Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 6 of 7Thurston, Edgar
History
Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 6 of 7
Thurston, Edgar
Caste -- India, South; Ethnology -- India, South; India, South -- Social life and customs; Tribes -- India, South
The chant ceased for a few moments
while he was changing the bow for the pieces of wood, but, when he
had them in his hands, he went on again with it, dancing round as
before, and striking the two pieces of wood together in time. This
lasted about five minutes, and, in the middle of the dance, he put
an umbrella-like shade on his head. The dance over, he went to the
buffalo, and stroked it all over with the two pieces of wood, first
on the head, then on the body and rump, and the chant ceased. He then
sat in front of the boy, put a handful of common herbs into the earthen
pot, and poured some water into it. Chanting, he bathed the boy's head
with the herbs and water, the father's head, the boy's head again,
and then the buffalo's head, smearing them with the herbs. He blew
into one ear of the boy, and then into the other. The chant ceased,
and he sat on the path. The boy's father got up, and, carrying the
boy, seated him on the ground. Then, with an axe, which was touched
by the sick boy, he went up to the buffalo, and with a blow almost
buried the head of the axe in the buffalo's neck. He screwed the axe
about until he disengaged it, and dealt a second and a third blow
in the same place, and the buffalo fell on its side. When it fell,
the boy's father walked away. As the first blow was given, the Kudang
started up very excited as if suddenly much overcome, holding his arms
slightly raised before him, and staggered about. His assistant rushed
at him, and held him round the body, while he struggled violently as
if striving to get to the bleeding buffalo. He continued struggling
while the boy's father made his three blows on the buffalo's neck. The
father brought him some of the blood in a leaf cup, which he greedily
drank, and was at once quiet. Some water was then given him, and he
seemed to be all right. After a minute or so, he sat on the path with
the tom-tom before him, and, beating it, chanted as before. The boy's
father returned to the buffalo, and, with a few more whacks at it,
stopped its struggles. Some two or three men joined him, and,
with their axes and swords, soon had the buffalo in pieces. All
present, except the Kudang, had a good feed, during which the tom-tom
ceased. After the feed, Kudang went at it again, and kept it up at
intervals for a couple of hours. He once went for 25 minutes at 156
beats to the minute without ceasing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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