bhāīband

bhāīband, (“brotherhood”), important instrument of caste self-government in India; the bhāīband is the council formed by the heads of families that belong to the same lineage in a particular area, thus constituting an exogamous (those who do not intermarry) unit within the endogamous (those who do intermarry) caste group. One of their concerns, in addition to questions arising as a result of their common lineage, is the securing of exogamous alliances and safeguards against lineage inbreeding. Often the local bhāīband may be coterminous with the panchayat, or governing council, of a particular caste section.