Indian Antiquary Vol 17

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 83

MARCR, 1888.]
NOTES ON INDIAN GIPSY TRIBES.
73
the caste in Bareli for belonging to a gang of to recite genealogies. Moreover there are thieves,
grades even among the Mirasis. The outDoms or pompas.--This is a very curious cast tribes have their Mirâsis, who, though apparently aboriginal caste and will require they do not eat with their clients and merely some space. The Censas figures give the dis- render them professional service, are considered tribution of the castes as follows, by Commis- impure by the Mirasis of the higher castes. sioner's Divisions :- Mérath 99, Agra 120, Rohil- The Mirasi is generally an hereditary servant khand 44, Allahâbâd 53, Benares 11,814, Jhansi like the Bhat, and is notorious for his exacnil, Kumkun 157,042, Lakhnau 2,504, Sitapur tions, which he makes under the threat of nil, Faizabad 1,060, Râe Bareli 3,879; Total lampooning the ancestors of him from whom 176,615. The districts which record more than he demands fees." "These four were not born 1,000 of them are Azamgarh (1349) Benares on giving day--the Mullah, the Bhát, the (1217) Ghazipur (1873) Gorakhpur (5951) | Brahman, and the Dům." "The Mîrasi is Almôrå (104,936) Garhwal (52060) Barábanki almost always a Mussalman." (2367) Rae Bareli (3879). They thus fall into Passing on to the Eastern Dôms,-they have, two great divisions :-the Eastern Poms found like many of these servile castes, a tradition of in Gôrakhpur and the neighbouring districts of Rajpût descent. W. Buchanan" says of them the Benares Division; and the Western or -"The Domras who work in bamboos have Hill Doms who are enormously in excess of disgraced themselves not only by their inordinate their eastern brethren.
appetite (!), for they will eat food prepared by They are in fact apparently two distinct anyone except a washerman, but by removing tribes. The Eastern Doms have a very evil dead carcasses and by being public executioners, reputation, while the Hill Dôms though me. while their women do not scraple to confess nials, are apparently, as a rule, respectable that they drink spirituous liquors. They are people. It has been suggested with mach | very few in number (76 families). Many probability that the word Dom or Domra is allege that they were once lords of the country radically the same as the Romani of Europe, and that the Domkatar tribe of military d and being interchangeable. If this be Brahmans are not in reality different, but true they would be the main basis of the abandoned their impurity when raised to the Gipsies of Europe. Mr. G. A. Grierson's military rank by Mahậnanda." At any rate, as analysis of their argot seems to tend towards Sir H. M. Elliot remarks it is curious that the the same result. What is possibly a third names of many old forts such as Domdiha and subdivision of the caste is the Dam or Dom Domangarh testify to their former importance." Mirasts, who are professional musicians. Mr. He also remarks that there are several Dôme Ibbetson says the Dům and Mirasi must or Dômás scattered over the western districts be carefully distinguished "from the Dôm or of the North-West Provinces and in Bnndel. Domri, the executioner and corpse-burner of khand and Sågar, who are engaged in the Hindustan, and the type of all uncleanliness menial occupations of making ropes, fans, mats, to a Hindu; as also from the Dům of the Hill and such-like articles. In Oudh the term Dóm States, whom I have classed as pamna and is applied to sweepers, as Bhangi and Chůhra not as Mirasi, as I understand that the word are elsewhere." In the North-West Provinces Dům is there applied to workers in bamboo. Gazetteer, Basti District, I gave a tolerably The class is distributed throughout the North- full account of the tribe, with a vocabulary West Provinces, but is most numerous in the of their argot, which those interested in Amritsar, Lâhôr, Råwal Piņdi and Multan such matters can consult. Socially the most divisions of the Pañjab, and in Bahậwalpar curious point about the Gorakhpur Dôms is that, and the other States which march with them. though a regular jungle tribe, they have no ...... Their social position, as of all the aptitude for sport of any kiud, and do minstrel castes, is exceedingly low, but they not seem to use the flesh of wild animals at attend at weddings and on similar occasions all. All these Eastern Doms are collectively
* Glossary, 1.0. * See also ante, Vol. XI. p. 98. 3 p. 626.