Gareri
Contents |
Gareri
This section has been extracted from THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. Ethnographic Glossary. Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. . |
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Origin
Gadariya, Bhenrihar, the shepherd, goatherd, and blanket-weaver caste of Behar. Gareris appear to have no traditions, and cannot give any account of their origin beyoncl the vague statement that they came , from the west.' It is possible that they may be an o:f1'shoot from the Goalas, dillerentiatcd by keeping sheep and taking to the com-paratively degraded occupation of weaving, but I can oIfel' no evidence in support of this conjecture, except the rather remarkable fact that Gareris will take both boiled rice (kachi)' and sweetmeats, etc. (pakki) ,from members of the GoaH caste.
Internal structure
The Gareris of Behar are di vided into four sub-castes-Dhengar, Farakhabadi, Gangajali, and Nikhar-of whom the Dhengar have the exogamous sections shown in the Appendix. The other sub-castes appear to regulate their marriages by the standard formnla mamera, chacheral, etc., calcuated to six generations in the descending line.
Marriage
The practice of infant-marriage is firmly established among the Gareris. .Tilak consisting of a loin-cloth (dhoti), some chupattis, and two Or three rupees, is paid to the bridegroom on an auspicious day by the parents of the bride. The marriage ceremony is of the standard type. Polygamy is permitted to the extent that a man may marry a second wife if his first wife is barren. A widow may marry again by the sagai form. It is considered right for her to marry her late husband's younger brother if there is one, but sbe is not positively obliged to do so. Some say that divorce is not recognised. If a woman has an intrigue with a m,an of another caste, she is excommunicated and turned adrift, but indiscretions within the brotherhood admit of being atoned for by various modes of penalty awarded by the headman (manjan) and pancbayat, and chiefly by a feast to the members of the caste. Others hold that divorce may be had on the oath of the husband, and that a divorced woman may marry again by sagai.
Religion
In respect of religious and ceremonial observances the Gareris generally conform to the usages of the Vaishnava sect, and comparatively few Saivas are found among them. Many are followers of Darya Das, a Gareri, who founded a corrupt Vaishnava sect distinguished by abstinence from fish, flesh, and spirits. His disciples do not worship him as a deity, but simply regard him as their guru or spiru tual guide. The purohits of the caste are Kanaujia., or sometimes Jyoshi Brahmans; while Bairagi or Dasna.mi ascetics serve them as gurus. Their household worship, in which priests take no part, is addressed to Bandi, Goraiya, Dharam Raj, Narsingh, the Panch Pir, and Kali, to whom the males of the family offer cakes, rice boiled in milk, sweetmeats, and plantains on the 30th Srawan. The offerings are eaten afterwards by the members of the family and the deori relations who can claim to participate in domestic worship. When a flock of sheep is sold, the Gareri keeps back a ram; and having assembled his brethren, sacrifices it to Banjari, after which its flesh is eaten by those who follow the Saiva ritual.
Occupation
The large majority of the caste find employment as shepherds, goatherds, or blanket-weavers. and comparetively few have taken to cultivation. Mr. Hoeyl gives the following account of the manner in which their characteristic occupation is carried on in the neighbourhood of Lucknow: "One Gareri will attend a flock of 100 sheep and goats, and is at no expense for fodder. He drives them out to graze on wild pasture. Goats and sheep drop young twice a year, and as many as four kids or lambs at a birth are not unusual. In a flock of one hundred sheep and goats let there be 60 sheep. It is the custom to cut the wool three times in the year,-after the colel weather, the 1 Monograph " on Trade and Manufactures in Northern India, by W. Hooy, Bengal Civil Service, p. 106. This valuable work IS based on notes collected by Mr. Hooy wbile engaged in revising the assesments of Ii('ense-tax in Lucknow city during 1 79 and 1880-a fact which accounts for the minute attention paid to the profits of particular trades. hot weather, anel the rains. The idiom for shearing is pairi karlla. the average is a quarter of a seer of wool at each pairi. Thus 60 sheep will yield 1 maund 5 seers of wool in a year. If the wool is sold, it will fetch about one rupee per 3 seers. But Gareris frequently weave their wool into small blankets (kamli ) of It seers each, which sell for one rupee each. But in this case they are at a cost of ½ anna per Kamli paid to a belma for carding the wool. Thus from 60 sheep the Gareri may have either 45 seers of wool, value Rs. 15, or 30 kamlis, to sell at Rs. 30. In the latter case he pays the balma Re. 1-6-6 and clears Rs. 28-9-6. The latter method of disposing of the wool is chosen by Gareris who have grown Sons and daughters, or wives without chilgen, who weave.
"Tho lowest estimate which any Gareri has given me of the lambs dropped by 60 sheep in one year is 90. These sell as lambs for 8 annas each, as one-year aids for from Re. 1 to Re. 1-8, and as two-year olds for l"Rs 2. This is an average computation. "Gareris milk ewes, but draw never more than tseer per diem, tor they have regard to the value of the lambs. Sheep's milk is sold to Halwais at 1 anna per seer to makekholi. There will always be 12 sheep in 60 in milk, and they thus bring 3 annas per diem by milk. "Sheep's manure is sold to Dhobis for washing, and Muraos purchase it as a high-class manure for dofasli fields. It sells at Re. 1 per 5 maunds. The pen where 60 sheep are kept at night will, when swept in the morning, give 10 seers.
"Now take the 40 goats in the mixed flook of 100 sheep and goats. The estimate of kids from these is set at 90 in the year, and their milk 12 seers per diem. Goat's milk sells at 1 anna per seer. Kids are sold in the first yeur at from 12 annas to Re. 1 each, and in the seoond ycar from Hs. 2 to Rs. 3 (if females) and Rs. 4 (if males). Goats when in milk are given Musa, but 4 annas at most per diem is spent on 40.
Social status
"Thus a flock of 100 sheep and goats in the proportion taken above is worth Rs. 405 per annum at the lowest computation the sheep Rs. 157-8, the goats Rs. 247-8-after paying all expenses." According to Dr. 'Vise, the Gareri is rcokoned higher in rank than the Ahir, and equal to the Majroti and Krishnaut Goalus, with whom, as has been mentioned above, Gareris will eat both kachiand pakki food and will smoke in the same hookah. It is not clear, however, that this intercourse is reciprocal, and that tho Goalas will accept food on the same terms from a Gareri, while the faot that Gareris make wethers themselves must necessarily involve some measure of social degradation. In Behar and Bengal this caste is generally reckoned a clean one, from whose members a Brahman can take water; but in Puraniya, says Buehanan, it is impure. The Gareri is often found working as a domestic servant, refusing, however, to carry bathing-water for his master or to rinse his body-clothes after bathing. He cannot, without incurring expulsion, serve as a shepherd with any but Gareri masters. lie may, however, take household service with any class, even with Christians. The following statements shows the number and Gareris in 1872 and 1881.
Gareri
(From People of India/ National Series Volume VIII. Readers who wish to share additional information/ photographs may please send them as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be gratefully acknowledged in your name.)
Synonyms: Bherihar, Pal [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Goneri, Gonrhi [West Bengal] Groups/subgroups: Dhengar, Gangojoli, Nikhar, Phurukbadi [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Dhangarh, Nikhar [West Bengal]
- Subcastes: Dhengar, Farakhabadi, Gangajali, Nikhar [H.H. Risley]
Titles: Kamblia, Kammali, Marar, Ratu [H.H. Risley] Surnames: Bhagat, Chowdhury, Mandal, Pal [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Bhagat, Choudhury, Ghosh, Pal [West Bengal] Exogamous units/clans: Ahir, Bandharia, Chowharia, Khandel [West Bengal] Exogamous units/clans (gotra): Ahir, Basdharia, Bilar, Ghandel, Chaurasia, Nakwar [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Exogamous units/lineages: Ahir, Bandharia, Chowharia, Khandel [West Bengal] Exogamous units/lineages (khandan): [Bihar and/or Jharkhand]
