CHAPTER VI
The religion, customs, manners, and fashions of dress of the various tribes composing the population of Nepal vary to quite a considerable extent, and I have here not the space to go into them fully. But I will quote a few.
The Brahmins differ little from their co-religionists of India, except that they are not so strict in the observance of prejudices; the form of Buddhism practised closely resembles that of Tibet. Superstitions are rampant, both among Brahmins and Buddhists, and of course even more so among the wilder tribes.
The Gurkhas, on the occasion of the birth of a child, indulge in rejoicings for eleven consecutive days, the father being restricted to the company of his relatives only. On the eleventh day a name is given to the offspring. The child is suckled by the mother for a comparatively [[56]]short period of time, when a festival and dinner are given, the child being made to swallow a grain of rice from each friend.
Marriages are, as in India, arranged at a very early age, sometimes when children are not more than six or seven years old, the betrothal taking place a year or two before. Widows cannot marry again, but a widower can. Divorces can be obtained in some tribes, by somewhat simple methods, but fidelity is one of the chief virtues of Nepalese women, and it is seldom that separation takes place. Besides, divorces are a very expensive luxury. Moreover, an unfaithful wife may find herself in prison for life, whereas the co-respondent is handed to the mercy of the husband, who is expected to “chop him up” in public with his vicious-looking kukri. They say that the offender’s life may be spared if he submits to crawl under the husband’s leg, raised for the occasion, a most humiliating alternative seldom accepted.
As in India, among Brahmin tribes, a great many misdeeds of vanity or breaches of caste-rules are forgiven on payments in cash to the priests, or the giving of the usual feast and feed.
The custom of shaving the head, moustache, [[57]]and eyebrows in sign of mourning at the death of near relations is followed by the Brahmin tribes, and the body of the deceased is buried and not cremated. Several non-Brahmin tribes, however, cremate their dead.
The Gurkhas who are recruited for the British army are nearly all Magars and Gurungs, they being considered the best fighting material. Members of the Khas tribe are enlisted solely for the 9th Gurkha regiment. Recruiting parties are sent out from every regiment which recruits for itself, and these bring down their recruits to the dépôt at Garakpur. Here a primary medical inspection takes place, and clothing is issued to the men before they are despatched to their future corps. They wear a dark green uniform with black or red facings, and are armed with Martini-Henry rifles, a bayonet, and a kukri.
The Gurkha Brigade consisted in 1899 of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 42nd, 43rd, and 44th Regiments. The first five regiments have two battalions; the 9th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th are single battalions. There are eight British officers to each battalion (plus some others attached), a medical officer, and sixteen Gurkha officers.
The men are, as a rule, excellent shots, fond of [[58]]sport of all kinds, and passionate fishermen and shikaris, knowing instinctively and intimately the habits of most animals. They are hardy, cheery, and willing to obey, but detest “nagging.” They are devoted to their officers and proud of their corps; and, taking things all round, possibly they may be put down as the most loyal native troops we have in India. They know no fear. If an orderly were by chance to leave an officer dead or wounded, either in the field or out on a sporting expedition, he would lose his caste, be generally boycotted, and very likely killed by his comrades.
The Gurkhas are inveterate gamblers and fond of all games, showing great quickness in learning British games, at which they become quite proficient—football particularly.
They are superstitious beyond measure, good or evil spirits playing an important part in every day’s occurrences. Thus astrologers find plenty of remunerative occupation in predicting events and showing how to propitiate certain demons rather than others.
A Nepalese Woman
A curious feature of these fighters is their tender affection for flowers. Indeed, there are many tender strings to the heart of a Gurkha. They are devoted to their families, and most gentle and suave [[59]]in their home manners. They are jealous of their women, whom they do not beat nor usually turn into beasts of burden like the natives of India, and they show great pride in displaying their women-folks loaded with jewellery from head to foot. The women are quite pretty, cheery, and do not exhibit the affected shyness of the women of the Indian plains, for instance.
One of the most notable features about a Gurkha is the marvellous skill with which he handles his heavy-bladed kukri. It may be said that from the days of his childhood, since as soon as his little hands become strong enough to lift one, he is never without one; hence, when older, he is very adept in its manifold uses. With one of those knives Gurkhas can cut a buffalo’s head off at one stroke; and they can make fairly good shots, at considerable distance, when throwing the kukri. They can use it in such delicate work as shaping a toothpick or sharpening a pencil. With it they chop firewood, and use it freely as a cooking utensil.
When going bear-hunting they wind a blanket round the left arm and carry a loaded stick in the right hand, the kukri being held between the teeth or thrust in the girdle in front. When the bear gets on his hind-legs to close with them, they hit [[60]]him on the nose (being the tenderest spot), and, before he has time to recover from the pain and astonishment, they polish him off with their knives.
They delight in the company of tame animals, such as dogs or birds. They are fond of smoking and drinking—and they can stand a lot—a fact which makes them great chums with British white soldiers. They simply adore Tommy Atkins, especially if he be a Highlander or a rifleman, and they delight in his company; but they show the utmost contempt—racial and general—for the natives of India. Their unbounded conceit is easily forgiven and counterbalanced by their extreme truthfulness and honesty, especially when first recruited.
A Typical Native of N.W. Nepal
Many Gurkha regiments have for some years taken up the system of training a few picked men of good physique and sight, and of unusual agility and sporting instincts, as recognised scouts. They are clad more lightly than ordinary soldiers—generally in “cut short” football knickers. Besides the scouts’ duty of discovering the enemy’s strength and position, they are also used as sharpshooters, and specially instructed for stalking “snipers” at night. When in India I had the pleasure of [[61]]inspecting the scouts commanded by Lieutenant G. Kendall Channer, of the 1st Battalion 3rd Gurkhas, and I was much impressed by them and by the business-like qualities of the officers and men. [[62]]