Indian Antiquary Vol 27

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 30

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1898.
wish ?" Through her chosen mediam the mother says: - "Make an embossed golden likeness of me and fasten the plate round my child's deck." Or the mother says "Make a tiny golden image of me and set my image in the ark along with the horse-gods." If the mother ask3 that her image should be set in the ark the people say :-"We must ask the house-gods. If the Jouse-gods do not object we will set your image in the ark." The house-gods speak through certain men only. If a mediam is present, he bathes, puts on a fresh loin cloth, loosens his top knot, and sits in front of the ark. He drops incense on a fire to the right, and prays to the gods :- "God, come into my body and tell me one or two things." Presently he tosses Iris loose hair and trembles. The house-god has passed into him. The people come and say to the housegod : -"The mother has come back." The mother (that is, the man into whom the mother has entered) says : -"I will do you do harm. I will do you good. Put me in the ark." The people ask the house-god's medium :- " Are you willing that we should set the mother's image close to you?" If the house-god is willing the medium pauts :-"Yes, seat her close to me." If the house-god is unwilling the medium says: "Put the mother outside." They say to the medium :- Can we trust the inother will not harun as ?" The medium replies, quivering and panting :- "The mother is good ; she will do you no harm." The chief house. yod has ended and retires. The medium bows until his brow strikes the ground. He raises himself. A fresh shivering seizes him. He is possessed by the second of the house-gods. "Who are you?" the women ask. “Bahiri," pants the medium. Bahirzagrees that the mother may have a seat in the ark and retires. The medium droops till bis brow smites the ground, He palls himself straight. A fresh air comes over him. He shivers as the third guardian passes into him. The third guardian approves the mother. And so it goes till all the powers are asked and have approved. The image of the mother is set in the ark. The women ask: - "What should we give the mother to eat?" The wise men say: "The same as other guardians - a cock and a cocoanut once a year." The mother's worship is performed year after year, so long as her child lives. With her child's life the mother's immortality ends. Her image remains in the ark; no offerings are made to it. The Germans have the same belief as Hindus. A German mother comes back to nurse the child. A hollow in the bed shew3 where she has lain.64
(To be continued.)
MISCELLANEA. SOME TECHNICAL TERMS AND NAMES IN accents, and in addition to the curiosities of PORT BLAIR.
language thus created, there are many words of
Tocal growth, invented to suit local wants. On the The Penal Settlement of Port Blair being whole, therefore, the Andaman forms of the old established for the whole of British India, every Cump Language of India is philologically worth one of the many languages in that vast area is study, even as Pigeon English is, and with more represented at the Settlement as the mother. reason, because, being perhaps the eusiest of all tongue of some person or other. In such circunr- languages to acquire fairly correctly, Urda has stances it was early found to be imperative that never degenerated into such a jargon as Pigeon one chief language should be established as a English. lingua franca. The language that naturally aug- I propose now to give a few Port Blair words to pested iteelf for this purpose was Urdd, the illustrate my meaning. language of the Camp of the Muhammadan The following words I have heart even in the conquerors of India, better known by its name of mouths of Burimans imable to make themselves Hindustani. Consequently every one in Port understood in Urdd :Blair has to acquire a practical knowledge of | Btjan. This means now a barrack for convicta Urda, be he Englishman or Burman, Tamil as distinguished from a barrack for troops or or Afghan, Lepcha or Gond, and one result of this police, though varions corruptions of "barack" necessity is that this language is current in are also used for that purpose. It is really English every conceivable variety of corruption. It is in origin, and represents the word " division," spoken in many forms and with very many the corruption having taken place on vulgar Urda
Tylor's Primitive Culture, Vol. I p. 456.