Kolis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about an Indian community. For the Finnish national park, see Koli National Park.
Kolis are a Marathi community of fishermen and women residing in the coastal regions of Maharashtra and even in neighbouring states like Gujarat and Goa. They are also one of the original inhabitants of Mumbai, then known as Bombay islands.
The Kolis almost exclusively speak Marathi language, though some Koli communities speak a variant dialect of Marathi. The Kolis of Mumbai are dispersed all over the city, especially along the western coast of the city. The Kolis of Vasai are Hindu and Christian, though both belong to the Marathi ethnic group.
The name is possibly derived from the Marathi word "Koli", which means a spider (one who spins a web - in Marathi that translates to 'one who weaves a net', and hence the fisherman, who weaves the net, is also called a Koli).
In 1901 the number of Kolis in all India was returned as nearly 3.75 million, but this total includes a distinct weaving caste of Kolis or Koris in northern India.
[edit] Mangela
Mangela is a subcaste among the Maharashtrian Koli Community. They are found in most villages dotting the coast line north of Bombay in Maharashtra.
Coastal Villages with Mangela Kolis - Colaba-Cuff Parade (Mumbai), Khar-Danda (Mumbai), Mahim (Mumbai), Arnala (Virar), Datiware, Kore, Edvan, Kelva-Mahim, Vadrai, Satpati, Alewadi, Navapur, Uchhali, Murabe, Kharekhuran, Chinchani, Ghungwada, Dahanu, Narpad, Bordi, Udhwada.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
[edit] Links
Annaparabrahma: a blog by a koli
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