CAMAR

widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name is derived from the Sanskrit word carmakara, or skin worker. The more than 150 subcastes are characterized by well-organized panchayats (governing councils). Because their work obliged them to handle dead animals, the Camars have suffered from the stigma of being considered a very polluted caste. Their settlements are normally outside the caste Hindu villages. Each settlement has its own headman (pradhan), and larger towns have more than one such community headed by a pradh an. They allow widow remarriage, with either the husband's younger brother or a widower of the same subcaste. A segment of the caste follows the teaching of the saint Siva Narayana (see Satnami sect) and aims at purifying their customs in order to raise their social prestige. While many still follow their traditional calling of tanning, many more are part of the regular agricultural labour force.