Indian Antiquary Vol 32

SR No.: 032524
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 550
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 435

OCTOBER, 1908.]
MISCELLANEA.
411
To continue, however. The corpse was kept in suffering from dropay, but looked very wise and this coffin in the house for five months, during suggested that perhaps the cares of his family, which time Sayipuis never left his house, never coupled with the scarcity of rioe, had interfered ate rice or meat. At the end of five months the with his powers of calculation. As I am writing bones were taken out and removed to the family this I have with some difficulty persuaded an old burial-ground. The Shendus, from what little we Lushai friend of mine to bring in his daughter saw of their country during the last expedition, to be operated on by our medical officer here. have more elaborate barial-grounds. The graves The woman is suffering from a cancerous tumour are lined with huge slabs of stone, and slabs are on the back of the head, which is necessarily very also erected over the tomb; and on one occasion, painful, and she has with great courage given in addition to the skulls of animals, two human herself entirely into my hands, though I told skulle were seen fastened on poles over the tomb. her she would suffer pain and bave to be lanced. When Hausata's tomb was opened out by us I am glad to say the operation has been most after burning his village during the late expedi- successful. tion, by his side was Lieutenant Stewart's gun, the chief's pipe, knife, a bottle of liquor, and
The Lushais have in every village one or more a small head-dress made of the tail feathers of
blacksmiths, the thir-deng, who is a man of some the chemraj bird.
importance; he receives certain tribute of rice The Lusbais as a race may be said to be free
and other produce for his work. Close to the
salbut a small shed is generally found, and this from any infootious diseases. They suffer from
is the forge, which is very simple but at the same remittent fever, boile, and inflammation of the bowels, brought on from over-eating and over
time effective. It consists of two upright hollow
bamboos about six inches in diameter, which are drinking. They, in the year 1861, brought back
placed in the ground; into these two rammers oholera with them from a raid they made in
made of bird's feathers, with handles attached, British territory, and thus spread the greatest
when pulled up and down act as bellows on the torror among them, many of them, I am told,
channel made at the foot of the bamboos. The blowing out their brains on the first appearance
Labais have learnt all they know of blacksmith's of the disease showing itself. They named cholera vay-dam-loh (foreign siokness). In the same way
work from Bengal captives, and the trade has
been handed down. They can repair the locks of they once caught small-pox in the Kassalong
gans, can make speare, daos and knives, and Bazaar in 1860.
I have heard, though I cannot vouch for the A very curious fact is that the Lushais have abso
accuracy of it, that they have been known to turn Tutely no knowledge or any drug or modioine & Snider rifie into a flint-look. Braes they can in any form whatever. This I look upon as most also work slightly in, the stems of all the women's extraordinary, and I have never heard of any pipes being made of an ornamental pattern in tribe, however savage it may be, without any brase, also the handles of knives. Then, again, knowledge of such. The Ohakmas, Maghs, and the bowls of the men's bamboo pipes are often Tipperabo, who, though to a certain extent lined with copper made from pice procured in the civilized, still have the same mode of life as the bazaar. The Lushai's knowledge of pottery is Lushais, all have their drugs. A great many of confined to making cooking pots and huge big the Lushais have, of course, heard of our vessele for making rice-beer. They are made of # medicines, and the result is that, when visiting blackish clay and are very strong and rarely their villages, old men and maidens, young men break. The liquor vessels are made nearly an and old women and children with various ailments inch thick and about two feet in height. They are brought to me to be doctored. I restrict have wooden platters for their food and wooden myself to cases of fever, and the effect of a few or bamboo spoons. They make all kinds of very grains of quinine on them is simply marvellous. fine basket-work with split cane and bamboo, I have effected a few simple cures with the aid of and are very ingenious in making devices. It is quinine, oholorod yne, and essence of ginger, but astonishing what a complete feature in the life of the climax in my doctoring capabilities was | all the Chittagong Hill tribes the bamboo is as reached when a husband brought his wife to me well as the cane. I may mention here a few of and solemnly assured me that her accouchement their uses. First, the houses are nearly all was already two months overdue, and could I bamboo, the root being of cane leaves; the water give any drag that would make up for lost time? is fetohed by the women from their springs in I mw at a glance that the poor woman was hollow bamboos; from bamboo they make spoons,