CHAPTER 2- Maharashtra-People -Physical
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Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. CHAPTER 2—MAHARASHTRA—PEOPLE—PHYSICAL IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES, AN ATTEMPT IS MADE to describe the people of Maharashtra physically. A racial analysis does not involve any kind of presumption about values. When some people are described as possessing a smaller sized head than others, it does not mean that such people are less intelligent than the people with bigger heads. It is well known that except for pathological small-headedness (microcephaly), normal intelligence can be possessed in equal degrees irrespective of the size of die head. It is not known either that the large headed races of the world (e.g., the Chinese) possess a smaller percentage of morons or idiots than people of races possessing smaller heads. The same type of argument holds good in the case of other physical variants. Some races are taller than others, some are fairer than others, some possess high, narrow noses, while others have flat, broad noses. But all people have proved their biological worth by surviving up to the present in this world. They are all able to do various functions efficiently and so in the description and analysis that follows, no people need feel that they are discriminated against. Further, when some people are said to be primitives, some others as belonging to lower castes, still others as belonging to higher castes, the words “primitive!” “higher caste” or “lower caste” signify a social position which is understood by readers and which is due to historical circumstances and not to inherent physical or mental ability. In Maharashtra there are hardly any traces of Negroid and Mongoloid racial elements. One sees occasionally some Negroid features like extremely thick lips or extremely curly hair on the west coast of Maharashtra and Karnatak. These are due to a few mixtures between Negroid persons and west coast population. In Janjira-Murud in Kolaba district there was a small principality which was ruled by “ Habshi “ chiefs who were apparently slaves at the Deccan Moghal courts. The Marathi word “Habshi means “Abyssinian.” However, this chiefdom had no connection with Abyssinia. The word “Habshi” is generally used for a Negro in Marathi. This small chiefdom is the source of some Negroid mixture in this part of the coast. In the south, near Ankola in Karnatak there are a few people with Negroid appearance. Imported Negro labour was used on certain estates in these parts. The Negroid individuals seem to Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. 10 MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEER be descendants of these labourers. This Negroid element is of such recent Origin and so negligible in quantity that we need not consider it in the racial survey of Maharashtra. There do not seem to be any Mongoloid elements either in Maharashtra. We may therefore say roughly that Maharashtra is made up mostly of Australoid-Europoid people. The skin colour ranges from very dark to light brown. The eye colour is predominantly very dark brown (black) to brown, with-a few castes having not more than 10 per cent people with light greenish brown eyes. The hair colour is very dark, but sometimes in rare cases one may find brown hair or red hair. Most males have ample body hair, but one finds among primitives and also among non-primitives, people with scanty beards and scanty body hair. The stature ranges from short to medium i.e., 1.48 to 1.66 metres (from about 4'- 9" to 5'-6") though among all castes one finds sometimes some tall and a few very tall individuals up to 1.83 metres (6 feet) and a little above. The head form is from dolichocephalic to mesocephalic. That is to say, one does not find ultra long-headed or real broad-headed people in Maharashtra. The noses generally range from platyrrhine (broad nosed) to mesorrhine (middle nosed). There are a very few people with really narrow noses. In the following pages, some measurements for people from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnatak and Orissa1 are given in such a way that comparisons between these four regions become possible It would have been useful if material from Andhra of that extent were available. The non-availability of such material has created a geographical gap between Maharashtra and Orissa. But the data for Orissa allow a glimpse into the possible racial make up of the Mundari speaking people and also provides an eastward continuation of the trends found within Maharashtra itself. The castes included in the accompanying charts belong to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnatak and Orissa. Gujarat has a common boundary with Maharashtra in the north-west, Karnatak is to the south of Western Maharashtra and Orissa has no contiguous boundary with Maharashtra. It is to the north-east divided by a small strip of Madhya Pradesh from north-eastern Maharashtra. 1 For. Maharashtra, Karnatak and Orissa the graphs are based on the measurements taken by the author while for Gujarat the measurements taken by Dr. D. N. Majumdar are used. See Majumdar D. N., Race Realities in Cultural Gujarat. Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. MAHARASHTRA – LAND AND ITS PEOPLE 11 Below is given a short description of these castes based on personal observation and descriptions given by other anthropologists.1 A map showing the location of Marathi castes is also given. 1 For Maharashtra and Gujarat and parts of Karnatak, R. E. Enthoven, “ The Tribes and Castes of Bombay “, Vol. 3, 1922. For Nagpur and Berar in Maharashtra, R. V. Russell and Rai Bahadur Hiralal. “ The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India,” Vol. 4, 1916. For Marathwada—Syed Siraj-ul-Hassan “The Castes and Tribes of H. E. H. the Nizam’s Dominions.” Vol. 1. 1920. For Mysore. Ananta Krishna Aiyyar. “ Tribes and Castes of Mysore”. The description for Castes in Maharashtra is taken here verbatim from the Monograph by Irawati Karve and Vishnu Mahadeo Dandekar. “Anthropometric Measurements of Maharashtra, Deccan College Monograph Series No. 8” (1951) Poona. The descriptions for Karnatak and Orissa are taken verbatim from an article by Irawati Karve. “ Anthropometric Measurements in Karnatak and Orissa and a comparison of these two regions with Maharashtra. Journal of the Anthropological Society” Bombay, 1054. Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. 12 MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEER Some Physical Measurements of castes in four linguistic regions. Dolicho-Cephals : Index-77. Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. MAHARASHTRA – LAND AND ITS PEOPLE 13 Some Physical Measurements of four inguistic regions. Lower Meso-Cephals : Index 77-79.4 Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. 14 MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEER Some Physical Measurements of four linguistic regions. Higher Meso-Cephals : Index 79.4-82 Tran DF sfo P rm Y e Y r B 2 B . 0 A Click here to buy w w m w co .A B BYY. MAHARASHTRA – LAND AND ITS PEOPLE 15 The following descriptive notes on the castes in four States whose Physical measurements are later referred to are taken from publications referred to. Maharashtra castes are dealt with in greater detail as compared to those in the other three regions. Agari Agari, also known as Agale or Kharpatil, numbered about 2,00,000 in 1901. They are principally found in Thana, Kolaba and Janjira. There are no exogamous sub-divisions above families who have the same surname and who observe common mourning. Agaris claim to be Kshatriyas, but their small size and dark colour, their love of liquor and their belief in un-Brahman gods are marked enough to make them rank as a local or early tribe. A man may marry his mother’s brother’s daughter. Polygamy is practised. Divorce is allowed. A widow can re-marry but not in her late husband’s family. Agaris employ Brahmin priests for marriage and death ceremonies. The dead are burnt or buried. Their original occupation as the name suggests is salt-manufacture but very few are occupied in it now. They are now agriculturists with small holdings or tenants. The poorer are agricultural labourers or seek employment in Bombay mills. Andh This is a cultivating and hunting tribe confined to the hilly tracts which include northern parts of Parbhani, Nanded and southern parts of Chanda and Wun (Yeotmal) districts. They appear to be a very remarkable people, with dark complexion, thick lips and prominent cheek bones. They show marked aboriginal features, resembling those of Gonds, while the fact of their entire occupation of many villages indicates traces of savage independence. On the other hand their language and customs are like those of Hindu Kunbis. They say that their forefathers came from Mahur and adjoining districts in Berar. Cross-cousin marriage both ways is allowed. If a girl is pregnant before marriage, the father of the child is called upon by the caste council to marry her. Divorce and widow remarriage are allowed; but a widow must not marry her late husband’s brother. Married persons are burnt and unmarried are buried.