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374
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMRER, 1907.
280. The change of religion is necessarily accompanied with change of profession. The convert adopts the calling of his new religion.
281. Persons changing their profession do not necessarily change the name of their tribe, nor is their connection with it slackened, nor does it pervert their religion or sect. However, if a person adopts a profession forbidden by either the Hindu or Muhammadan religion, then his religion is degraded and he is excommunicated. For instance, a person whose food and water can be taken by Brahmans and Rajputs becomes, on adopting a low profession, degraded and is excommunicated.
LXXXIV. - Agriculture. 283. The conditions of land cultivation are:
(1) Agriculturists are to be found in every tribe. However, the high castes of Brahman and Rajpûts do not cultivate the land themselves, but by their servants.
(2) The Kanaits and Kolis are the best cultivators. Their men and women live by cultivation. Cultivators are generally Kanaits, Kôlis, Réhrs (shepherds), who are tonantsat-will. Generally the tenants are without rights of occupancy. Occupanoy tenants are very few.
(8) (a) Some tenants serve the landlords and do not pay any rent. They serve him daily.
(6) Some tenants pay rent in cash, together with malikand. Some pay in kind as much as half the produce.
They pay, in addition to the fixed rent, expenses of deaths and marriages to the landlord. Also they serve him now and then. No portion of the chaff is given to the landlord. At the time of division of produce, in some places, & quantity equal to the seed is deducted and the remainder is divided into halves, while in other places the whole of the produce is divided.
(d) There are no wandering tenants in the hills.
(e) Daily wages are seldom paid. But when well-to-do people engage poor men on wages at the harvest time, they give to the latter 2 seers of grain daily, i.e., cakes weighing one seer in the morning, as much in the evening, and half a seer of cakes at noon. Such labourers are called buwdrd, and the wages are known as chhak. If the wages are to be paid in cash, three annas a day is given. 288. There is no tradition regarding the cultivators.
LXXXV. - Rights in the Land and its Products. 284. Following is the detail of the rights of a tribe in the land :(a) No one has any right to have land on & rent less than that paid by his neighbours.
(6) Rehrs and Kolis cultivate the common land of the village without paying any rent, and this is for their serving the shamidi (community). Sometimes they graze cattle as remuneration for this.
(c) Every one gives some grain (the quantity is not fixed) at the time of harvest to the Brahmans, the goldsmith, the barber, the Tori, the Koli, the cobbler, the washerman, the smith, and the shepherd, who in return serve the landlords. The shepherd is also given some corn. Finch of these can receive from each family not more than four maunds and not less than two seers. These people go from village to village at the time of harvest and collect corn from all the persons with whom they are connected.
285. There is no contract, but the customs are fized. As the land is divided into portions, so is the birt (custom). If any person, who has been giving corn to one man for a long time does not give it to him but to another man, a severe quarrel arises.
