NOTES ON THE BHONDAS.

AUGUST, 1873.]

afflicted with loathsome scrofulous sores, which render them almost useless to themselves and to others.

Roads, which are nothing better than mere paths leading from one village to another, are few, and, with the exception of one or two, bad in the extreme, running as they do along steep ravines and over rocky ghâts quite impracticable to beasts of burden.

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das —“Time out of mind, the goddess Sità hap pened to travel through this part of the country, and when she halted on one occasion, while super

intending the preparation of her midday repast, found herself surrounded by a large number of naked women; she blushed to behold such in

decency, and forthwith presented them with a piece of tussur cloth, which was eagerly accepted, but when divided was found to supply each one with

The several tribes inhabiting this portion of

only just enough to cover one hip. The goddess,

country are the Bhondas, Dera Porja, and a caste of people who speak the Telugu language exclu sively. Of these, the Bhondas are the most re

whose travelling wardrobe evidently did not allow of greater liberality, then commanded that they should always in future cover themselves thus much, death being the penalty of their disobe dience.” My informant gave me to understand that one of the Government agents in these parts some years ago insisted on a young woman being pro perly clothed, the result was she survived the change only three days This story, which is declared to be strictly true, has unfortunately had the ill effect of confirming these people in their superstition.

markable, the rest being in general like the other tribes to be found in Jaypur and the adjacent districts.

The marriage ceremony, costume of the women, and religious observances of the Bhondas, are peculiar to themselves. These people, who are to be met with chiefly on the highland between

Andrahal and Dangapara in the district of Jaypur, and comparatively few in number, keep themselves apart from all other tribes, with whom they do not intermarry. The men are not bad-looking; they are well built and active, and passionately fond of sport, of which they seem to be very jealous with regard to Europeans; they dress like the other Uriya tribes, and adorm their necks with beads, but to a moderate degree. The women, however, are extremely ugly, both

Their marriages are consummated in a very curious manner. A number of youths, candidates for matrimony, start off to a village where they

hope to find a corresponding number of young

the country, about a foot square, and only suffi

women, and make known their wishes to the elders, who receive them with all due ceremony. The juice of the Salop (sago palm) in a fermented state is of course in great requisition, as nothing can be done without the exhilarating effects of this their favourite beverage. They then proceed to excavate an underground chamber (if one is not already prepared), having an aperture at the top admit ting of the entrance of one at a time; into this the young gentlemen, with a corresponding number

cient to cover a part of one hip; it is attached to their waists by a string on which it runs, and can be shifted round to any side. A most ludicrous

of young girls, are introduced, when they grope about and make their selection, after which they ascend out of it, each holding the young lady of

sight has often been presented to me by a stampede

respective dwellings, and, as they ran in all directions, endeavoured to shift this rag round to the part most likely to be exposed to me. They

his choice by the forefinger of one of her hands. Bracelets are now put on her arms by the elders (this has the same signification as the wedding ring among European nations), and two of the young men stand as sponsors for each bridegroom. The couples are then led to their respective pa rents, who approve and give their consent. After another application of Salop and sundry greet ings, the bridegroom is permitted to take his

are necessarily very shy, and are seldom to be

bride home, where she lives with him for a week,

met with out of the village, except at midday when engaged assisting the men in the prepara

and then, returning to her parents, is not allowed to see her husband for a period of one year, at the expiration of which she is finally made over to

in features and form, which is rendered more re

pugnant by their short hair, and the scantiness of their attire, which consists of just a piece of cloth either made of the kerong bark and manufactured by themselves, or purchased from the weavers of

among a number of these women, when I have

happened to enter a village unexpectedly where they had been collected in the centre space, usual in their villages, intent upon their occupations. On my approach, each one and all hurried to their

tion of ground for cultivation, and when there

is the least possible chance of meeting with strangers; but among themselves they do not seem to be at all particular.

This peculiar mode of dress originated in the following legend, implicitly believed by the Bhon

him.

Their religious ceremonies, like those of their neighbours, consist in offerings to some nameless deity, or to the memory of deceased relations. At each of the principal villages the Bhondas congre

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