1891.] 
W. H. P. Driver —The Pahariy d-Kharias. 
31 
Witches. —But should the person die, and there be the slightest 
suspicion of the existence of a wizard or whitch in their midst, the 
Deonra-Lebu again calls the good spirits to his assistance, and sees the 
wizard’s or witch’s face in the light that is set before him. He 
then tells the ‘ He,’ or head of the village, who calls up all the 
villagers and explains the circumstances. The unfortunate wizard or 
witch is then turned out of the village, with much bad language and 
rough treatment. If any resistance is offered, the offensive person 
is beaten and sometimes killed outright. 
Marriage customs. —‘ Pahariya-Kharias ’ only marry when they come 
of age, and widows or divorcees are allowed to remarry. They may 
marry two or more wives, but very few ever do so. They must, 
however, only marry with other Pahariya-Kharias, and the parties to 
the marriage must be of different ‘ gotors ’ or septs. The following are 
a few such septs, viz., ‘ kiro ’ tiger, ‘ dungdung ’ eel, ‘ bilung ’ salt, 
‘ baa ’ dhan, ‘ kerketa’ a bird, ‘ soreng’ stone, ‘ kulu ’ tortoise, &c. 
Pahariya-Kharias have no ‘ dhamkuria ’ or bachelor’s hall, but they 
have an ‘ akhra ’ or place for dancing. Marriages take place at the 
home of the bridegroom, outside of the house. The groom has to pay 
the girl’s father a present, called ‘ gining.’ This is not paid in money but 
in cattle. A fair price for a wife is two buffaloes, or seven heads of cattle. 
All friends and relatives are invited to the marriage feast. The brides¬ 
maids anoint with oil the heads of both bride and bridegroom. The 
bridegroom then puts sindur on the forehead of his bride, and she returns 
the compliment. The best man then splashes them both with water, 
and the ceremony is complete. The happy couple are then carried about, 
by two strong men, to receive the congratulations of the company. 
After this the party sits down to eat and drink, and the rest of the 
night is spent by the young people in dancing, and by the elders in 
drinking. Next morning they all go and bathe together, in the nearest 
river or pond. When a man cannot afford to have a ceremonious marriage, 
he marries without ceremony, and this is called a ‘ dhuku ’ marriage. 
If married people cannot agree, they are at liberty to separate and to 
remarry with others if they choose. 
Regarding children. —All property descends to male heirs. After 
child-birth the mother is considered unclean for six days, and du¬ 
ring this time she must live and eat in a separate room by herself. 
The child is named when it is a month old. To find an auspicious 
name, grains of rice are thrown into a bowl of water, as each name is 
called, when all the grains come together at the bottom of the bowl, 
the last mentioned is the proper name. When boys reach the age 
of 8 or 10 years, they have their forearms burnt. Girls at about the same 
