124 THE LATE REV. P. DEHON" ON 



country, and serves to rectify what Colonel Dalton wrote about the Bhuniyars. (See Dal- 

 ton's Ethnology of Bengal, p. 133.) 



II. 



Religion of the Uraons. 



The religion of the Uraons is a mixture of the old practices and ideas they 

 have brought from the south, with the new practices and ideas they have adopted 

 from the Kols, and the different tribes among whom they live. It would be difficult 

 to separate the old practices from the new ones and draw an exact line between 

 what is entirely of Uraon origin and what has been borrowed by them from other 

 people. However, this can be ascertained to a certain degree of exactness. 



The mythological faculty of the Uraons consists of three doctors. 



1 . The punch. As the panch plays a great role among the Uraons it is well to know 

 exactly what it means. According to the etymology of the word it should mean a body 

 of five men ; but it is not so. The panch is the whole community represented by its eldest 

 members or represented by the sankaialas. 



2. The pa/ian, or baiga, or village priest. 



3. The oj'ha, or mati, or dewair- Augurer, conjurer, sorcerer. 



Within the province of the panch represented by the sankaialas lie the old traditions 

 of the tribe. 



The pahan or Saiga is in charge of the tutelary divinities of the village, and he has 

 to officiate at the chief feasts. He acts for the community. 



The oj'ha is in charge of the bhuts or devils : he has to find them out and drive 

 them away. For the ceremonial part of their cult three men might be added, namely : 

 (1) the panbhara or acolyte who helps the pahan in his different functions. (2) The pu jar 

 or vice-phan who sacrifices to the bhuts in the great feasts and takes the place of the 

 pahan when he is absent. (3) The sokha, who, though being a man sui-generis, and having 

 nothing in common with the religion of the Uraons, is the head sorcerer to whom they 

 have recourse to find out witches. 



In connection with the religious practices, the Nagmotia or snake conjurer, and the 

 onrha or ottonga who offers human sacrifices might be added. 



All these, the panch or sankatolas being excepted, are the same for all the abo- 

 riginal tribes living in Chota Nagpur ; so that all, except for a varying number of 

 peculiarities, have the same religion. It is remarkable that in all that is purely of Uraon 

 origin, any man who knows the ceremonies can officiate, whilst in what is common to all 

 the tribes, only the elected representative can perform the ceremonies. 



Within the province of the panch, that is, all that appertains to the old Uraon tradi- 

 tions, we have — 



1. The worship of Dharmcs or God. 



2. ,, ,, ,, Baranda — the avenging angel. 



3- ,, ,, ,, Chigri Nad— the spirits of the Asur women whose husbands were 



destroyed by Bhagwan. 



4. The cult of their ancestors. 



