Mang (caste)
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The Mang or Matang community is an Indian caste mainly residing in the state of Maharashtra. The community was historically believed to be associated with low-status or ritually impure professions such as rope making, village musicians, cattle castration, leather curing, midwifery, hangmen, and undertaking.[1] In modern day India, they are listed as a Scheduled Caste, a designation which has replaced the former term Untouchable. Their origins lie in the Narmada Valley of India, and they were formerly classified as a criminal tribe under the Criminal Tribes Acts of the British Raj.[2]
Distribution
Per the 1981 census, the majority of Mang lived in Maharashtra (1,211,335), with much smaller numbers in Gujarat (2,765); Goa, Daman, and Diu (702) and Rajasthan (241).[citation needed]
Social status
In the early 20th century, the Mang began to form caste associations to advocate their cause, such as the Matang Samaj (1932) and Matang Society (1923).[3][4]
Notables
- Annabhau Sathe, Maharashtra social reformer
- Lahuji Raghoji Salve, Maharashtra social reformer
References
- ^ Robert Vane Russell (1916). pt. II. Descriptive articles on the principal castes and tribes of the Central Provinces. Macmillan and Co., limited. pp. 188–. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ Bates, Crispin (1995). "Race, Caste and Tribe in Central India: the early origins of Indian anthropometry". In Robb, Peter (ed.). The Concept of Race in South Asia. Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-19-563767-0. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
- ^ Surajit Sinha (1 January 1993). Anthropology of Weaker Sections. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 330–. ISBN 978-81-7022-491-4. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ^ Prahlad Gangaram Jogdand (1991). Dalit movement in Maharashtra. Kanak Publications. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
Further reading
- Constable, Philip (May 2001). "The Marginalization of a Dalit Martial Race in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Western India". The Journal of Asian Studies. 60 (2): 439–478. doi:10.2307/2659700. JSTOR 2659700.
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