176 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



does not belong to him, strike his fellow, or 

 say anything that is untrue. 



The language of the Veddas, which is 

 extremely limited, is said to be a dialect of 

 the Singhalese. 



They appear to have no marriage 

 ceremonies, although acknowledging the duty 

 of supporting their families. Marriages 

 amongst them are settled by the parents of 

 the young people. The bride's father presents 

 his son-in-law witli a bow, while his own 

 father bestows upon him the right of chase 

 in any portion of his hunting-ground. The 

 youth presents the lady of his choice with 

 a cloth and a few simple ornaments, where- 

 upon she straightway follows him into the 

 forest, where they become man and wife. 

 They are not polygamists, probably because 

 the man's slender means will not allow of 

 supporting more than one wife. Marriage 

 with sisters is allowed, but never with the 

 eldest sister; and they are generally re- 

 markable for constancy and affection. 



These people live in such a primitive 

 state that what we should call a funeral is 

 quite unknown. Instead of burying their 

 dead they simply cover them with leaves 

 and brushwood from the jungle. 

 The Veddas have no knowledge of a God, not even of a future state, no temples, no 

 idols, and no altars. They have nothing which one can call an act of worship, unless it be 

 certain ceremonies, by means of which they hope to drive away the evil spirits which they 

 believe to be the cause of death and disease. 



Photo by Doctor* l\ttil and Fritz Sarmin, haste. 

 A VEDDA MAN (PROFILE). 



INDIA.* 



IN describing the " Hindu type" Dr. Topiuard, in his well-known "Anthropology," divides the 

 population of the Indian Peninsula into three strata viz. the Black, the Mongolian, and 

 the Aryan. "The remnants of the first," he says, "are at the present time shut up in the 

 mountains of Central India under the name of Bhils, Mahairs, Gonds, and Khonds; and in 

 the South under the name of Yenadis, Maravers, Kurumbas, Yeddas, etc. Its primitive 

 characters, apart from its black colour and low stature, are difficult to discover, but it is to 

 be noticed that travellers do not speak of woolly hair in India. The second has spread over 

 the plateaux of Central India by two lines of way, one to the north-east, the other to the 

 north-west. The remnants of the first invasion are seen in the Dravidian or Tamil tribes, and 

 those of the second in the Jats. The third, more recent, and more important as to quality 

 than as to number, was the Aryan." The same authority, in harmony with the late Mr. Huxley, 

 considered the Australians to be also Dravidian, and therefore allied to the ancient inhabitants 



* For permission to reproduce the photographs illustrating India, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan, the writer is 

 much indebted to Messrs. Bourne & Shepherd: Herr Karl Hagenbeck, of Hamburg; Messrs. Watts & Skren, Rangoon: 

 Messrs. Frith & Sons; Mr. Fred. Bremner, Quetta; to the Under-Secretary of State for India for permission to use 

 photographs illustrating two books published by the Indian Government, which we quote in the text ; and to Messrs. J. \V. 

 Gregory & Co., Strand, W.C. 



