Rabari

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Rabari, a caste of Camel Herders- Tashrih al-aqvam (1825) Ribari, a caste of camel-men - Tashrih al-aqvam (1825), f.345v - BL Add. 27255.jpg
Rabari, a caste of Camel Herders- Tashrih al-aqvam (1825)

The Rabari people (also known as Rebari, Raika, Desai and Dewasi people) are a caste group from Rajasthan, Kutch region of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab of India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. [1] [2]

Contents

Rabari camel warriors, Baroda State, 1890 Camels at Baroda in the 1890s.jpg
Rabari camel warriors, Baroda State, 1890

Origin

The Rabari is camel holder warriors.[ clarification needed ]

According to Sigrid Westphal-Helbusch, significant migrations of Rabaris took place between 12th to 14th century, when they moved from Marwar to Sindh and Kutch. The migrations of Rabaris in fact follow similar paths as that of Rajputs and Charans, two other migrant group in this region, indicating intertwined histories. Westphal-Helbusch ascribes the goddess worship traditions of Rabaris to the Charan influence. [3]

Clans

There are reported 133 groups found among the Rabari caste those are also known as Atak (Hakh) [4] some most important classes of Rabari clans are including

Samad

Khatana (ખટાણા, ખટોણા)

Rojiya (રોજીયા)

Karotra

Bungor

Azana

Karamta,

Hun

Makona

Hodanchi

Khabla

Ghanghol

Nogoh

Bombaria

Lodha

Shekha

Uchol

Lalotra And some other locally know clans. [4]

Tattoo Culture

Rabaris were known for their elaborate Trajva tattoos. They are usually done on the forearms, face, throat. The tattoo can have a range of meanings, including representations of fertility or skill milestones. Green sap from a nearby plant is mixed with soot to make the tattoos. [5]

Related Research Articles

Rajput, also called Thakur, is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Rajput covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted. According to modern scholars, almost all Rajput clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutch district</span> District in Gujarat, India

Kutch district, officially spelled Kachchh, is a district of Gujarat state in western India, with its headquarters (capital) at Bhuj. Covering an area of 45,674 km2, it is the largest district of India. The area of Kutch is larger than the entire area of other Indian states like Haryana (44,212 km2) and Kerala (38,863 km2), as well as the country of Estonia (45,335 km2). The population of Kutch is about 2,092,371. It has 10 talukas, 939 villages and 6 municipalities. The Kutch district is home to the Kutchi people who speak the Kutchi language.

Parmar, also known as Panwar or Pawar, is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra. The Panwar ruled in Ujjain and later in Dhar.

Rajput is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Rajput covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted. According to modern scholars, almost all Rajputs clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.

Soomro, Soomra,Sumrah or Sumra is a tribe having a local origin in Sindh. They are found in Sindh, parts of Punjab especially bordering Sindh, Balochistan province, and the Kutch district of the Indian state of Gujarat and also Rajasthan. The Soomras ruled throughout the Sindh and Multan regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jadeja</span> Samma Rajput clan

Jadeja is a Samma Rajput clan that inhabits the Indian state of Gujarat and the Tharparkar district of Sindh, Pakistan. They originated from Sammas of Sindh, a pastoral group, and laid a claim on the Rajput identity after marriages with Sodha Rajput women by adopting a process called Rajputisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldhari</span> Gujarati term used for herdsmen

The Maldhari is a occupational term or title used by several herdsmen or animal husbandry castes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolhi</span> Subset of Koli community in Pakistan

The Kolhi is a subgroup of the Koli caste native to Sindh, Pakistan. Kolhis are mostly Hindus but some of them are Koli Christians or Muslim Kolis. They engage in agriculture; most of them are poor peasants and sharecroppers.

The Gurjar are an Indo-Aryan agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic activities and formed a large heterogeneous group. The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been founders of several kingdoms and dynasties and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charan</span> Caste in South Asia

Charan is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. Historically, Charans have been engaged in diverse occupations like bards, poets, historians, pastoralists, agriculturalists and also administrators, jagirdars and warriors and some even as traders.

Rajasthani people or Rajasthanis are a group of Indo-Aryan peoples native to Rajasthan, a state in Northern India. Their language, Rajasthani, is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages.

The Node, also known as Nodi,Nodhi and Noday, is a Muslim community primarily found in the state of Gujarat in India and the province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are one of several pastoral nomadic communities inhabiting the Banni region of Kutch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastoral society</span> Social group of pastoralists

A pastoral society is a social group of pastoralists, whose way of life is based on pastoralism, and is typically nomadic. Daily life is centered upon the tending of herds or flocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutch Embroidery</span> Handicraft and textile art tradition of Kutch, Gujarat, India

The Kutch Embroidery is a handicraft and textile signature art tradition of the tribal community of Kutch District in Gujarat, India. This embroidery with its rich designs has made a notable contribution to the Indian embroidery traditions. The embroidery, practiced normally by women is generally done on fabrics of cotton, in the form of a net using cotton or silk threads. In certain patterns, it is also crafted over silk and satin. The types of stitches adopted are “square chain, double buttonhole, pattern darning, running stitch, satin and straight stitches”. The signature effect of the colorful embroidery sparkles when small mirrors called abhla are sewn over the geometrically shaped designs. Depending on the tribal sub groups of Rabari, Garasia Jat, and Mutava involved with this craft work many hand embroidered ethnic styles have evolved. These six styles: Suf, khaarek, paako, Rabari, Garasia Jat, and Mutava.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilse Kohler-Rollefson</span> German scientist

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson is a German scientist known for championing pastoralism, Ethnoveterinary medicine and camels with special reference to India. She helps the Raika people whose way of life was under threat because of their dependence on camels and she decided to help. In 2017 she was awarded the highest award for women in India, the Nari Shakti Puraskar and, in 2018, the Federal Cross of Merit of the German Federal Government.

Modern historians agree that Rajputs consisted of a mix of various different social groups and different varnas. Rajputisation explains the process by which such diverse communities coalesced into the Rajput community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Momai</span> Regional Hindu goddess

Momai or Momai Mata also known as Dashama is a regional Hindu goddess, popular in Gujarat, especially in desert region of Kutch.

Brohi Charan are a Brahui, Sindhi speaking ethno-linguistic group residing in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. Brohi Charans are the traditional priests of the Hinglaj shrines in Balochistan and Thatta.

Detha, or (Detho is used to describe a single person from Detha clan)Detha is a Charan clan (gotra) in Sindh province of Pakistan, and in Indian states of Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

Tumbel is a clan and division of the Charanas of Gujarat, Sindh, and Balochistan. Historically, they were known for their military services in the kingdoms of Kutch and Nawanagar.

References

  1. Köhler-Rollefson, Ilse (1992). "The Raika Dromedary Breeders of Rajasthan: A Pastoral System in Crisis". Nomadic Peoples. 30 (30): 74–83. JSTOR   43123358 via JSTOR.
  2. Chaudhary, Shyam Nandan (2009). Tribal Development Since Independence. Concept Publishing Company. p. 23. ISBN   978-81-8069-622-0.
  3. Kothiyal, Tanuja (2016-03-14). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert. Cambridge University Press. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-107-08031-7.
  4. 1 2 Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. 2003. p. 1158. ISBN   978-81-7991-106-8.
  5. IANS (2023-07-27). "The evolution of traditional tattoos in India". The Statesman. Retrieved 2024-07-15.

Bibliography

Further reading