Barda

Brief Details of Barda

The Barda means hilly region. So people from hilly region are called Barda. They are believed to have migrated to Gujarat from the Khandesh region and are hence also known as the Khandeshi Bhil. At the regional level they are regarded as a subdivision of the Bhil. Enthoven (1920) mentioned them as belonging to one of the twelve forest and hill tribes of Gujarat. The Bhil consider them as one of their group but treat them as inferior in social status because of their habit of consuming beef. They are mainly distributed in Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat districts. They speak the local dialect of Gujarat and use the Devnagri script. A few communicate with outsiders in Hindi. Earlier men used to wear a loin cloth but now they wear turban, shirt and dhoti. Their women wear enormous hared ghagra (shirt) with or without inner garment. Both men and women wear brass or silver ear-rings and anklets. They are a scheduled tribe. They have well-built muscular bodies.

The Barda are non-vegetarians and take fish, egg, mutton and beef. Their staple food is bajra, jowar and wheat. They consume pulses like tur, urad, moong, moth etc. Groundnut and linseed oil are used in cooking and they consume a variety of leafy and green vegetables. Men and women take home-made alcoholic drinks. Milk is taken and they smoke bidi, cigarette and chew tabacco and betel leaves. However, largely they subsist on a gruel made of bajra.

The Barda have totemic clans, such as Ahir, Baria, Dangia, Gatkwad, Mali, Mori, Thakur and so on which are the basis of marriage alliances. They use clan names as their surnames.

Marriages take place at the consanguineous level i.e., a man marry the daughter of his maternal uncle which now has expanded to include the daughter of one’s father's sister as well. Marriageable age for boy ranges between 20-24 and for girl it varies between 18-20. Mates are acquired through negotiation, by elopement and by ceremonial capture known as bhaguria which take place during Holi. Monogamy is the common form of marriage but sorroral polygene is permitted though it is rarely reported. Symbols of marriage for woman are finger ring, toe ring and ear-ring. The system of bride-price is prevalent; the amount ranging from Rs. 25/- to Rs. 500/-. Post-marital residence is patrilocal. Divorce is permissible and the compensatory payment is made to the father of the woman though it is always initiated by the husband and the case is decided by the village panchayat. Junior levirate and junior sorrorate type of marriages are practiced in cases of death of a spouse. A divorcee both male and female, a widower or widow can remarry. It is noticed that the incidence of divorce and expenditure on marriages have increased.

Families are nuclear and kin-based resting on mutual respect and love between spouses and their children. Avoidance relationships however exist between daughter-in-law and father-in-law and elder brother-in-law (husband's elder brother). Joking relationships exist between sister-in-law and husband's younger brother. Sons inherit the parental property and get an equal share. A person having no son adopts his brother’s son or a similar kin who becomes the legal heir after his death.

The Barda women do not inherit property. They work as daily wage laborers in the field and bring potable water. Women play a role in social functions and they claim to have equal status.

Life cycle rituals are performed at birth, marriage and death, during pregnancy, a pre-delivery ritual called Kholbharana is observed in the seventh month of first pregnancy, when the woman is taken to her natal home. The expectant mother is subject to certain restrictions and child birth takes place with the assistance of the local bana (mid-wife) for which she is remunerated either in cash or in kind. The child is named on an auspicious date after consultation with a Brahman priest, the name itself given by the child's father's sister. Pollution begins with child birth. The Surajpujan (worship of Sun) is performed on the sixth day in which the house is cleaned and the mother and the new born are brought out into the open into the Sunlight for the first time after birth. A feast is also arranged on that day which is attended by close-kin. This marks the end of pollution for all except the mother who takes her final purificatory bath after a month and a quarter. She can then enter the kitchen and carry on with all household activities.

Marriages are settled generally through negotiation, with a kin acting as a mediator and initiator. Once it is final, the sagai or (betrothal) is performed; the lagan (marriage) itself taking place within fifteen to forty-five days after the engagement. Marriage rites are performed at bride groom's residence. Phera (circumambulation) of the sacred fire is the main ritual. The couple also takes an oath for conjugal life. The marriage feast takes place that day and the next morning the couple leaves for the boy’s house, where on arrival they are welcomed by the boy’s mother. Suhagrat (the ceremonial beginning of conjugal life) takes place at the groom's house.

The dead are cremated though in the case of children, burial is the method of disposal. The eldest son is the chief mourner in the death ceremonies. Death pollution is observed for eleven days while purification taking place with the performance of the shradh ceremony officiated by a Brahmin priest.

Most of the Bardies have given up their hunting-gathering way of life for a settled life style earning their livelihood as daily wages laborers in the agricultural sector and also as urban industrial workers. A few who have small pieces of land produce millets and pulses and engage in exchange relations through the weekly market. The number of casual laborers from amongst the community is increasing day-by-day.

The Barda have traditional village councils which is headed by a Mukhiya or Pradhan who is selected by a voice vote. In some cases it is a hereditary position based on the principle of male primogeniture. These councils under the auspices of their headman settle some problems of a social nature, minor land disputes and quarrels. For major litigation, both involving land and criminal offences recourse is taken to the courts of law. Punishment is imposed by the councils in the form of cash fines with an amount varying according to the severity of the offence. For minor offence the offender is pardoned, if he apologizes to the council. Excommunication as a form of punishment is rarely reported. Statutory Panchayat system also co-exists for the development and welfare.

The Barda have their own tribal belief-systems to which has been added the worship of gods of wider religious pantheon like Mahadev. Ram, Laxman, Hanuman etc. They observe many festivals such as Shivratri, Holi, Diwali, Sheetala Saptami, Dussehra, Ramnavmi, Navaratri etc. Along with they have tribal religious priests they also utilize the services of Brahmans of lower ritual status. They visit pilgrim spots like Bechraji, of Maharaja Ambaji of Mt. Abu, and Petan.

Their community, existence and their artistic instincts find expression in their songs and dances performed especially on the occasion of Navratri. There is also a wealth of folk tales, riddles and proverbs, very much alive tradition transmitted from generation to generation.

They Barda have economic and social relationship with Banias, brahman and they accept water and all types of food from all the neighboring communities. They have access to public places, buildings, institutions and temples. At present in the urban areas they have developed inter-community linkages. They take interest in local politics and they also participate in the politics of the region.

Literacy levels are very low, partly because their attitude towards formal education of both boys and girls is not favorable. They are unaware of the services extended by the various governmental welfare agencies. Depending upon indigenous herbal medicines, but lately they start availing of modern Medicare to some extent. They favor family welfare programmes. Drinking water facilities are available to them. They use fire wood and kerosene for the cooking purposes. They listen to the radio and are marginally covered by the modern mass media. They are familiar with use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They avail of facilities provided by fair price shops but their attitude towards savings is not favorable. They mainly depend upon money-lenders.