Mang (caste)

Matang musicians with drums (Russell, 1916)

Matang in western India (c. 1855-1862).

The Mang, or Matang is an Indian caste mainly residing in the state of Maharashtra. Matang are known as Madiga

in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. 

The community was historically believed to be associated with village security and professions such as rope making, broom making, musicians, cattle castration, leather curing, midwifery, executioners, and funeral directors.^[1] In modern day India, they are listed as a Scheduled Caste, Their origins lie in the Narmada Valley of India, and they were formerly classified as a criminal tribe under the Criminal Tribes Acts of the British Raj.^[2]

Religion

The most of Mang practice Hinduism and in modern times, they are ardent followers of B. R. Ambedkar and Shivaji Maharaj. The Mang celebrate all major Hindu festivals, as well as the annual Jatara festival for the deity Maisamma, which entails the sacrifice of sheep and goats and a feast of lamb and goat meat.^[3]

According to the 2011 census, there were 35,831 Mangs in Maharashtra who were Buddhists.^[4]

Society and culture

Before the British era, Mang were one of the twelve hereditary village servants called Bara Balutedar. The Mang were the hereditary rope makers and village entertainers. For their services they received a share of the village produce. The caste was hindu and observed the Hindu rituals of Jawal (first hair cut), shendi, lagna, and funerary rites.^[5] In the early 20th century, the Mang began to form caste associations to advocate their cause, such as the Mang Samaj (1932) and Mang Society (1923).^[6][7]

Notables

• Annabhau Sathe, Maharashtra social reformer
• Lahuji Raghoji Salve, Maharashtra social reformer

References

1. Robert Vane Russell (1916). pt. II. Descriptive articles on the principal castes and tribes of the Central Provinces. Macmillan and Co., limited. pp. 188–. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
2. Bates, Crispin (1995). "Race, Caste and Tribe in Central India: the early origins of Indian anthropometry". In Robb, Peter (ed.). The Concept of Race in South Asia. Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-19-563767-0. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
3. http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2806/1/41944_1961_ETH.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
4. "महाराष्ट्रातील अनुसूचित जातींची धर्मनिहाय लोकसंख्या". 23 February 2024.
5. Krishnaji Nageshrao Chitnis (1994). Glimpses of Maratha Socio-economic History. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 125, 135. ISBN 978-81-7156-347-0.
6. Surajit Sinha (1 January 1993). Anthropology of Weaker Sections. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 330–. ISBN 978-81-7022-491-4. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
7. Prahlad Gangaram Jogdand (1991). Dalit movement in Maharashtra. Kanak Publications. Retrieved 24 August 2013.

Further reading

• Constable, Philip (May 2001). "The Marginalization of a Dalit Martial Race in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Western India". The Journal of Asian Studies. 60 (2): 439–478. doi:10.2307/2659700. JSTOR 2659700. PMID 18268829. S2CID 40219522.