Golas. Salt makers - 1863

Photograph of Golas, salt makers, in Rajasthan in India, taken by Shepherd and Robertson in c.1863. This image shows a group of four men, three seated, one standing, gathered round a basket of salt. John Forbes Watson wrote in 'The People of India', 1869-72, Volume IV, in which this photograph was reproduced, "The Golahs are a low class caste or tribe of Hindoos, but by no means one of the outcast tribes...the Golahs are professional salt makers, while they are also general cultivators; for it is only in the hottest weather that they can carry out their work as salt makers...In domestic customs and religion, the Golahs do not differ from the Jats or Goojurs in any remarkable degree...Their women are not secluded, and assist their families both in field labour and salt making. Baskets of salt are shown in the photograph, as also the strong hoe with which the salt earth is dug out....The Golahs are considered a gentle, honest class, and no habitual crime is attributed to them. As a rule they are very industrious, and are not migratory or unsettled..."

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