168 The " Kob" of Chota-Nagpore. 



found settled in the heart of the Colehan, occupying villages apart 

 from the Hos, but without demur placing themselves under the Ho 

 Mankees of Peers. For their own system of government is, as far as 

 possible, preserved, and the Mankees are officers of police as well as 

 the tuhsildars or rent-collectors of their circles. One great change is 

 now being peaceably introduced, the old system of assessment on 

 ploughs is under process of commutation to a light assessment on the 

 land. 



This is undoubtedly the nucleus of the Moondah nation, the most 

 compact, the purest, most powerful and most interesting division of 

 the whole race, and in appearance decidedly the best looking. In 

 their erect carriage and fine manly bearing, the Hos look like a people 

 that have maintained and are proud of their independence. Many 

 have features of sufficiently good cast to entitle them to rank as Arians ; 

 high noses, large but well formed mouths, beautiful teeth, and the 

 facial angle as good as in the Hindu races. The figures both of 

 male and female freely displayed by the extreme scantiness of the 

 national costume are often models of beauty ; but this description 

 applies only to the people of the highly cultivated part of the 

 country who have seldom been subjected to severe privation and who 

 generally fare right well. The inhabitants of the imperfectly reclaimed 

 hill forests are more savage-looking, but they seldom deteriorate to 

 the almost simian physiognomy that the Oraons are found with 

 under similar circumstances. When the face of the Moondah varies 

 from the Arian or Caucasian type, it appears to me rather to merge 

 into the Mongolian than the Negro. High cheek bones, small openings 

 for the eyes, having in some rare instances a tendency to the peculiar 

 oblique set of the Mongolian, and flattish faces without much beard or 

 whisker. They are of average stature, and in colour vary from brown 

 to tawny yellow. 



II. — The Oraons. 



The Oraons have a tradition that they were once settled in Gruzerat. 

 They were expelled from that part of India, and, retreating east, made a 

 stand at fort Kalinjur where they fought the " Loorik Sowrik" of " Pali- 

 pipri," were defeated, and, retreating still east, settled on the Rhotas 

 hills. Here they say, they remained unmolested till attacked and 



