132 and separate temples; they believe in different things; have the same marriage law as the nairs; their brothers and nephews are their heirs. Another lower caste of people than these are the weavers, known as caletis. Their only way of earning their bread is by weaving cotton cloths and some silk ones, but they are poor quality and cheap, of the kind worn by low castes. They have their own laws and idolatry; their clan does not mix with any other, only the nairs can take their wives as mistresses, on the condition mentioned above. Many of them are nairs’ children and very good-looking; they carry weapons like them and go to war and fight well; they follow the same marriage law as the nairs and their children do not inherit from them. The women can do as they please; they do whatever they want with their bodies, but they do not mix with other clans than their own and the nairs, upon pain of death. In addition to the people mentioned, there are another eleven lower castes, with which the others do not mix or touch, upon pain of death, and which keep great distances from each other, making sure that their castes do not mix. The cleanest of these low, base people are the tiyan who are hard workers; their main occupation is to fertilise the palm-trees; harvest their fruits, and charge for transporting everything the land produces on their backs, as there are no pack animals; they dig ditches and earn their living from all kinds of manual labour. Some of them learn how to handle weapons and theyfight well when needed. Some of them carry sticks a fathom long to identify themselves, most of them are slaves on nairs’ lands, to whom they are given by the king to provide the nairs with food and sustenance, and the nairs make sure that they are looked after. They worship their own idols. Their nephews are their heirs; they marry, but their children do not inherit from them, because their wives openly earn their bread with their bodies, and do not refuse anybody, even foreigners. Their husbands are aware of this and allow them to do
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