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The
concise guide to the Anglo-Sri Lankan lexicon -Part VI carnac (1727).
According to the OED2 it is "Rare. [in French, cornac, Portuguese,
cornaca, supposed to be of Indian origin, but not now found in any
Indian vernacular. Dr (Reinhold) Rost, quoted in Yule (i.e. H-J2),
suggests the Singhalese kurawa elephant-stud + nayaka leader; others
propose, for the first part, Sanskrit kari elephant.] The driver
of an elephant, a mahout." The corresponding
entry in H-J2 (spelt in the French fashion, cornac) explains in
more detail: "This word is used, by French writers especially,
as an Indian word, and as the equivalent of mahout, or driver of
the elephant. In Singhalese Kurawa = 'Elephant Stud.' It is not
in the Singhalese Dictionary, but it is in the official Glossary
of Terms, etc., and our friend Dr Rost suggests Kurawa-nayaka, 'Chief
of the Kurawa,' as a probable origin. This is confirmed by the form
Cournakea in Valentijn, and by another title which he gives as used
for the head of the Elephant Stable at Matura, viz. Gagi-naicke,
i.e. Gaji-nayaka, from Gaja, 'an elephant.'" Donald Ferguson
comments in "Anglo-Indianisms," published in the Ceylon
Literary Register, Vol. 1, Nos. 28 & 29, February 11 and 18,
1887: "The word carnac as meaning an elephant driver was, we
believe, used in the descriptive handbills of Carl Hagenbeck's recent
Ceylon Exhibition; but it seems to have no currency in our island.
It is, of course, kuranayaka, 'the chief of the elephant stud.'" H-J2 credits
the Dutchman Baldaeus with the earliest reference, from A Description
of the Great and Most Famous Isle of Ceylon (1672[English translation
1703]:825): "There is a certain season of the year when the
old elephant discharges an oil at the two sides of the head, and
at that season they become like mad creatures, and often break the
neck of their carnac or driver." The OED2 on the other hand
credits Churchill, from Collected Voyages (1727:III.825): "Old
elephants . . . sometimes kill their Carnak or Guides." I have come
across references to the word in the English translation from the
Dutch of "A Pertinent and Detailed Description of the Character,
Nature, Coitus, and Production of Elephants in the Great Island
of Ceylon," by Cornelis Taay van Wezel (1713). Carnax, as the
translator spells it in the plural, is included in a glossary of
the persons employed in elephant capture and keeping, and is defined
as "overseers and riders of elephants." There is also
the following: "The means or instruments which the carnax or
riders use to guide and regulate the aforesaid beasts consists only
of two iron hooks, provided with points, and long sticks or wooden
handles, of which the elephant is much afraid." The OED2 contains
an obsolete variant, kornack (1785), supported by a pair of quotations,
the earliest of which comes from the Europe Magazine (1785:VIII.362):
"The kornack sits on the tame animal with his sharp-pointed
hook." There is an
entry in both the OED2 and H-J2 for mahout, the more universal word
for elephant-driver of Hindi origin. However, neither work associates
the word with Sri Lanka, nor are any quotations from English literature
pertaining to the island provided. corral (1845).
"An enclosure for capturing wild animals; e.g. wild elephants
in Ceylon." The OED2 provides a reference by James Emerson
Tennent from Ceylon (1859.II.348): "In constructing the corral,
collecting the elephants . . . and conducting all the laborious
operations of the capture." The variant
kraal (1891) is recorded in the OED2: "In Sri Lanka, an enclosure
into which wild elephants are driven, also the process of capturing
elephants in this way. Also attributively. So kraal-town, a town
formed to accommodate the company assembled to view a kraaling of
elephants." The dictionary provides a reference by Ralph Pieris
from Sinhalese Social Organization (1956:185): "The pannikale
assisted in driving the elephants into the kraal or enclosure."
In addition,
the OED2 records the obsolete variant korahl (1785), the earliest
reference to which comes from the Europe Magazine (1785:VIII.360):
"A certain korahl . . . in which most of the elephants of Ceylon
are caught." There is a
corresponding entry for corral in H-J2: "An enclosure as used
in Ceylon for the capture of wild elephants, corresponding to the
keddah of Bengal. The word is Spanish for 'a court,' and Portuguese
'a cattle-pen, a padlock.' The Americans have the same word, direct
from the Spanish, in common use for a cattle-pen and they have formed
a verb 'to corral,' i.e. to enclose in a pen, to pen." " Of the
herds of elephants...the largest, whose height does not much exceed
nine feet, is a muckna, i.e. an elephant with short straight tusks,
which never show." nooser (1859).
"One who uses a noosed rope, especially for catching elephants."
This is the first of five terms concerning elephants (appearing
consecutively in this list) all of which, according to the OED2,
were first exemplified by James Emerson Tennent in Ceylon (1859).
However, earlier references, or antedatings, can be found for no
less than three of these terms. The OED2 is correct, though, where
nooser is concerned. Tennent (1859:II.157) writes: "The headman
of the 'coorowe' or noosers crept in." rogue (1840).
"An elephant driven away, or living apart from the herd, and
of a savage or destructive disposition. A rendering of Cingalese
hora, sora = Sanskrit chora, thief." Tennent (1859:II.327)
writes: "The outcasts of the herd, 'Rogues' or hora allia .
. . there is not probably one rogue to be found for every five hundred
of those in herds." However, this can be antedated, for the
following reference by Major Forbes is contained in Eleven Years
in Ceylon (1840:I.116): "He had certain information of a hora-alia
(rogue-elephant) that was little more than a mile from the resthouse." tush (1854).
"A stunted tusk in some Indian elephants." Tennent (1859:II.274)
writes: "Not one elephant in a hundred is found with tusks
in Ceylon . . . Nearly all, however, have those stunted processes
which are called tushes, about ten or twelve inches in length and
one or two in diameter." This too can be antedated, for Samuel
W. Baker writes in The Rifle and the Hound in Ceylon (1854:9): "Not
one in three hundred has tusks; they are merely provided with short
grubbers, projecting generally about three inches from the upper
jaw, and about two inches in diameter; these are called tushes in
Ceylon." For its informative
content, I like the following by Alan Walters from Palms and Pearls,
or Scenes in Ceylon (1892:141): "As a rule the Ceylon elephant,
called by the Singhalese gadjah, has no tusks, but in their place
a pair of grubbers or tushes, about 12 inches long and 2 inches
thick, set in the upper jaw . . . In Ceylon the elephant uses his
tushes to grub up the earth with, to strip off the bark of trees,
and to snap boughs and creepers." tusker (1840).
"A beast having tusks, especially an elephant or wild boar."
Tennent (1859:II.280) writes: "Some natives . . . attracted
by a noise in the jungle, witnessed a combat between a tusker and
one without tusks." This is another term antedated by Forbes
(1840:I.289): "The tusks (if it be a tusker), belongs to whomsoever
brings down the animal." tuskless (1859). "Having no tusks." In this instance the OED2 is correct in crediting the first occurrence to Tennent (1859:II.281): "The tuskless elephant." A reference dated 1895 is of relevance: "Apparently it is the male elephant that is usually found tuskless in Ceylon." Weaving
a designer's vision Dressed in
a handloom saree of soft grey, reflecting her love for hand-woven
fabrics, she was busy preparing for her exhibition and sale of designer
handloom material at the Barefoot Gallery, when The Sunday Times
caught up with her. "Hand-woven
clothes have character," she says, displaying some of her designs.
Elegant, modern, colourfully ethnic, they are quite unlike ordinary
printed textiles, for they seem to speak out, expressing the designer's
vision. They were soft and bright, muted and harmonious, just where
you would want them to be. In short, the ideal fabrics to make any
house a warm, cosy home. "Weaving
is an art form. Usually weavers are left to design their own textiles.
But this is not good. A professional designer could add quality
to the textile while utilizing the craftsmen and technology to their
fullest," Ms. Thenuwara said. An ardent believer
in promoting hand-woven fabrics, she spends most of her time lecturing
undergraduates and graduates at the Moratuwa and Open universities
on textile designing technology and colour theory for woven fabrics. "There
is a lot of talent out there but they are not appropriately incorporated
into the industry to make the most of their potential," she
said with some regret. Her exhibition
this month is the second in a series she held recently and will
be called 'Woven Colour II'. "I am sad to part with my life's
treasures. These are fabrics that carry my vision and ones that
brought out my ideas successfully," Ms Thenuwara said. The
fabrics have been designed by her over the years for the Design
Centre, Department of Small Industries, Kadawatha and for the National
Handloom Centre, Ratmalana. "This
collection did not come off production lines but was woven by professional
weavers at these two centres to set standards for subsequent production
at other workshops," she said. "This
presentation is therefore a celebration of Sri Lankan craft skills
without which my designs would have remained a collection on an
assortment of bits on paper. A highly skilled team of weavers interpreted
my scribbled colour/technical notes and converted them into faultless
woven fabric." The problem
in popularizing hand-woven material among the public is due to the
lack of skilled fashion designers and marketers. Efficient coordination
amongst designer, weaver and marketer would raise the quality and
demand for hand-woven fabrics in Sri Lanka and overseas, she says.
According to
her, it is not easy being a woven fabric designer. One has to be
aware of the technology of weaving and its limitations. "Most
of all it requires the slow, sensitizing of a person's mind set,"
she says. The exhibits
include fabrics in a range of colours and designs. There is a collection
of six lengths called 'Rainbow Trap where reversible spectrum colours
are double-woven on fabric, and 'Moonlight Shadow' reversible double
weave fabrics in shades of black and white. Also, black and white
bed spreads. Another collection of six lengths called 'Good Earth'
is woven in motifs of shades of brown and green. Two individual
lengths are decorative weaves. A collection of 'Colour Experiments'
where complex weaving techniques have been made use of, and several
cushion covers and wall hangings are included in the collection. The main range
is double-weave reversible fabrics which require excellent weaving
aptitude as two fabrics are woven together simultaneously to give
intriguing colour effects. The whole collection is available for
purchase. The entire proceeds will go to the Jaipur Foot Programme
of the Friend In Need Society as a token gesture of thanksgiving
for all our precious special talents. "I hope
the sheer joy and satisfaction that I have been privileged to enjoy
throughout my design career is evident in this presentation,"
Chandramani Thenuwara said. The exhibition
and sale is on from July 4 -14 daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the
Barefoot Gallery in Kollupitiya. |
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