Sansi

▪ people

      nomadic criminal tribe originally located in the Rājputāna area of northwestern India but expelled in the 13th century by Muslim invaders and now living in Rājasthān state as well as scattered throughout all of India. The Sansi claim Rājput descent, but, according to legend, their ancestors are the Beriya, another criminal caste. Relying on cattle thievery and petty crime for survival, the Sansi were named in the Criminal Tribes Acts of 1871, 1911, and 1924, which outlawed their nomadic lifestyle. Reform, initiated by the Indian government, has been difficult because they are an “untouchable” caste and sell or barter any land or cattle given to them.

      Numbering some 60,000 in the early 21st century, the Sansi speak Hindi and divide themselves into two classes, the khare (people of pure Sansi ancestry) and the malla (people of mixed ancestry). Some are cultivators and labourers, although many are still nomadic. They trace their descent patrilineally and also serve as the traditional family genealogists of the Jat, a peasant caste. Their religion is simple Hinduism, but a few have converted to Islam.

* * *