THE

PREFACE

HE readers of this book will soon see that I havefollowed the intensive method of inquiry. Myobservations have been confined to the western portionof the Bilaspore district of the Central Provinces, India;in other words, to the Mungeli Tehsil. During a resi-dence of sixteen years, after acquiring the dialect ofthe people, I have gathered, at first hand, the materialwhich is now made public.

It is generally found that most of the primitive Glossar ::: zum Glossareintrag  primitivepeoples are exceedingly reticent as to their beliefsand practices. In order to gain anything like anaccurate understanding of their most inward thoughtsit is necessary to reside amongst them for a long while,and watch them when they do not know that they areunder observation. According to an English proverb," It is in sports and journeys that a man is known." Soin order to understand the real India- the India of thevillages- it is necessary not only to live amongst thepeasants of that land from year's end to year's end,through hot and cold and rainy weather, throughsunshine and shadow, but also to speak with themin their own dialect, and understand the exact signifi-cance of their most common words both in work andplay.

I have had the unique opportunity of fulfilling theabove requirements with regard to the villages ofBilaspore. When the people have been gladdened