TRANSACTIONS OP SECTION H. ' 287 



2. The Cults of the Mother Goddesses in India. 

 By W. Crooke, CLE., Hon. D.Sc. Oxon.^ 



The cult of the mother goddess is prominent in Minoan, early Hellenic, 

 Western Asian, and Babylonian ritual. It is suggested that some light on 

 its origin and development may be thrown by the study of the widespread 

 mother cults in India. In Vedic mythology goddesses hold only second rank, 

 and some at least of the modem Hindu goddesses seem to have originated among 

 the non-Aryans -who had at a very early period reached the agricultural stage. 

 But it is doubtful if the cult is based on the co-operation of women in agri- 

 culture, or that it is connected with Mother Eight. It has been the habit to 

 derive all the mother goddesses from the cult of Mother Earth, which is 

 described. But there are other types of goddesses — the Jungle Mothers, deified 

 women, and elemental deities which cannot be readily connected with earth 

 worship. The progress of anthropomorphism is traced from the aniconic to the 

 iconic stage, in the periodical rest and awakening of the mother goddess. Her 

 energies are recriuted in two ways : by the rites of the sacred marriage, and 

 by the blood sacrifice, often specially of male victims. 



3. Badaga Clans. By F. J. Richards. 



Part I. Introductory. 



1. Foreword. Importance of basing the study of a South Indian tribe or 

 caste on a topographical examination of social organization. 



2. Affinities and Environment. 



3. Physical characters. The Badagas are not an 'autochthonous' jungle 

 tribe, but comparatively recent immigrants from the Mysore coimtry. 



Part II. Social Organization. 



4. Endogamous Groups. Accounts hitherto recorded of the sections of the 

 Badaga community fail to discriminate between endogamous groups and 

 exogamous clans. The Badagas ' proper ' and the three ' associated clans.' The 

 live endogamous groups. 



5. The Clan Hamlet. The typical Badaga hamlet consists oF members of one 

 clan, related to the Badagas of other hamlets either as 'brothers ' or ' in-laws.' 



6. The Cult Group. Clan hamlets federated into clan cult groups for cele- 

 bration of agricultural rites. 



7. The Nad. Badaga Cult Groups federated into Nads and associated with 

 other endogamous groups of the Badaga community and other Hill tribes for 

 purposes of economic and social autonomy. 



Part III. The Harvest Festival. 



8. Cult Ingredients. Threefold characters, (a) Autochthonous element repre- 

 sented by Kurumbar oflSciant ; (h) Cult of Tribal Hero Hiri Odiya ; (c) Cult 

 of the Lingam (Mahalinga-swami). 



9. Ritual, (a) Preliminary; (6) The incubation in Hiri Odiya's House; 

 (c) Puja to (Malialino;a-«wami) : (cl) Plucking the Fir.st Fruits by Kurumbar; 

 (e) Clan Feast ; (/) Ancillary rites ; {g) Sacrifice, goat and buffalo ; local variations. 



Part IV. The Clans. 



10. Distribution of (a) Badaga clans; (b) associated clans; (c) other 

 endogamous groups. 



Part V. Conclusion. 



11. Stratification. The Badaga community exhibits traces of at least two 

 migrations, («) the early Badagas and the Hoysala conquest, (h) the Ummattur 

 conquest and Lingayat influence. Associated clans apparently intermediate. 



^ To be published in Folklore. 



