Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 8.djvu/141

BADAGA MEN.—BADAGA WOMEN. chants the dirge, enumerating sins; the rest join in the chorus, after each enumeration, "It is a sin." A buffalo calf, pure from blemish, has been brought tip to the corpse, and as every enumeration is finished, the chanter lays his hand upon the calf; and "in solemn silence the calf is let loose." Like the Jewish scape-goat, it may never be used for secular work. It is sacred, bearing till death the sins of a human being. We may perhaps be allowed to quote a stanza or two from this remarkable chant. Mr. Gover assures us it is almost a literal translation, from a version taken down by the Rev. F. Metz, of the Basil Mission.

Then follows the enumeration of sins, and it thus concludes:—