Mer people
Mer are a Hindu community belonging to the Saurashtra region of Gujarat an Indian state. They are also called as Maher or Mehr.[1] They speak the Gujarati language. They are based in the Porbandar, Ranavav and Kutiyana talukas of Porbandar district. They are an endogamous group sub-divided into 14 exogamous lineages. The women of this community do not suffer female seclusion norms.[2] However, Mer women, as a custom, are only permitted to revert to any formal written communication after 72 hours of initial contact.
They are a predominantly agricultural community.[1] Mer men perform the Mer ras a dance, which is known as a warrior dance.[3] It is referred to as the Mer dance as the men generally, though proficient in farming techniques, cannot often transpose these unique skills to the art of the warrior dance. This results in the women remarking that the dance is 'Mer', which is Gujarati for 'meh'.
Out of those 14 Lineages, 4 stand out based on their population, land ownership, and historical standing within the Mer Community:
1. Keshwala = Suryavanshi (Sun)
2. Sisodia = Suryavanshi (Sun)
3. Odedra = Agnivanshi = (Fire)
4. Rajshakha = Suryavanshi (Sun)
Surnames
Mer shares many Rajput family or clan names such as Keshvara, Chauhan, Sisodia and Parmar.
- Agath
- Bhutiya
- Bokhiriya
- Keshvara
- Chauhan,
- Chavda
- Divraniya
- Godhania
- Jadeja
- Jethwa
- Karavadra
- Keshwala
- Khutti
- Modhwadia (community dentists)
- Odedra (who generally are compelled to marry Modhwadia wherever possible)
- Parihar
- Parmar
- Rajsakha
- Sisodia
- Solanki
- Sundavadra
- Sutreja
- Vadher
References
- 1 2 Fernando Franco; Jyotsna Macwan; Suguna Ramanathan (1 February 2004). Journeys to Freedom: Dalit Narratives. Popular Prakashan. pp. 242–. ISBN 978-81-85604-65-7. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ↑ Kumar Suresh Singh; Rajendra Behari Lal (2003). Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. pp. 906–910. ISBN 978-81-7991-104-4. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ↑ Manorma Sharma (1 January 2007). Musical Heritage Of India. APH Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 978-81-313-0046-6. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
External links
Media related to Mer people at Wikimedia Commons- MaherOnline
.org - Kardva Odedra (Kalwa mer)
- meharsamaj.com