A
caste is a combined social system of
occupation,
endogamy,
culture,
social class, and
political power. Caste should not be
confused with
class, in that members of
a caste are deemed to be alike in function or culture, whereas not
all members of a defined class may be so alike.
Although
Indian society is often now
associated with the word "caste", it was first used by the
Portuguese
to describe inherited class status in their own
European society. English
caste is from
Latin castus "pure, cut off, segregated", the
participle of
carere "to cut off". Application to
Hindu social groups originates in the
17th century, via
Portuguese
casta "breed, race, caste".
Discrimination based on caste, as perceived
by UNICEF, is prevalent mainly in parts of
Asia (India, Sri Lanka
, Bangladesh
, Nepal
, Japan
) and
Africa. UNICEF estimates that such
perceived discrimination based on caste affects 250 million people
worldwide.
Caste in Eurasia
The Indo-European Caste system
The
Indo-Europeans who settled
Europe, Western Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent conceived their
societies to be ordered (not divided) in a tripartite fashion, the
three parts being castes . Castes came to be further divided,
perhaps as a result of greater specialisation.
The 'classic' formulation of the caste system as largely described
by
Georges Dumézil was that of
a priestly or religiously occupied caste, a warrior caste, and a
worker caste. This caste system can be seen to be that which
flourished on the Indian Sub-Continent and amongst the Italic
peoples. However, an alternative version of the system developed
later to supplant it, that of Nobles, Bourgeois and Peasants, the
last two being a split of the original worker caste, and the
warrior and priestly function being subsumed into all three castes
to a degree. This alternative caste formulation may have existed
side-by-side in proto-Indo-European society as the
Edda does not seem to hold to the 'classic'
formulation.
In Europe
the system came to be know as that of Three Estates, in England
the Three
Orders.
Examples of the Indo-European Castes:
- Indo-Iranian - Brahmin/Athravan, Kshatriyas/Rathaestar,
Vaishyas
- Roman - Flamines, Milites, Quirites
- Celtic - Druides, Equites, Plebes (according to Julius Caesar)
- Anglo-Saxon - Gebedmen, Fyrdmen, Weorcmen (according to
Alfred the Great)
- Slavic - Volkhvs, Voin, Krestyanin/Smerd
- Nordic - Earl, Churl, Thrall (according to the Lay of Rig)
- Greece (Attica) - Eupatridae, Geomori, Demiurgi
- Greece (Sparta) - Homoioi, Perioeci, Helots
Kings were born out of the warrior or noble class.
The end of the Caste system and its replacement by the Class
system
The revolutions in British America and France and then elsewhere
directly challenged Indo-European culture and swept away the native
caste system and replaced it with a system based on class. But it
is noticeable that in many countries the class system then followed
a tripartite division like the caste system: for example the upper,
middle and lower class used in Britain and the
Dreiklassen
system in Germany.
Caste in the Indian Sub-Continent
India
Indian
society has
been divided since ancient times into several thousands of tribal
and occupational groups, castes or communities called Jāti. The phrase "Hindu Caste System" mixes
up two different schemes - the Varna (class/group), theoretical
scheme based on idealized Brahminical traditions and some medieval
codes, and the
Jāti system prevalent in
Indian society since historical times.
Faced with a bewildering array of thousands of autonomous and
hierarchically fluid communities (Jatis), the late 19th century
British colonial administration decided to categorise and rank the
entire Hindu population of India by placing each of the Jatis
within the theoretical Varna scheme for the purposes of the
decennial Census, and ostensibly for eventual administrative
convenience.[citation needed] The 1901 Census was led by
Herbert Hope Risley, an ICS officer with
strong pet racial beliefs about the Indian population. Simultaneous
with this first ever codification into secular law of Varna-based
caste identities during the British empire, communities (Jatis)
sought to place themselves on higher levels of Varna categories. On
the other hand, most of the Jatis grouped into the lower caste
categories rejected the Varna categories as they found this
arbitrary classification unreasonable, unfair and unacceptable, as
it did not reflect the reality. This newly frozen materialization
of caste created a growing resentment firstly against the system
itself and secondly against the Brahmins, who were seen to be the
beneficiaries of the arrangement which now officially anointed
their place at the top of the social hierarchy. The revolt of the
Justice Party and
Periyar in the south, by
the Maharaja of Kolhapur and the outstanding scholar Dr
Ambedkar in western India against this, in the
early decades of the twentieth century, has had a profound,
long-lasting impact on the Indian society and politics, which
continues to this date.
The British Colonial melding of the ubiquitous and fluid Jati with
the theoretical and rigid Varna scheme starting from the 1901
Census has resulted in many people erroneously assuming that the
entire Hindu society was organized according to the Varna scheme
since ancient times. In fact, India's diverse population viewed the
artificially rigid scheme as unjust and arbitrary. Modern Indian
society has struggled with this flawed, inflexible imposition of
caste implemented by the British since the 1901 Census.
Some activists, most prominently at the UN conference at Durban,
have asserted that the caste is a form of racial
discrimination.[23][24] This view has been disputed by some
sociologists such as Andre Béteille, who writes that treating caste
as a form of racism is "politically mischievous" and worse,
"scientifically nonsense" since there is no discernible difference
in the racial characteristics between Brahmins and Scheduled Castes
such as the Jatav. He writes that "Every social group cannot be
regarded as a race simply because we want to protect it against
prejudice and discrimination."[25]
The Indian government, too, has denied the claims of equivalence
between caste and racial discrimination, pointing out that the
issues of social status is essentially intra-racial and
intra-cultural. The view of the caste system as "static and
unchanging" has also been disputed. The Indian government has been
working towards creating equality between castes with guaranteed
seats in educational institutions, government jobs (and promotions)
and even in the parliament for those of the Scheduled Untouchable
castes and tribes. Scholarships have also been available to all of
these groups, so that they can go on to further education more
easily and this has raised their social status.Sociologists
describe how the perception of the caste system as a static and
textual stratification has given way to the perception of the caste
system as a more processional, empirical and contextual
stratification. Others have applied theoretical models to explain
mobility and flexibility in the caste system in India.[26]
According to these scholars, groups of lower-caste individuals
could seek to elevate the status of their caste by attempting to
emulate the practices of higher castes. The eminent
Socio-anthropologistM. N. Srinivas has also questioned the rigidity
of caste and introduced the concept of
Sanskritisation.[27][28].
In any event, now in modern India, with rapid urbanization and
large scale migration, the ensuing crowded living arrangements and
public transport, and the broad-based mix of workplace colleagues,
there has been a significant change in social attitudes, at least
in the larger towns and certainly in the metros. Associations of
occupations with caste have also been changing, especially as new
occupations are developing.
Varna
Early Indian texts like the Manusmriti and the Puranas speak of
'Varna,' which means order, category, type, colour (of things), and
groups the society into four main types as follows.Brahmins
(scholar, teacher, priest)Kshatriyas (warrior, king),
[Soldiers])Vaishyas (merchant, agriculturist)Shudras (worker,
service provider)
All others who did not subscribe to the norms of this Hindu
society, including foreigners, tribals and nomads, or even those
who had been excommunicated, were called Mlechhas or "Anaryas" and
were to be treated as contagious and untouchables. The fear of
banishment from the society was seen as a major disincentive
against violating its norms by its members. A late section of the
Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata suggests an origin of this
practice: " He who becomes harsh in speech, or violent in temper,
he who seduces or abducts other people's women or robs the wealth
that belongs to others, should be cast off by us".
The Varna system being a Utopian scheme should however be
differentiated from the ubiquitous socio-cultural Jati-caste-system
pervasive throughout India since ancient times. According to the
Varna system, Brahmins are enjoined to live in poverty and their
primary vocation was to learn the Vedas, sacred texts and secular
subjects, teach others and pray for the well-being of all. The
Kshatriya's chief occupation was martial skills and kingship. The
Vaishyas were those occupied with trade and agrarian activities
including cattle raising, while the Sudras were workers and service
providers of all types. All the Varnas were urged, without
exception, to inculcate non-possessiveness, non-stealing,
truthfulness, non-violence and benevolence. These too were the very
attributes propounded by the Jain and Buddhist doctrines.
As the historian Romila Thapar has pointed out in her 'The Past and
Prejudice': "The dynamic of Indian society was the juxtaposition of
precept to practice, of the organisation of life as it should be,
to the organisation of life as it is. For every aspect of life,
from the most mundane to the most exhilarating, there was a theory
of functioning which did not necessarily reflect the reality. The
theory was the ideal image.....The resulting dichotomies were not
forced into confrontation but were adjusted...Such adjustments seem
easier in pre-industrial societies whose cultures invariably appear
to be more gentle,meditative and less competitive,..".
It may also be noted that although Brahmins have usually been
described as the priestly class, this is not entirely accurate, as
a temple priest need not have been a Brahmin, in fact very few
could have been, given the vast number of temples and the sparse
population of Brahmins; however, the performers of a Vedic Yajna
for others or a public Yajna fire sacrifice usually were Brahmins.
All the Dvija(Twice Born)ie Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas could
and did perform the Homa fire sacrifice for themselves. Even this
has not always been followed by all sects within Hinduism - for
example, in the Arya Samaj, all castes including Shudras can
perform the fire sacrifice. There were several categories among the
Brahmins and temple priests were usually at the lower end of the
Brahmin social scale. The ancient Greeks, e.g., Megasthenes in his
Indika, and the Muslims, e.g. Alberuni (1030 CE) described Brahmins
as philosophers. Megasthenes calls them Brachmanes and
characterizes them thus:
"The philosophers are first in rank, but form the smallest class in
point of number. Their services are employed privately by persons
who wish to offer sacrifices or perform other sacred rites, and
also publicly by the kings at what is called the Great Synod,
wherein at the beginning of the new year all the philosophers are
gathered together before the king at the gates, when any
philosopher who may have committed any useful suggestion to
writing, or observed any means for improving the crops and the
cattle, or for promoting the public interests, declares it
publicly."
According to some researchers, by the 4th century AD, and certainly
by the 7th century AD, [19] there were people excluded from society
altogether - the group of outcastes now referred to by themselves
as Dalits or the "downtrodden." Thus, an untouchable, or an
"outcaste", was a person who was deemed to not have any "Varna by
those who claimed to possess it."[20][21][22]
Jatis
Professor Madhav Gadgil (1983) has described the reality of castes,
which are called Jatis, in India, based on his researches in rural
Maharashtra: "The Indian society is even today an agglomeration of
numerous castes, tribes and religious communities. The tribal and
caste groups are endogamous, reproductively isolated populations
traditionally distributed over a restricted geographical range. The
different caste populations,unlike tribes, have extensive
geographical overlap and members of several castes generally
constitute the complex village society. In such a village society,
each caste, traditionally self regulated by a caste council, used
to lead a relatively autonomous existence. Each caste used to
pursue a hereditarily prescribed occupation; this was particularly
true of the artisan and service castes and the pastoral and nomadic
castes. The several castes were linked to each other through a
traditionally determined barter of services and produce (Ghurye
1961, Karve 1961). These caste groups retained their identity even
after conversion to Islam or Christianity. Each of the caste groups
was thus the unit within which cultural and perhaps genetic
evolution occurred, at least for the last 1500 years when the
system was fully crystallized and probably much longer. Over this
period the various castes had come to exhibit striking differences
in cultural traits like skills possessed, food habits, dress,
language, religious observances, as well as in a number of genetic
traits." [1]
In "A New History of India," Stanley Wolpert states," a process of
expansion, settled agricultural production, and pluralistic
integration of new people led to the development of India's
uniquely complex system of social organization by
occupation...."
Under the Jati system, a person is born into a Jati with ascribed
social roles and endogamy, i.e. marriages take place only within
that Jati. The Jati provided identity, security and status and has
historically been open to change based on economic, social and
political influences (see Sanskritization). In the course of early
Indian history, various tribal, economic, political and social
factors led to a continuous closing, consolidation and variation in
the prevailing social ranks which tended to become traditional,
hereditary system of social structuring. This system of thousands
of exclusive, endogamous groups, is called Jāti. Though there were
several kinds of variations across the breadth of India, the Jati
was the effective community within which one married and spent most
of one's personal life. Often it was the community (Jati) which one
turned to for support, for resolution of disputes and it was also
the community which one sought to promote.
The Untouchables - Pariahs or Antyajas, were at the bottom of the
social scale and even now perform the jobs nobody else wants such
as raw sewage handling, killing animals or execution of criminals;
They lived in special areas and were not allowed to read holy
books. It is, however, rather interesting that people of all Jatis
across the spectrum, from the so-called upper castes to the lowest
of castes, including the Untouchables, tended to avoid
intermarriage, sharing of food and drinks, or even close social
interaction with a Jati other than their own. Indeed, most of the
Jati castes did not see themselves as socially inferior to the
others in any way. If at all, it was the other way round and most
of them had folk narratives, traditions, myths and legends to
bolster their sense of identity and cultural uniqueness.
An interesting perspective on ancient North Indian society is
provided by the Greek Megasthenes, who, in his Indika, described
the society as being made up of "seven classes":
"The whole population of India is divided into seven classes, of
which the first is formed by the collective body of the
Philosophers, which in point of number is inferior to the other
classes, but in point of dignity preeminent over all. For the
philosophers, being exempted from all public duties, are neither
the masters nor the servants of others. They are, however, engaged
by private persons to offer the sacrifices due in lifetime, and to
celebrate the obsequies of the dead: for they are believed to be
most dear to the gods, and to be the most conversant with matters
pertaining to Hades. In requital of such services they receive
valuable gifts and privileges. To the people of India at large they
also render great benefits, when, gathered together at the
beginning of the year, they forewarn the assembled multitudes about
droughts and wet weather, and also about propitious winds, and
diseases, and other topics capable of profiting-the hearers. Thus
the people and the sovereign, learning beforehand what is to
happen, always make adequate provision against a coming deficiency,
and never fail to prepare beforehand what will help in a time of
need. The philosopher who errs in his predictions incurs no other
penalty than obloquy, and he then observes silence for the rest of
his life."
The other classes are also described by Arrian, in The Anabasis
Alexandrae, Book VIII: Indica (2nd c. CE) relying on the account of
Megasthenes:
"Then next to these come the farmers, these being the most numerous
class of Indians; they have no use for warlike arms or warlike
deeds, but they till the land; and they pay the taxes to the kings
and to the cities, such as are self-governing; and if there is
internal war among the Indians, they may not touch these workers,
and not even devastate the land itself; but some are making war and
slaying all comers, and others close by are peacefully ploughing or
gathering the fruits or shaking down apples or harvesting.
The third class of Indians are the herdsmen, pasturers of sheep and
cattle, and these dwell neither by cities nor in the villages. They
are nomads and get their living on the hillsides, and they pay
taxes from their animals; they hunt also birds and wild game in the
country.
The fourth class is of artisans and shopkeepers; these are workers,
and pay tribute from their works, save such as make weapons of war;
these are paid by the community. In this class are the shipwrights
and sailors, who navigate the rivers.
The fifth class of Indians is the soldiers' class, next after the
farmers in number; these have the greatest freedom and the most
spirit. They practise military pursuits only. Their weapons others
forge for them, and again others provide horses; others too serve
in the camps, those who groom their horses and polish their
weapons, guide the elephants, and keep in order and drive the
chariots. They themselves, when there is need of war, go to war,
but in time of peace they make merry; and they receive so much pay
from the community that they can easily from their pay support
others.
The sixth class of Indians are those called overlookers. They
oversee everything that goes on in the country or in the cities;
and this they report to the King, where the Indians are governed by
kings, or to the authorities, where they are independent. To these
it is illegal to make any false report; nor was any Indian ever
accused of such falsification.
The seventh class is those who deliberate about the community
together with the King, or, in such cities as are self-governing,
with the authorities. In number this class is small, but in wisdom
and uprightness it bears the palm from all others; from this class
are selected their governors, district governors, and deputies,
custodians of the treasures, officers of army and navy, financial
officers, and overseers of agricultural works.
To marry out of any class is unlawful -- as, for instance, into the
farmer class from the artisans, or the other way; nor must the same
man practise two pursuits; nor change from one class into another,
as to turn farmer from shepherd, or shepherd from artisan. It is
only permitted to join the wise men out of any class; for their
business is not an easy one, but of all most laborious."
Nepal
The Nepalese caste system resembles that of the Indian
Jāti system with numerous Jāti divisions with a
Varna system superimposed. But since the culture and the society is
different some of the things are different. The caste system in
Nepal was introduced by King Prithivi Narayan shah. He divided the
caste system to make easy for division of work. He divided people
into 4 caste and 36 verna.
Pakistan
In
Pakistan
, the
tribes, clans and baradaris (Brotherhoods)
follow social stratification especially in marriages. The
concept of equality of humanity of
Islam is
tempered with clanish system. In the absence of "classical" castes,
typically the proxies used are ethnic background (
Sindhi,
Punjabi,
Pashtun,
Balochi,
Muhajir, etc.),
Muslim sects (
Sunnis,
Shias,
Ismailis,
Bohras) and minority religions
Ahmadiyya,
Christianity,
Hinduism.
Sri Lanka
Caste in Bali
The caste
system in Bali
is similar
to the Indian caste system;
however, India's caste system is far more complicated than Bali's,
and there are only four Balinese castes:
- Brahmins - holy men and priests
- Kshatrias - the warrior caste, it also
included some nobility and kings
- Vaishyas - the caste of merchants
- Shudras - peasants making up more than
90% of Bali's population
Different
dialects of the
Balinese language are used to address
members of a different caste. The Balinese caste system does not
have untouchables. And there is mobility within the castes. So a
family may have persons of all castes.
Caste in Eastern Asia
China
The
Southern and
Northern Dynasties showed such a high level of polarization
between North and South that northerners and southerners referred
to each other as barbarians.
The Mongol Yuan Dynasty
also made use of the concept; Yuan subjects were
divided into four castes, with northern Han
Chinese occupying the second-lowest caste and southern Han
Chinese occupying the lowest one.
Several dynasties of Northern and especially Southern China (the
East Jin,
Song,
Qi), had a
social configuration divided mainly into two classes in along
political and cultural lines. The dominant noble class, Shizu
(literally "Noble Family"), controlled most of the government
offices and functions in the court. Most of the time they also had
kinship ties to the Emperor. The other class, Hanmen ("The Austere
Family"), were largely excluded from all aspects of political and
cultural life.
Traditional Yi
society in Yunnan
was caste
based. People were split into the Black Yi (nobles, 5% of
the population), White Yi (commoners), Ajia (33% of the Yi
population) and the Xiaxi (10%). Ajia and Xiaxi were slave castes.
The White Yi were not slaves but had no freedom of movement. The
Black Yi were famous for their slave-raids on
Han Chinese communities. After 1959, some
700,000 slaves were freed.
Japan
The two main castes in Japan were
samurai
and peasants. Only the samurai caste was allowed to bear arms. A
samurai had a right to kill any peasant whom he felt was
disrespectful.
Japan historically subscribed to a feudal caste system. While
modern law has officially abolished the caste hierarchy, there are
reports of discrimination against the
Buraku
or
Burakumin undercastes, historically
referred to by the insulting term
Eta. Studies comparing
the caste systems in India and Japan have been performed, with
similar discriminations against the Burakumin as the
Dalits. The Burakumin are regarded as "ostracised."
The
burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with
the Ainu of Hokkaidō
and those of residents
of Korean and Chinese
descent.
Korea
The
Baekjeong were an "untouchable" outcaste group of
Korea
, often compared with the burakumin of Japan
and the
dalit of India
and Nepal
. The
term
baekjeong itself means "a butcher," but later changed
into "common citizens" to change the caste system so that the
system would be without untouchables.
In the early part of
the Goryeo
period (918
- 1392), the outcaste groups were largely settled in fixed
communities. However, the Mongol invasion left Korea in
disarray and
anomie, and these groups began
to become
nomadic. Other subgroups of the
baekjeong are the
chaein and the
hwachae. During
the Joseon dynasty, they were specific professions like basket
weaving and performing executions. They were also considered in
moral violation of Buddhist principles, which lead Koreans to see
work involving meat as polluting and sinful, even if they saw the
consumption as acceptable.
The opening of Korea to foreign Christian missionary activity in
the late 19th century saw some improvement in the status of the
baekjeong; However, everyone was not equal under the
Christian congregation, and protests erupted when missionaries
attempted to integrate them into worship services, with
non-
baekjeong finding such an attempt insensitive to
traditional notions of hierarchical advantage. Also around the same
time, the baekjeong began to resist the open social discrimination
that existed against them. They focused on social and economic
injustices affecting the baekjeong, hoping to create an
egalitarian Korean society. Their efforts
included attacking social discrimination by the upper class,
authorities, and "commoners" and the use of degrading language
against children in public schools.
With the
unification of the three
kingdoms in the seventh century and the foundation of the
Goryeo
dynasty
in the Middle Ages, Koreans systemised its own
native caste system. At the top was the two official
classes, the
Yangban. Yangban means "two
classes." It was composed of scholars (Munban) and warriors
(Muban). Within the Yangban class, the Scholars (Munban) enjoyed a
significant social advantage over the warrior (Muban) class, until
the Muban Rebellion in 1170. Muban ruled Korea under successive
Warrior Leaders until the Mongol Conquest in 1253.
Sambyeolcho, the private Army of the ruling Choe
dynasty, carried on the struggle against the Mongols until 1273,
when they were finally wiped out to the last man in Chejudo. With
the destruction of the warrior class, the Munban gained ascendancy.
In 1392,
with the foundation of Joseon dynasty
, the full ascendancy of munban over muban was
final. With the establishment of Confucianism as the state
philosophy of Joseon, the Muban would never again gain its former
social standing in Korean society.
Beneath the Yangban class were the
Jung-in. They were the
technicians. They served in lower level government bureaucracy.
They were literate, yet were unable to rise into full bureaucratic
positions despite passing the gwageo (central government entrance)
exam. This class was small and specialised.
Beneath the Jung-in were the Chunmin. They were the landless
peasants. These people composed the majority of Korean society
until the 1600s. They were illiterate, and forbidden from marrying
into the Yangban class. During the
Japanese
invasion of 1592, as many government genealogical record was
burnt, many of them fabricated their social origin and moved into
the Yangban class. With the
Manchu invasion of Korea in the
1627 and 1637 and numerous peasant rebellions that followed, the
ranks of Yangban families swelled up to more than 60% of the whole
country by the late 1800s.
Beneath the Cheonmin were the Sangmin, also called
Ssangnom in the vernacular. These were the servant
class.
Underneath them all were the Baekjeong. The meaning today is that
of butcher.They originate from the
Khitan invasion of Korea in the 1000s. As
they were defeated, instead of sending them back to
Manchuria, The Goryeo government retained them as
warriors, spread out throughout Korea. As they were nomads skilled
in hunting and tanning of leather, their skill was initially valued
by Koreans. Over the centuries, their foreign origins were
forgotten, and were only remembered as butchers and tanners.
Korea had
a very large slave population, nobi,
ranging from a third to half of the entire population for most of
the millennium between the Silla period and
the Joseon
Dynasty
. Slavery was legally abolished in Korea in
1894 but remained extant in reality until 1930.
With
Gabo reform of 1896, the caste
system of Korea was officially abolished. However, the Yangban
families carried on traditional education and formal mannerisms
into the 20th century. With the democratization of 1990s in South
Korea, remnant of such mannerisms and classism is now heavily
frowned upon in the South Korean society, replaced by a belief in
egalitarianism. However in North Korea, there is still a caste
system.
Caste in Hawai i
Ancient Hawai i was a caste society.
People were born into specific social classes; social mobility was
not unknown, but it was extremely rare. The main classes
were:
- Ali i, the royal suuwop
class. This class consisted of the high and lesser chiefs of the
realms. They governed with divine power called mana.
- Kahuna, the priestly and
professional class. Priests conducted religious ceremonies, at the
heiau and elsewhere. Professionals
included master carpenters and boat builders, chanters, dancers,
genealogists, and physicians and healers.
- Maka āinana, the
commoner class. Commoners farmed, fished, and exercised the simpler
crafts. They labored not only for themselves and their families,
but to support the chiefs and kahuna.
- Kauwa, the outcast or slave class. They are
believed to have been war captives, or the descendants of war
captives. Marriage between higher castes and the kauwa was strictly
forbidden. The kauwa worked for the chiefs and were often used as
human sacrifices at the luakini
heiau. (They were not the only sacrifices; law-breakers of all
castes or defeated political opponents were also acceptable as
victims.
Caste in Spanish and Portuguese America
The Spanish and Portuguese colonists of the Americas instituted a
relatively loose system of racial and social stratification and
segregation based on a person's heritage. The system remained in
place in most areas of
Spanish
America up to the time independence was achieved from Spain.
Castes were used to identify classes of people with specific racial
or ethnic heritage. However privileges or restrictions were more
related to race and wealth than to a clearly defined system of
Castes.
Among the caste / racial classifications used then in Spanish
America are:
Peninsular,
Criollo,
Castizo,
Mestizo,
Cholo,
Mulato,
Indio,
Zambo and
Negro.
Caste in Africa
Countries
in Africa who have societies with caste
systems within their borders include Algeria
, Burkina
Faso
, Cameroon
, Chad
, Ethiopia
, Gambia
, Ghana
, Guinea
, Guinea-Bissau
, Ivory
Coast
, Liberia
, Mali
, Mauritania
, Niger
, Nigeria
, Senegal
, Sierra
Leone
, and Somalia
.
West Africa
In
West Africa, the osu caste
systems of Nigeria
and southern Cameroon
are derived from indigenous religious beliefs and
discriminate against the "Osus" people as "owned by deities" and
outcasts.
Similarly, the Mande
societies in Gambia
, Ghana
, Guinea
, Ivory Coast
, Liberia
, Senegal
, and Sierra
Leone
have caste systems that divide society by
occupation and ethnic ties. The Mande caste system regards
the
jonow slave castes as inferior. Similarly, the
Wolof caste system in Senegal is divided into
three main groups, the
geer (freeborn/nobles),
jaam (slaves and slave descendants) and the outcast
neeno (people of caste). In various parts of West Africa,
Fulani societies also have caste
divisions.
Central Africa
Caste
systems in Central Africa include the
ubuhake castes in Rwanda
and
Burundi
.
Horn of Africa
The
Borana Oromo of southern Ethiopia
in the Horn of Africa
also have a caste system, where the Watta, an
acculturated Bantu group, represent
the lowest caste.
The traditionally
nomadic Somali people are divided into clans, wherein
the
Rahanweyn agro-pastoral clans and the
occupational clans such as the
Madhiban are
sometimes treated as outcasts.
North Africa
Caste systems in
North Africa include
the
Tuareg
caste system.
Sahrawi-Moorish society in
Northwest
Africa was traditionally (and still is, to some extent)
stratified into several tribal castes, with the
Hassane warrior tribes ruling and extracting tribute
-
horma - from the subservient
Znaga tribes. Although lines were blurred by
intermarriage and tribal re-affiliation, the Hassane were
considered descendants of the
Arab Maqil tribe
Beni Hassan,
and held power over
Sanhadja Berber-descended
zawiya
(religious) and
znaga (servant) tribes. The
so-called
Haratin lower class, largely
sedentary
oasis-dwelling
black people, have been considered natural
slaves in Sahrawi-Moorish society.
In
Algeria
, "desert Berbers and Arabs usually have a rigid
caste, or class, system, with social ranks ranging from nobles down
to an underclass of menial workers (mostly ethnic
Africans)"
Caste in the Arabian Peninsula
Mainstream
Arab society can be conceived of
comprising of three castes,
Bedouin
(nomads), farmers
fellahin
(villagers), and
hadar (townspeople), though these are
often little more than descriptive. Tribe is regarded as more
important in Arabian society.
Yemen
In
Yemen
there exists a further caste, the Al-Akhdam who are kept as perennial manual workers
through practices that mirror untouchability. A traditional
saying in the region goes: "Clean your plate if it is touched by a
dog, but break it if it's touched by a Khadem." Though conditions
have improved somewhat over the past few years, the Khadem are
still stereotyped by mainstream Yemenese society, considering them
lowly, dirty, ill-mannered and immoral.
See also
Notes
- Discrimination, UNICEF
- Mallory, J.P. In search of the Indo-Europeans Thames
& Hudson (1991) p131
- varna, or Varna (Hinduism)
- Mgasthenes's Indika, see section 40.
- The 'Four Class System'
- Black Bone Yi (people)
- General Profile of the Yi
- The Yi ethnic minority
- Caste, Ethnicity and Nationality: Japan Finds
Plenty of Space for Discrimination
- Encyclopædia Britannica - Slavery
- Edward Willett Wagner - The Harvard University
Gazette
- Korean Nobi
- Kapu System and Caste System of Ancient Hawai'i
- I. M. Lewis, A pastoral democracy: a study of pastoralism
and politics among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa,
(LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: 1999), pp.13-14
- Fair elections haunted by racial imbalance
- Mauritanian MPs pass slavery law by BBC News
- Oxfam by 'ethnic Africans' it is meant
negro
- Akhdam: Ongoing suffering for lost identity
Yemen Mirror
- IRIN
References
- Spectres of Agrarian Territory by David Ludden
December 11, 2001
- "Early Evidence for Caste in South India," p. 467-492 in
Dimensions of Social Life: Essays in honor of David G.
Mandelbaum, Edited by Paul Hockings and Mouton de Gruyter,
Berlin, New York, Amsterdam, 1987.
External links
- Vemana Yogi - Varna Vyavastha, Dr. Sridhar Rapelli,
Commentator- 2002
- BAMCEF is an
anti Caste system and Castism organisation in India.
- Caste system in India.
- Caste In Yemen by Marguerite Abadjian (Archive of the
Baltimore Sun)
- India Together on Caste
- Anti-Caste
website - a website on caste, women's oppression, communalism, and
class struggle in South Asia from a Marxist perspective
- Varna Ashram and Hindu Scriptures (pdf)
- The
Caste System in India
- Jati system in India
- Articles on Caste by Koenraad
Elst: Caste in India, Buddhism and Caste, Indian tribals and Caste,
- Physical anthropology and Caste, Etymology of Varna
- Is Caste System Intrinsic to Hinduism?
- Caste & the Tamil Nation - Brahmins, Non Brahmins
& Dalits
- Hindu Caste System & Hinduism: Vedic vocations
(Hindu castes) were not related to heredity (birth)
- ISKCON view of caste and behavior
- Information
about Velama Caste
- These documented Results of 4-Varn system can make you
Proud of your Hindu heritage
- Historic Leaders of Velama Caste