Kanwar (tribe)

Kanwar believe that the term Kanwar have derived from Kauravas, the ruling clan of Mahabharata and state that they are descendants of one of the Kauravas. According to Trivedi(1971), the term Kanwar appears corruption of the Kauravas who were trusted soldiers of the Haihaiyavanshi chiefs of Ratanpur.[4] Hewitt (1869), considered them imperfect rajput, who settled in early times among the hills of Vindhya ranges and failed in becoming hinduised like other war-like immigrants.[1] Kanwar speak Hindi dialect like Chhattisgarhi and Sadri language.[5]

They are listed as Scheduled Tribe in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.[6]

The Kanwar are landowning cultivators. As a subsidiary occupation they work as a labourer. They select a person to head the community council of several villages. He is assisted by elderly members of the community. The council looks after the social order of the community.

They worship many gods including Dulha deo, Bahan Deo, Thakur Deo, Shikar Deo and Goddess including Sagai Devi, Matin Devi, Banjari Devi etc.[4]

Kanwar have eight endogamous division- Tanwar, Kamalbansi, Paikara, Dudh Kanwar, Rathia, Chanti, Cherwa and Rautia. Of these Cherwa, Rathia and Tanwar have been included in Schedule Tribe list. They are patrilineal, patriarchal and patrilocal. Kanwar have large number of exogamous totemic septs which are named after plants and animals. Some totemic septs are Baghwa (tiger), Chita (leopard), Bilwa (wild cat) , Bokar (goat), Bichhi (scorpion), Bhainsa (buffalo) and Sua (parrot). Other septs include Adila, Bhandari, Chandrama (moon), Chanwar (a whisk), Champa (plumeria flower), Chua(well), Daharia, Dhanguru, Dhenki (A pounding -lever), Darpan (a mirror), Fulbandhia, Gobra ( dung beetle), Hudra (wolf), Kothi (a store-house), Khumri(A leaf- umbrella), Lodha(a wild dog), Gonga Cochar, Sanwami, Manjhi, Nahna, Samund, Kodia Dudh, Son Pakhar and Sikuta.[1]