Doma (caste)

{{Redirect|Doms||DOMS (disambiguation){{!}}DOMS}}{{Redirect|Domba|the Malian town|Domba, Mali}}[[File:Dom man2 kurta eastbengal1860.jpg|230px|thumb|A Dom man in Eastern [[Bengal]], {{circa|1860}}.]]

The '''Doma''' ({{langx|sa|[[wikt:डोम|डोम]]|translit=ḍoma|translation=}}, {{IPA|sa|ɖoːmɐ|ipa}}), also known as '''''Dom''''', '''''Domra''''', '''''Domba''''', '''''Domaka''''', '''''Dombara''''' and '''''Dombari''''', are castes, or groups, scattered across [[India]]. The Doma/Dom were a caste of drummers.<ref name="M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_aZm_MQjygC&pg=PA126|title=Bhangi, Scavenger in Indian Society: Marginality, Identity, and Politicization of the Community|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.|author=Rama Sharma|year=1995|page=126|isbn=978-8185880709}}</ref> According to [[Tantra]] scriptures, the Dom were engaged in the occupations of singing and playing music.<ref name="University of Illinois Press" /> Historically, they were considered an [[Untouchability|untouchable caste]] called the [[Dalit|Dalits]] and their traditional occupation was the disposal and cremation of dead bodies.<ref name="Panchali Ray">{{Cite book|author= Panchali Ray|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v7SmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT207|title=Politics of Precarity:Gendered Subjects and the Health Care Industry in Contemporary Kolkata|publisher=OUP India|page=207|year=2019| isbn=978-0-19-909553-7 }}</ref><ref name="Robert E. Van Voorst">{{Cite book|author= Robert E. Van Voorst |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DpVUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA85|title=RELG: WORLD |publisher=Cengage Learning|page=85|year=2018| isbn=9781337671866 }}</ref> The Doma were formerly classified as a [[Denotified Tribes|criminal tribe]] under the 1870s [[Criminal Tribes Act]]s of the [[British Raj]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Concept of Race in South Asia |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Delhi |year=1995 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Robb |first=Crispin |last=Bates |chapter=Race, Caste and Tribe in Central India: the early origins of Indian anthropometry |isbn=978-0-19-563767-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PwNkQgAACAAJ |page=227 |access-date=2011-12-01}}</ref><ref name="gupta">{{cite book |title=Padabi Abhidhan |trans-title=Dictionary of Family Names |language=bn |last=Gupta |first=Ganesh |year=2005 |publisher=Annapurna Prakashan |location=Kolkata |page=52}}</ref> They are in the list of [[Scheduled caste|Scheduled Castes]] for [[Reservation in India]] in the Indian states of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Odisha]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Jharkhand]], [[West Bengal]], [[Delhi]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref name="Registrar General"/><ref name="Biharonlineportal"/><ref name="West Bengal"/><ref name="scstrti"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://advocatetanmoy.com/2018/08/11/list-of-scheduled-caste-and-schedule-tribe-and-obcs-in-west-bengal/|title=Legal Database|date=11 August 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Scheduled Castes {{!}} Department of Social Justice and Empowerment - Government of India |url=https://socialjustice.gov.in/common/76750 |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=socialjustice.gov.in}}</ref>

== Etymology == Individuals who live by singing and music were referred to as Doma in Tantric scriptures. According to historian M.P. Joshi, the word Duma is connected to the sound of a drum.<ref name="University of Illinois Press"/> Its presumed root, ''ḍom'', which is connected with drumming, is linked to ''damara'' and ''[[damaru]]'', Sanskrit terms for "drum" and the Sanskrit verbal root डम् ''ḍam-'' 'to sound (as a drum)', perhaps a loan from [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]], e.g. [[Kannada language|Kannada]] ''ḍamāra'' 'a pair of kettle-drums', and [[Telugu language|Telugu]] ''ṭamaṭama'' 'a drum, [[tomtom drum|tomtom]]'.<ref>T. Burrow and M.B. Emeneau, ''A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary'' 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984), p. 257, entry #2949.</ref>

== History== The term ''doma'' is mentioned in [[Tantra]] scriptures as individuals who live by singing and music. During the reign of the [[Chand dynasty]] and [[Gorkha Kingdom|Gorkha]], all service castes were referred to as Doma and were prohibited from wearing gold and silver ornaments. They had to work as palanquin bearers, but they were prohibited from using palanquins at their weddings. They had to live in separate villages with different cremation sites and water sources. They had to bury the dead cows of others of which they ate flesh. During the British period, the British prohibited these discriminative practices. Social activist [[Lala Lajpat Rai]] and dalit leader Khusi Ram sought to reject low caste status and introduced the term [[Shilpkar]] to replace the pejorative Doma. They conducted purification rituals of [[Arya Samaj]] in which shilkars wore sacred threads (Janeu) and were allowed to use a palanquin in their wedding. Since then, in Uttarakhand, the Shilpkar replaced Dom in the official category. But it has done little to reduce the social stigma in the central Himalaya region.<ref name="University of Illinois Press">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYM4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT52|title=Recasting Folk in the Himalayas: Indian Music, Media, and Social Mobility|publisher=University of Illinois Press|author=Stefan Fiol|page=51-53|year=2017|isbn=978-0252099786}}</ref>

Many [[nomadic]] and [[peripatetic minority|peripatetic]] groups in Uttar Pradesh are said to be of Doma origin such as the [[Bangali (caste)|Bangali]], [[Bhantu]], [[Bazigar]], [[Habura (caste)|Habura]], [[Kanjar]], and [[Sansi people|Sansi]]. It could also be that the term Doma is generically used to describe any peripatetic nomad, as all of the aforementioned groups are distinct and strictly endogamous. Some speak a dialect or [[argot]] of their own, while others speak the prevailing dialect or language.<ref>Nomads in India : proceedings of the National Seminar / edited by P.K. Misra, K.C. Malhotra</ref>

===Dom in Kumaon=== During the '''Gorkha rule''' in the Himalayan regions, particularly in [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]], Doms and other communities classified as untouchables faced severe social discrimination and harsh punishments under a rigid caste system. These communities were historically subordinated to the twice-born castes, namely [[Brahmins]], [[Rajputs]], and [[Khasas|Khas Rajputs]].<ref name="punishment"/>

One of the strict social taboos enforced during this period was related to the hukkah (a traditional smoking pipe). If a Dom or any untouchable individual touched the hukkah of a member of the twice-born castes, it was considered an act of pollution and caste defilement. Under Gorkha authority, such an act was deemed a capital offense, and the offender could be sentenced to death.<ref name="punishment"/>

In addition to this, other actions such as slaying a cow (considered sacred in Hindu tradition) or violating caste boundaries also carried the death penalty. These laws reinforced the strict caste hierarchy and maintained the dominance of the upper castes in both religious and social spheres.<ref name="punishment">{{cite book |last1=Pāṇḍe |first1=Badarī Datta |title=History of Kumaun: English Version of "Kumaun Ka Itihas" |date=1993 |publisher=Shyam Prakashan |isbn=978-81-85865-01-0 |page=476 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXZwQgAACAAJ |language=en}}</ref>

==Occupations==

=== Andhra Pradesh === The Dom originally hails from the hilly tract of [[Visakhapatnam]] in Andhra Pradesh, were known for their occupation as drummers and are often considered "untouchables" in the caste system due to their historical role in disposing of bodies, including both animal and human remains.<ref>{{Cite web |title=India - A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Andhra Pradesh - 2011 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/42907 |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Njuki |first1=Jemimah |url= |title=Transforming Gender and Food Security in the Global South |last2=Parkins |first2=John R. |last3=Kaler |first3=Amy |date=2016-11-25 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-19001-1 |pages=118–119 |language=en}}</ref>

===Chhattisgarh=== In [[Jashpur district]] of [[Chhattisgarh]], the Dom were rulers from the 16th century to 18th century, until the defeat of king Raibhan of the Dom dynasty by Sujan Rai of Sonpur who established [[Jashpur State]].<ref name="Concept Publishing Company">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CurpY1rWtb4C&pg=PA22|title=The Hill Korwa|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|author= Shashishekhar Gopal Deogaonkar|page=22|year=1985|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

===Delhi=== The Dom were engaged in the occupation of beating drums in marriage ceremonies in [[Delhi]] of caste hindus. But marriages of high caste are facilitated by a Brahmin priest where a drum is not beaten. In Delhi, Dom women facilitate marriages of [[Bhangi]] caste by singing and drum beating as Brahmin do not facilitate marriages of Bhangi caste as they are considered untouchable.<ref name="M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd."/>

===Gilgit-Baltistan=== In [[Hunza Valley]] of [[Gilgit-Baltistan]], these people are called Bericho, Dom, or Doma. The Dom identity developed out of their work as musicians. They are a heterogeneous group, descended from a number of families that took up service with the various local rulers. The Dom belong to the [[Nizari Ismaili]] sect in [[Hunza Valley|Hunza]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Disappearing peoples? : indigenous groups and ethnic minorities in South and Central Asia|date=2007|publisher=Left Coast Press|others=Brower, Barbara Anne., Johnston, Barbara Rose.|isbn=978-1-59874-726-3|location=Walnut Creek, CA|oclc=647914842}}</ref>

=== Rajasthan === In [[Rajasthan]], the [[Kalbelia]] tribe is engaged in dance and [[snake charming]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/kalbelia-folk-songs-and-dances-of-rajasthan-00340 |title=Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan |website=UNESCO |publisher=United Nations |access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref>

===Uttarakhand=== During the [[Chand kingdom|Chand]] and [[History_of_Uttarakhand#Post_Medieval_History|Gurkha]] dynasties (c. 700-1816 CE) in northern India, including regions that are now part of [[Uttarakhand]], the term 'Dom' collectively referred to various occupational groups, including artisans and professional entertainers such as singers and musicians. Members of Dom castes were also involved in the disposal of dead animals, including cows.<ref name="University of Illinois Press"/>

===Uttar Pradesh=== In [[Varanasi]], the city in [[Uttar Pradesh]], the Dom perform the most important task of [[cremation]] of dead bodies.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/india-doms-varanasi-cremation-idUSKBN1CV1K8|title=Doms of Varanasi make a living among the dead|publisher=reuters|date=26 October 2017|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> According to puranic legend, Raja [[Harishchandra]] was purchased by Kallu Dom and Harishchandra was working under him.<ref>{{Cite book |author=[[Namit Arora]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jE1tDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT329 |title=Indians: A Brief History of A Civilization |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |year=2021 |isbn=978-9353052874 |page=329}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yOR1hvfH8s8C&pg=PA306|title=The Sacred Complex of Kashi: A Microcosm of Indian Civilization|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|year=1979|author=Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi, Makhan Jha, Baidyanath Saraswati|page=306}}</ref> However, according to another legend, Harishchandra was said to have been sold to a [[Chandala]], and the Chandala entrusted him with the responsibility of overseeing the cremation ground ([[shmashana]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwSR-K-LRD0C&pg=PA116|title=Sarama and Her Children: The Dog in Indian Myth|publisher=Penguin Books India|year=2008|author=Bibek Debroy|page=116|isbn=978-0143064701}}</ref>

==Demographics==

===India===

In [[Odisha]], there were around 706,000 Doms according to the [[2011 Census of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/population_enumeration.html|website=censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2020-05-11}}</ref>

In Uttar Pradesh, Dom as a Scheduled Caste had a population of 110,353 according to the 2011 Census of India.<ref name="Registrar General">{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |title=A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix – Uttar Pradesh |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |accessdate=6 February 2017 |archive-date=31 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731072159/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In Jammu and Kashmir, Dom are also called Mahasha had a population of 193,803 according to the 2011 Census of India.<ref>https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/21240/study-description</ref>

In [[West Bengal]], Doms numbered 316,337 at the [[2001 Census of India]] and were 1.7 percent of the [[Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes|scheduled caste]] population of West Bengal. The same census found overall 46.0 percent of Doms (aged 7 and up) were literate. Along gender lines, 58.9 percent of males and 32.6 percent of females were found by the census to be literate.<ref name="West Bengal">{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_westbengal.pdf|title=West Bengal, Census of India 2001, Data Highlights – The Scheduled Castes|access-date=28 June 2009|publisher=Office of the Registrar General, India}}</ref>

===Nepal===

The [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal)|Central Bureau of Statistics]] of Nepal classifies the Dom as a subgroup within the broader social group of [[Madheshi people|Madheshi]] [[Dalit]]s.<ref> Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II [https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf]</ref> At the time of the [[2011 Nepal census]], 13,268 people (0.1% of the population of Nepal) were Dom. The frequency of Doms by province was as follows: [[Madhesh Province]] (0.2%) and [[Koshi Province]] (0.1%), zero percent in other provinces.

The frequency of Doms was higher than national average (0.1%) in the following districts:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/upLoads/2018/12/Volume05Part02.pdf |title=2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314170005/https://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/upLoads/2018/12/Volume05Part02.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Saptari District|Saptari]] (0.3%), [[Dhanusha District|Dhanusha]] (0.2%), [[Mahottari District|Mahottari]] (0.2%), [[Parsa District|Parsa]] (0.2%), [[Siraha District|Siraha]] (0.2%) and [[Sunsari District|Sunsari]] (0.2%).

==Present== The traditional occupation of Dom was making musical instruments and households items of bamboo. They still make musical instruments and households items of bamboo. But due to the advent of electronic music, sales of musical instruments have dwindled.<ref>{{cite book|title=People of India|page=1180}}</ref>

===Official classification===

Dom are listed as [[Scheduled Caste]] for [[reservation in India]] (positive affirmative action in the government jobs) in Indian state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Odisha]] and [[West Bengal]].<ref name="Registrar General"/><ref name="Biharonlineportal">{{Cite web|url=https://biharonlineportal.com/bihar-caste-list/|title=Bihar Caste List 2022|publisher=Biharonlineportal|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="West Bengal"/><ref name="scstrti">{{Cite web|url=https://www.scstrti.in/index.php/communities/sc-communities/108-sc-communities/355-dom|title=Dom|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>

===Diaspora===

* [[Dom people]], mainly Middle Eastern descendants of the Dom ** [[Abdal people (West Asia)|Abdal Doms in Turkey]] ** [[Doms in Egypt]] ** [[Ghorbati|Ghorbati Doms in Iran and Afghanistan]] ** [[Doms in Iraq]] ** [[Doms in Israel]] ** [[Doms in Jordan]] ** [[Doms in Lebanon]] ** [[Doms in Libya]] ** [[Doms in Sudan]] ** [[Doms in Syria]] ** [[Doms in Tunisia]] *** [[Lyuli]] and [[Garachi]] subgroup of Ghorbati

{{Romani people}} * [[Romani people]], mainly European descendants of the Dom ** [[Timeline of Romani history]] ** [[History of the Romani people]] *** [[Roma Route]], research project in Europe ** [[Romani diaspora]] *** [[List of Romani settlements]] *** [[List of Romani people]] *** [[Sinti]], Romanis in Germany, France and Italy and Central Europe,

* [[Zott]], Arabic term for gypsies, Romani people, and Dom people ** [[Zuṭṭ]], Arabicised form of [[Jat people]]

== Notable people ==

* [[List of Romani people]] * [[Bilal (Lebanese singer)]], 21st century * [[Heera Dom]], 19th century poet in India

== See also ==

* [[Nomads of India]] * [[Nomadic tribes in India]]

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links ==

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060317194852/http://www.yakshagana.com/re-jan03.htm Dombari acrobats] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060503050112/http://www.afarm.org/Tribal.htm Government program geared towards Dombaris] *[http://www.languageinindia.com/aug2002/indianmothertongues1961aug2002.html Dombari language speakers as listed in India]

[[Category:Dom in Bangladesh]] [[Category:Dom in Pakistan]] [[Category:Dom in India]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in India]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Bangladesh]] [[Category:Dalit communities]] [[Category:Shudra castes]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Tamil Nadu]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Bihar]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of West Bengal]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Jharkhand]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Odisha]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Assam]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Madhya Pradesh]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Delhi]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Karnataka]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Kerala]] [[Category:Scheduled Castes of Maharashtra]]