJe ct ion fo~ divorce if the neM hus.band ·_is .-ready to COID 'pensate the ~revi.ous husband: by fpayiqg a p..~lce for ner decided by the"communit~r and the· woman no longer. wants to stay with h,er husband..' . " , ,'" . - MaT1-i age is:' solemnised acca:r:q,1'rig to phe_:rJa cere- mony and the cast e priest officiates. Ns'wly married couples visit th~ temple- of· Mas'a:ni goddess at Gu_rg~onQ .. ~ I Q • . De-~th cust.omi:_ ...... ' .. The Pernas burn their. dead. The body of a male is wrapped in a white clotl_llw~i;le. that of the famale ,in .red. " The bier is carried tb~:the- cremation ground of ...... ,the ne::tgh,bour~n'g village. It is placed op a p'yre of wood - '~nd burnt; ~ On' the third day" tf;ley kill a, she'ep or a goat and i_- • .co-ok·it •. jJ. portion 9f mutton is offered at the cremation ground' in the name of' t'he 'departed _~oul:k1. and the rest is taken by them on their- return from t.he· crema,t1'on ground., The bones of the dead man are als 0 collect ed on this day and later on thrown into the river Gan~es. On the 12th day, tho young girls are served with meals and sweets are dist:i.ibuted among the relatives and members of the brotherhood. X. Religion. Pernas are all Hindus. Their major deities are the goddesses at GUrgaon and Beri. Ancestor worship is also common among the community. They have firm belief in the existence of ghosts and spirits. It is believed that the persons who die unnatural death change into ghosts. Jt woman that dies just after delivery is supposed to become a churel.,_ The spirit of a man who dies vnth some ardent desire unful filled and of a man who dies issueless generally haunts the family in dreams. They ,must be propitiated 'Jy worship , I •. 6 and sac;rifices. The,.w,omen -a~:ter delivery :a;re 'considered most , susceptible to the influence .of ~vil spiritq •. To ward off their evil.influence, the mother ·q.nd the 'd.a.~ are made to .weq_r amulets. Faith curers are mos~+y consulted·.to 'cu~e the diseases-of women and children. Dise~ses to the flocks 9f sheep ~qsl~' goats are also attribut~p to the malice· of evil spirits and faithcurers are c,onsulted to treat :i·them~:,· . .. ' ..~ • I' , ~ X=-j~.:.;_.;;.So~c~i:::;.;a;;;::l:..· -=S;..::t;,,:;:a~t...;;u;.;;.s~·.· .:- ,. '.. l.... '"t . .t. ~: \ ., Being a ..v;agrant tribe P-ermls, ~ enj oy a low social.status •. They are at par with Nat;.alizigar, SaruU, Sapela, Bfl.wa~ia, Bangali and oth'~r··+nGinad~c·'tribes • .... :' -; ..' XII. Caste-P.anchayat~~ , : .... '. The Pernas·· move about in a gf6up of .5 ·.to 10 families whi ch .. a~""e ge neRally c~ps ely f,elat ed ,with one another. The g~oup is calJ_.ed a dera':, Eve:ry dera has a Chowdhary. ~u His post Hl no.t hereditary but is s~lected on the basis of merit by co'rmnon consept. Petty dis·pu'tes are settled by the Chowdhry. ,.,' His order.s."are generally t:inal, though not cruel or' dictatoriaI' as he fears to ;I;6se his position in this way ~ If' t·wo p ers onS are not 'PPi~' sp_eaktpg terms, they . 'are persuaded to bring a bottle of"·'W1ne .. and drink together and 'resolve their differences in the pr~sence of the Chowdhry. Sometimes the Chowdhry may place his turban on the feet of one of the part.1es to bring itout reconcilia tion. On ether occasions, he may also threaten a person' to turn him out of the dera. Generall~ these tactics are successful and ffiDnor disputes are settled. In major disputes like elopement of a girl, di~orce or adultery, a big panchayat is held generally nea~ a town. Chowdharis of all the deras are called ad:O. the matter is discussed in dletail. '1 number of pers ons generally five, are appointed as . judges who gi ve their verdict aft,er 'listening the involved parties. Divorce m'ay be granted by the panchayat. Cash fines are generally impose? If, a.nybody challenges the decision of the judges, he is s oClially ostracized and got punished in the law courts. ,J .'~ .. ' 4 ;. , ' 1 ,':_, .. , ... .:. - , , , ~~ I ... , J ETHNO GRAPHI C NOTE, 0 N ~. .- ") -: . " • '. I' j " . ',' 's.. , '. I TO, r '. '. • ~ . . ~ \ , ,~~,. ,]dentit.t, ,£trJ&.ir(._a,p..~J!l~er.l..-, ,'r?e, ,term Koli, J ,.: 4.s used 'in three distrnct s ens'es'. PiJ:!st as a territorial : : :', . term it ,d"e'nQ:ts a residerrt 'bf ICulu,,~nnd Ly~dli·s.pe·aks of LJ t.i., :' 'the' R,aj,as , ~a~;:r'Gh~t versi·on .that' the ... : " ~ ~ . t·erm Kolf is 'd:e~;lv:ed ,.f.rorn '-Ku:i_j:.r:q "d'abraded f:r;dtll a f_ly f , i'"e.. ,of StlO·r:a ··stat'u.s j q_nd the' ,DAfl :c,l1.s-Cg' i·s said ,to ,be an off 'shoo'l:;~ of ·t'_he 'l:c} i..s:-~,,; '~:i:l:r:~h . go ~ i -ts 'p.ame from' I:' )'> d'raggin'g' away d,acid:"c:c'.tt,le ''':'(I~£1)~",q2', ~-:?_-M ::t~~f1}J_'- Cs 0 that' a k91i 'who. took to' re!Jo\-l~lg 1;1:& ('a,::>·za:.:;sos. o:C',cat-tle .wa,s call~d a Dagi I\:ol:t" .. !.'.... ~ ~ '.. ~ : r -l. ") .:: i. (): ~ ;t 1:1 ~.' # .', -. \. _ • " ::" I ~ :=~:;~:r~~:~'~-~-~·~~~-..~~:·:.: ,~--;~:.-A~.c6j·(r~,~g'~ ~g ~·'~~T ~"~[:4pa~l:s-O!"1 ~,- ,1The, ~p 2PlJ-lar explanation cr t 11e word Dagi ;ts th$.t :1.t is deri v~d from Dak 'Cattle~ becau's.e' "they: drag ta/lvhy' ;ty(~ carc?s:sdS'~I,df dead cattle and also ;"eat the" fJ_er.h" 'If a man' S :.iJs: he::dis a Ko!!; then a kn:net turns' )~0ur.~ 0'ilhir: anq,asks".l':d~1n; whe-ther he,' does'-riot·, c,rag 'C~:t'~ar,c.'es;~ '&n~ on h:Ls";:ge.'jfing he do~s-, the ~anet all ~rg8s -he' :5:::r -c. !)o g5 .. :, ana -t:he ,.JQuTd:· be Kol!,·cons-ent's... 'l't.9 re a:re ve_:y i:f.!iI! ~~1 Kti.llu p!'oper that abs'ta:hn from t-o':!.~hj_nl? the de3d ... ' ~lhe:;:'3 are more in seraj, but tJ~.ey admit tr~8!?_?': a:.'.:- callod 8:i..ther Dagis or, , Koli~, find ,that ,heth,3l';' tl1·3Y <'3!.\~lj~:~r•. -Cr~m t ou~h1Dg carcasq.es or: not:, .~llieat'i ~J~"':!!'::::: c:ed j n-tEfFmarry on equal terms '.' •.. ' ,.,. " •• l ~ • .. 2 The wo~d I D:l gi r as ,it is us ed in the hills has a broader use, for it is not 'used by the higher castes to denote, Kalis' alone but all the low castes such as Dums LohaDs; Chanals and qhamaI,'s are. cal.le d 'as Dngis. But the use of this word is, now out of etiquette and it is resented by this community. Another'legend explains the origin of Kalis from Kanet"s. nOnce upon a time, when the Simla lUlls were occupied by Kanets) cattle disease carried off nearly. all the cattle of the V1llagers. is no shoe-makers (chamars.~)'· were available to remove the countless dead kine, and as ",the _..q. villagers could take no food till the carcass,es were , removed from' their houses, they took counsel to €?t out, of the diff~aity they were in, and some K~n~~s families undertook to remove them, but these families, were avoided by the other Kanets, as they were polluted' by touching _' the ,dead :kineJ and were termed Kalis. Thus the Kelis are degraded Kanet'S. But they' ret ain their ~ts't so' , that the Koli gots are the same as those of ne s" ' , and some Kolis~Shandilya 'and Kashyap gots 'are fpu~d in these hills". '--'. , , I According to the present en~uiry made in the' Simla hills ani Gurgaon District, the Kalis or the hills claim themselves to be Kohli Rajputs originally'. Sinilar names are Kori and Kolta. Koris are more akin to Khatik Purbias than to Kalis. Karis and ,Kalis have no similarity except" the name~ Kolt-ts are p'erhaps a lett status clan of Kolis-~" ,Koltas to-uch and remove dead bodies of animals 'which Kalis would not do. Koltas are also called ',' 'impure I (jutha kolis) as distinguished, from others' , called Ipure~(sucha kolis)~ Kolis of Glirgaon' I District claim their origin from Kaul R~jputs. They are Julaha by profession and also claim themselves to be Kabirpanthfs. Kolis in Gurgaon District are permanently settled for centuries., Kolis of Nalagarn a*ea say that their- ances,tors migrated fro~ Mandi and Suket to Nalagarh state four or five generations' 'ago. . , ',',' ""',,' : ,. \.' .' " Distribution and Population ~ends'';:'_'': The 'KP'iis'/Koris appear in t he list of Scheduled Cas'!Jes,,'~n ,PUnja,b, ~achal 'Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan" Madhya Prad'e$h; Maharas~tra, Orissa and uttar Pradesh. During 1961-census, 'Kori-s were returned in largest number from uttar 'Praoesfl ' (710,241)', Kalis, or Karis .from Rajastl:lan (133,997) and , ~2X®l Madhya Pradesh ~125,451) and Kalis only from Himachal Pradesh (159,133). I~ PUnjab their number was 7° 743" " only. Dagis are included in the list of Schedule<12 Castes in PUnj ab and Himachal PradE3sh" only where they were, according to 1961-:Census, 380 and 22, respectively. The tcb Ie given below: shows the distribution of Karis or Kalis and' Hagis in various d~stricts of Punjw' as recorded.in 1961-census.' , state/District Koli or Korl 'Dagi P. M .. F P M. F. Punjab 70,743 36,014 34,729 380 177 203 Hissar 489 272 ' 217 . ~ Rohtak 97 96 ,I 2 2 Gurgoon 9,625 5,156 4,469 3 3 eCONI'D ...... 3.) \ . As a:~ready menti,oned,' t}?e. Kolis and Dagis in'the past cen~uses 'were gr<;>-q.ped as, one caste; t!le small number of'Dagis returned in 1961-Census ind'icRtes that many Dagis would have repor~ad themselves as Kolis. The fol~owing', Table showsthe'number of,' '1\olis and Dagisl and 'Kqrls",as , -I found dl,lring 1901, 1911~1, 1931, in t,he areas comprlsing , ':Punjab ):l;t the time of 1961-Census.· . .. . : . " ~ J.ear _.' Kelis. .and D'pgl's Koris " P.. M~ c· F. ,;P. M F. 190,1 ,44;,834 23;151' 2~683 19 ;'.504 10,366 '9,138 ,,1911 .54,878,.~?8,.;t.09 26,769 10,015, . 6,,376 3,639 3 34'(' 1921 ,51,760, 2?,5~ "25,,196 81"617 5,277 , , . 1931 ,57','996 30,215 .27,781 N.A.· N.A. N ••~. Number ,of Keris'in 19311s not kh~.~n,be:c~~se _ this' 9aste·:wa~ not separat ely ciassified during that censuS for'the reason it comprised less,than'4% of the' populatipn. _ Qastewise: d~t'a were not comptL"Od during 1941 and 19.,51 census es, as such no .fi gures are a vai;I.ab1e for thes e years.~ Combining the figur~s for Kori, Koli and _Dagi, 'it will b~. fou;nd: that their _number, increased from, 6413?8: i'n, 1981 to: ·64~893' ,irl.:L911, but, the clec,a,de 1911-21 $-how~. (!JIecreas6 with,1h.e~r· number .at 60,3?7 'ln 1921, but lncreased to 7~; 18.3 in 1961 •.. Percentage ~ncrease duririg 192'1-61 . 'comes' t~o I7 .8; '" T.h'eir' sex ratio, during 1~61, 1911, 1921 and 1961 com~ tp 920, 882,~ and 965 respectiyely.' .' . :',,: ·',r.: Ko1is' ox Koris are mostly concentrRted in rUral areas' .', .', Their number- in urban areas during 1961 cenSUS was 7, 762' 6rily 1. e .' '10 .97%. 0 r' the 380 D3 gis., only 1 Da gi was found in urban areas. . " .~ Clan~ 'Family and Kinship.- The, Kolis are divideq' into exogqmous' units,. called .gots. Some of their gots in ~- Gurgaon District,_ are; ' --- '" Khawalia, Dabkar:t?-, Lalorla,. Hars ori-a, N1bhor1a, Nimochan~a'and Mamor1a. . .... , . .. ~ : (CONTD ••••• ~.~ •• 4.) ., . Some of the gots 'of Kolis .found in the Simla Hi~ls ':are: '" ~ -, .} [, Kash1 v or Kashyap, Cf.latihan., .'1.Tlanr ~ Puanr, 'R~Uy:anshi, Pandir, Gaur, Dhalu i .Sandal.. . ,., .. . . " . ""'" _. _., ,It :.is interesting to notE;l'.that some 'o:f"the clan ,~'""."",:~s;'~'I'e-w:~~a."·ktrownIR~jPUt"'·clan names' and tha~':fs why , .. -ther's)..is. a _general Delief among Kol~s.,that their' ancestors were .. R~j puts,,' ' , . ,~ ~ : .' . ,:.' J ;,~' ;'_":> ' F~~~~Y anong {~~~iS 1·s p~t~L19cal with ·patrqnymic· d.~s,ignation. A!ter'~ipa.rr'iag·E? the woman goes to !tay. with. qusband 'acquir~ng hi·s ,,~t ~. property, - inher~tance and reckoning of deseen.· is,a10ng the male line. As far'as th~ compositi~n of family structure is concerned, Kolis'- have stmple, inte~rmE;ldiate as well a~ _joint :families. Ther~ is a tendency tow~rds the simple famili~s. "i ... f..' ,,\.. ',.::• 1 I ...., , Int er':'family ,'r~latio~ships' 'are on tll~, basis of thick blood relat.ionshlps -(the :families b'e+..ng t he descendants of common an~estors)1 marital relatiqnships'and the distant relationship~, They share":,,,each-- other? :j oys arid sorrows and .. extend he:.tp to each,other·in'ct~mes of need • ., settl~ment·s p..,tld "Dwe1lillgs ~.- Th~ pres.ant:"~tudy of' the Kolis ~ :is'' basetl '.on tne ,Kqlis of ReioJ'ari .a,n . • • ;', ~... .:' I ...... :. 0# :~, " • i ~ ..... • ,~ .. 'I' t~· 'fj', • • " ' " . r , . .,.' ,,;' ,(CONTD- •..•.• ·.,.~'e:,.5.) ,,' b here are als~ k{3,'cha in na:~~r9' h<';l:vi..~g. s ar),:{~nda foots tapering 'downwards of}. troth the siP£?s,.,' Vlallr:; "~:r)e";~'''''l,mfde, of boulders ·;\d~th.' mud~"" Flo'6rs a're m?de,,,c.f· ~,mal1. p~$bles wh'~ch 'a're p,iastered w~ th ID').1Q.: 'l{a*~mJ.m. h~j- gh·~·. ;'pf ttl$ rvof -is 11 faet. , • .:., (:.. ,. • .. t Dress·.·~ -rKoJ.:1.s dre'ss 'up li!{e~' thej_~ ~thor ,brethren ·in plains 'arid hi-ils. ' ::M~n '_' dr~ss u,~ 'in' e. kame':J~,.'i "dhQt:i. aNd ·turban in the _pi~ns ,. , put.~ 'in; the 'hills, p:{j ama-~,I,s-:m06:tJ..:r 1:1,9 ed" in place of :o.hoti. Tl1~~,e are the n3 cessary :Lt.'?m~ o,f 'C:'l",es,S._ whic.h are· ::, -·-worn· throU:vghout t·l":te-- yea;:., Swea,te,,r..t ,may "be . 'WO 1"; n during the winter. During '1:·,rjnter) people also wrap yhes , a thick '. cotton sheGt? around them" Ch.ange'3 :are, h:)wev~r, obs erved among the younger generdion,,' E~c;'l. ~r.1 y~. p'eopJ_e p;ut on ~uti made of leather 't"J9.er?as youngn:ten a-r:1 'doys have starte uSing ready made shoes·o ' .. '.:Koii women in ;the h-~.113" ,)ut. o~ ~he'-i.lsual dress, ~wa.E_, .KfJ.!IweZ anc~ d'£~tt:l'" SC?~1:.i?..:~£.~\I'::jll~;!1':u.~e '2,hurJdar .E/!y]ama',,-- ~"b.i52r as-: "'l8.tT a:s ~_e9.tner·; s l~PiJbrr. Ql"e u.3od" Koli '.females of .ttte Gur,gaon Distr~.pt " ~ ..)';\la~Vbr;:' genet'ally wear coloured -Ciuthes'~'''' eS;8~Ta-:'J.y ~~~S,=t _. made of ~.5 to 25 yds. of cloth C:l1d.~am .. z, a long ,;.OO~8 Sli::':'S~ ,', • • ": • t I ;. r . , . - ~ .. __ ...... l..,t=tl'c Ornaments• _~ -.. ; 1\1"\1-1#....J~_. ·woM"n,_uv..\. o~,,J.hn~,. U , ...... : ___ ...... :..~ ,c.r\f)t""l':' .... e,..·',-l"l'~1_ '::l.~ .1.,./ ';seL. ,sif_ver. .?lnd oraSS'rQrnamepta,,: ,', !IIi::tJ.r2TtOf '8';:-rIIiu:;:,' speaks 'of" Kolis ~ that, :,.th~Y .:do nC;)t "W3ar or2 ~ri(,' ·~.ts . ::lfidEi of' gold as ' ...... r -r.t..}, . h db' .,_ .. ~...._ . " , '., t' ''-'' t .we,q.L._L.n€ 0 .. ' .. u ...ese . .l.-.~ 8cn n1.'Cill":.L)...:~,'3!l. l!y 113 ~£!t.?_r_C]1l cas €S •• tom' .; c fa~::'-· ch"'Yr'·"1J_·'I".rt ' ., n,'··_·"""'" .... II·O'·~·,'r1· r,:nr::. +,he '.ThiS: •• • cus • ~ _t.....:) - ...J, .J. --4.1.'" b •.lO.... - ..ie-. .) .. .L ,.,J 1: . -" - ~ ..t. G \' 5 V ec'onom~:c, ;f:'-R.cto,r . is;. t~'9 cn"!..7 '::[;..ct 0:- .f0':' , -ci:r8'us-e" of' costly qrnamerits o'r:'I\oJi1.. ·:\fo:J.en cf ~.::1:lc 'pJ~: ~'3 are i";.s.in:; all types of ornaments [.lade ,of eo],j .:me .::il~'Gr" ' l<1W1:'9J_GD arc actually very ".fond J"'.' crnnmon-:s A 2orno c:f ·i',.~1E. ornaments US.ec. by the.m are a s i·(;l]_o~·[.~ng ~ _', .. :_ ,_., ... ~:. -..L ~. -~. . . :' . ,: ' .. ", ~~ .. ~ •• f ~O'rnamen:t' ,Par-c of ~ ne DuC"y'" list a.'. us ed., ... #~-. ~ -:,,*1~ , ~I'.;.:~~( I"i.C _. ),-: .':'Z'·~ ------._- ... f" f !. I ~,··f .,.-. !:'.,- ",; " ' F1 ",111""'''''' .' ~ . } J.\ngobt hi. " '.\ . "'-"'''''O~''-· * Gold /2i1 ver • . ' . 1"''':' .... (~"., l) at'1 . ~r-eekci ' 'tJ. _.L ... vc: .... "I. GoJ.c:' • Hath.fool :~1.D/!S Gulubailo. _ ~\; -7c\ . ~ari .' .,' . .f .' ~'''.' .~- ~~, I N"evri Chhail KaraT Foot to ;{neo Oit Kara f Pati f. t' , , , . Area Total I;I.litarate Literate Primary Mat ri culation population. . without or and above. educational junior level. basic. .~ . ~ M. F. M. .F. M. F M. F. , M. : '~. F. ~ ·1 2 . Rural 31566 31415 27232' 30948 2591 345 1648 120 '95' • Urban 4448 3314 3189 3111 700 132 471 '67, 88 4 • •• : .~. .,.,.. , T f' ' " " " , ~". I" • , • (CONTD •.• ~ ••.•·7.) ," 7 Two males in urban areas Mrd 'obtained Uni versity "degr~e •. Position of Literacy among males is com~aratively better at about 16 per cent, but "the temale literacy at 2 peI'cant. is very disappointin? Literacy among rural women i~ hardly one'· per. cent. Literacy among the Kolis of the ~lq.~ns 1s, 1n no way 'better than the literacy among the KoI1~ of Hills. Majority of the literate population 1s without a~taining , any educational stanClard. Only 2,306 stud'i~d upto p'rimary standard and 189 completed Matriculat~orr. It may be of ' . interest to mention here that elderly., people ·a.r..e mOpt+y -illiterate. The literate persons, especially who .have· ..... att ained any educational st a!ldard, ar,e ge ner ally childDtm' m~y of wh~m are still in schoolfl. . " Economic 1ifei- ~he Kolis of the hills are traditionally agriculturists. Some of the Kolis pnssess enough land of" their own and are termea as 'landlords adcording to the standard of land ownership in the hills.' Those wh6 do not have their own land-work as tenants. Some persons: ·work :., . s imply as agricultural labourers i It wi!'l, however ,,, be seen ;. that kolis of the hills are ...... not confined to Agilculture" but-have shifted to other professions also, Some of them are working at Household Industry mostly wea~ing of . coarse cloth., Some work as mere iabourers in construction1 , trade and commerce or transport activities. Those who are educated have taken up Governme'nt service and some hames of Govetnment officials of this caste were mentioned during enquiry in support of their belief that Kelis as a Scheduled CAste are better off than many other scheduled Castes. It will be interesting to mention that almost all the Kolis of village Bir Palasi (Nalagarh) are runnin'g water-mills an~ a_re ~own as Gharatiyas. . . , "1', • ,-,' ':'.' ., .. T4~, traditional .occupation of 'the Kolis of' plains <.~ga:Oh D~~~5~c~ ),::i5 Kbadi~~ea:vtng" w~1ch' is !3;ti+1, th~ mqst lrilport.cil'lt.· ~c.9Jip~.~i:on.- Howey {~.' (,' . ~r ~. " .. "" " ,...... ~ _ . C, 0# ." , I •• ' .' • '.." • i} ." ';" . " . In~ustrial cillii.S!~;if~9a~:~'6~ of, 1{~e .K6ifs accbrd1ng t o· t96:l.~census i-s as fol.lows·, '.. ':' " .'" " " • . I '1 ",:' • .' ~.. ~ I ndustrial, Cate-gory:~ . . Total .. :: Of worker/rion:...'. '." .. ··.!,-=-::M...... --:~.:::::...-F..... -· : , .M. worker. 'f .• , , ' •. : ~ r :' -, , TOTAL POPUL.AT!ON~ 36;014 34,7?9. 31,566." ,::.3+1~::l:15 '.4,~8." 3,314 Total. w.Or~\'is.i :."'" '2r3,97~ .' , }~16?4' 21,21,0 -18;~45· 2·,:768 . ~09 WQrldlng:' ..' .' . • ' '..I' , I. As CUltivators 16,441 16.,.963 H? ,384;. ,.: ,lQ~02?:· . :57' ,41 II •.~ Ar,ricultural '. .: labourer 1',108 6~ .. ,J;~R3~' ,:!~., ~':'~"t2i ... '.:74. 36 III.In mining, Quarrying, . ~ '. .. Forestory" '; " . " .... fim ing, .. ':" 64~ 219 5.91 213 54' 6 hunting ·.and . plant.ations, ~r .. ,· Ehards and allied , .. activities •. ". , .. , 8 I V. At Household Indus.try "'. 1,~33 .... 1:,361 1,462. 1,149 . 371., "212 " . . , - v. tn manu~actur1hg '. , " other thaJ;l' .. ' : I hous e-hold 784 " . 35 241 22 I 543 13 industry'•...... , ,I ~ ' . '16 ,. VI. In construction.8S7 ., 52 .376 . :." , 481 :', ., 36 ..... : i ..... VII.In·'trla,de and ISS ,; C.:. 10 108 6 80 4 ' Comme-rce:,~ '~~ I, '~'. : VIII'~Ih 'transport'; "'. ..,' - ' ~ ..······-·A()O ' st·or~ge. and .. ' 541.L .:··;·· ' 1 . 138 - ~ v .. ····,· .... 1 Corfm\l~icatiQris..: , 'f- " I I.:' " .j ,t't 'I'" ~" .:.. : " r'~' ~ 4 IX. In other S'~'rvices'~'" .., .. _.'" "'"' . .1,~~81 : . ", '.249. . '876 . : 189 . '.'7.05 60 .' rf" • '(' ... ": ~. .. Non:';workers. '''12,~36' _. 16',075 _. ;10,35.6. . . ~3,1?6 1680 2,905 ',' ...... I ':. Tanntng .. i3,nd ". . -.. Cu-r'ryiilg of - ." 3 . ; l1ides .and skins ,: r - •._ . ' -' .~ . .'. 3 'r,,: '.'.4 1.,';'. 1 ' ••~~ ''I.-' l I '1'" • ~''''' L , " '.:. It will be ,seen from the abov~ Tabl~;::t~~t:' percentage: of workers r. among ;'Kolis. is quj}t'e high at 66~"3 l:'ETr';'csnt' as compa:red to ·the 'percentage uf: workers' qf· to·t'q:l populatIon of Punj ab at· 3S.0% •. There··is "Q6t .. ·v~ry high 'variation in the per centa:giJ of ·m'ale·. and d'etmlle'··· work?rs ,am.qng Kolis: 'male workers . (CONTD •..• •1:\. ~.• ) -, J'.,!;:.TQ.' .... ~l: .. J.,... t;:l~I.rJ..;, l·u~lG. 2. .. fJ !-,~':'''''I,jut .J..L.·d8.... J.~.lJft,'"'LI,l ...·i.(lt?::.tl:t:per thFln .\" " :' . ,~ .. hp.u.s~}:;l~'i<;1 ipdustry. •. 01the~1 'set-vices '('Category .IX)· rank , . \- .... ~('.i.S,.I'thil"d Gtnd prpvid.$ jobs' t9: l~jo:?J.~~.ept. , Tanning and currying Of.,h~q ..e·s an~ skinS-was' ~on~, py:.three males only, anq theY'ow-ere found in rSimla B1-~Fbr1ct:··,(~pal)., Qf the .' .. ; ,,~:'\' 16 -ma.le~ ~nd 3~ f,emales reporti.ng scavenging as their,\, , \," ". o-qnupa'tion; one male ~~nd two i'~IJla~as' were found in ~ . " . ". pur g{lon. Distt:ict,. £ou:r ma).es eac~. in; A.mbala nO,d Sl'mla \ .l'l.s:t:i.ricts,_ fi ve males al\d one :femals, 'l>j,n Kangra District, ang one male- eaen' in Gtiid~s·pur 'find Pa:tiala Dis.-e.:ricts. • l".It ''''l ~ r ';. • "1~_ Begging is lJ.Ot p:ractis ed as. a profassion by the Kells ., .. ' ,. ., . i t ., .. .• f," ...' LIFE CYCLE , . ., . . ' " . • 1 , .r. . ;, 1... ; opl • .... , .,.... 1)-...... first day" is known as lKahral~ a somewhat liquid mixture of gur, ~~~ and .§.,~ain.,. Thereafter ~ she is given porrfQge. No~mal meals are allowed after the shudi ceremony. Marriage.- Kolis are divided !nto h number of exogambtlS s ect:tons called gots 0 llic.:-J.d:6.')W~ the gots of father ant\ I\o':;t;~l' while arra"!lgI!ig a marriage. In some cases, gots of' n:.:1t ermal and pat ernal grandmothers are also oe15arFed, but the non-availabtlity of bridegrooms sometimes has nov! forced others -Co widen the scope of marital ties within the caste~ by minimising the number of debarred gots, The custom of bride-price is not prevalent, but wfien there is difficulty in finding a. bride because the boy is overage or physically handi capped, bride is pu~chase8 on payment of ~.500/- to ·~.1,000/- to her father. Polyandl'y or pol~rgamy is not practised in the caste. of cou~se, second marriage is allowed if the firstw:~fe/h1J.sband is deed or if the first wife is barren, Age at marriage ~ - According to J.961-census, out of the total population of 70,743 Kolis/Koris (36,014 males and 34 1 729 females)~ 16,558 males and i7,099 females were marrieo. Of these narrlsd persons. 88 males and 322 females were 14 years or below in age.I Besides these, there might be many other cases 0:: marriage re fore the age of 14, who would have crossed 15 at the time of 1961-Censuq and therefo~e ~ot taken into account. Child marriage is not appreciated oy the cqmmunity these days ,. but the above statistics show -r.nR G chj_ld marriage is not ra:be. Normally the bride :1.3 ::loungs::, tb:.-.. u ":.:;11e gro!:;l.'Il and the age of girl at marriage :ts 15-17 years wh:Lle the boy is between 18' and 20 years. Betro"~b32., r,OwGv e~:, takes place 2 years or even more before maITi2,f:;8. Nego·c"laJ.:;ions at the preliminary stage are carried out by a p):,.£.ll0d:L(go-be"l:;ween). After' the negotiatj,ons are T"'!I'!.c1C ar:d settJed between both the parents of the gi.rl arlO the '00:/' ~ the~"\1fka or engagement ceremony ,takes pl.'lce. The boy's ~ide also sends some clothes, ornaments and a pa:l..r 0:' Sh08S to the: prospective bride. Onee the betrothal ~s final. it is not normally broken and is ~_rr8v'Jl:ai:Jl,J except I'OI.' certain definite causES•• The date of marI.'ial;a is f:'xed by the pandit. On ,the ausp~cious day, thA 9y_.i..131'1. (bride grc;>om) leaves ni$ house alon:swith his rel[.tiV8s ar,d frtends. A party of about· 30 to 40 per'sons forms the .p.9-ra't:~. Women. do not accompany the marriage pa~:'ty 0 .'1 f or.l:al meeting, called milni, takes place betw3en the ~arriage party and a group of relatives of the girl" All the ceremonies connected with marriag8 are strict~y according to Sanatanist Hindus e Pheras take place under the marriage pavi"llien known as Y~Q itt an auspicious time,. the pand,it conducts puja at' G"l.nesh and Va-die mantras are p.ecited~ The co1i~Jle is r:l"3.de to peri','):'m pu;ja' according to Hind,u Vedic rites an.:i "~O clrc;.. 8 :~oi.lnd-me sacred fire s even times •. (CONTD •••••• 1'1. ) ~ ,: ..... , ",1 I ",' .' (= , ' ;.: f;}·;? I ...)_' _ • ..!- Reiigion.- The Kolis/Koris in. 'Punjab' rmos''f;1.y profess . J1indu Religion. Of the total' 70,743 Kolis/Koris in Punjab 1" ,. recorded' at .the'-time .nf 1961... census, only 14 reported ~ .. ,. themselves ·'tQ,~2!.9:[ess Si·kh ,religion and the'remaining . . ·Tbllowed Hindu religion. Out. of thes"e ii!4 .p·ersons . ~ lor :w'ere found in '~pala District, 2 fii :Amrit.s,ar District, .,and 2 in Patialat District. .: . ".' > . The're are. ·no specfal religious observances of the .' (' _:.::.KQ1.i$. They belie.ve in common Hindu g-ads and goddess es ,. and obs e·rve all ·the c,ommon' f~s ti vals like Holi, Bais akhi , "Ra~ha- Bandhan, Guga Waumi, J..anam Ashtami., Dussehra and Di:wali·. 'They also observe ,fasts on Tuesday." .Poornima, '.Ekadashi, ·etc •. ';I'heir wOI!l~n 'observe fasts·. on karva chauth, s ~nghar 'ch~uth, etc,~, as well. Kelis. firmly believe in Hindu .theory··of Karma, rebirth and immortality of soul. They believe'i'n the existence of ghosts and spirits also. Kalis of the _:r~ills, 11.~e most othe.r hill people, have faith in GUrus liVl.ng l.n· the hills.'· . Guru of Haripur is I, : .... followed b'y' most of the kQlis of Simla hill's::. Before consuming or selling their crops, they keep the share of the Guru in a separate container and offer him whenever ,L~..;.~l/tl Haripur. ',' .'. ' ::..- '~:. '.:-.;-.L.<:. • • I. " 1. ;~ f,- I,.~ ',', The Garges ': COW.,:-s un-. god , fire and s iras and .[.,.!~. ~ 'marigb' trees· are heid in great 'esteem by Kalis. . 1~ . ' ~. J ,t .' ~ .;.'. . t. . ~ .' , I : • L - .;Or ganiz'ation" of Social Control,"'"p,restige 'and "LeadershiE.- '" ...... , • . "I ' . The Kolis of Gurgaon District have traditional p~chayats .. " ': ,of their-' own :whic'h' ·:help . a l-o'ti":in r E' gula;ting the affairs of " 'the .fc.otnn;tuh:tt~'~· -~. Hea? of the panchay:at, also called baradari, is. kriown as Chaudhrl.· ·or·: IJambardar. There is one Chaudhri '-';' : for nearly ;2-5' 'hous'ehalds 'in a' big' village or :at least . one chaudhr±" in' .9've·ry vill'age 'where Ko'lis res ide. The" I o..ff1ce of '.the:·.cl1.a:udhri is ·hereditary'. but: he ,can be removed 'if ·the !ll:a~bri ty' believes that· he is partial, immoral or· uhjust! lrr·.his .'decis.ion.s'. In s:1.l,,l:!h a case, he is replaced, by'" some'one from his family .. ' . . In Sohna town, Kalis report ed that their chaudhri must have the· confidence of more than 90% of the'~inembers~lof;·the ·baradari·." . Ability of the chaudhrl: is'" nCJw< cons id ered mor&i than· his hereditary claJ,.w..·•. ,~ The Kol1:'s,; generally, 'dQ~ not have ~ any' panchayat ghar, but in Rewari they have one,separate house : : i known as panchayat ghar:.-,·: L '.' , The chaudhris~ and panchayats claim a big : influence on reliigious, oS'ocial and legal behaviour .'<;>f the caste people .. ' ~'culprit can be fine9 upto Rs.125/-, usual fibe's ranging aetwe.en Rs.5/- to Rs.l0/-. The amount realised' on account of fines is' us ed "for charitable purposes ~ . A constant and dangerously wicked person 'c.an be even ostracised. Generall¥, a culprit is made to npologi~e. ( CONTD •••••.... •.• ·M.) The barat alongwith the bride generally returns n!) t"'e +l,~ r~ C'''r +,,, +'1,,:, l'01'c:e of 'lJr:tdegroom. Muklava ceremony ~s held after a few days if the girl has already attained puberty, otherwise after the has atuained puberty. Wi"dow marriage is"kilowed, but !"generally it i. takes p~ace in the form of kareva. Another ceremony -, Aa~Ued .~ is prevalen~: among Kol~~,,'Of the hills. '" Acc'ord~ng to itl .a,woman in,case.'~f_i'~er dispute with her , husbanQ'or her ove af,f.ailP-,W1th Sdme other man, can leave . her husband and, 11:ve wi th~~4o,r' man', of ,her choice ~ . .' ~ .... ~ .... or go to ·~.er :f~th~r ~ S ho ;:'USe-.:, .·.Th~~,l?iInple condition is that hel;' !,lew· ,hus 8"and or; ttle father :ha~ "to. p,ay kareva or ~_ . ( a ~:e~t:l~d ,~ount i~ ,.,c~sh.) 'to ~h?' former .husband. The . woma,n .loS,es ·tler right: in the dowry" or,' Qther property of 'j .~~.:h,e,r :f.or~er:. }}usband. ' _'i~l'o.'". s~a~is,tiqs.:'.a~e . available regarding .' '~: '"'W.fdo~" marr~ages, ,or' karevas taking p,l~ce.'. :But according '. >t'o' tpe. 1;36:1::-fCe.n:l,,1S, 'there were' as ~any ,as '5,660 widowed :.. ~ persons :(;,~3;a, ~ale's and 3,,722' fe.males), of whom 4'95 male.s, ati!t '756 females were in the age-group II" • 15-44 years ~ .The number of divorced or, s ep arat ed }»-rsons was.,·626 (459 males an,d 16,7 females) among whom 424 pst.sons (295·~male~ and ],29 f~m~le,s) were between 15 and 44 ye~rs in age. " 'I' , .. Death.- Nolis oQsarve death rites, almo~t . according to fhe custom prevalent among orthodox Hindus. Dead bodies bf persons ab'ove, ,the ·age of 10 years are cremated and thos e of sma11~ childr~n are buried. S~it1e.-ti,mes, Children below the age of 10 are also cremated ~ - When the end drawS near, dyin~ perpon is removed from· .. the cot to the flo'or i3.longwith the b<3dding. " ,'., , " ,t', .... , ' .... 'l';' • t', d' i ' ,I ;. .). ~'l :. r.' ' '. Deat~ ri~.es. ·are "ge.nerally"p',.er.~tdrmed' by pandas •. ·The dead, b'ody. ,:1,? :bathed and wrapped in wh1te cloth. The LPrepa~ed near ,l'f?lat1 ves 'and brethren join th!?:,,::t;amily _ An. arthi "of ~ig is prepared and the corP.ge is,ta:kel1'tQ~:the·creniat10n logs of grO'und in.~,proceg.Ei:l,.on· •.:At the creniat1?n ground, a wood. The PY,re 1slJl.t' by the, son ·or.other chief\m9utn~r-.·-~:As funeral s"b~m as it ;ls a'bla.ze t:Q.e, chi@i' I]}6.ul!·n~re-~perforinS . pyre is t~e kapal kirya~' :.. l?ah sa-ns-kirr1s p~:r;fQ_f}.11ed tllfJ... same day, except i~. case t-he aa-ath .. ta~esrplacti3', .in·; late evening or .~ ;, f: ' ,,' ,n1 gh·t ~ 'the funeral ·tit es' ap"~ performeq, 1/11e'. next day. :-... !_:.. ,.. ~:._... . " '~"l. '. ~ ~ ..,-.... . ,.'.. . .' " NO" food is· ·cooke .,'.', ',.' i, . :Da'saiii is P~~I:olmn~9'6rl' .. the 10th day.and k1rya, on the lath day 4 Q.n' kfrya,.. B,rahmans . are fed. and other -;.i'e1atives·:are inrl~ed"- 0 a meal. ~rst death anniversary \ . -(harsi) .arid', fOt1tth dea~h ann~ver~ary. .(cn~t1harsi) 8,re also o<;>mmemot4ated 1{1 ~el:I.~to_do, famil~~s·~ ,,~.Year1y s'haradh is ~~so p~rfo'rmed~' ·+n;'lc~s:e·'.. 9.f 'the 'deatq: 'of !In '~ld~~-n-, who . "leaves, behind: ,a. norl1l:.aa f'am1:1t, ll,lnch, or sweets ~re. served 'In tbB" w~~ole. hO,mml1t;ltt,y. .of. the placEl '?'n Jhe. t3th'day after de-tithe . I • ' .. \ • ." , . • ,. ,~;" ,. • ",' ,of, /', ,{ .' • I ", ~. I .- ~ .. ~". '. ,I. " . "" : ~ " , ~H"' ,_ ... j , . ;. , .~ In case, a dispute cannot be settled by the caste-panchayat, conciliatory efforts of village sarpanch and city fathers are also utilised. Law courts are seldom resorted to, mainly because the people cannot afford to do so. Kolis in the Simla hills; it was reported; did not have a caste panchayat as a tradition. In Aurian and Naun villages, Kolis did not remember if there was ever a caste panchayat of their own. But, some Villages around Tipra had a common caste panchayat about 20 years ago. But gram panchayats have now replaced caste-panchayat and Kolis do not feel any need of the latter. Kolis have a relatively high social status among scheduled castes. Bhangi, Dhanak, Ch~mar Khatik, Teli, Bawaria, Perna and Nat are considered as low castes by the Kolis and they would not accept food from them. "Some people of this community call themselves as Koli-Rajputs and are reluctant to be called as mere Kolis c They do not associate themselves with other Scheduled castes such as Chamars and Chanals. They look down upon these. When a demarcation line was drawn between swarans on one side and Scheduled Castes on the other, Kolis showed resentment and approached the Government that they may be excluded from the Scheduled Castes and be included in swarans. ~ agitation was· carried out and Kolis of Sirmur District joined hands to form a Koli-Rajput committee. This Koli-Rajput Comoittee of Slrmur District is affiliated with the ~l India Koli Rajput Mahasabha of Ajmer. An ~l India Union of the community was established on 23rd March,1937 at Ajmer. The broad aims of this organisation are confined to social reforms and economic uplift. But soon, due to political advice, their agitation coi[ed down and now they prefer to be treated as Harijans for Government aid but otherwise wish to be treated as Swarans (Moginand, a village survey by R.C.Pal Singh: Page 8). .. ':...··-:2:-· .- .", diff!du~t .to assess as to how':long< these do~;ir~({ed B!=ljputs .' .,car~.ie1 'on'the ~rofes.sion of trade and cornmerQ~' in. the country~. ,::·-"Btl't·_·t·tIt'l Sirkib8hds believe that their ancestors did not carry on the ,.trad,itional o,?cupation of Banjara castA for a long , . ,; period ·:and. accepted Sirkis. and baan making as their principal pro fes,S ioris, , 3.fter whi.ch t'h,ey were n !=l1l1ed as si rki bands ~ . . ~ ~ No details are \mov.tl to thp Sirkib8nds about their earliest .settlemen ts in the State~ Only the Sirkibands ~.ettled . in .Gurga6h· Dis.trict have stated t.hat they have been Ii ving in bis~rict for the last 200. years. . ... ,,' Geo;grqphic~l Distripu-tion and POQulation Trend.· • The Sirklbands appear in' the l:tist of Scheduled Castes ~f Punjab . -' . ~, D.E?lhi and tiimqchal ~radesh. The e·3.::1i~r ~e~use9'. tp~ .,('. " 1901 and .1911 did not rpcord tL;le number of SJ.rkJ.bllnds in ,the , State~ In 1921-census their number was 1,720'males and 1,7Q~ 11Test .; females in the !State (excluding areas gone to Pakist;ill, Himqchal Pradesh an'd Delhi). The censuses of '·1931, 1941, and , , 1951 did not record t~ number 0 f Sirki bands separately. !\ccording to 1961-census thE' distribution of Sirkibands in the State is' as--follo'Wss- . .' Total population: '. (_ Distrl ct Rural Urban •. ' M ., .r, M. ',F F. I'. Hissar .86 .. 108 62· 66 2.Rohtak 69 76 26 . 18 3. Gurgaon ~ 153 42 .- 32 4.KarniL 2 - 36. 72 56 5. i\mbal a ·31 25' 40 61 6.Simla 2 7.Kangra 4 12 8. Hoshiarpur 26 39 -9.Jullundur 7 31 19 34 '10 .Ludhi an a 3 ,5 9 11.Ferozepur ;7 68._ &I: 79 12 ~ Amrftsar 10 4 :' )3 ~.~u.rd:.J.spur .' , - 14.Bhatinda .5, 5 1 : 15 ~ sari-grur,. _ , -. ,16.Patiala:- .. +7.11 ~hen·di0·garh. 28 : 64 ... 4 3 .' Ollt"of, ,the total population of Sirkib,gfids 'recorded in :_.the 8~atei:n:1961 census; there Were 815 males' and 975 females . . The flg.ures S~O\l7 th?-t the Sirkib'3!1ds ·hqve de'rcreased by nearly 5% in populatJ.on in the last 40 yeqrs. They are thickly concentrated ,in the rural areas of Gurgaon and Bissar Distts. ~-a-~ti-s,:. - . Clan ,F·am1iy '& Kinship -' . A'S _ stated earlier the """ Sirkibmd trace their descent from the extrrl.ctien!of different Rajput clans and - stili.. nold their .. ffi1ces:t~rill clan n.ames. Lime other Rqjpu ts, the caste .1-s sub-;. di vided _in to' thr ee cl an s, i. e. Ratho~e, Ch~uhan and Pqnwar. These clAnS qre exogamous and are further spl~t up into. sub-septs, knO'WIl as gill. Some ef the gots belonglng. to ea9h CIM have been mentioned by the SI1'Kib~ds of the S~ates .' 2..l_R K I' BAN D Name & Iden ti ty. The name Srrkiband is de'ri ved from the "Word SIrk±. It ,is pu-rely an occupational' nam~, signifying the term " sirklC t:ee;ds). Persons livmg in Sirkj_, huts Uhonpris) are generally g-iven the name S.irkibands. It is also applied to thosa person.s who are engaged in th-e profession ~f making sirkis or ...... si··J:-·ki .. roofs (reed-huts). The caste trace its origin from the different Rajput clans, viz. QhauhBn, Rathore, Punwar, etc.of 'Merwar area ~ how in Raj as than) ~ . Lbeen 1 t nasLst,lted by the respondan ts that many accretions of these Rajputs, after losing tqeir original status, started, Ii ving in -the 'si rki-hut$.,_. durin g .. their nom"'ldi c st ages., and VJe;re, .. given· the name. of S;,frkibands. In the ,abser:ce of any Iucrati ve qccupation, they took to .the prOfe\3s10n o'f making Sirkis. in thefr, initial nomadic stages, and we,re lat-er on' kno'Wn as Sirkibands. The's6 down-graded Rajputs were able. to ml:lintain' their original sOlidarit'y by not' permitting the aeer-etions ,from other castes (may be lower or higher) to enroll themselves as·Sirkibands. Thus, only persons, having their descent from the above mentioned Rajput clans are indentified as Sirkibands and not others, 'm'ay be iiving in the sirki-huts or pUrsuing thp profession of making ,sirkis. Although many other S che.duled C::lS tes with vagran t habits,- like Nat, Perna, Sansi; etc. are ~'te'rmed as Sirki band by thp. local residents of '.the area, for' their living in sirk,ihuts yet the memoors of , Sirkib,qnd caste do not recognise them., :as synonyms, a.l1d refUse . to have any co~enra1 or in ter-mar:j;,tal relation~ w:tth them. Myth & Le rid abou t Or! in .... The origin ot the Sirki'band caste is shrouYl"tled 'in mys y. It-.cAnnot be Said authoritatively as to , which particular period, they came to"be kn01~!!. ::l~ Sirkibands. Bu.t the respondants have st:;ated th;::t they are the original . inhabitants ,Af Marwar State 'of Rajputana ( ',now ,in Rajasthan). They cll:lim their descen t from Punwo.r, Chau,har and Rathor, Rajput clans, commanding a vepy high socral ,status. dUe to their chi va1~y in the medif?va.l age" Many S.irkl b1[lds dl . " ... . ~;r p.dl ti Con td •..• 2. ~" .-~4:- kitcchen or cqttle shed in t:he residential structures of sirkib1l1ds. :\t the most'u"miniqturG ..1llil"!i 1-'s r8.ised "llong'\<7ith thl> mqin"structure', of Sirki's and sarkmd1.s . for storj.ng the r~v' m9terial. of Sirki ahd"Bambo0 stickS. Them::tin entrance door of the residen tialStructure g~rvt6 the' purpo~se. 'of a ven tilator • . , , . Dr8SSt The Sirkib~ds settled in District Gurgaon still cont inue-toYeu" their tr:qdit"i~r;jl dre~'-S c~l}.si~,tip,~,.of a.full sleeves flo'\ , , ' head. ,Roth males' "and fe'm'R1~es' -wear desi jy_tt1, locally made by :' \ " the ch'lmar's.!.: . '_. .., ' Ornmnf1nts:-' The orn8lllents worn-.byt,h- fem81e 8'il'ktJ5811ds are chiefly or s~lv:er and are usually o,f '~:;ety rOugh. c,r~1,ttsmqnship. It is not·,us.ua}:· for men to we'il' any' orn1lTlents eX'cept· a rin .... or murkis .',earrings). Some 0 f t he 'orn.~en ts' commonly US(' d by females o-f the c9.ste are mEntioned belo"'_,=- 1. Ktari.- Silver ring:; Weighing tlhh of.,q, kilo And worn in anklets. ! " , '.:, .2.· ~.- A rounti sh3ped sil'ver ring wopi, in the wri::"3t,s.· '. , 3. Lfl\ill_g_.- ;\1') eeBe 'sR9;pca' or~,'3.me.p t, stuck through the side of the nos'tril.' , " :4., Kok '1.... '::~e- pI;ug. 'M ad~ o,f l/Bth. o.f a kilo silver • .5 •. BundQ.'-- ,8.'3.1'- ring 'drops. " " The: tAttoOing is not pr9.ct'ised in the community.,. 'L_augu 3~e .• - ',I':fl~, Sirk:i b'IDds,CGow,~rs)::.hElli~ye. 'that in :the past t.helr -9TIcestors used ·tc:i 'h,qve' their 'trihqJ, dialect which was very ~~cry. !?imi~ar: With that ·of 1, banjar'~:~ .. ruf-wltl1'-'t:ne passage of t~I!1e, the cast.e started living" in $ettled areas 'of di fferent ,villages ?Jld lost con~act with Barijal''ls. Pre,;>en.tly, :they arp ~ ·seen S'p~qking, the loc'qJ_ ·di :llect, may be Punjahi' .or 'lIiryanvi according to regional di alect, . iii'. which they are preo,omin 1!1tlY settle~. One r,arely ,comes acros~. a person, who may' be knowing the tr~ bal di 8lect •. ,': ' : '...... Educati0r:·'.-· Th.~ 1961 Censu s, sh,oVJ? ,'1; 1 ow ra~e. ~ll:i t'er8.cy 8ll1ong thes1r;klbmds of the' State. On~.y, 113: persons. ollt, of ,total popu lat;l..on pf 1,790. (Le.6 •. 3%') . wer:e .. returned as literates. In the rura,l ~reas thG percentage of literacy is:only 6.6 'out of ],:,,074 only 71 persqns 'are llterate. In the. Jrban a;eas the per?~~t~ge of,lit~racY.is sQm"n\]h~t,lo:wer (5.6~) out of 716 inq,l vldu'1ls,. ~2 .belng. 11 terates. ' , , Contd •••• 5. 19)Rathore . ,( b) Gh auhilll ~)punwar 1. Bad "\l1 e :' '1" Kurra 1. Majrout 2. Rom:me 2. Munaney 2. Samout ,3. Ua.ane 3. Punaney 3. Sco:ot 4. Dhaot ' 4. Malkauey 4. Na~gowal 5. mIar am son t 5. Bal'mod 5. U chSlr aney 6. SuKlan,g.-, 6. Degnot ,' __ _ '!7. Khadiancy.. . 1\11· the' three clans enjoy equ'al st.atu',s in the caste hierarol1ya.n9. one gl;'OUp marries freely ~'oni( the other two and vi ce versa. . A ,family among the Sirki bands i's, formed ~n patriarchllll- ~ basi s 'wit h patriline.u descen t. In the p~s t join t- f1.t1'1ily system wqS prevalent and members of ~me clan u~ed to concentr4- te.themselves by 11:.rino:. at one ·pl'1.ce. Pr.esently, with the ad ven t ci indi vidualisti c tenden'ties ,the Sirki bands are a1 so split up irito nuc18ar f3IDily uni,ts. The son is made tolive separatoly aft.er his marriage. The inheritmce of property is reci:cmed on the m,qle .line" "The' females are not given any Share of t h'e inherited" property aftE~r the death of the, father. The. kinship system among Sirkihqnds is bilate~ql. K:1,.ns of both mother's arid, fathert s side are'recogpised by the, family members. They are called as Gawars (illiterate) by: the,.out.-slders. This might be due', to' their ignorAIlt and ,illite-ratE? cl)aracteristics th~t people 9f' the" area term ,them as t ~warst. " Q.e_t t1gment and Dwel:l.lhgs ,s_ In the el)rly st ages 81 rkibands were nomadic peop~e. Their nom!:jdic movements :involved" the repeated sf-J.iftings of the, h"fbit3t in search fot sUlJsistence,. HOvJever, ,lol'),g ba-ck almost ~l of thei:n adopted, a mqxe or less.,.!3edentary ex;i sten ce 4 T4~y 1i Yf3 in regul ar' se-ttlemel) ts '¥ld h 8,ve permanent r,e,siden tial st r\.l.cture,$. They se t tIe themselves in the main .. habitation of the vill,age, or toWn as:-no criminal or antisocial stigma'is' attad'hed.'to them. In Gurgfwn District, they are 1iving alongwi th hip-her castes in the rll8.i'n 'habit.qtions of different villages and towns 'like Sohn'l, PalwRl, etc. In Ferozepur District of Punj ab,' the Si.'rkfb.qnds are largely ,settledin v~llages of Khoowala, Vihri, RekQ_aiye, Megha,Chhanga, and toWls like- Mukts.ar, J'llal.abg,d, M::rlou,t, 'etc. I • _ • • ,~ . , , Sirkiband live gener8.l1y i~ two,types of resident:id structure> s, 1. e .K 1cch!1-Koth8. and chapnar- Juggi. Tb.~ .. r"esident i al , structures are'single roomed with a small courtyard in front. The }f8.chh3=KQ.tha.§. are generally made' of mud- bri cks,' wi th mud roofs. ,Many a time ~t.hp roofs made of hamboo, sticks and Sirkis ,are pl,'1ced on, the 'fQur walls to provi~e shelter. The chavoa:r Jum which signifies their tr'aditional mode of settlement,-is a sm,all resi'den-ti 81 strjl cture' m'lde' of si rkis and bamboo sti cks. I t is ,miniature i,n: s1 Z~j ap.d covers an areB. 0 f 15 to 20' feet. ,It is re~tangular in sh'ape 'and covered by'S1rkl-sarkandas ( bushes). The' roof is low and one has to benQ.. dom" to··en ter the Juggi (hut). They belie've that house or ,iuggi 'shotiid not face tow"lrds sou~h, whi cb is -con~idered t?, be u place of R avan a , (a mythologlcal demon ,of Ramfiyana. EpJ:c). At the time of laying fo;undat1on", jagg,ery (gur) i,s dist'ributed in the: loc'llity and amorrg memb~rs of tl}.e caste. No other ,speciql observ1D'ces are II!ad~ i\1 connection with the foundiltiop. s tone or building of ~ l~,~:n resldent~a1 structures. T~€re is no sepatate provision for Con td., ...... 4. · :t Table sho:.v.tng the br?ak-u.p of tQe pqpulatioh by pducational. stcmdards is {urnlshe In Tr"lde & Commerce ~ 3 In Transport 2 ,3 In other Services 1 :H~ Total Workers .209 171 ,201 104 Non- wo rker s 243 451 162 249 As seen from the a rove Tqble, the I argest con cen'trat'ion of working population (both in rural and urban areas) is in the C". category of Sousehold Industry_ ~ large number of working force (both males and femAles) is engaged in making of ~li Creeds) an d ban(moon .1) rope used for kni tting cos); .• The next bes t CAtegory runong the working force in rural are·~s' is that of cultivation. In urban areas, the next best .category of ,employment is in Manu facturing other than qou se Hold 'Indu stry. The 8i "'ki bcmds,,' have stated th~t in the past, they used to secure sir~ from t~e banks of,rlyer, deserted COClrse of a, stream, etc,_ In present tlmes" the slrkl s are pur ch.qsed from the dealers 0 r recei ved by giving joint order to the outside dealer's,. Lat-ar,on, the material, is distributed among themselves, after paying ·the due Clmount. Contd •••• 6. .. i .. '-,,_ -. ~ () t- .. ' , 'Thoir fam-ile:s·:gener;:lii y. $ssist then: in'making §.c1r'k1_ (chappCirs) ·'r6a:..."":;J!~ lr'900"h~,~,..$:,,:,~"'1I'tinF th.:· ·fi::"ld investigations made at F'1z'ilk~ (Distt. Ft:lrozepur) it 'Was found that most of t he Sirkibands have formed co-operative societies to secure the raw material (moonj & sirkis) from the Government Stores at che~per rates. They laave' al so r ecei ved. ~money >in .. s.h~pe of loans, .. f..rom the ..Gov.ernmen t to' inst!31 'b;an-making hand. op~rated mach ines. 'They generally sell their m~ufactured produ'ce to the Khadi Gramudyog centres in nearby tOYJrl s. The Sirki br.mds have stated that persol'].s engaged in b~-making are economically better than that of sirki.-making.~ The pro.~3ssion of ban-making ',' employ- mos'~ of the' workers, -through':'ut the ye8T) whereas the oc'cupation of sirki-making do not. The manufRcturers of ban making htwe regular markets in the nearby toWls, to sell their produce at a prof1 t .Qf ,Rs .1.50, tc? ,2., per, ki·lo. en· the other iltlld, 'the demand of slrki... ehappar(roofs) is 'decreAsing day by :·day. 'The ,,"ural lnhah1 tants have started, replacing sirkl chappars wi th that 0 f kaccha (mud-bri cks) roofs in their re 51- dential structure~. So they 'do no.t'hav~ mucn busip.ess, 'particul'arly ~ rai'ny season, when the, construction of kaccha . house 'is pr·actically stopped. Th,e industry of sirkf""m'lking ,1·s ·fa~~n:g serious cri si s, due to the de'ore'ase in QOJ1"IP..nd 0 f sirki products. The sirl\i b::mds hardly employ them:sel ves more . th:ant two to: ~hree monthsin a· year, QP the proJer;t of sirld. makin'g. For r'~st of .. , the neriod, they tr:y to get 'sone employ ment ei ther pY'Ivork:lI'l;g', as, ~.g,ricul tural 13_bourers or daily Wages labourers 'or 1.nr,rnaioytowns. Vory'often .ltarvatio:1 st.ar~,s them in the"fRce. >lost cf,th0m ?-r~iJ9''\ti·''2t{Dg. from their I • 'tradi tionAl occiipatlon of :sirki ,making loy t1king up d':'fferen t . ?grd. cuI tui'al op'~rations,! , . ,,, ' ... __ .~. LI,F·E· ·CYCL Eo .. "."- .. ' ':Bi'rth Ceremonies~- . Barrerines~--in a womB...'1 is treqtea: as unluckSr • .... ~.. The SirkibaJ.1.ds :3.re fond of he."i;ing (;hildi.:'oi.l and. rl:.'efer male . children over '.fem8.les .. The godoess (\j~·nagA'r'ko·G'· ~'!::. prop:;_t~[.ted so that wife should be able ~o concE';I:ve~ No pq:r:~ic.ul U' cnt'e ;..s given towards the physical reEt and diet 0f 8. pregnCi.l."l.t mother. Only the economically well-off mGmb,~rs of· the (;On21l1D ft~r observe such precautj: ons. The fGmal€,.:i;s not f)8;.mit'ted to go ii' to her parents' home even on the f::_!'s~ '(le.livoryc· The birth tqkes ., place at husbanvd f shouse. A.s '-n t'ule tho ~trth tall'es p11ce at . home but it is not 'i.: 'COll'Jnon to see that most of femRles s.re ,.taken to Primary Heulth Cenh:~::: at t'1El 'hour of del i.very , At home, an l~untrained mid-'Wife(~.~;!.)_ of t')G vLtl3.ge ( vlho 3.ttend5 to fem:lles of other higner C:lst.eS) is (3..11ed to attend·,to pregn8.L'1.t mother at the time of delivery. nenerally, the pregnBnt 'woman is considered polluted and not allowed to attend thl) ,lei tchen, seven, days before the delivery t.1kes·· p10ce. She :l.. ') confined to bed in one comer of the residential.·.structureo ''['he lel'l.i.res of "siri'WlI tree, are hung on' the· m-'3..L't'l cioor' of ·thF J7£,!,d,rl'ential hGu$$ to mark the blrth_of a son. Tne miQ.:..vJi£B. cuts the " umDlii~al CQ:ud'~w'ith -~ sharp knj.f~· :m.} a~te~" putt7.ng :l.t in an "earth~n pot, burtiE?s in:.ti1e courtyqrj.:of'thehou.~.e" T~e !"'lid· wife 2S gi ven 5 rupees ;1n Q8.,se of a· C'lrl BIle. ',10 r"upees i:l C3Se of a boy fOT"her services._ 'On ,t.he bi:c'th ,of B. 'SOll~ 'tho fa'cts: di stri bu te S . gur: in !the neighbourJ:o')d~: 'l''f)e mot her: l.'Pte= the delivery, 'k;eep's 'a lrrl~.t'e beneat.h her bed... to ~:l/l-';lcl't'hG GV:Ll i.n flu en ce' o~ . arlJT m.align spirj.t, .o~ t~1!.)' ne"IIJ-lloI'rl. . .' r . . ['" Ghattll~. ccremony is l'61"i( r-n:ad 'i on tbe six <:.h c:.3Y ~ ::': •. ~aSe of the birth of a son. The mcther :"!.J.'1.:J. child ar-J g:tve~l Fl rx-r:i.fi, \ ,," ,eatory b.ath and put on n9'1,; clot~lE::;" '.;11.e mid-·~·rif'8 is given money Con te...... 7 ~ - : 7:- in c'1sh .md discl-J.'lrged, "from ~er services. Five Pmdit.§, (Br'1hmins of higher c' ste) are in"v;tted :m.d are served 'Wi th cooked me'11s. The mothar is 1l1oW'ed to t'1ke nO'rmal diet from now onW'ards 4 KuM. poo.1 an • ...; "Thi s 'ceremony is p0'rformed only in cqse 0 f the birth of a son 8Tld after t h', consult8.tions of villar,e Br8.hm ....ih. On thei' auspicious day, th-:> mother 3longwi,th othpr fern'3.1as of the ne~ghbourhood, goes in procession to the village well. At the ,well, ' the'mother li'ghts e8.rthen lAlllps and offers somt" rice and gr8.ins and propitiqtes ti-l-.: 'I~od of wlt8r. On returning home, s'weets l.i;{e l'.'Jddus ,are distributed in the neighbourhood. ':',:, -,f-his m,qnks theend 6 f pollution period. Th0 nqming ce1'<_:morty of 8: n'0,w"born t 'kes pl'lce three dqys after th,:, delivery of t~~~ c'1ild. The village Brqhmin suggests the n1IIle of t he child and in r-:"turn is p':lid rupe?s 5 by the parents for his services. Marril'lge ceremoni"..:)s .. - Like other higher ,castes of the rGgion, the sirki bAnds al so tre1t thp c~ses of pr&-omarit'11 ;md extra. marit~' relations w:Lth,_,scorn'. 'r,he off(?nder is 'pub11c'lly disgr1'ced and m'qJ1Y ,q t'imes:'A.sked to leqve tlte loc'llity. .. ,.,' The caste is ,divided in to q number 0 f· s(~ctions c'llled Wr'1S. A m,w.ri·g,ge wi thin, on:e f s' ovm gotr.'il" mot'1.er's gotr!3. and gotZ:;-:of fathe.r!_s mother .:1s . considered ihce-stu6us in ths cqste. , But Sirkib:mds hl3.ve reported th3.t mmy of t'hcm do go in for mnr'ril'lge'in the f9.therts 'mother's gotr3,.,,-only in cqse of the~ avai11bility of a suitqble mqtch. No"sociql t~boo is !:lttlj,ched to suc h violation in t h8 prr.;s(ln t t lme s by the communi ty members. ' "-._, _' ,:" p'ol'yga~y, 'lS '1 rule, is ~bsent -in tho 'community. A man can r8-marl'Y, only in CA.se tl1:.:. first wife proves to be bqr' en. Widovr rE:mqrri::ige< is 'l1 so permissible' by th" cl'lste. In thc.> past, bride... price was largely ·pr,'vqpol •.:m t in t h,';) Cqsto and boyt s ' 'f3.thcr h":ld to "pay rlS.200 to 500 to girl's parsnts for m9.rrying th~ sort. In the pI'asen t ,times th~' custom is' pr ..ctiscd 'lmong th.:;· poor09r ~(-?ctions of th.e communi'ty., . . f..go 3t marriage.- :,'i~cording ,to 1961 census, out of tot'll population of 1 790 p8rsons(815 m~,les; 975 fem'lles) living in the StHte, only~ 311 mnlr}s; 394 f:"m 01 os) w.,;r~~ found to be , m'lrried. Out of th; m'}rrL?d persons in tho c1ste, only(2 mUGs; 16 fomales) 'W2r(? m'3r ri.::·d in t h'~ ~ge;.. group of 0 ... 14 ye '1rs. A.s many 1S (2"31 l1J'='1'JS '8!ld '305 fi:?mql.3s) V:lerC? 'm1rri,,?d in th? r:tge group of 15-.4·4 YG!lrs. Th,' -'1bov~ figur::>s shbw t'1.1t m9.rriagG Alllonp; thG S1 :('ki b-mds t ""k,~ s pI "lce only qft8r th:' ~p~t..>s ~ect'i ve " I bride and brid~groom h"v? ltt8.in8d '''tdulthood. Chf-td br :i.nf\ht.~ m.qrri':l.ge is abs,~nt in- th' community. ,'Fh~ ,field inv~'stf.ga·tions m:lc1e in District Go:'Nft'totF.'-rev~l11 ·tn~tlm-artic.".:l.I;0n'b12 qge'\..~or- boys range betw>~n 18 to 25 y':?1rs md 1$..20 y('~rs in c')se of girls. Betroth'll (Roopn'q).- 'Th;:. ffi'1trimoni'ql '!':Illi!1!1ces 'ar~ gC'n· r1lly arrmg,:;d by the go-betwe,::m (d3putc,d from th;:3 sid(' of girl's f'lml1y). [\. vill qge b'3.r1:i('r or cl05e- kin of gi rl r s f'1 th.:' r I3.cts as go· betwt:'.?n (bichol.::0. Afl-cr the forrnql ('nquiritJC) !.ire comple t ...:d by bot!1 t~( p qrti ":'3, ®t13 for b "troth:u is fix 3d by the girl's f'1mily. Two o'f t h~: n 'Qr0st k:ins' of th? girl(mqy bG fqt flF-rl S bromher or motht?r r s bro thi:r) vi si t the boy's f 1mily Con td •••• 8. , "j , , • t 'a tD. ~t·- ~.- .,~ ...... " " ...... • ~on[''GJith, '1 vill'1g Br'1hmin (P·mdi1): -md put Rs.1.25 N .P. in tho, .,,- , ' squ qf '-<,d' l'~p of th pr') sp;~ cti V' t',ror;:rri,. \. ~t: n\nrds, .q c'U'!-dy- dron is put in th: mouth (yr'th, boy "1l1d ftl11kf (turm'r~c r.l'lrk) 1s put on his for:..h.'qd by th' girl's f:~h:r. T'1'~!1::,qr kins of th, boy's fqtlt.or" '1.ssembl'-d on tit oc~"isibn '3.lA9:·"pr ',s::nt sm'1.ll .. "im6unt or-money to tl}; boy" on ;~'lis oc\}qsion,~ On ,th.~ oC~1sio~, th'~ bdyt s f'1thor ext~nd'3 '1 community 1unclt 'tl) t~.\, C'1st-, ,m.Jmbers. Mpny 1 ,timec; tf1': cont.z."wt is writtS'!'\'"on '1 p1p3r by th~ vt11~ge Br-:hmln Priest. It is ~0c'llly knOv.fl ,'1s~~!:!.ik!:L:ll.. Mcliyqn or B'1th.3.:_- Tv.'IO oil-,b"l-ths qr3 giv,-:n ,tp t'1t_~ ,pro$p :;ctiv~ brid..:"1'n ·groom'-in th?ir-,r.~s'O,(Y'ctiiJ;.:?· hom,-',s:,,~ bi.ro,r,~, tl1'o nctllal ~edditig't'k,s pl~q). ': ,,~,,' ')',;Si',st:,r std>pS t'1.:: l,oI1.yo,fll'h'ir"ltt w'1il,.o th,- prosr)pcti'jr) 'g'room proc:G~:ds: row:=l.rd's ,orid2 r s vf1lqgC', qnd,1~t7r g,:?~t"ing somo :, moh,,{y fr6rrt t ~; .. p'rosp0ct'iV.,f3 groom (1?roth~r), s,l't,e 'l"'3.v<;c) 1.~s "r~y., ,:' :'f::h~q-' ITHB',m"1J~'riBge oqrty is's!,;fved,with cook...,d dlShns for' ,.;" ;" ,(two';!d'1Ys;,. 'only ,t,l1')' vef(et~;r;:i1h diet is s,~:rved on th.is oC"qsion. ,:," , 'irC.tyt'2_J.:,:1t:::- riiglht hours ~U2 c3r:-IDony.,is perform~d, on which. " 'th'; viJ.1'~f.((' Br1hriiTn fr')m hirl!s sid,? ot:~iciq,t.?s( In .qll s,;v,:?n ' :' ;:,,",',,', pb2r':~s ar'c parf6rm~d.: TI1o':- bridagroom l"'l.d$ t!1 brid,'" -in first :' ~·,r';:-"foui6 Q!het:§. wher;:,qs tl1- bri?e_,1~"1ds th' briderroom in lqst 3 . ',,':, ' J' ~12heT.~'s.'· :tu_n0r:g ",t~?, Si~h SirkiQ_fin4S!. ths f,'lqrritig'" is complntGd ~y "' ,- :,' 'p«xforming ;m~n.d Kqr'3.J. The Bhgi of vill!.lge GUfud"'1rQ off'ici'l- " t,;>s on ,the occ:l'sion. In C-'1 S(3 ,8 , wh,?rG m'3.r~i1g·,? it:; so18mriized in ,; , th,') G:u1 .. y ,:lg.?; th:: .qctlJ.:U.- cotl'?.umm.q~ion or co-h8bitqtion of the .. , eoupL:-:,. . st,qrt's, on'ly'q,fJ::erI.... th'~. girl-l;l,'3.s.. attained puberty. ' ,,,,: .. 1.:"': : " , :,:~~~'; ~e qt_h ri'~.-' L i kp 1-11 otl1-? , ~inQu cl a'm C'1ste S, , .. '.. ,:' -, :t.)np'·S!::rki.bm-d's', .qs a'''-ru_l-, cr omqt"" th'? de'!1d '.p~,rs~:ms. The, ' " ' , :;':: children be10w,-the qge"of thrf?2,A.re bUri,ec'l, 'i.pqr;t from ~hYs'ictl ;: ,:;, ,,"dise'1si?S :md mis~8.~pi.?nings~ the, Sirkib'mds._1l~o ascribe de~th ,,:.;,::; r to 'evil influ~nce ,0" m'1lipn spirits, '\,'itch.... cr1ft ,'lnd sorce:t;.Yy. ,! ,~-, ')" : "The> person- dyinr or 'lnnro.qch:J:ng, d ) ''lth, is t'3.ken " _dov.n Drom t'18 hed-:- st8~d tQ the ,ground. Cn ~h~ ground a sheet 'o:r chap'Par':m~de of Sirki it:; spr8,'ld, and t he dying', persnn is ',l'aid'on it" ~witbl his feet t')w'1rds e8.st md his:he8.d resting in the l.'3.p o'f' his 'eldest'son or np.'3.r::'kin~'"Everythfng including cl ~th,es, ,9,nd <):Fnamen ts, is t3.k8n '3.~zay, .fiom t h~, d8ceas~d I 5 b')dy . whic'h i',s:,,1g,to-er nn given to t'-1.\~, village" BhmgL 'q()"m '3.fter the deqth,.,~ m::;ss\3ge is ,sent in th~,l:ocql:Lty to info"'m the canmunity mein,b€r:'$ that 8. death, nas :.tqk9ri"P1:'~1:!'e.-.:'The corpse is w.'3.slted 'Wi th Wqt.. an d wrsp' 'e'd with: ':l ~hi te cot,+-on; s '-1er.> t ,in C-'1se 0 f 1- m'gle' :md with red clotl-} in d~se o"f",q ,female. ,'lfter the purifi cqtory b8.th, th? dead- bo<;ly .i ~ ti!,;d ,on thr~ bier ( of b8mboQ sticks) and lifted byc~he near:, k;in's of the deceqsec.• On ~ , b~.i t'S 'II'ay to crem ation ground ,tihe eldes:t.-, son i S ~sked to bre3k ~; ~~ ejnf'Jty pitcher. ','Th!;) et~9st,,:S(m: l'~gj1:ts '~he fire ~o thp pyre. • ~~M {~~.,". --().~e~e9$GQ,~P~~l1.nl' ~j?'!.'v~ng t.ne hlgpeI!, c.qstes of the ~ " VI, l''lge) ?fflCl qtes on ~h;;, 'd~q't~',:rltes'. T~~ p~ul chugnq ~ c~r"mony IS perform,?d th,ren:, d:~ys ,3.ft'€'r t'h-'; de.qth,• .'The bones , 10 f t'1e d2ce qsed I1r e collect8d Md t'3.ken to', Hqr:idv.'qr for the ~ersing in ',holy river G!1ng~s. ' . . PC'riod of m?u*ng ~:~sts.fo,-t.__ ~? d'iYS 8.fter th"" deqth. On thirteentl1 d!3.Y, Tgnr'3.v'm rlt..., is observ0d. In c.qse of d~~qth of an' old person, the ri to! is Observed: 'by throwinl! a fe3.st to the n' qr ,kin s in":whi ch three Br,3,hmins Qr hi ~'hF:r castes- are .!1l so , s,er~i'eq 'With !5.weE'ts ,'3.Qd given 8 p'~ir' of dresS. In CB.S'? of Sikh :" Slrkibru1ds, tho J&st rites qre porformr:od 1.c~ording ,to Sikh frtith:., . 1'\) ~'I·'.tf '",!..:' , 'I"' ,,!:~f1.' \ , "" .. p , : i' f', Con td •• '•. 9 •. - ~ 9:- Relig1Qu_2_be1ief2...... J¥ld· Prqctic~- . Th8 3ir!c1b,;mds cl'1im thGm. 5elvss to "be tIindus"by r'e1igiffil', parent:lg~(tmd.country. They ~re '" , followers of S gn'1t qn Dl1arm sect , , Tot ,:tl T.lindu Sikh. " , .:., .' M F 'M F RU'r81' 1074 " 440 '611 " 12 1,1 , .~' Urbqn' 7.16·" 311 324 22 .. 89 ,-,- 3tiperstlti "Jns .-In' th,:;' psst the 'Sirki b~d.))' were 1{ery much SU pers trtious ~a t hei,r en ti re Ii fe c:yqle was in'f1.uencp,d by . ~m:'cery' and spi ri ts. Pre sen tly" they q9.ye, p.nact iC:11ly shed thei:r beliefs in gho$ts and sp-iri,ts and ~', : do not bother to ,procure charms or ~~u~et!? to eli~,in9~E--" the',evil lnflu8nce of r' ma11~n spirits.', To 's,qcrifice .'1 cock, at the temp+,e 0 r Mata L'3.1it"3. ,:,. D.evi('Gli rg'3.on),;,' as :a m":lasure ,t9' avoid thE": evil in fluence of gho st "3,~ ,and spirits, is"no 'long~r 'practi'stld in t,~P ·c~nnrunity, Theyonly " "br?li eve tha t g ho st 5 and 5 piri ~ s rpsi de in desertpd places lik0' 1', w_ells, mounds' 3l1dI-J.aunted house's, so onA ~,s,b.ould not go ne.8.r them. The youngster's do not;'~'t~ach 'illy imp.~rtimce: to such'prejudices and braliefs'. They refll,$e to accept e'ven, thr:: omAns md ' supe'rs'ti tions' practisF~d 'in t"l0 past... .. ~: Inter-c'.8.st.~..,...r:.§ilS!itQn§,~-' ',,\s stq~,ed Eiarlier, Sirkib8nds, claim to ,be R:ajp'utc; in origin'. 'Th2Y h0 1,,'eyer, ,d,o nqt"enjoy ,t''1e status of' Rajputs; ,they consider 'that' they wore do:wn-'gr'q_ded during the ... ,eriod of: farnirie W"1i"ch forced, ~l-J.em t,o live,with 1o\>.' c'lstes and 1:e 8.d ,a iragr'E\t1 t, 1.i f8. ,', ',r·' .• , ' .. '<' The Sirk~bMd" live in the main h q bit'3.tions of most of the vil13ges, along!1:i-th higher and c1p'1Il c!1stes. ;I:tituq],lY, they h::lrdly ~u ff'er from any disqbili ty. They recei ve th.e servic '5 of' dho bi Cwasherman) ,N'cli (Barber) Jeenwsg:_( w'1ter-m::.ln) qn d Br'1 ~in Con td ••• 10. .-.. " ~ . ~ . . ,t, . _'. '. , .. ' .. ' .... '- ::10.;;:- '_. , \; ries t._ They < fetcn" wate~. f.r·om.· ..·t'he: ~~p sand vill8.ge well s, 8.long with hIgher castes, wi.tho.ut . any stigm'a on tho ,pB.sis of ritu8.l . impurity. _ They al'~o' vi,sit t.t'mpl-s, guru.dwar8.s. and sYJ.rinGs loc.~ted in ·.a 'vil~ age •. They a,re ,~tr.eat~d.' as. \:ri:tU;~~'ly pur~ .. ~.ue",,~Ep ~ their no·t. followin.g. ·o.r gny meni'al. or .unc1-;,an prG.('es~ion. The,\b a1 so. 'rende'r economic ,se,rvices, co', the higher cas.tes, by wf'rking as ag~idultur~I'labou~er~,.m8~in~' of sirk1-roofs·(for their r·;?sidentiaT stMictllr.es) • Tn" ~te'rm 6.f caste frame 0 f refer "!nCG t'1e . 'Birkibimds 'ar~e considere .. ; to b'3 lower in' status than BrahminS, .. . ., . Ja·ts· Khatris, Baniyas aiJ.'Q.'. Mqlis~. They' rUse accept this r3!lkinf! • . {' .. :' But,' the Sirkibands c1aim. t.hair sup'eriorif;y to the castes lik:::> .' . Jul-ah;}, Dhobi, Teli;; Koli, Chama:r, B~zig'ar, Nat, Pern a, Sape~a, . Bhangi, Ba.v.~·ria,'.e ~c'o The: pe.rsonsaelol'!-ging to c1:e~ castes al'S!) accept this position of·sirkibqnd...,. • .\'" .. r • .Social_c;orrtrol.-"In· th'8 oast .Sirkilj~dc; had tradi.tion,ql ranchq.. 'yats o.f 't~eir 011n .which,.·v.1erp. treat~9-_as a rud1mo ntarv political org:m a~ ",'ell. pr~s'ntly;': t~1'::-y dO not have any rpgul:1te,i!. . ,: :trqd;ltioh3l'pr-!ncl1~y,qts' to cO'1trol md m3!l~f!A tli.eir soci(?-rolir,i- , ous .qff'airs. Only"3 :Q_t.!!1ch is nomin8ted in ,th""' hqbi t.qtion to :.,.1 ~,n: ~'.. intervene in 't~.'2 social. ::mel person:3.1 mat ters and set ~le the iss- ~ es ,amicably. ·He generally reprasen t~· 15 to 20 hOll seholds. Tl1us ...... the~ are four to fiv8 pmcl-tes fun:ctioning in a 10c8.1ity. ~. : Gener::tll'y e~deriy ,persons, :wl1o cqrry mf;tuence,,' bocaus"-' of th~lr . "character, wealtI-J., or '1n.'y ot.hE?r reR.'3on· a·"i'e draftp(i to con'3t~tu'-he a' p"lnchayat, a'S rulcl v.(hen an, occa.s~on . .qris~s. There ig :a grp''1t .'3.mount of f;Lu,iQ.~,t.'Y i.n" tq~ .. m.,embe:"shlp of panchaY;:it. But: it.~as"beQq. rl?-p?rted by· th;o Sirkibqnas th9.t poorer sect;1oh'bf tli."? communitY' remains more or lesS const.qnt,. They repose full f,qith in tht=> workinr: 0" a p-mchayat and abide to, the decisiGn. of a p8l1Ch. '. , Disputes relating to seXual ,lqps~s, deviation from m·'trimonial· :~lliances, dom?stic tensions" petty qU1rrels,t~efts, et c·~· ar,~ rep'r'es~nte(i in t hc; p:m chaya t. ThQ caseS 0 f ser-ious n atur'? 1 ike ab~uct ion, rape, arson, ~n jury, ·et c. are t qken to . 1 av.l- court s~ ,In' fact·, th"" loc~l pan cPaYqt acts prim9.rillT as l1. "::'. moral·entitY .. ·.Mariy·of' the members "!~o ref!lse. to~aoG~ept· t~e an M~o::t.i ty· ·.of :;1 loc ~ p 'in chqy'9.~ , t qke:., :t1.A.ir c'a·ses:' :'(?o. law court s. 'the decision 0 f· a' p8ilch '1 'c; reg8.rded· 'as 'f inal •. The, fine ('In th", ,de:f8.u,lter i's al;wa'ys' impos~d.' ~h ..s'lape ('I.f .. c'!3.sh.mo~e-y which does not exceed Rs.50/..: .. 'The nicney collect'ed',in form of fin0.s is spE'nt on fes ti va occ:'l sions There' are· no $e.t rulpc;. or bjS·J. BoWS to decide. " '.~' case. Onl7 th~ P?rti as. ~re i~ked to swea,;r by, thGi r son s, or . ,swear ·on the n8111e of God and cqw, :to pr.ov~, thf3:ir: inno"'cencp.. Bu tit '·ap·p:ear·s ·t~at rI'!any am'ong. th~ Si.r~i bands considp.r 'tha-tPmchayat is rapidli 19~iryg grouna. It, is '[acinl; chAlll?ngps from di-fferent ag!?tici'es, sU,ch a.s·. the ,~tatutory Gr'-lm··P.!IDchqyqt (village Pa~chayat) , l?-Yl. courts, -po:).~cp ao.mini,~};r8.tion, etc • . ' M;oreover, .. thEl riche~ .strata,of thp. coIl1Iltunity harqJ!y bother for tl-}e local p8!1ch8.yat anq pre.t:er:t0.. tqke their··case.s to 18g!l1 .. cou:rts •. T-h-e younge'r .gener~t.ion .has also com~ to 'beripve th8.t th8 , locu. 'panch,gYAt l:;i'cks Ipgll pro'ceedings and do not ll8.ve :my framed rules and byt3-iaws, So its:' de'c'ision 1-s mostly Uhf'Rir and hi<=tsed. " ._ \, S I K L I GAR S. Name, Identity, Hl:story, Mz1h & Lege~ . The name Silligar is derived from Arabic fsiQ6Ulf meaning tpolish on metal'. Thus fSikligar' is purely an occupational' name and applied to persons engaged in the profession of armourers and barnishers of metal. In the pDBsent context, it is the name qf a Scheduled Caste ~ reClem.iauft:tl;y 5 et tl,El9; ill lIaFyanaState.. They 'are inctuded in the Scheduled Castes.. 'and Scheduled Tribes modification ·Ordet;1956. ; ". . ' .' .' , .In·~' state' ~ ~~ly '~indu and Sikh SitiigarS are settled. it was' reported by the respondants that the ll.tter ar.e,conv~rts~ttom ijindu Sikligars. According to Russell'and Hira Lal' (1916; vol. 410-411), they are partly Hindus, and ,part,ly M~s1:ims. : ". , .; , The ethn:9 graphi cst udy o:f Hihdu.,' a.'nd: Sikh Sikll gars, m&de in District, Hissar (Hal'yaJ;J,a).,' however, ind~cates that t-hey'form. a distinct caste and, p~rform their socio-religious , ceremonies in accordance with their respecti v'e religi61\.S. The 'Sikli'gars also claim them'selves .to be af Rajput ori'gin and 13.our. Rajput CIa!)., names. ,Most of them' still by and large follow the traditional occupation ,and are ~een associating ,themselv'e~s, wi th black-smithy operations. ,It is reported by , S'iklig,ars of' Hiss ar that in Marwar (from "mere they have originat,ed).t they were called Rajput Lohars and had specialised · in the art 01' polishing lhetal weapons,lik_e swords, s,pears, nig·knives etc. The naoe S~kligar got. associated with them because of their unicp.e· occupntibn of'polishi,ng metal. They ". ,,_ furth'e~ believe that in. the early stages, t'he 'Rajput Lohars · constituted a homQgenous community, ""hicn ,was exclusively engaged i.tl:manufacturing qf swords,. lat,ter on different sections arose'· among th~m by sp,ec;i,alising in Il!anufacturing of different parts of the sword. l'icc'ordingly'~dif:re.rent, .occupational names got associated with division of specinlised sections. Those , ,m~ufact'U-ring the sword from s'teel, were called Garia, and · others specializing ,in manufacturing of brass" handl.es' . : were r.eferred to as Lohars. But the ·:Sikligars indicate that .t.hey for.m a: distinct cas~e with well deftned social boundaries. , They refuse to have any type 'of' social or connens)ial 'relations with Lohars and, Tarlilians of the area. However they qo not enj oy the st atus of Rajputs and feol t h,at they lost -their "r' o~iginal status and ,were socially down-graded, during'the .nomadic stages. About their history, ·the Sikligars of Hissar D~strict1tace their des~ent from the great but ill-fated Maharana,Pratap, a'med~~al'Rajput king of Marwar state. Tradition st~tes th~t they wer~ the. inhabitants of Chittorgarh (Marwar state) during the period of. 16th century.' Tl1ey date their social degradation from the time of siege of Marwar and defeat of Maha.rana Pratap, by the. Mughals. fjs the Maharana lost the battle agmnst the Mughals these Lahar Rajputs had to'run away to .. save them~elves and their re.r;igion from the in-roads of Islam. There tq.ey came in contact with the "Bhils (an aQoroginal,race) a'nd 11 ved wi tl?- t hec for several' · years. After, many years of wandering life, a group of Rajput . Loh.ars entered in the area of 3indh (now in West Pakistan) ; and' got settled in- Sakhar TahSil,' Some. 'of them got settl;ed in the other parts of Punjab (haw in,West·Pakistan) , ... " - ~ ( CO NTD ~ • '••• - .... ~.~ . e. ) .,...... ~,~ ... The Sikh Sikligars of Hissar Distrfct Generally believe that they were coqverted to Sikhism by Guru Gobind , Singh (lOth Guru' of Sikh r'e1i gion). During his crusade against the Mughals, Guru required trained hands ,who could pr~pare arms for his vTarriors in Punj abe Accordingly, a group of these wandering Rajput Lahars offered their services ,to the Guru. < It is stated that tradl1t,1ona,11y they used to polish the swords by pres~ing the same on the ground by orie foot. 'Ihe Sikhs" got furious over thei~. ~c,tl.on. A .. ... sword for them was ldk.e a deity and touching it-"'1\i1th foot was an act of sacrilege. The" matter was referred to Guru':, Gobind Singh'. The' Guru~ came to' the spot and asked these' Lohars·to poliSh the swords on their complainants heads. They 5 tart ed the, work with dis comfi ture. The' Guru then , stopped them and said that Rajput Lohars were the t hand 5 , of the country, and they should be allowed to manufacture the swords according to their traditional vTaYs. The group of Lohars ,was so much impressed by the personality of Guru Gobind Singh that they offered themselves to embrace Sikh religion. They have further stated that tArjan' and lSurjan' Singhs were the prominent Rajput Lohars, who embraced the Sikhism after tasting tArorit t from .the hands of ·Garu..:. . lccording to Some Sikllgars settled it:l Punjab, it was Maharaja Ranjeet Singa Who convertee them to Sikh religion A. respondan,t had report,ed that Sardar ,Hira Singh, served as a l Sikli gar r in" the aroy of Maharaj a Ranj eet Singh ~ ,. ' ... ~-, .f: . DISTRIBUTION AND POPULATION TREND It, " . .. ",' :; 'The Sikligars are included in the list.' of Scheduled , Castes in Punjab ~). H;imachala Pradesh andr;pelhi. In addition to. above mentioned areas; the 8.ikligars are also largely found in several other states viz., Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pra9.esh; Gujrat and Maharashtra.· ", . . . : . . During' 1911 :Census 298 maies and 260' 'fema1es (558) , , ' were recOJ;'ded in the .ar:e~s, f;Jling in the -PFesEHrt'-.jPunjab ~tM e. ~H:El Ha:pynnao)o,. 'But in 1921; the total population 6f Sikligars in , . the state was, 647, (338 maJ.as and 309 females). Out of the total populatio9- 43 males and'64 females, returned themselves _ as Hindus; 138 males 148 f,em-ales as Musll.ms and 157 males and , .. 9,7 females -as Sikhs. The Census es of 1931', 19411 and 1951 did -< ~ot record:the population of Sikligal;'s. '. ,. " . • '10: :', • " . Out 'Of 5,25i persons ;re,tur,ned in the' State during " " 1961 ccensus.·, 3 080 are Sikhs and 2,.171' are Hindus. They ·are.,pred6minanily , settled in rural areas. . Out., of· total JlPPruation of ~ik1igaTs in the state; 3,831'.pers,9Ps are IiVing in rul;'al .. ~reas and only 1,420 are' f oung. :.1:,n urban 'ar eas • The folloWing table: shows age and sex"';wise'distribution of 'Sikli gars '.in state :.- , . 0-14 Age 15-44 45 &"above· Tota~ _: j . I grouP! age group :' age group ' F i M Ft M~: F. M . . ,F. .1,195 1,280 974 1,094 432. 276..' 2,&50 (cONTb ••••• 3.) ..... , ~, -. \ Clan, Family and Kinship. 'f:tL9 Siklig~rs trace .thei~ descent from the extra~ tion of Raj pu,:t 1 clans fj.nd still hold ,their traditibnal names. They, claim themselves, to'be Rajput. Lohars and sub-divide thems al,ves into, two main clans i. e~ Rathor€} or .Ghasi and ,9hauhan or Bhatt~~ The~~ clans are exogamous ~nlts and are further split up .into a nur::lber of (gots). The following are some' of the ~ m~ntioned by, Hindu and Sikh Slkligars of the state. .' ' , . ' .. ~ 1). "Dhangi (further split up U in~o" ffilurcharhe and Bagri). '2) Taule. -, 3) Patwa " 4) Bawori 5) Matt ana' 6) Jayoonie 7) Kbinchi 8) Chansi 9) Mundra . 10) P a~chlairhesra. 11) Barani. ,'~ . 12) Kurra. 13,) Bhatti .. 14) Toule o 15) Bhont. , , " Family' among the Siklfgars. is' patrIDlocal with " partilirieal descent ~ ,The wife acquires her husband fS ~ . .s.fte-r,' marriage. Before partltitdm, joint-family system ,,,as :' i\T.1.dely prevalant among the caste members. Ev~n in those ;1. stages, 'e xtended famIlies, sPG~it1lly collateral' type of ~., extended,family u~ts~ were practically absent. Only simple " " ' joint-family "with Unrr.arried brothm's and sisters were given ", ,preference. ' In present t:':'mes, mostly the married sons live sepArat ely in their inde1?endent homes. 1ho'se who prefer to " ~l';;n near their par~nts, es'tablish a separa:~e home by raising 'in...(.)8pendent residential str"J.cture. . " Property, iilherit ance and rec'konftng of des cent is , along the male line. Ppoperty is equally distributed among all the Sons. , " Kinship system among the 'Sikllgars is bilateral. Kins on mother IS ';and' father fS side have important roles to . play; espacially'during- marriage, childbirt'h and death. The rise in prices rulel development af individualistic tendencies, are working as important elements in restricting their lC,;.i1ship obligations J among the members of the community. Nostly the affiniaL and other near-kins are invited to ,- parti~ipate on 'the different socio-religious occasions. " .§~tt:),.emel:1ts a'1d D'W8l1ingtL~ .' " In the initial stages ,. ,'the. Srklig"ars were nomadic p3ople. But the respondar.:ts have stated that even in \I[est P aldstan} they were Ii ving,';;t:n regular ,s e~·tlements. Most of their residential structures were situated in the main hal.;;_tations ·of the villages 'j' along'Vd tl1 hfgher cast es • They l..rere always treated as an art:tsan class.and were given lands 1>6.- the main habi tat1.ons to settle thems e1 ves. The clean (CONTD ••••• 4.) castes of the'v11.1ages never. stigmat.ised the Sikl1gars for criminal or, othetl.. ,anti-social prpcli vi t~es ,and accepted them , as part Of' the Vil·1age. communi ty,.. :They' proudly remark that : .. ~ .. ii'b:.ey" had., .ass·ociq.~i,ons with. Great he~de~ like Gu,ru GObind Singh and 118.h.araja Ranjaet. Singh" and alvlays ~nj6yed a ve,ry high social' st·a.tus .... ·.They we'r'e .'never kept 'at a distance',like other 'Scheduled"'Cas'tes~' ,bY. th~ higher castes' of, the area. The investigation made ,at different villag-es 'in. District· Hissar have shown that. Sikl1.gars are'mostly settled in the main habitations. ' , 'The Sikligars are found to be living In"kachcha or • kachcha-pucca huts (residential structures). ~n the average, the residential structure of a Sikli gar coverS an ar'ea of about 30 to 40 feet. The general plan of a jaggiaor ghar is rectangular in shape 'vrith walls, made of bakB ,fiU. bricks and roof with that of sarkanda (dry bushes), bamboo" sticks. The juggis have generally sloptng roofs. In cas e 0.1' 'kachha- -pucca residential structures, the roofs is 'generally flat in nature and is made of burnt mud bricks. The top dressing of the roof is done by spreading stravr and cow-dung, to'make it scale proof. Windows and doors nre conspicuously absent in the residential structures. Sometimes a small kaccha structure is raised near the main reSidentia;$luarter for p'-cgging cattle, buffaloe'S cows and other mil. ng ,animals. A residential structur~ ,i~., mainlY constructed by the members .,01', , ,the. hQusehold. .,.. . . ',' :'-D'res~: T"he' -t.ratit1ti~nal dres~ of females (in the' times when the ,c,a~te was known by the name of 'Ra.jp-qt ,Lohars) consisted of a'loose s~rt (lehnga), a short ~louse (chali) and a ~,a:d-C'over .called orna',; .4.fter embrRcing ,the Siy-ill religion end - ~'ettling down in dif,ferent' ar:eas. of t'Jest Pakis~an, the " dres s' patt ern of females had .,undergone a great change. The respond:aants have stated that after acqu-iring the name of . Sikligars, their females start ed wearing salwar, kamiz and chunni l~ke other Punj abi cast.es.· Since long the females . \'", have ... s.farted wearing the PunjRbi3,.dr'ess. Only on c.eremonial a ccaSions females may wear ~, .. which is considered a . more cost ry and fasnionable dress among the Sikligars. The ~ale~ (Particu1~rly of Hindu religion) used to we~r a short dhoti" kurt a , b bQ_nc1i (und'er vest·) and :a: big turban as headgear. The dress normally consisted of white cotton cloth. T'oday the .traditfonal d.ress has' pnactically disaPPfjared. Except f.or a' f:ew' .~·.;Lderly wales', ;the male'_'.:members -of the. . c,ot:nmuni ty are:' generally seen using ku~ta or karnlz ann.d pyj arna a.'s IDO.de of di"es s. The Sikh Sikli gars are seen' wearing kurt a .. . and. t-ahmat and turban as h,e·adgear. They also keep whiskers 'and hair on the head like' other Sikhs, ~nd obser.ve nIl other tabooes sanctioned by the 'r.e+lg~Qn.. . .:' " .. Q£_naments.s,' l ," ,', '. • "~. i , .,:. ,The :Qrnaments worn· py' the female Stkligars are ,:,', ;"chief1.y m.ad'e Of si,lver arid gold';'c ,'The, elderly or mldple aged , "fenfales 'aTe seen" wring jhumk~ ,.(ear-riiigs) on: ea..rs; n,ath; and r" ' long Gnos.e-pin) on'e.nq-se. There are diff'erent ·v(3.rl~tre.s of d.' necklaces; chain (goillden) beads and .thick ~,il~r st~~rigs, ' .' , ,. " - I (CONTD ••••• 5. ) .... 5 - .. , ..... generally worn ,around the neEk. They could name hansli, . kunthi; hal' (necklace), as some of the ornaments worn around the nedk. Various types of anklets such B;_S_ kar.l'e., kacche, I!aj aib et;,~ ~ a:re w~rn by them. _. _.. -' . The males are seEm we'aring 'ig,!&1_in their necks. It is a small p~ece of gold (made in the shape of a heart) and hung around the neck by means of' a olack Silken thread. ,Most of' -the' I:iDove' 'rnentionad ornaments have gone out of fashioh. To-day, the females ord:i.narily wear a 'few coloured bangles of glass and gold and one or two ne,cklaces of silver or gold. . Tattooing. Tattooing was a common mode of decoration of the . human. body. in the past. Males .as vlell as females .of the communft~:, ~sed to' gat .their b;odi es· tattooed. Today, they . do .'not 1lttl;tch any reli gious, or decorative importance to , . the tattoo marks.' Orily a few are seenl ei-gher tattooing their 19ames" on the : fore-~rms o'r ,on thel.r chins with dots in rows to ~~present moles. t ", • • Fa-od 'and Drink. ' The Sikligars are prir:ia~ilY"-n-on:'~ege1iarian in their food habits and consu!lle mutton, fOYIl and ,pork quite re gu~ar~y. They also consume fish, a9:d ·.eggs but ,a'Q,jure from ' .. ' beM. Th,e daily meals inc~-,ude pulpe~.; seasonal -g~getables ," and' bre~d of whea~e)The ,bread'.o.t;~ja1'lar.or·:maize qlLo.pgwith .:,the' bOiled s&I'sonAare eaton re~arlJ" in 'winte.... e,' They can occasional'ly afford seasonal -gegetables; so most" of the 'priod t'hey con~~Ume p.ulses or mutt()n of inferior. quality, , 'which are purchas ed froD the local shop -keepers." ·The meals ,are. generally taken thriee a day. ,Dttnking 'of country 1 iquor is, very .cor.unon~ ahlon'g the S:Lkligars. Except a few males almot;lt al.J. iir'e addicted to" dr;i..nks. "Birth, '~arriages, lMchayats ~ festiva.l~., atc ~ are taken', to be ·,the' best occasions for qrinking~,' "-:;'l'-' Language. " ~'I'" \ The Sikligars commo'nly sp~eak.P.1)1J.jabi anQ ijindi among thernsel ves 11S well: as' wl. th' out~lders .' only 'a' 'few elderly"maie, mempers of th~, community CQuld .stat~',th?t,: ttIelr ancestral language was Marwari. They c,an:' . '" ,'. ,( hardly co.nver.~e·, in, their ancestral language in "present· times. Those coming fr om Sindh area (now :in west Pakist anr ,are seen sp.eaking Sindhi among ~hemselves. 'The Sikh ,sikli gars can .co!).vers e only i1}. '_Punj a bi. . , ~ucation and Litera~ . ~<; j • . .' The 1961 Census show a very low rate oi literacy among the Sikligars of the state.. Only 228 out of 5,251 persons (4.3 % ) were returned RoS literates. In the runal areas the percentage of literacy is only 2.8~ Out of 3,831 hdi.vt-duals' only Jo9 person3 are literate. In urba.n areas ) ( CONTD ••••• 6. ~ ... 6 the percent,age Of lit~racy is higher .(8.37), out of 1,420 p3rsQns ;J,.~~ be:hng lit.a.rates '., ,.'- : ;. ., .; , ... . :'i table shewing ~re?-k-up ~·f. the" populatien by educatienal standards' is furnished bele",: _ ...... 4-.'" _. Area ,. Literate witheut educat ienal ·l·evel. M " F. -M.- F, Urban 657., . 644. 78 12 . , RUral. 1,743. ' . 1, 979~; 63 a Area Primary .or Hatric or Total,' " Junien Basic Higher Sec endary "111 P 111 ;, F M. F. urinm 20 7 2 757 ,663 Rural 36 .- 2 1,84l?:,', . ~,987 . .., . I , The prejudice of Sikligars against the education . r, has .not yet died out. They believe that their traditional , occupation provides fairly prosperous chSlnces .for' .. ,their children te ris e in it. So they "rant' tnefT children te stick _te pelish-ing. ,.of .metal~-· a:-rtd· start earning frem their . -yery childheod. Tp.e,,15~lieve that t~e skill iri·. polishin~ · .meta1s, require a vefy hard apprent~ceship', and by gett~ng . . higher educatien their .ch!ldren vrill net take keen interest in the job,' Mereever many .of the scheol gOing children a>·e . , · required te aSsist their parents tn the household ;'industry . aft'e,r the school hour.s hence they are ne glected '~n s tudies ~ . , , ,,' · Economic structure. ,'~ - - , Werking Ferce: The Sikligars claim themselves to be Rajput " Lebars... ·· The name .of the caste itself is purely eccupatienal, _, deri ved frem persia~ \verd .. 'S}q)J.al', me.aning th.ereby .one who pelish metals. Se it is not. difficult t·o assess as to what was their traditional .occupation, The history of the caste Rssociate the Sikligars vdth great 1tTarrio~s",.J,._i~e,&l;bt:l);"Q(lil Pratap, Guru Gobind S'ingh and~j.ll Ra.nj eet Singh. They were largely engaged by thes·e historical ftigures tc? prepare a rIDS (swords, spears, knives etc.)', fot the infan(try forces •. With the ·A.d,v~nt .of. modern weapens, these .skill'ed: 'cJ;'aftsmen lost their significance and got spl:tt' up .by -eng~.. ging themselves " in diversified prefess.ions. But they did., not completely f ere go' their t:radi tienal occupati,en .of pelishing metals, and are·, see.n pursuing the occupatio1'l:- 9.:f siq];lal, 'in ·t;.h~. ·:f9'r~.· of the other. . . .' '. . ·t ',.. t, According to the .J-961"CenSul3.·;_'-.QQtJ.of.' .. 5-~2§1 persons Ii ving in the state, only 2 ,07l"are--w'orkers ~ Hence working force constitutes only 39.4.4% of,: the tota'l populati )n~ ,.;. Se~-w1,s ~ break \lP of the '1:TOrking force.,; shows· ·that 1) 512 out " ·of 2,601 lPale,$. and 559 .out of .2,650 females, ~t'e worKers. In ! .. other 'words 58.47' p.ercent Qf the male -papulation arid' 24.8 . percent 'ef the ,female population censtitute the' wo'rking' ferce. It shews an active participat~6n of females in the economic (CO NTD 00 , ••• 7. ) ;.., -, ~ ... - .:...•. ,: . ~ ';_I.,~ ~_7 . ~ ,:. ;- ... ~~ _~~ .-.... ~.: - • • ~l.....' •• ~ " I.. • ',.,' hi e.; " Th·B' l'e,male$'", geheral'ly' assist ,the male' members of the " hous ehp·l?~'ln' p~'ep:~i~g ·a.n~ polish.ln~~ lqnves 1 .,::!,.r:e:n":'pales (buckets) forks et C." .Howell,er, in :rural' are~¥". the females d0:,not go'".:-h, iI?- itfle",rield~ of.:loGa~ l'and-owning' ,':q,E!s~tes, tQ·'It.Ork;.'Ja~,·'daily;-, !'l~'g'E1~ ~'grieultu:r:a:r labqurers. It ~l$: ,,66nslde~~d ~o)le an ""', indeX' of' lo.w, social status. The Ind.Ustrial classif'ication", of, t~~ Si1;U.iigars of, the state 'a.95?ordirig to 1~61"Geq.~us is" ' as: ft?f:loWs'!·;...·' . . , _; _",' ',", . ) . "~ J.1. ' .. ": " Op.G,qp'atiohaT'i. '. RUral'" I' ,'(' U~ban'::.; .... -- -1 ) ,. (.c , 1 .>g~:t e gQri ~s • 'f ~ F·':}; F. ',' I ,i ,~) j 152- ,: 1 15 - - - " ,'f', :.'.':.J ':-,i' ",'.:', ' ~ oj. r "'-, ' :), , _,t. .' ~ ~, , • -l . 2 8~P ,." I ,_'.' .365 .,," 71 .. .. ,;. .- 39 2 ."':" , :. " • 'J ,. 18<; '" :.. ",I.. (, ' .. '. - .~ ! J~:' ," - __ . . • • I".~,):J 1: ....'7-, 1 ~ /f~) ''1' _: j;' 0 ~ f' ,;" '_' r ! , ,'" "j,f.!' ;)_ ~ As seen from the abov~ i,tabl¢,' ,.their!'la~ges!t 'conc~nt;Tftr!:OTIJd.$ riu;.,th,e category of household'!Ino~try which , _'_,(' .. ;t,nf~~h-~,~F "c~£ a:: i~;, .~9·st:l;V;' ~r~parat,i.op. 01' indi_genous knives of he n~xt, ,q.~'(~Jt.~ler:rt:; ~s'!LZElS-,.", q,u~+~:?:'Y/",~S:L(Jkl§~i) ,agriC'ul~ural implements, t cate- locks, l{eys ,'._)b1.A,<;.k~~-,f:?~q\c., ,.i(::Agat.tl~V:t.-F?ts, 'pict,urJ,€!J" ,~ .. ~atge y of number of the ~ikligars' El'rfl; a.1~o,:~,~gagep. in "agrl,,?1il,t:u,ral l.oym~nt. operations in the rural areas of the state •. Lth~se,:,w~rkers are "'1n, ' . ;.larg~ly engaged in cycle repair. ap.<;l manufactur?-ng workshops. :ufac- . (The, Slkli'gal"s;,have revorted that'''Hr the'f:,past the,y.used to ,ring' ' ,procure .the' broken irbri'~ and ,mettcgp.c. ves~.els fr'otl'-the domestic .er· 'than'~consumers by "{gi ving ~l1fy~s, palep ·et:c. '-ilh exchange. The steel . \ ',' '~;as processed, out of did 'iron Y[ith the,'help of,·using donlleyts , rS~~Old . uri.ne~ pres ently; the ·c.9mm ( CONTD ••••••• 8.) ... 8 seen that ~any of them still polish (sickle) knives and other net~lic objects with the help of traditional san or circular whetstone. Sobe of them have got such whetst0n:9 installed on a titcycle so that the ·same can be conveniently carried f.rop place to place to_r .s.harpeoning. the ed ges of knives, :s~~l;U~so etc. 0 Such· per.sons. earn Rs;S'to 7 per day, after . .'sharpeping and selling... knives fron"door to door. Those . . en¥flge~ in manufacturing of th.o. mct1alic obj ects in a fairly .. ..,~.':... ·la"rge sbal"e. have sta~ted"'using t~e modern devise of electro... plating for p6lishingj" knives and other. iron goods • . . it g.oo?.nunbet of: Sikh Sikl1.ga.rs take up petty black-sm1thy 'Contracts for preparing ra.i:J_:i:ngs ~ steel frames, used in construct1-on of buildings. Thos e settled in Vl.llages take ~p "the j Db of mlil~).'l~facturing sickles, ploughing plades tins of ';perslan whe~ (used in a. well ), and other iron impiements, __ J.~.. ~.E;ld .. 1n-agr.1~l.tui'aa~€rat:t'ons ~ -_. .... t -- -7.-:..' .~...... _.By and lar.ge, .;the, .tr:adt tional occupation' followed by Slkll gars' provide then ,a j.f~.I}q g09~ source of 11 ve11hood •. They enjoy a better econorne ·stat.us tnan many of the occupa -tional' castes in the rural ecoriOm;Y; .• · . ' ... •• .(1. , { .. L1fe Cycle'. I) J. ... [" : (" Birth. The Sikligars'~"havG increasing preference for a male chlld. The birth of a' nale child is considereQ as a blessing '.' of God and welcor:J.eA in the £anily.· Miscarriages and barrenness in a f4mily are·taken as ooin¥ous. The village dai, s·erving hlgher castes of the' 'local1 ty is called to asslst the delivery. ,The 31kligars settled tn urbanised centres generally call a trained dal from the materntty centre to assist the delivery. The dai cuts the unbL11cal cord With a sharp knife and burles within the prewises of the house. The mother is given a,.IPlxt.u.re of jaggery, ghee and sonf for' ·three days after th.e·: r Iq order to .safeguard the nother and the newly- ( born, froPJ the. evil infJ.:uence of r:l(].1~gn spirits, the light in .. the 1'0'00. lis kept burnlpg ,for thre;e days-. A sharp-knlfe or , ".. . 'any otrie'r 'lr,on weapon is' ,also placed under the bed-stead. '" ., / ; r: . - :" ' t ~.. • • ~ •• - .r .~":"" Na6eL gi ving CereJ:lonY~~," '.': ;;' , _ , ~:. •• '. 1 • • J .~ ...... _ j _ . The bapt.ization cere:oony .amon'g ,tpE3' Sikh Sik11gars is observed~ in the .sane I1anner as i.n the case .of other Slkhs. ,l On the'. t'enth ,day aft!?r the birth, th~. child is' givEn a .bath and taken to village.or town Gurudwaxa. There the Granthi (.sikh ·pr:Lest)· opens, ·the, ·t;}:ranth 'Sahib (holy book of Sikhs) at , randon and a p,a:oe i's -giyen after the first letter of the· line .. In case' o:t-:Hindu, .S:l,.kli,gars· thq nar:J.ing .,c.erepoq,y is done a,t hODe. It, ta~es place after .49 ..qais of" the cJ:;t;lJ~d birth. No' Br ahtl1n;1s called· for t·o p erfo.rn the ce renony ;. M~hy of the , "l Hindu Sik11 gar.s' lire' als 0 s een.\going to . durudwara ~or , .. '" baptizlng thei:r. new-bo+,ns • . n . rt' .~;' , - . . .. . ~ " ' ", J ( CONTD••••••• ~) " " " •• j 9 Kaan-Poo.; afh_ I r' ~ . . . I-" Ar:long theSikl.igars of Hissar' District, kuan-pooj an (worship' of w~J..·I) c~)reoony is also:o bserved. The cerenony is performed after 40 days of deli very~' . It marks the end of confineoept .and pollutj.on period.- The mother, brings a pitcher filll of water frol!l the well. Th.e father places some dry dates and a piece of jaggary on the ·'Cover-lid. The ,'. pitcher is trea~ed. s_a~'red and': kept :tn., the'·house. , r . ,. .' :',,i The hai;-cutting cer~i:iony·.:,i~·· 'observed only in case .of Hindu Sikligars., Children. of both th'e,;~~xes are given a first hair' cut at th~,' age Q1' five:·:to s,evE:hlt No special . ceremony is .perf'oroed":·in this cOhriect:ion,"\'" , 1. 'j",' >' ", ~arrlage B!tes, " ;, , __ .,' '\. .r." ;::." "'. .~.: .. The. Sikliga,rs ~'egard casep, o;f,._pj~.a-marital or extra- ~\ . . '0:' '. l:!larj,tal relations ",ith scorn. ~h~.. of.feria·ers are seve~y ,.,:,.l~.., .' criticised and many a times publicly disgraced by the members ...... ,~ of the cornnunity.~ Monogany is the rule. among Sikligars though there is no, serious objection against ':~~W ~~ The cas'be .a~, a who3:e 'is ··an t?hdogamous group •. tUndU and ",\r f'l. Sikh S1kli~g~rs ,practic?-lly foro t~lO separate endogamous .. ,1: • gr'oups ,and' 'do :.·not enter' i'nt 0 marriage with' ::.~,aeh other. It \,:' ."- was reported 'by the respond~nts that :.,l"n .. ·t:ne past the ,two ~ i , . groups us ed to enter into.. .mat:rinoni.el alliances ,with each other but presently the social d:1.stance·be:(1·weE)h·the two is increasing, and, exchange of' girls x:arely take_"place • 1 " '.' , A boy aoong both Hindu ·a.nd Sikh Sikligars is carried .'. .: at' tt,ie age '.ran'ging betwe e:1 18 to 22 years and a .girl at· the , " :', age :qf, 14 -Yo 17 yee.rs ~ .Dllri~g 1961 C·er.,sils .f ou.t of 1,044 males .. and 1,130.oarried females" ohly 140ales anQ 34 females were '-. found to be married in the age group of ,0.14 years. This ' ..' .,eonfi'rms that early rrrarriC\ge a'mong -th'e Siklig~r,s is not ",: frequent.· .' .. _. ' ." Hindu as well as SiY~ Sikligars 1 avoid four gots viz self, fatherfs Sister; motl1er. Ikotherl"s Sister, while contract~ng matrimonial alliances; Cross-cousin or parallel cous:l,.n m~J;'riages are not allo'lled in the community. It has been reported by ~ome of the Si~~igars that custom of BadIa in which the ~m was reQuireq to stay With'~he Parents of his tdfe." "TaS very' COillrJO:.1 in'the past. The custom of BadIa was practised only ia those cases where the groom was unable to give his sister in exchange. to lIlis wife's brother, in marriage. Hbwever;' at the time of investigations the custom was not in vogue. Previously, the.~ customs of bride price was very much prevalent 'in the community. The boyTs parents were reQuired to pay Rs.2C,O .to seo to the girl t8 parents as bride pric~'. However, in form of exchange marriages (watta) no' such pa'yment was made e In the o.bove mentioned customary practices" the proposal of mar:clage used' to come fro'll boy IS side. After partition, the Sikli6ars have pra'ctically left the customs of exchange marriage and bride price. Presently (CONTD •••••• 10) .- 10 ~ ..... tpe~ are ,?eQn, marrying their children in the. form of pun marriages'. Proposal is Dade ,by thq:. girl's side "and the " gi rl r s· .fa,ther or .mat ,ernal uncI e, alongwi th some eldex:_s" of the community, goes .to the boy's fath'er .with present ,of s\i1eets, .fruits ~tc. If the presents are accepted by the boyts father, ~t· s1.gnities- the. approval .Qf tho proposal. ~ ...' '. . " ;. . ~ The sa:gai or betrothal takes pl~ce after a few days of acceptance.. of the proposal .. , __ ,O.~ a" fixed day the boy al~mgwith his fath.er., brothE?r~ and ,other ciose'.kins visit:,. the' girl's house. The·.g1.rl l s t'athe~ lay-s down his·:conditions . f'or the marriage. i~ prosenge of ,the 'panchayat or biraderi members, assembl'ed ther~. In case the conditio-?s are accepted by the boy's father, the g1rlrs father affixes.·q'turmaric (t1kka) mark on the boy 1s for'ehead ap.d presents him 5 to ].0 rupees in cash. @Ur(jaggery) or.sweets are"distributed 'by:the"'boy's .father to the panches and close relatives . assempled on. the occaSion. . .. , , ,~ '. I, .', ..l . :~. . Marriage is solemnised on an ·auspicious day, determ1s 'ned~ 'by the village Brah~1n pr1es~'J a'fter consulting the 'ast~onomica'l rt;3.c:mbnings.· The Sl.lUigars obs erve;.;fl VB to seven (Batna,) ano_1n,ting of oil, ~)efore marriage. .Th~· batna 1s .J" ' cbser,ved by ,both boy as well as ,.girl ip their .respecti ve pouse's... Th~ oi]' baths ar,e' gi ven to· pot.h prosp.ecti.ve .bride 'a'nd . gr90m in .thei~ p.espective house~ by brot1}er.f s wife .. or u.n.n;J.arried, sis~ers~ '.' , ,. r '.; '. " .... . ".;" ., ~ '~io 's'ped{'al c~remony is obser~ed cturihg 'the solemniza " :~ioJ:l .. o~ ·rqar:r:~a,ge. ' I-? case of Hiqdu Sikligars.,~e marriage is , 'sol,~)1lP..~sed by '~he brl.de -and the. groom by circUnWulating the . sacred 'fire seven times 0 A Brahu~n (pandit) of. clean caste afftciates 'on' the Ehere ceremony. . .The Sikh Sikligars ",; p,BJe.rOr~ ,the marriage ceremony in th~"same manner:a_s the other .. Sikhs,. They 'g.o to .GurudwCl.!'a.or call the Granth1 at girl IS house to perform the marriage in accordance with Anand-karaj. Dowry or Dahej .is . given to girl by ·her.parents. It contains ,< .' p.rnaments ane]. clothes. . .-. " . ....' - \ ' , ; •• ~ ~. •• 'I ~. • . 'widow Marriage, " :, , . ,.', , Among b?th. Hindu. and"$iklX: Sl'kli,~ars', .:w1 ~£(VW. to- ma~ry th~ y6.~nger brother Of the. deceased·1t " !No • • t J .. ,; . The -insti tu,tion of di:vorce :is· not very. common atnong th.9. S!~.kl~ ga;rs ... During. 1;961 Census ~ 'only 2 ·.male's . ~nd'19 femaies were -r.eturned as: .. diYorced or·separat~d;.·In the 'Past·, caste panchay.C).~· wor:k~d' ~s, an agency of. s.ocia-l! control ~artd' Jecised ·the.~ases of divorce or separation in:,th.9'CQmmuhitYIt .. Now .such, cases: are taken to ·law cour:ts tor legal, prD6eed~ngs. 'Divo;t'c~ is,' generally sought on th.e '.grounds'·Qf' adultery on t·be p!-1rt. of husband or wi:t'~·,. il·l-tre:atmeht, barrenness' on , ...... the part, of wife etc. The S1kl1 gars generally term divorce as Chuttawa •. . ( . (CONTD •••••• 11.) ~ 11 Death Rites, Both Hindu and Sikh Sikligarscremate their dead. ~~mall children, below the age of ten are bur/ied. Thesr-kligars cremate their dead before the sun-sei. The corpse of a male is wrapped in white cloth and that of a female in the red cloth, A purification bath is given to corpse by ~~e elqest son ,of the deceased, before it is put on the bier. The funeral yyre is lit by the son in case ,of father and by husband in case of ~dfe. Phool (ashes) are collected on,3rd day (tiya) and immersed in some pond or , :q.oly river Ganges at HRridwar. The, moul'ning lasts for 12~ays after the death. No fire is lit in house of the de~sed during this period. On 13th day (Tehrawi) is performed, on which 'Bnahmin priest of the village officiates. This 'marks end of pollution period. , The sikh Sikligars cremate their dead in accordance with .,.mahd ...$araj. On the seventeenth day after death the 'recitation of Guru Granth Sahib (Pa_:th) is .arranged. A very interesting ceremony is observed, by the Sikliga.rs .. 'to aornmemor~t e the~' death of an old man .. , On the Diwali day, following the death of an aged perso~, twelve_brass -mugs, filled with water are placed under t]1e.. ,cov-erage 'of a wIr.i:te cotman sheet. The near kins arid" other mem~ers of the biraderi are'invited to ,participate on the occasion. The deceased's sons dtstribute cash money among the ," ' : invitee,s, to utili'se the, money for drinking Ii'quor or , cohsumi,ng ,sweetmeats etc. ,It is locally ~ as 'Barah I "i cer~mony., ' , ,I' Religion., T~l~ Sikligars in ,the state A~e follo,.,ers of two religion$, Hindu ,and $1~. Acc&rding to 1961 Census, out . of total popWlation of 5,251_pe,rsooS; ~2080 were enumerated " a~ Sikh Sikligars ,as ;aga1.nst, 2,~71 Hindu Sikligar~. ", ! ,',. . . , " , ' The Sikh Slld'1gars ,in the state"ob~erve 'all the 'f~ve', taoo~s of Sikh religion'by keeping five !rs. They :recognise GUru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikh as, the supreme religious, object. They regularly pay 110mage to Guru Gr~nth Bahi b :by visiting the, nea~by Gurudlvaras and " performing their socia-religious ceremonies in accordance with ~nd-karaj. They rS90gnise Sikh GU~us and 'cet~brate the Sikh festivals like Guru~ Nanak fS. birthday, Guru Gobind Singh fS birthday, s~nkrant, 'p~ranmashi etc. They also celebrate HindU festivals like Diwali, Duss,ehra; Baisha1p11, Holi etc. On Saradh-Puranmashi (in the ,month of O'ctober-N0vembe~) many of them,keep fast. ' They often recite the holy verses , of Guru Granth .Bahi band reatl (J.ap;{c;.Sabi b in 'the morning hours'. The Sikh Sikli gars receive the tra\1i tional services of Gurudwara. priest (Bhai) on th_eil' reli gious ceremonies and ceremonial functionS .-' The ,Hindu, Sikligars of the state traditionally accept' 'all tHe, Gods and Goddesses of 'Hindu ,pantheftI1 and obs,erve all the' Hindu fasts and festivals. They follow norms and tabopgts 0::- S?:n~tan Dhar!11 sect. Ot"'ner deities, who are popula~'among tnem; are loc~l or regional in their spread. The· mention may be made of Guga Pir ': , '" a Rajput demi-God (snake-'God) wqose'mari (t9mq) is at B~aner, Sanwal Dev of the village Sona near Panipat; Jwalaji wh i , .•".- (CONTD •.•••••• 12) 12 has her abode in Kangra District and Mata Lalita Devi, whose ,temple is at Gurgaon.' A part from thcs.e.,g~Sid~s.~.e~", they also revet','HanuJuan jE:.e (monkey-God) and~serve fast:? on every Tuesday.' , , Baithra .(in honour. of· Hata 3eqtla Devi) , Teej, Diwali Dussehra" ,Holi, and Guga '~aumi, are some of the important fes'tiva.'lJ, . observed' by the Hincu Sikligars of the state. The stkh Sikligars enthusiastically celebrate theGurpurah by visiting GUrdwaras .on' 'Guru Nanak and Guru Govind Singh's 9irth~aY$. " . , Tflie Siklig'qrs ,'(particularly ,Sikh' Sikligars) do not have much faith in sorcery and evil spirits. Most of them are unaware of, the existe.nce of evil ancl'malign spirits. Although 'some of them tre seen wearing tabeej' (amv.let) around their necks yet they hardly know al)out the underl,ying $ignificance. Some of them believe that, it ': m:tght· ... be there to e1iminate the.evil effects,:of"naza'r:'(evil s~ight) or saya (evil ,shadow) • They are 'largely .. non-conformists in their heha:viD1W.~ , , • • : I '... r " , ,,- Inter-Caste Relations. !,. ; t:r l \>' i" ' /the'SikliGars claim"tb 'be Bajput Lohars in origin. ,\ L, Ho't'le\rer they ,do 'not enj<_)'y the' 6riginal' status in JllTesent "" ' ttple9, as "they, constder 'that they \lTete d?wn'graded: during " ' their nomadic st.ages and 1,Qs:t their orig1.nal",s()c~al status. '" " m:ey were forced to lead vAgrant's life and t:sbk"'a+l sorts of food, (but never a ca,rrion) during their nomadi~' state. BUt the Sikligars were' never t'renteq as an cut-caste by the clean, castes of the' ,~r\3a and ivere allowed, too s'tay in the mqin habitation of a vil~age. Even at 'the time of investi gations most pf the ',-Sikli gnrs '\Irere fourid to be having their residential str1J!-?tures in the heart, of the village, along'tV'i th higher Caste's'~' -":The Sikligars have' stated thnt tra1.llitionally they had ,elean profession and served the Great heroes of the country so 'they were neve~. ,kept at distance by the clean castes. No occtipntional or".commens\{al stigma was attached to the name of. Sikligars by the higher castes, even in the past. " , ,. In present times also,:"tp.ey dQ not suffer from any ritual disability. They receive·.'the services fr'om 'functional castes like Dhabi (washerman) Nai (barbe1r) arid Brahmin priest (Pandit). The Sikh Slhkligars als'o rec'eive the servie'es of Granthi(Sikh 'priest of Gurudwara). They, frequently visit the Village temples and Gurudwaras and fetch water from the villa:ge' 'we!'l,' a:longwi th other higher castes. ;. ... ~ .' . , The SiJrJ.l gars' claim their super1.ori ty over the other Scheduled Castes like, Cham8rs, Dhanaks, Bhangis, Sansis, Dhea, Jullaha, Koli and Kuchban(1s~ The latter Rlso consic:1er them to be of higher status., 'The Sikligars pave rerorte{1 that they do' not accept kachha or pacca food from the handS ' of their ~ocially inferior 'castes. Even the, poorest section of the community, may be staying in a vl1lag~ or a town, , would not' eat or drink from the hands of low castes. In , terms of caste'frame of reference the Sikligars,are considered t~ to be *ower in status th~n Brahmins, Khatris, Banylas, , ....'. ,,- (CONTD ••• 13. ) .. 13 Jats, Gujjars etc. However the Sikh Sikligars do not approve of this distribution,in the caste hierarchy and beli-eve that they have ,become superior to Brahmins and Kha~tis, after embr~cing .the sect of Guru. ~hey do· not' bell eve stannchly ·In casteism and claim that they being the pupils of Gurus are superior to many of the clean castes. \ " ., Organisation of Social Control. The Sikligars have .traditional biraderi (community) panchayats of their wwn which act as agencies of social control in re gulating the affairs of the community. The Slkligars, having more than 30 to 40 households in a village, constitute their 0Wn caste panchayat. The matters which the blraderi panchayat take cognizance of are:- ' l)brea,ches of caste~. by repudiating t'he matrimonial alliances or violating the rules of enoogamY. (2) Illegal intimacy (3) Cases of divorce or separRtion. '-_ (4').. cases of immorality, elopement and enticing away of women. '(5)' .Debts (6) petty thefts etc. In the past the serious criminal cases of murder or rape \vere also dealt by the caste panchayat. Peesently such cases are referred to layl courts for legal action. ·In case the diputesin the persons belonging to di.fferent villages, inter-village (locality ) panchayats are convened. ! These panchayats at different levels have appointed, members locally known as nambardars. A nambardar is appointed by the! members of the community, for every twenty households, to represent them in the cast e panchayat. Thus the number of nambardars in a caste panchayat depe.nds upon, the number of Sikligar-households in a locality. uenerally, elderly persons, who carry same influence, because of their craracter or wealth or any other reasons are drafted to constitute a panchayat • . It has been reported that the traditional ~iraderi panchayat/ ~ lOSing its ground among the Slkligars settled in urban areas. They hardly bother for the constitution of traditional panchayats and often repudiate the' authority of the panchayat by taking recourse to re gular, courts of law. The economic competition and class consciousness forces, among the rlgher strata of the community are playing important roles in undermining the influence of caste panchayats. The proceedings of a caste panchayat follows as such: In case a person wan~to raise an issue before the caste panchayat, he approaches the ~bardar of his locality and deposi~with him ~.5/-. This amount is a customary due for the nambardar., representing his interests. The gambaro~ than approaches other panches of the panchayat and 'persuaoe_s them to fix an early date for the panchayat meeting. The accused is called by the panches, to appear before th? panchayat and prove hiS! innocence. He ·is al.p 0 _r:'Q'Fiipoo 'to deposit ~.5/-. with the panchayat. In the beginn~ng, the nambardars try to advise both the parti~s to amicably stttle their disputes. If they fffil to cAme to terms, then ( CQ.NTD·~.r~-: ••• 14 j :" -- • 14 the case is formally opened for legal discussions. Both the parties are asked to take an oath by touching Gangaj al in case of Hindu Sikligars and 'by touching Guru Granth Sahib (holy book) in case of Sikh Kikligars or by s,.,earing upon their sons in the presence of biraderi"'(community), that they will speak the truth. After both tne parties have presented their car,e alongwith eviden~e and witnesses a discussion is held among the members of the panchayat. Decision is arrived at unanimuusly. The commonest form of punishment is fine. The paachayat can impose fine upto 150 rupees. It was reported by Sikh Sikligars of Sirsa that a few. years back, -one Hatu Singh was fined Rs. 50/ - by the .. Caste panchaYCl.t for outraging the modesty of a wo~an. !~ .!!1ACHHMAN" '. .. -- .' mmi'NO GRAPHIC NOTE ON SAPELAS. . . The word Sape·la. is generally applied t'o persons belonging to snake-charmers community. In the present context; it is the name of. one. of. the Scheduled Castes, predominantly settled in PUnjab and B.re included in the Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes modification order, 1956...... : . Accordin'g to Rose f Cl10ss ory Tt§.g~~~aJ?era or Sip ada , a snake-catcher or charmer. In·-tne·H~ States the· Nagaiu and Naglu are said to .~snake-charmers, like the Sapelas. sapandi, sapada, Sapad, Sapahda ~ Sapiade are other .forms of the word n. (1) .'. . . _" . The investigations m~de ih the Districts of Karnal Gur gaon. and Hissar have shown ·.that ;Sapela.s or ·-saperas associa te themselves with Jogis and Naths." They are. popularly known .as Jogi-Sapera or Nath-Sapelas in the area" However, the Sapelas refuse to' associate themselves with Bangalis, which is another caste, cqmprising snake~charmers and snake-catchers in Punjab. Although it, is believed that both Bangalis and Sapelas trace. their orig-in from 'the 'same mythological hero, ~ Gur1,l. Kanipa Nath yet they re:t;use to have any social or mari tal relations with each othe.r. The Sapelas have further rema~ked' that Ban'galis viere .de~red as a criPJinal tribe' during .the British regime while they l,rere !got stigmatised as such. . The etymologica1 s~gnificarrce of the caste, relates to a Hindi nar!e 1 Saamp' or t.SalW f meaning thereby a. snake. Since the cast:3 co::upri3 os :.. >llG.I-cEl men or snake-catchers, so it has come to be known as Sap_ms or Sflperas...... Their association with Jog:'s 8.:10' Na'ths is deter ~ned by the fact that Sapelas, JoGis, and Naths claim Khaunhpi (Kanipa) ~ath, a dispi:p,lE. of GO.ru Gorakh Nath, as their common preceptor and Guru~" The Sapelas are not celibatei though they have their ears bored D.!1d wear mundra, wIth och,re-dyed clothes, like· Jogis. They rank themsel vas lowe.to than the Hindu Jogis . beaause they will accept food. from the lower ar.. d menial castes and eat jungle animals ~ike ja':!kal, fox etc. But. like Bangalis., they traditionally tame snake.s ~ p:_aying on the gourd pipe (bin) • . . '! Le gend . ab_out orj.g,;Ln. _. . . . ' ~.sttilD_ The' Sapelas living in, the diffEJrent Districts ':of' ~ narrate pract'ically t):1n same'll?gend relating to . the ori gin of their cast e. ~ccording ·t'o Sapelas of Hissar·District the Samplas' or Sapelas were originally Jat 'and Khatris by origin r . Once a reriovmed ascepic Guru '. Gorakh Nath 'founder of .the qi.m.dh. and .. ·Jogi sects vli th - rsawa lakhs t (one lac ·and t'\T~nty-:':L ve tho1,lsand) dis ciples came to stay in the area., OUrn Gorakh Nath he,d Kanipa Nat1b. as his ch~ef disciple~ and had acquired spiritual powers (1) A Glossory of Castes & Tribes (CONTD .. ooo2~) of Punjab & N"vI.F"P. Vol. III ;?age 38() 2 - ?o '" ...... , si· ,dhis) ~ They were respected in the entire region. The 'Kha r sand Jats of the area came to offer their obeisance to them. Kanipa Nath who was con.sidered to oboe "snake-tamer enrolled a'large number of these devotees in his sect. Since that time the follovlers of Kanipa were called as Sapelas or Sap eras • They also p!trsued the 6ccupat'ion of sna·ke handling as Guru-k~hekq_ (assignment given by ~he 'chief- l ,priest). Kanipa. vIas the son ' of Jhimlar, "'lho ,caught the fish from which Machhendra Nath had emerged,. Kanipa was br,01ight up with 4im' and beeame a disciple of Guru Gorak..~ Natho . ~ ., " ." , , " Accordi~g to an.-other legend, Jullundu,r ,Nath was thrown into a well by some king of Singla ISland and was covered Wi ttl mud and 19ricks. Guru. Gorakh Nath" who was a contemporary of JulluhQUr Nath came to Singla Islana and arranged a '- c ,co:ni.nnini ty, lunbh (Bhoj ). He ordered that only the pers onS to - '. 'weari'ng flaffron clothes should be invited on the lunch. The , ", 0 mE3 ssangers were sent and. they' found ~anipa Nath, wearing saffron clothes and ,graz1n.g donkeys 1n the 'fiel_Cls. , The messangers conveyed the order and asked Kanipa to folbow ,t.h,el:!1. 'He refused to do, so., 'Guru Gorakh Nath go:ten:i.'aged " and asked the mess angers ,to arrest Kanipa Nath, '~nd, be ' , ',brough~ before .him.' ~anipa Nath, who ,'was also possessing ' .. (Si.tl.dhis) (spiritual' powers) doubled 'his appearance on the , arr1val of mess angers,. ' "The Guru Gorakti Nath w~nt, himself personally and persuaded Kanipa' to' attend the,' f~ast. He also promised to help Kanipa Nath in taking out his. bur/led Guru' - '", beneath the vlell., In order too exert his spiritual powers over Gcirakh Nath; Nanipa ask~? .for one an~ a,half seers of fresh ',plbison to be consumed on tbe community lunch~ Guru Gorak.'1 Nath had to go to wild j!-lngle ,f~::ir' collecting th,e ~pison. He would kill the sne.lms and derive ,poison out of ,them. When the utensil was filled upto brim, he came back'and a£fered the poison to 'Kanipa •. _tt this Kanipa felt very ,'" glad, a~d swallowed the pqison'. Guru Corakh Nath was Simply :-", angrY.' over 'consuming of, po'ison and cursed' Kanip~, ~hat all his disciples wou)..¢. catch snakes and follow :the proofession of ~;nake-charming... They ifill be called J ogis but' will lead a'married life. Thus, the Sapelas believ,€ th?t, ,after t}le 'c,urte of Guru Qorakh Nath, \3.11 the dis,cipl~s oJ.' "Guru Kanipa Nath.:" ArEf deaiing in snakes, since time immemo:r;ia;L. •• J ., DISTRIBUTION'AND POPUL.1TION THEN,!): - .-~~ The Sapelas/Saperas are includeQ in, ,the list of scheduled castesin Punjab, Raj~than, Himachal'Pradesh, . ", :, . ,Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. 'They':W,s're _~:r:eated as,. vagarant tribe ", _ ' in ,the ':past, but, ~fte~ partition mos~ c:>f thein'left their noma , ,dic traJ. ts and go:t .perJ1.1.a,n~ntly settled. on the ib.ut -s kirts of . ',' , dffferent villages ~ Ac'c9raing. ,to' 1911, census, ·::the total ,,, stre'ngth of Sapelas 'in ~the,'Punjal)· sta:te··~(inc1L.uding the, at'ea's 'now in west Pakistan' a.nd the .t'errit'ories ' , falling in Himachal Pradesh) was: 993 '(658 ,males and 385 ", females Y. Out of the to~al popula~ion 'of 993, ,only 81 were ret\lrned' as MJ.e.hammadans .', ~q 1921 ~ensus 1 ~,1, 183, pers onS wer~ record$d as Sapelas ,in t}?e state (im~ludln,g tar;ri tories fa::'l:tng in British domain). Out of ,the.. to~a:l populati.on of 1,183- 1,116 were returned as Hindus and only 67 as Mtislamans. The censuses of 1931,1941 and ,1951 did pot re~ord,.t~eir pOPulationJ ------______IL COT'ifTD ••• _3~') -c 3 i11: the State, "independently, so it is not possible to throw :any light fun the. population trend during these years. Out of 2,486 persons returned in'Punjab quring 1961 cenSUS 2,461 are Hindus and 25 as Sikhs. The sikh Sapelas1are ' exclusively found in rural areas of Punjab State. he following table shows age and sex-wise distribution of Sapelas in rU'ral anq urban are,as of _-the State. Area 0-14:,1 15-44 45 and Total. age &t>~P. age group. above age- , group. M. F. ,,' M. F. M. F. M. F. ,. :punjab 626 499 544 444 226 146 1,397 1,089 state. The distribution of Sapela population in th~ v~rious Districts of the state, according to 1961 cenSUs 'is indicated below:- . Total IRural Urban 2,057 429 .. " '. H1ssar. .560 Rohtak' " 87 1 GUrgaon 408 Karnal 404 Ambala 74 -Simla ,2 Kangra 36 Ludhiana ;, 5~ 32 ,Ferozepur 193 Amritsar 23, Bhatinda 104 31 Sangrur 51 365 , Patiala' 28 Mahendragarh 28 . , I . 'I to FM:1ILY & I$.lNSHIP;.,. The Sapela caste is an endogamous group divided into a nu.mber. of exogamous se'ctions called gotras. 111 the gotras rank'equal~y among the Sapelas and one group marries freely 'among the other· by leaving, only those gotras which are. avoided by the .rate';of consanguillli3:y and exogamy. it is bel,ieved amop.g the Sapelas that th~, gotras are mostly '(leri ved 'from the Jat . and Rajput claI).~ to wh.ich their ancestors originally belonged. Some of their,gots are:- (1) Chauhan (2) Gulip (3) Panwar (4) Darhan (5) Bihal. (6)' Dugley (7) Sarsar ·(8) Markhat ". (9)' tltwal (10) Phe,nkra (11) Gaddaria FAMILY:~ Family Among Sapelas is patrilocal with mostly ( CONTD •••••••• 4. ) - nuclea~ type of" set-:up, comprising the husband, wife and UIil- . married children. Even in those hnuseholds where parents cemo to stay "Ji t~ the married son and take meals from the COIllIl1on kitchen, contribute something in the expenses; though it be from begging-...... After marriage the y11fe goes to·stay withthe hus- band' acquiring hi~- got. Property, inher! tance and reCGoning of descent .. is-, 'along male line. The females are however not treated 'as ,liability in the. household •. ,The custollL.of bride price in the community al~~ys .. a.d-ds to the status of' females, as they prove an',asset to the parents. They "Tield great influence over- tbeir husbands and mostly married'males succumb to their wishes~ The fem~l~s; married or unmarried, .do not partidipate in, traditional' occupa tion,.ot' handling and exhibiting snak9S II .. .l'hey may render :financial assistance by be gging alms in the ·villages or by s ellin&_rpapertoys 0 There is no purdah system in the community. he females are. oft~n' seen talking 'freely with the .elder male memb'3TS ~d, sometimes smoking in their presence. There are .~ cases of conflict 1 domestic quarrels among the husbc;_nd and wife" . ' . SETTLEMENT AND D'WELLING3 ~ ... " -~-'¥ A~. a mle Sapelaa are a nomadic community. :aO", ever, a:f..t.er···the Partition 0:( Punj ab in 1947, most of the.:n hay.~.st·arted living in reg·illar'settlements. The Sapelas ...... ·have reported that thei:!.' anqesto~s used to live in Dsolat-3G places and mostly in jungles 9r .wi,lderness and would subs ist on wild game and bagging. Dui'J.ng the investigations ma:':? in the different vi~lA.~GS like' Jl1angla (District Hissa:-); Garh and Lalan Cho~i (DistriG~ Kar~al) they were foun~ to be having more or less perman(ant 'resIdential s ..tructures , on the out-skirts of thG villages' •.. The nox.adic charact er o;f ,.Sapelas in the pre3 cnt cays can easily bo acco.J.nted fqX' as:'"a_ response to the r:eed .' of the profe5sion~ Onl.>' fo;r: ::the s~e' of earning .their livelihood, they foam . a,bout"~'-from place to place, leaving behind their wi yes>a.nd chiJ,.dreri in the village w~ere :k they are permanently···sa·~tle. .- . .'. Theie. are' two types of residential structures in - .' whic!:l Sa~elas of .I~istric"t Hiss·ar,. Karnal and Gurgaon, . abode . themselves ... The more sedentary type are kaccha ',' ,"tlOus·eS,.. which are con~ide.r:ed t<;> be. the reSidential s-cructures of'. nigher strata of the c.ommun~ty. Next come that-ched huts '. . .qr. temporary reed-huts in :Which the ma-Jori ty of caste ., members. find their abode •. These reed huts ar·e· purely of 'Lempo r_ary nature a.pd can be picked' up at any irroment. It is HOi. 'uncommon to see the shifting of site from one place to c..na ther (though in the sam9 village) by removing the reed-huts. The temporary huts d~pict the va~arant characteristics of Sapelas. The kaccha residential structures are norma~ly ·single-roomed, with. ,..,ralls of mud and roofs made of §.1lJ.:L:__ (rBed.s). No ski~led masons are employed from out-side I' ( CONTD •••••• • 5 e ) 5 for constrilci;in'g kaccha-ghars ~ ", Th~ .entire· technical and nianual labour is provided by th8·SapGlflS;fhems~lves .....The mud bricks are used in raising thG walls -of ·the !"esidential" structures 0 The ghars hav(:; g3ner9.ll? !?lcp:j)ut: roofs, ~ .J-ecally known as ch~.1:.!.. The top dresslng to the 9papE.§! is given by stra,,, and cow-dung 0 The Eh~ of S:apelas are generally smaller in size than the other J~8c(;ha 'restdential structures . in the village. A large hole j.sprOVlded at one side , to serve as a ven-i~ilator 0 At 'the tiroG of laying foundation' stone of a kascl1!~. rssidential s·true·t-ure, .£'i ve pices ( of copper) are placed under the foundat:ton bri ek. Gu~ (.j aggery) is . distri buted among the children and .o'tre r ffiEJillbers of the community. I~o separate prov-ision i~, made :to.r kitchen, bath and' latrine.. 1n th0' Sa'P8'la l'esj_dentlaL. .. ',struc·~urcs. It is' a corumon t!'2.it among the Sapelas that they prefer to raise their cera' (habit&tion) on some deserted mtlund or in the tree' gI:c~,!.es~ OJ' noCt!' the vtlla~e pond, which may be quite farx off from·the m~in village habitation~ They have furthe): stated th2t th -;y are t radi tional1y 'Janga1 ke Basi I (inhabi t3.nts of VT_ld8rno::w) and their profession of taming snaker, .derr:ands th9.t t~1ey should live ·8.way from the materialist~:·-::- elements 2~nd '-'.'o:;:'dl y l:umbug e The deras (habitations are generc~lY'deillarcatec, by fencing j_·~s boundary wit"h Sarkandas (thorr~y reeds and Qry .D.u.she3) " roOD & mUNIG3:- The Gapo1as are j-:'or!G 0';'''> illcA.t and relish. it; to cereal, TraditionnJ.l:r they '":,ed to l:"ve on the hun~ and took the mea:: of u.11 tho jungll} ,e.nimaJ.s evon of jackal, fox, cat, RtC, .tn t",e ':"~f'~. tte :y:"im2.ry 0ccupation of th,e 8 ~pe1a8 viES -G'J ,,;:?,:'\Ger ir': tt;· ...: .~~l:: 2v.w::10': :'n seE,!'cj Lii' i. hunt and kill the anima],s ,.;:i.th -::;be hEo'lp 01' trairled dogs. The meals were cooked, ol'1~Y :.f tl"~(T( W3.S .r~. :;·.:;h ':,)[ 'I.Ij ld animals or the flour of wheat 0.; l;:::'a'1lS, pl'ocm;eJ "chl"or~gl1 beg[;inC alms in the nearby villages. 'i:tl th!:I e. os '_;" C'~ ~'): the '\d::!.d In;.nt or alms, the Sapelas ha.d to re~~'j ~ In:.ng:i7 c:"_rl wi T.!:l~:lUt .i'OOG for a number of days.. .[")re3cntl.! ~ th-::y ~})Jnd oc the manual labour for earn ing thoir Ii vc1ihooC., ::t L1:lY be s'~lal·{:.3 •• cha.rming or any other professio_Q.·;:.' bu~ not ti.le 1,,~~_ld I;Cl"'C ::-I~' beg'ging of alms 0 They'e 2,ro !;") h~.l.!'d and :i:'83t l"u.les regarding taking of meals. Ge!1eraJ.l.y tho mec:ls c.!'e takentw~se a day, i.e. morning (hazri-"t1'31&) anJ e1Ts.rj.?1[: (,ham-weIa) ~ They abjure beef or fl,esh of, carrib.l, w'rJ.j.ch :i.s tabooed by Hindu religion. DRESS AND ORj\TAI·.lE_JL'I1?i- ...... J_.... , The t:::2.~lti)Lv3.1 d:;:,(?s~ ;r m~ies "c'orisis-€sof'a .kiirta (long sleeved 100<:0, 3hirt) ~ 2. 'Chadq,2,:i;' '[:. "tti6 yard colou're'o cloth wra.ppAd &!'ound th9 i;lai:;t anJ· hung, loo?o _'upto the ankles a turban, r.!rd.nc!l':g, or 'rrtd-'3t;:,Ls;' :L~i-.:th€ ear-lobes and '. an amulet al"ow.... d +he vl~l'k "'i~'.,e :;)"" :'lr .... ' C! of Sa"'e1a~ are :hes. ,- .~ ./J.) J ...... _v_~! ?.... :~~ ~.·~.r.....:r~~ '';--::,~.... '--,~:r;':.. ',' ~~_ ... ~ . 'gene.:. made of och:;:,o-aye~,·.... ;~a£s. on ~~E-)_t.I', .::;:r:oulcrer· :;J,;f:1,c:n J.S cons1dered r place .. ~~ .. "~ra-ka-JohlaH (~he -cr.acJ.t;to0EtJ.ly aSSigned professional g ., bag) , . i.n' 1·rl.1.i c~i 'te.lfeci" S~1k~-::-:---~'e:..~~,~:::b~he.l; .. a.g.cess orles...... p~ ..s.na.ke-,,, e... charm1ng are placed.. uJCG ef thGIT.\ ken~ "be,al~ 2nd u1e their iEE ' 1..... 'l" T ..... '.J..' C' 1: ., 1 ong-flo'\\lJ.ng Ll::t:Lr 0n 'G.1_g nec,c.. 0 .d1 .\'{In ,er, 'Jne :.oap~' "as wrap themselves 1.,,.-:Lth a kte~ OJ:' 0}.d-Vl0r!1~out blanlcets, which they ril-ana'ge to r Gee:' ve' in 2J.!'18 ·,i.::;c:r;. the., riGl1§;J;' _s.ections of the '. '" , ',". ". v;i..lJ-.a.g.e conmuni ty _ 'l'he ?()'1.nr~ b0yS are· ren::Jral1y s sen ''wearing a drawer or' nv;}aL.1d ane.. \>,1C)i'C··,v-u t t:l.ilorod shi:'ts. , Sapela Temales wear kamizJ a long loose shirt and Ghaggra (,a ,pett~coat type of loose sbirt) narrow at the top and Ylith a bigger circUIIlb.'ence at the Dottom). The apparels are generally made o~ cheap coloured cotton cloth which they get from,the village shop-keepers. Because of their meagre income; the Sapela females cannot afford any ornaments. Many of them go about with only glass bangles. However, 'thei':e traditional ornaments cori~ist of cho'orie (kaFia) - (wrist ornament)· Kari ( a round silver rIng) in t e anJi].es i Kathla (Nec~~, P"atti i~, : piece of silken cloth st1uCk~d vn.th silver ru,[>''ee's or silver round stars, worn around the neck); Long or Koks' (as nose plug)~ Chand or Borla (an ornament of the forehead)~ ~umke (ear rings, worn in the ear-lobes)j Kan~Phool flower shaped silver ornament worn in the ears) etc. However, some of the Sapela femal~ are seen having their fore-arms, foreheads and chins tatuoed ~dth stars and images of flowers., etc. The practice of taitOoing is dying out, among the members of the community. , LANillAGE;';'- Sapelas speak Punj abi and other dialect of the region ~n which they are settled, while conversing with out-Siders, but within their community they 'speak a lingo which they s ..tyle as Parsi. It has been ar01 ved with a view to converse among themselves without being understood by outsiders. Some of the w'ords of lingo, are given below:- Engl:tsh ~ingo' \. \ofater Neerai 2. Snake Macchala 3. Woman Taani 4. Girl Kovari , 5. Rupee Pindia ' 6. Cloth Loodil ,," 7. l1ilk Khumala' 8. Silver Tholpee 9. House jw:bc Khol' . , 10. Cotton Tippani: . EDUCATION AND LITERACY. s- The 1961 Census showS a ,v~ry. row rate of literacy among the Sapelas of,the State. Only 28 out of 2,486 (1.13%) were ,returned as literates. In rural areas the percentage • of 11teracy is 1.15.. 'Out of 2,057 'only 24 males are literates. In' the urban areas the percentage of literacy is still worst , L at (0.9), outL429 individuals only 4 being literates. A table showing the. break up of the population by educational standard$J . is furnished ,below':- Area Illiterate, Literate, Primary or Matriculation . wi thout educa- junior _- Qf 1I1gner 'Secemdary tional leVEll. basis z Rural M 1,161 F,.872 M. 20 F - 'M 3 F - H 1 " F'- 2057 U,rban 208 217 2 2 -, ... 429 (CONTD •••••••••••• 7.) The number of female literates is absolutely nil. Among the Sapelas living in rural areas, the percentage of l~teracy is only 1 percent. It is interesting to note that 'one male b4s 'be. en .found to be educated upto... Natriculation level. This shows that -Sapelas are one of the mos.t backward and illits'rate ca~tes o.f the stat·e. The causes of; illite,ra9Y are not difficult to understand. The mo~ility in pr~fess1on demands that ',they should go from place to; place· in- 'search of liveli hood,. Secondly, the profession demarids' dexterity and skill ful training of children in the tamin:g of snakes, rather than to devote their time in school education. Thus the economic poverty and pursuance of ,t.radi tional.: occupa~ion d epri ve th~ youngsters from the advantage 'of receiving education in the schools. . ECO NO MI C LI Ffu.- The Sapnas l:lave traditionall_y lived by exhibiting, taming snakes by playing on tpe gourd,;;'pipe (bin) .. They are "alsO' associated vn tho begging which' is treated as a subsidiary occupation. Some, of them ~so practise surgery and phySic in a small waY,and treat snake-bites and other'pmiscnous bites with dbead? .and indigenpus I1lf3dicines. SinRe the income from the traditional occupation of'snake-charming is meagre, they also take up subsidtary jops like casual agricultural labour op. daily wages ,. dealing in goats and sheep, ,cutting wood from the wild gro·.}~ha.nd selling medicines and indigencbus harbs .. '-· Begging is given second preference in'the'hierarchy of subsidi~p~ ary occupations. A SIl:p.e1a remarl0:': W9 have to feed our child ren and when begging of alms:ld~ot serve the purpose't we take recourse to rearing and selling of goats and cattle". wORKiNG FORCE::" . , . 'Accord:ing to' ·t95l-Ceusus out of 2 486 pers ons belonging to the corriinunity, i,n .t'he/:Punj ab Staie . only 257 are ?!S09 work~rs. Hence vlOrKing force:donst1.tute~ only iO.34 % of the tota;L populatidn.· .':Sex-wise break up of ",orking force shows that '. 204 o~t of 1,397 males arid 53 out. of 1,089 females are :' . worke.rs., In other, vlOrd~ 14 .. G.o 'of' the mal,e popula tion , and 4 .• 86% of' the feme.l~, .. ,populati . Industria~ classification of the Sapelas of Punjab ~ccording to 1961 census is., as follows:- occupation Males Females Total Culti vat or 46 15 ' 61 .4gricultural labourer 4 17 21 Household industry: 38 17 55 \ ( CONTD •• 0 ••• 8. ) \ ,- I . , , ... ' 8 ,... Manuf acturin g other then house- hold industry 2 2 Construbtion 1 1 Trade '& commerce 3 - 3 In other servi ces 110 .'4- 11<~ : ,. Tota]; 264 53 .. 257 ~ ,.. " As will ba ; seen fran the'tallle thai.r,: -~l~gest concentration is in other.' servioo.s·. These who are engage.c- in other services, are mostiy, "~rldng as petty .peons, cho\-]lddar$. .-in Government .::. ... , . offices. The next best; "rorkin~ category of fJapelas is as cultivators •. Those engaged ~s' cul- ." ti vat~rs are most£pet,ty landholde'rs, who ha:ve . re ce 1 vee, '1 ends., from. the Govemmen t under \:.relfare sc~eLies. '.~ large nLl!IJoor ot them tuso,'cUlt~va-f ting' l.end·s on crq'p-sl~are 'basis.,' ~A fairly large nunber of them ··are. engaged- in Household i~.dustry. In thei'r ind.igenous .i4du,.stry, ,they generally 'rear sheep and goats, l ~ . :The Wgnifi~~t ~UObe~ lof" ~ap~l~s '/, , " , returned in the Census inaustrial categories I:1ight be'~ to the fact that they ~U;e largelY.Iitrsuing "XKjxJ!'lQsXmxtx%:mm~a~~~~:tl:."'{l(®~~:tNxfte , ~~ the profession of begf:',ing and" snake-charming which is 'not taken as economic 'Horker in the cen 'su s term ;in 0 1 0 gy. Du rin g ths in V~ s ti.g a:t1 on s .',r it waS found the', t sapelas are la~ge+y engaged in the tradi·tionru. profe,ssion of's..';'ake-charnlng. The 4'e~cript1cin ,given b~T the Sapelas 'is '.as followsI- . The occupation of'Snake-charcme 1s . tre ated as t Guru·ka Baikh' and the' cnnft is passed on frorJ father to 50..11:.:. The technique of taming snakes 1s started in ·the childhood. The children a ttaining the age of eig£lt I ye ars are taken to the fiel.ds by tl1eir elders ( ,CONTD ••• • • • •• 8A ) , c .. - .. I " and 5ho\>.o th,e h1d,eouts of" the-sn-akes. -roen they are traine~ to trace the p~1n ts left by the snake on the ground. They are also taught to play'u'pon ,the gourd-pipe which serves as an.·j,nstrument in .t'amin,'6· the snake. After cat'ching a ;raw snake, it is tamed to respond to the tunes of gourd pipe·. This, requires, lot of pr,a~tj,~c~' and. dexterity which may iilvolve two to threG years" ,h~rd, training for .:l reginner. After ,acgui:r;ing .the necessary technical skill the Sapclas go " out ,to ne aroy pI'aces a.'1d to'\t;ri,s ,to plit~up '. snake-oharm.ing sho'\t.S. They carry . snakes of diffel'- ., ant spe.cles 'in the Potara~(.cane., baske,ts)' . which are put· in wru ka JOh1.~_~fprof~ssional .bag and hung on .the shoulder •. In 'c1 ties. t,hey display snake-charmin.g "sho·~!s m. publ:,tc : place s, along the roadside, comers of strGe ts, shopping centres, cih~mas etc. The. earnings in to,·ns from the snake-charming· .: shows are generally in c ag!1.. In the, villages, the .Sapelas r9.rely ge·t. ~ythine in. ~~~h,/ ,but receive whe'it flour a.."1d ¥lorn-ou.t c~ottl~S.'" The Sapelas . have" tOld' 'that 'this profe ssion 1s not very lucrati ve' these days. People not« resort to other means of $n tert.a1mnen ts like cinema, drama3, etc. then participating. in the, snake-charPJing . showS. Begging is alsof stigmatisec' by the society . and doe-s 'not fet.ch "much ·r.loney., Thus' :·the YC:itnger. generation is 'Eoing lhn 'other vocat~ons by" ~evia;t.ing from the tradi~1or,1al'6ecu·p3tion 'of 'snake.- charr.inp, ... Those set tleJ. in rural: . are a's, are 1 ax ReI y' f-..Ll g as in g themsel va s' in :, " _~gricuit ural o'peratioti's lilce pet ty culti- ' vat'Ors-e--f-sm~l holdin -;5 on c r02-~~e~-.br-na s. -...... _.-- -. . .. ~- - .... - -~. I L-I.~\B CY CL ri: S BiLIISFS' &' P;{AC-TICES CQNl!,EQ!liR WITH Hltl1'rlJ_- " The clapelas also look dom.. ·upon' barren wo~n .( whO are in,Qapable of be'arit1g children) ~u el'it1cise ther.:: in the ron:m~n1ty cir~l.e~ ;..1 though a sapel n ca.'IDO t see~, d1 YO rce on the ground that h1 s ",'ire ·is barren, yet they are ~lo'W-ed by. t~le cOr;nDf.Jnity to gq in for "', scC?od marriage, and extend'·prog\3ny•. ~n sucn Case 5 the hu s band J s expe·ct ed tc- keEl P bo,th the wives in,'his heu,se o ' 'l, : ': "'. . '. i ! .. " .. ':. (CONTD ••••••• 9.) ~ to ~ • , • " ' 9 ~R'i ,;~": hringx 'some cash 'maney to' _thE1ir 'p'arent~, on., the eve of their "~ "ms,'n'riage, the ,male child, is gi v~n ;p'r.eference; in the family. No par~fcular care is: t'aken ",r,egard,in'g the: res,t, and confinement of' tpe pr~gl1pnt mothe'r. Similarly';' their' poor ,~economic condi _, tion' fails them tc),'prov:i"de nouris.p:~~~} diet tb .. the pregnant '" ,!nother bef9re the deli very· takES plac'e" : She is allowed to aflrfiend ,all the household affairs "Ena:eh a ,'few days before th'e' actu:al delivery t~kes', Pla'ce. The onlt ,;ti:lctor taken into ,cons:\,der!a~i9n at~' th~,', tj_m,e ,of ,~,onftneme1'l1l4;that she is made.,to sleep ~n one corner of the residential room which is ',' s',eparated' from the" main, ,room by hangin.g bed-sheets or ~, etc'~, .. :me birth oi' a son is ann01.lnced With a great pri ',. ,'J" Del'ivery is >'g~nerafly' :~ssisted ,by t,he dai (mid-wife}. of th'e dera ~ ',(habi ta't;kon') • The. mi~ -wi.fe generally bllmongs to' Sapela cast e. 'She ~u4'S ,the' umbiJ:ical chord 'w,i th the' kni1!e and, buries ,,:Lt in the ',couttyard of the house. Bes~des; she wbshes th'e ,mother aqd child on,- 8t}!! and 11th days'; 'and for t·his entire service she gets Rs.O'/- as remunera- tion. ~ , '." 'The roo"bher remains in be~ for 21,,_-days. On the ,:, t:wenty-f'irst day, the shudi ceremony takE?s place, which ! ':':' TI1.9.tks, the end' of' pollution period. On this day ~o, other , 'i~" g~v~n' a bath and puts on her best clothe~.' .S~he is then talF,~n: tQ.~, \1'ell alongwith other females of the .-9~E.a and '\'9.Sked(.to. place grains on t~1e 'well. nnd burn kne,~qed-flour lamp. Final,ly she draws a pale Gf vra~er from ,tlie well and '. comes b.ack,to her home.' On this day' moth~r ~'?, mother, (Bhu1,. 'fath,er fS sister and (Tai) elder; 'brothe,r,',s .wife~ . bring clot!l~s and some. cash money for the ,nevl-:-:bbr{l. The child is also christened on this ,day wi.th :th~ consultatio,n of the locaL priest (Pandah) a Brahmin' vlho' 'generally serveS other scheduled' cast as of the area. He is given Rs.1-25 n.p. along with a piece of', Qotton cloth f'or christening the child • .MARRIAGE: ~~ .. '." '. _",', . _,_ '. :; ',;', :.:';' According to Sapelas tbe" -cas,es~ 0f"pre~niarital or 'extra marital relations,'are treat-ed with disdain in the commu ni ty. The:' off'e'nders are gi ven beatlr~g' and publicly dis graced h the pa~chayat. The caste is endogamous and is ~rther slib;.;.di viqecf;into a number of exo'gamotis' se'ctio'ns c.alled gots. At tJ:le, tiI1l.e;,'of" ,entering int'o ,matrlmoma.l 'alliances., four gots are avoid_"ed';i ~e:" ·,se,lf:,' ~other:/s,. ,got Lfatr:er' s mo;pper's and . mother,!.s' mother. liS the commum:ty 1S very small and many a txmx time:: ,it, becomes:,'cli:t:/i-cul t to follmi the exogamy norms, so they do not hesitate marrying :in mother'!5- 'mother got .. . t • . , The austom of bride~price is widely'pre~alent in the community.' The: normal: price r,8t:lges .from 500 to 700 rupees "in' cas e of rig.,l1e,r 'strata of·:;thEl cOmr:J.unity and , I ~ ( CO NTD ...... 10. ) 10 39.0 to 40.0 rupees in gase 'of poor sections,. which the . , boyrs'father has to pay either in instalments or in full ,~ount to the bride's parents, before the marr~ag~ t~k~s place,. . .. ' A GE AT MlL.T{RI AGE.:.. - \ . A' boy among the S~pelas' is usual~y married at the ., age rJIDging betwe~n ~8 ~20 yel!1rs and tn-e girl at the age of 15~ 18 years,. Du,r~ng 1961· census, only 2 males and 13 females were ~ound to be married in t he age group 0-14 years.in the State. This confirms that early marriage is not very frequent ~ , 'Some of the Sapelas have reported that custom 'of child.. marr:l,age is hOvlever not absolutely absent in the community., ,But'·'ge~erally the non-availability of funds for the payment of bride-price for~many of the Sapelas to.post pone 'their, children 's marriages for an indefinite period. , ""._ .. _",~:The ne,gotiations are started from the Boyls side and the matrimonial al.liances are made with the help of a go between , who is 'generally a noar-kin of the boy. After the negotiations are.made arid terms and conditions of bride- price are' S~,1{tlE3d bEiltween' both the parents of prospective bride and groom,., the 'tikka' or engagement ceremony take~ place ~ }}.t the time 'of marriage negotiations generally the physical ,fitness and moral character of the girl is taken into considera tlon'by'the boy's parents. On girl's Side, more stress is laid on,the'econorpic pOSition of the boy than anything else. on 11,kka ceremo.p.y the girl','s father comes to boyls house and affixes a turmeric:!ilak on the boy's forehead and hands over' BS'.1'25 n.p. in presence of the groom's family memoers,. There is usually... an interval of 3 to 5 years between the betroth'I:!l. '(tlkka) and the actual soJ,emnization of marriage.' . 'It i~' 'uPt~,"the', boy's family to curtail'the waiting period by paying off, the ambunt of bride-price in quick instal ments.~ As soon as 'the ,bride-price' is paid the village priest or the Community priestt ,(pandah) whoseever is available is approached to finq'Qut the' auspicious day or muhurat for the marriage." ,The message is" s,ent to bride's parents nor!Tlally ten ',' served with a ,J.unch py! the boy r s father. I ' . , :. . :~, " THE ~DDING:,-) ';, ::! , .. ; \~,\: t', i . : . ~ ~ . . ' Among' Sapelas, the weddtng, party (barat) is composed of male members only. he highlight of barat_ :\_s that ,it, is acc(?m~,FIihed by' been ~nd. bajuban~ of • .~ • .: • .. ~ \ I'''' ~.;~ " ·t "'- I .! (CONTD •••• 11. ) , ... , .. , - 11 iI?-digenous. gourd,~p,ipes, <;1rums, etc.) in a ~roces,s:ion. On. the arrl val of .weddl.ng party" the groom's l!ouse along¢th some of his near-kins, with a basket full of water che~nut, coconuts"jaggery, clothes of the bride and maulL, comb, and other cheap cosmetics. After h~nding over the basket to bride IS father, he returns back to the' 'pla:c~" where -arrangement of barat's stay is made. Then the Gur-Char~a ceremony takes pla.ce at' girl's village'" The marriage party' ts kept for two ~',:(iLXx days and servecr ~th,a lot of,country,~iqlo~ and :cooked mutton. ;" . ," Pheres ,take,~,:place under the marriage, pavilion vlhich is built in the cou~tya.r:d of the bride !,s house. The community priest (pandah) officiates on the occasion. ,_. He asks the couple to walk slowly ari.bund 'the tire three times., In first , , .. ~ ~~~Ji'1tdi:>l;l,-,~he boy 'le~ds and in the third circum!" ':, ~si ',_-, dd:om~ambulation, the. girl leads,. This marks the end of marriage ceremonies. . Among Sapelas widq~ remaTriage is permissible. If the .h:uspand ~ies, in hi~ yout.~· im DEATH .RI TES: ~ . ' The Sapelas, claim themselves ,t·o, be of logi origin a,nd practi~e burial:. : ,They believe that the J.9.:&'s are of men d~cant's sect and like al~ the ~ermits and.sadan~, they also burry their dead with .the"'tlead towards east. The corpse is smeared wi 1;h salt""and placed ,in "the gra-iie or thrown in some , . flowing water of a· r~ ver '" 11:1-e dead -body is fied vi th an empty earthen vessel and a sacred thread of ma"8.1·i is wr~pped around the body and thrown in the fiver. The pitcher is' .marked ._with ,the -spo:ts 'of. myrtle"I' he mourning members,.throw sugar c.andiEtS in the ri:ve_r at the time of immersi·on. Ceremo nial mourning continues ,for.,-,twent'y . one d~ys. On the last day . of 'mourning, 2hi..a_QL ,~Pa!}dah) is 'i,nvited to invoke religious sermons by chant~ng mantras,. Hal!:@_and rice are served to .. Dliici:ria:, and-:gi ven Bs.-5.2Q P.p. for his servi_ces ~ This marks the end qf, mourning period in the deceased~s family. In case of death of an old person, a grand feast is given to the members of the,: community .,by the ;deceased I s eldest son. ~here . ,is no rigid peri,Od within w:q.i,ch 'the f~as,t is .to be. given. It may 'be afte~ ten 4ays or one -year f ~fter: the dea.th has taken place, dependi:ng '-1UPon the econbmlC res'ources of the_ chief- ~iburner.. '. . ' \ ~ . j , : ~, ..' .1. ~ , 'j :.In :Punj ab S_apel41~i .'are followe~s gf t,wo religions,: Hinau and Si~.:,. ,The ,I!lUmbet;'''6T- Sikh Sapelas is insignificant in :SaXRX state. The 1961 censu's enumerated 2,461.Hindus as against only 25 Sikhs. • ~ ._...... •••• r. RELIGION: ...... , ' The Sap~la~' of Dist~1cts . of Hissar, ~ Gurgaon, Karna1 prO'fess' Hindu reli'gion. Traditionally Guru Kanipa Natltl. (the founder of Siti!!h and J ogi sect) is recognised as the chief GUru of the caste. They pay special obeisance to Guru ( CO NTD ••••••• 12 • ) ., ..... ''::' Gorakh Nath, Baba Gulab Natq i~ of the sidh sect. They generally raise a special piace in the dara which is tre&t8d as Guru ka 'Thaan (~ce of worship). A special maari (mound of brickS) is raised to propitiate-these Qlru5 •. On'different occasions 'Churma', 'Halwa ", 'Sw~et·s' are. offered to the Guru. ,lpart from worshipping the cast e Gurus, they also worStllip Guga and Jahir Pirs .. ('liTho are recognised as snake-gods in their terminology~. They repose their__ .fa.ith in thes'e' gods because of, the' f~ct that. the Guga and Jahir pi'rs are recognized as fol~ " , . " .. .. FEST! VAtS ~- ,', The festivals obser_v.ed, by them ar~ more, o:r; less the same as celebrat..ed ,b.y:_.the .. othEi~:::~Hihdu'-:,·cas.tes ..:liv'i1ig in, the area., They cel.ebrate Diwali, DU$s~, Lohri, :reej, Va1§.. @)mi, Naumi; sankrant, etc.. 'Since Gugga' is revered by the dommu.ni·~y and aohs:1.dereq to ·be one of the sUpr~m'e GuJ;'u of theSidhs and Jo gis ;'};o fuga Naumi is ob~e.rved 'ih connection, ivi th snakes. All the Sapelas return to their home .. 'from the pJ;'~fessional tours to celebrai?e ~his"',festi val. On this day ~ the' Sapelas keep · fas,t ;thrnughd~t 'the day". 1:1. ~,he evening., ,f e~ales 'Drake 'snake-images of ' kneaded flour and light earthen lamps. They go ·in a pr..ocessibn .t'o some deserte4 plaee ·aridr.)put these fuamps and images of snakes under some bush. After rnturning home, ±r~ they di~~ribut~ sweetened vermicilli 'among the family and nei gh bourhood. ; ,,' " ' , .. . . . I I'~ • :. ' ': INTER-CASTE RELATIONSr-~ , , The Sapelas call themselves' as.' a'n off -shoot of 8:i . they do not receive' the ~erV!-ces from .Dhobi (washerman), Nai (barBer) and Brahmin (pr~est' of the village. They .~'ru.:e also debarredey"hr"gher castes to d raw water from the 'villag.e wells ~ They als 0 do not participate 11'1" sOGio religious ceremonies of the high.er castes •. Bangalis, who are also snake-exhibitors are treated as· inferior to Sapelas. But the· Sapelas do have commercial and matrimonial relations with Bangalis. The only' difference is that they may accept daughters 9l.-: ..Bangalis in marriage but do not gi veE: their girls in marriage t·o them. ':'The Sapelas, however, recognise Sikligar, Banj ra" Bazigar,,, and Koli as their immediate superior castes 1n caste-hierarchy. 4- .. , . The sapelas ~n ~any villages are not recognisec as an integrated part of the village social structure. It ,may be partly due to their social exclusi veness and partly due to their mysterious profession which stand in their way ($ 'mixing ,dth the other castes. Hm"ever, they do not render any substantial menia). or other type of services' to clean ca.st.as, so th:~:r. .. are kept at an· arms length. 'SO CI·.AL ,CO NTROL· & COMMUNI TY P ANCHAYAT: - ~ .. . . The social exclusiveness from other higher and lower ·castes of the area encourages Sapelas to keep their traditional panchayats in tact for maintaining social~solidarity in the .... community. They e xtand entire. cooperation arid ha~:fU.ll fai~h :.' '~i4i-.·the worki-ngs of traditional panchayats. The papchayats ,exercise a vigorous ,control over the community me~bers and tends' to p'reserve the s'o11dari ty .hy enforcing v.arious compul- , ,si ve sanctions, ~~ norms. by way of dand' . (' 'a" fine in shape of money) eX:-,coI:lmunication, etc.. . , _. . '. Normally a ca,ste panchayat in a village or in two 0'1' three '-villages (where population is sParsely populated), " consists of one Sa'rpanch and four members. The sarpanch is elected by the community ~embers and post .is "not hereditary~ The seniority in age, economic and moral reputation, impartial jld gement, are some of the fact,ors. ,,,hich are gi ven due consider ation wh~le electing a Sarpannh. Disputes whthin the family or among relatives, sexual ~apses, breaches of the rules of endogamy, non-payment of b:;'ide ':'price petty)" thefts, etc. are the most common cases, deal tk \d th in the panchayats. If persons· be:j.onging to different deras (inhabitations) are involved in·: any" issue., inter-l!ocality panc}1.ayats are convened!' ,'. J &apelas have their own code' of punishment for different lapses~ The most ,common of the legal procedures is. "Paun-Bhatti It or trial in under .. water. In case the P_iiaintiff and, defendant fail to accept the allegations or decisions lJ1ad.e·-by. -tha' panchayat, they are gi ven under water trial. It is a sort of spir1tual test. Both the persons (plaintiff and ·defendant) would fix t"TO bamboo poles at some distance from each oth1,r in four to fi va feet doep wat er, in a pond or a ca{lal o hey would be· as ked by the panches to sit UhQer the water by holding the po~es with both the ha.nds. ::h:,. \..: .' .ather of the two d·i VSl'S-:·j:'a.i:ing . . . (CONTD •• ,. 0 ~14) " 14 - 1I12ter for the required time is taken The panchayat can impose fine ranging upto lOa rupees. The decisions are binding upon the caste members. It is primarily a moral entity. In case the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision of his own dera panchayat, he 1s allowed to call the Sarpanch of some other dera to decide the case. In that case the complainant is-r8quired to bear all the expenses. Before the proceedings start, the parties take a vow in the name of caste Guru or of their children, so that they may not lie o The caste panchayats do not render any financial aid to the poor or take up any welfare projects to uplift the members. Only it arranges a community feast in the village by holding Guru kaBrBandara on Gllga Naumh