Godna-wall

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Godna-wall

This section has been extracted from THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. By H.H. RISLEY, INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE, OFFICIER D'ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE. Ethnographic Glossary. CALCUTTA: Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. .

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A female tattooer. In Eastern Bengal, according to Dr. Wiso, Bediya women travel about the country with a bag, con¬taining a variety of drugs, a cupping horn (Singa), and a scarifioator (Nltmll). They attract attention by bawling" To tattoo, to oup, and to extract worms from decayed teeth!" They also prescribe lor female disorders. It is said that small grubs are kept in a bamboo tube, and while the patient's attention is occupied by the talk of the operator, a maggot is presented as if it had been extracted from the hollow tooth. For this trick the Godna.-wali. receives a suitable fee.

In tattooing the juice of the Bhangra plant (Indigojera linifotiG~) and woman's milk are the materials used, and the punctures are made with needles or the thorns of the Karaunda (Oarissa Ca/'undas). While the operation is being performed. a very equivocal mantra is recited to alleviate pain aUlI prevent any subsequent inflammation.

In respectable Hindu families an old nurse usually tattoos the girls. Now-a-days the ordinary tattoo design, either circular or stellate, is made at the top of the nose in the centre of the forehead; formerly the fashionable stain (Utliklll) was at the same spot, but Q, line extended along the bridge of the nose, branching out into two curves over each ala. Tattoo marks were originally distinctive Of Hindu females, but Muhammadan women copied them, and it is only since the Farazl revival that they have discontinued the habit.

Chandal women are often employed to oure goitre by tattooing. A oiroular spot on the mo~t promiuent part. of t~e swel~ing is punotured with a bamboo spIke, and oommon wk mIxed WIth the sap of the KaH Koshijia rubbed in.

Notes

There being no Natnis in Bengal, Bediya women travel about the country with a bag, containing a variety of drugs, cupping horn (Singa), and a scarificator (Naran). They attract attention by bawling "To tattoo, to cup, and to extract worms from decayed teeth!" They also prescribe for female disorders. It is said that small grubs are kept in a bamboo tube, and while the patient's attention is occupied by the talk of the operator, a maggot is presented as if it had been extracted from the hollow tooth. For this trick she receives a suitable fee.

In tattooing the juice of the "Bhangra" plant (Indigofera linifolia) and woman's milk are the materials used, and the punctures are made with needles, or the thorns of the Karaunda (Carissa Carandas); while the operation is being performed, a very equivocal Mantra is recited to alleviate pain, and prevent any subsequent inflammation.

In respectable Hindu families an old nurse usually tattoos the girls. Nowadays the ordinary tattoo design, either circular or stellate, is made at the top of the nose in the centre of the forehead; formerly the fashionable stain (Ullikhi) was at the same spot, but a line extended along the bridge of the nose, branching out into two curves over each ala.

Tattoo marks were originally distinctive of Hindu females, but Muhammadan women copied them, and it is only since the Farazi revival that they have discontinued the habit.

Chandal women are often employed to cure goitre by tattooing. A circular spot on the most prominent part of the swelling is punctured with a bamboo spike, and common ink mixed with the sap of the "Kali Koshijia" rubbed in.

1 Sanskrit, Mogha-Karman, one whose actions are fruitless.