Koli Christians
Koli Christians are Koli people who profess Christianity in India, they are part of the Koli caste of Bombay East Indians, who are the indigenous ethnic people of the Seven Islands of Bombay, the Bombay metropolitan area & the northern Konkan region; in which lies the city of Mumbai (Bombay). The Koli Christians continue to hold on to some of their Koli customs/ values as the part of Koli caste, in spite of their conversions from Brahmanism to Christianity & in the former Bom Bahia of Portuguese India. Christian Kolis are also known as Thankar & Gaonkar Kolis; they played an important role in building churches & convents in the northern Konkan division of present-day Maharashtra.
Culture and custom
In 1989, there were approximately 9,000 Koli Christians, most of whom were fishermen, like their Hindu counterparts. Koli Christians blend the customs and traditions of the Koli people with the beliefs of the Catholic Church. In accordance with Koli tradition, marriages among Koli Christians are typically arranged, and certain ceremonies are observed in common with Hindu Kolis, such as the Shakarpura, while Christian practices are also observed, including the conducting of the wedding in a church. Although cross cousin and first cousin marriage has been generally practiced among the Hindu Maharashtri Kolis, the Bombay East Indian Koli Christians are forbidden through catechism on the Sacrament of Matrimony.Most Koli Christians live in Koliwadas, where their social lives are overseen by a patil and his karbaris. Holding their position by right of inheritance, these people are collectively known as the jamat. The bulk of Koli Christians fish for a living, with their catches being taken to market in Mumbai by fishwives or agents.