How India looked through colonial eyes
Feast on this images from an eight-volume study on native castes and tribes of India from 1868–75.
Between 1868 and 1875, John Forbes Watson and John William Kaye compiled a set of 468 annotated photographs of the “native castes and tribes of India”. The book titled The People of India explores photographs of the Indians living during the first war of independence (also known as the Revolt of 1857) era. First published in 1868 by India Museum, the book spells Hindus as Hindoos and Muslims as Mahomedans. The origin of the project lies in the interest of Lord Canning, the then Governor General of India, who was always keen on possessing photographs of “native Indian people”. The book mainly focusses on how Indians dressed according to their respective profession, and goes on to explore further details of indigenous lives through photographic documentation.
On the Sonthals: The dress of the men is a small piece of cloth round the loins, that of the women an ample flowing cloth, one end of which is fastened round the waist, the other passed over the left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder and arm uncovered; the women are fond of such simple ornaments as they can afford (and by no means particular as to weight; one woman’s bell-metal ornaments weighed around 40 kilos) the men wear small zinc ear-rings, finger rings, and sometimes a wrist bangle of iron; the hair in both male and female is worn long, and tied in a knot on the crown of the head.
On the Paharis or Paharias (Bhaugualpoor): The Pahariah is much shorter than the Sonthal, slighter in make, nearly, if not quite beardless, and of a much less cheerful disposition than his neighbour, with whom he contrasts unfavourably also on the score of industry. His great delight is to lounge in the nearest markets, decked out with beads and chains, his hair fastidiously oiled, combed, and ornamented. He cultivates as little land as possible, preferring to undergo the fatigue of hunting, travelling for miles to get a shot at a deer or peacock, or in roaming about in search of honeycombs, wild yams, or other edible roots.
On the Mulliks: The Mulliks are considered by other tribes of Mahomedans a distinct race. They were degenerate Hindoo Rajpoots who embraced Islam in the reign on Mahomed Ghoree. There is, however, no certain information as to their true origin or genealogy; but that they are a distinct race is universally admitted.
More photos can be accessed from New York Public Library’s archive.
