52 



JOURNAL, R. A. S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VI II. 



When about three-fourths of the corn is reduced to grain, 

 all the ears of corn, except those on the mutta, are taken off 

 the heap, separated from the grains (scattered round), spread 

 out, and threshed as before (mta-nelanava.) After the grain 

 has been threshed out of this, and the straw put aside, the 

 bullocks are driven outside the kamata, and the heap of 

 paddy (pavara) further freed from chaff with the hands 

 (pavara-suclda-karanava.) The ears of corn on the mutta 

 are then removed, husked, and spread round it on the rest 

 of the paddy, the bullocks being driven over it for the last 

 time (palla-pellanawd.) 



Meanwhile a cultivator prepares the amdkete* a whisp of 

 straw six inches long and of the thickness of the wrist, in 

 which are enclosed a few seeds of paddy, some ashes, a scrap 

 of the bullock horns, a hair or two from their foreheads and 

 tails, a little dung of the two bullocks moving immediately 

 round the mutta, a bit of the rope yoking them, and chips of 

 the driver's rod, of the deti-goyiya and pontwa. 



After all the grain has been freed from straw, the chief 

 goyiyd steps into the centre of the paddy and stands on the 

 mutta, whilst the others pile the paddy round him knee- 

 deep, covering the heap with a mat, and hand up to him the 

 amdkete. He changes it from one hand to the other round 

 his legs, repeating each of the following lines three times ? 

 and at the end jumps down backwards : — 



§23(3 ©>5)©C? ©iSS-S^ 



Amdketada gontembili 

 Tabd muduna nahara wel 

 Makkama Siripdda asata 

 Samanala Siripdda usata 



* Unknown in the Siyan6 Korale. Grass sods turned up in plough- 

 ing are termed amdkankete. 



