83
BADAGA
tions, I was only able to study by surreptitious examination, when we met on the roads. In physique, the typical Badaga man is below middle height, smooth-skinned, of slender build, with narrow chest and shoulders.
Badaga men have cicatrices on the shoulder and forearm as the result of branding with a fire-stick when they are lads, with the object, it is said, of giving strength, and preventing pain when milking or churning. In like manner, the Todas have raised cicatrices (keloids) on the shoulder produced by branding with a fire-stick. They believe that the branding enables them to milk the buffaloes with perfect ease.
The Badagas have a very extensive repertoire of hora hesaru, or nicknames, of which the following are examples: —
| One who eats in bed during the | Bad-tempered |
|---|---|
| night | Left-handed |
| Snorer | Buffalo grazer |
| Stupid | Saliva dribbling |
| Bald head | Honey-eater |
| Brown-eyed | Black |
| Thin and bony | Spleen |
| Big head | Teeth |
| Bandy-legged | Potato-eater |
| One who returned alive from | Glutton |
| from the burning ground | Belly |
| Ripe fruit | Itch-legged |
| Big-thighed | One who was slow in learning |
| Blind | to walk |
| Lame | Tall |
| Big calves | Thief-eyed |
| Piles | Pustule-bodied |
| Liar | Scarred |
| Cat-eyed | Hairy |
| Fond of pot-herbs | Weak, like partially baked pots. |
| Rheumatic | Strong, like portland cement. |
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