The Pòlm
The word pòlm means ‘portion,’ and is the name of the section of the clan by means of which is regulated the sharing of any expenses which fall on the clan as a whole. Any expenses which the clan may incur as a whole are not equally divided among the individual members of the clan, but are equally divided among the pòlm. The chief occasion on which such expenses arise is in the repair or rebuilding of a dairy.
When a clan owns a ti and a dairy of the ti needs to be rebuilt or repaired, the expense also falls on the clan, and is equally divided among the pòlm, as in the case of the village dairy.
The outlay is equally divided among the pòlm, however much they may vary in size. Thus in the Kars clan one pòlm has sixteen adult male members, while another has only one, but this one man would contribute exactly the same amount as the other sixteen. [[545]]
Occasionally a pòlm is so poor that it cannot pay its share, and in one such case at the present time the pòlm, in this case consisting of two boys only, has been incorporated into another.
The number of pòlm in a clan varies greatly, from ten in the case of Kars to one only in the Pedrkars clan. There is no definite relation between the kudr and the pòlm as regards numbers; thus, one kudr of a clan may consist of one pòlm only, when the other kudr is divided into many pòlm. When there is a great degree of inequality in the sizes of different pòlm, a redistribution may take place, and this is probably the more likely to happen the more influential are the members of the smaller pòlm.
I believe that redistribution in the case of both pòlm and kudr is usually decided by the members of the clan itself, but in cases of doubt it is probable that the general council may have a voice in the matter.
Each pòlm has a headman and is spoken of as the pòlm of this man. He is responsible for collecting the amount due from it, but as the pòlm often consists of a number of brothers, who hold much of their property in common, the collection is not usually a matter of difficulty, and I never heard of any disputes arising from this source.
The Todas recognise the existence of the family (kudupel or kudubel) within the clan, meaning by this a group of people bound together by near blood kinship. As a general rule, the family corresponds with the pòlm, but sometimes there may be more than one pòlm in the same family. It seemed to me that the term kudupel had not the same clear meaning as the pòlm. The family has no important function in the social organisation except in so far as it corresponds with the pòlm, but it is taken into account when the pòlm and kudr are readjusted.
The term was chiefly used when the Todas were speaking of certain families as being noted in certain ways or as having certain privileges. Thus, some families are noted for their powers as sorcerers, and these are called pilikudupel; others are known as manikudupel, or chief families, whose members are important in government and can hold the office of [[546]]monegar and serve on the naim. Other families important in government whose members can serve on the naim or council are called tinkaniputitth kudupel or tinkani kudupel and palutth kudupel. The members of certain other families have certain duties of a lower order in connexion with the naim. They take messages and act generally as servants at the meetings, and the families with these functions are called kavòdiputipol kudupel, or servant families. They are also sometimes called armanol or palace people, because at one time the Rajah of Nelambur in the Wainad put his buffaloes into their charge.