Nomads – The Vagabond Folk of Rajasthan

... Bishnois     ... Trader

Wanderers Who Settle Homes Wherever They Stop !!!
They are the most colourful and exotic wanderers in the ruins of desert, who keep moving from one village to another in search of work, money, living and livelihood.

The Bhils
The Bhils live in the hilly tracts of Arawali around Chittaurgarh, Banswara and Dungarpur, are even now primitive and ridden with poverty. The Bhils prefer to live in isolated hamlets rather than villages. Their way of life continues to be very colourful, but it is also an anachronism, since it dates back by several centuries. Several Bhil tribes have been mentioned in epics like the Mahabharata in their role as warriors. They were highly regarded as warriors, and the Rajput rulers relied heavily on them to thwart the invading Marathas and Mughals. Later, the British inducted them into the royal Indian Army by starting the Bhil Corps.
The Bhils are characterised by curly hair, dark skin, broad noses, a short and robust structure. Although restrained in their dress, the Bhils, especially the women, have a great fondness for jewellery made of horn, lac, silver and copper: the bor, jhela, pande or kanphools, and the tussi or bazar batti. The bor is a ball-shaped silver ornament worn over the forehead; the jhela is an intricate head ornament flowing from the top to the side above the ear; the pande consist of three small earrings worn on the top, outer part of the earlobes; and bangles. The literacy rate of the Bhils, particularly the women, used to be one of the lowest of any group in the country which made them prime targets for exploitation and bonded labour. Those Bhils who can afford it engage in polygamy. Marriages of love, as opposed to arranged marriages which are the norm in India, are condoned. The Baneshwar Fair is a Bhil festival held near Dungarpur in January/February each year, and large numbers of Bhils gather for several days of singing, dancing and worship. Holi is another important time for the Bhils.

The Minas
The Minas are the second largest tribal (adivasi) group in Rajasthan after the Bhils, and are the most widely spread.The name Mina is derived from meen, or fish, and the Minas claim descent from the fish incarnation of Vishnu. Originally they were a ruling tribe, but their downfall was a long, drawn-out affair. It began with the Rajputs and was completed when the British government declared them a criminal tribe in 1924, mainly to stop them trying to regain their territory from the Rajputs. In their skirmishes with the Rajputs, the Minas resorted to various unorthodox means such as demanding 'protection money' from villagers to curtail their dacoit activities.Following Independence, their ignominious status as a 'criminal tribe' was lifted. However, their culture was by this time more or less totally destroyed , and they have been given protection as a Scheduled Tribe.With thewithdrawal of the Criminal Tribes Act, the Minas took to agriculture. The literacy rate among the Minas was very low, but is improving.

Other nomadic sub-groups include the Nayaks who are entertainers, Kanjars, Sansis, Nats and the Kalbeliyas, the last a group of snake charmers whose mesmeric dances have made them popular among world audiences and put an end to their nomadic way of life when they would have to dance on the roadsides to earn a living.

The Gujars
The Gujars have long inhabited the tract in the north of the Aravallis, stretching from Bikaner to Bharatpur and Jaipur regions, where they are cultivators, cattle breeders and herdsmen. They are also located in Ajmer region and in the Mewar plains beyond. They are found in large numbers in the northern part of Karauli region

The Tribals
The tribals are believed to be the original inhabitants of the hilly tracts of the desert. They have also earned themselves a great name for their skills at both warfare and the zest with which they celebrate their festivals and conduct their lives. Listed as criminal tribes by the British, it is only now that a truer representation of these people has begun to surface.

The Rebaries
The Rabaris are still nomadic, an equally colourful sub-group that still travels over the desert in search of pastures for its flocks of sheep and camels. Their tradition is that their ancestor was brought into existence by Lord Mahadeva in order to tend the first camel, which had just been created by Parvati for her amusement. Their two main divisions are Menu and Chalkais. The former deals only in camels and occupies a superior position to that of the latter. They can marry the daughters of Chalkias without giving their own in return. The Chalkias keep larger herds of sheep and goats. Raika farms, called Dhanies, lie scattered over the countryside. These people have very few worldly possessions. For most of their cooking and eating, they use earthen pots. A butter churn is always an important item in their houses. Clothing is simple, though colourful particularly where the women are concerned. The owner of the farm wears a khadi dhoti and turban. He sports a pair of gold earrings. His sons, comely lads, are dressed the same way but have coloured turbans (a white turban is worn when one's father is no more). They wear cheap silver anklets, earrings and necklaces. The hair is cropped close from (sic) the forehead, for strong winds throw it on their eyes. The housewife wears silver ornaments.

Her arms are covered with light ivory bangles. A black skirt, a red kanchli (blouse) and a deep red odhni constitutes her dress. The kanchli is a quarter-sleeved bodice covering only the front and tied with strings at the back. The unmarried girl wears a skirt along with a kurta. Everyone wears shoes, as walking barefoot on hot sand is almost impossible. The bedding consists only of mattresses, which are nothing but layers upon layers of stitched rags.

The Gavaria
The Gavaria is a community traditionally associated with rope making in the countryside. Their community life is strictly governed by their panchayats whose decisions are mandatory. The consolidated panchayat of the whole region functions as their Supreme Court which sits in a grand style in a circular ring to hear the appeals from the lower panchayats. Its decisions are the last word for the members of the community. While the males mostly look after the rope-making activity, the females attend to its marketing. The women-folk can be seen moving about from one village to another with a pony and a typical basket in which they keep their merchandise - mainly ropes and small articles like mirrors, combs, bangles and tiny trinkets. The basket called odi is an important item amongst the household goods, an article which the parents must give to the daughter at the time of her wedding. A closely-knit community, the marriages are generally contracted through what is called the ata-sata system wherein the daughter of a family is married in the same family as the son.

The Banjaras
The Banjaras are nomadic caravan runners who travelled with balaads or oxen-laden caravan and who continued travelling wherever their caravans were in demand. In the past, it was not unusual to have bullock-caravans of thousands, though there is also a mention of lakhi or one hundred thousand bullocks leading a caravan. Since they performed a very important role, armies rarely troubled these Banjara caravans. Modern means of transport have robbed them of their livelihood and they have now settled into a semi-nomadic existence, using whatever resources they command - doing jobs, entertaining, even farming - to eke out a living.