Rabari
The Rabari people (also known as Desai, Rabari, Raika, and Dewasi people) are an ethnic group from the Rajasthan also found in Gujarat Kutch region and Sindh region of Pakistan.[1]
Origin Myth
The Rabari is a kshatriya Class.Most superstition & They were originated from Iran, they were polytheistic and believed in idoltry, travelling via Afghanistan to Balochistan, (Pakistan), where there still is a temple of the Charani Goddess Hinglaj who they worship. According to Sigrid Westphal-Helbusch, the significant migrations of Rabaris took place between 12th to 14th century, when they moved from Marwar to Sindh (Pakistan) and Kutch. The migrations of Rabaris in fact follow similar paths as that of Rajputs and Charans, two other migrant group in this region, indicating intertwined histories. Westphal-Helbusch ascribes the goddess worship traditions of Rabaris to the Charan influence.[2]
References
- Köhler-Rollefson, Ilse (1992). "The Raika Deomedary Breeders of Rajasthan: A Pastoral System in Crisis" (PDF). Nomadic Peoples. 30: 74–83.
- Kothiyal, Tanuja (2016-03-14). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert. Cambridge University Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-107-08031-7.
Bibliography
- Street, Brian V. (2002), Literacy and Development: Ethnographic Perspectives, Routledge, ISBN 9781134566204....
Further reading
- Davidson, Robyn (November 1, 1997). Desert Places, pastoral nomads in India (the Rabari). Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-026797-6.
- Mirella Ferrera, People of the world. Published by VMB publisher 13100 Vercelli, Italy 2005
- Flavoni, Francesco D'orazi (1990). Rabari: A Pastoral Community of Kutch. Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts and Brijbasi Printers. ISBN 978-8-17107-026-8.