Page:Ranjit Singh (Griffin).djvu/39

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THE SIKHS
33

and portions of both tribes refer to Rájputána as their ancient home. And in no instance is there a record of any tribe emigration from the west of the Indus, the founders of both Sindhus and Waraichs being spoken of as solitary emigrants. There seems nothing in the language of the Punjab Játs to favour the theory of Getic descent. My own researches into the subject, which at one time were extensive, led me to the belief, which is shared by Mr. Ibbetson, the author of the Census Report, that the Játs and Rájputs are generally derived from a common stock, and that the present distinction is rather social than ethnic. The Játs outnumber the Rájputs by three to one, and from every point of view, their military worth, their excellence as agriculturists, their industry, honesty, and tractability, they are the most important and valuable of the Punjab races. The Játs are thoroughly independent in character, and assert personal and individual freedom as against communal or tribal control more strongly than any other people. But although ready to fight on occasion, they are not of a cruel or vindictive disposition, and make good citizens in times of peace and form the solid, tax-paying community, as they are the most successful, patient, and enduring cultivators. They hold a social place below the Bráhman, the Rájput, and the Khattrí, but they themselves assert an equality with the second and a superiority over the third of these castes, a claim which their historical record and present importance justify. They are seen at their best in the Sikh