h cowdung and water. Members of the Khoba or peg sept
will not make a peg or drive one into the ground. Those of the Dumar
[149] or fig-tree sept say that their first ancestor was born under
this tree. They consider the tree to be sacred and never eat its
fruit, and worship it once a year. Members of the sept named after
the _shiroti_ tree worship the tree every Sunday.

5. Marriage customs.

Marriage within the sept is prohibited and for three generations
between persons related through females. Marriage is adult, but matches
are arranged by the parents of the parties. At betrothal the elders of
the caste must be regaled with _cheora_ or parched rice and liquor. A
bride-price of Rs. 10 is paid, but a suitor who cannot afford this may
do service to his father-in-law for one or two years in lieu of it. At
the wedding the bridegroom puts a copper ring on the bride's finger and
marks her forehead with vermilion. The couple walk seven times round
the sacred post, and seven little heaps of rice and pieces of turmeric
are arranged so that they may touch one of them with their big toes at
each round. The bride's mother and seven other women place some rice
in the skirts of their cloths and the bridegroom throws this over his
shoulder. After this he picks up the rice and distributes it to all
the women present, and the bride goes through the same ceremony. The
rice is no doubt an emblem of fertility, and its presentation to the
women may perhaps be expected to render them fertile.

6. Birth and funeral rites

On the birth of a child the navel-string is buried in front of the
house. When a man is at the point of death they place a little
cooked rice and curds in his mouth so that he may not go hungry
to the other world, in view of the fact that he has probably eaten
very little during his illness. Some cotton and rice are also placed
near the head of the corpse in the grave so that he may have food
and clothing in the next world. Mourning is observed for five days,
and at the end of this period the mourners should have their hair cut,
but if they cannot get it done on this day, the rite may be performed
on the same day in the following year.

7. Religious dance

The tribe worship Dulha Deo, the bridegroom god, and also make
offerings to their ploughs at the time of eating the new rice and
at the Holi and Dasahra festivals. They dance the _karma_ dance in
the months of Asarh and Kunwar or at the beginning