Santal people

“ The Santals are omnivorous, but they will not touch rice cooked by a Hindu. Santal parents undergo purification five days after childbirth; Santals have adopted as a rite the tonsure of children. Child marriage is not practised, and the young people make love matches, but the septs are exogamous as a rule. Santals seldom have more than one wife and she is always treated kindly. An open space in front of the headman's house is set apart for dancing, which is very elaborate and excellent. ”

“ The marriage ceremony being over, Lelha was invited to partake of the raja’s hospitality, but he refused, saying, “If you set my brothers at liberty I shall eat, but not unless you do so.” So the brothers were released, and taken to the bath. After they had bathed, their feet were washed, and they were led into the palace to the feast.
The brothers, after they were seated, began to whisper to each other, saying, “Whose house is this? Of what caste are the people? Does he wish to make us lose our caste?” But Lelha reassured them by saying, “Not so, my brothers. ”

“ The Santals are divided into exogamous septs—originally twelve in number, and their social observances are complex, e.g. while some relations treat each other with the greatest reserve, between others the utmost freedom of intercourse is allowed. ”

“ A Santal may learn to read and write and associate with men of good position and thereby his mind may be perverted. He may wish to change his caste [170] become a Sadhu, or a Kherwar, or a Boistab, or a Mussulman, or a Christian or anything else ”

“ The Santals as a race care little for permanent homes. They are not true nomads, but they like to be “ on the move.” In the lowlands they are agriculturists; in the jungles and on the mountains they are skilful hunters, bows and arrows being their chief weapons; on the highlands they are cattle breeders. But if fond of change the Santals like comfort, and their villages are neat, clean and well built, usually in an isolated position. Their social arrangements are patriarchal. In every village is a headman supposed to be a descendant of the founder of the village. ”

“ Some of the Santals are good agriculturists; others, in the more remote parts of the country, are still practically in the hunting stage. Except the few who have been converted to Hinduism or to Christianity, the Santals are ‘nature-worshipers’ with a sun cult and a belief in evil spirits. Their native system of government is village patriarchism. Like the Dravidian Tamils, the Santals have furnished many temporary or permanent emigrants from Hindustan, who have settled in Farther India. The Santals are generally monogamous, although polygamy and polyandry are not at all unknown among them. ”

“ As he wished to possess himself of it, he ordered his bearers to set down the palki, and stepping out prepared to swim out to pluck the flower. His companions tried to dissuade him, but as he insisted he was permitted to enter the water. He swam to within a short distance of the flower, but as he stretched out his hand to pluck it, the Upel flower, moving away, said, “Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi! You may be either a Dom or a Hadi, do not touch me.” The bridegroom replied, “Not so. Are not we two one?” ”

“ For all the privileges and immunities which we men of to-day enjoy we have to thank these primitive forest men, and our gratitude could never be too great. They are deserving of the closest attention and the warmest appreciation.
Not many of these really primitive peoples are nowadays left in the jungles. But the tea-gardens have attracted a primitive people, the Santals, who are typical of the true Dravidian stock of India—a jolly, cheerful, easy-going, and, on the whole, law-abiding, truthful, and honest people who love a roaming life, with plenty of hunting and fishing. ”

“ They travelled all day, and as the sun began to decline, they reached a dense jungle, and passing through it they came to a large city where they put up for the night. The city pleased them much, and they hired quarters in the Sarai. After they had gained a little acquaintance with their surroundings, Sit, attired in gorgeous apparel, and mounted on a splendid horse, rode every evening through the principal streets of the city. One evening the daughter of the raja of that country, from the roof of the palace, saw him ride past, and fell deeply in love with him. ”

“ The four sons of the raja, who had come in search of hiras and manis hearing this said, “Some one from amongst us four brothers must marry this girl. Let us exercise our horses, it is possible that some one of them may do the distance in the specified time.” They had left home in search of hiras and manis, and now were scheming to secure the Indarpuri Kuri as the wife of one of them. So they returned to camp, and sitting down began to discuss the subject. They said, “If our horses are well exercised, no doubt, but that they will be able to run the distance in the time. ”

“ We are the sons of a raja, and our country is very large. We will take you with us and make you ranis.” Lelha’s wives pretended to agree to their proposal; but they afterwards told him all. They said, “Do as they wish, but you will not be drowned. We will remain faithful to you, and you will reach home before us.”
So the four brothers prepared a sumptuous feast, and the boats were brought close to each other to enable Lelha and his wives to go on board. One of Lelha’s wives tied a knot on his waist cloth, as a token that they would remain true to him. ”

“ When the Santals lived in Champa and the Kiskus were their kings, the Santals were very simple and religious and only worshipped Thakur. In those days the rice grew ready husked, and the cotton bushes bore cloth all ready woven and men did not have to pick the lice out of each others’ hair; men’s skulls grew loose and each man could lift off his own skull and clean it and then replace it. ”

“ Their very vices are the vices of an oppressed and driven-out people who have lapsed from a higher state, rather than those of savages who have never known better things." Each village has its priest who has lands assigned to him; out of the profits he must twice a year feast the people. At the Sohrai feast-the “ harvest-home "—in December, the headman entertains the villagers, and the cattle are anointed and daubed with Vermilion and a share of the rice-beer is given to each animal. The Santals have many gods whose attributes are ill-defined, but whose festivals are strictly observed. ”

“ Life would then be like the simple game which children call Follow the Leader; and this scrupulous discipleship would be perfect freedom, since the soul of our leader and our own soul that chooses him would be the same. This principle is precisely that of the transcendental philosophy where it maintains that there is but one spirit in all men, and one logical moral evolution for the world. In fact, it is the Germans rather than the English that are solemn, convinced, and universal snobs. If they do not seem so much snobs in particular, it is because they are snobs überhaupt. ”

“ Lelha went to the bazaar and purchased rice and dal, and his mother when she saw him bringing them home with him, [74] said, “What is wrong? You are completely out of breath.” Lelha replied, “My brothers have gone to search for hiras and manis, and I also am busy preparing to follow them.” She tried to dissuade him saying, “Although the mean fellows beat you, still you will not keep away from them.” Lelha quickly replied, “What help is there for it, mother? Let my brothers beat me or not, what is that to me? ”

“ Give me an army four times stronger than the one brought against me, so that I may make short work of my enemies.” Immediately an army of 44,000 men stood in military array, awaiting his orders. The two armies joined battle, and Lelha discomfited the host of the Indarpuri Kuri, and she herself became his prize. She became his wife, and returned no more to her cavernous home in the solitary island. Lelha thus became the husband of four wives. [88]
Then the raja called his five sons together and said, “In my estimation Lelha is the one best qualified to became raja of this kingdom. ”

“ The raja will not be displeased with you.” He then rode away to the camp, and having returned the horse to the Indarpuri Kuri he began to prepare the evening meal, which was ready by the time his four brothers arrived.
After supper they began to talk over the events of the day, wondering who owned the horse that had run so well. Lelha drew near, and said, “What is it, brothers, that you are talking about?” Some said, “Beat him, what has he got to do listening?” Others said, “Do not beat him, he cooks for us.” ”

“ Early next morning Lelha set about preparing breakfast, and his brothers, having partaken of it, set out for the bazaar. After their departure Lelha gathered everything together, and hid them as before, and then called upon Indarpuri Kuri for a horse. The horse came, and Lelha mounted and galloped after his brothers. On overtaking them he saluted, and then said, “Wherefore, brothers, do you stand still? Race your horses.” ”

“ The church and the aristocracy, entanglement in custom and privilege, mistrust and bitterness about particular grievances, warp the inner man and enlist him against his interests in alien causes; the straits of Dover were too narrow, the shadow of a hostile continent was too oppressive, the English sod was soaked with too many dews and cut by too many hedges, for each individual, being quite master of himself, to confront every other individual without fear or prejudice, and to unite with him in the free pursuit of whatever aims they might find that they had in common. ”

“ Monsieur de Santillane, said he with a smile on the close of my narrative, I perceive that hitherto you have had your principles to choose. My lord, answered I, coloring up to the eyes, your excellency enjoined me to deal sincerely, and I have complied with your orders. I take your doing so in good part, replied he. It is all very well, my good fellow: you have escaped from the snares of this wicked world more by luck than management: it is wonderful that bad example should not have corrupted you irreparably. ”

“ On the contrary, the secret of a merry carnival is that Lent is at hand. Having virtually renounced our follies, we are for the first time able to enjoy them with a free heart in their ephemeral purity. When laughter is humble, when it is not based on self-esteem, it is wiser than tears. Conformity is wiser than hot denials, tolerance wiser than priggishness and puritanism. It is not what earnest people renounce that makes me pity them, it is what they work for. No possible reform will make existence adorable or fundamentally just. Modern England has worked too hard and cared too much ”

“ The youth moreover, who by the labour of their hands had borne up with poverty in the country, being excited by public and private bribery, preferred ease in the town to unpleasant labour. These and all others the republic’s trouble nourished. Wherefore it is the less to be wondered, that needy men of bad morals but the greatest hopes, should act for the republic as they did for themselves. Moreover those men whose fathers had been proscribed by Sulla’s success, and whose goods had been stolen and their rights curtailed, awaited the issue of the war with no other feelings. ”

“ It is an inevitable and initial circumstance in life. But like every material accident, it is a thing to abstract from and to discount as far as possible. The perversity of the Germans, the childishness and sophistry of their position, lies only in glorifying what is an inevitable impediment, and in marking time on an earthly station from which the spirit of man—at least in spirit—is called to fly.
This glorified and dogged egotism, which a thousand personal and technical evidences had long revealed to me in German philosophy, might now, I should think, be evident to the whole world. ”

“ An instance of tree worship amongst the Santals or hill tribes of Beerbhoom is recorded in Hunter’s “Annals of Rural Bengal,” as follows—“Adjoining the Santal village is a grove of their natural tree, the Sal (Shorea Robusta) , which they believe to be the favourite resort of all the family gods of the little community. From its silent gloom the bygone generations watch their children and children’s children playing their several parts in life, not altogether with an unfriendly eye. ”

“ His brother seeing the large herd of cattle, asked to whom they belonged. Jhore replied, “They are Jhore’s property.” Jhorea then said, “I killed my brother Jhore, what Jhore is it?” He made answer, “Your brother Jhore whom you thought you had killed.” Jhorea was delighted to find his brother alive, and said to him, “Let us live together after this.” So they lived peacefully together ever after. [15]
1 Jari is the Santali name for Crotalaria Juncea, a fibre yielding plant the seeds of which when ripe, rattle in the pods when the plant is shaken. ”

“ According to this stricter view, the whole world is to be subjugated and purified by the German nation, which alone inherits the undefiled language and religion of Eden, and must assign to the remaining creole races, descended from savages and ultimately perhaps from monkeys or devils, such tasks as they are capable of. The masters, being by nature generous and kind, will allow their slaves, after their work is done, to bask in despicable happiness, since happiness is all that slaves are capable of living for ”

“ A low caste, workers in leather.
Chando. The sun, the supreme god of the Santals.
Champa. A country in which according to their traditions, the Santals once lived.
Charak Puja. The festival at which men are swung by hooks from a pole.
Chatar. A festival at which dancing takes place round an umbrella. [446]
Chowkidar. A watchman.
Churin. The spirit of a woman who has died while pregnant, her feet are turned backwards. Not originally Santal.
Chumaura. A ceremony observed at marriage, and Sohrae festival.
Dain. A witch. Witches are supposed to use their powers to cause sickness and death ”

“ Bodding is aware that Santal women do actually hold meetings at night at which mantras and songs are repeated, and at which they may believe they acquire uncanny powers; the exercise of such powers may also on occasion be assisted by the knowledge of vegetable poisons. ”