The women are tattooed either before or after marriage, the usual
figures being a peacock on the shoulders, a scorpion on the back of
the hand, and dots representing flies on the fingers. On their arms
and legs they have circular lines of dots representing the ornaments
usually worn, and they say that if they are destitute in the other
world they will be able to sell these. This indicates that the more
civilised of them, at any rate, now believe in a future life. They
also have circular dotted lines round the knees which they say will
help them to climb to heaven. Like the Gonds the men scarify their
bodies by burning the outer skin of the forearm in three or four
places with a small piece of burning cloth.