Gauda and Kunbi

2021-06-19T06:16:00Z

2402:3A80:C8F:B895:778F:1754:9234:CA7A: Fixed caption

{{about|the [[Gauḍa brahmins|Gauda]] and [[Kunbi]] communities in Goa|other groups labeled ''Kunbi''|Kunbi (disambiguation)}}
{{use Indian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2011}}

'''Gaudas''' and '''Kunbis''' are aboriginal people residing in the coastal Indian state of [[Goa]]. They are believed to be the original inhabitants of [[Konkan]]. Most follow [[folk Hinduism]], but many were converted to [[Catholicism]] by the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] missionaries during the [[Christianisation of Goa]] while still keeping their folk tradition and culture alive.<ref>
{{cite news
|date=22 January 2017
|first=Rajendra
|last=Kerkar
|title=Back to the cradle of tribal civilization
|URL=https://m.timesofindia.com/city/goa/back-to-the-cradle-of-tribal-civilization/articleshow/56709454.cms
|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref>

[[File:kunbi.PNG|thumb|Kunbis of Goa, wearing traditional clothing]]

==Current social status==
They are categorised as Scheduled Tribes by Government of India along with Velip community. Original Gaud (गौड) community is now known as Gawada (गावडा) community.<ref>Gazette of India Extra-ordinary part-II, section-I dated 08-01-2003 by Ministry of Law and Justice and Official Gazette of Government of Goa, Supplement Series - I, No.3 dated 17-04-2003.</ref>

==Modern organisations==

Gaudas, Kunbis, Velip and another shepherding tribe called the [[Dhangar]], have organised themselves into an aboriginal-focussed network, called ''The Gauda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Federation'' (GAKUVED). Another [[Adivasi]]-rights resource center, called ''MAND'', also works for their betterment.<ref name="gakuved">{{cite book|last=Mani|first=Kalanand|author2=Frederick Noronha|author2-link=Frederick Noronha|title=Picture-Postcard Poverty: Unheard voices, forgotten issues from rural Goa|publisher=Goa1556|year=2008|series=Poverty,Rural poor,Social Science / Poverty|page=9|isbn=81-905682-8-0 |id={{ISBN|9788190568289}}}}</ref>

==Shuddhi movement==
In the late 1920s, prominent Goan Hindu Brahmins maliciously requested Vinayak Maharaj Masurkar, the prelate of a [[Vaishnava]] [[ashram]] in [[Masur, India|Masur]], [[Satara district]]; to actively campaign for the 're-conversion' of Catholic Gaudas to Hinduism. <ref name="Masurkar">{{harvnb|Kreinath|Hartung|Deschner|2004|p=163}}</ref> Masurkar accepted, and together with his disciples, subsequently toured Gauda villages singing devotional ''[[bhakti]]'' songs and performing ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]]s''.<ref name="Masurkar"/>
On 23 February 1928, many Catholic Gaudas were re-converted to Hinduism notwithstanding the opposition of the Church and the Portuguese government.<ref name=shuddhi>{{cite book|last=Ghai|first=R. K.|title=Shuddhi movement in India: a study of its socio-political dimensions|year=1990|publisher=Commonwealth Publishers|isbn= 9788171690428|page=103}}</ref> The converts were given Hindu names but the Portuguese government put impediments in their way to get legal sanction to their new Hindu names.<ref name=opo>{{cite book|last=Ralhan|first=Om Prakash|title=Post-independence India: Indian National Congress, Volumes 33-50|year=1998|publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD.|isbn= 9788174888655|pages=304–305}}</ref> 4851 Catholics from [[Tiswadi]], 2174 from [[Ponda, India|Ponda]], 250 from [[Bicholim]] and 329 from [[Sattari]] Catholic Gaudas were re-converted to Hinduism after nearly 400 years. The total number of the converts to Hinduism was 7815.<ref name=godbole>{{cite book |last=Godbole |first=Shriranga |title=Sanskrutik Vartapatra |language=marathi |year=2010 |publisher=Sanskrutik Vartapatra |location=Pune |pages=61–66}}</ref> The existing Hindu Gauda community refused to accept these neo-Hindus back into their fold because their Catholic ancestors had not maintained caste purity, and the neo-Hindus were now alienated by their former Catholic coreligionists.<ref>{{harvnb|Shirodkar|Mandal|Anthropological Survey of India|1993|p=23}}</ref> These neo-Hindus developed into a separate endogamous community, and are now referred to as ''Nav-Hindu Gaudas'' (New Hindu Gaudas).<ref name="Gauda">{{harvnb|Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France)|Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=e-0qpQGi0R4C&pg=PA458#v=onepage&q&f=false 458]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Ethnic and social groups of Goa and Konkan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauda And Kunbi}}
[[Category:Goan society]]
[[Category:Hinduism in Goa]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Social groups of Goa]]

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Gauda and Kunbi