Bhuiyar

The Bhuiyar or Bhuyiar are a Hindu caste found in North India, and those in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Hariyana, Delhi have scheduled caste status. They are also known as Bhanyar Julaha; Kabirpanthi and Kori. The traditional occupation of the Bhuiyar caste is weaving. But gradually the occupation ended with the arrival of weaving machines.^[1]

Origin

They are group of Munda tribesmen who settled in southern and Western Uttar Pradesh in the 16th Century. They were a community that historically were involved with weaving and some were involved slash and burn agriculture, and occupied the hilly terrain of south Mirzapur District. The Bhuiyar are further divided into sub-divisions, which are referred to as Kori. Their main Koris are the Baria, Birkunia, Chandnihys, Chetrihya, Chiriha, Dioriya, Khutta, Parha, Patparaha and Sudha. They are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. The Bhuiyar are found in the districts of Bijnor, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Haridwar, Dehradun, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, and now speak Hindi, having long forgotten their Munda language.^[2]

Present circumstances

The Bhuiyar are now a community of settled agriculturists. Their earlier slash and burn practices have disappeared. Most Bhuiyar are small and medium-sized farmers, with a minority being employed as agricultural labourers and some even own their business, who decided to settle in cities. With the economic upliftment and new job opportunities, more are preferring to settle in a city for better education for their kids. Joining the Indian Army is still one of the hot pursuits in young kids from this community. Many are now also employed in the mines that have appeared in Mirzapur District. They live in multi-caste villages, occupying their own distinct quarters. They have much in common with neighbouring tribal communities such as the Kol, Agariya and Chero. Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as a biradari panchayat(बिरादरी पंचायत). The panchayat acts as instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery.^[3]

References

• http://socialjustice.nic.in/pdf/scorderuttarpradesh.pdf
• http://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/bijnor-12744135.html