5. Funeral rites

The bodies of the old are cremated as a special honour, and those

of other persons are buried. No one other than a member of the dead

man's family may touch his corpse under a penalty of five rupees. A

relative will remove the body and bury it with the feet pointing to

the river or burn it by the water's edge. They mourn a child for one

day and an adult for four days, and at the end the mourner is shaved

and provides liquor for the community. If there be no relative, since

no other man can touch the corpse, they fire the hut over it and burn

it as it is lying or bury hut and body under a high mound of sand.

The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Volume 4 · 第 511 / 607 题