Secret Language
The Todas have a large number of expressions which they use in the presence of Badagas, Tamils and others when they wish to be understood only by themselves. Many of the Badagas and Tamils with whom the Todas associate no doubt pick up some knowledge of their language, and even if this were not the case, the Toda language is sufficiently like Tamil to enable a stranger to understand part of what is said. In consequence the Todas have adopted a secret code for use among themselves which they call kalikatpimi, literally “stolen we tie,” while in distinction the ordinary language is called itherkelv or “front fact.” [[617]]
The following are the chief instances of which I was told.
| Ordinary Language. | Secret Language. |
|
Pârshk Milk to
nîr water
at mix
kwadr! give. i.e., give milk mixed with water! |
Nonk Four
nâr sides
pudvaink which came from
kagîr old buffalo
pârs milk
at mix
kwadr! give! i.e., give milk mixed with what comes from the four teats of an old buffalo. |
|
Pârs milk
âdr cook i.e., cook food in milk! |
Nonk Four
nâr sides
pud come
mûdn three on
tarsk up
idsht! put i.e., Put what comes from the four teats upon the three (stones of the oven). |
| Tòr Have tidshia? you taken food? | Kâtô Teeth nòrth between kershia? did you throw? |
| At There (or away) vokh! go! | At There (or away) erd two (legs) af! get! |
| Iren The buffalo akaik in the wood ud! hide! | kûdr Horn valvpoi crooked tòrs wood ûlâr into kî! go! |
| Kan Is he odthi? not blind? | Kûdren Black pom fruit odthinû? has he not? |
When a man is thought to be dying, the Todas may ask “Is this man going from one place to another?”
Whenever a Toda first sees a man, he looks at his feet, and, correspondingly, when a Toda asks another his opinion of a man, he says “Kal pel ilûdinû,” “What sort of leg and nail has he?” In secret language the leg may be called metipol, “walk thing,” also used for footprints or pûmi ûlâr pî pol, “thing that goes into the earth.”
Many other things and persons have secret names; thus, a rupee, or money generally, is called atchertvai, that which is stamped; butter is called pelthpol or white thing; clarified butter (nei) is called kârtpol or melted thing; sugar and honey are called tichedpol or sweet thing; rice is called peitpudvai, that which comes from Peit, a place near Kavidi in the Wainad from which rice used to be procured; arrack (saraim) is called îrthpol or püshetpol, each meaning “drink thing.” The sun is called etûdol, “great man.” [[618]]
The various tribes on the hills have secret names; thus, both Badagas and Tamils are called tutâr katvai, he who wears or ties the turban; a Kota is called kîmas ithvai, he who is beneath; a Kurumba is called âr kârthpol, the man who watches the way; a European is called pelthpol, or white man. A forest guard is called petuni ütvai, petuni being here used as a term for uniform, so that if a forest guard has come, they will say, petuni ütvai podvuchi.
Several of the words used in the secret language do not appear to have any other meaning and are not ordinarily used. Thus the ordinary word for tooth is pars, but in secret language kâtô or kâtû is used. This word is the name of the wall of a buffalo-pen and it is possible that it may mean stones, but I could not ascertain whether this was the derivation, and could only learn that it was another word for tooth. Similarly the ear, of which the ordinary name is kevi, is called pertars, and the question “Did you wear gold earrings?” becomes pertarsk ütshia? “to ear did you wear?” [[619]]
[1] Madras Journ. Lit. and Sci., 1837, vol. v. p. 155. [↑]
[2] A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages, 2nd ed., London, 1875, p. 557. [↑]
[3] Outlines of the Tuḍa Grammar appended to Marshall’s Phrenologist among the Todas. [↑]
[5] Madras Journ. Lit. and Sci., 1857, N.S., vol. i., p. 104. [↑]
[6] These sounds have usually been omitted in the Toda words as written in this book. [↑]
[7] For equivalents of these signs in English words see the Phonetic System at the beginning of the book. [↑]
[8] Mad, or more usually madth, is also the Toda word for churn, and this word is probably derived indirectly from the Sanscrit mantha. [↑]
[10] The last syllable of the name Meilitars given to Kwoto is probably this word so that the name means ‘superior man.’ [↑]
CHAPTER XXVI
PERSONAL NAMES
The ceremonies of name-giving have already been considered, the chief point of interest being that the name of a boy is given to him by his maternal uncle, while that of a girl is probably given by her paternal aunt. In this chapter I wish to consider the general nature of the personal names of the Todas and some special customs connected with them.
The genealogies provide a large store of material, for it is exceptional for two Todas to have the same name, and no Toda should bear a name which has been borne by another for four generations, and certainly not one which has been borne by one of his own family.
The great majority of Toda names have distinctive terminations which are different for men and women.
The common terminations for males are -van, -kûdr, -kût or -kûtan, -olv, -eidi, and -ners. The first was said to be the same word as pan or pun, the Toda name for the stone circles found on the summits of the hills. The names of deities often receive the same termination; thus Nòtirzi is also called Nòtirzivan, and, in several cases, men received the names of gods or hills followed by the syllable -van. The same termination is also given to names which have other derivations.
The terminations, -kûdr or -gûdr, -kût or -kûtan, are different forms of the word kûdr, which means primarily ‘horn,’ and when it occurs in a name seems to mean ‘child.’ The termination in -kûdr or -gûdr seems to be much more [[620]]frequently used by the Teivaliol than by the Tartharol, and in both divisions it is rare in older generations.
I do not know the meaning of the terminations in -olv and -eidi: it is noteworthy, however, that -olv is also a frequent ending of the names of dairies.
The termination -ner or -ners sometimes becomes -nîr, and it may be the word for water, possibly with the idea of ‘spring.’
The usual terminations of female names are -veli, -veni or -vani, -eimi, and -idj or -idz. Of these, the first is by far the most frequent, being usually pronounced with a th sound, as in -velthli or -vilthli. It is possibly the same word as a frequent Indian name of Venus, which is also the Toda name for this planet. The word also means silver and in the form pelthiti is used for ‘white.’
The termination -veni or -vani is probably derived from pani, which is said to be an ancient name for a Toda woman. Occasionally the latter form occurred, as in the name of Sinadapani (67), and one of the wives of Kwoten was named Kwaterpani. I know nothing of the derivation of the terminations -eimi and -idz.
The names of Todas are often derived from villages, dairies or dairy vessels, hills and their deities, and objects of various kinds. There seems to be no objection to use the names of deities or of such sacred objects as the mani as personal names, but only as those of men. Recently the Todas have begun to use words of Hindu or even English origin for the names of their children.
It is the names of men which are chiefly derived from villages, and at least twenty examples occur in the genealogies. In some cases the name of the village is used without any suffix, as in Ushadr (48) and Madsu (58); in other cases one or other of the customary terminations is used, as in Keradrkutan[1] (26), Nongarsivan (62), Kuirsiners (18), and Karseidi (8). The special point of interest here is that the names of villages which have now disappeared may be preserved as personal names; thus Harkness mentions the village of Kattaul as being near Ootacamund, and, though the [[621]]village has now disappeared, its memory is preserved in the name Katolvan (44), borne by one of the Melgarsol, to whom the village belonged. Again, the village of Kepurs, an extinct village mentioned in the legend of Kwoten, is preserved in the name of Kepursvan (18), borne by one of Kwoten’s clan, the Panol.
In general, when a man receives a name derived from a village or other place, the village or place is one belonging to his own clan. Names may be derived from ti places as well as from ordinary villages, of which Makars (10) and Pursas (42) are examples.
The special feature of interest about these sources of nomenclature is that personal names may thus preserve records of the past, and a full investigation of the genealogies from this point of view might bring to light the names of many other villages now extinct.
Names are also derived from dairies, buffalo-pens, stones, and other objects of the village; thus Tarziolv, the special name of the kudrpali of Kars, is borne by a member of the Karsol (15), and Tilipa (12) is probably a corruption of Tilipoh. A boy of Nidrsi is named Punatu (43) after the buffalo-pen of his village, and the men called Agar (7), Pepners (44), and Persinkudr (16), have received names connected with the operations of the dairy.
The names of stones occur in the examples Menkars (10) and Mutchud (45). Several men are named after the sacred bells, or mani, of which examples are Nalani (35), Kerani (35), Pongg (47), while Mudriners (57) is named after Mudrani, one of the patatmani of Kiudr. The name of Eshkiaguln of Kars (8) is very much like that of one of the bells of Nidrsi, Eshkiakudr, and in one case a man is called Maniners (62).
The kwarzam of the prayers form a frequent source of personal names. Thus the name of Puthion (64) occurs in the last clause of the Kuudr prayer, and no less than six men take their names, either directly or with some modifications, from the Kiudr prayer; these are Kil, Erai, Etamudri, Kwelthipush from Kwelpushol, Kishkar from Arsvishkars, and Keikudr, who was also called Parvakudr, derived from [[622]]another kwarzam of this prayer. In one of these cases the name is taken from the kwarzam with so much modification that I should not have guessed its derivation if I had not been told; and if this extensive modification is frequent, there may be many more names derived from kwarzam than appears to be the case at first sight.
The names of deities are not uncommonly adopted as personal names; the chief examples being Nòtirzi (47), Meilitars (44), Teipakh (20), Etepi (26), Karzo (12), Pòrzo (4), and Pakhwar (16). Two people are also called Tevò (3 and 53), which is a corruption of Teipakh, and a boy is called Kòdrthokutan (43). In many cases men are named after hills, of which Drugevan (40), Kòdrner (7), and Mopuvan[2] (16) are examples, and it is not improbable that these hills are also provided with deities. Two of the instances given above are the names of river-gods, and there is also a man, Palpa (16), named after the stream by which Kwoten met the goddess Terkosh. Punatvan (53) is named after one of the personages in the story of Kwoto. Among these names it is noteworthy that Nòtirzi, the name of a female deity, is borne by a man, and that there is no instance in which a man is named after one of the three ancient and important deities, Pithi, Ön, and Teikirzi.
This use of the names of deities as personal names seems to point to the absence of any high degree of reverence for the divine beings. The Todas are by no means free from the ideas of danger and disrespect connected with the utterance of names; and if their gods still received any great degree of veneration, I think it is improbable that their names would be allowed to be in everyone’s mouth, as must be the case when used as personal names. It is possible that this use of the names of deities is recent; it is certainly more frequent at the present time than in the older generations recorded in the genealogies, and I strongly suspect that the practice adds another indication to those already given of the decay of the religious sentiment of the Todas.
It seems to be extremely rare for persons to have the same [[623]]names as buffaloes. There is only one doubtful example in the genealogies, Kerani (35). This is also the name of a bell, and I am doubtful whether it is really a buffalo-name. It is probable that the absence of the names of buffaloes is merely utilitarian and has no deeper significance. Buffaloes are generally referred to by name, and it would obviously be inconvenient that they should have the same names as people.
Many other names are derived from objects or from the language of everyday life. Examples of such are Nipa, stream; Perol, unsanctified man; Irsimitch, lime; Sakari, sweet; Kakar, a grass; Mogai, cubit; Kapur, camphor; and Pòl, a two-year-old calf. Sometimes such words become names by the addition of the terminations -kûdr or -veli, as in Panmkudr, the horn of a four-anna piece, and Nirveli and Kadakveli, derived from the words for water and for the wild rose. Probably with a wider knowledge of the Toda vocabulary, it would be found that a very large number of the names are formed in this way.
In one case a girl was called Mudukugh (72). She was the third girl in the family, and the name was no doubt given to commemorate the fact.
Often two or more children of a family are given names with a considerable degree of similarity to one another. In one case two brothers are called Mongeidrvan and Tergeidrvan (53); in another, Piliar and Piliag (52); and in a third, Singudr and Sinar (55); three sisters are called Teinesveli, Ternersveli, and Kenerveli (51), and in such cases it seems probable that new names are invented.
At the present time children are in many cases receiving Hindu names. Three young boys are called Arjun, Parvishki, and Sandisparan, and a young girl is called Natcham, which was said to represent Latchmi. Other Hindu names are Katcheri (Cutcherry), Sirkar, Kedjeri, and probably there are many others.
In a few cases names of English origin have probably been given, as in the case of Pensil, and the name Birkidj was said to be derived from Breeks.
The genealogical record shows clearly that this use of names derived from external sources is quite recent. There is a very [[624]]striking difference in general character between the names of the present and those of older generations, and a foreign origin is especially frequent in the names of children less than ten or fifteen years of age. The evidence from names would seem to point to a rapid spread of outside influence during the last ten years.
Shortened forms of names are often used. The termination of a word may be dropped; thus Nurmaners is often called Nurman, Ultzkudr becomes Ultz, and Paniolv, Pani. Sometimes the contraction is of a different kind; thus the girls Astrap and Pumundeivi are usually called Asp and Pumidz, and the name of the boy Kulpakh often becomes Kulen.
In addition to his proper name nearly every Toda has a nickname, usually given to him by the Badagas. These names often refer to some personal peculiarity, and this is probably the reason why nicknames were usually given to me with great reluctance, there being a distinct reversal of the condition found in communities of lower culture, where the proper names are usually kept secret, while only nicknames are uttered. Arpurs (46) was nicknamed Suri (knife) on account of his sharp nose, and Nertolvan (16) is called Teinkan or ‘Bee eye,’ on account of the smallness of his eyes, like those of the honey bee. In other cases I do not know the origin of the Badaga names, but they have usually different forms from those of true Toda names, often terminating in -oin or -üln. Sometimes the Badaga name is merely a modification of the Toda name, as when Tudrvan becomes Utudiki. In a few cases I heard the Badaga name of a man more often than his Toda name; thus Tövoniners is usually called Aravoin, and a noted Toda of the last generation is always spoken of by his Badaga name, Mervoin. In a few cases, men long dead are remembered by their Badaga names, while their Toda names are forgotten.
As I have already indicated, nicknames are often used by people of low culture as a means of evading taboos, and though, as we shall see shortly, such taboos exist among the Todas, I met with no instance in which a Toda, who was unable to utter a name, gave a nickname in its stead. [[625]]
From the foregoing account it is evident that in the names of the Todas we have a storehouse of words the investigation of which might lead to many discoveries in connexion with their half-forgotten folklore and past history. We have seen that the names of villages which have now entirely disappeared may still be preserved in the names of persons, and I have little doubt that a complete investigation of the names included in the genealogies would furnish a record of many more extinct villages and possibly provide clues to institutions which have now wholly disappeared.