48 MR. R. B. BAINBRIDGE ON 



The Saorias say that God, at the Creation, drew up a " Code of Ethics and 

 Morals " for the guidance of all true Saorias. God handed this code to the first Saoria 

 and he handed it to his son, and so on to posterity. According to the Saorias it runs 

 as follows : — 



" Good deeds are rewarded by God in this world, and bad deeds are likewise 

 punished in this world. A good man suffers no harm : he has plenty to eat, he has good 

 health, his herds increase and multiply, and, most important of all, the evil spirits 

 possess no power to do him harm. The wicked man never prospers, his cattle die 

 suddenly. The chief of all virtues is Truth. He who tells a lie commits the greatest 

 of all sins. L,et no one tell a lie or covet another man's things. Let no one injure 

 another in body or in property. Adultery is wicked : let no one commit adultery." 



This code came from Darmdre Gosain and Laihu Gosain, and it is as old as the 

 hills. During ceremonies and festivals the D emtio or the Bandar i preaches and ex- 

 pounds the " Code of Ethics and Morals " to the young men and maidens. He exhorts 

 them to obey the commandments, to observe Saoria customs and to be good Saorias. 

 The practice of preaching in this strain is said to have existed from time im- 

 memorial. 



Dalton, in speaking of the Oraons (Ethnology of Bengal, p. 257), observes : " I 

 have not found amongst the Pagan Oraons a trace of the high moral code that their 

 cousins of the Rajmahal Hills are said to have accepted." To theorise in this con- 

 nection would be ill-advised. Admittedly, there is similarity of language between 

 these two peoples ; but similarity of language alone is not a sufficient reason for 

 classing them as " cousins." 



IV. Tattooing. 



Ethnologically tattooing is of profound interest. But the enquiry was beset with 

 difficulties. The girls were shy and the men suspicious. The question the maidens pro- 

 pounded to themselves appears to have been : " Does the enquiry endanger a custom 

 which heightens our charms ?" The problem before the men suggested mysterious 

 designs connected with land settlement and forest conservancy. Question and prob- 

 lem though hazy were yet sufficiently defined to be obstacles. But compliments and 

 presents, I found, had not lost their potency with the gentler sex, even in a matter 

 which, questioned closely as to the reason for a design on a maiden's chin, or a mark 

 on her nose, which appeared to increase the radiance of her black eyes. 



Tattooing among the hill-folk cannot be compared with the marvellous designs 

 of Japan ; indeed, the style has little of the artistic, and the completed picture is 

 crude and, apparently, meaningless. 



Among the recognized masters of this art several colours are used. The Paharias 

 have only one medium, black. The instrument is the ordinary needle, or the thorn 

 of the " Kandeh " (Malto), " Merleh " (Sonthali)— (Latin name not available). The 

 colour is made* by mixing charcoal with " mahua " juice (Bassia latifolia) ; and the 

 operator is an inexperienced friend. Under these circumstances, it is not surprising 

 that the operation is painful and the design inelegant. The Paharia maiden tattoos. 



