Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 7.djvu/260

GONDS. internal disputes arose, which weakened it very materially. The Gond Rajah of Deogurh conquered and attached several districts to his own principality; the Emperor of Delhi took others; finally, in 1742, the Peshwah Bajee Rao invaded the country, and the reigning prince having been killed in battle, his son was placed on the throne, and made tributary to the Mahratta state. Even this did not last, for, in 1781, what remained of its dominions was annexed to the Mahratta administration of Saugor, and, in 1818, Mundlah was transferred to the British at the conclusion of the Mahratta war. The rapacious oppression of the Mahratta government had almost completely desolated Mundlah, and the province has by no means regained the loss of population. It is, however, slowly recovering.

It is impossible within limited space to follow all the other minor Gond principalities in their varied fortunes; but many still exist, and petty Rajahs with small independent or tributary holdings are very numerous. Some of them received grants from the Emperors of Delhi, or from their Viceroys, for the maintenance of the police of the country, and the guarding of the passes; but the majority are chiefs of tribes or sections of tribes, of which there are very many.

The Rev. Mr. Hislop, a good authority, describes the Gond as "a little below the average height of Europeans, and in complexion darker than the generality of Hindoos; bodies well proportioned, but features rather ugly; roundish head, distended ears, wide mouth, thickish lips, and straight dark hair. Both hair and features are decidedly Mongolian, and they have scanty beards and mustachios."

Gond women are better looking than the men, and wives are looked upon as household property, and expected to do much of the field labour, as well as all the household work. A well-to-do farmer has four or five wives, and seven are occasionally met with; but the poorer classes have but one. The women are decently dressed in a sari, generally white, with a coloured border; and it is tied so as to leave the legs from above the knees bare. They do not wear bodices, but the sari, without being passed over the head, covers the bosom and body entirely. They are fond of ornament, in strings of red and white beads, ear and nose rings, anklets of brass and zinc highly polished, and bracelets of the same, with the usual glass rings. The brass and zinc ornaments arc changed to gold and silver when they can be afforded. They arc very particular about their hair, which they keep well, and increase by plaiting into it tresses of goats' hair, tying the whole at the back like a chignon. Many are much tattooed, the marks being of a blue colour, from the indigo which is rubbed into the punctures.

"Wild, uncivilized, and ignorant," writes Captain Ward, the settlement officer, "the Gonds are among themselves honest, faithful, and trustworthy, courageous in some points, and truthful in regard to the faults they have committed. As a rule, they plead guilty before the courts. As a race, they are now well behaved and