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{{short description|Ethnic Indian group}} | {{short description|Ethnic Indian group}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}} | {{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}} | ||
{{Infobox ethnic group | {{Infobox ethnic group | ||
| group | | group = Koli | ||
| languages | | native_name = कोली, કોલી, कोळी | ||
| religions | | native_name_lang = Hi, Gj, Mr | ||
| related_groups = | | flag = | ||
| image | | languages = [[Hindi]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Kachi Koli language|Koli language]], [[Konkani]], [[Kannada]] | ||
| caption | | religions = [[Hindus|Hindu]], [[Muslim]], [[Christian people|Christian]] | ||
| related_groups = [[Kori (caste)|Kori]], [[Kolhi]], [[Koli Christians]] | |||
| flag_caption = | |||
| image = A Coolie Chieftain.jpg | |||
| caption = A [[portrait]] of Koli [[Zamidar|chieftain]] of [[Dahewan]] by [[James Forbes (artist)|James Forbes]], 1813 | |||
}} | |||
}} | The '''Koli''' is an Indian [[Caste system in India|caste]] found in [[Rajasthan]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Gujarat]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Haryana]], [[Karnataka]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Koli community hopeful of getting ST tag in Karnataka - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/koli-community-hopeful-of-getting-st-tag-in-karnataka/articleshow/59305521.cms |access-date=2019-04-08 |website=The Times of India}}</ref> [[Odisha]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Odisha - List of Scheduled Tribes|url=http://stscodisha.gov.in/pdf/ScheduledTribe_List.pdf |website=ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department Government of Odisha |access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref> and [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] states in [[India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/jan/27/jammu-and-kashmir-bjp-in-favour-of-reservation-for-people-living-along-international-border-1930747.html|title=Jammu and Kashmir BJP in favour of reservation for people living along international border|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=2019-04-08}}</ref> Koli is a [[Agriculturist]] caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they also work as fisherman and agriculturist. In the beginning of [[20th century]], the Koli caste was recognised as a [[Denotified Tribes|Criminal Tribe]] under [[Criminal Tribes Act]] by [[British Raj|British Indian government]] because of their anti-social activities during [[World War I]]. | ||
The | The Koli caste forms the largest [[caste]]-[[Caste system in India|cluster]], comprising 24% of the total population of the [[Gujarat]]{{sfn|Shah|2004|p=221}} and 30% of [[Himachal Pradesh]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Minhas|first=Poonam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_52-WyPfLG0C&dq=Himachal+Koli+population&pg=PA59|title=Traditional Trade & Trading Centres in Himachal Pradesh: With Trade-routes and Trading Communities|date=1998|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-7387-080-4|language=en}}</ref> | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
=== Early === | === Early === | ||
[[File:A_koli_woman_(fisherwoman).jpg|thumb|A Koli woman]] | |||
There has historically been some difficulty in identifying people as Koli or as [[Bhil people]] in what is now the state of Gujarat. The two communities co-existed in the hills of that area and even today there is confusion regarding their identity, not helped, in the opinion of sociologist [[Arvind Shah]], by there being "hardly any modern, systematic, anthropological, sociological or historical study" of the Kolis.{{sfn|Shah|2012|p=168|ps=}} Sources from the medieval period suggest that the term ''koli'' was applied generically to lawless people, whilst British colonial studies considered it to be a vague collective noun for varied communities whose sole common feature was that they were inferior to the [[Kunbi|Kunbis]]. At some stage, ''koli'' became accepted as a [[Caste system in India|caste]] and thus superior to the tribal Bhils.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ratnagar |first=Shereen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcTz54VVHF4C&pg=PA11 |title=Being Tribal |publisher=Primus Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-9-38060-702-3 |page=11 |author-link=Shereen Ratnagar}}</ref> | |||
Through the colonial [[British Raj]] period and into the 20th century, some Kolis remained significant landholders and tenants,{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} although most had never been more than minor landowners and labourers.{{sfn|Shah|2012|p=170|ps=}} By this time, however, most Kolis had lost their once-equal standing with the [[Patidar]]{{efn|The Patidars were formerly known as [[Kanbi]], but by 1931 had gained official recognition as Patidar.{{sfn|Basu|2009|pp=51-55|ps=}}}} community due to the land reforms of the Raj period.{{sfn|Basu|2009|pp=51-55|ps=}} | Records of Koli people exist from at least the 15th century, when rulers in the present-day Gujarat region called their chieftains marauding robbers, [[dacoit]]s, and pirates. Over a period of several centuries, some of them were able to establish petty chiefdoms throughout the region, mostly comprising just a single village.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Shah|first1=A. M.|last2=Shroff|first2=R. G.|date=1958|title=The Vahīvancā Bāroṭs of Gujarat: A Caste of Genealogists and Mythographers|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/538561|journal=The Journal of American Folklore|publisher=American Folklore Society|volume=71|issue=281|pages=265|doi=10.2307/538561|jstor=538561|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Although not [[Rajput]]s, this relatively small subset of the Kolis claimed the status of the higher-ranked Rajput community, adopting their customs and intermixing with less significant Rajput families through the practice of [[hypergamy|hypergamous]] marriage,{{sfn|Shah|2012|p=169|ps=}}{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} which was commonly used to enhance or secure social status.{{sfn|Fuller|1975|pp=293-295|ps=}} There were significant differences in status throughout the Koli community, however, and little cohesion either geographically or in terms of communal norms, such as the establishment of endogamous marriage groups.{{sfn|Shah|2012|p=170|ps=}} | ||
[[File:Koli woman and Koli Man with the Bow and Arrow, 19th century.jpg|thumb|left|Koli woman and Koli man with the Bow and Arrow, 19th century]] | |||
Through the colonial [[British Raj]] period and into the 20th century, some Kolis remained significant landholders and tenants,{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} although most had never been more than minor landowners and labourers.{{sfn|Shah|2012|p=170|ps=}} By this time, however, most Kolis had lost their once-equal standing with the [[Patidar]]{{efn|The Patidars were formerly known as [[Kanbi]], but by 1931 had gained official recognition as Patidar.{{sfn|Basu|2009|pp=51-55|ps=}}}} community due to the land reforms of the Raj period.{{sfn|Basu|2009|pp=51-55|ps=}} The Kolis preferred the landlord-based tenure system, which was not so mutually beneficial. They were subject to interference from the British revenue collectors, who intervened to ensure that the stipulated revenue was remitted to the government before any surplus went to the landlord.{{sfn|Basu|2009|p=52|ps=}} Being less inclined to take an active role in agriculture personally and thus maximise revenues from their landholdings, the Koli possessions were often left uncultivated or underused. These lands were gradually taken over by Kanbi cultivators, while the Kolis became classified as a [[Criminal Tribes|criminal tribe]] due to their failure to meet the revenue demands and their tendency to raid Kanbi villages to survive. The Kanbi land takeovers also reduced the Kolis to being the tenants and agricultural labourers of Kanbis rather than landowners, thus increasing the economic inequality between the communities. The difference was further exacerbated by the Kanbis' providing better tenancy arrangements for members of their own community than for Kolis.{{sfn|Basu|2009|p=53|ps=}} | |||
=== Twentieth century === | === Twentieth century === | ||
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In 1947, around the time that [[Independence of India|India gained independence]], the Kutch, Kathiawar, Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha (KKGKS) caste association emerged as an [[umbrella organisation]] to continue the work begun during the Raj. [[Christophe Jaffrelot]], a French political scientist, says that this body, which claimed to represent the Rajputs and Kolis, "... is a good example of the way castes, with very different ritual status, join hands to defend their common interests. ... The use of the word Kshatriya was largely tactical and the original caste identity was seriously diluted."{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} | In 1947, around the time that [[Independence of India|India gained independence]], the Kutch, Kathiawar, Gujarat Kshatriya Sabha (KKGKS) caste association emerged as an [[umbrella organisation]] to continue the work begun during the Raj. [[Christophe Jaffrelot]], a French political scientist, says that this body, which claimed to represent the Rajputs and Kolis, "... is a good example of the way castes, with very different ritual status, join hands to defend their common interests. ... The use of the word Kshatriya was largely tactical and the original caste identity was seriously diluted."{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} | ||
The relevance of the Kshatriya label in terms of ritual was diminished by the practical actions of the KKGKS which, among other things, saw demands for the constituent communities to be classified as [[Other Backward Class|Backward Classes]] in the Indian [[Reservation in India|scheme for positive discrimination]]. Kshatriyas would not usually wish to be associated with such a category and indeed it runs counter to the theory of Sanskritisation, but in this instance, it suited the socio-economic and political desires. By the 1950s, the KKGKS had established schools, loan systems and other mechanisms of communal self-help and it was demanding reforms to laws relating to land. It was also seeking alliances with political parties at the state level; initially, with the [[Indian National Congress]] and then, by the early 1960s, with the [[Swatantra Party]]. By 1967, the KKGKS was once again working with Congress because, despite being a haven for Patidars, the party leadership needed the votes of the KKGKS membership. The Kolis gained more from the actions of the KKGKS in these two decades than did the Rajputs, and Jaffrelot believes that it was around this time that a Koli intelligentsia emerged.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} Ghanshyam Shah, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, describes the organisation today as covering a broad group of communities, from disadvantaged Rajputs of high prestige to the semi-tribal [[Bhil people|Bhil]]s, with the Kolis in the middle. He notes that its composition reflects "a common economic interest and a growing secular identity born partly out of folklore but more out of common resentment against the well-to-do castes".{{sfn|Shah|2004|p=178 | The relevance of the Kshatriya label in terms of ritual was diminished by the practical actions of the KKGKS which, among other things, saw demands for the constituent communities to be classified as [[Other Backward Class|Backward Classes]] in the Indian [[Reservation in India|scheme for positive discrimination]]. Kshatriyas would not usually wish to be associated with such a category and indeed it runs counter to the theory of Sanskritisation, but in this instance, it suited the socio-economic and political desires. By the 1950s, the KKGKS had established schools, loan systems and other mechanisms of communal self-help and it was demanding reforms to laws relating to land. It was also seeking alliances with political parties at the state level; initially, with the [[Indian National Congress]] and then, by the early 1960s, with the [[Swatantra Party]]. By 1967, the KKGKS was once again working with Congress because, despite being a haven for Patidars, the party leadership needed the votes of the KKGKS membership. The Kolis gained more from the actions of the KKGKS in these two decades than did the Rajputs, and Jaffrelot believes that it was around this time that a Koli intelligentsia emerged.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2003|pp=180-182|ps=}} Ghanshyam Shah, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, describes the organisation today as covering a broad group of communities, from disadvantaged Rajputs of high prestige to the semi-tribal [[Bhil people|Bhil]]s, with the Kolis in the middle. He notes that its composition reflects "a common economic interest and a growing secular identity born partly out of folklore but more out of common resentment against the well-to-do castes".{{sfn|Shah|2004|p=178}} | ||
The Kolis of Gujarat remained educationally and occupationally disadvantaged compared to communities such as the [[Brahmin]]s and Patidars.{{sfn|Shah|2004|p=302 | The Kolis of Gujarat remained educationally and occupationally disadvantaged compared to communities such as the [[Brahmin]]s and Patidars.{{sfn|Shah|2004|p=302}} Their many [[Jāti]]s include the [[Baria (caste)|Bareeya]], [[Khant caste|Khant]] and [[Thakor]], and they also use ''Koli'' as a suffix, giving rise to groups such as the Gulam Koli and Matia Koli. Some do not refer to themselves as Koli at all.{{sfn|Shah|2004|p=221}} | ||
[[File:Kolis_of_bandra_during_republic_day_parade_doing_performing_koli_dance.jpg|thumb|Kolis of [[Bandra]] during [[Republic Day (India)|Republic day]] [[Delhi Republic Day parade|parade]] doing performing [[Koli Dance|Koli dance]]]] | |||
== Classification == | == Classification == | ||
The Koli community classified as [[Other Backward Class]] by [[Government of India]] in the [[States and union territories of India|Indian States]] of [[Gujarat]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=A community called Koli - Indian Express |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/a-community-called-koli------------------------/214908/ |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=archive.indianexpress.com}}</ref> [[Karnataka]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-01 |title=Who is stirring the caste cauldron in Karnataka? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/who-is-stirring-the-caste-cauldron-in-karnataka-101614604265600.html |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> [[Maharashtra]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA |url=http://ncbc.nic.in/Writereaddata/cl/maharashtra.pdf}}</ref> and [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=कोली को अनुसूचित जाति का दर्जा नहीं: हाईकोर्ट |url=https://www.bhaskar.com/news/UP-ALAH-allahabad-high-court-said-koli-did-not-come-under-scheduled-caste-4993156-NOR.html}}</ref> but in Maharashtra, Tokre Koli, Malhar Koli and Mahadev Kolis are listed as [[Scheduled Tribe]] by [[Government of Maharashtra|State Government]] of Maharashtra.<ref>{{Cite web |title=List Of Scheduled Tribes - TRTI, Pune |url=https://trti.maharashtra.gov.in/index.php/en/list-of-scheduled-tribes |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=trti.maharashtra.gov.in}}</ref> | |||
The [[Government of India]] classified the Koli community as [[Scheduled Caste]] in the [[2001 census of India|2001 census]] for the states of Delhi,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_delhi.pdf |title=N.C.T. Delhi : DATA HIGHLIGHTS: THE SCHEDULED CASTES : Census of India 2001 |publisher=Censusindia.gov |access-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> [[Madhya Pradesh]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_madhya_pradesh.pdf |title=Madhya Pradesh : DATA HIGHLIGHTS: THE SCHEDULED CASTES : Census of India 2001 |publisher=Censusindia.gov |access-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> and Rajasthan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_rajasthan.pdf |title=Rajasthan : DATA HIGHLIGHTS: THE SCHEDULED CASTES : Census of India 2001 |publisher=Censusindia.gov |access-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> | The [[Government of India]] classified the Koli community as [[Scheduled Caste]] in the [[2001 census of India|2001 census]] for the states of Delhi,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_delhi.pdf |title=N.C.T. Delhi : DATA HIGHLIGHTS: THE SCHEDULED CASTES : Census of India 2001 |publisher=Censusindia.gov |access-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> [[Madhya Pradesh]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_madhya_pradesh.pdf |title=Madhya Pradesh : DATA HIGHLIGHTS: THE SCHEDULED CASTES : Census of India 2001 |publisher=Censusindia.gov |access-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> and Rajasthan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_rajasthan.pdf |title=Rajasthan : DATA HIGHLIGHTS: THE SCHEDULED CASTES : Census of India 2001 |publisher=Censusindia.gov |access-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> | ||
=== Criminal Tribes Act === | |||
The Koli caste of [[Maharashtra]] and [[Gujarat]] was classified as a [[Denotified Tribes|Criminal Tribe]] under [[Criminal Tribes Act]] of 1871 by [[British Raj|British Indian Government]] or [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay government]] because of their anti-social activities such as [[Robbery|robberies]], murder, [[blackmailing]], and crop and [[Cattle theft in India|animal theft]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vivekanand |title=Reversing the Semantics |date=2016 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26552652 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=77 |pages=276–281 |jstor=26552652 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref> In 1914, Kolis of Maharashtra revolted against [[British Raj|British]] rule and attacked the British officials and to control the kolis, British government again declared the Kolis as a criminal Tribe under Bombay criminal Tribes Act. Around 7000 kolis were required to attend the call each day.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hardiman |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8EsfAQAAIAAJ |title=Feeding the Baniya: Peasants and Usurers in Western India |last2=Hardiman |first2=David |date=1996 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-19-563956-8 |location=[[New Delhi]], [[India]] |pages=250 |language=en}}</ref> Kolis often attacked the [[Marwari people|Marwari]] [[Bania (caste)|Banias]], [[Sahukars]] and [[Moneylenders]]. if Kolis were not able to pay the debt given by Moneylenders so they always burnt the house and account books and looted the available valueables. It was much common for Kolis of Maharashtra and Gujarat so kolis were notorious tribe for [[British Empire|British]] officials. in 1925, kolis were registered under Criminal Tribes Act.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ludden |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eHi62S7vZlsC&q=Mahadev+Kolis |title=An Agrarian History of South Asia |last2=David |first2=Ludden |last3=Ludden |first3=Professor of History David |date=1999-10-07 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-36424-9 |location=New Delhi, India |pages=200 |language=en}}</ref> The indian historian [[G. S. Ghurye]] writes that Kolis worked as soldiers in [[British Indian Army]] in several [[Bombay Army|Regiments]] but again in 1940 Koli soldiers were classified as a Criminal Tribe under Criminal Tribe Act by British Bombay Government for their uncommon activities against Britishers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pillai |first=S. Devadas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3uD22Ghqs4C&q=mahadev+koli |title=Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary |date=1997 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |year=1997 |isbn=978-81-7154-807-1 |location=New Delhi, India |pages=209–210 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
== Rebellion == | |||
{{Main|Koli rebellions}} | |||
== Notable people == | == Notable people == | ||
{{Main|List of Koli people}} | |||
== Notes and references == | == Notes and references == | ||
| Line 74: | Line 80: | ||
* Indian Express. [http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/a-community-called-koli------------------------/214908/0 A community called Koli] | * Indian Express. [http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/a-community-called-koli------------------------/214908/0 A community called Koli] | ||
{{Gotras of Kolis}} | {{Gotras of Kolis}}{{Social groups of Maharashtra}}{{Social groups of Rajasthan}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koli people}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Koli people}} | ||
[[Category:Koli people| ]] | [[Category:Koli people| ]] | ||