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An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. [April 



An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. — By Captain A. Mac- 

 kintosh, 27th Regiment Madras Native Infantry, Commanding Ah- 

 mudnuggur Police Corps. & 



(Concluded from our last). 



The Goturany. — The Mhadeo Kolies have an institution or tribunal 

 termed Goturany, composed of six persons, the establishment of which 

 seems to be coeval with the original formation of their caste. The judi- 

 cial functions of the members of the Goturany are of a serious and im- 

 portant nature, being to regulate and watch over the moral conduct of 

 all the members of their community ; to check the spread of licentious 

 manners, and the infringement of the rules of their caste ; to legitima- 

 tize natural offspring and to adopt children and females of other tribes 

 into their own caste. The designation of the persons composing this 

 court and the manner in which they conduct their proceedings I shall 

 now relate. 



1st. — Is the Ruggutwan or president. — 2dly. The Mettull or deputy. 

 — 3dly. The Sablah or constable.— 4thly. The Dhallia.— 5thly. The 

 Murkiah.— 6thly. The Hurkiah. 



The members of this court whose appointments were hereditary, 

 acted under the authority of the chief Koly Naik of the caste, who 

 formerly resided in Joonere. The Rugutwan resided at Raja poor, two 

 miles from Joonere. He is a member of the Shesha Kool, one of the 

 grand divisions of the tribe, and in addition to his juri/lical appoint- 

 ment, he was the Patell of his village. No transgressor of the rules 

 of their caste is considered absolved and re-admitted into their tribe, 

 until he has partaken of food from the same dish with the Ruggutwan. 



It was the Ruggutwan's duty to issue instructions for the seizure and 

 trial of such persons as were accused of having transgressed the rules 

 and customs of their caste. However, previous to the trial, the Ruggut- 

 wan had either to wait on, or announce to, the chief Naik the particu- 

 lars of the charge, and he then issued his orders for the assembling of 

 a Punchaiut. 



The Mettull assisted the Ruggutwan to the extent of his power, and 

 ■was authorized to act for him in his absence. He is a member of the 

 Keddar division of Kolies, and the president's deputy. 



The Sablah is a member of the Kheersagur division, and may be 

 considered the constable of the Goturany. It was his duty to be very 

 much on the move, and to be constantly making enquiries respecting 

 the conduct and habits of the people—particularly of such as were 

 suspected of leading a licentious life; he seized accused persons and 

 handed them over to the Ruggutwan. The Sablah when employed on 

 a tour of duty was entitled to receive, from the village in which an 

 offender resided 3 a perquisite of one rupee and a half, and a fowl. 



