Naidu

Naidu

Naidu (also spelt Nayudu or Naidoo) is a title used by various social groups of the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states of India. It is also used in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa and Chattisgarh. It is a Telugu derivation of the Sanskrit Nayaka, meaning "protector" or "leader".
The word Naidu is etymologically related to the Tamil Nayakar and Naicker, Malayali Nair, the Nayake of Sinhalese people, Marathi Naik, and Nayaks (Pattanayak) in Orissa.
Naidu is the caste name or caste title used by the people belonging to the Kapu castes and its subcastes Balija / Balija Naidu, Telaga, Ontari, and Turpu Kapu in Andhra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. They constitute more than 25% of the population of Andhra Pradesh.
Medieval Andhra dynasties like the Vishnukundins and Chalukyasand the recent ones like the Vijayanagara Empire conferred the title Nayaka / Nayakudu to a commander or Danda-nayaka (Army Commanderor) or a leader of a band of soldiers.
A title denoting a village or lineage headman.
Warriors) who received land and the title Nayaka as a part of the Nayankarapuvaram system for services rendered to the court during the Kakatheeya dynasty. Nayaka was one among approximately 25 titles used by the Kakatiyas to create a new political infrastructure to undercut the authority of heredity regional elites. [1].
Other communities like Boyars, Mudirajus, Kammas and Velamas sometimes adopt this title in a few districts in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Title usage

In the medieval times, the title Naidu initially was associated primarily with the people who served as commanders under various Andhra dynasties, such as Chalukya, Kakatiya, etc. Initially, the title was conferred upon Kapu, Telaga and Balija communities. However, during the expansion of the Vijayanagar kingdom into Southern India, the title was conferred upon other non-Telugu speaking communities who served as Commanders, Barons or Governors under the Vijayanagar emperors in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka -- hence the widespread usage of the surname Naidu among many non-Telugu speaking communities in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Orissa.
The word Naidu is used by the older writers in southern India in several senses, of which the following example given by Yule and Burnell may be cited:
It denoted a Commander or a Governor.
Native captain or headman.
Title of honor among Hindus in the Deccan. "The kings of deccan also have a custom when they will honor a man or recompence their service done, and raise him to dignity and honor. They give him the title of Nayak." -Linschoten
The general name of the Kings of Vijayanagar.
Naik, Naickan, Naicker, Nayak or Nayakkan has been used by the Tamil communities like Pallis, Vanniars, Irulas, Vedans, and also by various Kannada castes apart from Telugu speaking Communities
Edgar Thurston describes Naidu as a title used mostly by Telugu classes like Balija, Bestha, Kamma, Ekari, Gavara, Velama, Golla, etc.
Though originally not meant to be a heredity title, by modern times, the Naidu title had been inherited by many, although they no longer were governors, army commanders or tax collectors.

Origins

Nayaka's origins can be traced to the expansion of the Western Chalukyas into Andhra country during the 7th Century. The Nayaka / Danda Nayaka term started being used during the Vishnukundina dynasty which ruled from the Krishna and Godavari deltas during the 3rd Century A.D. Little is known about the title usage (or the people who made up this community) prior to that.

Telugu
According to Edgar Thurston (Castes and Tribes of Southern India Vol. 5; p.138) "Naidu" or "Nayudu" is a title used by several Telugu castes (in alphabetical order): Balija, Boyar caste, Gavara, Kalingi, Kamma, Kapu, Mudiraju, Reddy, Telaga, Uppiliya,Velama, Idiga, Valmiki.

Tulu
Mogers in some parts of South Canara prefer the title Naiker to the ordinary caste title of Marakaleru.
Some Bunt (community) people have the same title.

Others
The headman amongst the Lambadis is called Naik.
Naicker and Naique is a hereditary title in some Brahman families.
Naik, Naiko, Nayako, Pattanayak appear as the title of various Oriya classes.
The protector groups in the Afghan Pashtunwali system are called Naiks.

Women as Warriors

Main article: History of women in the military
Further information: List of women warriors in folklore, literature, and popular culture
Since Eurypyle, Candace, Deborah, and Vishpala there have been references to women warriors throughout history. Boudica led an enormous army against the Romans in Britain that is well documented in Roman history, but lost completely in the native country. In AD 60 or 61, while the Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, was leading a campaign on the island of Anglesey in north Wales, Boudica led the Iceni, along with the Trinovantes and others, in revolt. At first she was very successful. Her troops destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester), formerly the capital of the Trinovantes, but by then transformed into a colonia (a settlement for discharged Roman soldiers) and the site of a temple to the former emperor Claudius, forcibly built and maintained at local expense, and routed a Roman legion, the IX Hispana, sent to relieve the settlement.
Until modern times, however, warrior women mostly have been noted by historians as an exception or a curiosity. Religious traditions prior to historical records feature deities, often among their earliest, that include a fierce warrior goddess prior to displacement by warrior gods. The lioness often is associated with the goddesses and observation of the cooperative hunting techniques of lionesses may have influenced the symbolic association. Myths are the vestiges of more ancient religious traditions that have been lost or purposely were kept secret from outsiders and never recorded. One later example of a group of fighting women is the legend of the Amazons recorded in Classical Greek mythology.
Today, women are recruited to serve in the military in most countries. Only a few countries permit women to fill active combat roles, including Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland. In other countries, however, women do serve in combat situations.

Notes

Warrior, Random House Dictionary, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/warrior

References

Shannon E. French, Code of the Warrior - Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present (2003).
Marion F. Sturkey "Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines" (2001)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior"

Military castes
Further information: Estates of the Realm and Trifunctional hypothesis
Many cultures and states have castes, estates or social groups dedicated to warfare. This includes the kshatriya caste in ancient India, the samurai class in feudal in Japan, and nobility (especially knighthood) in feudal Europe.

Warrior cultures
A warrior culture is a culture that heavily emphasizes battle and war and greatly prizes feats of arms. Warrior cultures often incorporate a cult of personality around military leaders, are ruled by an elite warrior class, and have a warfare based economy. Examples of societies in history that could be designated as warrior cultures include:
The Godfrey's
Apache
Assyrians
Ancient Macedonians
Afghan or Pashtoon
Anglo-Saxons
Amazons
Frisians under Pier Gerlofs Donia and Wijard Jelckama
Aztecs
Barbadian
Bastarnae
Caribs
Celts
Channar
Cheyenne Dog Soldiers
Chinese during the Spring and Autumn Period
Cossack
Crimean Tatars
Dani people
Franks
Goths
Greeks
Haida
Huns under Attila
Jurchen
Kallar
Kshatriyas of India
Maratha from Maharashtra,were Ruler of India before Brtish Rule.
Rajput
Rajus
Nairs from Kerala, India
Kamma from Andhra Pradesh, India
Lombards
Mapuche
Maori
Maratha clan system
Masai
Matabele
Mongols under Genghis Khan
Nadars
Nayudu from Andhra Pradesh, India
Naicker from Tamil Nadu, India
Nihangs or Sikhs
Ninjas from Feudal Japan
Pandya from Tamil Nadu, India
Romans
Samoans
Scythians
Sambal people of the Philippines
Samurai from Japan
The Shannon Family
Somalis
Sparta
Thebes with the rise of the Sacred Band
Tuareg
Turks
Velama from Andhra Pradesh, India
Vikings
Yanomami
The Zulu under Shaka
Feudal societies are not always warrior cultures, since although feats of arms are prized, there is not necessarily an emphasis on battle and war. In some feudal societies, the soldiery was provided through conscription of the peasant class.

Warrior code
In many societies in which a specialized warrior class exists, specific codes of conduct (ethical codes) are instituted in order to ensure that the warrior class is not dangerous to the rest of society. Warrior codes often have common features and usually value honour in the forms of faith, loyalty and courage. Examples include the medieval knights' code of chivalry, the Kshatriya code of Dharma in India or Japan's samurai class which uses a warrior code known as Bushido (The Way Of The Warrior) and xiá in China. See also noblesse oblige.
Warriors' honor is dependent on following the code. Common virtues in warrior code are mercy, courage and loyalty.

Warrior

Warrior
According to the Random House Dictionary, the term warrior has two meanings. The first literal use refers to "a person engaged or experienced in warfare." The second figurative use refers to "a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics."
Overview
In tribal societies engaging in endemic warfare, warriors often form a caste or class of their own. In feudalism, the vassals essentially form a military or warrior class, even if in actual warfare, peasants may be called to fight as well. In some societies, warfare may be so central that the entire people (or, more often large parts of the male population) may be considered warriors, for example in the Iron Age Germanic tribes or the Medieval Rajputs.
Professional warriors are people who are paid money for engaging in military campaigns and fall into one of two categories: Soldiers, when fighting on behalf of their own state; or mercenaries, when offering their services commercially and unrelated to their own nationality. The classification of somebody who is involved in acts of violence may be a matter of perspective, and there may be disagreement whether a given person is a hooligan, gangster, terrorist, rebel, freedom fighter, mercenary or a soldier.

The warrior goddess Athena - Musée du Louvre