|
Caste Structure
In
Goa, the Bamonn or the Brahmins belonged to the originally priestly class
taking upon other occupations like agriculture, trade and commerce (merchants), gold smithy
etc. The Chaddho or the Kshatriyas were the noblemen, warriors and related
soldiery taking up commercial avocations also. The Vaishya-Vanis were engaged in
trade and among them were the 'shetts' or goldsmiths pursuing the craft of gold and
gold ornaments. The Sudir or the Sudras were the workers and agricultural
labourers engaged in the servicing professions. The Gavddi or Kunnbi were the
landless labourers, earlier dislodged by the above high castes and living in
their own wards in the village. There were the Gauddo or Gaudde, probably the
Vaishya counterparts in Goa of the neighbouring Karnataka's Gowda, as there is
'Gaud' found in the Canacona taluka of Goa on Karnataka's border.
 The caste structure in Goa was somewhat like pre-eminence in the social
hierarchy based on the nobility of blood, very much resembling the idea of
family nobility in the rest of India. All the castes or rather sub-castes or jatis like
Saraswats, Karades, Chitpavans, Padhyes etc. among the various segments of the
population of Goa, particularly the goldsmiths and some merchants probably, as
seen from the surnames of members of communes purportedly all- Brahmin, were
lumped into the Christian caste of Bamonn or Brahmin. The various groups among the Kshatriyas or locally known as Chaddho were
mainly the noble and warrior class. Some of them engaged in the trading
profession, known as Chatim, which was an occupational appellation common to
Brahmins also. The caste appellation of Chaddho gradually fell into disuse.
Later among the Hindus of this caste in Goa who did not embrace Christianity
began preferring the appellation of Maratha. The Marathas and Vanis were
incorporated into the Christian caste of Chaddho .
Those of the Vaishya-Vani
caste men who could not get themselves merged as
Christian Bamonn or Chaddho, appear as Gauddo in place in Bardez Taluka of Goa,
among Christians and those among the Hindu remnants of this caste in the present
Canacona taluka etc. Gauddo caste among Christians is treated as one of the three
high castes. It is believed that large number of Vaishya-Vanis emigrated to the
adjoining district of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. Their descendants trace their
origin to Goa and the flight of their ancestors at the time of the conversion
fever. The Christian counterpart of the Hindu Vani is the Gauddo Christian caste.
The goldsmiths call themselves 'Daivednya Brahmins' and are known in Goa as 'Shetti'.
they were put into the Christian caste of Sudir or Sudras, which is a lower
caste. They did not get into the caste deemed superior because they were known
as 'Panchal' or the artisan group of castes.
The aboriginal stock in Goa is known as the
'Gavddi', is a higher caste. The
Christian convert of the Gavdi aboriginal was termed as Kunbi. The Kunbis are
found in large number in the Salcete taluka than in any other taluka of Goa.
At the time of the conversions carried out by the Portuguese missionaries,
there were untouchables like the 'Mahara' and Chambars, who were converted to
Christianity. They are found in Chandor village. Chambars have later merged with
the Sudras among Christians. Bamonn and Chaddho are the two advanced castes
among the Hindus in Goa. They continued to attach their caste to the Christian
names and surnames even after conversion. The first mass baptisms or conversions to Christianity were effected in the
two prominent villages in the vicinity of the then city of Goa, Divar Island and
Carambolim villages, the first of the Bamonn and the second of the Chaddho. The
majority of the total number of village communes converted to Christianity
belonged to the two high castes. The priests in the Goan community should be
recruited from the Bamonn and Chaddho. At some places the Christian name, is
mentioned along with the old Hindu name while at others the Christian name is mentioned
with the person's father name in the Hindu original or in case of the father
being a Hindu. The surnames of Poi, Kamat or Vamotim, Desai Kudav, Naik, Prabhu
or Porbu etc. are common to both the high castes of Bamonn and Chaddho.
Christian Bahmonns and Chaddhos are the two leading rival classes among the
Goan's.
The continued maintenance of the caste system among the
Christians in Goa is attributed to the mass conversions of entire villages,
as a result of which the religious complexion of the whole village was
given a new coat of Christianity without affecting its age-old social
structure which was rooted in caste foundations. The old usages and customs
and age-old traditions, including superstitions of a varied order, especially
the caste-system were transferred. The Portuguese, fearing the relapses
of their coverts to Hinduism, destroyed all available material reminiscent
of the old religion including literary works which are stated by historians
to have been in Konkani, mainly religious or socio-religious in nature.
Top
|
