The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-07-09
THE TRIBES OF BOMBAY.
Singular Marriage Customs and oth-
er Peculiar Practices of
the People.

| The first OF q series Of monographs
dealing with the ethnographical sur
yoy OF Bombay has been issued. The
survey is being carried out under the
direction Of Mr.. Il. L. Enthoven, the
superintendent Of the provincial CEN
aus, and. says the Bombay Gazette. 1t
Is proposed 10 issue monographs Civ
ing as full an account as possible Of
the most important or most interest
ing tribes in the presidency. To make
the work Of The survey as complete
and as accurate as may be, Mr.. En-
thoven invites the assistance OF all
who may be able 10 supply informa-
tlon regarding the various castes I'M
70 which the population Is split up.
The educated members Of castes will
no doubt avail themselves OF the op-
portun!.y to submit materials con-
cerDing the origin and customs Of
their communities. They can also as
sist, as Mr., Enthoven asks them to,
by useful criticism Of the various
monographs as they are published.
for II Is intended 20 finally rcpublish
the whole OF the series in n single
volume. The survey will include an
thropometrlcal operations. and a be-
ginning in this direction has been al
ready made In making physical meas
uremcnts OF Brahmans, Marathaa.
kunbis, Bills and Mnhars.
Totemism, which Is still found In
certain tribes. and the survival of
particular marriage customs are
among the special matters In regard
70 which II Is hoped that much naw
information will be elected as a re-
suit of the present investigations.
The monograph which has just been
published Is an account Of the Ahir
tribe, the materials for which have
been collected and complied by Mr..
d. Il. Bhandnrkar from the Bombay
Gazette and other sources. The
Ahirs number t04 .sa4. and are espe-
cially numerous in Khandesh, Mask.
Clutch and Kathlawar, by far the
largest numbers heing found in the
two last named parts If the presi.
deney. The Abirs cf Clutch and Ka-
thiawar, however. differ considerably
from those ~ the Deccan districts.
no doubt as the result Of local influ-
ences. There have been various the
ories as to the origin Of the tribe.
but the conclusion now reached Is
that they were az first a non-Hindoo
and non-Aryan tribe Of shepherds
or herdsmer leading a nomadic life.
They were subsequently, incorporaf.
ed into the Goala caste. an cxperl.
enee that occurred 20 many othnr
foreign or aboriginal pastoral tribes.
II is considered probable that they
entered India from Afghanistan and
migrated from the Punianb eastward
and southwark. They appear to have
held sway over Khnndesh. Mask, Ka-
thiaNnr. rnlRnpur and Cutch, and the
greater part Of Gaoierat was in their
possession when the Knthls appeared
there In the eighth century. In
Khandesh the Ahlrs form SO great Il
proportion Of the population that
the Khaudesh dialect OF Marathl Is
called Ahiranl and IS spoken by
half the people In Clutch and Kathi-
awar they have also preserved their
own dialect.
IS 90 the customs Of the tribe in
the latter parts of The country. the
widow Of an Ahir marries her late
husbands younger brother In the
Deccan the widow Is generally mar
ried IN The same way. or 20 her
cousin by her mother-in-law or aunt
in.iaw, though II she be an adult she
can marry any man she likes Tote
mistic sects exist among these peo.
pie. showing their non-Aryan origin.
while the theory Of their foreign ori.
gin Is strengthened by the fact that
The people Of one ~ their endoen.
nous sections are called Romabans.
This Is held TO point to foreign
horde from Romnk. identified By San.
skirt scholars with Alexandria and
other places outside India where as-
tropomy was studied The mono
graph of the Ahirs Is m admirable
beginning Of the SERIES to he pub.
hNhtW, HHu iNNifNteH tHf NAlnable re-
suits which VIII occrne from the sur.
vey now being carried out
Husband glmpatlenilyl Where's
your miasressg She said she'd he ready
| In 8 minute and I've waited half an
hour.
N8ld-she'lI be Down IN a second.
air. She's changing her complexion q
match her new gown Chicago Daily
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