Bhil people

Bhil or Bheel
Regions with significant populations
              Gujarat 3,441,945[1]
              Madhya Pradesh 4,619,068[2]
              Maharashtra 1,818,792[3]
              Rajasthan 2,805,948[4]
Pakistan 382,000
Languages
Bhil languages

Bhils or Bheel are primarily an Adivasi people of Central India. Bhils are also settled in the Tharparkar District of Sindh, Pakistan. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. According to Census, 2001, Bhils were the largest tribal group in India followed by Gond tribe.[5]

Bhils are listed as Adivasi residents of the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan - all in the western Deccan regions and central India - as well as in Tripura in far-eastern India, on the border with Bangladesh. Bhils are divided into a number of endogamous territorial divisions, which in turn have a number of clans and lineages. Most Bhils now speak the language of the region they reside in, such as Marathi and Gujarati. They mostly speak a dialect of Hindi.[6]

Origin

In feudal and colonial times, many Bhils were employed by the ruling Rajputs in various capacities, e.g. as Shikaris because of their knowledge of the terrain. Many had even become warriors in armies. Bhils respected their motherland and were ready to defend it if anybody tried to occupy it. They were in the Mewar army of Maharana Pratap and, like Shivaji, were experts in guerilla warfare which the Mughal Empire had so much trouble handling. Today, there is a Mewar Bhil Corps.'[7]

Present circumstances

In Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Bhil are now mainly a community of settled farmers, with a significant minority who are landless agricultural labourers. A significant subsidiary occupation remains hunting and gathering. The Bhil are now largely Hindu, with Nidhi and Tadvi Bhil following Islam, and few sub-groups in the Dangs following Christianity. They continue to worship tribal deities such as Mogra Deo and Sitla Matta.[8][9]

The Bhil are classified as a Scheduled Tribe in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tripura under the Indian government's reservation program of positive discrimination.[10]

Sub-divisions

The Bhil are divided into a number of endogamous territorial divisions, which in turn have a number of clans and lineages. The main divisions in Gujarat are the Barda, Dungri Garasia and Vasava. While in Maharashtra, the Bhil Mavchi and Kotwal are their main sub-groups.[8]

In Rajasthan, they exist as Bhil Garasia, Dholi Bhil, Dungri Bhil, Dungri Garasia, Mewasi Bhil, Rawal Bhil, Tadvi Bhil, Bhagalia, Bhilala, Pawra, Vasava and Vasave.[11][lower-alpha 1]

Culture

The Bhilala subclan is known for its Pithora painting.[12]

The Ghoomar dance is one well-known aspect of the Bhil culture.

Images

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The Vasava and Vasave in Rajasthan may be alternate transliterations of the name for a single community. The sources are unclear regarding this.

Citations

  1. ↑ "Gujarat: Data Highlights the Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Census of India 2001. Census Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  2. ↑ "Madhya Pradesh: Data Highlights the Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Census of India 2001. Census Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  3. ↑ "Maharashtra: Data Highlights the Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Census of India 2001. Census Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  4. ↑ "Rajasthan: Data Highlights the Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Census of India 2001. Census Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  5. ↑ Demographic Status of Scheduled Tribe Population of India, Minitry of Tribal Affairs, India
  6. ↑ People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 214 to 251 Popular Prakashan
  7. ↑ "The Mewar Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  8. 1 2 People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 214 to 221 Popular Prakashan
  9. ↑ People of India Maharashtra Volume XXX Part One edited by B.V Bhanu, B.R Bhatnagar, D.K Bose, V.S Kulkarni and J Sreenath pages 280–286
  10. ↑ "List of notified Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Census India. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "List of Scheduled Tribes". Census of India: Government of India. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  12. ↑ Pachauri, Swasti (26 June 2014). "Pithora art depicts different hues of tribal life". Indian Express. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

External links

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