The oldest of the tribes who dwelt in Tamilakam were the Villavar and Minavar. The Villavar or bowmen (from the Dravidian word vil meaning a bow) inhabited hilly tracts and jungles and lived by the chase: and the Minavar or fishermen (from the Dravidian meen, a fish) subsisted by fishing and resided in the valleys and plains, or on the sea-coast. The two tribes were evidently a primitive race which was spread over the whole of India as they are still found in large nümber in Rajputana and Guzarat, where they are known as Bhils and Meenas, and in the Canarese country, where they are called Billavar.
History of Meenas, Meena or Mina(मीणा)April 04, 2015
Meenas, Meena or Mina(मीणा) is a caste and community mainly found in Rajasthan, India.
Originally Meenas were a ruling caste, and were ruler of Matsya, i.e., Rajasthan or Matsya Union but their slow downfall began with the assimilation with Scythian and was completed when the British government declared them a "Criminal Tribe". This very action was taken to support their alliance with Rajput kingdom then in Rajasthan, and Meenas were still in war with Rajputs, carrying out guerrilla attacks to retain their lost kingdoms.
History
Vedic Period:
In the ancient times Rajasthan was ruled by a dynasty of Meenas which had the emblem of Fish like the Pandyan kingdom of the south. The Meena kingdom ruled the west of the river Jamuna roughly corresponding to the modern Jaipur and Alwar (ruler) areas. The Meena kingdom (Fish kingdom) was called Matsya Kingdom in Sanskrit was mentioned in the Rig Veda.
In the later days the Bhils and Meenas mixed with the Pardeshis (foreign people) who were Scythian, Hepthalite or other Central Asian clans. The Scythian mixed Meenas and Bhils remain as Rajput subclans, while the Meenas and Bhils who were displaced by the Scythian invaders and Muslims have mixed with the tribal Bhils and form the Bhil (tribal) Meenas.
Meenas of Rajasthan till date strongly follows Vedic culture. Meenas mainly worship, Bhainroon (Shiva), Hanuman and Krishna as well as the Devies. Meenas have better rights for women in many respects compared to many other Hindu casts. Like remarriage of a widows and divorcees is a common practice and well accepted in their society. Such practice are part of Vedic civilization.
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The Billava (IPA: [bilːɐʋɐ]), Billoru,[1] Biruveru[2] people are an ethnic Tuluva group of India. They constitute 18% of the coastal Karnatakapopulation.[3][4] They are found traditionally in Tulu Naduregion and primarily engaged in toddy tapping, cultivation and other activities. They have used both missionary education and Sri Narayana Guru's reform movement to upgrade themselves.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billava