156 THE LATE REV. P. DEHON ON 



the members of the family. Rice-beer has, of course, been prepared, and when the young 

 man is introduced to the company, the mistress of the house comes and washes his feet 

 therewith. This is only a preliminary to the binding ceremony, for if he allows himself 

 immediately afterwards to be also anointed with oil, then he is considered to have signed 

 a contract by which he engages himself to serve in the house on the following conditions, 

 which are very just and very liberal : — 



i. Board and lodging. 2. His pogti, which depends on his strength. In June, the 

 boy will get as much paddy as he can carry in one side of the bangi to sow in a field that 

 has been prepared for him. The produce will be his property. He will get also 

 seven measures (pai/as) of millet to be sown in a field, also prepared for him, and he will 

 be allowed to sow cotton in a small piece of land in which two seers of paddy can be 

 sown. Besides the produce of all this he gets at the end of the year seven baskets 

 of paddy as big as he can carry away with his bangi. This contract lasts only one year, 

 after which he is free to remain with his old master or choose a new one. In the 

 beginning of Mag// there is a feast in the house lasting two days. On the first day, the 

 dhangar goes to the jungle and brings a good load of wood to bake bread. They spend 

 the evening and a great part of the night in dancing, drinking and eating bread, the 

 master and the dhangar supplying each two handias. The next day is spent by the 

 dhangar in hunting and fishing ; and in the evening he will bring to his master such 

 delicacies as rats, mice, etc. On his arrival the mistress of the house anoints him with 

 oil and gives him two combs, whilst the farmer asks him if his intention is to leave him 

 or remain with him. On this he will give his answer, and not another word will be said 

 on the subject. 



The next morning the master and dhangar go together to plough a field, and if the 

 latter has made up his mind to leave service, his master in coming back will put in his 

 hands one ploughshare and two skin ropes to tie the yoke. This is the sealing of his 

 dismissal and the breaking up of the mutual contract. If he has made up his mind to 

 remain this last ceremony will not take place and the contract will last for one year more. 



Ghardamad or Ghardijia. — When the parents of a boy see that they will not be able 

 to provide a wife for their son, they place him in a house as ghar damad. Like Jacob he has 

 to work several years to get his wife. There is no special ceremony, only the boys' 

 parents come to the house of their future relatives. They drink rice-beer together, and 

 when leaving they say : Now this is your child, he belongs to you ; take him as your own 

 son. 



During all the time that he remains in the house he is treated exactly like a member 

 of the family, and gets board, lodging and raiment like all the others, but like a dhangar 

 he also gets his pogri, which consists of one maund of paddy and six measures of gundli 

 to be sown in a field prepared for him. The produce will be for him, and he is allowed 

 either to keep it in the house of his future father-in-law or lend it out at interest. As 

 long as he remains in the house of his father-in-law, even after marriage, he is entitled 

 to his pogri. He can leave the house and work for himself when he likes. 



Caste. — The Uraons form what may be called a wild tribe, without any general 

 administrative organization ; there is no recognized headman of the whole tribe, and the 



