Vasava
The Vasava are an Adivasi clan of the Bhil ethnic community found in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. They have scheduled tribe status. In Rajasthan, they are also known as Vasave.
Origin
The Vasava are a Bhil sub-group of the larger Adivasi ethnos. some Sanskritized Vasava in Gujarat trace their mythological descent from Eklavya. They originally hail from south Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The community are now found in districts of Baroda, Surat, Bharuch, Narmada and Panchmahal.They speak their native Bhili language, although most can now also speak Gujarati.[1]
The Vasave in Maharashtra are found mainly in the Khandesh region. Their settlements exist mainly in the hilly and forest terrain of the Satpuda range. The Vasave speak the Bhil language, but most also speak Marathi. The Vasave are mainly a community of farmers, with animal husbandry being a secondary occupation. About 80% of the Vasave are Hindu, while the other 20% are Christians.[2]
Present circumstances
The Vasava of Gujarat are an endogamous community and maintain village exogamy. Many are now agricultural labourers, and a few also own land. Those who own land grow paddy, sorghum, wheat, cereals and different kinds of pulses. Analogous to their wider Bhil community, they are non-vegetarian. Vasava still preserve many of their own ancestral indigenous pre Hindu folk beliefs.[3]
As of 2001[update], the Vasava in Rajasthan were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's reservation program of positive discrimination.[4]
See also
- rathwa
- koli people
- rathwi Bareli
- Languages of India
- Gujarati language
- Gujarati people
- Languages with official status in India
- List of Indian languages by total speakers
- narmada
References
- ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 226 to 230 Popular Prakashan
- ^ 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 326-335
- ^ People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 226 to 230 Popular Prakashan
- ^ "List of Scheduled Tribes". Census of India: Government of India. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2012.