Gauda and Kunbi
Encyclopedia
Gaudas and Kunbis are aboriginal people residing in the coastal Indian state of Goa
. They are of Proto-Australoid
stock and are believed to be the original inhabitants of Konkan
. Most of them have been following folk Hinduism,whereas many were baptized to Catholicism
by the Portuguese
missionaries in last few centuries,while they have still kept their folk tradition and culture alive.They were hierarchically classified as landless laborers.
These groups had their specific roles within their community.They had their own priests and worshiped deities like Santeri or the anthill,Bhauka,Kelbai,Malkajan,Malkumi.Almost all of these deities were Sanskritised either by others or themselves in the course of time.
, have organised themselves into an aboriginal focussed network, called The Gauda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Federation or in short GAKUVED. Another Adivasi
-rights resource center MAND also works for their betterment.
,2174 from Ponda,250 from Bicholim
and 329 from Sattari
Catholic Gaudes were re-converted to Hinduism after nearly 400 years. The total number of the converts to Hinduism was 7815.
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. They are of Proto-Australoid
Proto-Australoid
The Proto-Australoids are a hypothesized group of ancient hunter-gather people descended from the first major wave of modern humans to leave sub-Saharan Africa ~100,000 years ago...
stock and are believed to be the original inhabitants of Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
. Most of them have been following folk Hinduism,whereas many were baptized to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
by the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
missionaries in last few centuries,while they have still kept their folk tradition and culture alive.They were hierarchically classified as landless laborers.
Subgroups
They are organised into various subgruops such as :- Velip
- Gauncar
- Zalmi
These groups had their specific roles within their community.They had their own priests and worshiped deities like Santeri or the anthill,Bhauka,Kelbai,Malkajan,Malkumi.Almost all of these deities were Sanskritised either by others or themselves in the course of time.
Modern organizations
Gaudas, Kunbis, Velip and another shepherd tribe called the DhangarDhangar
The Dhangar caste is primarily located in the Indian state of Maharashtra...
, have organised themselves into an aboriginal focussed network, called The Gauda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Federation or in short GAKUVED. Another Adivasi
Adivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
-rights resource center MAND also works for their betterment.
Shuddhi movement
On 23 February 1928, many Catholic Gaudes were re-converted to Hinduism notwithstanding the opposition of the Church and the Portuguese government. This was carried out by a Hindu religious institution from Mumbai known as Masurashram. The converts were given Hindu names but the Portuguese government put impediments in their way to get legal sanction to their new Hindu names.4851 Catholics from TiswadiTiswadi
Tiswadi is a taluka of North Goa district of the state of Goa, India.The word Tiswadi itself means thirty settlements. It refers to the thirty settlements in which the Goud Saraswat Brahmins settled when they migrated to Goa. It is geographically an Island with the Mandovi river forming its...
,2174 from Ponda,250 from Bicholim
Bicholim
Bicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...
and 329 from Sattari
Sattari
Sattari is a taluka on North East side of Goa known for its greenary and dense forest. Its headquarters is Valpoi . It is the 'Fenny capital' of Goa. The Western Ghats form the eastern part of the Sattari Taluka. The Mhadei River is considered to be the lifeline of Sattari. It has a...
Catholic Gaudes were re-converted to Hinduism after nearly 400 years. The total number of the converts to Hinduism was 7815.