The Saint Paul globe., 1904-01-31
only 101 left out of race that at the |
~ beginning of the nineteenth century
was still loo nOn heads strong This 1

was still 100, 900 heads strong This
Is the news brought back from Todaland,
presidency of Madras, where amid almost
inaccessible mountains and precipices are
found the sad remnants of one of the
proudest and handsomest tribes that ever
lived In the hemisphere.
Polyandry is the cause of the aStonish-
ing and unprecedented degeneration of the
race of warriors succumbing to the phys
ical consequences of a law made several
hundred years before Christ.
A Toda tradition says that their fore
fathers belonging to the army of Alexander
the Great, who entered India 327 B. G.
Other legends claim Roman soldiers as
the Todas' grandsires. In either case,
these earliest settlers were probably as
hard up for wives as the ancient Romans,
who had to steal theirs.
Consequently. when the ancestors Of the
Todas first settled on the mountain tops
of Nilgiri, about 1000 feet above the level
of the sea, there was good reason for the
cruel rule that girl given in marriage
shall be wife not only to one but also to
her husbands brothers.
In the interest of race propagation 1t
was decreed that no man should be al
lowed the monopoly of woman's love and
affection, but on the contrary should
permit his brothers, or in case he had
none, his other near relatives to partici-
pate in his conjugal bliss
That was very well for the time. 1t
was practice that must have prevailed
in one form or another with our Biblical
forefathers also.
Whether polyandry, prevailed in Toda-
land through all the centuries of the
Christian era your correspondent was un-
able to ascertain, but he did learn that
1T was revived at the beginning of the
present century, after the Todas had be-
come strong and numerous people.
The surviving eighteen or nineteen Toda
families consist of wife and from four
to six or seven husbands.
The male children from these unions, or
number of unions, are credited to the
male child is supposed to be the Off
spring of the husbands eldest brother,
the second girl baby calls the second eld-
est papa.
Women Dressed In Hair.
The degeneration of the race manifests
itself solely in the decrease of population
Individually the Todas are healthy, beau
wear only single garment, square piece
OF white or gray linen, in which they
drape their plastic forms with dignity and
coquetry.
the Madras British government the wom-
en- were dressed solely in their crowning
glory, a mantle Of beautiful black tresses,
which they wore loose around their
around their naked waist. Today they
braid their hair and let it fall grace
fully upon their nude neck as of DID,
silver or gold links encircle their waist
and really the official linen cloth does not
in the least interfere with the display Of
their charms.
The faces of both men and women in
dicate European origin; they have little
in common with the race characteristic
of the people of India. The mouth is
firm, the teeth are good and the foreheads
high and slightly receding. Both sexes
have bushy eyelashes and Greek noses.
The men all wear a long, black and thick
beard. Men and women are. tab and have
plastic forms, with small extremities.
Like other children of nature, they have
no notions of prudery or moral restric-
ton.
The mountain plateau they inhabit is
stepped in eternal spring and summer;
they know nothing of cold seasons or
of want. They have god of their own,
whom they honor in a temple little
larger than, but otherwise corresponding
with, their own huts. Two priests, an
diaries between the Toda god and his
people. These must adopt the single
state for while, but are allowed to take
a wife after a certain period.
There are 106 Toda villages, so-called,
each consisting of four huts and tenn
pie. Eighty or more, though. are unin-
habited. the population having died out.
The villages are built on mountain tops
with much difficulty by narrow and dan
gerous paths. The huts make cleanly
and pleasant appearance. I.hey are pulit
of wood and the walls on the inside are
covered with some sort of cement. They
cover from eight to fifteen square @ @Ieet
and are seven to eight feet high: The
roof consists of bambus twigs and palm
leaves. There is only one entrance. which
can be locked by stout plank running
between two pillars. Opposite, the door is
the masters bed on little platform
covered with straw mats and fur rugs. rug .ol.n In
the other end of the room are an oil stove
and shelves. with kitchen utensils
The temple is always the largest hut Ieen OF
their milk in one part of the edifice. sep
arated from the priests room by board
wall
The Todas call themselves .kings of
the hills" and scorn the idea OF tilling
the soil. For many centuries neighboring
tribes have paid them tribute in the
shape of grain and other necessaries; This
seems to indicate that the supposition is
correct which stamps the Todas as de-
scendants of soldiers or conquerors.
Members of the Bagada tribe. living in
the Nilgiri hills, were asked why they