Karmali Adivasi
The Karmali is one of the scheduled tribes of the Jharkhand State. They are found in the districts of Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Ranchi, Singhbhum and Santhal Parganas. They smelt iron and prepare iron tools. They supply iron tools to the tribals engaged in agricultural tribes and castes. They have been associated with the traditional occupation of the craft making, so they are also known as one of the Artisan tribes of Chhotanagpur. There is no separate village of the Karmali. They are found along with other tribes in the same village.
Culture
The Karmali erect their houses with mud wall. They thatch them with bamboo and tiles. The houses are rectangular in Shape. The houses have wooden doors which they prepare themselves. They do not have separate cattle shed. They accommodate their cattle in the Veranda of the house. They also have pigs which are kept in pigsties made in the corner of the courtyard or out side the house. As they rear pigs and eat pigs, the Munda and other tribes call them untouchable and do not have food and water relation.
The household possession consists of wooden cot, machia, gando, earthen pots, aluminium pots, steel utensils, iron utensils, wood utensils etc. they have iron hammer for making tools. They have axes, knives, chimata, chheni, etc. In their house one finds Bhanti for smelting iron.
Different types of baskets are also found in their houses. Mats and brooms are also found which they prepare themselves.
They prepare sickle, knife, karahi, cholani, dabu, axes, Basula, Rukhani, Bhala, Ber, Garasa, bow and arrow for their own use as well for other tribes.
The men wear half dhoti. They wear kurata and have Gamachha when they go out of the village. Women wear Sari, Saya, and blouse these days. Previously they used to cover their entire body from the same Sari. The boys wear paint, ganji and shirt. The girls wear paint, ganji and frock.
The karmali women are fond of ornaments. They wear ornaments in neck, earn nose, hand, wrist, feet and fingers. They wear ornaments made of brass, bronze, steel, thread, shell, seeds etc. Some ornaments are also of silver or imitation of gold and silver.
Family
Family is the smallest form of the social organization. It is nuclear in structure which consists of father, mother and unmarried children. Married children establish their own houses and do cooking separately. The father is head of the household. The existence of joint families is very less in number.
For the smooth functioning of the family, one finds the existence of division of labour based on sex and age. Cooking is done by the wife. Tool making is done by the husband. The children assist in the performance of household chores. The aged look after the kids, pigs and goat etc. But the husbands also know the cooking and the wives also assist in the tool-making.
The husband-wife relation is very cordial. It is based on faith in each other. They extend full cooperation in running the family. The husband-wife relation turns sour when any one develops extra marital relation, does not share responsibility and behaves cruel. In this situation, attempt is made to restore the relationship through Panchayat or relatives. But when the relationship is not stored, divorce is allowed. The children remain with father, but infant goes to the mother. After divorce they can arrange remarriage.
The parent children relation is also very sweet. The parents try to fulfil the wishes of the children within economic limit. They carry children to the Haat on Haat day and buy toy and sweets for them. The children also love their parents very much and assist in household chores wholeheartedly. The beating of children is rare. Scolding is the maximum form of punishment. Children are not rewarded. The relation of children with step mother is generally not good. They are beaten and oppressed in a number of ways. The parent-children relation turns bitter when they develop premarital relation with the girls of other tribe or of the same clan. Because such cases are decided by the Panchayat and they have to pay fine or oust the boy from the family.
The relation between siblings is also very sweet. In early childhood, all children of a parents sleep together, play together and eat together. They also do quarrelling among themselves which is resolved by the parents. In late childhood they start maintaining distance. The brothers play with the boys of their own age group. The sisters play with the girls of their own age group. The brothers assist father in preparing iron tools. The sisters assist their mother in the performance of household chores. They also do the cooking of food. They serve food to brothers. After marriage, the sisters leave the house and go to live with their husbands in different villages. The brothers after marriage live in the same village but in different families. They inherit the property of the father. That is why they have to look after the parents in oldhood. The different families of brothers form the lineage group. Now the families of brothers and sisters maintain relationship through reciprocal exchange of visits, invitation, food, feast, service, loan, gift and presentation of festive and ceremonial occasions. The relation between the families of brothers gets sour at the time of division of property. But it is resolved and restored through community Panchayat. The relation between families of sisters and sisters and brothers get sour when proper welcome and Vidai is not done on invitation and visit. In some cases, the relationship becomes so bitter that it gets broken temporarily or permanently.
The relation of the Karmali families with the families of the lineage, clan and same tribe is also generally sweet. They live together as corporeal kin groups and maintain relation through reciprocal exchange of invitation, visit, gift, presentation, respect and hospitality, service food items etc. the relation gets bitter due to rape, adultery, extra marital relation, premarital relation, theft and destruction of property.
The Karmali generally also have good relation with the families of other tribes and castes of the village. Although they are treated as untouchable and their food-water is not accepted, but they maintain Jajmani relation with the other tribes and castes of the village and neighbouring villages. They supply iron tools in those houses and also get them repair or sharpened time to time. They are made payment on annual basis.
Marriage
Marriage is very important ritual. It comes generally in the life of every individual. But the individuals whose sexes are unknown do not get this chance. Even physically handicapped persons get this chance in their life. The marriage is essential for the reproduction of own kind and continuation of progeny. It transmits blood relation from one generation to the next. The karmali follow the rule of monogamy. But in situation like barrenness, widowhood and widowerhood, bigamy and tri-gamy are also allowed. They follow the rule of tribe endogamy and clan exogamy. A Karmali boy is married only to a Karmali girl. Inter tribe marriage is strictly prohibited. Again the karmali tribes is divided into different exogamous clan groups, such as kachhuar Kaithawar, Sona, Sandhwar, Khalkhohar, Karhar and Tirkey.
The usual way of acquiring marriage mates is by bride price, but the marriage mate is also acquired by love, service, elopement, Raji-Khushi, Gloat and exchange. The marriage by bride price is settled by the fathers or guardians of the boy and the girl. The bride price is paid in cash as well as in kind. In cash it varies and in kind it includes the dresses and ornaments of the bride, clothes of bride’s parents, brothers, sisters and grand parents. Rice, pulse, vegetable and goat are given for providing feast and hospitality to the community members. The father of the boy approaches the father of the girl at the time of marriage. When the father of the girl accepts the proposal of the father of the boy, the bride-price is settled. When the bride is settled, the village priest the Munda or the Baiga is called and a suitable date of marriage is fixed. The marriage is fixed between Feb to May. The bride price is paid a week before the marriage. The male relatives of the groom come to pay the bride price. They are accorded a warm welcome and hospitality. When the bride price is not paid, the marriage stands cancelled.
After the payment of the bride price, the fathers of the bride and the groom invite their maternal kins, paternal kins and affinal kins. The male and female kins start reaching with invitation, food materials, clothes, money, gift and presentation. First of all the ritual of Mittikora (digging soil) is done by the female kins in the both houses. From the soil, hearths are prepared. It is a symbol of establishment of separate house after marriage. A day before the marriage, the ritual of the Marwa is held in which a Marwa is erected in the middle of the courtyard with bamboos, leaves and grasses.
The bride and the groom have to observe taboos related to food, visit and bathing. They have to observe the beautificatory rituals in which oil; Haldi and Ubatan are applied over the body of the bride and the groom by the female kins. On the day of marriage, the bride and the groom are allowed for a purificatory bath. Then they are allowed to wear new dresses.
After wearing new dresses, the groom sits in a Palanquin. The Palanquin is carried by the male relatives. The female kins perform white magic for the happy marriage, and return. The male relatives accompany the Palanquin in the form of Barat Party. When the Barat Party reaches in the village of the bride, the male kins of the bride accord a hearty welcome. They offer flower to each members one by one and shake hand with each other. They are brought at the gate of the bride’s house. The groom is offered worship by the female kin of the bride. All members of the Barat Party sing song and perform dance. Other members make the occasion joyous by clasping their hands. After some time, the groom and members of the Barat Party are brought at a suitable for night halt. They are requested to wash had, face and feet. Then Handia, fried gram and sweets are served in hospitality.
Now the groom is brought in Marwa. The bride waits for the groom there. The female kins perform dance and sing songs, while the groom puts vermillion in the forehead of the bride. The Pahan reads mantras and the bride and the groom move seven times round the fire tank. This marks the end of the marriage ritual. Now members of the community share Handia and perform dance. Then they share feast and go to sleep.
In the morning the Vidai of the bride and the groom is made in Palanquin with gifts, money and food materials. The members of the Barat party are also getting Vidai after serving Handia and breakfast. Male kins of the bride embrace the male kins of the groom at the time of departure. They seek excuse for poor hospitality. All kin of the bride makes the Vidai of the bride amidst the tearful scene.
When the Palanquin carrying the bride and the groom reaches at the gate of the groom’s house, the female kin accord a warm welcome. The bride and the groom are brought in the Marwa by putting steps in baskets. They seek blessings of the family deity and all kins present there. Community members share the feast.
The bride stays there for a week. The father or the brother of the bride goes there to bring her back. She remains in Maiyke for a year. After a year, the groom goes to bring the bride on prior information. The father and the brother of the bride make a Vidai along with clothes, rupees and sweets. Now the bride and the groom start living in separate house as husband and wife. The reproduce children and struggle hard to maintain their family.
Kinship
The kinship system of the Karmali presents a model of relationship based on parentage and marriage. The parentage transmits blood relationship from parents to the offspring. In this way blood relation continues generation after generation. On the basis of blood relation every individual has his/her ascendants and descendants. Couple, siblings and cousins are blood relatives.
In the society of Karmali one finds the system of tracing descent from the earliest and early ancestral couples. Thus, lineage, Kul and clan are consanguine kin groups. Lineage and clan are patrilateral.
The marriage provides dynamism to the relationship. It is through marriage that the blood relationship moves from one generation to the next. The wife is brought from the other clan, but she is included in blood relatives. It is through the wife, the blood of husband and his ascendants goes to the offsprings. The marriage develops kinship bonds not only between the bride and the groom who are known as husband and wife and become father and mother after reproduction of children. They become grand parents when their children reproduce children after marriage. The marriage brings all the family members of the bride and the groom in the kinship relation and they are known by different kinship terms. The bride is attached to all family members of the groom and the groom is attached to all family members of the bride. All paternal and maternal kins of the bride and the groom also get attached through the kinship. Thus, the marriage brings network of relationship and provides strong base for the society.
The Karmali follow the rule of avoidance, joking and takenonymy at the time of behaviour. Sas-Putoh, Sas-Damad, Sasur-Putoh, Sasur-Damad, Bhawah-Bhainsur, Jethala-Bahnoi, Jethali-Bahnoi etc., behave following the rule of avoidances. Jija-Sala, Jila-Sali, Bhabhi-Nanad, Devar-Bhabhi, Sarhaj-nandoi, Samadhi-Samadhi, Samdhin-Samadhin behave following the rule of joking. The husband wife behaves following the rule of takenonymy. The avoiding relatives also take the help of takenonymy at the time of behaviour.
The Karmali use classificatory as well as descriptive kinship terminology. They categorise kins on the basis of nearness and distance and use classificatory and descriptive kinship terminology for them. They also categorise kins on the basis of age, sex, lineality, colaterality and use different kinship terms for them.
Different kins maintain relation by mutual exchange of invitation, gift, presentation, service, feast, request, respect and hospitality.
Birth
The karmali celebrate the birth of both sexes equally. Barrenness is taken as curse. Sons are treated as progenitor of the family. Only sons inherit the property of the father and continue the family name and descent from one generation to the next. The daughters are like Goddess Lakshmi. They make the house full of wealth by their devotion in work and management. After marriage, they lighten the name of parents in her Sasural. They become producer and nourisher of the progeny of the husband. She transmits the blood of the husband from one generation to the next. Thus, both sexes have their value. That is why the birth of both sexes brings equal joys in the Karmali.
The birth makes the couple fertile. It washes the stain of barrenness. It gives chance to extend the siblings. The couple becomes pleased to see their sibling. The family becomes pleased to see the progeny and the community expresses happiness to see the addition of family members. The birth fills up the lap of a woman. It gives her role to play as a first teacher and nourished.
The birth brings pollution in the family for five days. The delivery takes place in house. Senior member of the community of Kusarain attends the birth. No body is allowed to enter in the delivery room except the attendant. In order to protect the mother and the baby from the attack of evil spirits, a number of totaka or white magic are performed. A small branch of thorny plant is placed at the entrance of the room. Fire is kept burning. A lamp is kept lighting for the whole night and a knife is placed in the delivery room beside the mother. The mother is given light food and not water. The baby is breast-fed after an hour. The baby is washed with a dry cloth. The first milk of mother is put on earth not in the mouth of the bay.
On 6th day, the delivery room other rooms and courtyard are washed with water and cow dung. All clothes of the mother and family members are washed. The mother and the baby is allowed for purificatory bath in presence of the female members of the community. The mother wears a clean Sari and covers the body of the baby in the same Sari. She puts vermillion, oil, dhup etc. in the name of family deity and seeks blessing for long life of the baby. She also seeks blessings of the community. All members of the community share birth feast. Singing of songs and dance also take place.
Death
The Karmali are aware of the death reality. They do not express surprise when an aged dies. Because oldhood is followed by death in oldhood is not taken bad. It is taken as natural and good because it transforms the old body into new ones after rebirth. But the death during childhood and younghood bring surprise and sorrow. It is not taken good. It is taken as unnatural. The suicide is also not taken good. The soul of people meeting unnatural deaths, do not get peace and birth till they do not complete their natural age. As Bhuta-preta they wonder from place to place. They make attack on the infant, children, pregnant women, nursing mother and milch cattle.
They oppress them in many ways. They are driven out by the Ojha. They are also given sacrifice of goat, sheep, hen, egg, to make them out of the body. When they do not go out by sacrifice and request, they are also beaten and driven out forcibly.
The death brings pollution in the family, lineage and clan for a period of generally 9 days. In this period, oil and turmeric are not used in the food. The women members do not perform bath and wash hairs. The men do not have shaving. On the 10th day, the rooms, courtyard, verandah, utensils, furniture and cloths are washed. The women perform bath in a pond or river. The men do the shaving bread, hairs and moustache. All members including men, women and children touch oil and perform bath in pond / river. After purificatory bath and cutting of nails of hand’s and feet’s fingers, they share a community purificatory feast. After feast, the pollution period ends.
Economy
The chief source of family income of the Karmali is making iron-tools, sharpening iron tools and repairing iron-tools. They do this job under Jujmani system or on daily wages basis. They have their shops in the village and also in the weekly Haat, where the people purchase iron tools, their old iron tools sharpened and repaired. They prepare items of house hold use and agricultural implements, cutting implements like axe, sickle and war weapons like Bhala, Ber, Garasa. But now they are getting lot of problem in this job. They are not getting iron from the Asur or Agaria. They are facing problem in getting coal to heat the iron for making tools They are also facing problem in selling their tools in the market. Because machine made iron tools are now available in the Haat. They are also cheep. The Karmali are not in a position to compete with the machine made articles. They are gradually giving up their traditional occupation .
Giving up the occupation of iron-tool making has made the Karmali labor. Now wage earning has become their main means of livelihood. They have gradually transformed themselves as labour from the craft makers. Now, they are not Jujmani relation. But as casual labour, they are not getting work regularly. They are facing the situation of unemployment. The situation of unemployment comes in the way of selling labour at market value. They are bound to sell their labour below the prescribed rate. They have also to migrate in different areas for work. As migrant labour, they are also exploited and oppressed. Thus, their economic condition is not very good.
The Karmali also have some agricultural land. But the quality of land is not good. It is difficult to get good yield from those lands. As they have insufficient lands, they do not own plough and oxen or buffaloes. They do cultivation by exchange of their labour with plaugh and oxen.
The Karmali have pigs, goat, chicks, ducks etc. in their houses. They eat their meat on different occasions.
The income of Karmali family is not good. It is much less than the family expenditure. Concept of saving is not know or they are not in a position to save anything. That is why they are seen struggling hard to maintain their family. The Karmali are indebted to the Mahajan. They take loan from the Mahajan for essential household commodities, feast, treatment, marriage, death etc. the loan is taken at interst. The loan and interest are returned after wage payment. The Mahajan do not hesitate in giving loan to them. Because, they know them by name, face and the village.
The Karmali visit the weekly Haat regularly. They do marketing of essential commodities, clothes, shoes, slippers, ornaments, toys and sweets. Those who are engaged in traditional occupations have their own shops in the Haat. The karmali avail credit facilities in the Haat. The shopkeepers of the haat given them commodities and articles on the basis of credit. They repay the loan in time and do not want lose the credit facility due to non-payment of previous loan. Few persons are also engaged in small service now- days.
Religion
Singbonga is the principal deity of the Karmali and Pahan is their religious priest and head. Their deities are Grambonga, Dihwar bonga, Nagbona, Beghbonga, Banshbonga etc. The abodes of these deities are situated around the village. They re-represented by stone pieces over which oil and vermilions are offered time to time. The karmali also believe in a number of ancestral spirits. Their ancestral spirits reside in the house and Sarna grove. They also believe in different Bhuta-Preta. In order to please the deities and spirits, they offer sacrifices with the help of the priest. He goat, he-sheep, pigeon, duck, egg etc. are sacrificed in order to please the deities and spirits. Other items of worship are sunfried rice, dhup, agarbatti, fire, ghee, vermillion, cowdung, flower, water etc., the karmali have also faith in Devi Bhagwati and offer sacrifice in their name. They also visit the religious fairs organized at different places of Hindu pilgrimage.
The Karmali celebrate festivals like Sarhul, Karma, Jitia, Dasehra, Nawakhani, Phagu, Ramnawami, Vishwakarma Puja etc. they also perform dance on these occasions.
The karmali believe in witch craft. They hold Panchayat to punish a witchcraft declared by the Ojha. The witchcraft is absued, oppressed and ousted from the village. Some times, she is beaten to death.
Political Organisation
The Karmali have their community Panchayat. In community Panchayat all heads of the families are member. The head of the community Panchayat is called Mahato. He is also the head of the village. In community Panchayat cases related to adultery, rape, extra marital relation, break of incest taboos, division of property, divorce, witchcraft, theft etc. are heard and decided. The decision of the Panchayat is obeyed. Those who do not obey are ousted from the community. Now-days, they are also going to thana police and court for justice. In those villages where the number of families of the Karmali is less, they are governed by inter-village Panchayat.
The karmali are not very much conscious politically. They do not take very active part in casting their votes at the time of elections. They are neither members of any political parties nor supporters of any political parties. In their tribe leaders take part in the election, they go to cast their votes, otherwise; they remain neutral and do not like to visit the booth for casting their votes.
Woman
The woman of the Karmali is industrious by nature. They not only perform household chores but also clean cattle shed, serve fodder to them, do job of collecting food and fuel and also go to earn wages. But women have to observe a number of taboos. They have been deprived from their rights and freedom. They are in charge of food grains and cooking, but can not possess any kind of property. They are expected to perform more and more. Women have not been benefited by the development schemes meant for them. They are not very conscious about their right. There is a need to make them aware and self dependent through Mahila Mandal and Self Help Group.
Children
The Karmali children are loved very much. They enjoy freedom in childhood. Their demands are fulfilled within economic limit. They are neither punished nor rewarded. They spend their time in playing and assisting in household chores. They are enrolled in school. But non attendance and dropouts are found to a great extent. As a result, a good number of children remain uneducated. For them, their labour is the only means of stay.
Youth
The Karmali youth are the working force of the community. The liabilities of the children and aged are shared by them. But they are facing a great problem of unemployment. They have given up their traditional occupation of iron tool making, repairing and sharpening because they are not getting iron supply. They are also not competing with the machine made tools. Their art of craft making is in the way of vanishing. They have selected to earn their livelihood by selling their labour. But they are not getting work regularly. They are bound to sell their labour at low rate. They do not get minimum wage. The contact of out side work has brought attraction towards modernity. But their income is keeping them away from adopting modern life. In this situation, they feel frustrated. Frustration creates abnormality and personality disorganization. Social pathological diseases like poverty, unemployment, theft, loot, rape, prostitution, begging etc. have reached among them. The karmali youth are seeing their future bleak.
Aged
The aged of the karmali enjoyed special status because they used to impart training in the art of iron tool making to the young generation. But in changed situation, they have lost their value. Now they do not have economic value. They have only ritualistic and ceremonial value. The members of the community seek their blessings on ceremonial and ritualistic occasions. The Karmali have every regard and respect of the aged. When the food is cooked, it is first served to them. Their experience and advices are helpful in solving problems.
Development
The Karmali have been benefited by the scheme of educational development because some persons are literate now and few of them are employed in Government and Private jobs. But they have not been benefited by the schemes of economic development. They are minor tribes and are not able to win any kind of elections. That is why they are not very much conscious politically. Their benefits of reservation go to the advanced and major tribes. There is a need to formulate a special programme for the development of craft making of the Karmali. Otherwise, they will lose this fruit and survive only by selling their labour.
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