The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-06-03
An Indian Village.

Inc nuts OF the village, amounting TO
perhaps two hundred little homesteads,
stretch in irregular lines on either side
of the high road without Topographic
cal iustifi, alton, and are separated from
each other by ill-defned, muddy tracks
or hedges of prickly pear, which are
but feeble defenses against the wild
beasts of the Jungle. Very rough
structures are these huts. The peaked
roof is wrought of interlaced logs and
branches, matched either with straw
or palm leaves or covered with ruddy
clay tiles. The walls are mostly of
caked mud or mating, but here and
there one sees stronger support of
stone or brick. They rarely stand more
than eight feet high, and the caves of
the projecting roofs form veranda on
all sides. The floor is either of the
bare earth or concrete, called chunam.
A wooden floor would be more expen-
sive, less durable, and be, moreover, q
too convenient harborage for insects.
Each dismal, dirty abode contains for
furniture few stools, native bed or
two, a few brass vessels, I'd articles of
dress, worth, perhaps, ten to fifteen
shillings which do occasional duty as
carpets. 1t will be centuries vet before
the family expenses of the Hindu ryot
come up to those of the English landed
proprietor. The sacred little shrub
dedicated TO Vishnu sprouts from
blue and white pot in front of some of
these family hives.
About fifty huts constitute the village
baZar, or market. One general deal
er's store succeeds that of another.
The shopkeeper squats amid his miscel-
laneous wares, cross-legged, like big
grasshopper, on the raised floor.
Baskets of cane or bamboo, containing
onions, millet, peas, seeds of all sorts,
and the simple vegetable food of an
Eastern people, are piled up In rows be-
hind him. Strings of plantains hang
in front of the stall, and glutinous
sweetmeats in the form of wheels, ele-
plant, elephant-headed gods, and a
thousand more devices, which, with
lollipops, are consumed in large guam
titles by every man, woman, and child
in the village. The display of fruit is
limited to watermelons and plantains !;
and, III front. seeds are spread out to
dry on gunny-bags. Unlike the town
dealer, the rural shop-keeper does not
decorate his store with gold and silver
tissue paper; nor does he, even on holi
days, hang yellow flowers on his dirty,
tleacherous little scales. In wooden
| bowl or in his lion cloth, he keeps his
stores of copper money-ill shaped
pice and cowries or shell money; and,
IN some secret Granny in the walls or
| floor OF his hut, he buries an occasional
silver bit. Paper money rarely, if ever,
| finds its way TO his till.
From the huts stream of animal
| life finds it's way into the road. Skinny
| fowls peck here and there III the ref:se
heaps, greedily gobbling up an I'M
savory variety of quantity favored
food, which renders them UNBEATABLE to
Europeans. Cattle saunter out from
the unventilated cow-sheds of mating.
Long haired, NANCY ours, black and
white and spotted, yelp around the
miserable buffaloes on their way to the
arid deserts which represent their
pastures. Not n cat is to be seen in
the village, but goats innumerable. A
seedy-looking parrot, melting in a
tumble-down wooden cage, and a
monkey represent the village pets.
Hogs and pigs are as conspicuous by
their absence as butchers shops.
Little naked urchins, their heads
shaved according to the rules of caste,
and their eyes blackened with kohl,
wearing charms round neck and loins,
scamper after their mothers, or hug
them as they straddle across their hips
like little black apes. Cakes of COW
dung, used for fuel, are drying in the
sunlight 10y the roadside or against the
walls. 1t is one of the chief occupa-
tons of the Indian villagers wife to
make the cow-dung into cakes, and she
may be seen at every hour of the day
gathering the precious ordure for the
family hearth into the wickerwork
| baskets.
The male population are but scantily
clothed. Round the loins they wear a
cloth, which leaves their thin legs bare.
| Each man wears the turban, dirty
sheet coiled negligently round the
| head.
The females drape themselves in a
very graceful mannerin one long cotton
cloth, with decorated borders, which,
after being wound round the loins, SO
as to leave the legs uncovered half way
up to the thigh, is thrown over the
! back and head, and brought down over
! the face as sort of veil. A short
sleeved bodice falling to the waist is
| worn under this cloth.