Re: Please tell me I'm not crazy...

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Posted by Catherine Cartwright-Jones on August 7, 2003 at 10:16:15:

In reply to: Please tell me I'm not crazy... posted by Erika on August 6, 2003 at 16:16:36:

Another thing I keep wondering about ....
120 years ago (in any case, and the centuries before that) henna
appliers came out of the barber caste (Nai). These folks cut hair,
shaved people groomed them, applied lac and henna. Nai caste is pretty
low (not untouchable, but low) ... low enough that if a Nai shaved a
Brahmin, the Brahmin would go wash afterwards to remove the
"uncleanness" of that interaction. Upper caste people would not take
water from a Nai's hands, and ...
I keep getting the sense that crap treatment of henna slingers is
partly a carry over from caste privelege.

Last Jain wedding I worked, the young women were relentless about
reminding me that "they" were decended of princely familes (Uh ... you
were born and raised in Cleveland, sweetie) and I think I was being
reminded that I was Nai and they were pulling rank ... without it
actually being spoken overtly. (I've got two Hindu weddings coming up
... they haven't cancelled yet, so .... see they hang in there.)

Shopkeepers, if I remember correctly from reading cover to cover a
pre-1900 census of Mawar province (most eye-opening thing I've ever
read), were well above Nai caste, and would therefore have the
privelege of treating them as badly as they pleased.

You seen the June issue (I believe) of Nat Geo?

untouchable

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Re: Please tell me I'm not crazy... Erika 10:26:39 8/7/2003 (1)
- Re: Please tell me I'm not crazy... Monkey 12:23:08 8/12/2003 (0)

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: Another thing I keep wondering about .... : 120 years ago (in any case, and the centuries before that) henna : appliers came out of the barber caste (Nai). These folks cut hair, : shaved people groomed them, applied lac and henna. Nai caste is pretty : low (not untouchable, but low) ... low enough that if a Nai shaved a : Brahmin, the Brahmin would go wash afterwards to remove the : "uncleanness" of that interaction. Upper caste people would not take : water from a Nai's hands, and ... : I keep getting the sense that crap treatment of henna slingers is : partly a carry over from caste privelege. : : Last Jain wedding I worked, the young women were relentless about : reminding me that "they" were decended of princely familes (Uh ... you : were born and raised in Cleveland, sweetie) and I think I was being : reminded that I was Nai and they were pulling rank ... without it : actually being spoken overtly. (I've got two Hindu weddings coming up : ... they haven't cancelled yet, so .... see they hang in there.) : : Shopkeepers, if I remember correctly from reading cover to cover a : pre-1900 census of Mawar province (most eye-opening thing I've ever : read), were well above Nai caste, and would therefore have the : privelege of treating them as badly as they pleased. : : You seen the June issue (I believe) of Nat Geo?
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