Murmi
Contents |
Murmi
This section has been extracted from THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. Ethnographic Glossary. Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. . |
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Internal structure
Tamang Bhotia, Ishang, Sain, a Monolian or semi Mongolian caste , who clain to be among the earliest settlers in Nepal. About their origin little is known, nor do their own traditions throw much light upon the question; but their physical characteristics, and the fact that their exogamous divisions (thars ) bear Tibetan names, seem to lend support to the opinion that they are descended from a Tibetan stock, modified more or less by intermixture with Nepalese races. Like most Himalayan castes, the Murmis have a large number of thars, which are shown in Appendix r. The form of exogamy observed is the simple one that a man may not marry a woman of his own thai'. For the rest marriage is regulated by the standard formula mamem, chachem, etc., calculated to seven generations in the descending line, In the case of descents through females these prohibitions are not so strictly observed, and public opinion does not disapprove of marriages with tolerably near relatives, provided that the primary rule of marrying outside the thew is not departed from. 'The question of prohibited degrees among the Murmis is greatly complicated by the rules regarding adoptive brotherhood (mith, dosti, kanyaketi) very obscure subject which I have been unable to work out thorough¬ly. When a man desires to adopt another man as his brother, he sends a message intimating his feelings, and if the reply is favourable presents are exchanged. A. day is then fixed for the performance of the regular ceremony, at which a Brahman officiates as priest. The two friends stand facing one another, each with a rupee at his feeL 'The rupees are solemnly interchanged, and the pair bedaub one another between the eyebrows with the mixture of rice and curds used in the marriage ceremony. A fee of Re. 1 is paid to the Brahman, and the proceedings end with a feast.
Marriage
'The fictitious relationship thus established is regarded as equivalent to actual kinship. The adopted brothers may Dot address or speak of one another by name, nor may they talk to each other's wives, even though these may have taken part in the ceremony. Their descend-ants, again, are supposed not to intermarry till seven generations have passed. Some, indeed, say that this prohibition extends to the entire thar, and enumerate several tha1"s which may not intermarry by reason of their founders having contracted mith. Others, again, say that mith can only be entered into by members of the same thar', whose descendants in the first generation would in any case be forbidden to intermarry. Great importance is attachea to the (observance of the rules connected with mith. In British territory [L man who infringes them by marrying a woman within the for¬hidden degrees is punished by exclusion from the ' caste, and no Murmi will eat, drink, or smoke with him. In Nepal the penalties are said to be far more severe : the offender is denounced as har-phura,, and is liable to be sold as a slave, or, according to some accounts, to be punished capitally. Murmis may contract mith with Bhotias, Lepohas, Limbus, Khambus, Yakhas, Mangars, Gurungs, 'md Sun wars ; and members of the last six castes may even be admitted into the Murmi community. With the Murmis, as with most of the Himalayan castes, adult¬ Marriage prevails, and sexual intercourse before marriage is tolerated, it being understood that if a girl becomes pregnant she will disolose the name of her lover, and he will come forward to marry bel'. A bride-price (sot) of Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 in ornaments and cash is paid to the bride's parents. The marriage takes place at night in the house of the bride. A. Lama officiates as priest and besmears the foreheads of the couple with a mixture of curds and rice. '1'he bridegroom then puts vermilion on the bride's forehead and the parting of her hair and changes places with her, after which the Lama brings their heads together so that their foreheads touch (lagan). This is deemed the binding portion of the ceremony. Polygamy is permitted, but is to much resorted to in practice? and it is unusual to find a Murml With more than one wife. Widows are not allowed to marry again by the regular ritual; but they may be kept as mistresses, and the children of women so leept are said to be considered not inferior to those born in regular wedlock. Divorce is permitted on the ground of adultery or unsuitability of temper. Divorced wives may not marry again, but become concubines on the same terms as widows. In the matter of inheritance the Murmis follow a tribal custom of their own. Sons inherit in equal shares; failing sons, the father succeeds; then the daughters take equal shares. Failing daughters, the widow inherits, and in any case be must be maintained by the persons who succeed to the property.
Religion
The religion of the caste is not easy to define. We may discern in it a substratum of primitive animism overlaid by elements borrowed from Hinduism, and, less freely, from Buddhism. Everything tends towards gradual adop¬tion of the Nepalese form of Hinduism, and Buddhist usages are believed to be on the decline, though the Lama still serves as prie.t at a Murmi wedding, and flags stamped with the sacred om may be seen flying in Murmi villages. Notwithstanding this general tendency towards the triumph of Hinduism, some of the popular deities of the caste seem to belong to an earlier type. The stone fetish called Thangbaljho is honoured by winding cloth round it and sprinkling rice on its top; and every September goats and fowls are sacrificed and their blood poured forth on the stone. Similar offerings are made to Purbuja devata, a forest god who lives in a tree and visits with fever and rheumai,ism those who neglect his worship. Bhim Singh, one of the Pandava brothers, is worshipped at the Durga Puja with sacrifices of buffaloes, goats, fowls, and ducks. Sherkijho is a fetish of ill-defined attributes; while Gyong and Changresh i appear to be deified Lamas. Behind these again are the village and household gods, a shifting and shadowy multitude, which no man can number or describe, clamouring, like the ghosts who crowded round Odysseus, for their share of sacrifice and libation. Brahmans have not yet been called in to organize this chaotic Pantheon. Their functions are con filled to presiding over the ceremony of mith, and occasionally assisting at the worship of some of the standard Hindu gods. The daily religion of the ca te is looked after by Lamas or by any Murmi who has a turn for cere¬monial ministration.
Disposal of tho dead
The rich burn their dead and preserve a piece of bone to be deposited in a private gumpa. The ordinary practice IS to bury, the being laid in the grave with the head to the north and fire applied to the mouth. A small enclosure roofed in with a big stone is built round the grave, a cairn is piled on the stone, and a flag is planted hard by. For seven days after death the relatives of the deceased observe formal mourning and do not eat salt with their food. On the eighth day a propitiatory offering of meat, rice, eggs, plantains, and sweetmeats lS presented at the grave, and a feast is given by the chief mourner. For the next six months small daily offer¬ings are made in the house to a piece of cloth torn from the shroud of the deceased: at the end of that time a Lama is called in and the final ceremony is performed.
Occupation and status
The bulk of the Murmi caste are cultivators, and regard agricul¬ture as their original and fitting occupation. Many them serve in t e police, and Lama Murmis are enlisted as recruits by the 1st Gurkhas. In Nepal they are not reckoned among the regular fighting castes, hut they are admitted into the Kiranti regiments raised by Jang Bahadur some thirty years ago. A considerable number are employed as labourers on the tea gardens near Darjiling. In the matter of diet they have few scruples : they eat beef, pork, fowls, and frogs, and indulge freely in spirituous liquors. Notwithstanding this. their social status in the Himalayan region is respectable, and Nepalese Brahmans and Chattris will take water and sweetmeats from their hands. They themselves eat with Limbus, Khambus, Lepohas, and Bhotias.
In 1872 the Murmis numbered 6,557 in Darjiling and 23 in Jalpigori, while in 1881 they numbered 5,324 only in Darjiling.
