Though I have called these compositions songs, they should, perhaps, rather be called recitations. They are certainly not songs with any musical accompaniment. I understood, though I am not clear about this, that the clauses, or kwarzam, of the funeral poems are said in a low voice “in the throat,” so that they are not understood by the people who hear them. If this is correct, the funeral kwarzam resemble in this respect those of which the prayers consist.
The Toda poets also compose songs on any festive [[601]]occasion, and Mr. Thurston[10] has recorded examples of several such compositions.
Dancing takes place at the funeral ceremonies, and exhibitions of these or other dances are sometimes given by the Todas. The only dancing I saw was at a funeral and it was of the simplest possible description, the men who took part forming a circle and moving slowly round and round.
The only musical instrument of the Todas is a simple flute, called the buguri. It is shown in [Fig. 68], where it is being played by the man on the right. The instrument is not much used by the Todas and is not, so far as I know, played on any ceremonial occasion. The music at the funeral ceremonies is always performed by Kotas. [[602]]
[1] Some patterns are given by Mr. Thurston, Bulletin, i. 1896, pl. xii. [↑]
[2] This is the fruit of one of the plants (Rubus lasiocarpus) of which the leaves are used in the ordination ceremonies of the dairymen of Taradr and Kanòdrs. [↑]
[3] Bulletin, vol. iv., p. 16. [↑]
[4] Ashk is one of the Toda words for rice, and the name of the food is therefore derived from this substance. [↑]
[5] It might have been expected that the part of the floor near the door used for the dairy operations would be the meilkuter, but it is not so. Meil also means ‘west’ and the explanation may be connected with this. [↑]