Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7Thurston, Edgar
History
Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7
Thurston, Edgar
Caste -- India, South; Ethnology -- India, South; India, South -- Social life and customs; Tribes -- India, South
It is noted [48] that, among the Sivaganga Kallans, "when a member of a
certain kilai dies, a piece of new cloth should be given to the other
male member of the same kilai by the heir of the deceased. The cloth
thus obtained should be given to the sister of the person obtaining
it. If her brother fails to do so, her husband will consider himself
degraded, and consequently will divorce her." Round about Pudukkottai
and Tanjore, the Visangu-nadu Kallans have exogamous septs called
pattaperu, and they adopt the sept name as a title, e.g., Muthu
Udaiyan, Karuppa Tondaman, etc. It is noted, in the Gazetteer of the
Tanjore district, that the sub-divisions of the Kallans are split
into groups, e.g., Onaiyan (wolfish), Singattan (lion-like), etc.
It is a curious fact that the Puramalai-nadu Kallans practice the rite
of circumcision. The origin of this custom is uncertain, but it has
been suggested [49] that it is a survival of a forcible conversion
to Muhammadanism of a section of the Kurumbas who fled northwards
on the downfall of their kingdom. At the time appointed for the
initiatory ceremony, the Kallan youth is carried on the shoulders
of his maternal uncle to a grove or plain outside the village, where
betel is distributed among those who have assembled, and the operation
is performed by a barber-surgeon. En route to the selected site,
and throughout the ceremony, the conch shell (musical instrument)
is blown. The youth is presented with new cloths. It is noted, in the
Gazetteer of the Madura district, that "every Kallan boy has a right
to claim the hand of his paternal aunt's daughter in marriage. This
aunt bears the expenses connected with his circumcision. Similarly,
the maternal uncle pays the costs of the rites which are observed when
a girl attains maturity, for he has a claim on the girl as a bride
for his son. The two ceremonies are performed at one time for large
batches of boys and girls. On an auspicious day, the young people are
all feasted, and dressed in their best, and repair to a river or tank
(pond). The mothers of the girls make lamps of plantain leaves, and
float them on the water, and the boys are operated on by the local
barber." It is stated, in the Census Report, 1901, that the Sirukudi
Kallans use a tali, on which the Muhammadan badge of a crescent and
star is engraved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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