These jatis have and endless number of sub-groups. Each caste has a panchayat , or council of elders that helps regulate social customs. In Gujarati Hindu society, warriors and merchants rank after the Brahmans. Some who were traditional weavers are now thriving in the artificial silk industry. The Gujarati are very successful carpenters, metal workers, goldsmiths, and potters.
Wood carving is one of their specialties.
Cattle breeders and vendors of milk products are respected because of the religious significance of cattle. Laborers, such as fishermen, those who press oil and mill rice, tailors, barbers, and leather workers, come next in the caste system. Beneath them are those who remove dead animals and garbage. Muslim Gujarati range in occupation from herdsmen to government officials. The belief in reincarnation, or the continuous cycle of death and rebirth, is a central part of their belief system.