Folklore of the Santal Parganas
The Santals are a Munda tribe, a branch of that aboriginal element which probably entered India from the North East. At the present day they inhabit the Eastern outskirts of the Chutia Nagpore plateau.
Originally hunters and dwellers in the jungle they are still but indifferent agriculturists. Like the Mundas and Hos and other representatives of the race, they are jovial in character, fond of their rice beer, and ready to take a joke.
Their social organization is very complete; each village has its headman or manjhi, with his assistant the paranik; the jogmanghi is charged with the supervision of the morals of the young men and women; the naeke is the village priest, the godet is the village constable. Over a group of villages is the pargana or tribal chief. The Santals are divided into exogamous septs—originally twelve in number, and their social observances are complex, e.g. while some relations treat each other with the greatest reserve, between others the utmost freedom of intercourse is allowed.
Their religion is animistic, spirits ( bongas ) are everywhere around them: the spirits of their ancestors, the spirit of the house, the spirit dwelling in the patch of primeval forest preserved in each village. Every hill tree and rock may have its spirit. These spirits are propitiated by elaborate ceremonies and sacrifices which generally terminate in dances, and the drinking of rice beer.
The Santal Parganas is a district 4800 sq. miles in area, lying about 150 miles north of Calcutta, and was formed into a separate administration after the Santals had risen in rebellion in 1856. The Santals at present form about one-third of the population.
The stories and legends which are here translated have been collected by the Rev. O. Bodding, D.D. of the Scandinavian Mission to the Santals. To be perfectly sure that neither language nor ideas should in any way be influenced by contact with a European mind he arranged for most of them to be written out in Santali, principally by a Christian convert named Sagram Murmu, at present living at Mohulpahari in the Santal Parganas.
Cecil Henry Bompas
Folklore of the Santal Parganas
Preface
Table of Contents
Part I.
I. Bajun and Jhore.
II. Anuwa and His Mother.
III. Ledha and the Leopard.
IV. The Cruel Stepmother.
V. Karmu and Dharmu.
VI. The Jealous Stepmother.
VII. The Pious Woman.
VIII. The Wise Daughter-in-Law.
IX. The Oilman and His Sons.
X. The Girl Who Found Helpers.
XI. How to Grow Rich.
XII. The Changed Calf.
XIII. The Koeri and the Barber.
XIV. The Prince Who Acquired Wisdom.
XV. The Monkey Boy.
XVI. The Miser’s Servant.
XVII. Kuwar and the Raja’s Daughter.
XVIII. The Laughing Fish.
XIX. How the Cowherd Found a Bride.
XX. Kara and Guja.
XXI. The Magic Cow.
XXII. Lita and His Animals.
XXIII. The Boy Who Found His Father.
XXIV. The Oilman’s Bullock.
XXV. How Sabai Grass Grew.
XXVI. The Merchant’s Son and the Raja’s Daughter.
XXVII. The Flycatcher’s Egg.
XXVIII. The Wife Who Would Not Be Beaten.
XXIX. Sahde Goala.
XXX. The Raja’s Son and the Merchant’s Son.
XXXI. The Poor Widow.
XXXII. The Monkey and the Girl.
XXXIII. Ramai and the Animals.
XXXIV. The Magic Bedstead.
XXXV. The Ghormuhas.
XXXVI. The Boy Who Learnt Magic.
XXXVII. The Charitable Jogi.
XXXVIII. Chote and Mote.
XXXIX. The Daydreamer.
XL. The Extortionate Sentry.
XLI. The Broken Friendship.
XLII. A Story Told by a Hindu.
XLIII. The Raibar and the Leopard.
XLIV. The Ungrateful Snake.
XLV. The Tiger’s Bride.
XLVI. The Killing of the Tiger.
XLVII. The Dream.
XLVIII. The King of the Bhuyans.
XLIX. The Foolish Sons.
L. Kora and His Sister.
LI. A Story on Caste.
LII. Tipi and Tepa.
LIII. The Child with the Ears of an Ox.
LIV. The Child Who Knew His Father.
LV. Jogeshwar’s Marriage.
LVI. The Strong Man.
LVII. The Raja’s Advice.
LVIII. The Four Jogis.
LIX. The Charitable Raja.
LX. A Variant.—The Wandering Raja.
LXI. The Two Wives.
LXII. Spanling and His Uncles.
LXIII. The Silent Wife.
LXIV. The Dumb Shepherd.
LXV. The Good Daughter-in-Law.
LXVI. The Raja’s Dream.
LXVII. The Mongoose Boy.
LXVIII. The Stolen Treasure.
LXIX. Dukhu and His Bonga Wife.
LXX. The Monkey Husband.
LXXI. Lakhan and the Wild Buffaloes.
LXXII. The Boy with the Stag.
LXXIII. The Seven Brothers and the Bonga Girl.
LXXIV. The Tiger’s Foster Child.
LXXV. The Caterpillar Boy.
LXXVI. The Monkey Nursemaid.
LXXVII. The Wife Who Could Not Keep a Secret.
LXXVIII. Sit and Lakhan.
LXXIX. The Raja Who Went To Heaven.
LXXX. Seven-Tricks and Single-Trick.
LXXXI. Fuljhari Raja.
LXXXII. The Corpse of the Raja’s Son.
LXXXIII. The Sham Child.
LXXXIV. The Sons of the Kherohuri Raja.
LXXXV. The Dog Bride.
LXXXVI. Wealth or Wisdom.
LXXXVII. The Goala and the Cow.
LXXXVIII. The Telltale Wife.
LXXXIX. The Bridegroom Who Spoke in Riddles.
XC. The Lazy Man.
XCI. Another Lazy Man.
XCII. The Widow’s Son.
XCIII. The Boy Who Was Changed into a Dog.
XCIV. Birluri and Birbanta.
XCV. The Killing of the Rakhas.
XCVI. The Children and the Vultures.
XCVII. The Ferryman.
XCVIII. Catching a Thief.
XCIX. The Grasping Raja.
C. The Prince Who Would Not Marry.
CI. The Prince Who Found Two Wives.
CII. The Unfaithful Wife.
CIII. The Industrious Bride.
CIV. The Boy and His Fate.
CV. The Messengers of Death.
CVI. The Speaking Crab.
CVII. The Leopard Outwitted.
CVIII. The Wind and the Sun.
CIX. The Coldest Season.
Part II.
CX. The Jackal and the Crow.
CXI. The Tiger Cub and the Calf.
CXII. The Jackal and the Chickens.
CXIII. The Jackal Punished.
CXIV. The Tigers and the Cat.
CXV. The Elephant and the Ants.
CXVI. A Fox and His Wife.
CXVII. The Jackal and the Crocodiles.
CXVIII. The Bullfrog and the Crab.
CXIX. The Hyaena Outwitted.
CXX. The Crow and the Egret.
CXXI. The Jackal and the Hare.
CXXII. The Brave Jackal.
CXXIII. The Jackal and the Leopards.
Part III
CXXIV. The Fool and His Dinner.
CXXV. The Stingy Daughter.
CXXVI. The Backwards and Forwards Dance.
CXXVII. The Deaf Family.
CXXVIII. The Father-in-Law’s Visit.
CXXIX. Ramai and Somai.
CXXX. The Two Brothers.
CXXXI. The Three Fools.
CXXXII. The Cure for Laziness.
CXXXIII. The Brahman’s Powers.
CXXXIV. Ram’s Wife.
CXXXV. Palo.
CXXXVI. The Women’s Sacrifice.
CXXXVII. The Thief’s Son.
CXXXVIII. The Divorce.
CXXXIX. The Father and the Father-in-Law.
CXL. The Reproof.
CXLI. Enigmas.
CXLII. The Too Particular Wife.
CXLIII. The Paharia Socialists.
CXLIV. How a Tiger Was Killed.
CXLV. The Goala’s Daughter.
CXLVI. The Brahman’s Clothes.
CXLVII. The Winning of a Bride.
Part IV
CXLVIII. Marriage with Bongas.
CXLIX. The Bonga Headman.
CL. Lakhan and the Bongas.
CLI. The House Bonga.
CLII. The Sarsagun Maiden.
CLIII. The Schoolboy and the Bonga.
CLIV. The Bonga’s Cave.
CLV. The Bonga’s Victim.
CLVI. Baijal and the Bonga.
CLVII. Ramai and the Bonga.
CLVIII. The Boundary Bonga.
CLIX. The Bonga Exorcised.
Part V.
CLX. The Beginning of Things.
CLXI. Chando and His Wife.
CLXII. The Sikhar Raja.
CLXIII. The Origin of Tobacco.
CLXIV. The Transmigration of Souls.
CLXV. The Next World.
CLXVI. After Death.
CLXVII. Hares and Men.
CLXVIII. A Legend.
CLXIX. Pregnant Women.
CLXX. The Influence of the Moon.
CLXXI. Illegitimate Children.
CLXXII. The Dead.
CLXXIII. Hunting Custom.
Part VI.
CLXXIV. Witchcraft.
CLXXV. Of Dains and Ojhas.
CLXXVI. Initiation into Witchcraft.
CLXXVII. Witchcraft.
CLXXVIII. Witch Stories.
CLXXIX. Witch Stories.
CLXXX. Witch Stories.
CLXXXI. The Two Witches.
CLXXXII. The Sister-in-Law Who Was a Witch.
CLXXXIII. Ramjit Bonga.
CLXXXIV. The Herd Boy and the Witches.
CLXXXV. The Man-Tiger.
Glossary.
Appendix
Introduction.
(1)—The River Snake.
(2)—The Sons of the Tigress.
(3)—The Tiger’s Marriage.
(4)—The Jackal and His Neighbours.
(5)—The Jackal and the Tigers.
(6)—The Wild Buffaloes.
(7)—The Grateful Cow.
(8)—The Belbati Princess.
(9)—The Bread Tree.
(11)—The Faithless Sister.
(12)—The Cruel Sisters-in-Law.
(13)—The False Rānī.
(14)—The Jackal and the Kite.
(15)—The Sons of the Raban Rājā.
(16)—The Potter’s Son.
(17)—The Wonderful Cowherd.
(18)—The Strong Prince.
(19)—The Prince Who Became King of the Jackals.
(20)—The Mongoose Boy.
(21)—The Prince and the Tigress.
(22)—The Cunning Potter.
Colophon
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