In the nineteenth century when colonial officials encountered slavery and bondage all over India, they came across a class of agricultural laborers called kamiās in the eastern province of Bihar. Living primarily in the southern part of the province, these laborers were distinguished by long-term ties to landlords known as māliks. A kamia worked all his life for the same landlord, earning wages for the days that he worked and expecting assistance when needed. For his son's marriage, he received some grain, money, and a small plot of land from the landlord. After the conclusion of this transaction, called kamiauti, the son, too, became the same malik's kamia.