Communities & Culture of Kutch
People in Kutch have different religious, different occupations and different beliefs, but they are one as Kutchis. Through their culture they remain together. Almost all people of Kutch believe in Brahmans and start any new work, on the advice of Brahman. If anyone breaks rule of its community is severely punished. And if injustice happens, they won't hesitate to fight against it. Kutchis can give their lives to fulfil their promise. Whenever a new village is established or a place is bought for new building, in Kutch, the people so Puja of that land. After the puja only, they start building new buildings. They also do puja by Brahmin when farmers buy new farm or buy cows. In Kutch's culture they also worship and so puja of trees like banyan, pipal, and Tulsi. They also worship cows and snakes. Almost every part of Kutch, you come across the cremated stones called 'Palia' that are the symbol of bravery of the people around that area. Here they protect women and if any problems or crisis occurs, then they mostly solved with the help of their elders instead of going in court. In many casts of Kutch, cattle are more important than education. There is religion in the base of Kutchi culture. People keep fasts on many religious days and festivals. They also feed cows on such occasions. Many people in Kutch believe in ghosts and supernatural beings. If somebody falls sick without any particular reason then they go to phycic for help In Kutch we find many places and buildings that are the examples of local cultures and artistry. It includes religious places, forts, God and Goddesses' place, etc.
In religious places, Lakhpat's Pir Gosh Mahommad's Kuba and Lakhpat's Pir's dargah are the examples of art and it also dipicted in Nakhatrana's Vadi Medi . Lakhpat's fort is also an example of an artistic architecture. Bhuj's Bhjiya Hill's fort is built for the protective reasons. There is also artistic work done in the fort. In contrast to Dargahs and forts and other religious places, the Sthanks of God and Goddesses' are quiet simple. With these Sthanks wells are also connected. Mata's Madh's architecture is similar to that of well with stairs. Jakkhas' places are built on high hills or on a high terrace and their statues are made along with their horses. In every village of Kutch we find Kuldevi's Deris and that are built for the protection of the village. In the West Side of any village resides Hanuman's Deri and out of village we find Vachradada's Sthanaks. At the entrance we find Nagdev's Deri. Among Dargahs, Hajipir's dargah is very famous. Other is Murdapir's Dargah. In old times when Kings died, they used to build their Chatardis.
Kutch's civilizations and their architectures of houses are also very different and artistic. There are basically 3 kinds of habitats. First is Maldharis' habitat; second is farmers' habitat, fishermen's habitat. Maldharis have huts made out of clay with the help of bamboo. These huts are made in such a way that it keeps it cool in summer and protects it from rain and cold. There huts' ceilings are made out of bamboo and artistically designed. Farmers' architecture is like any little village. They have lanes and their houses on the side of the lanes. They call their houses "Delis". In Banni and farmers' habitat, the architecture of kitchen is almost similar. They are artistic and well defined. Fishermen's habitats have their houses built in sands that they call "Dhango". Kharva, Bhdalas, and Muslims Vadheros resides here. The main feature of Kutchi culture is tattoo. Kutchi women of Banni, Harijan, Aahir, Rabari, Bhunashli casts have tattoos done on their hands, on the back side of palm, between their eye brows, neck, chest, legs, etc. They tattoo any kinds of shapes and figures. Another feature of Kutchi culture is its musical instruments. Dhol is a kind of an instrument like drum that has an important place in the culture. They are used for many reasons and in many events like fairs, wars, in announcing a public meeting, etc. There are also instruments that are used in religious songs called Bhjans like Ramsagar, Zaz-Pakhvaj, Manjira and Dholak. Maldharis have their own kinds of musical instruments like Morchang, Nalvadan and Algoza . In Kutch the painter is called "Kamangar" and the painting is called "Kamagari". In this type of artistry they paint walls with brushes made out of Khajuri's leaves. Instead of boring life of everyday people here have artistic features in every aspect of their lives like their houses, their clothes and paintings All these aspects and features of Kutch keeps the culture alive
AAHIRS: Aahirs are Hindus who believe that they are the direct descendents of Lord Krishna. The migrated from Mathura (in ?????) to Kutch and neighbouring Saurastra. Traditionally they were cattle herders and produced dairy products but now they are more likely to be engaged in agriculture, or own and drive heavy haulage trucks. Aahirs designate just one day of the year for marriage ceremonies which means that many marriages have to occur at the same time. As well as being very observant of religious festivals and spiritual beliefs, Aahirs honour their ancestral warriors whose memory is inscribed in Holy stone tablets kept in their settlements at all times. Aahirs tend to be very progressive and out going in their thinking, and widows are allowed to re-marry.
DHEBARIA RABARI: This Rabari tribal group were originally from Rajasthan and came into Kutch on a south west route from Jaisalmer. According to their oral history, this migration was forced after a Muslim King demanded a Rabari girl, who they later stole back. They escaped first to Sindh (now in Pakistan), and then moved on to Kutch. Traditionally, Rabaris are nomadic shepherds who sell wool and milk. The traditional dowry embroidery requirements for Dhebaria Rabari girls was so onerous that it was causing serious social and marital problems within the community. To rectify this, some years back the community elders banned all embroidery and embroidered dowry. This also means that many young Dhebaria Rabari women now have no knowledge of their own traditional embroidery.
MOCHI (COBBLER COMMUNITY): mochi-150x150Mochis live all over Gujarat, and may be either Muslim or Hindu. They are cobblers who have refined their shoe decorating technique into a delicate chain stitch for fabric. Mochi men were professional court embroiderers at least as far back as the 16th century when worked for the Moghal Emperors. Irrespective of whether they are Hindu or Muslim, the Aari embroidery done by the Mochis clearly shows very strong Moghal elements, and also more unexpected influences such as 16th century Dutch botanical paintings first seen in the Moghal courts. After the decline of the Moghal Empire, Mochis dispersed to work for Hindu Royal families. Shrujan now works with women from the Mochi community.
MEGHWAL: Meghwal-150x150Meghwals are a Hindu community who migrated from Marwad in Rajasthan to Sindh in Pakistan in the 17th century, and then on to Kutch in 1971 after the Indo -Pak war. Meghwars are traditionally cowherds, singers, and musicians. Now, they may also be employed as farmers, carpenters, tailors, and weavers. Meghwals often live and travel with Sodhas, with whom they share common embroidery styles and stitches. Some of their stitching and iconography bears a strong resemblance to embroidery done in Afghanistan, and the Hazara and Kandhar regions of Pakistan, suggesting that influences came from the north as well as the east.
SODHA: sodha-150x150Sodhas are traditionally Khshtriya, Rajput warriors and nobles. Their oral histories contain two stories relating to their origins. The first story originates from Madya Pradesh: when Brahma created human kind, he created four warriors, one of whom was Parmar from whom the Sodha are descended. The second story is that they are descended from Sodho the ruler of Ratakoti and Umarkot in present day Pakistan. The Sodha continue very strict and conservative family and societal traditions, some of which may have developed because of living in a predominantly Muslim area for many centuries. Sodha women are not allowed to leave their villages, although very recently some have been given permission to go out for Shrujan business.
MUTWA: The Mutwas are a small group of Muslim cowherds who live in a small cluster of eleven villages in the Banni district of Kutch. They are culturally distinct, and claim to have migrated from the Middle East around the 16th century, probably in search of better grazing pastures. Their houses are highly decorated with fine mud clay work and painting on both interior and exterior walls. Inside wooden shelves and stands for quilts are intricately carved. Young girls before marriage wear choralu (long dresses) over salwar ( loose, baggy pants). As Muslims, the iconography for both Mutwa and Node is mainly geometric with some small floral motifs.
NODE: The Node are a sub clan of the Muslim community, connected to, but separate from, the Mutwa. Originally they too lived in Banni, but water scarcity and lack of good grazing fields forced them to leave and they now live in the Anjar district of Kutch. Young girls wear the aabo, or long caftan which is heavily embroidered down the front. Node use similar icongraphy to the Pathan Muslims of Pakisthan, suggesting a northern influence or trade at some time.
HARIJAN: There are many different communities of Harijans living throughout Kutch, including Meghwals ( see above). Harijans are Hindu. They sometimes live in their own villages, or alongside other castes, and communities, such as the Mutwas and Sodhas. Harijan embroidery tends to reflect the other communities with whom they are co-existing. Thus, Meghwal Harijans living with Sodha make Pakko, Kharek, and Soof embroidery, whereas Harijans living with Mutwas make the same Kambira and Khudi Tebha quilting as they do. As well as embroidery, Harijans practice a range of crafts including weaving. The Harijan village of Bhujodi is famous for weaving and is considered the best weaving centre in Kutch. Harijan are also proficient in relief clay and mirror work on the interior walls of buildings and storage units and grain holders. Their weaving and clay designs are highly geometric.
JAT: Jats are Sunni Muslims who are thought to have migrated to Kutch via Sindh in Pakistan from Iran as far back as the 5th century AD, continuing to about 16th century AD. Although evidence of Jat migration relies on their own oral tradition and sporadic references in ancient texts, it is possible that the Jats originated in Greece and arrived in India through Germany, Italy, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Sindh in Pakistan. Jats in Kutch are divided into three sub clans: Dhaneta Jats, who are settled cowherds; Garasia Jat who are settled farmers; and Fakirani Jats who are nomads. The Fakirani follow a very austere form of religion in which they seek a life of utmost simplicity. Their houses are temporary structures made from a type of sea grass. They do not have floors or furniture, and electricity is prohibited to them. When the house starts to get infected by termites, they simply move on to another place.
