Chapter 2

TRIBAL COMMUNITY: AN OVERVIEW

Page No.
2.1. Introduction 40
2.2. An Overview of Tribes of India 41
2.2.1. Demographic Profile 41
2.2.2. Regional Variations 45
2.2.3. Community life 46
2.2.4. Religious Life 47
2.2.5. Tribal Economy 47
2.3. Profile of Gujarat 48
2.3.1 Introduction 48
2.3.2. Tribes of Gujarat 53
2.4. Profile of the Dangs 56
2.4.1. Introduction 56
2.4.2. History and Culture 57
2.4.3. Population 58
2.4.4. Economy 61
2.4.5. Geographical Location 61
2.4.6. Land Use 62
2.4.7. Education 64
2.4.8. Health 65
2.4.9. Basic Infrastructure and Amenities 66
2.5. Tribal Communities of the Dangs 70
2.5.1. Dangs Bhil 70
2.5.2. Kokanas 73
2.5.3. Kotwadia 75
2.5.4. Varli 79
2.5.5. Gamit 80
2.5.6. Kathodi and Kolcha (Koldha) 84

35
 Chapter 2

TRIBAL COMMUNITY: AN OVERVIEW

2.1. Introduction

Adivasi is a generic term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal

groups believed to be the aboriginal population, a substantial indigenous
minority, of India. Adivasi carries the specific meaning being the original
and aboriginal inhabitants of a given region, and was specifically coined
for that purpose in the 1930s. Over a period of time, unlike the terms
"aborigines" or "tribes", the word "Adivasi" has also developed a
connotation of past autonomy which was disrupted during the British
colonial period in India and which has not been restored. It should also be
noted that in North-east India, the term Adivasi applies only to the ‘Tea-
tribes’ imported from Central India during colonial times, while all tribal
groups refer collectively to themselves by using the English word
"tribes”.

Tribal societies are particularly present in the Indian states of Orissa,

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal,
northeastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

They are officially recognized by the Indian government as the

"Scheduled Tribes" in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
India has the largest concentration of tribal population anywhere in the
world excepting perhaps Africa. According to the 2001 census,
population of the schedule tribes in the country was 8.43 crores.
Constituting about 8.2 percent of the total population, approximately
there is one tribe-man for every thirteen Indians. They occupy around 15
percent of the total geographical area of the country, sally in difficult and
inhospitable terrain in the hills and valleys. Schedule Tribes in India are
broadly composed of 250 tribal groups speaking about 105 languages and
225 dialects. Though there may be variations within the tribal community
in India, this chapter presents a macro-view of tribal community in India
and as well as that of Gujarat.
Commercial forestry, mining and intensive agriculture have proved
destructive to the forests that have endured spread of these activities for
many centuries. Many smaller tribal groups are quite sensitive to
ecological degradation caused by such exploitation and resultant
modernization.

36
2.2. An Overview of Tribes of India
2.2.1. Demographic Profile
India has the largest concentration of tribal population anywhere in the
world except perhaps in Africa. The tribal population of the country, as
per the 2001 census, is 8.43 crore, constituting 8.2 percent of the total
population (Table 2.1). The population of tribes had grown at the rate of
24.45 percent during the period 1991-2001. They occupy around 15
percent of the total geographical area of the country, usually in difficult
and inhospitable terrain in the hills and valleys. The scheduled tribes in
India are broadly composed of 250 tribal groups speaking about 105
languages and 225 dialects. The scheduled tribes in India have been
specified, as per provisions contained in Article 342 of the Constitutions
of India, in 30 States/Union Territories. Tribal generally inhabit the forest
and hills areas and they are the worst among the exploited sections of the
society.
The following Table 2.1 shows percentage of population of tribes over
the decades:
Table 2.1
Tribal Population Census wise Growth Rate in India
Years Tribal Population % of the population
1881 6426511 2.58
1891 9112018 3.23
1901 8484148 2.92
1911 10295165 3.28
1921 9775000 3.09
1931 8080000 3.09
1941 25441489 3.26
1951 19147054 5.30
1961 30130184 6.86
1971 38015162 6.94
1981 51628638 7.53
1991 67758380 8.08
2001 84326240 8.20
Source: Gujarat: A portrait population by C.C. Doctor, University book production board,
Gujarat, p.150 – Socio-economic Review, Gujarat (2009)

They were enumerated throughout the country except in Haryana, Punjab,

Chandigarh, Delhi and Pondicherry where the tribal are not scheduled
tribes. More than half of the Scheduled Tribe population is concentrated
in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa,
Jharkhand and Gujarat. State-wise population of tribal can be seen in
Table 2.2. It shows that the largest number of tribal-around 12 million-

37
reside in Madhya Pradesh, which is about 20.3 percent of the country's
total tribal population. Tribal communities live in about 15 percent of the
country’s areas, in various ecological and geo-climatic conditions ranging
from plains and forests to hills and inaccessible areas. Tribal groups are at
different stages of social, economic and educational development. While
some tribal communities have adopted a mainstream way of life, at the
other end of the spectrum, there are certain Scheduled Tribes, 75 in
number, known as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. (Page 24,
Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Annual Report, 2008-09. The census 2001 has
identified 578 tribes in India. In 1950 the number of the Scheduled
Tribes was 212. Since 1891, variation in the tribal population was
observed as they were counted under different names and heads. In 1891,
the number of these tribal was estimated to be nearly 1.6 crores. In 1931,
the number of the tribals of India and Burma was a little over 2.46 crores.
After Partition, the tribal population as determined by the Constitutional
(Determination of Population) Order, 1950 was 00.83 crores. In the 1951
census, their number rose to 1.91 crores which was 5.36 percent of the
country's total population. The 1951 Census after following a policy to
discourage community distinction based on caste stopped recording name
of the tribes and tribal was enumerated as whether he belonged to
Scheduled Tribe group in general.

The tribals in Lakshadweep and Mizoram constitute more than 90 percent

of the population, more than 80 percent in Meghalaya and Nagaland,
more than 60-80 percent of the total population in Arunachal Pradesh and
Dadra and Nagar Haveli, between 20 and 40 percent in Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, Orissa. Sikkim, Manipur and Tripura, more
than 10 percent in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam and less than 5 percent
in Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Kerala and Tamilnadu, Goa, and Uttar
Pradesh. As can be seen, in six states and union territories (Arunachal
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Lakshadweepa and Dadra and
Nagar Haveli) the tribals are in majority.

Among the Scheduled Tribes, numerically the most important are the
'Gonds of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the 'Bhils'
of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and the Santhals
of Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. The smallest tribal community is the
Andamanese, with the numerical strength of only 26770. The other
numerically important tribes are the 'Bhils', the Gonds, the 'Santhals, the
'Meenas', the 'Mundas1 and the 'Oraons'. The 'Hos', the 'Khonds' and the
‘Kols’ are also numerically significant.

38
 Table 2.2
State-wise Population of Scheduled Tribes in India, 2001

Sr. State/U.T. Total Tribal Percentage of Percentage of

No. Population Population State India’s tribal
population population
India 1028610328 84326240 8.2 8.2
1. Jammu and Kashmir 10143700 1105979 10.9 1.31
2. Himachal Pradesh 6077900 244587 4.0 0.29
3. Punjab 24358999 - - -
4. Chandigarh 900635 - - -
5. Uttaranchal 8489649 256129 3.0 0.30
6. Haryana 21144564 - - -
7. Delhi 13850507 - - -
8. Rajasthan 56507188 7097706 12.6 8.42
9. Uttar Pradesh 166197921 107963 0.1 0.13
10. Bihar 82998509 758351 0.9 0.90
11. Sikkim 540851 111405 20.6 0.13
12. Arunachal Pradesh 1097698 705158 64.2 0.84
13. Nagaland 1990036 1774026 89.1 2.10
14. Mizoram 888573 839310 94.5 1.00
15. Manipur 2166788 741141 34.2 0.88
16. Tripura 3199203 993436 31.1 1.18
17. Meghalaya 2318822 1992862 85.9 2.36
18. Assam 26655528 3308570 12.4 3.92
19. West Bengal 80176197 4406794 5.5 5.23
20. Jharkhand 26945829 7087068 26.3 8.40
21. Orissa 36804660 8145081 22.1 9.66
22. Chhattisgarh 20833803 6616596 31.8 7.85
23. Madhya Pradesh 60348023 12233474 20.3 14.51
24. Gujarat 50671017 7481160 14.8 8.87
25. Daman and Diu 158204 13997 8.8 0.00
26. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 220490 137225 62.2 0.16
27. Maharashtra 96878627 8577276 8.9 10.17
28. Andhra Pradesh 76210007 5024104 6.6 5.96
29. Karnataka 52850562 3463986 6.6 4.11
30. Goa 1347668 566 0.0 0.0
31. Lakshadweep 60650 57321 94.5 0.09
32. Kerala 31841374 364189 1.1 0.43
33. Tamil Nadu 62405679 651321 1.0 0.77
34. Pondicherry 974345 - - -
Andaman and Nicobar
35. 356152 29469 8.3 0.04
Island

Source: Census of India, 2001.

39
2.2.2. Regional Variations

The tribes which are dispersed all over the country speak different
languages and dialects. They also differ from one another in racial,
socio-economic and cultural aspects. The Proto-Australia racial type is
the dominant racial type among the Indian tribal communities except
those living in the sub-Himalayan belt. A Negroid element is also found
in some parts of the South Indian tribes. Dravidian is the most
predominant language used by the tribes in South India. Tibeto-Burmese
languages are spoken by tribes in Eastern India and North Eastern
regions.

The Indian tribes living in different regions can be divided into six
territorial groups as follows:

Central Region

Many tribal communities like the Gond, Santhal, Bhumji, Ho, Oraon,
Munda, and Korwa live in the older hills and Chhota Nagar plateau along
the dividing lines between peninsular India. The tribes found in the Indo-
genetic basin and areas comprising the states of Bihar, Orissa, Madhya
Pradesh, and West Bengal mostly belong to the proto-Australoid racial
stock.

Western Region

Many Tribes , important being tribes like Bhils, racially belonging to the
proto-Australoid group are found in the states like Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Goa and Union territories like the Daman and Diu, Dadra
and Nagar Haveli.

Southern Region

Tribes like Cherichu, Irula, Kadar, Kota, Toda and others having
Negrito, Caucasoid and proto-Australoid or mixed physical features live
in region covering the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh.

Central and Western Sub Himalayan Region

Tribes like Lepcha, Rabhu, Tharu and other tribes mostly belonging to
Mongoloid race are found in the region comprising the states of Sikkim,

40
Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and
Kashmir.

Eastern sub Himalayan Region

Abor, Garo, Khasi, Kuku and others who mostly belong to the Mongoloid
racial stock are found in the mountain valleys and other areas of North-
Eastern India covering the states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

Island Regions

A number tribes, some of them endangered like Great Andamanese,

Onge, Nicobarese, belonging to Negrito and Mangoloid racial origin live
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands live.

2.2.3. Community life

The social life of the tribal involves methods of grouping and grading
people for the effective conduct of and sharing in common activities.
They have their own structure and organisation. Their relations are direct
and intimate as they form a small community in a particular territory. The
tribes of North-eastern Himalayan region are known by a few generic
names. The other groups of the tribes known by a common name are the
Gonds, Bhils and Gadabas of middle and western India.

The social class and hierarchy are common in middle and western and
central Himalayas regions. So is the case in middle and western India.
The lineage grouping is however more common in middle India.

Tribes like Khasi and Garo of Meghalaya and the Kedar, Kanikkar and
Manrian living in Kerala and the borders of Tamilnadu, and the original
inhabitants of Lakshadweep practice matrilineal system. The custom of
polyandry is seen in the Himalayan region except in the north-eastern
part i.e. from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir in the North-West running
through 'Lahaut' and Spiti, Kangra, Chamba, Kullu, Mandi in Himachal
Pradesh, Chakarata in Uttar Pradesh and Siang district in Arunachal
Pradesh. The other area of Polyandry is in the Niligiri Hills of
Tamilnadu.

2.2.4. Religious Life

Tribals worship all types of benevolent or malevolent spirits. The
ancestral spirits who are believed to mediate between the tribesmen and

41
the gods, claim worship from their off-springs their huts, villages and
fields and forests are all full of scared centres. They observe different
rituals, mainly on the occasion of birth, marriage and death as a part life.

In recent times they have increasingly adopted practices from other faiths
especially from Hinduism and Christianity. It may be noted that even
when cultural differences can be observed among various tribes, there is
a basic unity in their thought and philosophy.

2.2.5. Tribal Economy

Most tribes live in forested and mountain areas. Their economy till now
was subsistence agriculture or hunting and gathering. They would trade
with outsiders for basic things like salt and iron and cooking utensils.

For tribal land was viewed as a common resource, free to whoever

needed it. In the beginning of the 20th century, on account of improved
transportation and communications and opening of these areas for
settlement and free cultivation by the British, large tribal areas were taken
over by non-tribals by way registration of title. Tribals hardly got the
opportunity to lay claim to lands of which they were the owners for
centuries. By the time, The British and the post-independence
governments realized the need of protecting tribals from huge land
alienation and predation by outsiders, the damage had already been done.
Even after independence they kept on losing their land in development
projects, mining and fraudulent leases, forfeiture for debts and even
forgery of documents in connivance with officials. Improved roads
coupled with state policing brought in traders and shopkeepers who
established a system of loot, debt, land alienation and exploitation. The
policy of reserve and protected forests has played havoc with economy
and life-style of all tribal communities in India.

Non-tribals have not only illegally occupied areas in the tribal heartland,
some of them have themselves declared as tribals as a part of vote
politics. Even today, the political will to evict them simply lacks. If
eviction is done, it is in case of poor and low caste people. Tribes in the
Himalayan foothills have not been as hard-pressed by the intrusions of
non-tribal.

Only, the northern tribes have saved themselves from this onslaught of
exploitation by the state and non-tribals. They have made significant
economic progress unlike their brethren in other parts of India and South
Asia. The recent admission of failure to address the issue of tribal

42
development by the Prime Minister of India speaks volumes on
dichotomy between constitutional ideals and practice.

2.3. Profile of Gujarat

2.3.1 Introduction
One of the provinces of India, Gujarat state has an encircling international
boundary in the form of Arabian Sea and a common border with Pakistan
at the north-western fringe. The two deserts, one north of Kutch and the
other between Kutch and the mainland Gujarat are saline wastes. It is one
of the fastest growing and richest states of India. With just 5 percent of
India’s population it has attained a dizzy height of success within a few
decades of its separation from Mumbai in 1960. Gujarat has an
impressive track record with development since thousands of years. It
was always a front runner in international trade. Its 4500 years old Lothal
port is a testimony to this. It has grown rapidly after 1960 when it was
carved out of Mumbai State. It is considered one of the most urbanised
and industrialised states of India. In recent times GDP Growth of Gujarat
has showed a 12.79 percent, a national best against India's 9 percent
growth. Continuous good rainfall year after year in the last decade and
innovative programmes and strategies in water harvesting, agriculture
extension and awareness campaigns in modern practices has transformed
agriculture sector and Gujarat has witnessed 11.2 percent growth rate in
agriculture compared to nation’s 2.5 percent. Huge investment has
continued to come to Gujarat following biannual Vibrant Gujarat
Summits which has drawn attention of the nation and the world.

Its track record in Mandays lost is impressive: India lost 46 lakh mandays
in industrial output while it was a just 87,000 for Gujarat (0.018 percent)
its schemes like Jyoti Gram Yojana has ensured 100 percent Rural
Electrification against 82 percent at all-India level. In education it has
achieved 100 percent enrolment and was 2.98 percent against Nation's
average of 9.36 percent. Its Per Capita Income against the national
average of ` 33,283 was ` 45,773.

The State has a long coast line of about 1600 km., the longest among all
states of the country. From administration point of view, Gujarat State at
present consists of 26 districts having 18,618 villages and 242 towns. The
peninsula part of Gujarat is traditionally known as Saurashtra. It is
essentially a hilly tract covered with low mountains. Kutch, one of the
fastest growing regions of Gujarat after the devastating earthquake, on the
north east is barren and rocky and contains the famous Rann (desert) of
Kachchh, the big Rann in the north and the little Rann in the east. The

43
mainland extending from the Rann of Kachchh and the Aravalli Hills to
the river Damanganga is, on the whole, a level plain of alluvial soil.

The Arabian Sea is the part of the Indian Ocean. It was known as the
Sindhu Sagar to Indians since the Vedic period of Indian history. It has
two important branches: the Gulf of Aden in the southwest, connecting
with the Red Sea through the strait of Bad-el-Mandeb; and the Gulf of
Oman to the northwest, connecting with the Persian Gulf. Besides, there
are the gulfs of Khambhat and Kutch on the Indian coast.

Ocean trade routes have crisscrossed the Arabian Sea since the ancient
times, linking the Middle East with East Africa, India, Southeast Asia,
and China. Historically, sailors in a type of country craft called ‘dhow’
used the seasonal Monsoon winds to cross the sea. The sea forms part of
the chief shipping route between Europe and India via the Suez Canal,
which links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.
Situated on the west coast of India between 20.6 N to 24.42' N north
latitude and 68.10' E to 74.28' E east longitude, Gujarat state came into
existence as a separate State on 1st May 1960. It is bounded by the
Arabian Sea in the West, by the States of Rajasthan in the North and
North-East, by Madhya Pradesh in the East and by Maharashtra in the
South and South East. Gujarat has geographical area of 1,96,024 sq. kms
and accounts for 6.19 percent of the total area of the country.
The rainfall received in the state varies from region to region, and on the
basis of rainfall received, the state has been divided into 8 Agro-climatic
zones. The climate of the state is tropical; however, it gets considerably
moderated due to the long coast line. The temperature ranges between
1oC to 46oC.
Gujarat has a glorious history of once flourishing, the Indus Valley
civilization. More than fifty Harappan sites are found in Gujarat.
Dholavira, Lothal, Rangpur, Lakhabaval, Rozdi etc., are among some of
the important sites. New sites are being found with periodic regularity.
The Dravidian tribes were said to be the original inhabitants of this
region. Gujarat traders of this area have long history of trade contracts
with Sumer, the Persian Gulf and other areas from 1000- 750 BC. Ashoka
extended his domain upto Gujarat as indicated by his rock edicts in the
Girnar hills in Saurashtra. Influence of Buddhism was at height during the
Mauryan rule. The Mauryans also promoted trade and helped spread its
culture. In about 150 BC, the Greeks under Meander is said to have ruled
over this region. Till 40 AD, the region had trade contacts with Rome.
From about AD 130-390, the Scythians and After 300 AD, the Guptas
44
ruled this region, the later lasting till 460 AD. The Vallabhi had strong
presence in this region in between 500-700 AD. After the death of
Harshvardhana, the most famous among the Gupta rulers, the Gujjars
ruled till 746 AD. In the new millennium, the Solankis, a strong dynasty
ruled over Gujarat till 1143.
Attacks of Muhammad of Ghazni on Somnath, a temple famous for its
riches resulted in the disintegration of this dynasty. The conquest of Ala-
ud-din Khilji, king of Delhi in 1288 also led to their sway over Gujarat
from 1298-1392 AD. Ahmad Shah I, the first independent Muslim ruler
of Gujarat founded Ahmadabad in 1411. Marathas ended the rule of
Mughals of about two centuries (till the mid 18th century). Gujarat
splintered into a number of small princely royalties during the 18th
century. The British East India Company set up its first trade centre at
Surat in India much earlier. In early 19th century, the British set up their
administration and consolidated its domination over almost all chiefs of
Gujarat.

Gujarat became part of Mumbai state with Saurashtra as a separate state

and Kutch as ‘C’ state at the time of independence. It remained so till
May 1, 1960 when the state of Gujarat was formed after a protracted
Maha Gujarat agitation for a separate state.

Gujarat was in the fore front for the struggle for India's independence.
Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai
and K.M. Munshi came from Gujarat. It was also the site of the most
popular Satyagrahas (agitations), including Satyagraha in Kheda,
Bardoli, Borsad and the famous Dandi March and the Salt Satyagraha.
Sabarmati Ashram of Ahmedabad was epicenter of all activities, ideas
and movements in the struggle of independence.

Important demographic indicators of Gujarat are summarized as follows:

The provisional figures, available from Census 2011 as given in Table

2.3, show population at 6.03 crores. Its decadal growth has gone down to
19.17 percent in 2011 from 22.66 percent in 2001. Our study district’s
population in 2011 stands at 2.27 lakhs with sharp decrease in decadal
growth from 29.59 in 2001 to 21.44 percent in 2011. Table 2.4 shows
decadal variation for Gujarat as well as the Dangs. From Table 2.5 which
gives literacy figures since 1951, it can be seen that there is almost 10
percent increase in literacy rate in 2011 to 79.31 percent compared to
figures of 2001.

45
 Table 2.3
Distribution of Population, Decadal Growth Rate, Sex Ratio
and Population Density for Gujarat State and the Dangs
Dist. State/ Population 2011 Percentage Sex-Ratio Population
Code District decadal growth (Number of Density per
rate of Females per sq.km
1000 Males)
Persons Males Females 1991- 2001- 2001 2011 2001 2011
01 11
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
60,383,62 31,482,28 28,901,34
24 Gujarat 22.66 19.17 920 918 258 308
8 2 6
The
22 226,769 112,976 113,793 29.59 21.44 987 1007 106 129
Dangs
* For calculation of sex ratio total males and others as males used
Source: Census of India, 2011

Table 2.4
Percentage Decadal Variation in Population for Gujarat
State and the Dangs: 1901 – 2011

District State/ Percentage Decadal Variation

Code District 1901-11 1911-21 1921-31 1931-41 1941-51 1951-61 1961-71 1971-81 1981-91 1991-01 2001-11

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
24 Gujarat 7.79 3.79 12.92 19.25 18.69 26.88 29.39 27.67 21.19 22.66 19.17
The
22 57.58 16.54 38.74 20.13 17.51 51.36 31.60 20.68 26.77 29.59 21.44
Dangs
Source: Census of India, 2011

Table 2.5
Literacy Rate of Gujarat State 1951 – 2011*
Year Persons Males Females
1 2 3 4
1951 21.82 30.32 12.87
1961 31.47 42.49 19.74
1971 36.95 47.6-0 25.56
1981 44.92 55.95 33.20
1991 61.29 73.13 48.64
2001 69.14 79.66 57.80
2011 79.31 87.23 70.73
*Literacy rates for 1951, 1961 and 1971 related to population aged five years and
above. The rates for the years 1981 to 2011 related to the population aged seven years
and above.
Source: Census of India, 2011

46
2.3.2. Tribes of Gujarat

Entire tribal belt of Gujarat can be divided into three zones, i.e. North
Zone, Central Zone and South Zone. While the North Zone comprising of
Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts has 8 percent of total tribal
population of the state, the Central Zone comprising of Panchmahal,
Dahod and Baroda districts accommodates 36 percent of the total tribal
population of the state and the South Zone comprising of Narmada,
Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and the Dang districts houses 53 percent
of total tribal population. Only 3 percent of the tribal population is spread
out in the rest of districts of Gujarat. Literacy rate amongst tribal is 36.45
percent as per 1991 census. 14 percent land in tribal areas is cultivable.
Similarly, only 25 percent of land in tribal areas is forest land. There are
26.30 percent (6,88,880) tribal families living below poverty line. There
are only 41.03 percent tribal villages having drinking water facility

Although there is a strong monitoring mechanism under TSP and the

number of beneficiaries covered every year is quite impressive, the
challenges and the failures of tribal development efforts in Gujarat, even
after 60 years of independence, can be summarized as follows:

Literacy

Literacy among ST families is 20 percent less than the State average

(2001 census) whereas among SC, it is 20 percent higher than ST literacy
rate. Recent initiatives like Kanya Kelavani Yatra Programme (Girl Child
Enrolment Drive) and adoption of such areas by senior bureaucrats has
shown encouraging results as per the 2011 census.

Backward Areas

ITDP Talukas (blocks) reflect predominantly in the list of backward

Talukas identified by Cowlagi and IG Patel Committees appointed by the
Government of Gujarat. Even when public services have been provided in
tribal areas, the problem of low fund allocation for the poor for education
and health, accessibility and lack of voice of poor and poor service
delivery are some of the serious issues which have been observed by the
World Bank.

Poverty

Tribal families are 2.5 times more represented in the BPL list than the
overall State population, if the respective population is considered.

47
The income levels poor tribal families are so low that starch-based food is
their main intake, leading to poor nutrition. Food insecurity and
malnutrition is common among tribals and they spend at least 70 to 80
percent of their income on food. Naturally they have little surplus fund
for health, education, sanitization and asset formation. In contrast, middle
class urban families spend only about 10 to 30 percent of their in income
on food leaving with them sizable funds for other developmental
indicators.

Agriculture being able to hardly meet subsistence needs, tribals engages

in multiple sources of livelihood i.e. collection of forest produce, animal
husbandry in form of small livestock. The phenomenon of migration to
other areas including urban areas requires serious attention. Recent
studies indicate that nearly 30 percent of tribals of Gujarat migrate during
lean season. Though at adds to their income, it has serious impact on
socio-economic life of tribals and their access to education, health and
other developmental programmes.

Banks and other agencies have failed to come up with thoughtful schemes
with forward and backward linkages leading to financial exclusion. Their
attitude towards tribals is that of mistrust and that of people with no
capacity to use loan effectively and repay.

Though gender based disparities are less pronounced in tribal areas with
best sex ratio in Gujarat. However tribal woman also face certain
discriminations in area of wages and access and control over land, credit,
income, technology, education, health and skilled work. They shoulder
heavy burden of house work and outside work compared to their male
counterpart.

Lack of Awareness
A survey conducted by Talim Research Foundation shows that lack of
awareness is a major bottleneck in improving the access and outreach of
development schemes.
The details of different tribal groups are as given below:

48
 Table 2.6
Tribe wise Population of Gujarat State*
Total Census Percentage share in
Sr.
Taluka Population(statistics) Population
No.
1971 1981 1981 1991
1 Bhil 1451777 2030438 40.80 38.38
2 Dubla 381542 460858 12.20 10.40
3 Dhodiya 358970 449129 10.01 9.61
4 Gamit 276419 250837 5.77 7.40
5 Naykada Nayak 234946 280231 3.92 6.19
6 Rathva 192650 305640 4.92 5.16
Chaudhra-
7 177155 225361 5.31 4.74
Chaudhari
8 Kokana-Kunbi 146796 238725 3.99 3.93
9 Dhanka 138858 185091 4.65 3.72
10 Vareli 126108 152983 3.64 4.38
11 Pateliya 48763 70230 1.42 1.31
12 Koli (Kutch) 30241 47877 0.83 0.18
Koli Dhor
13 12902 62232 0.59 0.79
(Kolgha)
14 Vitoliya 4758 17750 0.32 0.35
15 Padhar 4693 10587 0.11 -
16 Rabari 4693 5047 0.18 -
17 Vaghri 4487 7806 0.15 -
18 Sidi 4482 5420 0.13 -
19 Kathodi 2939 2456 0.08 -
20 Parghi 2885 4416 0.10 -
21 Parghi, 2684 213 - -
22 Bavcha 2383 3714 0.08 -
23 Charan 1700 1426 0.04 -
24 Bhil 1227 1227 - -
25 Bharwad 531 519 - -
26 Gond 619 1056 - -
27 Pomla 300 344 - -
28 Barda 53 757 - -
29 Unclassified - 5845 0.46 -
Total - 484586 100 % -
* The new census 2011 is likely to give the latest tribe wise information.
Source: Census of India, Vol.1, Part 2 A (ii) 1963.
2.4. Profile of the Dangs

2.4.1. Introduction

The Dangs is the southern most district of Gujarat state. The Dangs
district was included in Gujarat State on May 1, 1960. Before this, at the
time of independence, it was included in Bombay Province. The Dangs is

49
also known as ‘Dandakaranya’ which has been mentioned in the epic
Ramayana as a forest in which Ram and Sita spent 12 years of their exile.

It is situated between the parallels of latitude 20.39 to 21.5 and longitude

72.29 to 73.51 and at the altitude of 1500 feet to 2000 feet from mean sea
level.

The Dangs is one of the most backward districts of Gujarat State

considering indicators like agriculture, irrigation, education, health, living
standard etc. The region is extremely poor and it has only about 13.68
percent of total arable land under irrigation, which is very low as
compared with the state (36 percent of total arable land). The district is
educationally backward with a comparatively low rural literacy rate
(59.65 percent) with a major part under the poverty line. However, the
region has a great potential for the development of forest and natural
resources, which, if utilized properly, may substantially improve the
living condition of the rural poor, particularly, small and marginal tribal
farmers and agricultural labourers.

The Dangs district abounds in forest which occupies 53 percent of its

total area. The Dangs is rich in timber as most of the trees are teak of
high quality. The protected forest has been subjected to intermittent and
rotational cultivation in reserved forest area neither lopping nor timber
cutting is allowed. The tree growth has obviously disappeared due to
cultivation and lopping.

The Dangs produces important natural products: timber, firewood,

charcoal, industrial wood, bamboo, gum, fruits, flowers, honey, herbs and
medicinal plants.

The main sources of water are the wells, river and hand-pump. All the
villages have drinking water facility. Further, it is not that the rivers in
the district are full of water throughout the year. In the summer, this
source of water gets dried up and most of the villages in this district do
not get water facility throughout the year. It is a peculiarity of the Dangs
district that even though it gets the highest rainfall among all the districts,
it satisfies only the immediate needs of the people because all the rivers
like Ambica, Poorna, Gira and Khapri and streams, culverts etc. overflow
with water during monsoon but as there are only a few big reservoirs or
check dams and as the absorption capacity of land is low, the rain water
can not be collected and stored and as overwhelming part of it flows
away towards the Arabian Sea in the plain areas outside the district. Thus
water has become a rare asset for the district and to solve this problem,

50
the activities of constructing check dams and big reservoirs will have to
be accelerated.

2.4.2. History and Culture

The Dangs was originally inhabited by the Dangs Bhils. In common

parlance, the Dangs means a place of bamboo. It also means a hilly
village opposed to the plain area (Masavi and Pandya 1986: 4). It is
situated in the hilly South Gujarat. The Dang has highest forest cover in
Gujarat with an area of 1055.57 sq. km. of its total area of 1764 square
km of reserve and protected forest. Not much is known about the history
of the Dang, except that it was controlled by small principalities of four
Bhil Rajas (chiefs) and 10 Bhil Naiks (small chiefs). After acquisition of
Khandesh, a neighboring area in 1842, the British acquired the Dang
forest on lease from the chiefs through dubious ways. After the renewal
of the leases in 1862, the chiefs lost most of the powers (Patel 1971:3).

Every year, just before Holi, the Dangis gather in thousands in the district
headquarter of Ahwa for a joyful fair full of dancing and singing. This
annual festival known as ‘the Dangs Durbar’ dates back to pre
independence days, to the times of the British, when the political agent
used to pay an annual payment to the local rulers, the Rajas (chieftains)
and Naiks, for access to their land and exploitation of the rich forests. In
modern times, the festival has become a long celebration of local folk
culture, with hypnotic and energetic dances symbolic of various birds or
animals and lots of songs and dramas accompanied by flutes, drums and
other musical instruments.

The Dangi dance is now known all over India and is a place of pride in all
state and national level cultural events. The tribal troupes regularly travel
abroad to perform. Holi is the main festival of the Dangs. Even migrating
families come back for this festival. Tamasha a folk dance form is hugely
popular of late. Dangi is the native language of the tribals. The Dangi is a
sub-group of Khandesi, which belongs to the Indo-Aryan language
family.

The Dangis were originally very poor, having few material possessions
and survived by gathering food from the forests. They had no time for
intellectual pursuit, but sought livelihood only to survive. They lived a
hard life in the mountainous forests, causing them to become
individualistic and somewhat introverted. Nevertheless, their love of
freedom has made them a people of strong character.

51
2.4.3. Population

In the first census of 1872, 7,426 Bhil, 6517 Kokana, 2491 Varli and 302
Gamit were counted (Census 1872, p.632). As per Table 2.7, the total
population of the Dangs district, as per 2001 Census, is 1,86,729 out of
which 93,974 are males and 92,755 are females. The Dangs district
accounts for 0.37 percent of the State's population. This comprises
1,75,079 (93.76 percent) Scheduled Tribes, 921 (0.49 percent) Scheduled
Castes and 10,729 (5.15 percent) others. The sex ratio of the district is
987 females per 1000 males as per 2001 Census. The population density
in 1991 was 349 persons per sq. km. which has increased to 449 persons
per sq. km in 2001. There is no urban area in the Dangs district.

The major tribes found in the district include Bhil, Kokana, Varli, and
Gamits. There are also other numerically smaller tribal groups such as
Nayaks, Kathodias and Kolcha (Koldha). The Kotwadia, Kathodi and
Koldha are declared as primitive tribes.

Table 2.7
Demographic Details (2001)
Sr. No. Demographic Detail Figures/ Caste Name
(1) (2) (3)
1. Total population 1,86,729
2. Total male population 93,974
3. Total female population 92,755
4. Total rural population 1,86,729
5. Total urban population Nil
6. Total tribal population 1,75,079
7. Total Families 38,472
8. No of BPL families (as per 1991 survey) 33,968 (86.89%)
9. Major tribes Bhil, Konkana, Varli,
10. Sex ratio (female per 1000 male) 987
11. Population density 106 sq.km.
12. Last Decadal growth 29.59%
Source: Census, 2001

As per provisional 2011 Census figures of the Dangs (Table 2.8), it has
only rural population with 311 villages and has registered population of
2,26,769 persons. It has shown tremendous improvement in literacy.

52
 Table 2.8
Ranking Population and Number of Literates and Literacy
Rate for State and Districts: 2011
Total Population Population in age group 0-6 Number of literates* Literacy rate#
Sl. State/
No. District
P M F P M F P M F P M F

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

24 Gujarat 53,175,428 31,482,282 28,901,346 7,494,176 3,974,286 3,519,890 41,948,677 23,995,500 17,953,177 91.8 87.2 70.7

The
22 226,769 112,976 113,793 39,387 20,065 19,322 143,908 78,957 64,951 76.8 85 68.8
Dangs
Note: * Literates exclude children in the age group 0-6 years that were by definition treated as illiterate in the Census of
India 2011
#Literacy rate is the percentage of literates to total population aged 7 years and above.
#Literacy rate = Number of Literates / Population of age 7+*100

Table 2.9
Sex-Ratio for State and Districts: 1901-2011
Sl. State/ Sex-ratio since (Number of females per 1000 males)
No. District 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011
24 Gujarat 954 946 944 945 941 952 940 934 942 934 920 918
The
22 938 887 888 848 848 877 913 946 970 983 987 1007
Dangs
The Dangs has always has had a very healthy sex ratio. As against state
average of sex ratio of 918, the Dangs have improved its ratio from 987
to 1007, a trend being observed in the Dangs since 1931 (Table 2.9).
Table 2.10
Literacy Rates by Sex for State and District: 2001 and 2011
Literacy rate *
District State/
Persons Males Females
Code District
2001 2011 2001 2011 2001 2011
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
24 Gujarat 69.14 91.83 79.66 87.23 57.80 70.73
22 The Dangs 59.65 76.80 70.68 84.98 48.51 68.75
Note : * Literacy rate is the percentage of literates of population aged 7 years and above

As can be seen from the Table 2.10, the Literacy rate of the Dangs has
gone up to 76.80 percent in 2011 from 60.23 percent. This is quite
comparable to Gujarat rate of 79.31 percent. Even literacy rate has
improved by net 20.25 percent for women as against 14.28 percent for
male! Further, as can be seen from Table 2.11, the Dangs which was at
the bottom in the literacy in 2001 has improved its position to 12 in the
state. Even in female literacy, it has moved up to 14 in the state while it
ranks 15th in male literacy.

53
 Table 2.11
Ranking of Districts by Literacy Rate and Sex: 2011
Persons Males Females
Rank Literacy Literacy Literacy
District District District
Rate Rate Rate
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
12 Junagadh 76.88 Valsad 86.48 The Dangs 68.75
14 The Dangs 76.80 Junagadh 85.80 Junagadh 67.59
15 Porbandar 76.63 The Dangs 84.98 Amreli 66.97

Table 2.12
Ranking of Districts by Population Density, 2001 and 2011
Population
Rank in
District Density Rank in 2001
2011
2011 2001
1 2 3 4 5
25 The Dangs 129 106 25

As can be seen from Table 2.12, from population density point of view,
the Dangs have remained at the bottom with the lowest density of 129 in
2011 even when this is higher than 106 of 2011.

2.4.4. Economy

Tribal people lead a very simple life. Agriculture and forest form the back
bone of the economy of the district. These two sectors provide
employment to about 90 percent of the population; the rest is involved in
trade and commerce, cottage and household industry.

Of the total population, the main workers constitute 33.6 percent while
the marginal workers constitute 8.3 percent, thus covering 41.9 percent of
the population as workers where as 58.1 percent of the population is non-
workers. In the district, 93.8 percent of population is of schedule tribe
(Adivasi), thus placing the district as the highest Adivasi populated
district in Gujarat.

2.4.5. Geographical Location

The Dangs became a part of the Gujarat State during the bifurcation of
Bombay State on 1st May 1960. This district was initially placed under
the administrative control of the collector of Surat. Later on it was
constituted as a separate district of only one Taluka with headquarters at
54
Ahwa. The district is surrounded by Surat and Dhulia districts (Navapura)
(Maharashtra) in North, Nasik in the East and Thana District
(Maharashtra) in the South. In South east and West, it is flanked by
Vansada (Navsari District). There are 70 village Panchayats including 67
group village Panchayats for 311 villages.

Rain, Rivers & climate

(a) Rainfall

The Dangs district received annual rainfall of 1858 mm in the year 2007
spreading over a period of about 80 days. The maximum rainfall is
normally received in the months of July and August. About 87 percent of
annual rainfall in the district was received during the south west monsoon
i.e. between July and August in the year 2007. July is the rainiest month.

(b) Rivers

The area is composed of undulating and rolling hills which has proved
helpful in good drainage network. The important rivers are Purna,
Ambica Gira and Khapri. The drainage pattern of the rivers follows the
slope gradient of the region.

(c) Climate Characteristics

The maximum temperature was recorded 38° c in the months of May and
June 2007 while minimum temperature was recorded 13°c in the month
of January 2007. Thunderstorms occasionally occur in the latter half of
the summer and monsoon seasons.

2.4.6. Land Use

(a) Forests

The district is very rich in forest resources. Both Protected Forest (PF) as
well as Reserved Forest (RF) accounts for 85 percent of total land of the
Dangs. In the protected forest, people have been granted the rights of
cultivation. The remaining 53 percent forest land consists of RF. In RF
area, neither forest lopping nor timber cutting is allowed. The RF in the
Dangs is amongst the richest forests of Gujarat. It boasts of teak trees of
high quality. There is great biodiversity with Sadad, Khair, Khakhro,
Umbero, Rayan, Bamboo and many others timber species. It provides
important natural products like timber, Firewood, Charcoal, industrial

55
wood, gum, fruits, honey, herbs, and medicinal plants. The-forest of the
district has been classified as south Indian moist deciduous forest (38
percent) and southern dry deciduous forest (58 percent).

(b) Agriculture

Agriculture is largely rain-fed and predominated by Kharif crop. 35.76

percent of the total area of the Dangs is under cultivated land. This is
mostly protected forest but the rights of cultivation have been given to the
people. The land used for grazing (262 ha - 0.15 percent) and the
uncultivable waste land (1524 ha - 0.88 percent) comprises a very small
part of the total land.

(i) Cropping Pattern

The Dangs mainly cultivates food crops largely for self
consumption. Agriculture is mainly rain fed due to lack of
irrigation. Hence, percentage of cash crops cultivated in the Dangs
has always been quite negligible. Majority of the farmers take only
one crop in Kharif (2003-04), the area under cultivation of Ragi
(Nagli) was 32.16 percent, followed by paddy (25.57 percent),
Urad (6.97 percent) and pigeon pea (5.78 percent).

(ii) Irrigation
It is one of the most important inputs for agriculture sector. The
majority of the villages in the district do not have irrigation facility
and possibilities to create irrigation facilities in future are also very
limited. However, the annual rainfall being very high coupled with
a favorable topography, there is a good potential for harvesting the
run-off water with the help of modern water harvesting technology.
Of the total net sown area (56300 ha in 2003-04), only 500 ha (0.86
percent) was under irrigation, the main source for being irrigation
wells.

(iii) Soil Type

The soils in the Dangs range from red to black. Red soil is found
along the upper parts of the valley and black soil in the plain of the
western Dangs. In some parts, medium loam to sandy loam type is
found. The Dangs soils are severely eroded and become stony in
surface. In absence of water storage mechanism, anti erosion
programme and failure of afforestation, large scale soil erosion
takes place in the monsoon and the topsoil is getting completely
washed away over the decades. The traditional slash and burn
cultivation practices also contribute to the erosion. The poor soil

56
 conditions lead to poor yields, low returns, and sedimentation of
reservoirs, ecological imbalance and flash floods.

2.4.7. Education
The Status of Education is one of the key indicators of Human
Development. It bestows upon a society an ability to have access to
employment opportunities.
There are total 448 schools in the district of which 422 are primary and
26 secondary schools. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All
Campaign) has a special cell for Girl education. The details of education
status of the Dangs district are given in separate chapter.
Table 2.13
Education in the Dangs - 2001
Sr.
Educational Detail Figures
No.
(1) (2) (3)
1. Total literacy rate 59.7 %
2. Rural literacy rate 59.7 %
3. Female literacy rate 48.5 %
4. Percent of villages with primary schools 99.36 %
5. School dropouts boys (1 to 7 std) 9.8
6. School dropouts girls 10.5
7. Total primary schools 422
8. Total secondary schools 26
9. Percentage of enrolled children who finished class 10 76.86%
10. Number of technical institutions 1
Source: Census, 2001

The details on facilities for secondary and higher secondary education in

the Dangs is given as follows in Table 2.14:
Table 2.14
Secondary / Higher Secondary Schools in the Dangs District
Sr. No. Details No. of Schools
1 Government 22
2 Grant-in-aid 14
3 Non-Grant-in-aid 03
4 Residential Schools 06
Total No. of Schools: 45

As can be seen from the above Table, 45 secondary and higher secondary
schools exist in the District. 36 Schools are either Government or grant-
in-aided. There are 3 schools which are private schools and non-grant-
in-aid. There are six residential schools.

57
The five schools with Science Stream in the district are as follows:
1. Government Higher Secondary School, Ahwa
2. Eklavya Residential School, Ahwa
3. Deep Darshan Secondary School, Ahwa
4. Santokba Dholakia Secondary School, Malegam
5. St. Thomas School (English Medium), School, Zawda

However, Eklavya Residential School, Santokba Dholakia Secondary

School and St. Thomas School at Zawda are new. These new schools
will fill up the shortfall in Science schools in the Dangs. However, the
problem of quality teachers in sufficient numbers still remains.

2.4.8. Health

Health is another key indicator of human development and well being of

any population. The details of health infrastructure are given in Table
2.15. There is one civil hospital at Ahwa, one CHC at Vaghai, nine PHCs
and nine Ayurvedic Centres. The IMR and MMR are very high and
institution delivery is very low compared to state and national average.
This issue is also very critical for the tribals because illness can have and
has been having serious economic consequences on their fragile incomes.
During the monsoon, severe health problems are observed.

Table 2.15
Health status in the Dangs -2001
Sr. No. Health Indicators Figures
(1) (2) (3)
1. Percent of villages with primary health facility 2.25 %
2. Percent of institutional deliveries 8.36
3. IMR 20.66
4. MMR 1.38
5. No of PHCs 9
6. No of CHCs 1
7. General Hospital 1
8. Ayurvedic Centres 9
9. Homeopathic Hospital 0
10. Trust Hospital 0
Source: Census, 2001

Lack of sanitation facilities creates major health hazards. In villages

people use open and isolated places (mostly forest and mountains) for
nature’s call. During monsoon, open water sources get polluted as water
runoffs from the hilly areas. Hence, a number of cases of water related
diseases are reported during the monsoon.

58
Infant mortality in the Dangs is very high: out of 25 districts of Gujarat,
the Dangs ranks 24th on infant mortality rate: 87 out of 1000 births
(Gujarat HDR report, 2004). The death rate for children under 5 is also
high compared to other districts: 112 out of 1000 compared to 101 in the
whole of Gujarat. According to a research done by the Reproductive
Health Centre in 2002, 65 percent of the children under age 6 are
underweight and 30 percent are severely underweight.

2.4.9 Basic Infrastructure and Amenities

The basic infrastructure and amenities mainly consists of education,

health, houses for living and infrastructure for other public services like
bank, post office, bus services, telephone, credit societies etc. The details
are given in Table 2.16.

Table 2.16
Distribution of villages not having certain amenities
Sr. Distance range of place from the villages
Amenities
No. where the amenity is available
Less than 5 to Total
10 + km.
5 km. 10km. (col. 3 to 5)
1. Education 0 0 2
2
1.1 primary 0 0 0
0
1.2 Middle 2 28 __
2
1.3 Degree college 3 5 310
2. Medical 2 13 294 309
2.1 Hospital PHC 73 71 158 302
3. Post office 204 19 17 240
4. Telephone 20 21 248 289
5. Bus service 84 6 10 100
6. Banks
6.1 Commercial bank 35 42 227 304
6.2 Co-operative bank 13 18 278 309
7. Agriculture credit society 137 41 100 278
Source: Census of India (district census handbook) 2001
The above table indicates the distribution of villages not having certain
amenities (school, health etc.), arranged by distance ranges from the
places where these amenities are available. It can be seen that two
villages of the district have primary school within 5 km. of distance. The
condition is poor in case of health facilities as 23 villages have PHC at
distance of less than 5 km, 71 villages have PHC at a distance of more
than 5 km but less than 10 km. and 158 villages have PHC at a distance
of more than 10 km.

59
The other important amenity is availability of houses. The Table 2.17
shows that the total number of house holds (Families) in the Dangs
district is 38,472. Total 35,462 (92.2 percent) families are living in their
own house, 1276 are living in the rented house.

Table 2.17
Households by Tenure Status and Number of Room
Occupied in the District
Occupancy status (No.)
Sr. No. Number of dwelling rooms
Owned Rented Others Total
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
1. No exclusive room 681 41 26 748
2. One room 19056 811 780 20647
3. Two room 10902 346 569 11817
4. Three room 4132 58 310 4500
5. 3+ room 691 20 49 760
6. Median number of rooms 1 1 2 1
7. Total 35463 1277 1736 38473
Source: Census of India (district census handbook) 2001

Majority of the households i.e. 20,647 occupy only one room

accommodation, 11,817 household have two rooms accommodation,
4500 households have three rooms accommodation and 760 households
have accommodation of more than three rooms. There are 748
households in the district who do not have any exclusive room.

The other important thing is that the houses are also categorized into three
groups like permanent, semi permanent and temporary. The permanent
house is the house whose roof and wall are made out of pucca material,
semi permanent house refer to those house made out of other types of
materials while the temporary house refer to the house having roof and
wall made of kachha material. Below table shows the total numbers and
percentage distribution of households living in different three categories
of houses.

60
 Table 2.18
Households with permanent, semi permanent and
temporary Houses
House hold category
Sr. No. District
Permanent Semi permanent Temporary
1 The Dangs 3036(7.9) 34302(89.2) 1134(3.0)
Source: Census of India (district census handbook) 2001

As there is no urban area in the Dangs district all these households are
found in rural area. It can be seen from the Table 2.18 that only 7.9
percent of Households have permanent houses, i.e. houses made of pucca
material. About 89 percent households are of semi permanent type made
of other type of materials.

Some of the important statistics about the Dangs are given in the Table
below for information.

The Important Statistics of the Dangs District: 2001

Sr.No. Particulars Figure
(1) (2) (3)
1. No of Talukas 1
2. No of Villages 311
3. No of Gram Panchayats 70
4. Land
4.1 Total Area 172357 Ha.
4.2 Forest area 101183.70 Ha.
4.3 Cultivated area 57843 Ha.
4.4 Cultivable waste lad 52116.00 Ha.
4.5 Uncultivated area 19200.3 Ha.
4.6 Irrigated area 500 Ha.
4.7 Net sown area 56300 Ha.
5 Some Key Figures
5.1 Average land holding. 1.09
5.3 Average Rainfall
Purna, Ambika, Gira,
5.4 Major rivers
Khapri
6.1 Maximum Temperature 36.40 C
6.2 Minimum Temperature 11.60C
7 Small Scale Industry
7.1 No. of working units 149
7.2 Fixed Investment in Lakhs. 39.57 Lakhs.
7.3 Production in Lakhs. 95 Lakhs.
7.4 No. of Employees 205
8. Health
8.1 Birth rate 27.15

61
8.2 Death rate 3.1
8.3 Percentage of Home deliveries 89.3
8.4 No. of CHCS 1
8.5 Private Practitioners 4
9 Other demographic details
9.1 Percentage of main workers 36.77 % (68599)
9.2 Percentage of marginal workers 13.1 % (24394)
9.3 Percentage of total workers 49.8 % (92993)
9.4 Percentage of non-workers 56.2 % (93736)
10. Live stock
10.1 Cows 1356
10.2 Buffaloes 18798
10.3 Goats 38468
10.4 Sheep 120
10.5 Camels 00
10.6 Donkeys 65
10.7 AL Centre 18
11 Other details 11.1
11.1 HDI of The Dangs 0.340 (2001)
11.2 Percentage of Urbanization 0
11.3 No. of SHGS 566
Percentage of Villages with access to all
11.4 59.49
weather road
11.5 Major crops in Kharif Ragi, Paddy, Urad, Tur
11.6 Major crops in Rabi
Agricultural labourers (Percentage of working
11.7 21.1 M, 35.9 F
population)
Agricultural (86 %) and
11.8 Major and secondary occupation
Agri. labour
11.9 Road length 1092 km.
11.10 Railways Narrow Gauge
11.11 No. of telephone installed / 000population 2600
11.12 No. of electrify villages 311
11.13 No. of electrified house hold 18583 (48.3 %)
Source: Census-2001

2.5. Tribal Communities of the Dangs

Introduction

The main tribes of the Dangs are as under:

The tribals of Gujarat are found concentrated in the south-eastern part of

Gujarat, particularly in the district of Panchmahals, Surat, Valsad,
Baroda, Bharuch, Dahod, Navsari, Narmada, Tapi, Sabarkantha,
Banaskantha, and Kachchh. The main tribal groups of the Dangs District
are Bhil, Kokana, Kunabi, Vasava, Kotwadia, Kathodi, Kolcha and Varli,

62
the last three being included in the list of Primitive (Adim) Groups of
tribes requiring special attention and in form of separate fund allocation.
Kathodi are 942 with 241 households, and Kolcha 33 with 9 households,
while Kotwadia are 1195 in numbers with 333 households. They are
concentrated in 17 villages and account for 1.11 percent of the Dangs
population. (Source: TASP office, the Dangs Ahwa). The Dangs, the
smallest district has unmatched forest wealth and is nature’s gift to
Gujarat. It is inhabited by aboriginals like Bhil, Kunbis also known as
Kokanas in Dharampur area, Varlis and Gamits who have lived here since
time immemorial. Ahwa headquarter of the district is situated on a
plateau and the Saputara hill station is popular with tourists.

Important tribes of the district are introduced hereunder:

2.5.1. Dangs Bhil

The Dangs Bhils live in the rocky, hilly forests of western central India.
They are primarily located in the Dangs district of Gujarat State. Dangi,
their native language, is the language of trade in this region. Dangi is a
sub-group of Khandegi, which belongs to the Indo-Aryan language
family.

The western Chalukya were the first people to establish political control
throughout the region. Later the Rashtrakuta gained control and brought
the Dangs under submission to local chiefs who were mostly Bhils. The
forest wealth of the Dangs was claimed by the Bhils as well as by the
British, causing constant conflicts. Eventually, the Dangs were forced
into slavery.
Later, the people who lived on the plains joined forces with the invading
tribes. The Dangs, however, granted shelter to those who were ousted
from their homes. For years the Dangs remained isolated, living in poor
physical conditions. However, in 1947, plans were initiated to improve
their circumstances.

The Dangs were originally very poor, having few material possessions
and survived by gathering food from the forests. They had no time for
intellectual pursuits but sought only to survive. They lived a hard
monotonous life in the mountainous forests, causing them to become
individualistic and somewhat introverted. Nevertheless, their love of
freedom has made them a people of Hardy character.

Today, the Dangs Bhils continue to live in extreme search for food. They
have always lived close to nature, depending on it for survival. Animals

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are respected and treated as equals. For this reason they are often called
the “children of nature”. The Dangs district contains many protected
forests that the Dangs are allowed to use for cultivation and residence.
They live largely in one room bamboo huts made with thatched roofs.

The family is the basic unit of social and religious life among the Dangs.
Their society is patrilineal, meaning that the life of descent is through the
males. Young newly weds typically live near or with husband’s family.
Social and religious order is maintained by an institution known as the
Panch.

Due to the warm, moist climate of the Dangs district, the people wear
very little clothing. The women till very recently would wear grass
ornaments. Despite their poverty, the Dangs enjoy singing and dancing.
However their animated tribal dances are no longer as significant as they
once were. The villagers are skilled in creating objects out of stone, wood
and clay. Hindu artisans often help them with such craft. Tattooing has
also become an art among the Dangs.

90 percent of the Dangs practice ethnic religion and all of them are
involved in ancestor worship (praying the deceased ancestors). Their
lives revolve around rites, rituals, beliefs and superstitions. Many are
animists, believing that all objects have spirits and are to be worshipped
through magical rituals. Wagh-Dev, the Tiger God, is their sacred animal
God and their emblem of worship.

The Dangs believe in magic witchcraft and sorcery along with their many
tribal Gods and Hindu deities. They believe that the supernatural world
contains both good and evil. Their constant fear of the spirits keeps them
revolving around circle of prayers, rituals, offerings and sacrifices. The
Bhagat (priest and medicine man) is thought to be the ultimate
“Godman”. He is believed to be spiritual man who communicates with
the Gods. He is considered a friend, a philosopher, a guide and a healer.

Today, the Bhil primarily work as peasant farmers, field labourers, casual
labourers and village watchmen. With a growth in population, most of
their land holding are small and generally not sufficiently productive.

The Bhils marry within their own caste and they are permitted to marry
outside their direct clans. They worship many of Gods and Goddesses.

The Bhil celebrate Holi and Dangs darbar in March. A Waghdev Barasa
Puja is held in the jungle near Sakarpatal. Their typical dances are to the

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accompaniment of musical instruments like ‘Pavri’, ‘Dholak’, ‘Basuri’,
‘Sambre’ (two small drums) and ‘Banjo’. They join hands at the waist
and dance in circle formations.

Orthodox Dangi tradition is to wear as little as possible. Some believe

that Bhagwan ordained that they should wear only a ‘Langoti’’, their
traditional dress. The Langot has hanging ends in front and back adding a
touch of grace to this garment. Earlier males wore ‘Fentas’ or ‘Pagris’
but now they wear white ‘Khadi’ Caps and Langot or loincloth as
replaced by Dhoti and ‘Dagolo’ or half shirt with Kurta. Sometimes, a
jacket with pockets is worn but the coat is considered expensive. When
going out they wear a cap or Pagri and a white sheet of cloth called
‘Shel’’ on the body. The Suri girdle worn by women appears to be a
remnant of the bark fiber girdle of ancient times. Women wear a
‘Lugada’ or small sari (also spelt as Saree) which is a large sheet
covering the lower portion of the body from waist up to the knee, but it
does not form a skirt.
2.5.2. Kokanas

The Neolithic period saw settled ways of life in the Dangs. Langhaj man
resembled the hermitic people of Egypt who were the ancestors of
Kokanas, Kunbis, and Varlis etc, whose history goes back to prehistoric
times. The Kokana also known as Kukana/Kokana, name is derived from
‘Kankan’ armlet worn by the tribe or because they migrated to Gujarat
from some part of Konkan in olden times. They live in Dharampur,
Vansda, Valsad and The Dangs. Kokanas are also called ‘Kokni’ or
‘Kokna’. Kokanas of The Dangs and Dharampur are very similar. They
speak Kokani, a dialect of Marathi and also speak Gujarati and Hindi.

They are divided into ‘Kuls’ or Clans. Monogamous, they have a strong
sense of unity of family and community. Outside their village, they move
in groups. Trends show that the joint family is being replaced by the
nuclear family system among most Gujarat tribes.

Kokana houses have walls with mud and whitewash, no windows and
thatched grass roof. Pucca houses are now coming up. Kokanas collect
forest produce like wild fruits, roots, plants, honey which forms a major
part of their diet. They have a high status among tribals and their literacy
is improving. Their staple diet is similar to other tribal groups in the
region. Ghee and spice is not used but sweet oil is used in preparation of
vegetables.
There is an ancestral totem carved in a single piece of wood with Moon,
Sun, Waghdev and Snake that is worshipped by all Kokanas. Dangi

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dances like Tin Tal in a pyramid formation to the accompaniment of
Pavri, Dholak, Pungri and songs in the Dangi language are performed.

Kokanas are fond of ornaments made of white metal, lead, iron or silver.
Women wear multi coloured small bead necklaces and wear flowers and
tattoos. They wear silver coin necklaces, Boriyudui, Khulta, Nakhli, Vitlo
in ears, Fulki in nose, and Zanzar (anklets) on ankles. These traditional
ornaments are still used. Women wear silver anklets and breast shaped
toe ornaments called ‘Gend’’. Tattoos or Chhundna are also used.

The custom of polygamy is generally on the wane among Kokanas. They

believe in extended families but due to occupational mobility now nuclear
families are most prevalent. Among Kokanas, the actual ‘Lagan’ or
marriage ritual can take place even after the birth of one or two children,
but the marriage ceremony is essential.

The art of mimic along with tribal dances still survives in Gujarat.
Kokanas, Kunbis, Varlis and other tribals perform dance drama to the
accompaniment of singing and music. During Holi, Kokana dramatic
groups sometimes using masks perform in village with young boys
playing female roles with wit and humor. Songs of Mahabharat and
Ramayan epics are sung to music. They are fond of dance and folk songs
for all occasions.

Their Kuldevi idols are kept on a heap of rice and Nagli grain inside a big
bamboo basket. They celebrate Shivratri, Dussera, Navratri and Diwali.
At the Dussera Fair both men and women perform the Garba dance.
They are largely Hindu by faith.

They largely depend upon agriculture, agricultural labour, casual labour,

collection of minor forest produce and allied agricultural activities for
their substance. Besides this, due to increasing interlinking of local
economy with regional economy, they have taken up various other
occupations to supplement their economy such as tailoring, carpentry,
daily wage labour, etc. A few people of their community who have some
educational background are engaged in Government and private sector
services and some have put up small scale businesses.

For the maintenance of peace and social equilibrium, the Kokana have
their own traditional ‘Jati Panch’ constituted by five elderly and
respected members of the community headed by Patel (chief). They
decide the cases related to division of property, family quarrels, petty
theft, divorce and breach of caste norms. The judgement given by the

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council is respected by both the parties and the fine imposed is given to
the aggrieved. Statutory Panchayat which is a government organisation
is also functioning here. Its role is to implement the different
development programmes launched by the Government.

Many Kokana depend upon their indigenous treatment but educated

people have started making full use of modern medicare facilities. Under
health and hygiene programme, immunization and nutrition facilities are
provided to the expectant mothers and children. Earlier, people had to
depend upon natural resources like river, pond, etc. for drinking water,
now there is arrangement for supply of water from reservoir in town and
in villages hand pumps and wells are provided by the Government.

2.5.3. Kotwadia

The Kotwadia are also called Vitolias. Ethoven (1920) while writing
about vitolias says that they are also known as Kotwadia and
“Wansphodia”. They are mainly found in Surat, Valsad, Bharuch and the
Dangs districts. They reside in small wattle and daub huts in which a
corner is used as kitchen. The roof of such a hut is made of Bamboo and
covered with local tiles. The entrance is usually covered with door made
of bamboo. Now pucca houses through government help are coming up.

They claim that they have the skills of preparing bamboo articles. One of
their traditional expert craftsmen prepared a coat from bamboo material
and presented the same to a British Officer. That Officer called him by
name Kotwadia. Due to their nomadic nature they had been identified
locally as Vadi (migrating group).

The Kotwadia tribals are classified as one of the primitive tribes in

Gujarat. Traditionally, the Kotwadias were considered by others
including the tribal communities in the region as ‘untouchables’ and
placed at the bottom of socio religious hierarchy. They were not allowed
to reside in the village. Their huts are found on the outskirts of the tribal
village. It is also said and recorded that they used to eat flesh and dead
animals, meat, birds and left over food of other communities. Their food
usually was poor, insufficient, less nutritive and monotonous without
adequate fat, protein and green leafy vegetables. As a result, most of
Kotwadias are of very poor physique and general health. Their staple
food is Nagali, coarse millet. They use rice, pulses and vegetables. They
make use of fruits only on some special occasion. Alcoholic drink is
quite common to them. Both males and females are used to it. Even
children are allowed to drink when offered to Kuldevi (clan Goddess).

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There are four endogamous and exogamous Kuls among the Kotwadia.
The Kuls are Gamiti, Choudhary, Dhobi and Nai. The Kul members
consider their origin from the same legendary ancestor. The Kuls are of
equal status. Kul members help each other at the time of crisis.
According to their own perception, they are lower than Rajput, Kunbi,
Koli, etc. but higher than Dalits. They consider themselves equal to other
tribal communities.
The Kotwadias are endogamous at the community level and they also
practice endogamy. They practice cross-cousin marriage i.e. father’s
sister’s daughter and daughter of mother’s brother. The marriage age for
the girl varies from 15 to 18 years and for the boy it is 18 to 25 years.
Mode of acquiring a mate is through negotiation. Gharjamai (marriage
by service) system of marriage is also prevalent among them. Monogamy
is the norm. Sorroral polygamy is also permitted in their society. Junior
sorrorate is permitted in their society. Payment of bride price is prevalent
among them. Rule of residence after marriage is patrilocal. Symbol of
marriage is vermillion dot on the forehead. But in case of marriage
service, the boy during the period service lives at the girl’s house and
sometimes settles there after marriage also. Divorce is permitted. Either
party may seek divorce on account of impotency, adultery or
maladjustment. If the wife seeks divorce, the total expenditure of
marriage is returned to her husband by her family members. Gharjamai
has to return the total expenditure of marriage incurred by his in-laws, if
he seeks divorce. Remarriage for widow, widower and divorcee is
permitted. Marriages within the same Kul are sometimes ignored but
never community endogamy. A widow can remarry her husband’s
younger brother or father’s sister’s son or maternal uncle’s son who is not
older than she is. In the past, as a customary rule, it was observed that
when the widow had children by the deceased husband and when the
younger brother of her deceased husband happens to be bachelor, it was
obligatory for her to marry him.

The family organisation of the Kotwadias is commonly monogamous and

patrilocal. The authority runs in the male line. Further as among several
other tribal communities in the region, a Kotwadia family is patrilineal
family and descent is traced through the father and the right to property
runs in male line. The husband, wife and children constitute family
organisation. Sometimes old parents and young married children are also
found living together. On the occasion of social and religious ceremony
all relatives and kinship members assemble together as a matter of mutual
obligation and reciprocity.

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Nuclear type of family is prevalent though extended families also co-
exist. The property is inherited equally by sons while the eldest son
succeeds to the authority. Joking relationships exists between grand
parents and grand children. Their society does not allow a woman to hold
property.

Woman is considered equal in domestic, economic and ritual matters and

also in case of family affairs, marriage alliances and in social gatherings
of their community. They also have an equal participation in ancestor
worship. Women contribute to the family income by making baskets,
mats and other domestic articles of bamboo. They collect fuel wood from
the forest. Actually they are the main work force in the family.

The traditional economic activity of the Kotwadias is to make articles of

bamboo. In fact, their economic life depended fully upon the availability
of bamboo which they used for making these articles. Traditionally their
economic life also revolved on barter system as they primarily exchanged
their products made of bamboo with cooked food and other goods of bare
necessities. They lived on bare subsistence level in the past and continue
to live so even today. Excepting a few among them, a large majority of
the Kotwadias continue to earn their livelihood by making baskets, mats,
‘Supadees’, ‘pala’ and other ordinary items of bamboo. Recently, some
of them have learnt the skills of making the use of their craft on
commercial basis, but the lack of easy availability of bamboo on account
of deforestation; they have not been able to make any observable break in
improving their economic conditions, although entire family shares the
burden of economic activity. It is commonly observed that a Kotwadias
child by the time he or she attains the age of 10 years starts activities
assisting the family in the craft. Due to non availability of bamboo some
of them are now forced to move out and enter in agricultural activities as
agricultural labourers and other allied activities.

In the past they faced no restriction in getting bamboo from the forest.
But after independence, the situation has changed. Forest Department has
taken complete control over the forest produces. Now, the Kotwadias are
not allowed to enter into forest without prior permission of the Divisional
Forest Officer. But since the Kotwadias are considered a primitive group,
they are getting benefits from different development programmes
especially meant for them such as (a) rehabilitation programmes in form
of colonies with roads, electricity & water facilities and (b) provision of
at least eight hundred bamboos in a year to each family living in the

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project area. Such programmes for their development have been
implemented in the Dangs and Surat districts.

They have no community Panchayat as such, but they settle their disputes
with the help of elderly members of the community. Sometimes if the
elderly members of the community fail to settle a case, they approach
Police Patel of the village for settlement of the disputes. They avoid
going to court to settle their disputes. They have little idea about
Panchayat system. They do not show interest participating in politics.
Education has not made much impact on them. However, now-a-days,
educational development is taking place among them. Their children are
now getting education in Balwadis, ashram schools and other schools. If
there is any disease they first consult their community sorcerer. Some of
them use modern medical facilities. They have also adopted family
welfare programmes. Most of the Kotwadia women go for sterilization
operations after having had two to three children. Electricity is available
in new colony set up for them. Drinking water facilities are available
through wells. They also collect water from hand pumps and springs.
There are not many appreciable evidences of change among the
Kotwadias, especially in the matters of economic condition, social life,
educational attainment and political awareness, etc. even after more than
five decades of efforts of tribal welfare and development programmes. In
fact their economic condition and life style seem to have remained as it
was generations ago. They continue to live in the villages situated in the
vicinity of forests ensuring somewhat easy availability of bamboo to
pursue their traditional craft. Similarly their exposure to formal
education has remained minimal, in spite of the fact that there seems to be
an increasing awareness among the younger ones about benefits of
education.
The co-operatives are providing assistance to the members in selling their
products at reasonable prices. The Kotwadia has to deposit their
manufactured goods to the forest co-operatives. The co-operative
immediately pays them one third of the actual cost of products in
advance. The balance is to be given after the sale of their products. It is
responsibility of the co-operative to sell their crafts. Life of Kotwadia is
changing owing to the developmental and rehabilitation programmes
which have helped to check and put a halt to their migratory habits
though not completely but to a great extent.

The young generation seems to have developed a liking for non-

traditional occupation, education, modern dress, radio and T.V. etc.
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However these are merely some material aspects of change which need
not be construed as evidence of social transformation. The benefits of
policies of tribal welfare are still largely, beyond the reach of Kotwadias.

2.5.4. Varli
There have been several beliefs about Varlis native place; but there are no
specific historical evidences as no written history about Varli is available.
A belief has it that, “According to old Government notes, Varlis are
native of South India around Konkan. Around 14th or 15th century, they
migrated from their place and settled in Dharampur or around. The reason
for their migration could be due to terror of Portuguese, or due to natural
calamities or due to imperialistic activities of Marathas."

Population
As per 2001 census, the Varli's population was 2,55,271 (1,26,819 Male
and 1,28,452 Female). They constitute 3.41 percent of total tribal
population. Varlis are mainly found in Dharampur and Umargam of
Valsad District and the South-East strip of the Dangs.

Household
Their houses, rectangular in shape, are constructed separately and with a
space for each house on all sides. The traditional houses has wall made
from bamboo strips with clay-mixed cow-dung paste on it. The roof is
covered with tiles or with grass and leaves of tick wood tree or coconut
tree. Now pucca houses have come up due to state assistance.

Occupation

They are engaged in agriculture, farm labour, forest labour, labour work
in factories and casual labour. They are expert in charcoal making. They
collect gum, honey, Mahuda etc. from the forests.

Education
As per 2001 census, the level of education among Varlis was 32.06
percent, which is very low.

Religion
Their Gods and Goddesses include Narayandev, Hiriya Dev, Bharam
Dev, Gun Dev, Vagh Dev, Sarvan Dev, Mahalaxmi, Kanthari etc. Their
main festivals are Holi, Diwali, Divaso, Dussera etc. They are very fond

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of dance. They celebrate festivals through dancing. They consult Bhagat-
Bhoova before any new venture. As has been found among tribals, on
auspicious days, all Varlis meet together, go to a place of worship and
offer sacrifices to please the God. They also have an elaborate system of
ancestral worship. They believe in supernatural and Para-natural forces
including ghosts, spirits and witches.

2.5.5. Gamit
Gamit and Gavits as they are called are found in Khandesh (Maharashtra)
and South Gujarat regions. Presently they are distributed in Surat,
Valsad, Bharuch and the Dangs districts. The Gamits are the fourth
largest group amongst the tribes of Gujarat. They speak a dialect of their
own; they communicate in Gujarati with outsiders; and use Gujarati
script.

Literary meaning of the word Gamit is the village guard. In the Bhil
villages, the chief of the village is called as ‘Gameti’. Anthropologists
are of opinion that Gamits were originally Bhils. Subsequently, a group
split from them and settled in plain areas.

The term Gamit comes from Gam (village) and a person settled in a Gam
(village) is called Gamit. These groups migrated from Khandesh. They
began to engage themselves in agricultural and allied activities and got to
be identified as Gamits.

The Gamit are an endogamous group having a number of exogamous

clans or ‘Kuls’ such as Gowali, Desai, Kuwar, Kumar, Valvi, Madvi, etc.
The clans have their own deities. The clans are equal in status. Many
marriages take place within the Kul and cross-cousin marriages. The
Gamits are monogamous but they are also found of practicing polygamy.
Marriages take place through negotiation, the age of marriage for girls
varying from 14 to 20 years and for boy from 18 to 25. Instances of
marriages by mutual consent also exist. The system of marriage by
service also known as “Khandaiyo” is also prevalent among them.
Remarriage of widow and widower are also allowed. The system of
junior sororate is prevalent in the Gamit community.

Unlike other tribal communities in the area, joint family was till recently,
a common norm amongst the Gamits. Land is not usually divided until
the death of the father and brothers generally continue to cultivate jointly.

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Nuclear type of family is now increasing. Extended type of families also
co-exists. Married sons construct their own house after the birth of first
child. They work jointly in the fields but live and cook their food
separately. Avoidance relationships exist between woman and her father-
in-law as well as with her husband’s elder brothers. Contrary to this
joking relationship are maintained between her and younger brother of
her husband and between a man and the younger sisters of his wife. Rule
of inheritance is based on male equigeniture. The eldest son succeeds on
the death of his father. People co-operate in socio-economic and politico
religious matters.

They worship Waghdev, Shamladev, Devlimata Gods common to the

Adivasi culture. Traditionally worship of idol was not known amongst
the Gamits. There has been considerable impact of Hindu religion. In
the Dangs district some families have converted to Christianity.
Hinduism has also had an impact. Process of Sanskritisation is most
evident among the educated elite, who have adopted upper caste practices
or become members of mainstream Hindu sects like Satkeval, Sati Pati
Pratha, Moksh Margis etc.

The Gamits are agriculturists. A considerable degree of fragmentation of

landholding has taken place with growth in population. Breaking up of
the joint families has also been a major reason for such fragmentation.
Due to prevalent system of “Gharjamai” land is again distributed among
the daughters of the families. Such factors further lead to reduction of
land size and emerge as one of the reason for them in not being able to
adopt modern agricultural practices.

Many Gamits have facilities for irrigation as a result of which they raise
double crops. In the irrigated area, cash crops such as sugarcane, ground
nut, etc. are grown. In irrigation command area, they cultivate three
crops in a year. Beside, they engage themselves in other occupations like
agricultural labour, casual labour and fishing. They are also expert in
basket making, rope making, mat weaving, carpentry, and house
construction. They keep live stock and collect forest produce such as
honey, wax and other roots and flowers.

They have a rich oral tradition and are very fond of dancing and singing.
The musical instruments used are Dobru, Flute, drum, dumba and pawri.
The most important festivals of the Gamits are Holi, Diwali, Baldev and
Gamdev. Diwali is considered to be an important festival. First day after
Diwali is known as Gamdev-no-Tahevar (Festival of village God).
Villagers gather at one place and worship (Gamdev). In addition there

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are other festivals associated with sowing and harvesting of crops on
which goddess Kansari is worshipped.

They have their traditional village ‘Panch’ or councils of elders. It is

headed by Kurbhari at the village level, which is not hereditary. The
cases which are brought before the community Panchayat are generally
regarding adultery, divorce, breaking of engagement, quarreling and
dispute of economic nature. The Karbhari Police Patel and Sarpanch of
the statutory Panchayat settles inter-community disports. The Gamits
have also formed a bigger association known as “Dakshin Gujarat Gami
Samaj”, which is headed by a President, who is assisted by secretary and
other office bearers.

There are weekly markets (Haats). The Gamits are well connected to the
regional markets as they produce cash crops. Sugarcane factories and
milk co-operatives have come to stay in the Gamit areas. However,
sizeable numbers of Gamits working as farm labourers are landless.
Seasonal migration of labour from The Dangs to neighboring urban
centres is in vogue.

A sharp increasing trend in the level of literacy is observed. Boys and

girls are also being educated and they have entered into private and
government jobs. They use both modern and traditional Medicare. Their
attitude towards tribal welfare programme is favourable.

They get drinking water from hand-pumps, rivers, springs and wells.
They get loans and subsidies for purchasing motor pumps, buffaloes, etc.
They make use of the media and communication systems. Gamits use
fire-wood, kerosene and LPG for fuel. Irrigation facilities have reached
number of Gamits through canals and wells. Mid-day meals are provided
to children in the schools. They avail of the facility of public distribution
system (rotation). Banking facilities are available. They are dependent
on money lenders and shop-keepers. Gamits in Gujarat are a fast
changing group. They have also benefited from government programmes
of development in agriculture, cottage industry, education and other
welfare programmes and the reservation policy.

2.5.6. Kathodi and Kolcha (Koldha)

Kathodi were traditionally engaged in preparation of catechu (katha).
Now they are also engaged in agriculture and agriculture labour. Kolchas
previously engaged in preparation of charcoal, are now largely work as
Agriculture labourers. They, like Kotwadias, are considered lower in

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social hierarchy. They are far behind in education and are economically
very poor.

Their marriages are solemnised in presence of elders instead of Brahmins.

Like other tribes, they celebrate tribal festivals, most important being
Holi.

Map of Gujarat
(not as per the scale)

Map of the Dangs

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