The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-03-24

expected that there would be genera
prosperity and peace in Malabar.
Prosperity is fairly we'll distributed,
but the motley Of religions make
peace more difficult; and every now
and then ii brings about such turbu-
lence as is known these days IN the
parts of India. The fierce fanaticism
Of the Mohummedan Mopluhs and the
stories Of their bloody and furious out
breaks which reach the outside world
may lead to the belief that this is as
much Il MOhammedan land rs Arabia
or Persia. The truth is that barely 30
per cent Of the population are follow
ers of the prophet, while about 6S per
cent are votarieS OF Hinduism and
sorne > per cent are Christians.
In prestige the HinduS are much the
most important. The Nambudri Brah-
mans, at the very top of the caste
scale, number only 10000 in the total
population Of 100000 of the Malabar
district, but are looked up to with the
greatest reverence. Nearly all OF them
are landholders, many Of very large es-
tates. They hold aloof from public
affairs and scorn modern education,
holding more tenaciously, probably,
thar their fellow religionists in any
other part of India, to the ancient Gus
toms of their faith. lie old concep-
ton Of ceremonial pollution is a living
thing in Malabar and is strictly adj
hered to except in the cities. There
are varying distances within which the
mere presence of Il member of a lower
caste is supposed to detile the Brah-
a A high-caste man returning from
his cleansing bath shouts out that he
is approaching, and the lOw-caSte
members humbly retire to the roadside
or into the fields until he has passed.
Even many Mohammedans follow this
custom lest economic pressure be
brought to bear through boycotts or
other means to destroy their liveli-
hood.
The MOhammedans Of Malabar-the
Moplahs-differ greatly from other In
dian Moslems. Many OF them are de-
scendants Of Arab traders who came
to the west coast in very early times,
and they have retained all the fanati-
ciSm of the ~iierceSt MOhammedanS of
the Arabian deserts. To them have
been been added converts from lower
caste Hindus.
Moplahs in Periodic Outbreaks.
For considerable periods the Moplahs
accept their somewhat submerged cOn
ditions and live in peace beside the
Hindus. But their lust for turbulence
and blood Is only slumbering, and sud
denly it breaks out with the assassina-
ton Of Il Hindu landowner, the detiling
Of a Hindu temple or the lOoting Of a
house. The little group engaged in
these episodes u n riot ove the re-
gion, their numbers growing until a
fanatical mob is formed. A band us-
ually is formed whose members de-
hnitely decide to make martyrs Of
themselves, are cOnsecrated, refuse to
surrender and sell their lives as dearly
as possible when opposed. In the past
battles with bands of Moplahs have
smacked Of fights of the Paris police
with the notorious "apaches." In ONE
instances it has been necessary to
dynamite buildings in which the Mo
plahs had made their stand and from
which they shot down all who ap-
preached them.
One OF the peculiaritieS Of the Mala-
bar region is its system Of inheritance
through the mother. A mans property
does not go to his children, but his
sisters children are his nearest heirs.
The Malabar district is under direct
British control. but in TravancOre, to
the south, which is a native state, the
succession to the throne is through
the sister, and a rulers 0 n are of no
political or family consequence. Wom-
en-, especially those Of the upper
classes, have a marked degree of in
dependence, and may divorce their hus-
bands at villa privilege, however,
ton.
When the Portuguese first arrived
at Calicut the natives were weaving
cloth Of excellent quality and ii became
an article of with the west.
The town, in fact, gave its name TO
calico. But the weaving of that fabric
has almost died out and this original
home of calico now actually Imports
the cloth.