ABSTRACT
When the hot weather arrives, Santals gather in enormous crowds for the purpose of a hunt. This hunt occurs wherever there are hills and throughout the Santal Parganas, each mountain or patch of jungle provokes a large assembly. When the date is announced, Santals from far and near come trooping in. They bring their night meal with them and camp beneath the trees. Since success in the chase depends on Pargana bonga, it is necessary to win the favour of his sister, the Rongo Ruji bonga. Once the date is decided, the dihri takes careful precautions. His wife brings a brass vessel of water, puts it inside the house and twice a day examines it for signs of danger. While the hunt is covering certain hillsides, the dihri moves quietly over to a selected spot a few miles away. As he climbs, his progress is marked by the dull thudding of a tumdak’.
