________________
JULY, 1874.)
THE KORAGARS.
197
other covering than the leaves of the said tree. Here the tradition ends. Very likely it is that the Habashi and his successors ruled cruelly, and ever since, the Hindus, destitute of mercy towards, and eager to revenge themselves upon, a fallen victim, have kept the Koragars under very rigid surveil. lance.
The dress of the Koragar does not greatly differ from that which the lower classes, such as the Bil. la wars, make use of during their daily labour. The only point of difference is that the poverty of the Koragar does not allow him to replace the narrow piece of threadbare cloth, little better than a rag, by a more decent suit of clothes on festive occasions even ; while the other classes invariably reserve some sort of finery for gala-days. The dress of the females, however, is very peculiar. While the males gird a piece of cloth round their loins, the females cover their waist with leaves of the forest interwoven together. The custom of this nudity is attributed to different reasons; and another tradition among the upper classes is hardly worthy of belief. Whatever the merit of the story be, it is sufficient to show us the extent of the despotism of the upper class. At the time when the Koragars reigned, one of these "black-legged" (this is usually the expression by which they are referred to during the night) demanded a girl of high birth in marriage. Being enraged at this, the upper class of people withheld, after the overthrow of the Koragar empire, every kind of dress from Koragar women, who, to protect them. selves from disgrace, have had recourse since to the leaves of the forest, conceiving in the mean time that God has decreed them this kind of covering. It is no wonder that this is the dress of Koragars, for we see that the other aboriginal tribes, as savage as the Koragars, are content with similar dress. On the east of the Chanda District the men wear no covering for their head or for the upper part of their bodies, and constantly go about with a battle-axe in their hands. The women deck themselves with 30 or 40 strings of beads, to which some add a necklace of pendant bells. Bangles of zinc adorn their wrists; and a chain of the same metal is suspended from the hair and attached to a large boss stuck in the ear. But the greatest peculiarity connected with their costume is the practice, which prevails in the remote districts, of the women wearing no clothes at all; instead of which they fasten, with a string passing round their waists, a bunch of leafy twige to cover them before and behind. They are known by the name of Madians and are perfectly savage. In Bustar they are called Jhorias. This custom was observed by Mr. Samuells to exist also in Orissa. In his notes on them in the Bengal Asiatic
Journal (Vol. XXV. page 295), Mr. Samuells states the sor:ewhat interesting fact that the practice is traced up to the command of one of their deities when reproving the women for their pride. A similar custom is said to obtain among the Chenchawas, that inhabit the jungles between the Madians and Masulipatam.
No proof is wanting to show how slavery prevailed ere the British took possession of Hindustan and spread education. Now, while liberty shines throughout the world, slavery still lurks in those dark corners where the rays of education have yet to penetrate; the Koragars and Holey a s arc victims to this vestige of past despotism. The ceremony of buying a slave needs a little explanation The destined slave is washed and anointed with oil, and new clothes are given him. The master takes a batlı or plate, pours some water into it, and drops in a piece of gold. The slave drinks the water, and takes some earth from his future master's estate and throws it on such a spot as he chooses for his use, which is then given over to him, with the trees thereon.
Although these slaves are in a degraded condi. tion, yet they by no means appear to be dejected or unhappy. A male slave gets three hanis of paddy or a hani and a half (pakka ber) of rice daily, besides a small quantity of salt. The female slave gets two hanis of paddy or one hani of rice, and if they be man and wife they may easily sell & portion of their rice and procure other necessaries. They are also allowed one cloth each every year, and besides, when transferred from one master to another, they get a cocoanut, a jack-tree, and a spot in which they can sow or mura of paddy. The greater number of slaves belong to the Aliya Santanam castes, and among these people a male slare is sold for three Bhaudri pagodas, anda female slave for five pagodas; whereas the few slaves who follow the Makkala Santanam custom fetch five Bhaudri pagodas for the man, and only three pagodas for the woman. This is because the children of the latter go to the husband'y master, while those of the Aliya Santanam slaves go to the mother's master, who also has the benefit of the husband's services. He has, however, to pay the expenses of their marriage, which amount to a pagoda and a half; and in like manner the master of the Makkala Santanam slave pay. two pagodas for his marriage, and gets possession of the female slave and her children. The master has the power of hiring out his slaves, for whose services he receives annually one mura of rice. They are also mortgaged for three or four pagodas.
The Koragars have no fixed feasts exclusively of their own, but for a long time they have generally been observing those of the Hindus. Of them,
