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. [↑]