Rabari

The Rabari people (also known as Rebari, Raika and Dewasi people) are an ethnic group from the Rajasthan that is also found in Gujarat, Kutch region and Sindh province of Pakistan.[1][2]

Photograph of a Rabari man from Baroda State, 1911.

Origin

The Rabari is a warrior Class. They might have originated from Arabs, they were polytheistic and believed in idolatry, travelling via Afghanistan to Balochistan, (Pakistan), where there is still a temple of the Charani Goddess Hinglaj whom they worship. According to Sigrid Westphal-Helbusch, the significant migrations of Rabaris took place between the 12th and 14th centuries, when they moved from Marwar to Sindh (Pakistan) and Kutch. The migrations of Rabaris in fact follow similar paths as those of Rajputs and Charans, two other migrant groups in this region, indicating intertwined histories. Westphal-Helbusch ascribes the goddess worship traditions of Rabaris to the Charan influence.[3]

References
  1. Köhler-Rollefson, Ilse (1992). "The Raika Dromedary Breeders of Rajasthan: A Pastoral System in Crisis". Nomadic Peoples. 30: 74–83 – via JSTOR.
  2. Chaudhary, Shyam Nandan (2009). Tribal Development Since Independence. Concept Publishing Company. p. 23. ISBN 978-81-8069-622-0.
  3. 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

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.


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