Vasava

See also: Vasava (surname)

For the Vedic god, see Vāsava.

The Vasava are an Adivasi clan of the Bhil ethnic community found in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. They have scheduled tribe status. In Rajasthan, they are also known as Vasave.

Origin

The Vasava are a Bhil sub-group of the larger Adivasi ethnos. some Sanskritized Vasava in Gujarat trace their mythological descent from Eklavya. They originally hail from south Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The community are now found in districts of Baroda, Surat, Bharuch, Narmada and Panchmahal. They speak Bhili language, although most can now speak Gujarati.

The Vasave in Maharashtra are found mainly in the Khandesh region. Their settlements exist mainly in the hilly and forest terrain of the Satpuda range. The Vasave speak the Bhil language, but most also speak Marathi. The Vasave are mainly a community of farmers, with animal husbandry being a secondary occupation. About 80% of the Vasave are Hindu, while the other 20% are Christians.

Present circumstances

The Vasava of Gujarat are an endogamous community and maintain village exogamy. Many are now agricultural labourers, and a few also own land. Those who own land grow paddy, sorghum, wheat, cereals and different kinds of pulses. Analogous to their wider Bhil community, they are non-vegetarian. Vasava are Hindu, they preserve many of their own ancestral indigenous folk beliefs.

As of 2001, the Vasava in Rajasthan were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's reservation program of positive discrimination.

The historic longing for Bhilistan has been led by a Vasava leader, Chhotubhai Vasava.