The Gazetteers Department

In former times, the scheduled tribes in the district resorted to crimes and thefts. Every tribe almost specialised in certain type of crime. This was due to the unsettled nature of these tribes and lack of any productive occupation, their ignorance and poverty In some cases the emergence of the modern economy, industrialisation and quick transporting facilities deprived them of their hereditary calling, e.g., the Lamanis (Vanjaris) who were engaged in carrying grain and salt from one place to another lost their occupation. This led them to undertake unsocial activities like thefts. Because of their isolation from the general population for a very long time these tribes have developed a peculiar culture of their own which has an influence on their customs, practices rituals, folklores, dances and amusements, which is intimately associated with their life. Their rehabilitation, therefore poses a special problem which has to be tackled without seriously disrupting their socio-cultural life. After Independence special measures [Details about such measures in the district are given in the account of the Social Welfare Department in Chapter No. 17.] were undertaken under the five-year plans for their economic rehabilitation and their gradual assimilation with neighbouring communities. Thus, various grants and loans and given to them in terms of land, agricultural implements, cattle and seeds. Loans are granted for housing, digging wells or for starting cottage industries like rope making, basket weaving, carpentry, etc. Free educational facilities are also extended to them. Medical facilities are provided and recreation centres are opened. Reservation of posts in Government services is also provided for.

The tribes are gradually settling down. Groups. that are still wandering bands and residents of hilly areas and groups that have gradually settled exhibit great difference in their livelihood pat-tern, dress, foods, customs and practices. The development of communications has also brought even the wandering bands in contact with the villagers and urbanites and the myth about their cultural isolation now belongs to the past.

Phasepardhis

Phasepardhi means pardhis or sikaris (hunters) who make use of a noose (phase) in catching game. Their occupation as game hunters groups them in small wandering bands. As a wandering tribe. it has given refuge from time to time to the out-castes from other tribes and thus has become a heterogeneous group. They are flesh-eaters. Phasepardhis form an endogamous group among the wider Pardhi tribe. Further, they have among themselves exogamous groups worshipping specific totems. Besides hunting, they make and sell baskets.

Both infant as well as adult marriages are common among the Phasepardhis. The offer of marriage comes from the boy's father who has to pay a bride-price, otherwise the bride-groom is required to work at the girl's house for a certain period. The marriage ceremony is simple and consists of tying the robes of the bridal pair seven times and the guests throwing red rice over their heads.

Phasepardhis follow Hindu religion and the deities chiefly worshipped by them are Yellamma, Tujja-Bhavani and Vyankates. They believe in witchcraft and soothsaying. Depending upon their means, they burn or bury their dead, which are carried by three persons. No funeral rites are observed to propitiate the deceased ancestors except that a little molasses and clarified butter are laid on the grave, on the third day.

Vadars

Vadars is a wandering tribe chiefly engaged in stone-crushing. Some make mill-stones and sell them. Some work as diggers and earth-workers. They dig wells and build tanks. Recently, some of them have settled down and are seen to follow agriculture. Those who have settled down live in mud houses, others in huts made of grass which are carried from place to place. In Bid district Vadars are mainly spread over Ambejogai, Parali, Asti, Adganv, Gadhi, Khopkarmoha and Ukhanda.

Their mother-tongue is derived from Telugu and Marathi. They follow the Hindu law of inheritance and worship Hindu gods, Mangai, Bahiroba, Bhavani, Khandoba and Mhasoba being their favourite deities. They observe almost all of the Hindu holidays.

Every village or settlement has a headman who is socially respected. The latter presides over the caste meetings and conducts religious ceremonies of the group.

Men wear dhotis and khamij (shirts). Women wear saris only. The wearing of bodice by women and of shoes by men involves social disgrace. Married women wear fewer ornaments on the right arm and glass bangles on the left arm. No head ornaments are worn.

Infant as well as adult marriages are recognised by the Vadars. They have a number of exogamous divisions. The offer of marriage comes from the boy's father who pays a certain sum to the girl's maternal uncle and her parents. The marriage ceremony is performed in much the same fashion as other Hindus and includes the procedures such as rubbing the pair with turmeric paste, the bride-groom going in procession to the girl's house for marriage, decking the pair with tinsel chaplets over the pair, their robes tied together. At night, a gondhal dance is per-formed and a goat is sacrificed.. The devak or marriage guardian is tied to a post of the marriage booth at the commencement of marriage.

Remarriage of a widow is permitted, and the marriage ceremony is simple. A husband can divorce his wife on grounds of misconduct. Adultery is severely punished by caste people.

The married dead are burnt, bones and ashes being consigned to water. The unmarried are buried. Castemen are feasted for the propitiation of the deceased ancestors.

Kaikadis

The Kaikadis, once a wandering tribe, are now settled in villages. They have a number of endogamous divisions like the Kamathis (basket-makers), Makadvalas (wandering and exhibiting monkey's games), Kaijis (flute players) and others. Besides, there are a number of groups among whom marriages are forbidden.

The offer of marriage comes from the boy's father who has to pay a bride-price to the girl's father. Marriage ceremonies resemble those of the Kunbis and the homa or marriage sacrifice, tying of the Kankanas or marriage wristlets to the bridal pair and fastening of the lucky necklace round the girl's neck form the main ceremonies. Widow remarriage is allowed hut it is observed without any ceremony.

The Kaikadis follow the Hindu Law of Inheritance and profess Hindu religion. They worship Hindu gods, chief among them being Bhavani, Bahiroba, Tukai, Yamai, etc., and observe all of the leading Hindu holidays. They believe in witchcraft and soothsaying. They go on pilgrimage to Hindu sacred places in the State and take vows or offer animal sacrifices. They revere Hindu as well as Muslim saints.

The Kaikadis either burn or bury their dead. An image or tak of the deceased is made and installed amongst the household gods.

Basket-making forms the chief occupation of the Kaikadis. Baskets of various sizes of bamboos, branches, leaves, stalks of the tarvad tree, babhul twigs, cotton and tur stalks are made. Such baskets are smeared with cow-dung and are used for storing grain.

The Kaikadis speak a language which is a mixture of Kanarese and Telugu. Some speak Marathi, greately interspersed with Telugu words.

Lamanis

Lamanis are also known as Vanjaris in various parts of the State. A Vanjari or trader seems to be an occupational description which is etymologically) identical with vanijiya which means trade. These tribes were, in the past, engaged in carrying grain and supplies for armies, before the opening of cart roads and railways The term Lamani is also supposed to be derived from the word lavan (salt), the tribe being the chief carrier of salt in the past.

Gradually, as rail and road ways devloped, the tribe settled down as husbandmen and craftsmen. In Bid district, the Lamanis are mainly to be met with in Gevrai, Manjleganv, Ambejogai, Asti and Kaij tahsils. Where they have thus settled down, they tend to form endogamous divisions such as Vanjari Kunbis Vanjari Cambhars, Vanjari Nhavis, etc.

Vanjaris

Lad Vanjaris and Lamani Vanjaris are two sub-castes found among them. Lad Vanjaris have adopted agriculture as their main occupation, while the Lamani Vanjaris are still nomads.

They live in settlements called vadis. Their housing system is akin to that of the Marathas. Houses face any side except south which is generally avoided as inauspicious. Two open platforms called otas are built on either side of the front door. On entering the main door, there are two rooms on either side. These are called as dhalaj and are used to receive outsiders and for official work. There is an open space or cauk beside which are portions for cooking, dining, storing, etc. There is also a separate room for ladies. The back-yard is generally used for domestic animals.

Vanjaris are fair looking, healthy and proud. Their ladies are. beautiful, shy and religious-minded.

Vanjaris dress in Rajput fashion, though some now dress like other Hindus. Women wear a coarse petticoat of blue or red colour with a fancy pattern. Pewter or silver and ivory bangles fill her forearms from the wrist to the elbow. Anklets are worn on legs. Some of them draw their shoulder-robe over the point of a narrow stick kept on their head. The angle at which a woman wears this stick shows her rank. Their dress and language (especially some of the words) are very much akin to that of the Rajasthanis and Gujaratis.

A settlement of Vanjaris is called vadi. Each settlement has its hereditary headman known as naik. He is responsible for the protection of the group and administration of justice. He is a representative and arbitrator in caste disputes and directs the movements of the caravan while travelling. A fresh election is made when the hereditary naik family ceases to have a representative.

Among wandering Vanjaris, children are often born away from villages and no ceremonies are performed and afterwards a Brahman is consulted with and the child's name is fixed. Among settled families, the child-birth is celebrated by beating drums and distributing sugar.

Vanjaris have a number of divisions, endogamous as well as exogamous. The marriage age is generally twelve to sixteen for girls and between eighteen and twenty-two for boys. The offer of marriage comes from the boy's father who pays a certain sum of money to the girl's father. If he is unable to pay this amount, the bridegroom has instead to serve his father-in-law for two or three years.

The marriage ceremony is very simple and is performed near a post of palas (butea frondosa) or umbar (ficus glomerata) smeared with turmeric paste. Rice or jowar grains dipped in turmeric water are thrown over the pair. Homa or marriage sacrifice is performed and the bride and the bride-groom walk five times round the sacrificial fire, thus completing the marriage. The Brahman priest worships Ganapati, joins the hands of the pair and ties the knot of their robes. The Lad Vanjarls have a devak consisting of the pancpalvi or leaves of five kinds of trees.

Among Vanjaris widow remarriage is allowed but the ceremony is extremely simple. Polygamy is allowed and practised but polyandry is unknown.

Vanjaris follow the Hindu Law of Inheritance and profess Hinduism. They worship Siv, Balaji and a number of Hindu deities. The Lamanis of the district believe in saint Sivbhoye and the Lad Vanjaris in saint Bhagwanbaba Gadker. They observe all Hindu holidays but Gokulastami has a special significance. Bullocks and implements are also worshipped during divali and on the fullmoon day of Jyestha. Musalman pirs are also venerated. Vanjaris have great faith in soothsaying, ghosts and witchcraft.

Among the Vanjaris married dead are burnt and unmarried dead are buried without any ceremony.

Bhils

According to the Census of 1961, the Bhils in Bid district numbered 2,211. This community is found scattered throughout the distirct. Bhils differ much in appearance from place to place but a typical Bhil is dark, well-made, active and hardy, with high cheek-bones and wide nostrils. Inter-marriages with other tribes have led to combining of features and traits.

The Bhlls of the district use a cognate dialect of Marathi with a considerable admixture of Hindustani and Dangi. Besides, there is to be found considerable change from tribe to tribe and also from place to place.

There appears to be a great difference between the Bhils living in hills and the Bhils who have settled as peasants, especially as regards food, dress, language, customs, rituals and religious beliefs.

The Bhils in the hills seldom wear anything except a piece of loin cloth, and their women wear coarse and scanty saris. The settled Bhils wear clothes like other communities living nearby. Thus men wear a waist-cloth, a turban and a coat and their women saris and bodice. Both men and women wear brass or silver ear-rings and anklets when they could afford.

Common diet of the peasant Bhils includes jowar bread, curry-curds, vegetables and fish and mutton when they afford it. The hill Bhils have no special diet but eat flesh of the animals they have killed or that have died a natural death and other things like fruits and roots.

The Bhils are animists and are particularly devoted to God Khandoba. They pray Muslim saints and pirs also. They observe the Hindu festivals of divali and holi when goddess Durga is worshipped and appeased by sacrificing goats. They strongly believe in witchcraft and pay great attention to omens Sorcerers called Badvas are constantly consulted who suggest various ways of avoiding bad luck.

A marriage proposal comes from the bridegroom's side which is followed by asking (mangani) and then by betrothal when the girl is given a sari bodice-piece and an announcement is made in the presence of pancas. The boy's father brings ghum or dej (bride-price) to the bride's father of which a certain portion goes to the council or pancas. A feast is given and the day ends with singing and dancing. Marriage is celebrated in much the same manner as among the Hindus.

Polygamy, widow re-marriage and divorce are allowed and practised. Polyandry is unknown. Polygamy is also becoming rare. Widow re-marriages take place rather unceremoniously. Divorce is allowed on grounds of adultery, barrenness or cruelty.

Some of the Bhils are husbandmen. Others work as field labourers, sell grass and fuel, and collect wax and honey. As a community, they are simple, faithful and honest. The Bhils are very much fond of hunting, excitement and are passionately fond of music and dancing.