Aboriginal Minas

The Minas are a non-Aryan tribe who occupied and ruled Jaipur territory till they were dispossessed of their lands and reduced to sub- jection by the advancing waves of Rajput colonization in the thirteenth century, as the Gaels of Scotland were ousted by the more civilized Saxons and driven away from the plains to the Highland.

Ethnologist hold that the Meos Of Mewat and the Minas Of Rajputana and the Punjab are really of a common origin—

the Meos are at least nominally Muhammadans by religion, while the Minas are Hindus.

Philologists derive the name of their cradleland Mewat from the Sanskrit Mina-wati or 'rich in fish'. The term matsya-desh or fish-country was applied to this region up to the north-eastern part of Jaipur in the ancient Hindu epics.

Russell writes,

it is recognised that the Minas are a caste of the most mixed and impure descent (probably from Rajput immigrant fathers and aboriginal mothers) ... Another piece of evidence of the Dravidian of the tribe is the fact that there exists even now a group of Dehdia or impure Minas, who do not refug to eat cow's Flesh .

The Chaukidari Minas, disposessed of their lands, resorted to the hills, and here they developed into a community of thieves and bandits recruited from all the out castes of society.

But whatever may be their true ethnic origin, today the Minas of upper Rajputana are Hindus of the straitest sect; all castes of Hin- dus (except brahmans and banias only) will partake of food which has been prepared by them, and even these two castes will drink water which has been drawn by a Mina'. ^{(Col. Hervey) Sir Denzil Ibbetson wrote in 1881,}