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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1875.
5. Bring our daughter.* Daughter, come
quickly, come quickly, The Khurthia horse is neighing.t Yes, brother, tarry for us; brother, see us
through Bonsiya bazâr. I 6. On the hill the Richi bird calls in heart
ravishing notes; At midnight in the valley the Richi bird
calls sweetly. Give to me my wish. 7. Spin, spin, daughter, clean the cotton;
Bring Lodam bark to dye the border. || 8. In the sand of the Dâmuda the Kukruchu
flower, brother, the Kukruchu flower. In the sand of the river the Sikiyom flower,
brother, the Sikiyom flower. 9. Mother dear, you have shown no pity!
Mother dear, you have had no compas-
sion! Mother dear, for the sake of the marriage
present you have given me away! 10. O father, you have shown no compassion!
O father, you have had no pity! O father, for the sake of five rupees you
have thrown me away!
11. O brother, you have had no pity! O bro
ther, you have shown no compassion! Brother, for the sake of the marriage pre
sent* you have given me away. 12. Alas, my mother is not! Alas, my father is
not ! Oh, ye seven hundred dancers of the
sword and shield dance !
Oh, place me on a branch !t 13. Solder, charei, brass lotá ; # God gave me
being. God, for so many days, God, thou to me
hast been unpitying.S 14. Wife, husk for me five pilas of rice; wife,
husk me rice. Wife, five pilas of taben give me, taben
give me. 15. Sing jungle, wife! a hunting, hark! wife, a
hunting, hark ! Matt jungle, wife! a large hunting party,
hark! a large hunting party, hark ! 16. Across the Damuda, across the river, the
Tudo musicians, ho! the fuda musicians. Across the Dâmudâ, across the river, the
Besera girls, ho! the Besera girls. T
CASTE INSIGNIA.
BY CAPT. J. S. F. MACKENZIE, MAISUR COMMISSION The following translation of a Canarese docu. | arisen between the right and left hand castes ment tells its own story :
of Heggadevanakote and Madras, it was referred "At a marriage ceremony a dispute having to Kanchi (Conjeveram) and there settled.
able to find one
This is addressed by the bridegroom's party to the bride's party.
# It is impossible to say what the Khurthia horse is. Some say a wild jungle horse. It may lave some connection with the horse already mentioned, upon which they propose to convey the bride to her new home.
I The bride entreate them to tarry till she is ready. She uses the singular brother'; but the Såntals understand it to apply to the whole party.
$ I am not certain whether this line is correctly trans. lated or not. Sana is wish,' Sanain me 'give me my wish, It does not, however, show any connection with what goes before ; and it may have some other meaning which I have been unable to find ont.
|| Refers to the "Sárt" or garment worn by Santali females. It has a narrow border of a red colour, which is obtained from a jungle tree called by the Santáls Lodam. I have seen in Col. Dalton's Ethnology that the Såntals as a race have no acquaintance with the art of weaving. In this district, in almost every village there are one or more looms, and the cloth worn by the women is almost entirely manufactured by themselves. There are one or two songs like the above referring to weaving, which makes me think them not so ignorant of it as is generally supposed.
This flower is the same as is called by us the Cocks. comb. It is with the Sant As much as the thistle is with us Immense quantities of it are grown in every village. It is the favourite flower of the young women, who may almost always be seen with it stuck in their hair. So far as I know, it does not grow in river-beds, and I cannot account
femaleefers to the
for the two being connected as they are here. The Sikiyom is not known to Europeans at home.
• In some cases the eldest brother of the bride is presented with a piece of cloth.
+ This is understood by Santåls to be sung by a young woman whose parents are dead and who is desirous of being married. The last clause is a figurative expression for "marry me into a good family."
I This means here everything, as we might say, or, big and little.' It is something like the Hindu "Naukar chákar. Charei is a species of spear-grass, with which leaf-plates are pinned together.
The verse is understood to be sung by a girl who has been married against her will. All the marriage guests heve eaten and drunken, and the bride is about to be conveyed to her husband's house. In the latter part sbe complains that God, who gave her being, has since become un. merciful to her. From the construction of the sentence it is impossible to say from what time God has been unmerciful. Those whom I have consulted think it refers to the time of her marriage, and not to that of her birth.
| Taben is a kind of prepared rice. When soft after having been half-boiled, it is put into the dheki and flattened. It is then called taben.
The meaning of the foregoing is said to be that the arts of singing and dancing were introduced among the Såntals by the clans Tadu and Besera, whose habitation was beyond the DAmada. There is a legend giving a description of two men coming upon the gods and goddesses dancing in the jungle.
