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JUNE, 1876.]
CASTES AND TRIBES IN KACHH.
167
In some of the villages weavers were settled, and people brought them materials to weave from long distances, but more generally they went about from village to village, setting up their looms as they needed, so that they can scarcely be held to be constituent parts of the village community. Potters were still rarer, and in all my higher bill-wanderings I only once met a man pursuing his calling of making pots. Clay is very scarce, and earthenware very little usel. For storing grain, pits are used; for small quantities vessels made of wood, called thákis, made of birch and other woods, and vessels of
brass or iron. Large baskets made of twisted grass and plastered with earth are also used.
Clarified butter (gl) and curds, &c. are al. ways carried in these wooden vessels, which are turned out of solid blocks of wood, both in the Terâi at the foot of the hills, and also in the higher regions, from the comparatively small birch-trees.
The accompanying drawings of implements used in Himalayan villages were all made at the time, being a few that escaped at the Mutiny, when the labours of years in the shape of hilldrawings were destroyed.
CASTES AND TRIBES IN KACHH. BY DALPATRÅM PRANJIVAN KHAKHAR, INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS, BHUJ. The greater portion of the inhabitants of who came from Sindh have become MuhamKachh seem to have come from Sindh and madans, but still indicate their Rajput origin in Marwad; Thul Parkar followed next, and their nukhs or family names. Kathiâ w âd and Gujarat were the last to Saraswat Brahmans, Lohânâs, Bhâţiâs, Posend their quotas. Most of the inhabitants were, karnas, Kshatris, Bhansalis, Oswâls, and most of and still are, Rajpûts of the Sammå tribe, the the Muhammadan tribes, came from Sindh, and progenitors of the J â de já s, who have assumed afterwards spread into Kathiawad and Gajaråt. different names, from such of their ancestors as Most of the Vâņiâs came at different periods distinguished themselves. Hence we find a from Marwad and Påhlanpur, and a few from number of tribes originally descended from the Gujarat--who speak the Gujarati language. same stock. Deda, Hothi, Otha, and Ga- The province is thus peopled by the most heterojan, who were the sons of Jam R & y ad han, geneous races. The following is a list of the
the Red,' gave names to the clans of Dedas, chief:Hothis, Gajans, &c. Again, Gajanji had Abdás (stagt)t-These are the descendants of a son named Jioji, who had also two sons, Abda Jam Abdâ, who was fourth in descent from Jam and Mod, whose posterity are the Abdas and Lakha, who gave the name Jadeja to the tribe. Mods; and Hâlloji, another son of Gajanji, Abda and Mod were two brothers who gave gives name to the Hallås. These all are, pro- name to the two districts of Abd â sâ and Moperly speaking, Jà d ej & s, but the name J a- dá sa, in Kachh, where they reigned. The deja is chiefly applied at present, in the province Abdás profess the Muhammadan religion; whilst at least, to the descendants of J Am Hamirji, there are Hindu Abdîs in W-agad, dewho had four sons-Alliya, Khangar, Saheb, scended from the Dedas. and Rayab. The second among these founded Agariyâs (TTT)-Muhammadan conthe city of Bhuj, and his descendants are verts from Rathod Rajputs originally from distinguished by the name of the Khangar Agrâ. They are found in Bhuvad, Mathoda. branch; the posterity of the second are the S&- Khokhara, and Måndavi. They are cultihebs, and of the third the Ra y abs. Most of vators. those that preceded Khangárji are regarded as Agâs (sr) -A very small clan of Muham: Dhangs or Mulgrássiás. A number of those madans found in Abdå så and Kand.
& References to the plate-Fig. 1 Diankma; 2 Gehebig; 3 Larvů, 4 Sûrâ; 5 Tray; 6 Karu ; 7 Khimmů; Tang; 9 Wooden vees al for carrying water on the back; 10 Earthen jar for stores; 11 Bamboo basket; 12 Shallow basket for grain, apricots, &c.; 13 Cul; 14 Kúti; 15 Goling; 16 Jhi. taugi 17 Chapron : 18 Mashang: 19 Ukhar, of stone: 20 Gotùng; 21 Garhwal, clod-crusher : 22 L&sta; 23 Basing;
24 Rambt ; 25 Saw at Nisang ; 26 Lathe turned by Water Power; 27 Rest; 28 Turned articles.
* This paper has been drawn up at the request of the Editor, who supplied a list of most of the castes to the writer, and be very kindly wrote out the paper on this basis, supplying several additional castes.-ED.
Conf. Born. Lit. Soc. Trans. vol. II. pp. 219, 223.-ED.
