The Ethnology of the British Colonies and DependenciesLatham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
History
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies
Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
Ethnology
2. _The Bhowri_, called also _Hirn-shikarri_ and _Hern-pardi_, though
Bhowri is the native name, are hunters. They also fall into subordinate
divisions.
3. _The Tarremúki_; so-called by themselves, but known in the Dekhan as
_Ghissaris_, or _Bail-Kumbar_, and amongst the Mahrattas, as _Lohars_,
are blacksmiths.
4. _The Korawi_, fall in tribes which neither eat with each other, nor
intermarry, _viz._:--
_a._ The Bajantri, who are musicians.
_b._ The Teling--basket-makers and prostitutes.
_c._ The Kolla.
_d._ The Soli.
5. _The Bhattu_, _Dummur_, or _Kollati_, are exorcists and exhibitors of
feats of strength.
6. _The Muddikpur_, so called by themselves, though known under several
other names, follow a variety of employments; some being ferrymen.
All these tribes wander about the country without any permanent home,
speak a peculiar dialect with a considerable proportion of
Non-Sanskritic words, and preserve certain peculiarities of creed;
though in different degrees--the Muddikpur being wholly or nearly pagan,
the Tarremúki Brahminic.
The wandering life of these, and other similar tribes is not, by itself,
sufficient to justify us in separating them from the other Hindús. But
it does not stand alone. The fragments of an earlier paganism, and the
fragments of an earlier language are phenomena which must be taken in
conjunction with it. These suggest the likelihood of the Gohuri, the
Bhatti, and their like, being in the same category with the Khonds and
Bhils, &c., _i.e._, representatives of the earlier and more exclusively
Tamulian populations. If the gipsy language of England had, instead of
its Indian elements, an equal number of words from the original
British, it would present the same phenomena, and lead to the same
inference as that which is drawn from the Bhatti, Bhowri, Tarremúki, and
Gohuri vocabularies,[61] _viz._: the doctrine that fragments of the
original population are to be sought for amongst the wanderers over the
face of the country, as well as among the occupants of its mountain
strongholds.
* * * * *
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