...
Contents
Project
Staff
vi
Contributors
vii
Preface
xiii
Introduction
xix
Maps
1.
South
Asia
xxviii
2.
Cultural
Regions
of
South
Asia
xxix
3.
Major
Languages
of
South
Asia
xxx
4.
Dominant
Religious
Groups
of
South
Asia
xxxi
5.
Cultural
Groups
of
South
Asia
xxxii
Cultures
of
South
Asia
1
Appendix:
Additional
Castes,
Caste
Clusters,
and
Tribes
309
Bibliograph...
... her
husband's
property.
Socialization.
Mother
and
child
are
considered
polluting
until
the
eleventh
day
after
birth,
when
a
purifying
ceremony
is
conducted
and
the
baby
is
given
a
name.
The
first
feeding
of
rice,
called
pasni,
is
given
after
5
months
for
a
girl
and
7
months
for
a
boy.
A
boy's
head
is
shaved
at
about
7
years
of
age
(a
small
tuft
of
hair
is
left
on
the
back
as
a...
... Muslim
septs,
with
the
latter
being
Sunni
converts
retaining
some
of
their
Hindu
practices.
Most
keep
copies
of
the
Quran
in
their
homes;
however,
like
Hindus
they
worship
a
family
deity.
Brahman
priests
are
consulted
to
determine
a
lucky
time
for
the
first
bath
for
the
mother
after
a
baby
is
born.
Id-al-Zuha
(Id-al-Adha)
and
Id-al-Fitr
are
their
two
most
important
fes-
tivals.
Gujar
Musl...
... as
by
banyans,
pipals,
bananas,
and
papayas.
Subsistence
and
Commercial
Activities.
The
major
crops
on
dry
land
terraces
are
maize,
accounting
for
half
of
the
har-
vest,
wheat,
and
dry
rice.
With
the
exception
of
a
small
amount
of
maize,
the
irrigated
terraces
are
planted
to
rice.
Over
the
years
the
Magars
have
also
made
use
of
buckwheat,
hulled
barley,
mustard,
potatoes,
sugarcane,
b...
... as
converts
to
Zoroastrianism,
is
being
vehemently
de-
bated
among
Parsis
both
in
India
and
abroad.
There
appears
to
be
a
progressive
attitude
among
the
overseas
Parsis
that
may
in
the
future
lead
to
a
broadening
of
the
definition
of
a
Parsi.
Parsi
divorce
rates
are
higher
than
those
for
other
In-
dian
communities
because,
when
compared
to
Hindu
law,
Parsi
law
has
always
made
divorce
easi...
... that
life
continues
be-
yond
the
grave,
in
a
land
where
each
of
the
uyus
has
its
indi-
vidual
abode.
When
one
dies,
his
or
her
soul
is
taken
to
the
domain
of
the
uyu
who
was
the
cause
of
death.
An
individual
enjoys
the
same
status
and
life-style
that
he
or
she
had
while
alive.
For
this
reason
the
deceased
is
provided
with
food,
drink,
possessions,
and
other
tools
and
provisions
to
ensur...
... a
diviner
has
identified
what
is
to
be
done.
There
are
all
manner
of
private
curing
rituals,
and
these
are
held
by
whomever
knows
how,
not
by
professionals;
they
tend
to
involve
sacrifices
to
intruding
spirits,
soul
recall-
ing,
and
the
leaving
of
miniature
images
of
wealth
outside
the
village
for
the
spirits.
There
are
few
definite
seasonal
calen-
drical
ceremonies,
but
village
rites
m...
... old
culture
is
comprised
of
three
main
layers:
the
Tamil-Malayalam
substratum
with
its
many
subtle
roots;
old
Sinhala
culture
and
language,
which
is
the
dominant
element;
and
the
phase
of
Arabic
in-
fluence.
But
the
Maldives
were
touched
by
every
cultural
wind
that
passed
over
the
Indian
Ocean.
Since
independence
there
has
again
been
influence
from
Sri
Lanka,
through
its
teachers
brought...
... four
such
families,
each
family
constituting
a
unit.
There
is
a
per-
vasive
emphasis
on
sexual
egalitarianism
and
women
some-
times
form
independent
commensal
units,
though
these
al-
ways
are
part
of
a
wider
camp
aggregate.
Many
encampments
consist
only
of
a
single
family,
and
such
families
may
reside
as
separate
and
isolated
units
for
long
periods.
Kinship
Terminology.
The
kinship
termin...
... 106
forest
of
its
kind
in
the
world.
Post -World
War
II
dam
proj-
ects,
including
that
of
Bhavani
Sagar,
created
temporary
work
for
others.
Many
Irula
have
entered
the
general
job
market
in
the
Coimbatore-Mettupalaiyam-Ootacamund
region
and
are
employed
in
a
wide
array
of
jobs
in
the
public
and
private
sec-
tors.
Such
jobs
include
positions
in
air
force
and
army
camps,
nationalized
b...