CENSUS OF INDIA~ 1961 MADHYA PRADESH GLOSSARY ON SCHEDULED TRIBES OF MADHYA PRADESH Hy K. C. DUBEY, Deputy Superintendent, Census Operations, Madhya Pradesh. 1969 In ,the '1961 Census it was origina11y proposed to prepare ethnographic notes on all the principal Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Madhya Pradesh. Some work had been done in this direction and notes on some tribes were also prepared. However, for various reasons the project on ethnographic notes could not be completed. We in the State Census Office thought that whether or not the ethnographic notes are prepared, compilation of a glossary on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes would be" very useful to all concerned. It 'will' show the population for all Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and synonymous groups li'sted in the Sche.duled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Li.sts (Modification) Order, 1956 which information is not available in the Census publications and it will help to briefly introduce all such Scheduled Caste s, Scpeduled Tribe s and synonymous groups. 'l'he glossary, it was thought, would be more welcome to general administration thrul the detailed ethnographic note s. Thus, the preparation of glossary on Scheduled Tribes was taken in hand in 1963 ~~d it was eompleted in 1964. Because of various other·pre-occupations a similar glossary on Scheduled Castes could not be prepared. 'The g1.ossar~' prepared at the State Census Office was submitted to the Social Studies Section of the ~1Jin- cl . Registrar General. It was scrutinised there and the suggestions received from the Registrar General were incorporated in the glossary. The revised glessary has now been approved by the Re~i~trar General. - 2 - The glossary presented here contains all the names of tribes and synonymous groups that are given in the Scheduled Caste s and Scheduled 'I' ri bes List s (Modi­ ~ication) Order, 1956. These names are arranged in alphabetical orde~. The figures in bracket represent the population of the tribe or the group' as the case may be in the State and districts as it was returned at th.e Census. Due to shortage of plates for undertaking the vari-typing work, the Registrar General kindly suggested that the glossary may be cyclostyled and Circulated with a printed cover. It is, as such, being circulated in the present shape. It is hoped that the glossary would be useful to all Institutions and SCholars interested in the Scheduled Tribes of the State. It is quite possible that on scrutiny of the glossary, the Scholars and others concerned with administration may have some useful sug[estions to make. 'Such suggestions would be very much welcome and the author would be very happy to receive them. Thanks are due to Shri M.G.Mohril, M.A., and Shri H.C.Jain, M.A.LL.B., Investigators, who assisted in the preparation of the glossary at all sta~es. The author is also grateful to Dr.B.K. Roy BUrman who took the trouble of scrutinizing the first draft and suggested modifications. Bhopal, The 24th February 1969 K.C. Dubey SCEFJ)IJLED TRIBES A GLOSSAEX . 1. AGAR!A (M.P. 30 282; Surguja 9,552; Shahdol 6,79?; Sidhl 4,979; B1iaspur 4,139; Raigarh 2,407; Mandla 1,734; Jabalpur 250; Raipur 212; Balaghat 122 and rest in Chhatarpur, Rewa, Satna and Durg). In the Scheduled Tribes (Modification) Order, 1956, the tribe (spelt 'Agar1a') is recorded as sub-tribe of GQnds in Mahakoshal districts whereas it (spelt IAgariya!) is shown as an independent tribe in the former Vindhya Fradesh districts. (The spelling of·the name of this tribe in Crooke's Tribes and Castes of N.W. Frovince and Oudh is j 'Agariya ; in Russell's Tribes and Castes of C.P. and in Monograph by Elwin it is fAgaria'). In Bilaspur t~e tribe is scheduled only in Katghora and Bilaspur tahsils and in Durg Qistrict in Durg and Sanjari-Balod tahsils~ Some MSlrias are found in Mungeli tahsil of Bilaspur district but they have not been return(:J( as such in. the pre.sent ··Census~ since they are not t Scheduler there. Agaria are a primitive tribe of indigenous iron­ smelters, the name having probably come from .aK meaning fire or still more probablY!tfrom AE..a!: mt.. aning local iron-mines. Th~ugh the tribe is regarded in the President's Ordbr as a QQnd sub-tribe, they repudiate this affiliation. The term Agaria is looseiy applied to primitive iron-smeltE:rs and in thE:; past Census has also b(;(n confused with Aghar1a, a cultivatig.g caste. a. MU\JU.YA (See Agaria) 3. AlilW .(M .•. f~. 4; Betul 1; Surguja 2;" Bastar 1). ",. A t iowl cult iva ting caste found in Berar re fBrrc '.: to in Sharring's Bindu Tribes and. Castes~ as AnJ Gon<j and described as cultivators. The tribe (if it can be so called) is found in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The large number of exo~amous septs.among them have all Marathi names. • .... 2,,'- - 2 - (M.P. 3; Jabalpur 2; Seoni 1), Cast,e or eultivat-ors and laa,urers .fouha principally 1h Chanda and Bcrar distr1.cts .of Maharashtra. Russell and Hiralal remark, ''The Arakhs are considered to be an off­ SMot of Pas~ or Bahe11a caste of hunters and fowlers." (Russ~ll and :Hiralal:,. 1916, Vol.II, p.40).. 5. AR~AKH (SCE Arakh). 61- . ASTIR o •••• (M.P. 193; Surguja 69; Raigarh 125). A sma.l1 ,primitive t:r1be' of 1ron~smelters.found in Chhota J\~agpur plateau . and in adjoining areas, They are also loosely referred to as Agar1a,'and a secticm of them 1s Ag'ariQ,-A~. 7. BADE MARt& (See Bad1 Maria) ~. J2ADI MARIf, (M.P. la~; Bastar 1~6; Bilaspur 2). Etymologically means the 'Big Maria' or the 'ilder Ma~a'. This is a section of the Marins 'of Bast~r, The nPJIle probably re~ers to the sophisticated l1atias who have adopted it in the recent past. 9. BARELIP. (M. P. 45~; Surguj B, 161;' Mandla ).12; Seen! 5.; C~indwar~ 46; East N1mar 28J' Jabal.pur 20; B1laspur 19; Ra1garh 12; ,Bast e,~ 9; Durg 1). ••.• 3/ - 3 - .A oast', of· hunters and fowlers. The Bahelia is a synonym for fstghi in the Mahakoshal reg~on of the Stat~ from'which group the Bah61ias are indist~nguishable. In the Schedulqd'Tribcs Ord~r, the tribe is shown as a synonymous group w~th Pardh1s in Mahakoshal districts. 10. BA~LLIA (See Bahelia) 11. BAIGA . (M.P. 144 005; Shahd01 71,061; Mandla 31 769; Sidhi ~9,6~4,;, Bai~ghat 8,738;,Surguja 7 480; Biiaspur 2 916; '. Seon~: 6-97; Jaba1pur 399; Rewa: 2~5 and rest in ClTh~tarpur, Satna, ,C~hindw,a:ra, ~rg, Raipur and Bastar). , In Bilaspur dl~trict the tribe :.is not scheduled in Mungeli tahsil and similarly in Durg.district it 1s not 'scheduled in Kawardha tahsil. Both these tahsils, being 'contiguous to Mandla district, have a good number of Baiga§. In 1931,. there werE?, 2 404 Baiges in Bilaspur and 3,329 in Durg district. The 10 ~a~gas returned in this Census from Rai~r (3)., and Bastar .7 do not app~ar to be members of Baigg t~ibe, they 'are all probably Gonds who act as village priest s' who are also called as Baigas. , . ::- Baig,as art.) a primitive.- tribe known principally for their shifting cultivation Bewar. t. separate area - .;·!·Ba1ga Chak-.has been rescrv8d for them ,in MGUldla district '. :'where the 'praetice of Bewat is n.llowed. It is however difficult to say if Bewar is restricted only to this ar~a. They have traditional aversion for ploughing and their Bewar cultivation does n~t require the use of plough and bullocks. Ru·ssel1' ane" Hiralal rema'rks "There appears to be considerable re~son f0r supposing {hat the Baigas of the Central Provf.pces, are really a: ·branch of the Bhuiyas. Th0Ugh the Baigas are no,..,. mainly returnee from Mandla and Balaghat, it seEm likely t'bat these Districts were not their original home, and trat they emigrated from Chhattisgarh into the Satpura Hills on the Western borders of the plain." (Russell and Hiralal, 1916, Vol.II, p.310). They have been considered to l{e .al11e6 to a1n:1hwars, fha1nas, .Bl1llnj las and Bpuiyas but the' affi1iat ions of " hese tribes remaIn to be established SCientifically. The Baigas have no d'istinctive lan.guage hut 'speak a form of Chhattisgarhi known as B91gan1. • ..• 4/- - 4 - . The Baigas are divided into 3 branches - the Binjhwars, the Mundias or MunGiy3.§, anc the Jiharotia.§. The Binihwar ]2.g!g_as are thE:. landholcing sectiC'n ('f tho trib~;. the Mundias nre so:) callee becAuse thE; m8n 8f thi5 .branch h~v~ their heads clean-shaven but for a s~lit~ry leck. The Bhnrt'tiaswear their hair long. The Baig~.§. are a manly rp.ce with an· erect p':lsturc, fearless, trust­ worthy;. Me re?.f'y t:-- c~me out with thclr npinicns. 12. Bl.RELI:. (M.F. 159,686; West Nimar 15S,706; Dhar 9S0). A branch -.:f· the. Bhils. T·he name of this branch of Bhils dees not appear 1n 1901 Report of Central India Census, in Crocker s 'l'r1bes and Castes of the N.W.Province and Ouc.h' or in Russell's Tribes and Castes of C.P.' A mantien 1s, however! mado by Venkatachar in his C~ntra1 India Rcpcrt of 193 Census wherein he rbcorcs 38,625 Bar&la~, all being r(;turn~c from erstwhile Indore State. If both th6 figur~s cf 1931 Census ane thos~ cf 1961 are correct, this s£ct1Dn of the Bhils has regist6rec an increase of 313.4 p~r cent in 30 years which is rather unlikely as a natural increase howevbr prolific the tribe may be supposed t~ be.