Sociolinguistic Study of Meena / Mina Tribe In comparison to other Tribes of Rajasthan : Professor Ram Lakhan Meena

Sociolinguistic Study of Meena / Mina Tribe In comparison to other Tribes of Rajasthan

Professor Ram Lakhan Meena : Email prof.ramlakhan@gmail.com

Tribes of Rajasthan constitute almost 14% of the total population of the state. The main tribal communities of Rajasthan are Bhil tribe and Meena tribe. The major concentration of these tribes of Rajasthan is found mainly in the foothill of Vindhya, Aravalli mountain ranges. The tribes of Rajasthan are very different from each other and represent a very distinct heritage from the rest of the civilized population. In order to maintain their livelihood, these tribes of Rajasthan carry on cultivation, while there are quite a number of tribes of Rajasthan state who have developed acumen for business and commercial activities and as well as service classes. The early history of the tribes of Rajasthan depicts that during the invasionsby Hunas, Aryans, Sakas and Kushana; the tribal communities survived the attacks and maintained their cultural and traditional heritage till today. Among the scheduled tribes of Rajasthan, Meena tribe occupies the major position. Another scheduled tribe of this state which has got importance is Bhil Tribe with its variants. At the core of the state of Rajasthan, the Meena (Mina) tribes live with its treasure of cultural tradition as depicted in its superb language, food habits, gorgeous clothes and other specific particularities. 

Lack of education, illiteracy and lack of access to proper facilities keep the Meena under the clutches of several sicknesses. Tuberculosis and death during delivery is common in the villages. Though pastures are scanty, several of them are also involved in tending cattle, trying to make a living by the sale of milk products and the calves. Lack of education, illiteracy and lack of access to proper facilities keep the Meena under the clutches of several sicknesses. Tuberculosis and death during delivery is common in the villages. Though pastures are scanty, several of them are also involved in tending cattle, trying to make a living by the sale of milk products and the calves. Meena tribe is believed to be a mixture of more than one tribe. It seems the fisher men community called Meenavar eventually became Meena, who are notoriously known as thieves and robbers. They do not intermarry with other tribes. The younger brother of a deceased can marry his widow. It is told that a married man have freedom and access on his older brother's wife and wife's younger sister. Drums and dances are usual in marriages and other festivals. It is said that in such occasions as the drum beats tightens, dresses loosens and the dance becoming indecent is not uncommon.

Dead are cremated. The corpse of men is wrapped in white cloth and the women in colored cloth. Raised platforms of rectangle shapes are raised as tomb at the grave behind the residence. In the empty slopes of a hill among the cactus were found stones installed and wooden poles stood with flags. These are places of offerings and chants. Meena in Udaipur area, worship spirits and the chief among them is 'Magarababji'. Meena believe in life after death and rebirth. Those who do well in this life are supposed to be born as stars in the next birth. Meenas are ruled by several such good and superstitious beliefs. According to 2001 census, there are 3.8 million Meenas and most of them are in Rajasthan. They are known by the language they speak - Meena.* There are not many serving among the Meena people to uplift from the superstitious beliefs and evil practices. Your prayers can make a difference to deliver them from the command of sinful life that they can shine as stars.

Historical aspect of Meena / Mina

They also claim to be descendants of the people of the Matsya Kingdom, which flourished in the 6th century B.C. Nandini Sinha Kapur, a historian who has studied early India, notes that the oral traditions of the Meenas were developed from the early 19th century AD in an attempt to reconstruct their identity. She says of this process, which continued throughout the 20th century, that "The Minas try to furnish themselves a respectable present by giving themselves a glorious past". In common with the people of countries such as Finland and Scotland, the Meenas found it necessary to invent tradition through oral accounts, one of the primary uses of which is recognised by both historians and sociologists as being "social protest against injustices, exploitation and oppression, a raison d'être that helps to retrieve the image of a community." Kapur notes that the Meenas not merely lack a recorded history of their own but also have been depicted in a negative manner both by medieval Persian accounts and records of the colonial period. From medieval times through to the British Raj, references to the Meenas describe them as violent, plundering criminals and an anti-social ethnic tribal group. 

The Raj colonial administration came into existence in 1858, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 which caused the government of Britain to decide that leaving colonial administration in the hands of the East India Company was a recipe for further discontent. In an attempt to create an orderly administration through a better understanding of the populace, the Raj authorities instituted various measures of classifying the people of India. One such measure was the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, under the provisions of which the Meenas were placed. The community remained stigmatised for many years, notably by influential officials of the Raj such as Herbert Hope Risley and Denzil Ibbetson, and were sometimes categorised as animists and as a hill tribe similar to the Bhils. The Meenas remained an officially designated criminal tribe until 1952; three years after the Act had been repealed. Mark Brown has examined the impact and issues of the Meena community during British rule and the change in their status from being a higher social group to a criminal tribe. Meenas have better rights for women in many respects compared to rather than Hindus. Minas are highly animist people and place great meaning on omens. For example, the braying of an ass on the left, the hooting of an owl on the left, and the cry of a jackal on the right mean good fortune. Hearing the cry of the Saras (crane), or seeing a cat, sheep, or hyena, is unlucky. The Minas pay special attention to the presiding nature of their clans.

It is undisputed that fauna, trees, plants have emerged, before the existence of human. Early tribal humans made their atypical relations with various faunas, trees and plants (nature). The attitude of the tribal towards nature is emotional rather than physical, completely different from those called civilized. Their relationship with nature is completely emotive and virtuous. It is like mother-son. They do not consider nature as their property; they consider it as their foster. They do not consider their dominion over their land and their forests; they consider themselves part of it. Therefore, they do not accept the suzerainty over nature. Their fundamental system is the primordial fundamental system which is historical. This historical originality is the proof that they are the sons of this earth-nature where they live.

The trees - plants and animals which are helpful and useful in their life, they should be worshiped and respected as part of their family and always adored them as their patron and their adorable values. These practices are the hallmark of tribal Totemistic culture, before the time of civilization, these practices were present in the time of Indus civilization and also before Vedic period, Meena is also from an ancient tribal tribe. They have also been a Totemistic; they worship nature as their Totems practices in form of (Jivu-Jantu-Paudhe) and preserve it. They have been worshiping trees and plants for centuries as their totem trees and faunas and worship it as their part of life. Meenas’ have innumerable primitive traditions and one of them is Dharaadi system. The Dharadi tradition (love to various forms of nature) was as useful today as it was in the past. The picture of the Goddess on the seal found in the excavation of Mohenjo-Daro, from which the tree has been taken out of its belly and the various sculptures found in such millions, is an irrefutable proof that Matradevi (Kuldevi) and Prakriti (Dhari) were unified. That is the historical proof of the Dharadi system.

This primitive tradition can be revived and environmental protection can be done. The tribals have been the guardians of the forest. They know how to protect the environment and nature. This tradition is rooted in his blood. If a tribal has to cut a tree for some very important work, then he knows how to cut the tree, so that it can grow again, its growth is not stopped or blocked, by accusing the tribals that the forest and destroying wild animals is being evicted from the forests. This is an injustice to them, because the tribals are the real protectors of the forest and wild animals. According to the Dharadi practices that have been going on since the primitive times, the ancient tribes had set up Dharadi trees according to which the tribal Meena tribes have been following till now. On the basis of the customs of the ancestors, even today, the practice of worshiping the Dharadi trees of tribal Meena clans is going on at the time of marriage. This is being presented to you in the interest of environment and society. You have to develop without forgetting your good heritage and destroying the beauty, freshness and purity of nature. In addition, all Mina groups are divided into numerous clans (gotras), which are exogamous social units.

Main clan tree clades
[Tribal tribe]	[determined tribe tree]	[tribal tribe]	[determined family tree]
Baiflawat, Mahar, Jhurwal, Dhyavana, Sulania, Khoda, Tatu, Bargoti	Jaal	Banada, Cheetah (Kudalya), Manatwal, Vanwal, Chandwal	Peepal
Sihra, Sehra, Sira	Seemal	Punjlot, Bagdi, Bill (Bhil)	Bill Patra
Susavat, Sattawan	Khejda	Mimrot	Kadam
Gomladu	Santosh	Amalya	Aam (Mango)
Neemwal	Neem	Byadwal	Kemar
Karelwal, Dhoocha / Damachya	Ashapala (Ashok)	Basanwal, Mandlavat	Bad
Marmat	Jhaau	Dobwal	Saras
Jindeda], Chanda	Chem / Gandal	Devana / Devanda / Devand	Kerr
Katara, Pargi, Harmore, Kharadi, Damor, Banskhowa	Bamboo	Morda, Maurya,	Peacock,

Tribes of Rajasthan

Rajasthan tribals constitute around 14% of the total population of the state. The tribes of Rajasthan, India constitutes of mainly Bhils and the Minas. In fact they were the original inhabitants of the area where Rajasthan stands now. Apart from these main tribes, there are also a number of smaller tribes in Rajasthan. However all Rajasthan tribes share certain common traits, the variations being in their costumes, jewellery, fair and festivals, etc.

1)    Bhils: Bhils are the biggest tribe in Rajasthan. Banswara is the main area where Bhils in large numbers. Previously Bhils main occupation was to collect the food. Famous epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata depicted that Bhils were famous for their skills in arching. From collecting food, they started farming for their livelihood. Baneshwar fair in January and February is the best place to know more about Bhil tribe.

The second largest tribal group of Rajasthan is that of the Bhils after Minas. Dominating in the Banswara area of Rajasthan, the Bhils are believed to be fine archers. Infact, Bhil bowmen even found a reference in the great epics Mahabarata and Ramayan. The Bhils were originally food gatherers. However, with the passage of time, they have taken up small-scale agriculture, city residence and employment. The major festivals of Bhils are the Baneshwar fair (held near Dungarpur). 

2)   Mina / Meena: Mina’s tribesmen and women generally possess a good physic with an athletic body built, big eyes and sharp features. They are known to be the inhabitants of Indus Valley Civilization. There broad lips and a whitish complexion. Eastern part of the state in Easter part belt of Rajasthan is the main area where Minas are in populous condition. Around 39% of Rajasthan tribals comprises of the Bhils. The original inhabitants of the Indus Valley civilization, Minas have a tall, athletic build with sharp features, large eyes, thick lips and a light brown complexion. They are found dominating the regions of Shekhawati and eastern Rajasthan. Minas solemnize marriage in the early age of the children. But this bad tradition is changing quietly. 

3)   Garasia: Garasias are another small Rajput Rajasthan tribe residing in Mount Abu Road area of Udaipur District in Damors of Dungarpur in southern Rajasthan. Damors is also a subtribe of Garasias and belonging to the Dungarpur and Udaipur districts, Damors are mainly cultivators and manual laborers. 

4)   Sahariyas: Sahariyas is one of the most backward Rajasthani tribe. Sahariyas people inhabits mainly in Jungle. They are also noted to be Bhils. Southeastern Rajasthan in Dungarpur, Baran and Kota are some places where Sahariyas can be found. Sahariyas, the jungle dwellers, is considered as the most backward tribe in Rajasthan. Believed to be of Bhil origin, they inhabit the areas of Kota, Dungarpur and Sawai Madhopur in the southeast of Rajasthan. Their main occupations include working as shifting cultivators, hunters and fishermen. 

5)   Rajasthan tribes include the following also : Mer and Banjara (the nomadic tribes), Kathodi (found in Mewar region), Rabaris (cattle breeders, found in Marwar region), Sansi, Kanjar

As per the 2001 census, the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of Rajasthan State is 7,097,706 constituting 8.4% of the total ST population of India. The Scheduled Tribes of the State constitute almost 14% of the total population (56,507,188) of the State. It holds 12th position among all States and UTs in respect of the percentage share of ST population to total population. The ST population has registered a growth rate of 29.6 per cent during 1991-2001 which is 1.2 per cent higher than the growth of the total population. The Scheduled Tribes are overwhelmingly rural as 94.6 per cent of them inhabit in rural areas whereas 76.6 per cent of the total population of the state live in villages. District wise distribution of tribal population shows that they have their highest concentration in Banswara district (72.3 per cent), followed by 65.1 percent and 47.9 per cent in Dungarpur and Udaipur districts respectively. Nagaur (0.2 per cent) preceded by Bikaner (0.4 per cent) has the lowest share of tribal population in the total population. Population - Size & Distribution

Out of twelve (12) tribes scheduled for the State, Mina is the most populous tribe, having a population of 3,799,971 constituting 53.5 per cent of the total ST population followed by Bhil (2,805,948). Mina and Bhil together constitute 93 per cent whereas Garasia, Damor, Dhanka & Saharia combine to form 6.6 per cent of the total ST population. Six tribes, Bhil Mina, Naikda, Kathodi, Patelia, Kokna and Koli Dhor along with the generic tribes constitute the residual 0.3 per cent of the total tribal population. Among the twelve STs, Koli Dhor is the smallest tribe with a population below 100 preceded by Kokna (405), Patelia (1,045), Kathodi (2,922) etc. Mina account for 99 - 99.8 per cent of all ST population in the five districts namely Jaipur, Dhaulpur,  Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, & Dausa. The tribe share more than 90 per cent of the total tribal population in Alwar, Jhunjhunun, Sikar, Tonk & Churu districts. The second major tribe, Bhil have a share of 99 per cent of all ST population in Barmer district followed by Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Rajsamand (95 per cent) districts.

Sex Ratio

The Scheduled Tribes of the State have registered considerably lower sex ratio both in total as well as in the 0-6 yrs. population in comparison to those recorded by all STs at the national level. The overall sex ratio of the ST population is 944 females per 1000 males which is lower than the national average of 978 in respect of all ST population. Among the major tribes, Mina and Dhanka have overall sex ratio lower than the national as well as state averages whereas Bhil, Garasia, Seharia tribes have returned overall sex ratio higher than that of the State average. Damor have registered the overall sex ratio significantly higher than the national average. The sex ratio among ST children in the age group 0-6 yrs. is 950. Among the individual tribes, Damor have female children outnumber the male children whereas among Garasia both male and female children are in equal number in the corresponding age group. The child sex ratio among Bhil is higher than the state as well as national level. The lowest child sex ratio has been reported by Mina.

Statement-1 : The Sex Ratio
Age group	All STs (India)	All STs (State)	Damor	Garasia	Bhil	Seharia	Mina	Dhanka
All ages	978	944	997	971	970	961	924	923
0-6 yrs.	973	950	1011	1000	975	960	925	907

Literacy & Educational Level

The Scheduled Tribes of the state have a literacy rate of 44.7 per cent which is lower than the national average (47.1 per cent) in respect of all STs. There has been a significant improvement in the rate of literacy during the decade 1991-2001. The overall literacy rate which was merely 19.4 per cent at 1991census has increased to 44.7 per cent at 2001, higher by 25.3 percentage points. Male literacy has gone up from 33.3 per cent in 1991 to 62.1 per cent which is higher than that of national average of 59.2 per cent. On the other hand, though the female literacy has increased six times from meagre 4.4 per cent at 1991 to 26.2 per cent at 2001, it is still lower than the national average of 34.8 per cent recorded by all tribal females. Among the larger groups, Dhanka and Mina have registered literacy rate higher than that recorded by all STs at the national level whereas Damor, Bhil, Seharia and Garasia have lower literacy rate than those of national as well as State averages. The Statement – 2 given below brings out variations in total and female literacy rates among the major tribes.

Statement- 2 : Literacy Rate Literacy Rate
Literacy Rate	All ST (India)	All ST (State)	Dhanka	Mina	Damor	Bhil	Seharia	Garasia
Male	47.1	44.7	61.8	52.2	41.2	35.2	34.2	30.7
Female	34.8	26.2	45.9	31.8	23.2	19.1	18.7	15.4

So far as the levels of education are concerned, slightly more than half (50.8 per cent) of the literate persons are either without any educational level or have attained below primary level of education. The primary level literates constitute 24.2 per cent followed by literates’ up to middle level (13.2 per cent). The persons educated up to matric/ secondary/higher secondary constitute 9.1 per cent whereas 2.5 per cent only are graduates & above. Non-technical & technical diploma holders form negligible percentage (0.1). There has been increase in the dropout rate after the primary level of education. The percentage of matriculate persons is almost one fourth of the persons educated up to primary level. Graduate persons constitute approximately one third of the matriculates. The major tribes have shown the similar trend in respect of the level of education (Statement-3).

India Statement - 3: Educational level among the major Scheduled Tribes
Names of STs	Literate without educational level	Below primary	Educational levels attained
			Primary	Middle	Matric/Secondary Higher Secondary/ Intermediate etc.	Non-technical & Technical diploma or certificate not equal to degree	Graduate & above
All STs	9.5	24.2	41.3	13.2	9.1	0.1	2.5
Mina	7.9	37.7	24.6	15	11.2	0.1	3.5
Bhil	12.6	48	23.4	9.8	5.3	0.1	0.9
Garasia	16.2	52.8	19.4	7.3	3.6	0.1	0.6
Damor	10.1	40.8	25.5	13.6	8.1	0.2	1.7
Dhanka	4.5	33.6	29.7	18.8	10.9	0.1	2.4
Seharia	7.9	59	26.2	4.8	2	0.1	0.1

Little more than half of the total 20 lakh tribal children in the age group 5 -14 go to school. It is noted that around 9.2 lakh (46 per cent) children of this age group are not attending school. Mina, the numerically largest tribe have 62 per cent children in the corresponding age group go to school. Dhanka have the highest percentage of school going children in the same age group. Bhil, Seharia, Garasia lag behind as they have less than half of the total children in the corresponding age-group attend school (Statement - 4).

Statement- 4 : Percentage of school going population in the age group 5-14 yrs.
All STs	Dhanka	Mina	Damor	Seharia	Bhil	Garasia
54.2	67.6	62.9	53.2	44.7	43.5	38.7

Work Participation Rate (WPR)

The work participation rate of the ST population in Rajasthan is 47.6 per cent which is lower than that of the national average (49.1 per cent). The male work participation rate has declined slightly from 51.8 per cent to 50.1 per cent whereas female WPR has increased from 40.6 per cent to 44.9 per cent during 1991-2001. Among the total workers, 66.8 per cent are main workers, which is nearly equal to that recorded for all STs at the national level (68.9 per cent). Individually, Bhil (48.4 per cent) and Mina (47 per cent) have WPR lower than the national average whereas Damor (55.2 per cent) and Garasia (49.4 per cent) have WPR higher than the national average. Damor tribe also have the highest female WPR (54.5 per cent) followed by Garasia (47.1 per cent) and other tribes.

Agriculture is the main economic activity of the tribes of Rajasthan. While 69 per cent of total workers are ‘Cultivators’ which is significantly higher than the national average of 44.7 per cent, ‘Agricultural Labourers’ constitute only 14 per cent which is less than half of that recorded by of total STs at the national level (36.9 per cent). ‘Other Workers’ constitute 16.3 per cent and workers in ‘Household Industry’ account for only 0.7 per cent. Expectedly, majority of the workers are ‘Cultivators’ among Mina, Damor, Bhil and Garasia tribes whereas Seharia have maximum proportion of ‘Agricultural Labourers’ followed by ‘Cultivators’. Dhanka have the highest proportion of ‘Other Workers’. See below Table Statement- 5

Statement- 5 : Percentage Distribution of Workers in four Economic Categories
Economic Category	All STs	Mina	Damor	Bhil	Garasia	Seharia	Dhanka
Cultivators	69.0	74.8	73.1	64.3	60.3	24	15.1
Agricultural Labourers	14.1	9.8	14.8	17.7	18.4	66.4	15.1
HHI Workers	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.5	0.5	2.3
Other Workers	16.3	14.7	11.2	17.2	20.8	9.1	67.5

Marital Status

The data on marital status show that the ‘never married’ persons (51.7 per cent) constitute more than half of the total population. ‘Married’ persons account for 44.5 per cent while 3.5 per cent are ‘widowed’. Negligible proportions (0.2 per cent) of STs are ‘divorced & separated’. Like other communities of the State, practice of the marriage of girls and boys below the legal age is prevalent among the tribes also. It may be discerned from the Statement - 6 that the proportions of married tribal girls below 18 years (4.3 per cent) and tribal boys below 21 years (5.7 per cent) are considerably higher than those at national level (2.1 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively). The STs namely, Mina, Seharia have registered the higher percentage of married boys and girls below the legal age in comparison to those of the state average.

Statement - 6 : Percentage of married girls and married boys below the stipulated age
Age group	All STs (state)	Seharia	Mina	Bhil	Dhanka	Damor	Garasia
Married girls (less than 18 yrs.)	4.3	5.9	5.0	3.6	3.5	3.0	1.2
Married boys (less than 21yrs.)	5.7	8.6	6.0	5.5	4.1	4.5	3.2

The mean number of children ever born per ever married tribal woman (age-group 45-49yrs.) is 5 which is higher than that of all STs at the national level (4). The Scheduled Tribes professing Hinduism form 99.5 per cent, whereas those professing Islam and Christianity constitute a meagre 0.1 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively. Tribal following Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Other religion and persuasions together constitute a very small (7,174) population.

Linguistic Aspect

The Mina (Meena) language is spoken in Eastern part of Rajasthan state of India by the oldest and largest Indigenous community Meena. They are considered to be adivasi (aboriginal people) which are scheduled in the tribes of India also.  They are habitat in various parts of  Rajasthan as well as the country, but they are mainly found in the districts of Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Kota, Bundi, Jhalawad, Udaipur, Alwar, Dausa, Jaipur, Tonk and some part of Bharatpur and Dholpur; there is also a small population living in Sikar, Jalore and Ajmer districts. See details in Appendix A, for a map of the Mina (Meena) Language survey region. The Mina (Meena) language area is situated between 28° 4’ and 30° 10’ north latitude and between 72° 30’ and 75° 30’ east longitude. In the past, the region was arid and barren, but today it is well watered and fertile due to irrigation.  Scheduled Castes are low–caste groups that have been officially recognised by the Government of India and listed in the Constitution. They are therefore eligible for certain types of government assistance. Based on the linguistic features found during the survey, eastern Rajasthan Sawai Madhopur Karauli, western part of Bharatpur, eastern part of Tonk, Bundi, one third of Kota, two-third of Baran and Jhalawar district are its linguistic areas.

Also, another form of this is in vogue in Jahazpur, Kotdi, Mandalgarh, Menal and Chittorgarh. To its east are the linguistic regions of Rajasthani Braj, Mewati to the north, Toravati to the northwest, Jaipuri to the west, Kishangarhi to the west and Hadoti to the south, Malvi to the south, Bundeli and Sahri to the southeast. The 1991 census also listed 13,098,078 people as ‘Rajasthani’ speakers. It is likely that a significant number of Mina (Meena) speakers were subsumed under this category. Therefore, the population of Mina (Meena) speakers in Rajasthan is probably much higher. The Mina (Meena) language (ISO 639–3: bgq) is classified as Indo–European, Indo–Iranian, Indo–Aryan, Central zone, Rajasthani, Unclassified (Lewis 2009). The Devanagri script is used for writing the language. Professor Ram Lakhan Meena states that ‘Mina (Meena) is used as a lingua franca of [the] majority of the population in northern Rajasthan and south east part of the Rajasthan . Due to its strategic geographical location, Mina (Meena) has been in stable contact with languages like Hadoti, Sahari, Hindi, Nagarchali and Urdu. These languages spoken adjacent to Mina (Meena) might have caused language change in Mina (Meena) at various levels.’

The term ‘Mina (Meena)’ refers to both the people and their language. The Mina (Meena) is generally members of Scheduled Castes. The researchers observed the people to be friendly, hospitable, and open to outsiders. According to the 1991 Census of India, the population of mother tongue ‘Mina (Meena) Rajasthani’ speakers in Rajasthan was 593,294 of these 540,984 (91 per cent) lived in rural settings while 52,310 (nine per cent) lived in urban areas. As of 2000, the total population of Mina (Meena) speakers in all of India was 1,900,000 (Lewis 2009). On this survey, Mina (Meena) speakers were found to be living mostly in rural village communities.

The Mina (Meena) people are divided into a number of exogamous clans. They practice monogamy. When a young woman gets married, she puts on a toe ring as a symbol of marriage. She is also supposed to wear a veil as a sign of humility before her husband. Unlike in many other groups, widow remarriage is allowed. Any of the brothers of a deceased man can inherit his wife, or a widow can remarry out of the family. If a widow refuses to marry her brother–in–law, she must pay compensation to him or his family. The main occupations of the Mina (Meena) people are animal husbandry, cultivation, and cottage industries. In addition, they frequently work for daily wages. Some are employed in government–related services.

After doing a comprehensive survey work, it was found that Sahariya tribal are one of the oldest tribal communities in India. In Rajasthan, four tehsils of Baran district - Kishanganj, Shahabad, Atru, Mangrol are inhabited by Sahariya tribals. This primitive tribe is called Sahariya due to its habitat in the forests. 'Sahra' is called Jangal (forest) in Persian and people who depend on Sahara (forest) came to be called Sahariya. No research has been done upon this issue in the past, for the first time in this survey its linguistic features have been marked, and Sahariya being the language of the caste, it can be named 'Sahari'. Hence, the language spoken by them is called ‘Sahari’. It is more expedient to mention here that 'Sahri' language was also neglected by well-known linguists like Grierson and he considered their rich traditions and glorious culture to be part of Hadoti language. During the survey of the dialect-geography of Rajasthan, during the survey of those areas a team of researchers under my direction found that the 'Sahri' language could not be included in the Hadoti by any means.

During the survey it was found that it also has many regional variations / subdialects. Sahari has its own peculiarities which give it its territorial authority due to being distinct from other dialects. Some of these represented by collectivity-indicating marked in the map. The Sahri dialect is an independent linguistic dialect that also determines the linguistic transition zones between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It has its own linguistic specialties. Grierson was conflated Sahari dialect randomly contained in Hadoti which is neither logical nor justfied while the Sahariya Adivasi (tribe) has its own language Sahari which is spoken in Ramgarh Kishanganj, Shahabad tehsils of Baran district of Rajasthan. In fact, the area around the Parvati River can be considered its focal point. Hadoti was considered as the language of this area till now, which is neither scientifically true nor linguistically. The 'Meena Bhasha' is spoken its three sides and Bundeli on one side.

Bhili is the language of the Bhils which is a major primitive tribe of India. This community has largest population after Gond and Santhal primitive castes in India. The Bhils have a dense population in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Bhili was originally Bhikli, but today it is Bhutki-Dravidi-Aryai Bhili. The mountain ranges of Khandesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and Satpura in Gujarat stretching from the west to the sea are considered to be Bhil countries. According to Grierson, the region of 'Bhili dialects' can be called a trident which has its top in the Aravalli-mountain ranges and the base lies in the southeastern border of Khandesh districts. 'Bhili' can be divided into two parts in terms of language and geography - Bhildeshi - dialects which are practiced within the boundaries of Bhildesh. Non-Bhildeshi - Those Bhili dialects that are spoken in areas outside of Bhildesh. Bhili is related to Rajasthani on the one hand and Gujarati on the other, that is why some people accept it as the dialect of Gujarati and others Rajasthani, in fact it is related to the ancient form of both.

A Bhil dialect called 'Nyar Ki Boli' is prevalent in the Aravalli ranges where Marwar-Sirohi is separated from Merwara-Mewar. It is also spoken in some far off ancient Sirohi State and in some far off Mewar states. The western part of the dialect of Nyar in the state of Marwar comprises the eastern part of Sojat, Bali and Besuri Parganas. This region is called Godwad, accordingly the dialect here is called Godwadi. It is such a mixed dialect, in which many forms of Gujarati-Bhili and some forms of Malvi are found. It is the dialect of the Bhil Adivasi community which is spoken in Dungarpur and Banswara districts. It is also called Bagdi. But it is aptly named Bhili on the basis of its usage by the Adivasi Bhil community, Bagdi was named by Grierson on the basis of virtually Bagd area which does not seem logical. Bhili has a wide scope of study in terms of language-geography. The Bhili dialect is the predominant tribal dialect having an independent linguistic form. It also determines the linguistic transition zones between the dialects of Gerasi and Malvi in the east, Mewadi etc. in the north and northwest. It has its own linguistic characteristics.

Adivasi Bhil and garasia live in, range of Aravalli hill at banaskantha district in north Gujarat have social and religious relation with Adivasi of rajasthan . Adivasi in Gujarat are usually adjoined with Adivasi in the boarder area of Rajasthan, Madypradesh and Maharastra state of India whereas they mostly reside in Banskantha and Sabarkanth district of north Guajrat, Panchmahals, Vadodara and Bharuch district of centre of Gujarat and in south Surat, Valsad, and Dang ditrict in Gujarat . In garasiya society to be a land owner is essential thing for becoming a member of their society. If they lose their land or sell it out they would be no more remain the society member so 1903 garasiya society urged the state not to seize their land in any way. Theri traditional attitude show that garasia Adivasi in certain exception have built their house on their own land. There are many legends about garasia Adivasi prevail in history.

The language / dialect used by this Aboriginal tribe is called Garasi, a sub dialect of Bhili language. But unfortunately Grierson was included it in Marwari and Mewari. This is the dialect of Garasia Adivasi (populist) which is spoken in present Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan. Mewari is spoken in the north, Bhili in the south-west and Malvi in the east. The Garasi dialect is an indigenous dialect having an independent linguistic form, which also determines the linguistic transition zones between dialects like Malvi in the east, Merwadi in the north, Bhili in the southwest. It has its own linguistic features. They live in joint family but the effect of modernisation has caused them to live nuclear family. Unemployment and for better life, lured them to migrate in rural area. Those who settled in the rural or big city occasionally come to their native, and in a long run they settle their permanently, though close relationship among elders in a village keep continued. Marriage institution of Adivasi always differs from other community in society in marriage culture, standard of sexual relation, geographical area confined for marriage, numbers of life partner, ceremony of marriage, and social custom in Gujarat. Marriage in the same caste is not allowed.

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References

1.    Rizvi, S. H. M. (1987). Mina, The Ruling Tribe of Rajasthan (Socio-biological Appraisal). Delhi: B.R. Pub. Corp.. ISBN 81-7018-447-9.

2.   Mann, Rann Singh (1993). Culture and Integration of Indian Tribes. New Delhi: M.D. Publications. ISBN 8185880034.

3.   Singh, Kumar Suresh (1998). People of India. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 8171547699.

4.   Kanakasabhai, V. (1989). The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 8120601505.

5.   Mukerji, Mohan (1982). Non-story of a Chief Secretary During Emergency, Et Cetera. Associated Pub. House.

6.   The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 20-21. 1971. pp. 1908–1909.

7.   Sharma, Mathura Lal (1971). Rajasthan. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India.. p. 191. http://books.google.com/?id=TO56v-CMN_cC&dq=meenas+of+rajasthan&q=meenas.

8.   Kapur, Nandini Sinha (May 2008). Reconstructing Identities and Situating Themselves in History : A Note on the Meenas of Jaipur Region. d'échange bilatéral franco-indien durant le mois de mai 2008. http://www.reseau-asie.com/cgi-bin/prog/pform.cgi?langue=en&ID_document=2854&TypeListe=showdoc&Mcenter=agenda&my_id_societe=1&PRINTMcenter=.

9.   Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Correspondence and Select Documents By Rajendra Prasad, Valmiki Choudhary Published by Allied Publishers, 1984 ISBN 81-7023-002-0, 9788170230021

10.  Mina or Meenas. britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9052787/Mina.

11.   Kishwar, Madhu (1994). ‘Codified Hindu Law. Myth and Reality ‘,. Economics and political weekly,..

12.  Agrwal, Bina (1989). ‘Rural Women, Poverty and Natural Resources’,. Economics and political weekly,..

13.  Alfred Comyn, Lyall (1996). Asiatic Studies. Religious and Social". Series 1. Published by Adamant Media Corporation. ISBN 1402163576, 9781402163579.http://books.google.com/?id=UwJl3SuohXMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=meenas.

14.  Chandarao, Ramnath. History of Chandavanshi Meenas. http://ashishmeena.co.uk/chanda-meena-history/.

15.  Digges La Touche, James John (1875). Report on the settlement of the Ajmere & Mhairwarra districts. Original from Oxford University. http://books.google.com/?id=WnLiPiPPEowC&dq=meenas+of+rajasthan.

16.  James, Tod (1993). Annals and Atiquities of Rajasthan. Calcutta: Rupa. ISBN 81-7167-366-X.

17.  James, Tod (1993). The Central and Western Rajpoot States of India. Calcutta: Rupa. ISBN 81-7167-366-X.

18.  [Letters in a Mahratta Camp During the Year, 1809, By Thomas Duer Broughton, ISBN 81-206-1008-3]

19.  Jaipur - Administration The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1908, v. 13, p. 397.

20. Brown, Mark (2004). Crime, Liberalism and Empire: Governing the Mina Tribe of Northern India. Social Legal Studies 2004 13: 191 218. ISBN 1402163576.

21.  People of India Hayana Volume XXIII edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 342 to 354 Manohar

22.  Satish, Chandra (1996). Historiography, Religion, and State in Medieval India. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 8124100357.

Extra References

1.    "Rajasthan" by Pauline Lynden ISBN 978-2-84323-446-0.

2.   "Impressions of Rajasthan" ISBN 2-08-011171-X

3.   "Rajasthan". By Monique Choy, Sarina Singh

4.   "Dishonoured by History: 'Criminal Tribes' and British Colonial Policy" By Meena Radhakrishna, Published 2001, Orient Longman, 192 pages, ISBN 978-81-250-2090-5

5.   "Historiography, Religion, and State in Medieval India" By Satish Chandra, Published 1996 Har-Anand Publications ISBN 81-241-0035-7

6.   "Asiatic Studies. Religious and Social". Series 1 By Alfred Comyn Lyall, ISBN 1-4021-6357-6 Google Book

7.   India, Its People and Their Secular State, By Ram Gopal, Published 1987, Criterion Publications, India, 460 pages.

8.   Cultural Heritage of Rajasthan By Manohara Prabhākara, Published 1972, Panchsheel Prakashan, Rajasthan (India), 138 pagesOriginal

9.   Brown, Mark. 'Crime, Liberalism and Empire : Governing the Mina Tribe of Northern India'. Social & Legal Studies, 13:2 (2004), 191-218. Publisher: Sage Publications. ISSN 09646639.