Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T15:00:25.487Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Inbreeding among Dhangar castes of Maharashtra, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

K. C. Malhotra
Affiliation:
India Statistical Institute, 203 Barrackpore Trunk Road, Calcutta, India

Summary

Consanguinity is studied in a large sample of marriages among Dhangars of Maharashtra, India. The 22 endogamous castes included in the study show great variation in incidence, about an overall frequency of 26.4%. Matrilateral first cross-cousin unions are more frequency than patrilateral, and maternal uncle-niece nuions least frequent. Geograbhical differences are conspicuous, and all three types of consanguineous union show characteristic patterns; matrilateral unions increase in frequncy northwards, patrilateral and uncle-niece decrease northwards. The inbreeding levels among the Dhangars are high compared to other Maharashtrian groups, but substantially lower than in southern Dravidian speaking groups.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1979, Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

All, S.G.M. (1968) Inbreeding and endogamy in Kerala. Acta genet. statist. Med. 18, 369.Google Scholar
Basu, S.K..& Roy, S. (1972) Changes in the frequency of consanguineous marriages among Delhi Muslims after partition. East. Anthrop. 25, 21.Google Scholar
Chakravartti, M.R. (1968) Consanguinity in India. Z. Morbh Anthrop. 60, 170.Google ScholarPubMed
Huq, F. (1976) Consanguinity and inbreeding among the Muslims of Murshidabad and Birbhum districts of West Bengal. J. Anthrop. Soc. 11, 21.Google Scholar
Karve, I..(1953) Kinship Organization in India. Deccan College, Poona.Google Scholar
Malhotra, K. C., Ahamadi, K., Kazi, R. B..& Bhosale, N. (1977) Consanguineous marriages among five Mualim isolates of Maharashtra. J. Ind. Anthrop. Soc. 12, 207.Google Scholar
Pingle, U. (1975) A comparative analysis of mating systems and marriage distance patterns between five tribal groups of Utnur Taluka, Adilabad of Andhra Pradesh. In: Proceedings IInd Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Human Genetics. Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta.Google Scholar
Sanghvi, L.D. (1966) Inbreeding in India. Eugen. Q. 13, 291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanghvi, L.D., Varde, D.S..& Master, H.R. (1956) Ferquency of consanguincous marriages in twelve endogamous groups in Bombay. Acta. genet. statist. Med. 6, 41.Google Scholar