Saturday, June 7, 2008

116. The Saliana lineage

Many of us are curious to know what our lineage (Bari or Bali) names mean or how they were derived. We can coordinate the available data to understand the origin and antiquity of some of the lineage names.

Bangera Suvarna
Some of the Baris like Bangera and Suvarna are derived from the names of Moolastanas (or the sites of original inhabitation of the immigrant colonies). The Bangera word may be a variant of Bangare,or Bengare, the sand spit beach that formed an initial Bangera settlement or Moolasthana from the immigrants from the north. The Bengare Moolastana near Hoode is located on the beach spit developed at the confluence point of Rivers Swarna and Seetha in Udupi taluk. Similarly the Suvarna is derived from the settlement on the banks of Suvarna or Swarna River, Udupi Taluk.
However, at least a few Bari names apparently are derived from older genetic generations and later merged with the Moolastana system in Karavali/Tulunadu.

Bari
Tulu communities have adopted characteristic ‘Bari’ or ‘Bali’ (lineage) names derived from mothers (matrilineal) and fathers (patrilineal) hereditary successions since ages. Persons from the same matrilineal lineage are routinely prohibited from marrying each other. Since the persons from the same lineage are considered as brothers or sisters and thus marriage was taboo among them. Modern geneticists also discourage marriages among close relatives as it may lead to genetic disorders or abnormalities.

Bari vs. Castes
The Tulu Bari system is basically older than the Tulu Caste system. In other words, Moolastana concept existed before creation of the castes.The Baris have been later shared into different castes.For example, some of the primary Baris like Bangera, Saalian etc.,can be recognised in Mogavira, Billava and Bunt communities.
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Early tribes
Sham.Baa. Joshi (1967) has made some interesting analysis of the early tribes in the peninsular India. One of the earliest tribes were tree worshippers known as ‘Marava(ru’).In other parts of India they were known as ‘JaaDi ‘or ‘Zaadi’, the word being Prakrit equivalent of the word ‘Mara’ or the tree. Early tribes had intimate dependency on the trees. They found many of the fruits, leaves and roots were edible. Trees also protected them from rains and from the wild creatures. Gradually they believed that trees contain special spirits that were worshipped for the safety and well being of the tribes.

Early weavers
They depended on leaves of trees for covering their nakedness. In the next stage they used thin sheets made out of barks of the trees as primitive cloths. Further innovations led to separation of fibers from the bark and other parts of the trees that were woven into cloths. These refined people who could weave and wear cloths were called Saalis. At that stage of early evolution and culture, weaving a cloth should have been a special refined art.
The word Saala and Saali could have been derived from name Sala or the Salmala (Shalmala), the silk cotton tree or vice versa. The word Saali is usually pronounced as Taali in Tulu. Taaliye in Tulu refers to the spider that magically weaves astonishing webs.
However, it needs to be emphasized that the people of Saaliana or Taaliana lineage are not related to the Shettigars, the community traditionally connected with weaving. The Shettigars, incidentally have distinct set of Bari names that are not common to other Tulu communities.
The word Sali also represented a refined artisan as it is further used in words like Akkasaali (goldsmith), Padmasaali (weaver), Bhanushaali, Chakrashaali(potter) etc. It would not be surprising if the word Saala and Saali (art, artisan) led to the derivation of another respectable word Shaala, the school that taught arts.

Early farmers
The word Saale is also used to represent refined rice (as in Gandha saale, Jeera saale etc). Similarly the related word Salai represents pulses (as in ‘togari salai’ for dhal).
It is also possible that since Saala represented refined art it was further applied to refined varieties of food grains like special rice breeds and pulses.

Saalian Taaliana
Thus it is concluded that the word Sali in the Tulu lineage names Saalian or the equivalent Taaliana could have been derived from the words:
(a) Saali the refined weaver or artisan, and/or
(b) The Farmer who grew refined, special rice varieties and pulses.
(c) Saali, the expert or the refined artist.

The above suggestions are open for debate and learned readers may pose their opinions for or against the proposal.
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22 comments:

  1. It just means spider. I think it is a totemic object.

    Most of the South Indian weaver castes are known with spider names in the local languages.

    And the origin of spider names may be in words like 'thread', 'hair' etc...

    Jeda, Jada -> in Kannada
    Sali -> in Telugu

    Probably, Kaikolan,Tamil/Telugu weavers, could be from Koliya(Kolika guilds during Satavahana period: Pkt: spider, weaver).

    Anyway, Tamil, Tulu and Malayali weavers are migrants from Kannada and Telugu regions with assimilated local population.

    I think weavers have their origins in tanner communities.

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  2. Good data!However, there are atleast two distinct generations in these, who carry 'weaver' titles in Karavali.
    1.The people of Saliana/ Thaliana Bari are not presently connected to weaving of an sort!
    2.The real weavers by profession 'Shettigars' carry different types of lineages(-I shall cite some names later-)which do not includes Saaliana or Thaaliana!
    This leads us to suggest that present Tulu Shettigars possibly are later arrived immigrants than the Saalian and other coeval lineages.

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  3. 1.The people of Saliana/ Thaliana Bari are not presently connected to weaving of an sort!

    In my opinion, they have 'spider' totemic object not 'weaver'.

    2.The real weavers by profession 'Shettigars' carry different types of lineages

    I think Shettigars are basically Sali weavers from Telugu region. I have heard that until 19th century they used to speak Telugu mixed Tulu. I don't think they were ever matrilineal.

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  4. Many thanks for responding to my earlier request on Baris.

    I had heard a very interesting story from my cousin whose husband's bari is "Comana anna bari". Comana means a loin-cloth and the myth connected to this is that the founder of this lineage was fast asleep when "God" was allocating baris. He was therefore the last to approach God and had to be content with God's Comana which became the bari name.

    My mother's bari (and therefore my bari)is Thaliana and I was told by my grandmother not to kill spiders as it is not permitted for people with Thaliana bari. So Manjunath seems to be spot on.

    My Dad's bari is "Aryanna" - what does this mean. Also his aunt was named "Sindhu" - was this a common name among Tuluvas. It struck a chord when I read about our origin from Pirak.

    Rgds
    Ashok

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  5. Ashok, the comana bari anecdote is hilarious!This also highlights the funny way the Tulu people criticise the traditional aspects around them.
    2.Thaliana and Spider:then the theory is right!
    3. Aryanna obviously indicates derivation from or back-traces the origin to an immigrant Aryan breed.The name Sindhu is quite relevant here.

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  6. Manju, Spider is a totemic object agreed. The early weavers/artisans must have been inspired by the artistic ability of this tiny creature.
    Incidentally, I feel that the Saaliana equivalent 'Vadiari' lineage of Kerala (discussed by you earlier)may be derived from the phrase 'people from the north '.The words 'Vada/Bada' may be 'north' indicators as in other Dravidian languages.Tamil Sangam literature used the word 'Vadukar' for the 'northern'(Kannada) tribes.

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  7. Ashok: I just wonder why we don't find many such heart warming self-deprecating explanation!

    I would like to know whether Tulu bari-s are hierarchical. My community bari-s are so and in fact people have made a song and dance of it! Anjari supposed to be the highest and Tarurutti is the lowest.

    I think correspondence between Malayali and Tulu bari-s are due to cultural assimilation. I think Tulu Brahmins made these correspondences for temple activities.

    Yes, I too have imagined that badiari could be 'person from north' ( I suppose Tamils generally used it for Telugu region and not Kannada...may be both then). Though our bari-s are rather random. We have totemic object like crab (njandari), region specific (konkani), may be a matriarch (tarurutti) etc... Of course, there are many location (Kerala) specific bari names.

    Ravi:
    What are the names for east and west in Tulu?

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  8. Tulu Baris are not hierarchical as far as I know.There are apparently no discriminations based on the baris.Discriminations/hierarchy among people started after the Caste system was imposed upon.
    Tulu Baris indicate subtle cultural/genetic assimilations between the earlier tribes and Tulu immigrants.Have you observed this in the case of Kerala baris?
    *
    'mooDu' is East and 'paDu' is West. (Tulu and Old Kannada).

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  9. As far as I know, there was no discrimination. But I have heard a ditty that says 'anajari' are the highest and 'tarurutti' the lowest(and generally said by anjari-s only).

    The directions in Dravidian languages appear to be later inventions(not part of PD). Only SD-I and II(to certain extent) show terms for four directions.

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  10. What do the words Anjari and Taruratti mean in Malayalam?
    The directional words (Moodu Padu etc) appear to have been borrowed from pre-Dravidian Munda languages of southern India.

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  11. Don't have much idea. Anju in Malayalam means five. -tti end in Tarurutti make it sound like a female name.

    There could have been pre-Dravidian languages in South India but none of them could be Munda :-). Munda is one of the language families of the world with a strong male genetic signature.

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  12. Some of the apparently meaningless sounding words in Tulu are derived from an older Munda language and culture(My older posts). For example, the name of the first Tulu month 'Paggu' is derived from a Munda word,Phagu- a Munda seasonal festival!
    Who else could be the pre-Dravidians?

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  13. That looks like Magadhi Prakrit. Anyway, Mundas reside in the area where Magadhi Prakrit was spoken once. If Koragas could be considered as representative of pre-Dravidians then we can easily rule out Mundas.

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  14. Yes Korags are distinctly
    pre-Dravidians. But they were not alone!Tamil Sangam other ancient documents mention so many ancient tribes like Kosars(Koosa tribe?),Idaivar,Kalavar, Pani,Panamb,Kannar,Korangar, Bellari,Ga(ka)daba,Karawar etc whose footprints can be traced in the peninsula-including Karavali!
    How do we group or classify them?
    Where did Tulu tribes picked up Magadhi Prakrit?

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  15. How do we group or classify them?
    We don't have to unless we know they all spoke distinct languages.

    I am not sure of your idea individual tribes. There are so many Pathan tribes speaking the same language. Anyway,

    Where did Tulu tribes picked up Magadhi Prakrit?
    There are so many eastern Indian occupational groups assimilated with southern Indians. Anyway, Jain Prakrit is descendent of Magadhi Prakrit and so is Pali, I suppose. At least I have come across articles that Magadhi Prakrit influenced both Kannada and Malayalam. Let's consider the same 'paggu'. In Tamil, it is Panguni. If you see the Pali word, it is 'phagguni'.

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  16. Pagguni is Pali and Panguni is Tamil for Phalguni, agreed.But equivalents Phagu(Munda) and Paggu(Tulu)are more closer,and more 'primitive' phonetically.Pali/Prakrit(Jain/Buddhist) pockets are there all over peninsular India to further confuse the issue.But is it not difficult to decide who borrowed from whom?Or, which language is older? I mean to suggest that Munda group of languages are older than Pali and Prakrit.
    Is it a sheer coincidence that there are so many settlements with word'Munda'as prefix in Tulunadu?

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  17. Ravi, do you have an email I could reach you at? Mine is lak@mareddy.com

    Thanks :)

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  18. Is Munda self-designation of Mundas? Even if so, why not IE speakers after meeting Mundas in central-east India named non-Munda tribes or the places inhabited by those tribes in South India with the same designation. In the absence of genetics and linguistics these IE speakers might have employed dumb anthropometry.

    Literary form of Tulu is very recent. Therefore, it might have lost the original form of paggu (which could be pagguni more directly related Magadhi Prakrit form than the present Tamil).

    I think instead of futile arguments we must wait for the complete genetic picture Indian population. As of now, Munda presence in South India at best looks rather tenuous.

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  19. In Telugu "Padamata" means west and "toorpu" is east even today. Im focusing on the "Padu -> Pada" and "Mata" may mean direction, so pada+mata == "western direction"?

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  20. I 'feel' your right!('feel' because my knowledge of Telugu is rather limited).In both these languages,the word 'paDu' may have been borrowed from a common source.
    Tulu and Telugu have many uch similarities. Tulunadu has several Telugu sounding place names.
    I wish you write on Telugu-Tulu lingual/cultural relations.

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  21. Sure Ravi.. Im sufficiently interested.. Shall do so at my earliest..

    Rgds

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  22. Hi Ravi / Manjunath,

    Further to my comments of 10th June and your responses my views are :

    1) Tulu Baris are not heirarchical. It would have been practically impossible to maintain heirarchy because tradionally (as Ravi has pointed out earlier) you could not marry people from the same bari. Heirarchy can only be continued by excluding "others" which was not possible in this case.

    2) Tulu Baris have no connection with Brahmins or temple activities. In fact it is widely accepted that Brahmins in Tulu Nadu were brought in from the North in the recent past and are perhaps the only major Tulu community who are not matrilineal. Brahmins also speak a very different Tulu when compared to the "common" tulu spoken by other major Tulu communities.

    3) I am not sure about other Tulu communities but for Bunts, Brahmins did not form part of any religious activities / rituals in the past. Rituals connected with Bunt weddings, childbirth, worship ("Bhuta" worship) were all conducted by Bunts themselves or by other non-Brahmin Tulu communities some of whom assumed priestly roles. However this has changed dramatically in the last 50 years and today almost all marriages are conducted by Brahmin priests though Brahmins are still not part of "Bhuta" worship rituals in any significant way.

    4)Baris do not seem to be linked to profession. For eg the most common Bunt bari is Thalianna and Bunts have no apparent connection with weaving.

    5) I had come across a very interesting article on a website
    on the signifcance of spider as a totem which I am reproducing below under point 6). It seems that Spider was linked to the worship of the "Mother Godess" concept. That the Baris are in some way linked to the ultimate concept of "Father / Mother God" should not be ruled out considering the fact that the origin of the so-called "Bhuta worship" that is prevalent in Tulu Nadu was originally the worship of "Mother Godess". A distinction should be made here between the later additions to Bhuta worship (worship of Demi-gods and even heroes) and the original Bhuta worship of "Rajan-daivas". Almost all the "Rajan-daivas" are aspects of the Mother Godess (eg "Jumadi" which is a corruption of Dhumavati one of the "MahaVidyas' of Devi along with Kali, Tara, Mahalakhsmi, etc OR "Kodamandaya" which is a corruption of Kodaman tai another name for Parvati)

    For more info on this you may refer to the article "Power and Ritual in South Canara" by Marine Carrin and Harald Tambs-Lyche OR the many works of Peter Claus among others.

    6) From www.animaltotem.com/spider.html

    "Spiders are very delicate creatures that play an important role in the myths and lore of many peoples as the teacher of balance between the past and future, the physical and spiritual.

    To the Native Americans, Spider is Grandmother, the link to the past and future. In India it's associated with Maya, the weaver of illusions.

    With its gentle strength, Spider spins together the threads of life with intricate webs.

    Spider knows that the past affects the future and vise versa. It calls us to make use of our creativity and weave our dreams into our destiny.

    For many Native Americans, "spider woman" stories are important creation mythologies. One of the common feature of those are wisdom symbolized with spiders' webs (for example, she taught the human how to weave). Also generally accepted are the ideas that her "thread" connects the human world and the world of spirits or the "above world" and the "below world". Spider Woman also weaves the "relationship" of the Web of Life and all beings.



    "In the beginning, there was the dark purple light at the dawn of being. Spider Woman spun a line to form the east, west, north, and south. Breath entered man at the time of the yellow light. At the time of the red light, man proudly faced his creator. Spider Woman used the clay of the earth, red, yellow, white, and black, to create people. To each she attached a thread of her web which came from the doorway at the top of her head. This thread was the gift of creative wisdom. Three times she sent a great flood to destroy those who had forgotten the gift of her thread. Those who remembered floated to the new world and climbed to safety through the Sipapu Pole the womb of Mother Earth.""

    Rgds
    Ashok Shetty

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