DRACOX
Well known bandit
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2025
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I will be using some of these
1. Chandala (India)
- Meaning: A caste group considered outside and below the caste system; associated with handling corpses and bodily waste.
- Context: They were considered ritually impure, and others would avoid even their shadow.
- Connotation: “Untouchable,” polluting.
2. Dalit (India)
- Meaning: Means “broken” or “oppressed.”
- Context: A self-chosen term by those formerly called “Untouchables.” Historically associated with labor considered dirty (latrine cleaning, leatherwork).
- Note: Term is empowering to many now, but still heavily tied to stigma in some contexts.
3. Burakumin (Japan)
- Meaning: “Hamlet people”
- Context: A hidden caste associated with “unclean” jobs—like tanning, butchering, and grave-digging.
- Modern: Still face discrimination despite legal equality.
4. Latrine Cleaner / Manual Scavenger (India, Pakistan)
- Local terms: Bhangi, Valmiki, Mehtar (some are now reclaimed by the communities).
- Work: Cleaning human waste by hand.
- Context: Dehumanized and seen as physically and ritually “dirty.”
Religious Concepts of Impurity
5. Tamei (Hebrew / Judaism)
- Meaning: Ritually impure.
- Context: Applies to people with certain conditions (e.g., menstruation, touching corpses), but not a moral judgment.
- Not derogatory but treated with caution in ancient practice.
6. Najis (Arabic / Islamic)
- Meaning: Impure.
- Context: In Islamic jurisprudence, some things or people can be considered “najis,” like pigs, alcohol, or in some interpretations, non-Muslims.
- Warning: Can be used in derogatory ways when weaponized.
Names Related to Dirty Clothing / Poverty
7. Mudlark (Victorian England)
- Meaning: Child or person who scavenged in the mud of the Thames for valuables.
- Appearance: Usually extremely filthy due to the work.
- Connotation: Poor, dirty, but also scrappy/survivor-like.
8. Ragamuffin (England)
- Meaning: A child in ragged, dirty clothing.
- Connotation: Poor, scruffy; sometimes affectionate, sometimes mocking.
9. Scullion (Medieval Europe)
- Meaning: A servant who did the dirtiest kitchen tasks.
- Associated with: Grease, filth, and low status.
10. Untouchable (Colonial term for Dalits)
- Meaning: So "polluted" that physical contact was avoided.
- Note: Now considered offensive; replaced by "Dalit" or caste-specific identifiers.
Obscure, Archaic, or Slang
11. Gutter child / Gutter rat (slang)
- Derogatory slang for street children in poverty, often associated with dirt or filth.
12. Dustman (UK)
- Literally a garbage collector; sometimes used as slang to imply someone was dirty or low-class.
13. Klech (Yiddish)
- Sometimes used insultingly to describe a grubby or disheveled person. (Dialect-specific.)
Marginalized Ethnic or Caste-like Groups
- Romani (Europe) – Often called "Gypsies" (now considered a slur); marginalized for centuries across Europe. Subgroups include:
- Sinti
- Kalderash
- Manush
- Dom / Domba (India, Middle East) – A historically itinerant group considered "unclean" in traditional caste systems; related to the Romani’s ancestors.
- Lohar (India) – Traditionally blacksmiths; sometimes regarded as a lower caste in parts of India.
- Tanka (China) – A "boat people" ethnic group historically discriminated against and forced to live on water.
- Buruh kasar (Indonesia/Malay world) – Literally means “rough laborers”; associated with low-status, manual work.
- Yeniche (Central Europe) – A semi-nomadic people with a distinct dialect, often marginalized like the Romani.
- Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) – Historically treated as second-class citizens in Ethiopia and even faced skepticism after migrating to Israel.
Outcasts, Heretics, or Non-conforming Classes
- Alpaca (Incan Empire) – Not the animal! This is sometimes used (in reconstructed histories) to describe agricultural slaves or extremely low-class workers.
- Ostracized Ainu (Japan) – Indigenous people of Japan, especially Hokkaido; marginalized until recent legal recognition.
- Zanj (Medieval Islamic World) – African slaves, particularly in Iraq; the "Zanj Rebellion" is one of the largest slave uprisings in history.
- Herem (Jewish communities) – People placed under religious excommunication — literally "cut off" from society.
- Anjin (Japan, Edo period) – Foreign sailors, especially from Europe, often treated as outsiders, with suspicion and restrictions.
Gender-nonconforming or Special-status Individuals
- Khawaja Sira (Pakistan) – Similar to Hijra; a distinct gender identity within South Asian cultures, with legal recognition but still marginalized.
- Two-Spirit (Indigenous North America) – A sacred gender identity across many Native American cultures; respected traditionally but later stigmatized under colonial influence.
- Sādhu (India, Nepal) – Ascetics or holy men who renounce material possessions. Though revered, they often live in poverty and marginal conditions.
- Skoptsy (Russia) – A radical Christian sect that practiced self-castration; viewed as heretical and persecuted.
Unusual Occupation-Based or Status-Based Terms
- Gong farmer (Medieval England) – People who cleaned out privies. The name is historically accurate but sounds comical to modern ears.
- Wretched of the Earth – A term used by Frantz Fanon to describe the colonized and oppressed peoples of the world (not a group name, but a poetic label).
- Lazaretto (Italy, maritime Europe) – People quarantined in leper colonies or plague islands. The name refers to the place but by extension applied to the people.
- Helot (Ancient Sparta) – A class of state-owned serfs; they were brutally oppressed and used as laborers for Spartan society
