The hereditary calling [83] of the Bahna is the cleaning or scutching
of cotton, which is done by subjecting it to the vibration of a
bow-string. The seed has been previously separated by a hand-gin,
but the ginned cotton still contains much dirt, leaf-fibre and other
rubbish, and to remove this is the Bahna's task. The bow is somewhat
in the shape of a harp, the wide end consisting of a broad piece of
wood over which the string passes, being secured to a straight wooden
bar at the back. At the narrow end the bar and string are fixed to an
iron ring. The string is made of the sinew of some animal, and this
renders the implement objectionable to Hindus, and may account for
the Bahnas being Muhammadans. The club or mallet is a wooden implement
shaped like a dumb-bell. The bow is suspended from the roof so as to
hang just over the pile of loose cotton; and the worker twangs the
string with the mallet and then draws the mallet across the string,
each three or four times. The string strikes a small portion of the
cotton, the fibre of which is scattered by the impact and thrown off
in a uniform condition of soft fluff, all dirt being at the same time
removed. This is the operation technically known as teasing. Buchanan
remarked that women frequently did the work themselves at home, using
a smaller kind of bow called _dhunkara_. The clean cotton is made up
into balls, some of which are passed on to the spinner, while others
are used for the filling of quilts and the padded coats worn in the
cold weather. The ingenious though rather clumsy method of the Bahna
has been superseded by the ginning-factory, and little or no cotton
destined for the spindle is now cleaned by him. The caste have been
forced to take to cultivation or field labour, while many have become
cartmen and others are brokers, peons or constables. Nearly every
house still has its _pinjan_ or bow, but only a desultory use is
made of this during the winter months. As it is principally used by a
Muhammadan caste it seems a possible hypothesis that the cotton-bow
was introduced into India by invaders of that religion. The name of
the bow, _pinjan_, is, however, a Sanskrit derivative, and this is
against the above theory. It has already been seen that the fact of
animal sinew being used for the string would make it objectionable to
Hindus. The Bahnas are subjected to considerable ridicule on account
of their curious mixture of Hindu and Muhammadan ceremonies, amounting
in some respects practically to a caricature of the rites of Islam;
and further, they share with the weaver class the contempt shown to
those who follow a calling considered more suitable for women than
men. It is related that when the Mughal general Asaf Khan first made an
expedition into the north of the Central Provinces he found the famous
Gond-Rajput queen Durgavati of the Garha-Mandla dynasty governing with
success a large and prosperous state in this locality. He thought a
country ruled by a woman should fall an easy prey to the Muhammadan
arms, and to show his contempt for her power he sent her a golden
spindle. The queen retorted by a present of a gold cotton-cleaner's
bow, and this so enraged the Mughal that he proceeded to attack the
Gond kingdom. The story indicates that cotton-carding is considered
a Muhammadan profession, and also that it is held in contempt.