452 Ou the Kirdnti tribe of the Central Himalaya. . [No. 5. 



no means, they go and earn their wife by labour in her father's 

 family. They marry usually at maturity — nay, almost universally 

 so. Divorce can always be had at the pleasure of either party ; but 

 if the wife seek it, she or her family must give back the price paid 

 for her, and all the children will remain with the husband in every 

 event of divorce. The marriage ceremony is as follows. The priest 

 takes a cock in his left hand and strikes it on the back with the 

 bluut side of a sickle till blood flows from its mouth. According 

 as the blood marks the ground, the priest prophesies that the 

 offspring will be boys or girls ; and if no blood flow, that the mar- 

 riage will be childless. This is the essence of what passes and it 

 seals the contract. 



The Kirantis bury their dead on a hill top, making a tomb of 

 stones loosely constructed. The burial takes place on the day of 

 decease. The priest must attend the funeral and as he moves 

 along with the corpse to the grave he from time to time strikes a 

 copper vessel with a stick, and invoking the soul of the deceased, 

 desires it to go in peace and join the souls that went before it. 

 The law of inheritance gives equal shares to all the sons, and 

 nothing to the daughters, unmarried or married. Concubines are 

 unknown. Polygamy is allowed and not uncommon. Polyandry 

 unheard of and abhorred. 



Tattooing is unknown. Boring of ears and nose common with 

 the women ; rare with the men. The hair is usually worn long and 

 so as to hide the Hindu-like top knot that is however always 

 forthcoming. The general character of the Kirantis is rather bad ] 

 among the other tribes who consider them to be somewhat fierce !: 

 and prompt at quarrelling and blows, especially in their cups, — a : 

 state very frequent with them. But at Darjiling they have now ji 

 for 15 years borne an excellent character as servants, being faithful, 

 truthful and orderly, so that their alleged fierceness should, I think, 

 be called manly independence ; or be referred to their long past 

 days of political independence and martial habits. 



T proceed now to the physical character of the tribe. Premising 

 that I have long been habituated to these physical observations, by j 

 no means confined to the hills, I would repeat once* more that the | 

 * See Preface to my Essay on Kocch Bodo and Dhimal. 



