# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1891_S30 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 30 The Lutheran Pioneer. A Letter from India. This letter is in answer to some questions, asked me, about the home life and customs of the natives. You might be interested to know in what kind of houses our native Christians live. They are sometimes built of brick plas- tered over, oftener of mud. They have sloping roofs high in the centre and rather low at the sides. There are, at most, only two rooms in the house, many contain but one; in these they sleep, cook andeat. They usually have a front and back door, but no windows. A very prim- itive fire place, built of mud, is in one corner of the room, here the cooking is done, the smoke finds its way out of the doors, or through the roof, which is thatched, or in better houses made of tiles. If the family is large, the room is screened off at night, forming several smaller sec- -tions, for the use of different members of the family. The fur- niture consists of a sufficient number of cots, which are wooden frames, raised a foot from the floor, with heavy girthing laced across. Mattresses or bed © - clothing are not used. In the cool season they often feel the want of cov- ering, and put a fire under their beds, ac- cidents have often occurred from this unsafe custom. The cots are usually put ‘outside during the day, and in the hot season the people sleep out on little porches, or even in the street, their houses, without windows, being too warm. Some families have a Jarge box in which their clothing is kept, but in most houses you find the clothes thrown over a rope, which is stretched across the room. Most of them have several chairs, which are offered to the Missionaries, but not often used by themselyes. In several houses I have seen pictures on the walls. Their ' food consists of rice and curry, eaten three times a day, bread is never used by them, it would be too expensive. The food for one person costs 3 Rupees a month, or 30 cents a week. The women do not have much housework to “do; of course some keep their houses in a more cleanly condition than others, The carrying of water, however, is entirely done by them, ‘they often go some distance for it, either to a ' tank or the river. It is carried in earthen or ' brass pots, balanced on the head. The prepa- ration of the curry takes some time. I think I hear you ask what is curry? I will try to answer. Either mutton, native vegetable or dried prawns, like shrimps used at home, are the basis. Ghee (melted butter) is heated, in which a few onions are fried, then the curry powder, which is made of a number of kinds of spices, the tamarind water, cocoanut milk, meat, fish or vegetables are added, and slowly cooked for a long time. This is eaten with the rice. The curry eaten by the natives is much hotter with red pepper and spices than that prepared for Europeans. Our curry as prepared by Jacob, the man Mr. Schmidt has had, since he first came to India twenty years ago, is very carefully made. We have learned to enjoy eating it very much. The rice as firat harvested is called ‘‘paddy,” “‘And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house:of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves,’ Matth. 21, 12. 13. and must be pounded to remove the husk. This work is always done by women, and even here as bought by natives in the bazaar, although thought ready for use, must be pounded to en- tirely remove the husk and clean it properly. And how do the men and women dress?~ The women wear a cloth from 7 to 9 yards long, which is fastened around the waist in such a way as to form a full skirt; no sewing or pins are necessary; it is crossed over the right shoulder, then covering the back is drawn up over the head. The cloth is often thin white material, with a gilt border woven across the end and drawn over the head, or it may be bright red or yellow. A small jacket is always worn, the arms are bare from above the elbow and the neck very low. Necklaces, bangles, earrings, nose jewels and silver anklets are worn. All natives have a weakness for jewelry, some of it is expensive, while some is poor imitation. The men wear a lower cloth of thin material, it hangs in loose folds, covering the limbs to the ankles, and looks very well. Most of our Christians wear a jacket, very much like the loose coats: worn at home, then the upper cloth is thrown loosely around them. If the jacket is not used, the body is covered with the cloth, with an end thrown over the left shoulder. Their costume is completed with a turban of either red or white material; it is often 8 yards long, wound in a mysterious way around the head. It is almost the universal custom for both sexes to go barefooted, a few men wear loose sandals, which are always removed before entering the house. Kate S. Saptier in Foreign Missionary. —— - 0