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THE CASTES AND TRIBES
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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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[[Category:India|E]]
[[Category:Communities|E]]

Erakala, Kaikadj, Korwah — a vagrant gypsy tribe, bearing an
evil reputation as professional criminals and infesting the country
between the Krishna and the Narbada rivers. For the purposes of
crime, the.country is divided into districts and sub-districts, to each of
which a gSng is sent, headed by a naik, whose authority over his
gang is absolute and who is always regarded with extreme reverence.
Ostensibly, the men of the tribe work as basket and mat-makers, day-
labourers and musicians, while the women wander from village to
village as fortune-tellers and tatooers.

In physical appearance, the Erakalas seem to be non-Aryans.
Their irregular features, dark complexion and coarse, unkempt hair
may lead to the conclusion that they belong to the aborigines of
Southern India. They speak a mongrel dialect, which appears to be
a mixture of Tamil, Telugu and Canarese, with a preponderance
of the first. Their huts, generally funnel shaped, are made of date
mats and twigs, and are carried from place to place on the backs
of donkeys. The men are scantily clothed, wearing a piece of cloth
about the loins and a dirty old turban on the head. The women
wear saris, after the manner of the Telugu females, and have brass
bangles on both arms. Their extremely untidy appearance has
become proverbial, so that a very dirty girl, with dishevelled locks,
is called a " Kaikadeen."

Widely distributed as the tribe is, it bears different names in
different localities, being called Erakala in Telugu, Kaikadi in
Marathi and Korwah or Kurwi in Carnatic districts. The Erakalas
derive their name from Emkd — knowledge or acquaintance — as the
females of the tribe profess to be great experts in fortune-telling,
which they have adopted as a profession. The derivations of the
names Kaikadi and Korwah are 'obscure.
==Origin==

Regarding the origin of the tribe, several stories are
current. A legendary account tells how Renuka, the wife of
Jamdagni amd mother of Parshuram, while bathing naked in the sacred
waters of the Ganges, was beheld by a Dher and, being thereby
deprived of the power which she had possessed in virtue of her chaste
and meritorious life, failed to turn the holy sand into pots to carry
water home. Jamdagni, observing the failure, and suspecting his wife
to be guilty of a liaison with the Dher, had thfem both beheaded by
his son Parshuram, and thus the pure-minded and innocent woman
succumbed to the rage of a jealous husband. Parshuram implored
his father to suspend his wrath, and to show mercy to his mother
by restoring her to life. At his entreaty, the sage relented, and
desired Renuka's trunk and head to be brought in contact.
Parshuram, in his haste, adapted the Dher's head to the trunk of his
mother, which so enraged the irascible sage that he cursed his son
and doomed him to be the procreator of the vile race of Kaikadis.
Renuka, who came to life with a male head, became, under the
name of Ellama, the patron deity of the tribe.

==Internal Structure==

Owing to the unsettled state ol the tribe,
and the wide range of country over which it is scattered, its internal
structure is extremely intricate and complicated. A number of sub-
tribes into which the tribe is divided, is given below : —
Erakala sub-tribes.

(1) Kunchal (brushes).

(2) Pungi or Pamb (blow-gourd).

(3) Butti (basket).

(4) Mide.

(5) Gampa (basket).

(6) Bidigal.

(7) Tatta.

(8) Badigi.

(9) Balari.

Korwah sub-tribes.

(1) Kunchal.

(2) Pungi.

It will be seen at a glance that one and the same name repre-
sents two or more groups which are endogamous. Thus, the name
'Kunchal,' denotes the three sub-tribes, Kunchal Erakala, Kunchal
Korwah, and Kunchal Kaikadi, the members of which do not
intermarry. This may be due to the reluctance of the members
of the same sub-tribe to intermarry, when at a distance from one
another. It will also be seen that the sub-tribes are functional
groups, following the occupations indicated by their names.
Kunchal Clans are engaged in making brushes for weavers' looms

and snares for catching game.
Buttin Clans are a wandering tribe, making baskets and children's toys
from the twigs of the wild date palm, telling fortunes and selling
medicinal roots.
Pungi Clans (Pambal) are snake-charmers and exhibitors, jugglers
and showmen. They travel about playing on the pungi or blow-
gourd. They are suspected by the police of being gang robbers
and burglars and of passing base metals for gold.
Belgar Clans own donkeys which they let on hire; They deal in
betel-nuts.

Sunai Kaikadi or Wajantri Korwah are reported to be habitual
criminals, highway robbers, dakaits and burglars. It is said that
they have adopted crime ^s an hereditary profession and are
under the strict surveillance of the police.
Kut Kaikadi or Pathur Korwah earn their livelihood by purchasing
girls and prostituting tliem. They live in towns and are
reported to kidnap and sell children.

Besides these there are the Bidigal Erakalas, who are lime-
carriers ; the Gampal Erakalas, who are basket-weavers ; the Kothi
Kaikadis, monkey-showers ; the Bellari Erakalas, who make slings
for hanging up cooking utensils ; and several other sub-tribes.

Each of the sub-tribes is divided into two. exogamous groups :
the Korwah and Erakala tribes into — (I) Kawadi and (2)
Satpadi, and the Kaikadi tribes into — (1) Jadhav and (2)
Gaikwad. The latter names are evidently bonowed ,,from the
Maratha Kunbis, probably to suit the community among whom the
Kaikadis dwelt. The section name goes by the male side. A man
cannot marry a woman of his own section. Thus, a Satpadi may not
marry a Satpadi girl, but he can marry into the Kawadi. The
marriage of two sisters to the same man is permitted, provided the
elder is married first. The marriage of first cousins is not allowed,
exception being made in favour of a man marrying the daughter of his
father s sister. According to a custom prevalent among the tribe,
every man has a right to claim the first two daughters of his sister, as
wives for his sons. If, being sonless, or for any other reason, he is
obliged to renounce his claim, his right to the girls is valued and the
money paid to him by the parents of the girls before they are married.
The bastards among the tribe are not allowed to marry the legitimates
and have, consequently, formed a separate class divided into exogamous
sections (1) Kotadi and (2) Manpadi. But the offspring of bastards
are not illegitimate, and must marry the legitimate members of the
community.

The Erakalas admit into their caste, members of any caste
higher to them in social standing.

==Marriage==

Marriage is either infant or adult. A price is
paid for the bride, which varies in amount from Rs. 14 to Rs. 196
(fourteen fourteens), rising by a multiple of fourteen, according to the
means of the bridegroom's parents. If the full amount (Rs. 196)
is agreed upon, the maternal uncle of the girl claims Rs. 70 (five
fourteens) as his share (which is, ' however, liable to vary as the
bride-price) which must be paid to him prior to marriage. The
bride-price may be reckoned either in cash or in asses. Half the
amount at least must be paid before marriage, to enable the girl's
father to pay off her maternal uncle and to make wedding prepara-
tions. The balance may be liquidated after marriage, either in a
lump sum, or by instalments. Sexual license before marriage is
tolerated and in the event of an unmarried girl becoming pregnant,
or having children, Ker lover is called upon by the caste Panchdyat
to take her to wife. Husbands may even be obtained for women
who have had children before marriage by members of the higher
castes. Cpurtship is said to prevail and girls, when of mature age,
are married to men of their own choice. In fulfilment of vows,
girls are dedicated to temples and sometimes to trees, the ceremonial
of dedication consisting of the girl's marriage, with all the usual rites,
to the temple image, or to the tree which represents the bridegroom.
Such girls subsequently become prostitutes. The Pathur Gorwah
(Erakala prostitutes) wed their girls to a dagger before initiating them
into thqir occupation.

On an Erakala youth attaining a marriageable age, his parents
look about for a suitable bride. A selection having been made, and
the proposal having been accepted by the girl's parents, a day is
fixed for the performance of the Agu Madu (betrothal) ceremony.
On the appointed day, the parents of the boy, with their relatives,
set out for the girl's house, taking with them a new mat of date
palm. On their arrival, they spread the mat in the open, before the
house, and on this mat the bride's father and the members of the caste
Panchdyat (council) are seated. The question of the bride-price is
opened and discussed and on its final settlement (to the satisfaction of
both the parties) eight rupees are paid, as earnest money, to the
bride's father. Liquor is ordered at the expense of the bridegroom's
father and distributed to the assembly, the first cup being presented
to the girl's father, whose drinking of it symbolises the ratification of
the alliance, which can on no account be broken.

On the wedding morning, a marriage shed is erected at the
bride's house and the betrothed pair, in their own houses, are
smeared five times with a paste of turmeric and oil and are then
bathed. Towards evening, the parents of the girl, the father carrying
on his head a new earthen pot and the mother holding in her hand
a lighted lamp, proceed in procession to the village tank or river. A
twig of the pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) with five offshoots, previously
concealed under water, is searched for and, when found, is worshipped
and placed in the earthen jar. The jar is then filled with water
and carried back to the marriage booth, where it is kept covered, by
the bride's mother, with a lighted lamp, which' is not allowed to go
out so long as the marriage lasts. At the auspicious hour appointed,
the bridegroom, dagger in hand, is taken in pomp to the bride s
house where, on arrival, he is joined by the bride coming from the
inner part of the house. The couple, dressed in white, are seated
facing the sanctified pot, the bride to the left of her husband, on
squares of rice drawn on a date palm mat spread underneath the
bower. The consent of the caste Panchd^at to their wedding having
been solicited and secured, the bride's father, who officiates as priest,
fastens the ends of their garments in a knot and ties tila (one
rupee) in the turban of the bridegroom. This tribal ceremonial, which
forms the binding and essential portion of the marriage ceremony,
is followed by certain Hindu rituals, oiz., Talwdl or the throwing of
turmeric-coloured rice on the wedded pair, first by their peurents and
then by the weddmg guests, and Pusti Miital or the placing of a black
bead necklace round the girl's neck and toe rings on her toes. The
ceremony continues until the small hours of the morning, the bridal
pair sitting up ail the while. Next morning, the married couple are
bathed, auspicious lights are waved round their faces by married
females and milk and curds are given them to drink. Dand\)a and
Wadibium bring the celebration to a close. Among the Korwas,
a curious ceremony is performed on the second day of the wedding.
The bride is concealed in a neighbour's house by her mother and the
bridegroom starting out on foot, seeks her out and carries her home
in his arms.

==Widow-Marriage==

A widow is generally required to marry
her late husband's younger brother, even though he be younger than
herself. Her choice of a second tusband is not, however, fettered
and she may marry an outsider, provided he does not come within the
prohibited degrees of relationship. In either case she forfeits all
rights to her late husband's property. The ritual in vogue at a
widow marriage is simple and consists in dressing the widow in new
clothes, putting bangles on her arms and taking her home. A feast
to the relatives closes the ceremony.

==Divorce==

Divorce is allowed on the ground of the wife's
barrenness, or unchastity, or disobedience, and is effected by turning
her out of the house in the presence of the caste Panchayat. She
is permitted to re-marry by the same ceremony as a widow and, in
case she re-marries, her second husband is compelled to refund to
the first the^ amount, or a portion of the amount, which the latter paid
to her parents as bride-price.

==Inheritance==

The Erakalas very seldom resort to the courts
of law, but have their disputes settled by the caste Panchdyats. In
matters of inheritance, they are governed mostly by tribal customs
of their own. In the absence of any male issue, daughters are said
to inherit and the fact that a girl is dedicated to a temple and has
become a prostitute, does not debar her from inheriting the ancestral
property. '

==Child-Birth==

A singular custom, of great antiquity, which still
survives among the Erakalas, is worth recording. The moment
labour begins, the woman communicates the fact to her husband, who
immediately retires to a dark room and lies on a bed, covering himself
with his wife's clothes. When the child is bom it is placed by the
side of the father, who has his teeth daubed with dentifrice and his
eyelashes smeared with lamp-black, while all the prescribed medi-
cines are given to him and he is not allowed to leave his bed for three
days, during which period he is regarded as being impure. No
attention, on the other hand, is shown to the mother, who lies
neglected on the ground. She is given no medicine and no food
except bread. The Erakalas tell the following story to account
for this singular practice. In days of yore, the donkeys of a certain
Erakala used to wander into fields and do considerable damage to the
crops. Thrice was the Erakala punished for this offence by the
owners of the farms. On the fourth occasion, the damage wrought
by the beasts to the crop was so heavy, that the Erakala, afraid of
a sound beating, took to bed, and turned the occasion of the confine-
ment of his wife to his advantage, by declaring that he was being
treated for her. It was to this event that the Erakalas ascribe the
introduction among them of couvade, known among savage tribes.

==Religion==

The religion of the Erakalas is animism, overlaid
by a very thin layer of popular Hinduism. Their favourite and
characteristic deity is Elamma, represented in various forms and wor-
shipped on Fridays and Tuesdays with offerings of flowers and sweet-
meats. Among the Korwas, the goddess is represented by an earthen
pot set up in a hut specially built to serve as her sanctuary. Early
on a Tuesday morning, the Korwa female who is selected to officiate
as priestess of the divinity bathes and fills the sacred pot with water.
Incense is then burnt, flowers presented, auspicious lights, placed in a
shallow dish of palm twigs, solemnly waved and prayers offered in
front of the goddess. The water contained in the sacred pot is then
distributed and with this water cakes are prepared and eaten by the
votaries. Pigs, fowls and goats are sacrificed to the deity on special
occasions, the slaughtered animals furnishing a feast to hefr devotees
after the sacrifice.

Among the other animistic deities that are honoured by the tribe,
may be mentioned, Pochamma, the goddess of smallpox, and
Balamma, a deity of vaguely defined functions, who are appeased
with the offerings of ewes ; while to Mahalaxmi, the goddess who
presides over cholera, are offered pigs and fowls on the Dassera
Holiday (September). At the worship of Bhavani, a gondhal (sacred
dance) is performed and ewes are sacrificed on her altar.

The Erakalas are a spirit-haunted and ghost-ridden people and
ascribe every disease or malady, every misfortune or calamity, to the
action of some malevolent spirit, or of some troubled ancestral
ghost. The influence of evil spirits is averted by sacrificing to them
such animals as goats, pigs, fowls, &c. The services of an
Erakala priestess are called in to identify and to lay the ghosts of
departed ancestors. When a ghost is to be appeased, the following
ceremony is performed : — Some jawdri is spread on the ground and
a small earthen pot, surmounted'^ by a lighted lamp, is placed upon
It. The priestess, having bathed and seated herself, facing the
leimp, becomes possessed and goes on playing on a musical instru-
ment called a tmgari (a sort of fiddle), singing, one by
one, the names of all the deceased relatives, until the flickering flame
of the lamp becomes steady. The image of the deceased person,
whose name has steadied the flame, is embossed upon a silver plate
which, being hung round the neck of the sufferer, is supposed to cure
him. Garlands made of pieces of leather and cowrie shells are also
worn in the name of Ellamma by men and women to ward off evil
influences proceeding from spirits and ghosts.

In addition to these elemental deities and departed ancestors,
the Hindu gods Hanuman, Rajanna and Mahadeva are also honoured,
though in a scanty fashion, by the tribe, more particularly by those
who have given up their wandering habits and settled down in
villages and towns. Brahmans have not yet been introduced either
for ceremonial or religious functions which are discharged by their
tribal priests. The growing influence of Hinduism may
be traced to the fact that a few of the Erakalas have
divided themselves, like the Hindu castes of Telingana, into
Namdharis and Vibhutidharis.

==Disposal of the Dead==

The dead are usually burnt, but
occasionally buried in a lying posture, with the head pointing to the
south. It is said that the members of the Satpadi section bury their
dead and those of the Kawadi burn them. The ashes are either left
at the place of cremation or thrown into a running stream. Mourn-
ing is observed for five days, during which time the principal mourner
is regarded as unclean and abstains from flesh. On the fifth day after
death, a swine is killed, its flesh is cooked and a funeral feast is given
to all the relatives. In the name of the deceased, birds are fed
with the food placed on a leafy plate. No Srddha is performed
for the propitiation of the manes of the departed. If the spirit of the
deceased person is suspected of having reappeared in a
ghostly form, a small metal plate, with his image engraved
upon it, is placed in the god's room and worshipped on every festive
occasion.

==Social Status==

The social status of the tribe is very low.
No castes, other than the lowest unclean classes of Mahar (Mala),
Mang (Madiga), Chambhar, &c., will take food or water from their
hands, while they will accept food from all Hindu classes except the
lowest unclean castes. The members of the tribe are not allowed
to enter the court-yard of great temples. They have few scruples
regarding their diet and will eat fowls, pork, scaly and scaleless
fish, field rats, jackals, foxes, cats, mongooses, carrion and
the leavings of the higher castes. They indulge freely in
strong drink and the tumult that ensues therefcom generally ends in a
fight.

==Occupation==

The vagrant Erakalas are professional burglars
and highway dakaits and are under the strict vigilance oi the police.
They commit burglaries by digging through the walls of houses with a
sharp iron instrument and, after the depredations have been com-
mitted, move away many miles from the scene of the crime, dis-
posing of or secreting the plunder very quickly. Their highway
dakaities are marked with extreme violence and ruthlessness, ending,
not infrequently, in murder. They are very superstitious and never
commence their predatory incursions unless the omens are favourable.
Their ostensible means of livelihood is to make mats and 'baskets of
date palm, ropes and twines from jungle fibres, slings for hanginr
cooking utensils and clothes, and ropes for drawing water and
tethering animals. With these commodities, the women of the gangs
wander from village to village and, under the pretext of selling them,
collect information which helps the men in organising crime. The
Erakala females are petty thieves and as they go about begging from
door to door they make away with pots and clothes they
can lay their hands upon unnoticed. Sometimes they are
so bold as to open and plunder locked houses situated in
unfrequented lanes.

As a fortune teller, an Erakala woman is in great favour among
all the Telugu castes. She carries, in a date basket, her patron
deity Ellamma, in the form of a small circular plate embossed with
cowrie shells. She invokes the deity and, as if acting under its
influence, tells fortunes and reveals the future. Sometimes, possessed
by the goddess, she discloses the name of the evil spirit that haunts
a family and prescribes remedies for its pacification.

The settled members of the tribe are peaceful cultivators and
village musicians. They also work in date palm leaves, making
brooms, baskets, mats and toys for children. They have not yet
thoroughly repressed their criminal instincts and are frequently
suspected of helping their nomadic comrades in the commission of
crime.

Erakala: Deccan - Revision history

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