My contribution to a dowry :-
Continuing my piece on the Gypsies of Sri Lanka, I had a young boy from the Gypsy tribe, who had a 'green-stick' fracture of his fore-arm, taking treatment in my surgical ward at Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. The father of the child visited me at my residence in Batticaloa, to thank me for looking after his son. I had a long chat with him on the customs of his tribe. He told me that when they marry off their daughter, the dowry was, a bottle of arrack, a chicken and a dog. I had a very intelligent dog with me which was causing a lot of mayhem by bringing body parts of slaughtered animals home from a refuse dump close to our residence. I asked him whether he wanted that dog, to be given as dowry. He joyfully accepted. I told him that the dog might find its way back to our home from his residence, about 20 miles away. He said that they have herbs to give to the dog, to erase its memory. He led the dog away. A few weeks later I met him with his son in my clinic and inquired about the dog. His face broke into a broad smile. He said that the dog had a good hunting instinct and was happy in his new home.
It has been reported by Greek historians, writing around 100 AD that good hunting dogs, exported through the sea-port in Paanama, Sri Lanka, at that time were in big demand in Greece.
Continuing my piece on the Gypsies of Sri Lanka, I had a young boy from the Gypsy tribe, who had a 'green-stick' fracture of his fore-arm, taking treatment in my surgical ward at Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. The father of the child visited me at my residence in Batticaloa, to thank me for looking after his son. I had a long chat with him on the customs of his tribe. He told me that when they marry off their daughter, the dowry was, a bottle of arrack, a chicken and a dog. I had a very intelligent dog with me which was causing a lot of mayhem by bringing body parts of slaughtered animals home from a refuse dump close to our residence. I asked him whether he wanted that dog, to be given as dowry. He joyfully accepted. I told him that the dog might find its way back to our home from his residence, about 20 miles away. He said that they have herbs to give to the dog, to erase its memory. He led the dog away. A few weeks later I met him with his son in my clinic and inquired about the dog. His face broke into a broad smile. He said that the dog had a good hunting instinct and was happy in his new home.
It has been reported by Greek historians, writing around 100 AD that good hunting dogs, exported through the sea-port in Paanama, Sri Lanka, at that time were in big demand in Greece.
