Folklore of the Santal Parganas - Cecil Henry Bompas (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📗

Preface

The Santals are a Munda tribe, a branch of that aboriginal element

which probably entered India from the North East. At the present day

they inhabit the Eastern outskirts of the Chutia Nagpore plateau.

 

Originally hunters and dwellers in the jungle they are still but

indifferent agriculturists. Like the Mundas and Hos and other

representatives of the race, they are jovial in character, fond of

their rice beer, and ready to take a joke.

 

Their social organization is very complete; each village has its

headman or manjhi, with his assistant the paranik; the jogmanghi

is charged with the supervision of the morals of the young men and

women; the naeke is the village priest, the godet is the village

constable. Over a group of villages is the pargana or tribal chief. The

Santals are divided into exogamous septs--originally twelve in number,

and their social observances are complex, e.g. while some relations

treat each other with the greatest reserve, between others the utmost

freedom of intercourse is allowed.

 

Their religion is animistic, spirits (_bongas_) are everywhere around

them: the spirits of their ancestors, the spirit of the house, the

spirit dwelling in the patch of primeval forest preserved in each

village. Every hill tree and rock may have its spirit. These spirits

are propitiated by elaborate ceremonies and sacrifices which generally

terminate in dances, and the drinking of rice beer.

 

The Santal Parganas is a district 4800 sq. miles in area, lying

about 150 miles north of Calcutta, and was formed into a separate

administration after the Santals had risen in rebellion in 1856. The

Santals at present form about one-third of the population.

 

The stories and legends which are here translated have been collected

by the Rev. O. Bodding, D.D. of the Scandinavian Mission to the

Santals. To be perfectly sure that neither language nor ideas should in

any way be influenced by contact with a European mind he arranged for

most of them to be written out in Santali, principally by a Christian

convert named Sagram Murmu, at present living at Mohulpahari in the

Santal Parganas.

 

Santali is an agglutinative language of great regularity and complexity

but when the Santals come in contact with races speaking an Aryan

language it is apt to become corrupted with foreign idioms. The

language in which these stories have been written is beautifully

pure, and the purity of language may be accepted as an index that

the ideas have not been affected, as is often the case, by contact

with Europeans.

 

My translation though somewhat condensed is very literal, and the

stories have perhaps thereby an added interest as shewing the way in

which a very primitive people look at things. The Santals are great

story tellers; the old folk of the village gather the young people

round them in the evening and tell them stories, and the men when

watching the crops on the threshing floor will often sit up all night

telling stories.

 

There is however, no doubt that at the present time the knowledge of

these stories tends to die out. Under the peace which British rule

brings there is more intercourse between the different communities

and castes, a considerable, degree of assimilation takes place,

and old customs and traditions tend to be obliterated.

 

Several collections of Indian stories have been made, _e.g._ Stokes,

Indian Fairy Tales; Frere, Old Deccan Days; Day, Folk Tales of

Bengal; and Knowles' Folk Tales of Kashmir, and it will be seen

that all the stories in the present collection are by no means of

pure Santal origin. Incidents which form part of the common stock of

Indian folklore abound, and many of the stories professedly relate

to characters of various Hindu castes, others again deal with such

essentially Santal beliefs as the dealings of men and _bongas_.

 

The Rev. Dr. Campbell of Gobindpore published in 1891 a collection

of Santal Folk Tales. He gathered his material in the District of

Manbhum, and many of the stories are identical with those included in

the present volume. I have added as an appendix some stories which I

collected among the Hos of Singhbhum, a tribe closely related to the

Santals, and which the Asiatic Society of Bengal has kindly permitted

me to reprint here.

 

My task has been merely one of translation; it is due solely to Mr

Bodding's influence with, and intimate knowledge of, the people that

the stories have been committed to writing, and I have to thank him

for assistance and advice throughout my work of translation.

 

I have roughly classified the stories: in part 1 are stories of a

general character; part 2, stories relating to animals; in part 3,

stories which are scarcely folklore but are anecdotes relating to

Santal life; in Part 4, stories relating to the dealings of _bongas_

and men. In part 5, are some legends and traditions, and a few notes

relating to tribal customs. Part 6 contains illustrations of the

belief in witchcraft. I have had to omit a certain number of stories

as unsuited for publication.

 

H. Bompas. Table of Contents

 

PART I

 

 

Bajun and Jhore Anuwa and His Mother

III.      Ledha and the Leopard

The Cruel Stepmother Karmu and Dharmu The Jealous Stepmother

VII.      The Pious Woman

VIII.     The Wise Daughter-in-Law

The Oilman and His Sons The Girl Who Found Helpers How to Grow Rich

XII.      The Changed Calf

XIII.     The Koeri and the Barber

XIV.      The Prince Who Acquired Wisdom

The Monkey Boy

XVI.      The Miser's Servant

XVII.     Kuwar and the Rajahs Daughter

XVIII.    The Laughing Fish

XIX.      How the Cowherd Found a Bride

Kara and Guja

XXI.      The Magic Cow

XXII.     Lita and His Animals

XXIII.    The Boy Who Found His Father

XXIV.     The Oilman's Bullock

XXV.      How Sabai Grass Grew

XXVI.     The Merchant's Son and the Rajah's Daughter

XXVII.    The Flycatcher's Egg

XXVIII.   The Wife Who Would Not Be Beaten

XXIX.     Sahde Goala

XXX.      The Rajah's Son and the Merchant's Son

XXXI.     The Poor Widow

XXXII.    The Monkey and the Girl

XXXIII.   Ramai and the Animals

XXXIV.    The Magic Bedstead

XXXV.     The Ghormuhas

XXXVI.    The Boy Who Learnt Magic

XXXVII.   The Charitable Jogi

XXXVIII.  Chote and Mote

XXXIX.    The Daydreamer

The Extortionate Sentry

XLI.      The Broken Friendship

XLII.     A Story Told By a Hindoo

XLIII.    The Raibar and the Leopard

XLIV.     The Ungrateful Snake

XLV.      The Tiger's Bride

XLVI.     The Killing of the Tiger

XLVII.    The Dream

XLVIII.   The King of the Bhuyans

XLIX.     The Foolish Sons

Kora and His Sister A Story on Caste

LII.      Tipi and Tepa

LIII.     The Child With the Ears of the Ox

LIV.      The Child Who Knew His Father

Jogeshwar's Marriage

LVI.      The Strong Man

LVII.     The Rajah's Advice

LVIII.    The Four Jogis

LIX.      The Charitable Rajah

A Variant.--The Wandering Raja

LXI.      The Two Wives

LXII.     Spanling and His Uncles

LXIII.    The Silent Wife

LXIV.     The Dumb Shepherd

LXV.      The Good Daughter-in-Law

LXVI.     The Rajah's Dream

LXVII.    The Mongoose Boy

LXVIII.   The Stolen Treasure

LXIX.     Dukhu and His Bonga Wife

LXX.      The Monkey Husband

LXXI.     Lakhan and the Wild Buffaloes

LXXII.    The Boy with the Stag

LXXIII.   The Seven Brothers and the Bonga Girl

LXXIV.    The Tiger's Foster Child

LXXV.     The Caterpillar Boy

LXXVI.    The Monkey Nursemaid

LXXVII.   The Wife Who Could Not Keep a Secret

LXXVIII.  Sit and Lakhan

LXXIX.    The Rajah Who went to Heaven

LXXX.     Seven Tricks and Single Trick

LXXXI.    Fuljhari Rajah

LXXXII.   The Corpse of the Rajah's Son

LXXXIII.  The Sham Child

LXXXIV.   The Sons of the Kherohuri-Rajah

LXXXV.    The Dog Bride

LXXXVI.   Wealth or Wisdom

LXXXVII.  A Goala and the Cow

LXXXVIII. The Telltale Wife

LXXXIX.   The Bridegroom Who Spoke in Riddles

The Lazy Man

XCI.      Another Lazy Man

XCII.     The Widow's Son

XCIII.    The Boy Who Was Changed Into a Dog

XCIV.     Birluri and Birbanta

XCV.      The Killing of the Rakhas

XCVI.     The Children of the Vultures

XCVII.    The Ferryman

XCVIII.   Catching a Thief

XCIX.     The Grasping Rajah

The Prince Who Would Not Marry The Prince Who Found Two Wives

CII.      The Unfaithful Wife

CIII.     The Industrious Bride

CIV.      The Boy and His Fate

The Messengers of Death

CVI.      The Speaking Crab

CVII.     The Leopard Outwitted

CVIII.    The Wind and the Sun

CIX.      The Coldest Season

 

 

PART II

 

 

The Jackal and the Crow

CXI.      The Tiger Cub and the Calf

CXII.     The Jackal and the Chickens

CXIII.    The Jackal Punished

CXIV.     The Tigers and the Cat

CXV.      The Elephants and the Ants

CXVI.     A Fox and His Wife

CXVII.    The Jackal and the Crocodiles

CXVIII.   The Bullfrog and the Crab

CXIX.     The Hyena Outwitted

CXX.      The Crow and the Egret

CXXI.     The Jackal and the Hare

CXXII.    The Brave Jackal

CXXIII.   The Jackal and the Leopards

 

 

PART III

 

 

CXXIV.    The Fool and His Dinner

CXXV.     The Stingy Daughter

CXXVI.    The Backwards and Forwards Dance

CXXVII.   The Deaf Family

CXXVIII.  The Father-in-Law's Visit

CXXIX.    Ramai and Somai

CXXX.     The Two Brothers

CXXXI.    The Three Fools

CXXXII.   The Cure For Laziness

CXXXIII.  The Brahmin's Powers

CXXXIV.   Ram's Wife

CXXXV.    Palo

CXXXVI.   The Women's Sacrifice

CXXXVII.  The Thief's Son

CXXXVIII. The Divorce

CXXXIX.   The Father and the Father-in-Law

CXL.      The Reproof

CXLI.     Enigmas

CXLII.    The Too Particular Wife

CXLIII.   The Paharia Socialists

CXLIV.    How A Tiger Was Killed

CXLV.     The Goala's Daughter

CXLVI.    The Brahmin's Clothes

CXLVII.   The Winning of the Bride

 

 

PART IV

 

 

CXLVIII.  Marriage With Bongas

CXLIX.    The Bonga Heaven

Lakhan and the Bonga

CLI.      The House Bonga

CLII.     The Sarsagun-Maiden

CLIII.    The Schoolboy and the Bonga

CLIV.     The Bonga's Cave

CLV.      The Bonga's Victim

CLVI.     Baijal and the Bonga

CLVII.    Ramai and the Bonga

CLVIII.   The Boundary Bonga

CLIX.     The Bonga Exorcised

 

 

PART V

 

 

CLX.      The Beginning of Things

CLXI.     Chando and His Wife

CLXII.    The Sikhar Rajah

CLXIII.   The Origin of Tobacco

CLXIV.    The Transmigration of Souls

CLXV.     The Next World

CLXVI.    After Death

CLXVII.   Hares and Men

CLXVIII.  A Legend

CLXIX.    Pregnant Women

CLXX.     The Influence of the Moon

CLXXI.    Illegitimate Children

CLXXII.   The Dead

CLXXIII.  A Hunting Custom

 

 

Part VI

 

 

CLXXIV.   Witchcraft

CLXXV.    Of Dains and Ojhas

CLXXVI.   Initiation Into Witchcraft

CLXXVII.  Witch Craft

CLXXVIII. Witch Stories

CLXXIX.   Witch Stories

CLXXX.    Witch Stories

CLXXXI.   The Two Witches

CLXXXII.  The Sister-in-Law Who Was a Witch

CLXXXIII. Ramjit Bonga

CLXXXIV.  The Herd Boy and the Witches

CLXXXV.   The Man-Tiger

 

 

Glossary

 

Appendix

Part I.

 

In these stories there are many incidents which appear in stories

collected in other parts of India, though it is rather surprising

that so few of them appear elsewhere in their entirety. We have

however, instances of the husk myth, the youngest son who surpasses

his brother, the life of the ogre placed in some external object, the

jealous stepmother, the selection of a king by an elephant, the queen

whose husband is invariably killed on his wedding night, etc. etc.

 

Few of the old Indian stories found in the Kathâ Sarit Sâgara or the

Buddhist Birth stories appear in recognizable form in the present

collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Bajun and Jhore.

 

Once upon a time there were two brothers named Bajun and Jhore. Bajun

was married and one day his wife fell ill of fever. So, as he was

going ploughing, Bajun told Jhore to stay at home and cook the dinner

and he bade him put into the pot three measures of rice. Jhore stayed

at home and filled the pot with water and put it on to boil; then he

went to look for rice measures; there was only one in the house and

Jhore thought "My brother told me to put in three measures and if I

only put in one I shall get into trouble." So he went to a neighbour's

house and borrowed two more measures, and put them into the pot and

left them to boil. At noon Bajun came back from ploughing and found

Jhore stirring the pot and asked him whether the rice was ready. Jhore

made no answer, so Bajun took the spoon from him, saying "Let me feel

how it is getting on", but when he stirred with the spoon he heard a

rattling noise and when he looked into the pot he