TheBarda are a tribal community found in the states ofGujarat andMaharashtra inIndia. They havescheduled tribe status. The community is also known as Adivasi or KhandeshiBhil.[1][2]
The word in the (Gujarati language) means a dweller of a hilly region, and the term Barda is now applied to members of theBhil community who are said to have immigrated fromKhandesh toGujarat some three hundred years ago[citation needed]. The community is now settled in the districts ofMehsana,Ahmedabad,Baroda, andSurat. They spokeGujarati.[3]
InMaharashtra, the Barda is considered to be a sub-group of theBhil ethnic group. According to their traditions, the community descend from Sabari Bhil[citation needed], a well-known character from theRamayana. The Bardas are concentrated in the districts ofDhule,Jalgaon,Nasik,Osmanabad,Sangli,Kolhapur andSholapur. They speak Barda bhasha, which is related toMarathi. Most Barda also speakGujarati.[4]
The Barda are strictly endogamous and practice clan exogamy. Their major clans are the Ahir, Baria, Dania, Gaikwad, Mali, Mori, and Thakur, all of whom intermarry. Historically, the Barda was a community ofhunter-gatherers. The Barda has now settled as agriculturists, while many more are agricultural laborers. A few who have small pieces of land produce millets and pulses. The number of casual laborers from amongst the community.[5]
The Barda have their tribal belief system, to which they have later added a pantheon ofHindu gods and goddesses. Like other tribal communities in the westIndia, they perform several folk dances and songs. Economically, they are a marginal community, and literacy levels are very low.
The Barda Bhil consist of a number of exogamous clans such as the More, Sonone, Thakre, Wagh,Gaikwad, Mali, and Phulpagare. Each of these clans is of equal status and intermarry. The community is strictly endogamous. Their traditional occupation was hunting and gathering. A small number have agricultural land, but most are landless agricultural labourers. A few are also employed by the police. The Barda Bhil have their own tribal deities such asKhanderaoji.[6]