Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/374

 336 THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. [November 1873. then the kari tdran takes place, as follows :— Two bamboos, the height of three men, are fixed at some distance from each other in front of the most ancient gate of the old peta, near the Kasbd chauri, to which a rope is tied across, and leaves of the kadd and nhn, cakes of dried cowdung, cobari, dried dates andcocoanuts, are suspended therefrom by the Dheds of the village. This is called the kari tdran. About 4 p. M. the Patil, Kulkarni, and all the principal inhabitants walk in procession, pre¬ ceded by music, to the Desai’s house, and select one red and one grey bullock. They are taken to Borne distance from the place where the kari is, and brought thence to the kari tdran. One man holds each bullock. Each has a small piece of steel tied to somo twine, which he throws against the kari tdran to break it. The man who breaks the charm is taken to the Sarkdr chauri, where He re¬ ceives a pagcji and some other present. After this the two bullocks are taken, preceded by music, to the DeSai’s house. If the man in charge of the grey bullock break the charm, it is said that the white javdri will yield abundantly: if the man in charge of the red bullock does it, then the wwn- gdri javdri crop. Beforo the Desai’s bullocks are brought out in this manner, all the villagers take their bullocks outside the kari and exercise them till the evening. Should any of them escape, from fear or any other cause, and enter the boun¬ dary of any village not within the taluka to which it belongs, the r&yats of the village to which it belongs pursue it closely; but should they not succeed in catching it, and the r&yats of another village take it, the latter do not restore it, and there is no longer any kari ceremony in the village if the bullock is not caught.” MISCELLANEA. THE GAR08. The most interesting information with which we have yet met regarding the G&ro tribes, among whom a punitive expedition is still at work, is to be found in the second Report of the Ameri¬ can Baptist Mission there, issued by the Rev. I. J. Stoddard. The G&ro Hills are in the south-west corner of As&m, the valleys of As&m and Maimensing bound¬ ing them on the north-west and south, the Khasia Hills lying east, with the Brahmaputra on the north and west. They build large and substantial houses on piles. The bamboo floor is from four to ten feet from the ground. The houses are from fifteen to twenty-five feet wide, and from fifty to one hundred and fifty feet long. These are covered with grass and enclosed with a firm bamboo wall. In one corner a small room is enclosed as a bedroom for the parents and girls. The remaining portion of the house is one long hall. Here they cook and eat, and store their year’s supply of rice and fish. Hero we find their farming utensils, their spears and swords, and everything that is valuable to them. Every vil¬ lage has its “ Bachelors’ Hall,”—a building suffi¬ ciently large to lodge all the unmarried men and boys of the place. Only the daughters stop at home at night with their parents. As compared with the people of the plains, the G&ros have a high sense of honour. They do not lie, they do not steal. They leave their houses open and unprotected all day, while they are far away on the hills at work. They expect to find everything on their return as they left it. They are not often mistaken. Adultery is punished with death. The unmarried guilty of immoral¬ ities must marry, or be held as outcasts from village and friends. At the proper age the young people fall in love, court and marry, very much like sensible civilized folkB. Tho young man in love can propose direct or through his father. The young woman in love has also the privilege of making known her feel¬ ings through the medium of a near relative. In tho case where the proposal comes from the young woman tho young man is not at liberty to refuse! The bride always brings her husband to her fa¬ ther’s house. The favourite daughter (she may or may not be the eldest) inherits the estate per¬ sonal and real, and takes care of her parents in their old age. The other married daughters with their husbands usually live at home for a time, all sharing the common labours and profits. Finally they must strike out and shift for themselves. In no case is a son allowed to bring home a wife and live with his parents. In the event of the death of a husband or wife, the surviving party cannot make a second choice. His or her friends must choose the second com¬ panion. This is not always easily done. Those of the proper age and lineage cannot be found. Hence in this second marriage wo frequently meet with tho widower of fifty years with his young wife of ten years, and the widow of forty with her young husband of eight years ! In these domestic arrangements the G&ro customs seem as unalter¬ able as the laws of the Modes and Persians. The Garos burn their dead. A few ashes are