The ‘ Kols” of Chata-Nagpore. 195 
change. When a Ho swears, the oath has no reference whatever to a 
future state. He prays, that if he speak not the truth he may be 
afflicted in this world with the loss of all, health, wealth, wife, children ; 
that he may sow without reaping and finally may be devoured by a 
tiger ; but he swears not by any hope of happiness beyond the grave. 
He has in his primitive state no such hope, and I believe that most 
Indian aborigines, though they may have some vague ideas of conti- 
nuous existence, will be found equally devoid of original notions in 
regard to the Judgment to come. 
It may be said that the funeral ceremonies I have described, indicate 
clearly a belief in resurrection, else why should food, clothes and money 
be burned with the body or buried with the ashes? 'The Kols have 
given me the same explanation of this that I once before received from 
the Chulikutta Mishmees in Upper Assam, who have no notion of any 
existence beyond the grave. They do not wish to benefit by the loss 
of their friend, which they would do if they were to appropriate any 
article belonging to him: they therefore give with him all his person- 
alties, all property that he and he alone used and benefited by; but 
this does not apply to the stock of the farm and household property 
that all profit by, or even to new cloth, for that might have been 
procured for any member of the family. It often happens that a 
respectable ‘ Ho’ has goods of this nature, that he abstains from using 
even once, because if once used, the article will be destroyed at his 
death. 
The Moondah Oraon races are passionately fond of field sports, and 
are so successful that large and small game soon disappear from the 
. vicinity of considerable settlements ; and they fear not to make a new 
settlement, consisting only of a few huts, in the jungles most infested 
by wild beasts. Hvery year at the commencement of the hot season, 
they form great hunting parties which are well described in Tickell’s 
memoir. They are also greatly addicted to cock-fighting. They have 
periodical meets at assigned places where hundreds of fighting cocks 
are collected. Cruel steel spurs are used, and the combat is always 
a Voutrance, the victims becoming the property of the owners of 
the victorious birds. This is, I think, the only stake. They are 
fond of fishing too, and some of them are very expert in spearing large 
fish, 
