17/08/2021
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Origins of Community
The word 'Lambani' come from the word 'Laman', a word derived from
word 'Lavan', meaning . The Lambanis were basically gypsies who earned their livelihood from minor forest produce and the salt they sold to the villagers.Lambanis are also called as 'Banjara', which is derived from the original Sanskrit word ' ' or ' ', the meaning of which is trader. These were ancient carriers of foodgrains on the backs of . Living in communion with nature, they have retained their own characteristics, culture and heritage. The various terms used to describe them do not only indicate their particular caste, but also denotes their profession. They were basically . The hereditary occupation of this tribe was to carry , , salt, and other eatables, like dates, coconuts, dry fish, etc. from one part of the country to another on the back of . Thus, these tribes, who settled in various parts of the country were know by different names such as , , , , , , , , , and . The name differs according to their place of settlement. The fact remains that they all mean the same people and they all have a common linked tradition. These tribes, spread in large numbers throughout , are believed to be descendants of the of who migrated through and settled in . In pre-historic times, it is likely that they were iron-smiths, who were attached to large scale migrations which tok place. They continued to service the communities by and repairing agricultural implements. They also worked as the makers of horse shoes and thus, came into contact with the armies on the move and became a part of their transportation team. A large number of them did have a fixed habitat in their peripatetic life, where they would return for ceremonies. It is these
groups which all over the world. During India, they had trade links with Egypt, U. S. A., European countries and Italy. Some even settled there and became known as 'Romani' or or . These tribes became transporters of armies and of traders and thus, travelled and settled all over India.
They moved North to the Deccan in the 14th Century A. D. with invading armies. With each tribe owning as many as 50,000 to 60,000 cattle, finding work with the moghul army, transporting provisions and arms was easy. When the ended, the gypsies stayed south of the Vindhyas. Later, they found work with the too selling grains to the armies of Lord Cornwallis besides helping Comte de Bussy with stores and cattle. They are also said to have been
hired as spies, first by the British then by Tipu Sultan.
First the roads, then the laws and finally the droughts of the 19th Century, greatly affected the gypsy way of life. With the opening of and , their nomadic travels reduced and settled life began. These nomads settled down in hamlets called (meaning 'group/cluster'), which are mainly pitched away from . Each tanda is named after the place next to which it is pitched and the tribe usually adopted agriculture as their main occupation. Today,
they also work as coolies and some earn a living from their .
Although it is difficult to make out sub groups among Lambanis, there are a number of sub sects, a good number of whom are endogamous. Major groups/sub castes are: Rathod, Pawar Jadhav and Chavan. The Tribal Council, comprising all the residents in a 'tanda', normally recognises 4 (four) traditional leaders:
(i) Nayak (the headman)
(ii) Karabhari (the messenger)
(iii) Davo (an elderly resident) and
(iv) Bhagat (the priest).
Except for Davo, all others are hereditary institutions. The Nayak enjoys a great deal of authority and respect and take the lead in deciding on public matters including settlement of disputes, sharing of property, marriage, ceremonies (such as festivals, birth, death, etc..). Karabhari assumes the role of a legal counsel and an information disseminator. Davo assumes the role of Nayak in his absence. Bhagat performs the rites and rituals. Thus, the council exercises political, executive and judicial powers. The
leadership (Nayak) is patrilineally inherited. Regardless of the size of the population, discussions on public matters are arbitrated by the Nayaks. Because of this strong leadership and relatively high social cohesiveness, consensus seems to be reached without much conflict. The dialect spoken by them is very similar to that of Western Rajasthan with a mixture of all languages assimilated along their nomadic route, and that of the region that they finally settled in.
Their language "Goar Boli" which does not have a script, belongs to the Indo-Aryan family of languages and has borrowed words from Sanskrit, Hindi, Rajasthani, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, even Persian and from other local languages. They worship the Goddess Shakti in her various incarnations, their own god Sevabaya and other Hindu gods like Siva, Vishnu and Krishna. They have a lot of faith in Sri. Guru Sevalal Maharaj. They are also keepers of a rich folk dance tradition of Teej, Lengi, Kikli, marriage and rain dances. Although they posses a rich cultural life, the Lambanis have been
marginalised and have been reduced to poverty. The Lambani society is patrimonial; the son moves out of the house with his share of the property after marriage. Marriage occurs strictly across clans viz.,
Rathodkar, Mood, Vaarthyaa, Brukyaa, Kelutth among others as 2 (two) people
from the same clan are considered brother and sister. They retained their carefree, colourful and their distinctive traditions as they refrained from mingling with other communities. In many parts of India, their
main occupation was cattle trading and transportation of agricultural goods. With
the advent of the mechanical transport system, their flourishing trade declined and
they were forced to change their modes of earning. They became woodcutters, coolies, agriculturists and cattle rearers. Their independent spirit, love of open spaces and unwillingness to be subordinated to the village hierarchy, made them suspect and they were often accused of crimes that they may not have committed. But they were also driven to the fringe of society.
