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MAY, 1878.]
POLYANDRY IN THE HIMÅLAYAS.
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valleys, and wooded glens, that the people who live Every accident or misfortune, however trifling, is among them would excel the natives of the plains connected with the evil agency of the genii loci, in body as well as mind. And though, generally who are very numerous, having peculiar fonctions speaking, natural fearlessness, frankness, hardi- attributed to each: for example, some are believed ness, and a superior physique may be conceded to to preside over the crops, and some to exercise an them, they are certainly far behind the people of influence over the heart of man, como over the the plains in intelligence, shrewdness, quickness summits of mountains, sources of rivers, forests, of intellect, and in that virtne which ought to exist &c., and large flocks of goats are carefully kept in the relation between the sexes. Although I have in most villages for sacrificial purposes. never found an instance of hereditary cretinism, “The sale of females, for the worst purposes of still there is an extraordinary heaviness about the slavery, though carried on with secrecy and caubrains of a Pahârî which makes him in many tion, is continued in various parts of the hill respects a totally unworthy opponent to a native of territory; and a frightful evil, which will be nothe plains when it comes to an encounter of wits. ticed below, may in a great measure be traced to A Banyâ coming from the plains has little difficulty, 1 this pernicious system. It is a notorious fact that even without necessarily resorting to dishonesty, for ages past the zananas of the rich natives of in enriching himself at the expense of the impro- the plains have been supplied with females from vidently stupid hill-people. How far intellectual the hill regions; which, together with the cruel. obtuseness is connected with moral unconscious- custom of female infanticide, has caused a disproness is a question of some nicety, but the difficulty portion between the two sexes, and given rise to lies in striking the balance, as, after all, innumera- the monstrous evil of polyandry, a practice which ble instances for and against such a proposition obtains throughout the country. Where females can be brought forward. However the case may are so scarce, and where they are almost sure of be, the filth, the objectionable customs, the mental commanding a price, it is not difficult to trace the and moral obliquity of these hill tribes, attracted motive for the perpetuation of such a crime as early the attention of Christian persons, with a that of female infanticide. It seems improbable view to establishing missionary centres, so as to that the same feelings of jealous honour and false bring them gradually to a better and nobler life. respect for family, which actuate the mind of the Thus Dårjiling was made a mission station in high-caste Rajput in India, can in any way in1840, Ålmord in 1850, Sabathu was taken up by fluence the people of the hills, whose habits and the American Presbyterians in 1837, Chamba by practices are at total variance with their ideas. the Established Church of Scotland in 1863, Kân- "The very marriages of the people are strongly grå by the Church Missionary Society in 1854, tainted with slavery, for no man can obtain a wife and the Moravians established in Kyelang a sta- without paying a sum of money to her father. If tion in 1855. But perhaps the most important seat she be turned out without a cause assigned, the of missionary enterprise is Kôtgadh, situated on purchase-money is retained until another marriage the extreme northern frontier of the British terri- is contracted, when the first purchaser receives tory, on the highroad from the plains past Simla back his purchase-money. Thus the females in to Tatary.......
no respect appear to be above the condition of The deplorable state of morality obtaining slaves, being considered as much an article of among the people of the Kôtgadh valley thirty- property as any other commodity. We conld five years ago is graphically described in the Rev. adduce other facts to show that vice added to W. Rebsch's mission report published in 1873; ignorance goes hand in hand in reducing this class and, being an authentic record, it may with advan- of human beings to the lowest level of existence." tage be here reproduced :
A little further on, the report states that"The hill states prior to the British conquest “Since the influence of the English government, had for many years boen subject to all the miseries based largely upon Christian morality, has been of ruthless rapine and tyranny, both under the brought to bear upon these tracts, the disgusting Gurkbi rule and under the goverument of their custom of polyandry has disappeared. Not a own native chieftains. The prevalent superstition
single instance can be now adduced in Kôtgadh betrays the most extreme ignorance. No ceremony of course) of many men having one wife, although is undertaken without duly offering a propitiatory increase of wealth has resulted in many persons sacrifice to somo devata. Human sacrifices in acquiring by right of purchase more than one wife, former times were not unfrequently immolated at because women, who all take their share in field the shrines of their temples, but it is believed that, work, are very valuable in these agricultural since British sway has been established, these districts, where manual labour is an important impious barbarities are no longer practised. consideration. But the British territory onco
