Khond, kandh
Khond, kandh, 1908
A Dravidian tribe mostly found in the Tributary States of Orissa, and in the adjoining Agency tract of Ganjam District, Madras. The total number of Khonds or Kandhs (including Konda Dora) returned at the Census of 1901 was 701,198, of whom no less than 517,771 retained their animistic faith, while 494,099 still spoke Kandh or KuT. The following description chiefly relates to the 103,000 Khonds in the Orissa State of Kalahandi, a large tract of which is known as the Kondhan : —
The Khonds call themselves Kuiloka or Kuienju, which may possibly be derived from ko or ku, meaning a 'mountain' in Telugu. Their own traditions as to their origin are of no historical value. They were, however, probably in possession of the country before the Oriya immigration, as is shown by the fact that the Raja of Kalahandi was accustomed until recently to sit in the lap of a Khond on his accession, while his turban was tied on and he received the oaths of fealty. The Rajas were also accustomed to take a Khond girl as one of their wives, while many of the zamlndars or large landholders in Kalahandi, Patna, and Sonpur are Khonds.
There is no strict endogamy in the Khond tribe. It has two main divisions : the Kutia Khonds, who are hill-men and retain their primi- tive tribal customs ; and the plain-dwelling Khonds, who have acquired a tincture of Hinduism. The latter have formed several divisions which are supposed to be endogamous, though the rule is not strictly observed. Among these are the Raj Khonds, Dal, Taonla, Porkhia, Kandharra, Gouria, Nagla, and others. The Raj Khonds are the highest, and are usually landed proprietors. Unless they have land they are not called Raj Khonds, and if a Raj Khond marries in another division he descends to it. The Dais, also called Balmudia or ' shaven,' may have been soldiers. The Porkhias eat par, or buffalo ; the Kan- dharras grow turmeric ; the Gourias graze cattle ; and the Nagla, or ' naked,' are apparently so called because of their paucity of clothing. The divisions therefore are mainly due to differences of social practice. The Kutia or hill Khonds are said to be so called because they break the skulls of animals when they kill them for food. Traditionally the Khonds have thirty-two exogamous septs, but the number has now increased. The septs are further divided into sub-septs, which are also exogamous, and are usually totemistic. The same sub-sept is found in different septs, and a man may not marry a girl belonging to the same sept or sub-sept as himself. But there is no restriction as to marriage on the mother's side, and he can marry his maternal uncle's daughter.
Marriage is adult, and a price is paid for the bride, which was formerly from 12 to 20 head of cattle, but has now been reduced in some localities to two or three, and a rupee in lieu of each of the others. A proposal for marriage is made by placing a brass cup and three arrows at the girl's door. If these are not removed by her father in token of refusal, the terms are discussed. The wedding procession goes from the bride's to the bridegroom's house. At the marriage the bride and bridegroom come out, each sitting on the shoulders of one of their relatives. The bridegroom pulls the bride to his side, when a piece of cloth is thrown over them, and they are tied together with a piece of new yarn wound round them seven times. A cock is sacrificed, and the cheeks of the couple are singed with burnt bread. They pass the night in a veranda, and next day are taken to a tank, the bridegroom being armed with a bow and arrows. He shoots one through each of seven cow-dung cakes, the bride after each shot wash- ing his forehead and giving him a green twig for a toothbrush, and some sweets. This is symbolical of their future course of life, the husband procuring food by hunting, while the wife waits on him and prepares his food. Sexual intercourse before marriage between a man and girl of the tribe is condoned, so long as they are not within the prohibited degrees of relationship. A trace of polyandry survives in the custom by which the younger brothers are allowed access to the elder brother's wife till the time of their own marriage.
On the sixth day after a male child has been born, his mother takes a bow and arrows, and stands with the child facing successively to the four points of the compass. This is to make the child a skilful hunter when he grows up. The dead are usually buried, but the practice of cremating the bodies of adults is increasing. When a body is buried a rupee or a copper coin is tied in the sheet, so that the deceased may not go penniless to the other world. Sometimes the dead man's clothes and bows and arrows are buried with him. On the tenth day the soul is brought back. Outside the village, where two roads meet, rice is offered to a cock, and if it eats, this is a sign that the soul has come. The soul is then asked to ride on a bow-stick covered with cloth, and is brought to the house and placed in a corner with those of other relatives. The souls are fed twice a year with rice. In Sambalpur a ball of powdered rice is placed under a tree with a lamp near it, and the first insect that settles on the ball is taken to be the soul, and is brought home and worshipped.
The Khond pantheon consists of eighty-four gods, of whom Dharni Deota, the earth-god, is the chief. He is usually accompanied by Bhatbarsi Deota, the god of hunting. The earth-god is represented by a rectangular piece of wood buried in the ground, while Bhatbarsi has a place at his feet in the shape of a granulated piece of stone. Three great festivals are held annually, marking the dates from which the new mahua flowers and rice may be first eaten. Once in four or five years a buffalo is offered to the earth-god, in lieu of the human sacrifice which was formerly in vogue. The animal is predestined for sacrifice from its birth, and is allowed to wander loose and graze on the crops at its will. The stone representing Bhatbarsi is examined periodically, and when the granules on it appear to have increased it is decided that the time has come for the sacrifice. In Kalahandl a lamb is sacrificed every year, and strips of its flesh distributed to all the villagers, who bury it in their fields as a divine agent of fertilization, in the same way as the flesh of the human victim was formerly buried. The Khond worships his bows and arrows before he goes out hunting, and believes that every hill and valley has its separate deity, who must be propitiated with the promise of a sacrifice before his territory is entered, or he will hide the animals within it from the hunter, and enable them to escape when wounded. They apparently believe that the souls of the departed are born again in children. Some boys are named Majhian Budhi, which means an 'old headwoman,' whom they suppose to have been born again with a change of sex. Children are weaned in the fifth or sixth year, and are then made to ride a goat or pig, as a mark of respect, it is said, to the ancestor who has been reborn in them. Names usually recur after the third generation.
The Khond traditionally despises all occupations except those of husbandry, hunting, and war. They are considered very skilful culti- vators in places, but usually, like other forest tribes, they are improvident and fond of drink. In 1882 occurred an armed rising of the Khonds of Kalahandl, as a result of their grievances against members of the Kolta caste, who had ousted them from some of their villages, and reduced many of their headmen to a hopeless condition of debt. A number of Koltas were murdered and offered to temples, the Khonds calling them their goats, and in one case a Kolta was offered as the meriah sacrifice to the earth-god. The rising was promptly suppressed by a Political officer appointed to the charge of the State.
The Khond or Kandh language, called Kui by the Khonds them- selves, is spoken by 32 per cent, of the members of the tribe in Kala- handl. It is much more nearly related to Telugu than is Gondl, and has no written character. Further information about the Khonds will be found in the articles on the Khondmals, Angul District, and Maliahs.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
