Both Teivaliol and Tartharol may become ichchil at a funeral of one of the Teivaliol, but there is no ichchil due to attendance at a Tarthar funeral. All those who throw earth at a Tarthar funeral, however, are called puzhut, and incur the same disability as those who are ichchil—i.e., they may not approach or salute a palol.
Melgars people incur the same disabilities as other Tartharol, and it is probably for them that the restrictions are of most importance, for they lose their special privileges as mòrol while they are in the condition of ichchil or puzhut.
During the condition called ‘kedr,’ all the men of the [[369]]clan in which the death has occurred must tie their hair in a knot in front, as is shown in the case of the second man in [Fig. 61]. This method of wearing the hair is called mad tutvai, or “head (or hair) who rolls.” When the people of a clan are in this condition they must not hold any of the feasts in which the food called ashkkarthpimi is used, but they may attend as guests at feasts held in the villages of other clans.
A person who is keeping the funeral ceremonies should not traverse the path by which the ti buffaloes go from one grazing ground to another. The ostensible reason why the buffaloes of the Nòdrs ti did not journey to Anto at their usual time in 1902 (see p. [131]) was that Teitnir, whose wife had died, had passed over the road. The ti buffaloes, also, may not pass a place where the relics of a dead person are being kept between the two funerals. In 1902 the relics of the dead wife of Teitnir were removed from the village of Karia in order that they should not be in the way of the buffaloes. On this occasion the relics were followed by a procession of people and Teitnir gave a feast. This was said to be very unorthodox, and on cross-examination it was found that the procession and the feast were not connected with one another, the latter being part of another ceremony which was being performed on the same day.[20]
There are special regulations for widowers and widows—i.e., for those who have their heads covered at the etvainolkedr. While they wear the mantle over the head they must never put out their hand or arm from above the mantle, but always from below. When they salute by raising the hand to the forehead (kaimukhti), they must do so by putting out their hand below the cloak, and in eating and all other acts they must do the same. When the mantle is over the head, it is probably most convenient to put the hand out of the mantle from below rather than from above, but it was quite clear that it was now regarded as wrong to do the latter. [[370]]
When a man crosses the Paikara or Avalanche rivers he must usually do so kevenarut, with his right arm outside his mantle, but if he has the mantle over his head as a sign of mourning he merely protrudes his right hand, so that it can be seen below the mantle. Similarly, the throwing of water done by matchuni (see p. [501]), when they cross these rivers on certain days, is not done by people of a family in which there has been a death—i.e., not between the two funerals—but they only chew the grass, which is the preliminary act of the ceremony.
The mourner who has his head covered has certain restrictions in regard to his food. A widower is not allowed to eat rice nor drink milk, and on every return of the day of the week on which his wife died he takes no food in the morning and only has his evening meal. The same holds good for a widow. This fasting on each weekly return of the day of death suggests that some rite is, or used to be, performed on this day, but I did not obtain an account of any such ceremony. The day of the week on which a man dies is always observed by his children, and is called arpatznol.
The wursol who attends to kill the sacred buffalo loses his office by so doing, and becomes perol. Similarly, if a palol, wursol, or kaltmokh wish to attend the funeral of a relative, he can only do so by giving up his office, and this is a common cause of change in the various dairies. The dairyman who has thus given up his office often resumes it when the funeral ceremonies are completed, and if he expresses his intention of returning, the temporary occupant is often said to be doing the work for the other.
Between the two funerals it is the duty of every Toda who was not present at the etvainolkedr to salute the remains. When anyone visits the village where the remains are kept for this purpose the cloth containing the relics is brought out and the visitor bows down and touches the cloth with his forehead, just as is done with the body at the funeral. When I visited the village at which the kedr of Olidzeimi was being kept my Toda guide took the opportunity of performing his duty to the remains, and I was able to witness the reverent way in which the duty is performed. While I was on the [[371]]hills, Tersveli, the wife of Teitnir, died while Sintagars was in the seclusion-hut after the birth of her first child, and on the morning on which Sintagars went from the puzhars to the aliars (see p. [327]), she visited Karia to salute the kedr of Tersveli. Her first act after her period of seclusion was to show her respect to the remains of her dead relative. If anyone is too ill or feeble to visit the village the remains may be taken to them for salutation. [[372]]