Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 2 of 7Thurston, Edgar
History
Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 2 of 7
Thurston, Edgar
Caste -- India, South; Ethnology -- India, South; India, South -- Social life and customs; Tribes -- India, South
To have recorded the entire series of measurements of the children
would have been useless for the purpose of comparison with those of
the parents, and I selected from my repertoire the length and breadth
of the head and nose, which plainly indicate the paternal influence
on the external anatomy of the offspring. The figures given in the
table bring out very clearly the great breadth, as compared with
the length, of the heads of all the children, and the resultant high
cephalic index. In other words, in one case a mesaticephalic (79),
and, in the remaining three cases, a sub-brachycephalic head (80.1;
80.1; 82.4) has resulted from the union of a mesaticephalic Chinaman
(78.5) with a sub-dolichocephalic Tamil Paraiyan (76.8). How great is
the breadth of the head in the children may be emphasised by noting
that the average head-breadth of the adult Tamil Paraiyan man is only
13.7 cm., whereas that of the three boys, aged ten, nine, and five
only, was 14.3, 14, and 13.7 cm. respectively.
Quite as strongly marked is the effect of paternal influence on the
character of the nose; the nasal index, in the case of each child
(68.1; 71.772; 7; 68.3), bearing a much closer relation to that of
the long-nosed father (71.7) than to the typical Paraiyan nasal index
of the broad-nosed mother (78.7).
It will be interesting to note hereafter what is the future of the
younger members of this quaint little colony, and to observe the
physical characters, temperament, fecundity, and other points relating
to the cross breed resulting from the blend of Chinese and Tamil.
Chinna (little).--A sub-division of Boya, Kunnuvan, Konda Dora,
Pattanavan, and Pattapu, and an exogamous sept of Mala. Chinna,
chinnam, and chinnada, denoting gold, occur as exogamous septs of
Kuruba, Padma Sale, Toreya, and Vakkaliga.
Chintala (tamarind: Tamarindus Indica).--An exogamous sept of Ghasi,
Golla, Madiga, and Mala. Chintyakula, or tamarind sept, occurs among
the Komatis; chintaginjala (tamarind seeds) as an exogamous sept of
Padma Sales, and of Panta Reddis, who may not touch or use the seeds;
and Chintakai or Chintakayala (tamarind fruit) as an exogamous sept
of Boyas and Devangas.
Chirla (woman's cloth).--An exogamous sept of Kamma.
Chitikan.--A synonym of Maran, indicating one whose occupation relates
to the funeral pyre. A Chitikan, for example, performs the funeral
rites for the Mussads.
Chiti Karnam.--A name of the Oriya Karnam caste. A vulgar form of
Sresta Karnam (Sreshto Korono).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account