Up to twelve years of age a Charan girl only wears a skirt with a
shoulder-cloth tucked into the waist and carried over the left arm
and the head. After this she may have anklets and bangles on the
forearm and a breast-cloth. But until she is married she may not
have the _wankri_ or curved anklet, which marks that estate, nor wear
bone or ivory bangles on the upper arm. [220] When she is ten years
old a Labhana girl is given two small bundles containing a nut, some
cowries and rice, which are knotted to two corners of the _dupatta_
or shoulder-cloth and hung over the shoulder, one in front and one
behind. This denotes maidenhood. The bundles are considered sacred,
are always knotted to the shoulder-cloth in wear, and are only removed
to be tucked into the waist at the girl's marriage, where they are
worn till death. These bundles alone distinguish the Labhana from
the Mathuria woman. Women often have their hair hanging down beside
the face in front and woven behind with silver thread into a plait
down the back. This is known as Anthi, and has a number of cowries at
the end. They have large bell-shaped ornaments of silver tied over
the head and hanging down behind the ears, the hollow part of the
ornament being stuffed with sheep's wool dyed red; and to these are
attached little bells, while the anklets on the feet are also hollow
and contain little stones or balls, which tinkle as they move. They
have skirts, and separate short cloths drawn across the shoulders
according to the northern fashion, usually red or green in colour,
and along the skirt-borders double lines of cowries are sewn. Their
breast-cloths are profusely ornamented with needle-work embroidery and
small pieces of glass sewn into them, and are tied behind with cords of
many colours whose ends are decorated with cowries and beads. Strings
of beads, ten to twenty thick, threaded on horse-hair, are worn round
the neck. Their favourite ornaments are cowries, [221] and they have
these on their dress, in their houses and on the trappings of their
bullocks. On the arms they have ten or twelve bangles of ivory,
or in default of this lac, horn or cocoanut-shell. Mr. Ball states
that he was "at once struck by the peculiar costumes and brilliant
clothing of these Indian gipsies. They recalled to my mind the
appearance of the gipsies of the Lower Danube and Wallachia." [222]
The most distinctive ornament of a Banjara married woman is, however,
a small stick about 6 inches long made of the wood of the _khair_ or
catechu. In Nimar this is given to a woman by her husband at marriage,
and she wears it afterwards placed upright on the top of the head,
the hair being wound round it and the head-cloth draped over it in
a graceful fashion. Widows leave it off, but on remarriage adopt it
again. The stick is known as _chunda_ by the Banjaras, but outsiders
call it _singh_ or horn. In Yeotmal, instead of one, the women have
two little sticks fixed upright in the hair. The rank of the woman is
said to be shown by the angle at which she wears this horn. [223] The
dress of the men presents no features of special interest. In Nimar
they usually have a necklace of coral beads, and some of them carry,
slung on a thread round the neck, a tin tooth-pick and ear-scraper,
while a small mirror and comb are kept in the head-cloth so that
their toilet can be performed anywhere.
Mr. Cumberlege [224] notes that in former times all Charan Banjaras
when carrying grain for an army placed a twig of some tree, the sacred
_nim_ [225] when available, in their turban to show that they were
on the war-path; and that they would do the same now if they had
occasion to fight to the death on any social matter or under any
supposed grievance.