1849.] Kdcch, Bodo and Dhimal people. 745 



women seem to have none, and the men so little heed them, that neither 

 the Bodo nor Dhimal tongue has a word of its own for sport, play or 

 game ! The young men, however, have two games, which I proceed to 

 describe summarily. In the light half of October, on the day of the 

 full moon, a party of youths proceed at nightfall from village to vil- 

 lage, like our Christmas-wakers, hailing the inhabitants with song 

 and dance, from night till morn, and demanding largess. This is given 

 them in the shape of grain, beer and cowries, wherewith on their return 

 they make a feast, and thus ends the pastime, which is called Harna- 

 harni by the Bodo, and Harna-dhaka by the Dhimals. Again, in the 

 dark half of the same month, when the wane is complete, the youths 

 similarly assemble, but in the daytime, and dressing up one of their 

 party like a female, they proceed from house to house and village to 

 village, saluting the inhabitants with song and dance, and obtaining 

 presents as before, conclude the festival with a merry making among 

 themselves. The Bodo name of this rite or game is Chorgeleno — the 

 Dhimals call it Chdrdhaka. And now we shall conclude the subject of 

 manners with a statement of the ordinary manner in which a Bodo or 

 Dhimal passes the day. He rises at day spring, and having performed 

 the offices of nature and washed himself, he proceeds at once to work 

 in his field till noon. He then goes home to take the chief meal of the 

 day, and which consists of rice, pulse, fish or flesh (on alternate days), 

 greens and chillies, with salt — never ghiu — seldom oil. He rests an 

 hour or more at noon, and then resumes his agricultural toils, which are 

 not suspended till night-fall. So soon as he has got home, he takes a 

 second meal with his family — then chats a while over the fire, and to 

 bed betimes— seldom two hours after dusk. If the children be young, 

 they sleep with their parents — if older, apart. The Bodo call their 

 first meal Sanjuphuni inkham — their second, Bilini inkham. The 

 Dhimal name for the first is Manjbela-chaka ; for the second, Dilima- 

 chaka. Wives usually eat after their husbands — children with. 



Character. — The character of the Bodo and Dhimals, as will be an- 

 ticipated from the foregone details, is full of amiable qualities — and al- 

 most entirely free from such as are unamiable. They are intelligent, 

 docile, free from all hard or obstructive prejudices, honest and truthful 

 in deed and word, steady and industrious in their own way of life ; but 

 apt to be mutable and idle when first placed in novel situations, and to 



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