coloured
sept may be the offspring of some illegitimate unions. The Sati sept
apparently commemorate by their name an ancestress who distinguished
herself by self-immolation, naturally a very rare occurrence in so
low a caste as the Pankas. Each sept has its own Bhat or genealogist
who begs only from members of the sept and takes food from them.

4. Marriage

Marriage is prohibited between members of the same sept and also
between first cousins, and a second sister may not be married during
the lifetime of the first. Girls are usually wedded under twelve
years of age. In Mandla the father of the boy and his relatives go to
discuss the match, and if this is arranged each of them kisses the
girl and gives her a piece of small silver. When a Saktaha is going
to look for a wife he makes a fire offering to Dulha Deo, the young
bridegroom god, whose shrine is in the cook-room, and prays to him
saying, 'I am going to such and such a village to ask for a wife; give
me good fortune.' The father of the girl at first refuses his consent
as a matter of etiquette, but finally agrees to let the marriage take
place within a year. The boy pays Rs. 9, which is spent on the feast,
and makes a present of clothes and jewels to the bride. In Chanda a
_chauka_ or consecrated space spread with cowdung with a pattern of
lines of flour is prepared and the fathers of the parties stand inside
this, while a member of the Pandwar sept cries out the names of the
_gotras_ of the bride and bridegroom and says that the everlasting
knot is to be tied between them with the consent of five caste-people
and the sun and moon as witnesses. Before the wedding the betrothed
couple worship Mahadeo and Parvati under the direction of a Brahman,
who also fixes the date of the wedding. This is the only purpose
for which a Brahman is employed by the caste. Between this date and
that of the marriage neither the boy nor girl should be allowed to
go to a tank or cross a river, as it is considered dangerous to their
lives. The superstition has apparently some connection with the belief
that the Pankas are sprung from water, but its exact meaning cannot
be determined. If a girl goes wrong before marriage with a man of the
caste, she is given to him as wife without any ceremony. Before the
marriage seven small pitchers full of water are placed in a bamboo
basket and shaken over the bride's head so that the water may fall on
her. The principal ceremony consists in