Mythologies of the Musahar Tribe

 

Musahar or Mushahar (Nepali: मुसहर जाति) are a Dalit community found in the eastern Gangetic plain and the Terai. They are also known as Rishidev, Sada, Manjhi, Banbasi. The other names of the Musahar are Bhuiyan and Rajawar. Their name literally means 'rats-ridder' due to their main former occupation of catching rats, and there are many who are still forced to do this work due to destitution and poverty. In Bihar, the word Musahar is said to be derived from the Bhojpuri mūs+ahar (literally rat eater), on account of their traditional occupation as rat catchers. According to a local legend, Lord Brahma created man and gave him the horse to ride. The first Musahar decided to dig holes in the belly of the horse to fix his feet as he rode. This offended Lord Brahma, who cursed him and his descendants to be rat-catchers. Herbert Hope Risley, in his 1881 survey of castes and tribes of Bengal, speculated that the Musahars were an offshoot of the hunter-gatherer Bhuiya from the Chota Nagpur Plateau who migrated to the Gangetic plains approximately 6-7 generations prior to his survey, around 300-350 years before present. It is now believed that this theory is generally correct. Modern genetic studies have found Musahars cluster very closely with Munda peoples like the Santhals and the Hos, and demonstrate similar haplogroup frequencies for both maternal and paternal lineages. Some Musahars have claimed that they once had their own language but it was lost when they migrated. This process has been observed in another tribal population, the Baiga, who also once spoke a Munda language but shifted to an Indo-European language in the distant past. However, unlike the Musahar, the Baiga remained isolated from Brahminical society at large and so were seen as a tribe rather than a caste.

The Musahar are at the very lowest stratum of Indian society. The Musahar are considered one of the lowest of the low class communities within India and suffer tremendously from their status in society. Their name is derived from two words meaning "rat catcher" and is likely attributed to them for their tendency to eat rodents in times of dire need. The Musahar live mainly in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but also in other north Indian states such as Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. Land ownership is rare, and most will work as agricultural laborers, day laborers or forest and fishing. The women also work in agriculture or other unskilled labor such as stitching leaf-plates. They don't value education and literacy is extremely low. Often they drop out at the primary level due to social or economic factors. Modern development programs have had little impact on them as few if any of the sparsely allocated resources designated for them ever reach them in their need. Many times their wages are paid in crops and they trade in the market place through barter. They have large families and live with several generations in the same household. A Musahar village is almost always filled with children. Though they will frequently speak Hindi, the local trade language, they will speak Angika or Awadhi at home.

The ‘rat eaters’ of India

Belonging to the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy, the term ‘Musahar’ (‘Musa’ in Hindi means ‘Rat’) loosely translates to ‘rat-eaters/rat-killers‘. The Musahar tribe, numbering two million are mostly found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. For generations, they live in the same household and practice the concept of ‘joint family’. Their villages are mostly crowded with children, and they communicate largely in Hindi. In closed circles, they communicate via speaking their local language- i.e Angika or Awadhi. While India is making social and economic progress, Musahars are still living in hamlets, eking out a spare living by working as casual or agricultural laborers. Even in today’s time, these people are referred to as ‘untouchables’. The literacy rate amongst them has always been nonexistent. According to several reports, only 6% of Musahar men and 2% of Musahar women can read and write. They also lack the knowledge about basic hygiene and sanitation practices.

Musahars are a local tribe in the Terai region, often depicted as Dalits or lower-caste people. Their origins can be traced back to the Tharu people who were left in the western Terai region. The Musahar tribe was founded in 1356 in western Terai when the region was ruled by the Delhi sultanate. They served the Delhi sultanate in fighting the late Gupta empire, and Gopal Das Musahar was even awarded gold and jewellery by King Alaudin Khilji for his services. In 1678, the Musahar tribe was attacked by the Gupta empire, and 14 thousand Musahars fled to Nepal. They are specific labourers and farmers who are disputed from the world because they eat rats. Many foreign people have donated to the development of the Musahar tribe. They also engage in other traditional crafts such as weaving, pottery, and basket making. They speak a language known as Musahari or Musahari, which belongs to the Devanagari language family. One unfortunate stereotype associated with the Musahar community is that they consume rats. While it is true that some members of the community have traditionally eaten rats, it is not a practice that is really bad, many people eat rats and it is not a defining characteristic of the community. The stereotype has contributed to social discrimination against the Mushar in many parts of South Asia. In conclusion, the Musahar community is an ethnic group in South Asia that has faced discrimination and stereotypes, but they have a rich history and culture. While they have traditionally engaged in agricultural and other traditional crafts, the stereotype that they consume rats is not a defining characteristic of the community. Efforts are being made to improve the social and economic conditions of the Musahar community.

The Musahar are an untouchable caste whose members live in the southern plains (Tarai) region of Nepal. The people of the Musahar caste are known as the Musurey and are a population of an estimated 240,000 individuals.  Like many other untouchable communities in Nepal, the Musurey suffer greatly from severe poverty and a lack of education. Musurey women work 14 to 16 hours a day (as sharecroppers) in the landlord’s fields and are still unable to buy enough food or clothing for their children or to send them to school. The people who benefit from the Musurey's labor are local high-caste leaders. Musurey parents want to educate their children and give them a better future. However, grinding poverty means that children are forced to work from an early age to help support their families. Because of ongoing caste-based discrimination the Musurey have received little or no help from Nepal's government, or, indeed, the country's ruling class in general. Funds from abroad, combined with the dedicated efforts of some caring individuals, offer an opportunity for the Musurey to build a better life for themselves. Based on our travels to this area and our interactions with those that live there, we have found the Musurey to be warm hearted and welcoming.  They are very generous, loyal, dependent, and tolerant.  They speak a language that is not the predominate Nepali language spoken throughout Nepal. We have found that the U.S. Dollar goes a long way in this region of Napal.  Labor is inexpensive and we can make major changes through relatively small investments.  In future years, access to the area from Katmandu, the population and economic center of Nepal, will be changing.  What is presently an arduous 8-hour trip will be reduced to 3 hours due to the construction of the "Fast Track".  The new road is presently under construction and will provide new opportunities for travelers to access the area and for goods and services produced by the Musurey to reach larger markets both in Nepal and abroad. 

The Musahar are considered one of the lowest of the low class groups within India and suffer tremendously from their status in society. Their name is derived from two words meaning "rat catcher" and is likely attributed to them for their tendency to eat rodents in times of dire need. They are short in stature with a long narrow headshape and broad nasal features. The Musahar are at the very lowest stratum of Indian society. The Musahar are not caste-Hindus, but are from animistic Hinduism or popular Hinduism. Numbering two million mostly in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh they have large families and live with several generations in the same household. A Musahar village is almost always filled with children. Though they will frequently speak Hindi, the local trade language, they will speak Angika or Awadhi at home. Land ownership is rare and most will work as agricultural laborers, day laborers or forest and fishing. The women also work in agriculture or other unskilled labor such as stitching leaf-plates. Education is not valued and literacy is extremely low with literacy rates running 2-6%. Often times they will drop out at the primary level due to social or economic factors. Modern development programs have had little impact on them as few if any of the sparsely allocated resources designated for them ever reach them in their need. Many times their wages are paid in crops and they trade in the market place through barter.

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