MAK

Volltext: A classified and descriptive catalogue of the Indian department, Vienna Universal Exhibition 1873

15 
The principal native musical instruments are the 
surinda, or violin ; the choutura, or guitar; tuphla, 
ordrum; and the sunod. The last is the leading 
instrument, and is sounded with a plectum, like 
other native guitars. The Surinda plays in unison 
with it, while the choutura forms a kind of hass 
accompaniment. 
No. 89. Jogis. 
These Jogis must not he confounded with Jogis 
who are religious devotees. They are a low caste, 
migratory tribe, found almost all over India, who 
share the profession of catching, and to a certain 
extent, taming snakes, with Mahomedans of the 
same character. The photograph displays two of 
the tribe exhibiting oobra capellas, or nägs, and 
playing to them upon an instrument made of a gourd 
of peculiar shape, into which a reed with holes is 
fitted, which has six holes; sometimes there are two 
reeds set side by side. The sound is like that of a 
flageolet, and is often mellow and sweet, but there 
is little attempt made at time or melody. 
No. 90. Deena and his nephew Hooseinee 
—Snake Charmers. 
Their opcupation is exhibiting harmless snakes, 
and catching or charming venomous ones. Their 
tribe is migratory; going from place to place during 
the cold and hot months of the year, and remaining 
in one spot during the rainy season. They are 
Mussulmans of the Soonee sect, and have a great 
veneration for the memory of a deceased Fakir or 
samt called Madar Shah, who is buried at Mukun 
pore, in tbe Cawnpore district; they believe that the 
three most sacred places on earth, are Mecca, Medina, 
and Mukunpore, and the three objects ofworshi'p 
are—Moulah, namely the Almighty, Mahomed, and 
Madar Shah. 
No. 91. Nuts. 
Nuts or Naths, called in Western India Nutwa, 
correspond to the European gipsy tribes, and, like 
them, have no settled home. They are arrant thieves, 
and their principal occupations are conjuring, dancing, 
and tricks of legerdemain. The men are very active 
and clever as acrobats. The women attend their 
performances, and sing and play on small native 
drums or tamborines. They also affect knowledge 
of tbe Science of palmistry, and prepare and seil love 
philtres and other charms. The Naths do not mix 
with or intermarry with other tribes. They live for 
the most part in tents made of black blanket stuff, 
and move from village to village through all parts 
of the country. Some of the men are skilful black- 
smiths, and the women make patchwork quilts, 
frequently very ingenious in pattem and neatly 
sewn. 
It is difficult to say whether Naths are Hindoos or 
Mahomedans, as they have indifferently Hindoo and 
Mahomedan names, and practise the observances of 
both religions, intermixed with stränge ceremonies 
of their own at marriages and other festivals, which 
are kept secret among them. 
No. 92. Gwal Nut. 
Gwal Nut is a gipsy woman. 
No. 93. Kesarah—Nutni. 
Black hair and eyes, complexion rather dark, black 
dress, with figured boddice over the bosom, coral 
necklace, and head-dress of silver beads with a knot 
on the top made of cowries, a white scarf over the 
head and shoulders. Age, seventeen years ; height, 
five feet six inclies. 
No. 94. Sookha Kunjur. 
Kunjurs are for the most'part a wandering thievish 
race, resembling gipsies, and are to be found in nearly 
all parts of India. They live by snaring wild animals, 
making ropes and twine, as well as brushes of coca 
nut fibre, used by weavers. Being of degraded and 
filthy habits, they are reckoned a very low caste; 
living on the llesh of wild animals of every description, 
and not even sparing carrion. 
No. 95. Sanseeas. 
Sanseeas are neither Hindoos nor Mahomedans 
in reality, but profess to bc Hindoos, and do not 
practise cireumcision, by which rite alone they could 
become Mahomedans. They are essentially outcasts, 
admitted to no other caste fellowship, ministered to 
by no priests, without any ostensible calling or pro 
fession, totally ignorant "of everything but their 
hereditary crime, and with no settled place of resi- 
dence whatever; they wander as they please over 
the Land, assuming any disguise they may need, and 
for ever preying upon its people. 
B.—ABORIGINAL, LOCAL, AND FRONTIER TRIBES OF NORTHERN INDIA. 
a.—Bengal 
No. 96. The Coles of Chota Nagpore. 
The total area of Chota Nagpore is estimated at 
4,4(58 square miles, with a population of G45.359 
souls, of whom about one-half are what are known 
to Europeans by the name of Coles. The Word Col 
or Kol is an epithet of opprobrium applied to these 
tribes by the Hindoos. It includes many tribes, but 
the people of Chota Nagpore to whom it is generally 
applied are either Moondahs or Oraons; and though 
AND BEHAE. 
the two raees are found in many parts of the country 
occupying the same villages, cultivating the same 
fields, celebrating together the same festivals, and 
enjoying the same amusements, they do not inter 
marry. The uniform tradition in Chota Nagpore is, 
that the Moondahs were the first settlers, and thus 
acquired certain proprietary rights in the soil, which 
they are most tenacious of to this day. 
Physically, the Moondahs are the finer race of the 
two; they are taller, fairer, better proportioned, and
	        
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