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Goa too has been invaded by Aryans just
like the other parts of India. Still some tribes that exist in the state
were the original settlers of the Konkan region much before the Dravidians
invaded and occupied it. After sometime the Aryans came into the Konkan
region area and settled down.
The Tribal Life
The
major tribe of Goa are the Gowdas, but there are
other tribes too, which are the Kunbis, the Velips and the Dhangars. The
tribal people live in segregated villages. The lifestyles, customs,
practices, traditions, ceremonies, religious beliefs and superstitions
have remained an integral part of the tribal people.
Even if certain changes have crop up in the recent past still if one
takes a closer look at their habits, customs and traditions they can
called more civilized too. Their way of life does have logic and a meaning
behind it and is not at all affected by the economical, technological and
scientific changes that have taken place in the rest of the civilized
world.
THE GOWDAS
There has been no record that from where have the Gowdas have migrated to
Goa.They have known as the Gowdas as they reside in
the interior villages of the Goa. This could be a common term, as a
village is called 'Goan' in Sanskrit.
Gowda Women
The Gowdas differ when it comes to role and rights given to women.
Property is inherited by the wife after her husband's death. After her
death it is distributed equally between sons and unmarried daughters.
Women also play a very active role in economic matters and activities such
as agriculture.
Rituals
The Gowdas are Hindus and they do not marry outside their tribes. They
oppose the practice of other Hindus that the dead should be cremated
instead the dead are buried in a set burial ground.
In 1620, the Portuguese converted a part of Gowdas forcibly to
Christianity. That's why the Gowdas have split into three groups, which
maintain strict endogamy and where both the matrilateral and patrilateral
types of cross-cousin marriages are practiced. The chief deity of the
Gowdas is Malikkarjun, the local name of Lord Shiva. 