The Nahals were formerly a community of hill-robbers, 'Nahal, Bhil,
Koli' being the phrase generally used in old documents to designate the
marauding bands of the western Satpura hills. The Raja of Jitgarh and
Mohkot in Nimar has a long account in his genealogy of a treacherous
massacre of a whole tribe of Nahals by his ancestor in Akbar's time,
in recognition of which the Jitgarh pargana was granted to the
family. Mr. Kitts speaks of the Nahals of Berar as having once been
much addicted to cattle-lifting, and this propensity still exists in
a minor degree in the Central Provinces, accentuated probably by the
fact that a considerable number of Nahals follow the occupation of
graziers. Some of them are also village watchmen, and another special
avocation of theirs is the collection of the oil of the marking-nut
tree (_Semecarpus anacardium_). This is to some extent a dangerous
trade, as the oil causes swellings on the body, besides staining the
skin and leaving a peculiar odour. The workers wrap a fourfold layer
of cloth round their fingers with ashes between each fold, while the
rest of the body is also protected by cloth when gathering the nuts
and pounding them to extract the oil. At the end of the day's work
powdered tamarind and _ghi_ are rubbed on the whole body. The oil
is a stimulant, and is given to women after delivery and to persons
suffering from rheumatism.