Fire-making
We have already seen that the fire used for several sacred purposes must be made by friction with the fire-sticks. The method employed is a variety of the drill method shown in Figs. 65 and 37. In the former the wursol of Taradr is making fire in order to enable me to procure a photograph; the latter is the result of a snapshot taken when the fire was being produced during a ceremony. In the horizontal stick, which is held firmly by the foot, a hole is made for the insertion of the vertical stick, and in this a little charcoal is placed. A small groove is cut on one side to assist the falling of the spark on the tinder beneath. The vertical stick is inserted into the hole and twirled between the two hands. In the only case in which I saw fire produced by friction in a ceremony ([Fig. 37]), the continued efforts of the two old men were unavailing, and a third younger man was called upon, [[582]]and with a few powerful manipulations he was rapidly successful.
Several kinds of wood are used for the fire-sticks, the Toda names of these being kiaz or keadj, mòrs, parskuti, and main. Only the first of these, however, may be used if fire is being made for sacred purposes, and I was told that it was much easier to make fire with this than with any other.
FIG. 65.—KAROL (64), THE ‘WURSOL’ OF TARADR, MAKING FIRE.
In some Toda villages a stone is kept called tütmûkal, which was used at one time for making fire by striking it with a piece of iron. Probably this method was employed for non-sacred purposes in the period between giving up the fire-sticks for ordinary purposes and the introduction of matches.
The Todas have two kinds of fireplace, the waskal, consisting [[583]]of three stones, and the kudrvars, with four stones. The former is found in the dwelling-hut, in the wursuli, and in the ti dairy, and the latter in the tarvali and kudrpali; but I did not discover why the more sacred dairies should have the same kind of fireplace as the house. According to one account waskal is the name used by the Teivaliol and kudrvars by the Tartharol, and it may be that this is the explanation of the apparent anomaly.