Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 13, 1902.djvu/281

 BalocJii Folklore. 265

regarded with great awe, and is much more binding than among most Muhammadan races.

The aversion of the Baloches to fish is certainly not part of the Muhammadan religion. The fish is generally believed among Musalmans to be hatal, or lawful, without the ceremony of throat-cutting with the words " bismi ^Idlh " necessary in the case of all other lawful animals. The gills of the fish are believed to be specially provided as an equiva- lent for the throat-cutting. The Baloch, however, will not eat fish, or touch it with his hands if possible, a fact by which the angler profits greatly. Eggs are avoided also by Baloches, as carrion, for although they contain life they cannot be killed in the legal manner. I do not think, how- ever, that this is universal.

The superstition about the ?namm, or black bear, is, I believe, peculiar to the Baloches, although of course it is akin to the wer-wolves, tigers, &c., of other countries. It is difficult to get the people to speak about it freely, but I ascertained that the ma^nm frequently takes the form of a beautiful woman at night, and hugs men to death if they are not wary ; but by day it is never seen except as a bear.

I have not come across any cases of persons recognised as wizards or witches, although such no doubt exist. In the stories the dden, or witch, is a well-known institution. She is a woman who obtains magical powers by digging up and devouring dead bodies at night.

Sacred trees are occasionally found among the Baloches, as throughout India, and are occasionally hung with rags, bits of the clothes of the passers-by. This custom may pos- sibly be borrowed from the other tribes with whom the Baloches have been in contact.

A universal custom is the erection of cairns [chedhagh] to mark the site of any memorable event, a fight, a murder, a banquet, &c. Passers-by often add stones to these cairns. The word chedhagh, or chedag, as it is pronounced in Mekran,