You must have all heard about tribalism and why it is the work of satan. Then the gossip from the aunties would have firmed up your opinion on the whole subject. Why would any sane person hold to such notions? They wouldn't. They are listening to satan. FACT.

Not only that, most of these tribes have stupid names. Translated to English, some of the Indian subcontinent tribes mean things like Shoemaker, Builder, Farmer, blacksmith, warrior, governor, toilet cleaner... All stupid names for a tribe.

Or are they? I would like to there are reasons for these "groupings", it is simple. A shoemaker makes shoes. Just like the modern day equivalent "taxi driver" drives taxi's.

A lot of these trades (farmer, rancher, builder, barber, blacksmith) also require extensive knowledge within one small subject - a topic that was taught from parents to children within their household.

There is occasionally malice between these trades as hardly any have general knowledge, but are specialised within a trade. A farmer, who has been farming since the age of 5 will compare his knowledge of farming to a blacksmith who could not grow shit successfully. The blacksmith is stupid to him. To the blacksmith, the rancher is stupid - he uses his tools but cannot make them.

To the rancher, the farmer is stupid. Afterall he has been ranching since the age of 7... can't be that hard can it? And then there is the shoetailer laughing at all the others - none of them can make shoes. Don't forget the potter.

Now if there was a marriage between one "tribe" and another, depending on which trade the new family picked, one of the parties would be useless. The farmer would not "get" building. the farmer would not get farming. The builder would not get shoe making.

This could be acceptable in a well off family, but if there was already poverty, people would starve from this lack of efficiency.

This is especially soon the Indian subcontinent where multi-year drought has historically not been a rarity but a generational fact. Looking at the records, until very recently, there has been a drought lasting many years and taking many lived every 15 years or so. This has been alleviated only very recently due to improvements in farming - specifically the green revolution.

(all you conspiracy theorists much be choking on your tongues reading that the Rockefeller Foundation was involved in something good...)

There are good reasons why historically cross tribal marriages were discouraged and also good reasons why there is a lack of respect between the trades.

Ofcourse, none of this applies after migration where none of these traders do their trade, but that is a different question not really covered in this article - and a major reason why the children of migrants do not do as well as natives in many situations. There is no trade that has been handed down to them.

I would guess many doctors themselves are children of other doctors. Engineers the children of engineers etc etc. I would love to see a survey comparing the trades of the parent with their children and see how right I am. For I can only be right.

Also cross posted at The Raggedy Edge