Each _kuri_ (hamlet) or _tanda_ (caravan) had a chief or leader with
the designation of Naik, a Telugu word meaning 'lord' or 'master.' The
office of Naik [230] was only partly hereditary, and the choice also
depended on ability. The Naik had authority to decide all disputes in
the community, and the only appeal from him lay to the representatives
of Bhangi and Jhangi Naik's families at Narsi and Poona, and to Burthia
Naik's successors in the Telugu country. As already seen, the Naik
received two shares if he participated in a robbery or other crime,
and a fee on the remarriage of a widow outside her family and on
the discovery of a witch. Another matter in which he was specially
interested was pig-sticking. The Banjaras have a particular breed
of dogs, and with these they were accustomed to hunt wild pig on
foot, carrying spears. When a pig was killed, the head was cut off
and presented to the Naik or headman, and if any man was injured
or gored by the pig in the hunt, the Naik kept and fed him without
charge until he recovered.
The following notice of the Banjaras and their dogs may be reproduced:
[231] "They are brave and have the reputation of great independence,
which I am not disposed to allow to them. The Wanjari indeed is
insolent on the road, and will drive his bullocks up against a Sahib
or any one else; but at any disadvantage he is abject enough. I
remember one who rather enjoyed seeing his dogs attack me, whom he
supposed alone and unarmed, but the sight of a cocked pistol made
him very quick in calling them off, and very humble in praying for
their lives, which I spared less for his entreaties than because they
were really noble animals. The Wanjaris are famous for their dogs,
of which there are three breeds. The first is a large, smooth dog,
generally black, sometimes fawn-coloured, with a square heavy head,
most resembling the Danish boarhound. This is the true Wanjari
dog. The second is also a large, square-headed dog, but shaggy,
more like a great underbred spaniel than anything else. The third
is an almost tailless greyhound, of the type known all over India by
the various names of Lat, Polygar, Rampuri, etc. They all run both by
sight and scent, and with their help the Wanjaris kill a good deal of
game, chiefly pigs; but I think they usually keep clear of the old
fighting boars. Besides sport and their legitimate occupations the
Wanjaris seldom stickle at supplementing their resources by theft,
especially of cattle; and they are more than suspected of infanticide."
The Banjaras are credited with great affection for their dogs, and
the following legend is told about one of them: Once upon a time a
Banjara, who had a faithful dog, took a loan from a Bania (moneylender)
and pledged his dog with him as security for payment. And some time
afterwards, while the dog was with the moneylender, a theft was
committed in his house, and the dog followed the thieves and saw them
throw the property into a tank. When they went away the dog brought
the Bania to the tank and he found his property. He was therefore very
pleased with the dog and wrote a letter to his master, saying that the
loan was repaid, and tied it round his neck and said to him, 'Now,
go back to your master.' So the dog started back, but on his way he
met his master, the Banjara, coming to the Bania with the money for
the repayment of the loan. And when the Banjara saw the dog he was
angry with him, not seeing the letter, and thinking he had run away,
and said to him, 'Why did you come, betraying your trust?' and he
killed the dog in a rage. And after killing him he found the letter
and was very grieved, so he built a temple to the dog's memory, which
is called the Kukurra Mandhi. And in the temple is the image of a
dog. This temple is in the Drug District, five miles from Balod. A
similar story is told of the temple of Kukurra Math in Mandla.