Astronomy of two Indian tribes: Banjaras and Kolams
Mayank N Vahia, Ganesh Halkare, Kishore Menon, Harini Calamur

TL;DR
This study explores the astronomical beliefs of the Banjaras and Kolams tribes in India, revealing how their professions and lifestyles influence their perceptions of the sky and their cultural identities.
Contribution
It provides a comparative analysis of the astronomical beliefs of two Indian tribes, highlighting the link between their professions, lifestyles, and sky perceptions.
Findings
Distinct astronomical beliefs linked to tribe identities
Profession influences perception of the sky
Interactions between tribes affect their astronomical views
Abstract
We report field studies of the astronomical beliefs of two Indian tribes: the Banjaras and the Kolams. The Banjaras are an ancient tribe connected with the gypsies of Europe while the Kolams have been foragers until recently. They share their landscape with each other and also with the Gonds whose astronomy was reported previously (Vahia and Halkare, 2013). The primary profession of the Banjaras was trade, based on the large-scale movement of goods over long distances, but their services were taken over by the railways about one hundred years ago. Since then the Banjaras have begun the long journey to a sedentary lifestyle. Meanwhile, the Kolams were foragers until about fifty years ago when the Government of India began to help them lead a settled life. Here, we compare their astronomical beliefs of the Banjaras and the Kolams, which indicate the strong sense of identity that each…
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Taxonomy
TopicsForensic and Genetic Research · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Race, Genetics, and Society
