Identifier: castestribesofso03thuruoft (find matches)
Title: Castes and tribes of southern India. Assisted by K. Rangachari
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Thurston, Edgar, 1855-1935 Rangachari, K
Subjects: Caste -- India Madras (Presidency) Ethnology -- India Madras (Presidency) India -- Social conditions
Publisher: Madras Government Press
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ese I caused tobe overthrown by the baggage elephants attached tomy camp in the presence of the assembled Khonds, toshow them that these venerated objects had no poweragainst the living animal, and to remove all vestiges oftheir bloody superstition. In another report, ColonelCampbell describes how the miserable victim is draggedalong the fields, surrounded by a crowd of half intoxi-cated Khonds, who, shouting and screaming, rush uponhim, and with their knives cut the flesh piecemeal fromthe bones, avoiding the head and bowels, till the livingskeleton, dying from loss of blood, is relieved from torture,when its remains are burnt, and the ashes mixed with thenew grain to preserve it from insects. Yet again, hedescribes a sacrifice which was peculiar to the Khondsof Jeypore. It is, he writes, always succeeded bythe sacrifice of three human beings, two to the sun to the east and west of the village, and one in the centre, * Personal Narrative of Service among the Wild Tribes of Khondistan.
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MERIAH SACRIFICE POST ZJJ KONDH with the usual barbarities of the Meriah. A stoutwooden post about six feet long is firmly fixed in theground, at the foot of it a narrow grave is dug, and to the top of the post the victim is firmly fastened by thelong hair of his head. Four assistants hold his out-stretched arms and legs, the body being suspendedhorizontally over the grave, with the face towards theearth. The officiating Junna or priest, standing on theright side, repeats the following invocation, at intervalshacking with his sacrificial knife the back part of theshrieking victims neck. O ! mighty Manicksoro, thisis your festal day. To the Khonds the offering is Meriah,to kings Junna. On account of this sacrifice, you havegiven to kings kingdoms, guns and swords. The sacrificewe now offer you must eat, and we pray that our battle-axes may be converted into swords, our bows and arrowsinto gunpowder and balls ; and, if we have any quarrelswith other tribes, give us the victory. Preserve

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