24 



Report on Bustar. 



[No. 11, NEW SERIES. 



bring out whatever they have to give and deposit it on an ap- 

 pointed spot. They live on roots, grain raised in the Jungles, and 

 fruits, and are called Madians. I met with no one who had seen 

 them and I found the locality called Ulijmand was so far to the 

 south as to prevent my proceeding there myself during the 

 limited time at my disposal. 



8. From the absence of accounts, and the 



Population, Castes extent and con dition of the dependency, the 

 and Languages. c J \ 



irregularity of the villages, and the prevalence 



of the wild tribes whose numbers can be only roughly estimated 

 it has been found impossible to arrive at any accurate result re- 

 garding the number of the population but it is stated by those 

 best acquainted and most capable of judging, at about 80,000 of 

 both sexes and of all castes and ages. The bulk of the inhabi- 

 tants are of the Gond caste and consist of two subdivisions or 

 tribes called Moriahs and Mariahs or ^Joriahs ; after them the most 

 numerous castes in order of their strength and importance are : 



1. Buttras. 



2. Gandahs. 



3. Soondees 



4. Marahs. J Equal. 



5. Hulmahs. 



6. Morars. 



The Moriahs are distributed over the north of the dependency 

 and the vicinity of Jugdulpore and the Mariahs to the south and 

 west of it. The Moriahs both in their manners and occupation 

 are in a more advanced state than the others, inhabit the more 

 settled parts of the dependency, dress and live better and form 

 the mass of the cultivating population. They have no minor dis- 

 tinctions of occupation amongst themselves as barbers, washer- 

 men, &c, but each makes his own arrangements in these respects 

 and the only or rather most common ( for some villages have not 

 even all these ) village servants are the Majee or Potail, the Poo- 

 jaree and the Ganda or Kotwal who also weaves cloths for the 

 village. The dress of the Moriahs consists simply of a waist 

 cloth of coarse village manufacture and very rarely a turban. 

 They ornament themselves with necklaces and earrings and gene- 

 rally carry a small axe (tangia) for chopping wood, about 8 or 10 



