kalgi meaning: definition, quotations

kalgi

noun

India A black heron feather that is worn on a turban as a symbol of nobility.

The herons of Kashmir were the main source of supply of feathers which were in great demand for plumes (Kalgis) worn by the Sikh Ministers, Officers of high ranks and other men of importance.1984, C. Baron V. Hugel, Kashmir Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, page 64:
But on turban they painted peacock feathers in place of kalgi and sometimes half bloomed lotus with all the decoration of jewellery and pearls.1999, Jiwan Sodhi, A Study of Bundi School of Painting, page 92:

2 more examples

[…] Singh during the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 show him dressed like royalty of the times: a round turban with a plume or kalgi, a cummerbund (kamar kassa), carrying a silver arrow, stirring the Amrit with a double-edged sword.2007, The Sikh Review, page 6:
Ranjit Singh is seen in this image wearing a highly decorated turban with three kalgis or plumes and several different jewels and ornaments.2019, Amit Amin, Naroop Jhooti, Turbans and Tales: Portraits of Contemporary Sikh Identity, page 12:

India An ornament worn on the front of a turban as a symbol of status.

When the question of kalgi and its whereabouts arose, Archer candidly stated that he could not find any kalgi with Lady Broun Lindsay , a descendant of Lord Dalhousie from whom the weapons of Guru Gobind Singh were acquired and nor was it in the Victoria and Albert Museum.1986, Mohinder Singh Randhawa, Indian Paintings: Exploration, Research, and Publications, page 253:
Shah Jahan's aesthetics transformed the heron's feather into the extravagantly jewelled kalgi.2001, Usha Ramamrutham Bala Krishnan, Meera Sushil Kumar, Bharath Ramamrutham, Indian Jewellery: Dance of the Peacock, page 219:

4 more examples

An embassy to the governor of the French settlement at Isle de France (Mauritius) in 1798 took kalgis and sarpeches' (turban ornaments) , jewelled rings and earrings described as 'the invention of the khodadad sarkar' ( the 'God-Given Ruler, or Overseer' ).2009, Susan Stronge, Tipu's Tigers, page 18:
'Please, with your own hands, Mai ji, give us the kalgi of the Sarkar, it shall adorn the Kanwar's head, it shall be a blessing for his life, a charm for his rule.' 'There is nothing in the kalgi,' said the angry Rani, 'it is all in the will of the Almighty.'2010, Navtej Sarna, The Exile:
In some cases, before leaving the house his sister might have adorned his turban with a kalgi ( draped beads with a central decoration), but again this is cultural and not religious, and must be removed before his bride joins him.2011, Akasha Lonsdale, Simple Guide to Attending Sikh Ceremonies:
Only Guru Sahib is our sovereign and we thus do not wear a kalgi as we are His servants.2020, Harjinder Singh, Sukha Singh, Jaskeerth Singh, Sikh Code of Conduct, page 55:

A competitive style of lavani.

The Kalgi- group represented the female element in nature and the Tura the male.1937, Haeem Samuel Kehimkar, Immanuel Olsvanger, The History of the Bene Israel of India, page 232:
Abdul latif of Aligarh city is an accomplished singer of kalgi school and Habb Khan, Yunus Khan and Wahid of Aligarh city belong to the turra school .1981, Jamal Muhammad Siddiqi, Aligarh District, page 17:

1 more example

They make them just enough knowledgeable to be able to fight either on the side of kalgi or on tura after learning lavni songs for one or the other .2002, Jotīrāva Govindarāva Phule, Cultivator's Whipcord, page 37:

noun

A prisoner of war taken by the native Alaskan Alutiiq people and kept as a slave.

Strong and brave warriors could have concubines from among their kalgi, that is, female war captives. Children, born of such captives were not accounted as kalgi.1984, Richard Austin Pierce, Notes on the Islands of the Unalashka District, page 194:
When Shelikhov arrived on Kodiak many kalgi, in hope of a better fate, crossed over to the Russians.2000, Alaska History: A Publication of the Alaska Historical Society, page 3:

1 more example

When Shelikhov arrived at Kodiak, hoping to receive better treatment, many kalgi turned to the Russians.2015, Gwenn A. Miller, Kodiak Kreol: Communities of Empire in Early Russian America:

One of a set of conjoined igloos that form an apartment-like arrangement.

The kalgi had low roofs, just taller than a man, but they were very wide.2008 Spring, Zoe Ho, “The Art of the Pihiq (song)”, in Tusaayaksat, page 15: