and the same explanation may be given of the barbaric method of the
Baigas of crushing a pig to death by a beam of wood used as a see-saw
across its body, and of the Gond bride and bridegroom killing a fowl
by treading on it when they first enter their house after the wedding.

15. Religion. The supreme deity

The following account of the tribal religion is abridged from Father
Dehon's full and interesting description:

"The Oraons worship a supreme god who is known as Dharmes; him they
invoke in their greatest difficulties when recourse to the village
priests and magicians has proved useless. Then they turn to Dharmes
and say, 'Now we have tried everything, but we have still you who can
help us.' They sacrifice to him a white cock. They think that god is
too good to punish them, and that they are not answerable to him in any
way for their conduct; they believe that everybody will be treated in
the same way in the other world. There is no hell for them or place
of punishment, but everybody will go to _merkha_ or heaven. The Red
Indians speak of the happy hunting-grounds and the Oraons imagine
something like the happy ploughing-grounds, where everybody will have
plenty of land, plenty of bullocks to plough it with, and plenty of
rice-beer to drink after his labour. They look on god as a big zamindar
or landowner, who does nothing himself, but keeps a _chaprasi_ as an
agent or debt-collector; and they conceive the latter as having all
the defects so common to his profession. Baranda, the _chaprasi_,
exacts tribute from them mercilessly, not exactly out of zeal for
the service of his master, but out of greed for his _talbana_ or
perquisites. When making a sacrifice to Dharmes they pray: 'O god,
from to-day do not send any more your _chaprasi_ to punish us. You
see we have paid our respects to you, and we are going to give him
his _dasturi_ (tip).'

16. Minor godlings

"But in the concerns of this world, to obtain good crops and freedom
from sickness, a host of minor deities have to be propitiated. These
consist of _bhuts_ or spirits of the household, the sept, the village,
and common deities, such as the earth and sun. Chola Pacho or the
lady of the grove lives in the _sarna_ or sacred grove, which has
been left standing when the forest was cleared. She is credited with
the power of giving rain and consequently good crops. Churel is the
shade of a woman who has died while pregnant or in childbirth. She
h