Food and Dravidians are fond of spirituous drinks, and have some of their own invention and manufacture. Originally, they ate everything, even carcasses, and this is still done by some nations. Others, through Indian influence, abstain from the flesh of certain animals, espe cially cattle. The Kollis have received their name—which in Indian is a collective name for many tribes—from the Indians because they kill and eat swine; for Koih signifies swine-killer (Jellinghaus).
Naval boats of the Singhalese merit special atten tion (pl. Si, figs. S, 6). In the south of the island all of them, large and small, are supplied with a boom, and only wooden nails are used in their construction; they are frequently turned up alike on both ends, in which respect they are similar to the Malaysian vessels. The Singhalese carry on coast navigation only, and are averse to undertaking long voyages on foreign vessels; while, on the contrary, the Telingas, Tamils, and Mala bars willingly serve as sailors and make long sea-voyages.
Domestic Lili..—Woman occupies no poor position among the Dravid ian peoples: according to Jellinghaus, she is called mistress of the house among the kollis, the husband being termed the master of the laud; and, although she always addresses her husband by the name of master, great love and mutual consideration prevail among them.
is contracted with numerous ceremonies, at which the groom, who must always be from another community, gives rich presents to the father-in-law. Before marriage both sexes live in perfect liberty, but adultery is severely punished. However, matrimony is easily dissolved. Bigamy is practised in some cases. The second wife is considered lawful, and is married with the usual ceremonies, and her children enjoy the same rights as the children of the first marriage. But the children of concubines, generally widows whose connection with an other man is not considered scandalous, have inferior rights to those of the legitimate wives.
Their marriages are usually fruitful. The mother and her new-born child are deemed unclean until they are freed, after the lapse of eight days, from the interdiction, when the child is solemnly received into the tribe and is named, usually by the grandfather and with his own name. Abor tion is practised, but is considered a crime. This description—most of
which we have taken from a report of Jellinghaus about the Kolhs applies closely to all Dravidian peoples, only that the more barbarous tribes are of course more barbarous also in this regard; as, for instance, the Tudas kill most of the female children after birth, and, furthermore, polyandry prevails among some peoples of South Deccan (Malabars, Knigs, Tudas) and the Singhalese. As in the north, children at an early age are betrothed to each other, and here also unrestrained licentiousness prevails before marriage. In cases of polyandry the husbands of the wife are gen erally brothers, to whom the children belong in common. It is easily understood that in such institutions rank and property are inherited by female lineage. Nevertheless, here also the women are considered less holy than the men, and they are not allowed to enter the sacred places of sacrifice.
constitution is alike among all the Dravidian peo ples. It is patriarchal, each village community having an elder, and where there is a union of several tribes one tribal chief is at the head of it, which dignity is hereditary in one certain family. This village elder is called munda among the Kolhs—a name occurring also among the tribes of the Deccan, though changed somewhat in form and meaning. In former times these chiefs seem to have had a religious character also, at least some scattered customs appear to indicate this, and everywhere they exercise a despotic power.
The more barbarous of these peoples are divided into very many single tribes, the number of which is constantly increased by quarrels arising in the tribes, for the quarrelling parties separate and form independ ent clans. Among the settled agricultural Dravidians several of these clans are under the jurisdiction of one superior chief. Blood-revenge and joint responsibility of the family for one of its members prevail among these different communities. It is strange that in many districts, and even among the Hindoos, the Dravidian tribes are considered to be the true owners of the country; consequently, time Indian rajahs on the west ern side of the Vindhya Mountains must, on ascending the throne, make on their forehead the tikor—that is, a mark with blood taken from the toe or the thumb of a Blieel or a Mina.