Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7
Mar 2020 · Otbebookpublishing
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About this ebook
Excerpt: "...."We embarked," he writes, "in a boat (at Hampi on the Tungabhadra) which exactly corresponds to my idea of the coracle of the ancient Britons. It consists of a very large, round wicker basket, about eight or nine feet in diameter, covered over with leather, and propelled by paddles. As a rule, it spins round and round, but the boatmen can keep it fairly straight, when exhorted to do so, as they were on this occasion. Some straw had been placed in the bottom of the coracle, and we were also allowed the luxury of chairs to sit upon, but it is safer to sit on the straw, as a chair in a coracle is generally in a state of unstable equilibrium. I remember once crossing a river in the Trichinopoly district in a coracle, to take a confirmation at a village on the other side. It was thought more suitable to the dignity of the occasion that I should sit upon a chair in the middle of the coracle, and I weakly consented to do so. All the villagers were assembled to meet us on the opposite bank; four policemen were drawn up as a guard of honour, and a brass band, brought from Tanjore, stood ready in the background. As we came to the shore, the villagers salaamed, the guard of honour saluted, the band struck up a tune faintly resembling 'See the conquering hero comes,' the coracle bumped heavily against the shelving bank, my chair tipped up, [3]and I was deposited, heels up, on my back in the straw!... We were rowed for about two miles down the stream. The current was very swift, and there were rapids at frequent intervals. Darkness overtook us, and it was not altogether a pleasant sensation being whirled swiftly over the rapids in our frail-looking boat, with ugly rocks jutting out of the stream on either side. But the boatmen seemed to know the river perfectly, and were extraordinarily expert in steering the coracle with their paddles.""
About the author
Edgar Thurston (1855-1935) was a pioneering British ethnographer and superintendent of the Madras Government Museum in India. His work primarily focused on the diverse social structures and cultural practices of Southern India, making him a significant figure in the field of anthropology. Thurston's meticulous documentation and analysis of various communities provided an unprecedented glimpse into the intricate tapestry of Indian society during the British colonial period.Born in Kent, England, Thurston was educated at King's College London and later trained in medicine, which piqued his interest in human biology and ethnography. His career took a transformative turn when he was appointed to the Madras Museum in 1885, where he spent over two decades. His tenure was marked by extensive fieldwork, during which he employed both scientific rigor and a deep respect for the cultures he studied.Thurston's work was not without controversy. His ethnographic methods and the colonial context in which he operated have been critiqued for perpetuating stereotypes and reinforcing colonial power dynamics. However, his detailed observations have also been invaluable to later scholars and writers, offering a foundational understanding of South Indian ethnography.Influencing contemporary writers and anthropologists, Thurston championed the idea that understanding cultural diversity was crucial for a more comprehensive grasp of human civilization. His legacy is a complex blend of scientific achievement and the contentious ethics of colonial scholarship, making him a fascinating figure for modern readers interested in the intersections of history, culture, and science.
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