The Tarthar Clans
Nòdrs
The people of Nòdrs owe their special importance to their connexion with the goddess Teikirzi, who was the nòdrodchi, or first ruler of the clan, and according to tradition bestowed certain special favours on her people. Chief among these is the possession of the Nòdrs ti. This is undoubtedly the most sacred and important of the five ti institutions, and its herds are much larger than those of any other. The fact that the Nòdrs people own this ti and have the power of appointing to the office of palol gives them great distinction in the eyes of the Todas, and this is emphasised when the palol is undergoing his ordination ceremonies, for several of these take place in villages of the Nòdrsol. The preliminary ceremony for those who wish to become palol, which is called tesherst, is also usually performed at a Nòdrs village. [[644]]
Another title to fame is the possession of the poh, or conical dairy temple at Nòdrs, which is known to the European inhabitants of the Nilgiri Hills as the “Toda Cathedral.” It is certainly not the most sacred of Toda dairies, but it is the most accessible of the few dairies of this kind now remaining.
The Nòdrsol are one of the clans represented in the naim. They now stand second among the Tarthar clans in point of numbers, having forty-three males and thirty females.[1] It has two kudr, one of which, consisting of the family given in the first of the genealogical tables, has now only two male members; as these have at present no son, it is possible that it may shortly become extinct. The other kudr has five pòlm, of which the chief men are Kerkadr (2), Kudòdrsvan (3), Teigudr (4), Mondothi (5), and Keitan (6). If any of the members of these five pòlm should perform the irnörtiti ceremony, the buffalo would go to Mudrigeidi and Odrkurs, while, if either of these men had to give a buffalo, its value would be divided among the other five pòlm. Kerkadr is regarded as the head of the second kudr.
The madnol of the Nòdrs people are Tuesday and Friday, and they hold the funerals of men on Sunday, and of women on Thursday. The special features of their funeral ceremonies are that the body of a man lies in the tarvali of Nòdrs for some days before the etvainolkedr and that a special bell (mani) is used at male funerals which has to be brought from Òdr. Male funerals are held at Nòdrs, and female funerals at Külthpuli. The clan used also to have another funeral place close to the Paikara road, which is not now used.
The Nòdrsol have many villages, of which fourteen are still inhabited, and I obtained the names of five others now in ruins.
The following are the chief villages.
Nòdrs (Muttanadmand). In addition to the conical poh, this village has the distinguishing feature of a long wall which passes between this dairy and the huts where the [[645]]people live. The wall then passes at the back of the poh and runs for some distance northward. The tarvali (in [Fig. 12]) is situated in an enclosure of the wall near the dwelling-huts, so that the women can go to it for buttermilk without crossing the wall and entering the enclosure in which the poh stands. In the south part of the wall is the gap through which the calf is driven at the irnörtiti ceremony (see [Fig. 43]). The wall is reputed to have been built by Elnâkhum.
Close to the poh, between it and the tarvali, are the ruins of another dairy, the former kudrpali, which is said to have had seven rooms. It was disused on account of the difficulty in obtaining the services of a kudrpalikartmokh. It will be remembered that this grade of dairyman has to do his work without any covering, and in the bleak exposed position of Nòdrs, it seems that this was so great a hardship that the office went begging. The Nòdrs people are said to have ceased to use this dairy about four generations ago, and the condition of the ruins is about what might be expected if this statement were correct.
There are a large number of important stones at Nòdrs. Formerly seven kinds of buffalo were killed at the funeral of a male, and each was killed at a different stone. Now only two buffaloes may be killed, but the stones remain to show what was formerly done. Two wursulir were killed, one at the stone called uteiks and another at the stone nerovkars, both of which are shown in [Fig. 70]. One nashperthir was killed at the nashperthkars. The two sacred mani were hung on the necks of one of the wursulir and the nashperthir. One pineipir was killed at the stone called tukervòrskars. One persasir was killed at the persaskars, and two putiir were killed, one at the teidrtolkars and the other at the menkars. The teidrtolkars, shown in [Fig. 13], also marks the spot where the unfortunate wursol milked his buffaloes (see p. [439]). The menkars, shown in [Fig. 12], is the stone used in the game of narthpimi, in which a boy creeps under a stone. It is on the village side of the wall, close to the entrance to the tarvali. All the other stones are on the same side of the wall as the poh.
FIG. 70.—A VIEW OF NÒDRS. THE STONE IN THE FOREGROUND ON THE LEFT IS THE ‘NEROVKARS’; THAT ON THE RIGHT IS THE ‘UTEIKS.’ IN THE BACKGROUND IN THE CENTRE IS AN OLD ‘TU.’ THE LOWER PART OF THE CONICAL DAIRY CAN BE SEEN BETWEEN THE BOY AND THE ‘UTEIKS.’
Òdr (Aganadmand). This is second in importance among [[646]]the villages of the Nòdrsol, and it was a question whether the wursuli dairy, though of the ordinary form, had not even a greater sanctity than the poh of Nòdrs. More difficulty was made when I wished to go close to it than at any other place during the whole of my visit (except, of course, at the ti dairy), but, unfortunately, the affair was complicated by the fact that on this day my usual attendant, Kòdrner, was not with me, and the difficulty may have been partly due to this. When I was allowed to approach the building, only one man came with me and he would not go within several yards of the dairy, while allowing me to go on. The special sanctity of this dairy is due to the fact that the two mani of the Nòdrsol are kept here. Both this dairy and a smaller tarvali are at a much greater distance from the village than usual, but with that exception there is nothing to distinguish them from the dairies of other villages. The wursuli is one of those which has two rooms. It is at the village of Òdr that the palol passes one night during his [[647]]ordination ceremonies, and I was shown the spot under a tree where he has to sleep, the same spot being also used by the wursol and kaltmokh when they undergo any part of their ordination ceremonies at Òdr.
Another feature of interest is the connexion of this village with Kuudr. An Òdr man must be present at the irpalvusthi and salt-giving ceremonies of Kuudr, and a Kuudr man must attend when these ceremonies are performed at Òdr. Further, the kwarzam of Òdr are said in the prayer of the erkumptthpimi ceremony at Kuudr and the Kwarzam of Kuudr are said at Òdr.
The following legend records the origin of these customs:—
Soon after Teikirzi had given the buffaloes to the different villages, the buffaloes of Kuudr and Òdr were grazing together, and when evening came they could not be separated and both herds went together to the funeral place called Keikars. The wursol of Òdr and the palikartmokh of Kuudr brought their milking-vessels, each to milk his own buffaloes, and they also brought their churning-vessels (patat) and cooking-vessels. After they had milked, the wursol of Òdr went to pour his milk into his patat, and when doing so some of the milk splashed into the vessel of the palikartmokh. They then cooked some food with the milk, and as the food was boiling strongly, some of it went from one cooking-pot to the other. Then the people of the two villages met and decided that, as the two kinds of buffalo had been milked in one place and the two kinds of milk had been mixed with one another, each of the villages should mention the kwarzam of the other in its prayer, and people of one village should attend the ceremonies of the other.
Tedshteiri (Talapattaraimand). This is another important Nòdrs village. It was vacant at the time of my visit, but is still often occupied. It had at one time a dairy called Okurshapali with seven rooms, which was, like that of Nòdrs, a kudrpali. It fell into disuse at the same time as the Nòdrs dairy, and its site is still quite distinct; but though it seemed larger than usual, I could discover no indication of the number of rooms it had had. When I visited the village there were nine ovens standing in a row, which had been used to cook the [[648]]food when Teigudr (4) took his wife Uwer from Nertolvan of Pan (16). On this occasion Nertolvan came to Tedshteiri to receive nine buffaloes from Teigudr, and the number of ovens corresponded with the number of the buffaloes.
Kudrnakhum (Kudinagamand). The chief point of interest about this village is that it is the place where the ceremony of tesherst often takes place. It is an outlying village to the west which I was unable to visit.
Perththo (Perattitalmand). This is a village which is shared by two clans. The part occupied by the Nòdrsol is called Meil Perththo, or Upper Perththo. The other part of the village was said to be general property, but it is at present occupied by Melgars people.
Kozhtudi or Kozhteidi. The special feature of this village is that it has a wursuli in which everything has to be carried out kabkaditi, i.e., the dairyman is not allowed to turn his back to the contents of the dairy. This certainly points to the village having been at one time of importance.
Kars
This is at present the largest of the Tarthar clans, having sixty-seven male and fifty female members. It is represented in the naim, and there was some reason to think that it occupies a more important position in this body than the other Tarthar clans. The family of Parkurs (8) is called tinkanikudupel, ranking next to a manikudupel, and Parkurs was till lately a second or assistant monegar.
There seems to be no doubt that the Karsol have always been an important clan, and its members are often mentioned in the stories, though they do not appear to have had any legendary hero such as those of Melgars and Pan. Their nòdrodchi (ruler or presiding deity) is Kulinkars, now believed to live on a hill near Makurti Peak. The Kars people possess a ti which in importance and wealth is second only to that of Nòdrs.
Kars resembles Nòdrs in having two kudr differing greatly in size. Kutadri is the head of one, which comprises all the members of the family given in Table 7. It has two pòlm, headed by Kutadri and Peithol. The other kudr has eight [[649]]pòlm, of which the chief men are Parkurs (8), Pidrvan (9)[2], Piutolvan (10), Kudrvas (11), Kutthurs (12), Mongudrvan (13), Kiunervan (14), and Keitazvan (15). Till recently there appear to have been only five pòlm in the Kars clan, each of which has lately been divided into two. There is a very marked disproportion in the number of members of some of these divisions; thus the pòlm of Parkurs has sixteen males in five more or less distinct families, while others have only three or four males. Nevertheless each of the latter would contribute the same amount towards joint expenses of the clan as the sixteen males of the pòlm of Parkurs.
The chief villages of the Karsol are in or near Ootacamund, and this clan formerly had several other villages on sites now occupied by modern buildings.
The following are the chief places:—
Kars (Kandalmand). This village is one of the best known of Toda villages, being just on the outskirts of Ootacamund. It is a very typical example of a Toda village; there is a small group of houses, with a large dairy, the kudrpali ([Fig. 21]), called Tarziolv, close to them; just above the houses on the rising ground is a smaller dairy, the wursuli called Karziolv, shown in the background of [Fig. 42] and partly shown in [Figs. 23] and [44]. Opposite the kudrpali are two raised circular mounds with flat tops called the imudrikars (seen in the foreground in [Fig. 21]), on which the body of a dead man is laid before being taken to the funeral hut at Taradrkirsi. Above the kudrpali is the hut for calves.
In the middle of the enclosure within which the village lies, is a row of stones (shown in [Fig. 42]) which are the irnörtkars, and in the ceremony of irnörtiti the calf is driven across these stones.
Behind the houses there is a small circular enclosure which is now used as a tu and is called Althftu. The entrance to this enclosure is shown in [Fig. 29] just in front of the boy carrying the dairy vessels. Formerly there was a dairy of the conical kind within this circle, of which the name was Ishpoh. About five generations ago, this dairy still existed [[650]]and was tended by a wursol; but several dairymen died in succession, and this so alarmed the Todas that it became impossible to obtain anyone to fill the office, and when the dairy decayed its remains were removed and the circular enclosure within which it stood has since been used as a pen. In size and appearance the enclosure is quite unlike other pens, and resembles much more nearly the circular walls round the conical dairies of Nòdrs and Kanòdrs.
Kuzhu (Kunditolmand). This, the second in importance of the villages of the Karsol, is a very picturesque place south of Ootacamund. There is a kudrpali called Tudrpoh, in front of which is a stone called imudrikars. The gold bracelet mentioned in the story of Kwoto is kept in this dairy. In front of the dwelling-huts is another stone called menkars (see p. [342]). The menkars at Kuzhu and that at Nòdrs are the only stones of this name, but they do not resemble one another, and the Kuzhu stone is not adapted for the narthpimi game as is that of Nòdrs.
Keshker (Kakerimand). This is a large village near Ootacamund at which there is a kudrpali, but little else of interest. It is probably the Kishkeijar mentioned by Harkness.
Nasmiòdr (Aganadmand). This is a very old village which was probably at one time much more important than at present. It is situated about a quarter of a mile from the road leading from Ootacamund to Ebanad, not far from the Badaga village of Tuneri. There is now only a small dairy (wursuli) situated in the middle of a wood. When I visited Nasmiòdr, this dairy was unoccupied, and, as is usual in such cases, my Toda guide refused to go to the dairy with me, and remained outside the wood. Soon after I left the hills, it was to be occupied by the wursol of Kars, who would take his buffaloes there for a month.
This village is mentioned in two Toda legends, in both of which it seems to have been a village at which people were living. The dairy is called Tilipoh or Pohtilipoh, and it still contains the two mani, Karzod and Kòni, which were hung on the neck of Enmon (see p. [208]). It is one of the few wursuli which have two rooms.
Pakhalkudr (Bagalkodumand). This village, not far from [[651]]Paikara, is one of the most outlying villages of the Karsol. There is a very small dairy here resembling the merkalars which serves both as kudrpali and wursuli, the former being in front, while the latter is behind, with the door on one side. The wursuli is so small that there can scarcely be room for a fully grown man to do the churning.
Isharadr and Peletkwur. These are outlying villages of no special interest. The former was only built in the time of the grandfather of Parkurs (8), and has a dairy resembling that of Pakhalkudr.
Taradrkirsi (Kavaikkadmand). This is the funeral place for men of the Kars clan, and is also a kalolmad. There is a kudrpali with three rooms called Paliven keirsi, and a pen called Tuoks. There are two stones where the wursulir and nashperthir are killed, and close to them there is a spot by the side of a wood where earth is thrown at a funeral. There is a slight break in the edge of the wood here, and this is probably the position of an old pen which has been completely overgrown.
There is a long wall at this village passing near the dairy and the funeral stones, and then extending a long way towards the east. It resembles the Nòdrs wall, and these seem to be the only two examples of walls of this kind at Toda villages. The wall at Taradrkirsi is said to have been built by Kwoten, but it seems unlikely, for this hero had no special connexion with the Karsol.
Several villages which have now wholly disappeared are still mentioned in the prayer which the Kars people use at the erkumptthpimi ceremony. One of these, Tashtars, stood where the Masonic Hall at Ootacamund now stands. The site of another, Turskidt, is occupied by a private house. Two, Tüli and Keitaz, were situated on Elk Hill, and two others, Sing and Kurkars, were near Nasmiòdr.
Pan
The Pan clan have their headquarters in the Kundahs and are often called the Medrol, or people of Medr, the Toda name for the Kundahs. The chief villages of this clan are in the [[652]]Kundahs, but they are only visited during the dry season, and for the greater part of the year the Panol live at the comparatively new village of Naters in the most thickly populated part of the hills. The legendary hero, Kwoten, belonged to Pan.
The clan is small, having now about twenty-seven male and nine female members. It is not represented on the naim, and in the Badaga grouping of the Todas this clan is joined with that of Nòdrs.
The Panol have two kudr, and provide the only example among the Tartharol in which the kudr have special names. The formation of the kudr is said to have been due to Kwoten, who divided the people into Panol and Kuirsiol, named after the two chief villages of the clan. The two divisions are also called Pandar and Peshteidimokh.
The Pandar or Panol have three pòlm, headed by Timurvan (16), Todars (16), and Nòrtiners (17). The Peshteidimokh or Kuirsiol have two pòlm, headed by Timners (18) and Imokhvan (19).
The irnörtiti and tuninörtiti ceremonies are performed in front of the wursuli at Pan or Kuirsi. The spots on which the ceremonies take place are not marked by any stones, and the ceremonies are spoken of as paliknörtiti, i.e., “he gives to the dairy,” though, as a matter of fact, the calf passes from the men of one kudr to the men of the other kudr as in other clans.
The madnol of Pan are said to be Sunday and Wednesday, and the funerals of men take place on Sunday or Tuesday, and those of women on Thursday or Saturday. It is probable that Tuesday is the proper day for the funerals of men, but that they are now sometimes held on Sunday.
The following are the chief villages of the Panol:—
Pan (Onnamand) is commonly known to Europeans as “One mand.” It is a large village in the south-west corner of the Kundahs, with two houses of the long variety, with a door at each end and a partition in the middle. There is a wursuli called Keinulv, and a kudrpali called Nersolv, and outside the pen there is a stone called mutchudkars.
Kuirsi (Kolimand). This village is near Pan. It has a [[653]]wursuli and kudrpali, the former being called Marsolv and the latter Keinulv. Outside the pen, called Tu matu, there is a large stone called keinkars, and inside it there are two stones called mutchudkars and pudrthkars. I could learn little of the history or functions of these stones, but they were said to have been “played with” by Kwoten and Terkosh.
Perg (Yeragimand) is a small village near Avalanche Bungalow and is an example of a kalolmad.
Naters (Natanerimand) is a large village near Governor Shola, where most of the Panol live for the greater part of the year. This village has a wursuli and tarvali, but nothing else of interest.
Near Avalanche Bungalow there is the site of a village called Pathmars. Little remains of it, but the fireplace of a hut can still be seen.
Kabudri (Tebbekudumand). This is the male funeral village of the Panol. Here there are two stones called teiks where the wursulir are killed, and they are reputed to have been set up by Kwoten; one, called parsteiks, is for the Panol, and the other, called kirshteiks, for the Kuirsiol. Another place given as the male funeral place of Pan was Tim, where there is a three-roomed dairy of the same kind as that at Taradrkirsi, in the outermost room of which the body is placed. It is probable that Tim and Kabudri are two names for the same place.
Taradr
All the villages of this clan are situated in the north-west corner of the hills and the clan appears to have no villages far removed from the etudmad. The clan is a large one having now at least thirty-seven male and thirty-nine female members.
The Taradrol appear to have in several ways a special position among the Tarthar clans. They possess the special institution of the kugvali, which, though resembling in some respects a ti, is situated by the other dairies of the village and is tended by dairymen belonging to the clan. The Taradrol are also unique in having their future world (Amnòdr) near Perithi. [[654]]
The Taradrol are divided into two kudr, each of which has three pòlm. The chief men of the pòlm of one kudr are Ircheidi (20), Parkeidi (21), and Polgar (22); of the second, Paners (23), Irkiolv (24), and Kudeners (25). About the time of my visit the place of Ircheidi, who was ill, was taken by his son, Siriar.
The six pòlm of the clan take it in turn to look after the kugvalir, each having charge of the dairies and herd for a period of three years. Shortly before my visit, the charge had been taken over by the pòlm of Ircheidi and Siriar.
The following are the chief villages:—
Taradr (Tarnardmand). This is one of the most characteristic Toda villages, situated near the road leading to the Paikara falls. It is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and has three dairies, situated at some distance from the dwelling-huts. The two dairies shown in [Fig. 5] are the tarvali and kugvali, the former on the left-hand side and the latter on the right. The third dairy of the village is a wursuli, situated to the right of the kugvali.
Near the kugvali is a stone (shown in [Fig. 24]) at which the wursulir is killed at a Taradr funeral. The stone is called püdrshtikars after the name of the buffaloes (püdrshtipir). At a little distance from the three dairies are the remains of another pali, which was only used at the funeral of a male. This pali, like those at other funeral places had three rooms, and in the ruins at the time of my visit it was easy to make out the three divisions. When the occasion arises, the dairy is rebuilt on the day of the funeral, and the tarpalikartmokh takes the mu into the innermost room after purifying it with tudr bark. The body of the dead man is then laid in the outermost room and kept there till it is taken out after the slaughter of the buffaloes. If this temporary building is the representative of a former dairy with three rooms, it would seem that the village of Taradr once had four dairies.
Kudrmas (Kudimalmand). This is a kalolmad on the western side of the Paikara. The kugvalir were here during the greater part of my visit.
Telgudr (Telkodumand). This is another kalolmad. [[655]]
Pushtar (Pattaraimand). This village is one at which the tesherst ceremony (see p. [154]) is sometimes performed.
Kudimad (Kulimand). This is a large village near Taradr at which many of the people live, but it is not an important village ceremonially, having only one dairy, a tarvali.
Near Paikara there can still be seen the remains of a village called Pevar which was deserted because the family which lived there became extinct.
Keradr
This is one of the smallest of the Tarthar clans, all its members being included in Table 26. There are at present sixteen male and nine female members.
There is at present only one kudr, the other having become extinct about three generations ago. As there has been no occasion for irnörtiti, no fresh division has been made. The kudr has two pòlm, one headed by Paniolv, and the other by Teikner.
The chief village, Keradr (Kannagimand), is situated in the south-west part of the hills near the Teivali village of Keadr. Keradr is also the male funeral place of the clan and was not occupied at the time of my visit. At this time most of the Keradrol were living at Tovalkan, near Paikara, a recent village at which there is a dairy of the ordinary kind (tarvali). Near the houses there is a raised mound shown in [Fig. 59], erected to mark the spot on which Keirevan (26) was killed by falling from a tree into which he had climbed to cut wood.
Kanòdrs
This is one of the outlying Toda clans, and its people were said to have been less influenced by the altered conditions on the hills than any other clan, but they seem nevertheless to have given up several of their institutions. The sacred poh is only occasionally occupied, and I am doubtful whether they can be said to be in a more untouched condition than several other clans. The people are often called the Kererol, but I could not find that there was any village of Kerer from which this name is derived, and it is possibly the name of a district of [[656]]the hills. The clan is distinguished by its possession of the conical poh at Kanòdrs, and by the fact that many of the adventures of Kwoto or Meilitars took place in the region it inhabits. Although Kwoto was a Melgars man, he is regarded as having a close connexion with the Kanòdrs people, and various features of the ritual of the Kanòdrs poh are said to be derived from him.
The clan is at present a small one, with a distinct majority of females. In fact, it seems so usual for members of this clan to have no children or only female children that there is some likelihood that the Kanòdrsol may become extinct. The present numbers are about thirteen males and twenty-three females.
There was some doubt as to the number of kudr. I was told that there are three, headed by Arsolv (27), Kineri (29), and Pòlkab (30) respectively, but at an irnörtiti ceremony both Arsolv and Kineri would give to Pòlkab, while the latter would give to both, so that it seems probable that there are properly only two kudr, as in other clans. One of these has only one pòlm, that of Pòlkab. The other has three pòlm, headed by Arsolv, Neratkutan (28), and Kineri.
The following are the chief villages of the Kanòdrsol:—
Kanòdrs (Devarmand). This village now consists of the poh only. There are still two mani at this village, one of which is called Pünkòghlag, a name closely resembling the name of the churning-stick at the ti. There are at present no dwelling-huts at the place, nor any remains of such huts, though it would appear from the legend of Kwoten that the village was inhabited at one time.
Pishkwosht (Bikkapatimand). This is a large village where most of the Kanòdrsol now live. The only dairy is in ruins. Close to the village there are a number of flat stones almost level with the ground ([Fig. 71]) which are called Teuâr, “the god way,” and are said to mark the spot where the gods (teu) used to meet. Just above these is a large buffalo pen, which is reputed not to have been made by man. Whenever the gods went this way they used to deposit pieces of dried buffalo-dung on this spot and these became the stones of the tu. [[657]]
Near the village is a forest hut, and opposite this are two stones called pedrkars. The Todas once had a large gathering here, and a man jumped a long distance which was recorded by means of these stones.
FIG. 71.—THE STONES AT PISHKWOSHT CALLED ‘TEUAR.’
The other villages of the Kanòdrsol, Taknin, Kuzhu or Kushu, &c., are in the same neighbourhood, but I was unable to visit them, and do not know whether they have any objects of interest.
Kwòdrdoni
This is the most outlying of Toda clans, but numerous tea estates have been established in its neighbourhood, and the people appear to have been a good deal influenced by the altered conditions. I was unable to visit any of the villages, and I know less about this clan than any other.
All the villages of the clan are situated in the district of the hills called by the Todas Purgòdr, and the people of the clan are, therefore, often called the Purgòdrol. [[658]]
At present there appear to be seventeen males and fourteen females, but it is probable that these numbers are not complete. There are two kudr, headed by Kiurvan (32) and Atcharap (34). The former has three pòlm, of which the chief men are Puner (31), Kiurvan (32), and Òrudz (33), and the latter has two pòlm, headed by Atcharap (34) and Kudar (35).
This clan seems now to occupy only two villages. One is Kwòdrdoni (Kodudonnemand), where there is only a tarvali, though there was formerly a wursuli, now ruined, in which was kept a mani called Kirsongg which has disappeared. The other village is Katikar (Kodanadmand). The male funeral place is Iudi, and the female, Punmud.
Päm
This is a clan which formerly occupied the site of Coonoor and Wellington. Its numbers are small, probably only seventeen males and thirteen females. There are two kudr, headed by Udrchovan (36) and Pungievan (37). Udrchovan’s kudr has only one pòlm. Pungievan’s kudr has three pòlm, of which the chief men are Pungievan (37), Arparners (38) and Seili (39).
The original etudmad of the clan was Pirspurs, the site of which was used for the Coonoor racecourse. Päm was then adopted as the chief village, but it has been allowed to fall into ruins, though still giving its name to the clan. The dairy at Päm was called Palikûdrbedz and the buffalo-pen, Tûgûdron. Inikitj, where the people now live, is an uninteresting village at which there are the ruins of a tarvali. There is a building in which the four or five sacred buffaloes (nashperthir) are kept, but they are not milked as there is no palikartmokh.
The male funeral place of this clan was Puvi, and the female, Kwatkash. These were situated where the Wellington barracks now stand, and the funerals are now held near Inikitj. [Fig. 51] shows the wooden teiks at which the sacred buffalo would be killed at the funeral of a male.
There are several stories about Karnisi (37), a member of this clan. He is said to have been an exceptionally strong [[659]]man, and the Todas tell how on one occasion two English soldiers came to Päm and insulted the women and how Karnisi took the two men unaided to the barracks at Wellington.
Karnisi also spent a fortune which had been stored in the dairy of Päm for many generations. A vessel (pun) full of rupees had been deposited in the dairy by an ancestor of Karnisi called Kiuten. It remained there till Karnisi spent it in buying buffaloes, ornaments for his many wives and household goods. He gave some of the rupees away and spent others in travelling to Coimbatore, and in a short time the money had disappeared.
Nidrsi
The headquarters of the Nidrsi clan are to the south of Coonoor. The people are closely surrounded by tea estates and have been much influenced. It is not now a large clan, having about sixteen male and twenty-five female members.
There are two kudr, headed by Todrigars (41) and Kudrmaskutan (43) respectively, each kudr having two pòlm. The chief men of the pòlm of one kudr are Puveners (40) and Todrigars, and of the other kudr, Kadrkutan (42) and Kudrmaskutan.
This clan affords a very good example of the degeneration which has in some cases befallen the dairy organisation. The people have only one wursulir left. The dairy (wursuli) has fallen into ruins, and they have no wursol and, therefore, the one buffalo is not milked. At a funeral of a male they will have to procure a wursol from another clan to kill this buffalo.
There are two mani, called Eshkiakudr and Eikudr, each with an iron chain, but as they have no wursuli these bells are kept under a stone at Akirsikòdri, the male funeral village. The other sacred buffaloes, pineipir, &c., are milked at a tarvali.
There are now only four inhabited villages, and only one of these seems to be of any importance.
Nidrsi. This is near the Badaga village of Hulikal. It [[660]]consists chiefly of huts obviously of recent construction and not of the proper Toda form. There is a small dairy (tarvali) and the situation of the former wursuli, almost completely overgrown, can still be seen. There is a buffalo enclosure called Punatu. The irnörtkars is a stone of ordinary appearance with other smaller stones round it, and there is also a pilinörtkars of which only a small piece now shows above the ground. There is a very large tukitthkars at this village (see pp. 252 and 597).
Another stone here is called imudrikars or parsatthkars. Milk is put on it every morning and evening by the palikartmokh, but it is not used in any way in connexion with a funeral. The Todas relate that an Englishman shot at and splintered this stone some years ago. Soon after he was bitten by his horse, and he asked the Todas, with whom he was on very good terms, what ought to be done. He was told that he should perform the irnörtiti ceremony, and a few days later he brought a three-year-old calf to the irnörtkars at Nidrsi and gave it to the people. It was taken by both kudr and the Englishman was soon well again. The whole affair was regarded as a good joke, and is interesting as showing that the Todas do not object to making sport of one of their sacred ceremonies, especially when they gain an addition to their stock of buffaloes.
Akirsikòdri. This is the male funeral village, at which there is a dairy with three rooms, in which the body of a dead man is placed on the day of the etvainolkedr.
Melgars
The Tarthar clan which takes its name from the village of Melgars occupies a very special position in the Toda social organisation and in the dairy ceremonial. Although a Tarthar clan, the Melgarsol in many respects resemble the Teivaliol much more closely than they resemble the other clans of their own division.
In former times the Melgarsol are said to have held the office of palol at the Kars ti and at the Pan ti, and to have lost this privilege owing to misbehaviour of a palol, of which [[661]]an account has been already given. They are still capable of holding the offices of wursol and kaltmokh, for which otherwise only Teivaliol are eligible, and they have privileges and duties in connexion with various kinds of Toda ceremonial which are wholly unshared by other clans.
Though they may still hold the offices of wursol and kaltmokh, they are not allowed to carry out certain of the duties; thus, a Melgars wursol may not kill the sacred buffalo at a funeral, nor may he perform any of the other duties which fall to the part of a wursol on this occasion.
Although a Melgars man may no longer be palol, the Melgars people have a large number of privileges and duties connected with the ti. An account of these has already been given, but they may shortly be recapitulated here with the names given to them by the Todas.
(i.) Mòr vatiti, tòr tititi. “Buttermilk he drinks, food he takes.” The Melgars men may take buttermilk and food at the dwelling-hut of any ti, and they alone have this privilege at the dairies of the Nòdrs ti.
(ii.) Teirpülk mad oiiti. “He goes at the head (of the procession) to (the place called) teirpül.”
(iii.) Ti alugpur putiti. “The alug things of the ti he carries.”
(iv.) Alug putz nitz ithtothi. “Alug come, stand he must.” The Melgars man must stand by a certain tree with the alug when he comes to the new place during the migration of the ti buffaloes.
(v.) Erd pünrs ithtothi. “Two pünrs (four days) he must be.” He stays at Anto from the Sunday on which the buffaloes migrate till the following Wednesday.
In addition to these privileges, it is also the duty of the Melgarsol to carry out rebuilding or repairing operations at a ti mad, and he has also to assist in carrying the body of a dead palol.
The special duties of the Melgarsol are not limited to the ceremonial of the ti, but in certain other ceremonies it is essential that a Melgars man shall be present or take part. He must milk a buffalo to provide milk for Tarthar women coming out of the seclusion-hut both after the hand-burning [[662]]ceremony of pregnancy and after childbirth. He does this for women of his own clan and for those of all other Tarthar clans except that of Kwòdrdoni. A Melgars man must be present on the second day of the irpalvusthi ceremony of the kugvalir of Taradr, and the ceremony of this day, which is called irpataduthti, cannot take place if a Melgars man is not present.
It was also said that a Melgars man must be present whenever a feast is given at the end of a period called pon in any clan, but I am very doubtful as to the necessity of this. I think it is probable that no feast ever occurs at which a Melgars man fails to put in an appearance, and that my informants had come to regard his presence as necessary, but it seemed very doubtful whether his presence was an essential condition for the occurrence of this, as it certainly was in the case of certain other ceremonies.
There was some difference of opinion as to the reasons why the Melgarsol enjoyed these exceptional privileges. The Melgars people themselves believed that their exceptional position was due to the connexion of Kwoto with their clan. They said that when Kwoto became superior to all the gods, and was called Meilitars, these privileges were given to the clan to which he belonged. According to another account, the position of a Melgars man at the head of the procession of the Nòdrs ti was settled by Anto in order to appease the buffalo Enmars when two of its bells were taken away and given to the Pan ti. Others, again, said that the privileges of the Melgarsol were given as a recompense when this clan was deprived of its privilege of becoming palol. There is little doubt that the real reason for the Melgars privileges has been lost and that different reasons have been sought in the Toda legends. The Melgars people have chosen a reason which gratifies their pride in claiming Kwoto as one of themselves, while other Todas have reasons which serve to add to the importance of the sacred institution of the ti, of which they are so proud.
There are other special features in which the Melgars people differ from the rest of the Tarthar clans. They have no wursulir, though they can become wursol to other clans, so [[663]]that, in this respect, they resemble the Teivaliol in being able to tend buffaloes which they do not themselves possess. Another difference is that the palikartmokh of the Melgarsol uses tudr bark in his ordination ceremonies, and this gives him a higher rank than other tarpalikartmokh. It is on this account that a Melgars palikartmokh may not visit the tarvali of another clan (see p. [66]).
The Melgarsol again resemble the Teivaliol in not shaving the head after a funeral, as is done by Tarthar clans other than that of Melgars.
The Melgarsol resemble the Teivaliol in so many respects that it is tempting to suppose that this clan must at one time have formed part of the Teivali division and for some reason was transferred to the Tartharol. Every Toda whom I questioned on the point was, however, certain that the Melgars people had always been members of the Tartharol.
There are two facts which show that there is some special relation between the people of Melgars and those of Kwòdrdoni. One is that intermarriage is said to be prohibited between members of these two clans; the other is that the milking by a Melgars man when a Tarthar woman is leaving the seclusion-hut does not take place in the case of a Kwòdrdoni woman. These facts point to some relation between the two clans of which I was unable to obtain any account.
The Melgarsol form a fairly large clan, having at the present time about thirty-one male and twenty female representatives. They have at present only one kudr, the other having become extinct about eight years ago on the death of Tikon (49). A half-sister of this man is still living, but the kudr has no male representative. During the last eight years, the Melgarsol have had no trouble (kaspel) which has made it necessary to perform the irnörtiti ceremony, but should the occasion arise, a naim would decide on a re-division of the other kudr. I was told that the matter was continually the subject of discussion, and it seemed probable that the nature of the re-division was already more or less arranged, but would not be definitely settled till the occasion arose. [[664]]
The one kudr has four pòlm, of which the chief men are Kiunievan (44), Artholvan (45), Nòtirzi (46) and Ilgeivan (48). Tergudrvan (47) belonged to the same pòlm as Artholvan. The families included in Table 49 are all extinct in the male line, and, with the exception of Tikon, I am doubtful to which kudr or pòlm they belonged.
Melgars, the chief village, is situated behind the gardens of Government House at Ootacamund. It has few features of interest, and there is little to be seen at the other villages of the clan. Nüln (Narigulimand) is situated in the Kundahs.
Two Toda villages, Ki Perththo and Padegar, are said to be the general property of the Tartharol, but at the time of my visit both were inhabited by the Melgarsol.
The village of Katol, which is now ruined, is mentioned by Harkness as one of the villages near Ootacamund.
The chief funeral place is Ushadr, mentioned in the story of Kwoto. There is another funeral place called Mirzoti common to Melgars and Kidmad.
Kidmad and Karsh
These are two sub-divisions of the Melgarsol which separated from the main body, probably about seven or eight generations ago. At first I heard only of Kidmad, and it was only when working over the Nidrsiol that I found there were people living with this clan who did not belong to it, but were an offshoot of the Melgars people and were called Karshol.
According to one account, both Kidmadol and Karshol separated from the main body at the same time, but, according to another, the people who first separated belonged to Karsh and then split some generations later into the two groups.
The separation was due to a quarrel between father and son. The Melgars people were holding a council and one of the chief men of the clan was late in coming. When he appeared in the distance, he was recognised by nobody but his own son, who, when asked who was coming, said “pazuli padmokh pöti âtham nôtthred? Kûtm it vòrs!”—i.e., [[665]]“A wanderer and bastard comes, why do you look at him? Let the council go forward!” (Pazuli is a name applied to a man who belongs to no clan, and padmokh is the name of the child of a woman with whom no man has performed the pursütpimi ceremony.)
The manmokh (sister’s son) of the father was present at the council, and when his uncle arrived, the manmokh told him what had been said by his son in the council, and the father said, “I am no pazuli, it is you who are the pazuli: henceforward you must not live at Melgars; you will have nothing from me except what I give you to-day.” The father gave the son a one-horned buffalo (kwadrkutir) and a portion of the Mirzoti funeral place.
Since that day descendants of the son have been separate from Melgarsol and they have held their funerals at Mirzoti, but not on the same spot as the Melgars people.
The Kidmadol and Karshol have lost certain privileges possessed by other Todas. The loss of these privileges is expressed by the Todas as follows:—
(i.) Meitün kitht ògadi. “He may not sit on the meitün.” When a man of Kidmad or Karsh goes to any Tarthar dairy he is not allowed to sit on the raised bed on the right hand side of the door.
(ii.) Nîrsi nest ògadi. “He may not rub the fire-sticks.” If fire has to be made at a male funeral, or on any other occasion, it must be done by a man of another clan.
(iii.) Ertatpun pitth ògadi. “He may not touch the ertatpun,” a dairy vessel which may be touched by any other Toda man. The result of this restriction is that a man of these clans can never hold a dairy office.
Marriages are not allowed between Melgars people and those of either Kidmad or Karsh.
The village of Karsh no longer exists; it was near Akirsikòdri, but in the time of Kilpan (51) the people were so poor that they went to live with the Nidrsiol and have remained with them since. Though living at Nidrsi, they are still regarded as a separate people, and marriages may take place between the two clans. They have only three or four ordinary buffaloes. If a male dies they have to kill [[666]]a persasir, which they obtain from Melgars. The only males living are one man and his son, the father having also two sisters.
The Kidmadol are more prosperous, and the men of the clan appear to be fairly prominent people among the Todas, in spite of their disadvantages. Kijievan (5) has the reputation of being one of the ablest people of the whole community. The clan numbers five males and three females.