Caste System India Draw and Label There are

Caste System India

Draw and Label There are 5 different levels in the India Caste system. Label them where you think they should go. Here are the different titles: Priest, unskilled laborers, rulers/warriors, Untouchables, and skilled workers/merchants. Why did you put them where you did? Rationale? What about the social hierarchy of the USA? How does our pyramid look? Labels?

Actual Model

Caste Info • More than 3000 caste, with 25, 000 subcaste • Caste word is derived from Spanish or Portuguese “casta” meaning: Race, breed, or lineage • Caste determines and dictates occupation, dietary habits, and interaction with other caste

Basic Idea • People in India are born, marry, and die in their caste. • There is no social mobility. • Ideas are constructed around their religious ideas of reincarnation and karma. Your previous life actions have determined your place in society.

Religious Beginnings • In the Rig Veda: Purush, or primal man, had destroyed himself to create human society. • Different parts of his body became the different caste: Priest (head), Warriors (hands), Landowners (legs), laborers (feet)

Historical Beginnings Aryans, fair skinned invaders, from the north came into India and took over many parts of society around 1500 BCE The Aryans developed the early caste into 3 parts based on top priest, middle warriors, and bottom laborers. Laborers were dark skinned and were the indigenous people. Caste later fully developed into deeper and more concrete

Caste System Today • In the 1960 s a series of laws were passed that began to make it illegal to discriminate certain caste • Due to western education, media, telecommunications, and outside influence has helped break down the caste system • However, many things are still done by people because it has been in their culture for some many generation

Untouchables • Lowest category • Jobs that involved “polluting activities” • Examples: ending a life such as fishing, killing or disposing of cattle, contact with human emissions of sweat, urine, feces (washermen and sewers and street sweepers) • People who eat meat • These people must sleep during day and work at night to avoid contact with people