Dawn in Toda Land. By C. F. Ling. (Morgan and
Scott. Is. 6d. net.)—The Todas are an aboriginal tribe—at least they are of unknown origin—dwelling in the Nilgiri Wills. Their number is but small,—less than a thousand. Their occupation is pastoral; their social customs show a curious mingling of polygamy and polyandry. Among these people Christianity is making some progress, especially among the women, whose lot is a hard ono. This is a most interesting little volume. Incidentally it gives us some idea of the complexity of the task which British rule has to deal with. (The Todas, it may be added, have a small subject tribe called Badagas.) The Todas had tribunals of their own, but the headmen who composed them had no notion of justice, and the appeal to the British power had beneficial results.
Previous page
