1834.] History of the Ramoossies. -238 



HOLGAH RAMOOSSIES. 



Some little notice is required to be taken of the Ranioossies 

 north of the Bheema, and along the banks of the Seena river in the 

 Ahmednuggur Collectorate. These are termed Holgahs by the 

 Poorundur Ramoossies, while the latter are termed Bhakah by the 

 Holgahs. These appellations appear to be some designations of re- 

 proach, as they give offence to each tribe respectively. 



The Poorundur Ramoossies state that the Holgah is the offspring 

 of a member of their tribe, who formed an intimacy with a female 

 of the Hollaar ca«ite, who are a people inferior to the Ramoossies, 

 and that the descendants of this connection, adopted the name of 

 Holgah from the mother. That they do not retain the sendy, or 

 tuft of hair on the crown of the head, (a much respected mark of 

 distinction among the Hindoos,) and that the kurdora or string al- 

 ways bound round the loins by the natives w^as made of leather. 

 The Holgahs deny this being the case. They say they wear a cotton 

 or silk thread round the waist, and preserve the tuft of hair on the 

 crown of the head, and they moreover add, that there is no truth in 

 the story of their origin as related by the Bhakahs. They are of 

 opinion, that their forefathers came from the Karnatic (country south 

 of the Kishtna) and I am disposed to think, that their ancestors 

 must have come from the country around Dharwar. The Holgahs 

 have the remnants of a language among them, which would lead us 

 to suppose that they had emigrated from a country where the Ka- 

 oarese language is spoken. 



The following is a specimen of it : — 



A Man, Arriah 

 A Woman, Heno:uss 



An Old Man,t Modka 



An Old Woman, t Mootky 

 A Village, t Oorrh 

 Night,t Kullah 



A Thief, Kuliuh 

 A Horse,t Koodry 

 A House,t Munny 

 A Cow,t Akull 

 BuUockjt Dunnaah 

 Holgah, Bhoir 



Day, Houtt, Water, Nirl 

 A Stone,t KuU 

 A Sword,t Kuttyt 

 Bread, Moorkf 

 The Head,t Tellahf 

 The Foot,t Kalluhf 



The words marked with the cross are, I am informed, of the Ka- 

 narese language. They assimilate also to words in the Malabar 

 tongue as spoken at Madras. It may be observed, that there are 

 no good grounds for concluding that the Holgahs have sprung from 

 the Hollaars ; between the surnames of the latter and the former no 

 analogy exists. The Hollaars are divided into seven families, and 

 the Holgahs into thirteen, namely, the Kurradah, Pandrah, Boitah 



