161Extract XXII
(BG) Oḍḍuga:ḍu. Kalloḍḍu. I:ga aḍkugallu, matte e:ru kallu, etti maḍagida
oḍḍu, i: taradalli ade: adu. Adu oḍḍuga:ḍu. Kalloḍḍu, ba:ri ba:ri tad-
dira oḍḍu. Alli karaḍi ue ade, a: ja:ga:dalli huli ue va:sa ma:ḍa:de.
“Oḍḍi.ka ho:ga:daka a:ga:dille! karaḍi ade!” A: oḍḍi.ga ja:ṭa:de.
Oḍḍu iddale karaḍi a:ru uḍtade e:na ma:ḍde? Negedu uṭṭattu nanaga
ondu dina... 10
( Oḍduga:ḍu , kalloḍḍu. Consider Aḍkugallu , and E:ru kallu , the rocks
in these places are piled up; that’s what an oḍḍuga:ḍu or kalloḍḍu is
like. Lots of rocks piled on top of one another. There are bears there,
tigers also live in those places. “You shouldn’t go to the oḍḍu! There
are bears there!” (people would say.) The oḍḍu is off limits. When I
was in the oḍḍu , a bear attacked me—what did I do? I was attacked
one day...)
(MRM) Maragaḷu i:te alli?
(Are there trees there?)
(BG) Doḍḍa mara ille.
(There are no big trees.)
(MRM) E:n e:na mara beḷeda:du alli? Oḍḍuga:ḍinalli?
(What trees grow there? In the oḍḍuga:ḍu ?)
(BG) Adu ashṭe ide marave. Icci mara, kallicci mara, biḷicci, handicci, go:ṇi,
a:mele maruḷi... a: maruḷi hu:vina je: nu baṇḍa:de! Pairu je:nu...
(Just the same ones (you have here). icci ( Ficus nervosa ), kallicci ( Ficus
tinctoria ), biḷicci ( Ficus amplissima ), handicci (?), go:ṇi (various), and
then maruḷi ( Indigofera sp. ?)... honey from the maruḷi fl ower is deli-
cious! It’s good honey...)
The bear attack story related by BG contains many elements typical to an
oḍḍuga:ḍu —the presence of animals like bears and porcupines, large boulders,
sheer drops, plants characteristic of this kind of landscape, and fi nally, the presence
of honey , which brings people to places like this.
5.3.12 Bo:ḷiga:ḍu/beṭṭa bo:ḷi
Grassland found on the top of mountains is referred to as beṭṭa bo:ḷi.
Such places are devoid of trees (or indeed, anything other than grass or
other low-growing herbs), and are therefore appropriately named bo:ḷi
(‘shaved head’ in Kannada ).(^10) BG goes on to tell of an incident in which he was attacked by a bear while looking for honey in
an od.d.uga:ḍu.
5.3 Landscape/Forest Types in Solega