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This article is an extract from
THE CASTES AND TRIBES
OF
H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S ..."

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{| class="wikitable"
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This article is an extract from 

THE CASTES AND TRIBES 

OF 

H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS 

BY 

SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN 

Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and 

Middle Temple, London. 

One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court 

of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. 

BOMBAY 

THE TlMES PRESS 

1920 
***** 
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''with the contents of this article.'' 
''Secondly, this has been scanned from a book. You can help by '' 
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the Facebook page, [http://www.facebook.com/Indpaedia Indpaedia.com]. ''All information used will be duly acknowledged.''
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[[Category:India|C]]
[[Category:Communities|C]]

Chanchu, Chanchukulam, Chanchalwad — a non-Aryan tribe
dwelling in the hilly tracts which run parallel to the Kistna river and
form the southern boundary of the Hyderabad Dominions. They
are a well-built race, shorter than the neighbouring Hindus, with com-
plexions varying from dark brown to black and rather coarse and
frizzly hair. Their physical characteristics are high and prominent
cheek bones, broad noses with spreading nostrils, and black and
piercing eyes.

==Customs and Manners==

The habits of the tribe are of the
most primitive character. The men are almost nude, wearing merely
a piece of cloth round their loins, while the more savage members
of the tribe are said to cover their nakedness with aprons made of
leaves. They make clearings in the forest and live in bee-hive
shaped huts. They are still in a half savage state and are engaged
as watchmen and guides in the mountain passes. They speak Telugu
with a peculiar intonation.

==Origin==

Regarding their origin, they have a tradition which
states that their first ancestor had seven sons and one daughter.
From the sons sprang seven forest tribes, one of them being the
Chanchus. The daughter was given in marriage to the god Krishna
and had a son by the deity, who became the progenitor of the
Krishna Chanchus.

==Internal Structure==

The Chanchus ate divided into four
endogamous groups : (1) Telugu Chanchus, (2) Adavi Chanchus, (3)
Krishna Chanchus, and (4) Bonta Chanchus. The Telugu Chanchus
and Krishna Chanchus are beggars, and collect alms by dancing and
singing songs before the Hindus of the plains. The chief distinc-
tion between the two is that, while the former beg by blowing a
long horn, the latter obtain alrrs by ringing bells and playing on a
bamboo flute. Both these sub-castes live by hunting as well.
When begging, the Krishna Chanchus wear crowns of peacock
feathers and garlands of beads. The Adavi Chanchus form the
savage portion of the tribe and are to be found in large numbers in the
neighbourhood of Shri Shailya on the river Kistna. They are
confined to the secluded parts of the forest clad hills and obtain their
living by hunting deer, wild hog and hare with their bamboo bows
and arrows. Some of them visit the villages of the plains and live
in patch-work tents, which explains their name Bonta Chanchus.
They bring for sale bamboo seed and bamboo flutes, which they
barter for grain to the villagers. ^'

The information regarding the exogamous system of the tribe
is rather incomplete. The section names appear to be partly
totemislic and partly territorial. The following specimens may serve
as an illustration : —
[[File: chanchu.PNG ||frame|500px]]
A man may not marry a woman of his own section ; but he may marry
the daughters of his maternal uncle, paternal aunt or sister.

==Marriage==

Chanchu girls are married after they have attained
the age of puberty, and free courtship is said to prevail among them.
Infant marriages, however, are not entirely unknown though, as a
general rule, they are practised only by those who have come into
contact with the Hindus of the plains. Girls are occasionally forcibly
carried away and married. Sexual license before marriage is tolerated,
and if a girl becomes pregnant her lover is required to marry her; if,
however, he declines to do so she is married to some other man,
provided that the rule of exogamy is carefully observed in the
previous liaison as well as in the subsequent marriage. The marriage
ceremony is a simple one. The bridegroom's father proposes for the
girl and, if his offer is accepted,; the wedding day is fixed and a
hundred and one peacock feathers are delivered as the bride-price.

The bride is brought by her friends and relations to the bridegroom's
house, where both the bride and bridegroom are dressed in white and
seated opposite to each other, while the intervening space is filled by
drummers who beat the tribal drums in honour of the occasion. A
great deal of drinking and dancing follows, after which the bride-
groom ties a string of black beads round the bride's neck. The bridal
pair then retire into a separate hut to consummate their union. The
bridegroom first re-appears, and after him the bride ; the pair are then
greeted by the company as husband and wife.

==Widow-Marriage==

A widow may marry again, but she is not
expected to marry her late husband's younger or elder brother. No
special ritual is ordained for the marriage of a widow. The bride-
groom brings the widow to his house and provides a feast for his
tribal brethren.

==Divorce==

Divorce is permitted for adultery and a divorced
woman is allowed to marry again.

==Religion==

The favourite deity of the Chanchus is Ganga, repre-
sented by a small stone set up under a tamarind tree outside the
village. A sheep is sacrificed to the deity, one of its legs is suspended
from the tree and the rest of the carcase is taken by the votaries. The
deity is worshipped only once a year. The Chanchus firmly believe
in evil spirits and ascribe every sickness or calamity to their malevolent
action. Brahmans have not yet been introduced and all religious
functions are discharged by a member of the tribe.

==Disposal of the Dead==

The dead are buried in a lying pos-
ture with the head to the south and the face downwards. Mourning
is observed for 10 days. On the 1 0th day after death a goat is
sacrificed, the flesh is offered at the grave and, after it has been
touched by a crow, the mourners bathe, drink liquor and return home.
No Sradha is performed nor are any funeral rites observed afterwards.

==Social Status==

The social rank of the tribe cannot be precisely
stated. They are still beyond the pale of Hinduism. No castes,
except Malas and Madigas, will eat from their hands. The influence
of the great Hindu sects has already reached them and they are
divided into Tirmanidharis and Vibhutidharis. These will not accept
food from the hands of Mangalas,? Chaklas and the lowest unclean
classes. They eat the flesh of goats, swine, fowl, field rats, mice
and jackals, and drink liquor distilled from the flowers of the mahua
(Bassia latifolia).

==Occupation==

The wildest of the Chanchus subsist by hunting
and also live on forest produce and roots. Their weapons are a
bamboo bow and reed arrow tipped with iron. They collect honey,
tamarind, wood apples, mahua flowers and herbs, which they barter
for grain and cloth. Those who are settled on the outskirts of
villages earn a livelihood by guarding the crops and cattle of the
village farmers. A few only have taken to cultivation.

Chanchu: Deccan - Revision history

Pdewan: Created page with "=Chanchu= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S ..."

Pdewan: Created page with "=Chanchu= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article is an extract from
THE CASTES AND TRIBES
OF
H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S ..."