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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #54160 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54160)
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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lushei Kuki Clans, by John Shakespear
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: The Lushei Kuki Clans
- J. Shakespear
-
-Author: John Shakespear
-
-Release Date: February 12, 2017 [EBook #54160]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project
-Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously
-made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS
-
- BY
-
- Lt.-COLONEL J. SHAKESPEAR
-
-
- Published under the orders of the
- Government of Eastern Bengal
- and Assam
-
-
- WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAP
-
- MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
- ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
- 1912
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Copyright.
-
- Richard Clay and Sons, Limited BRUNSWICK STREET,
- STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- I DEDICATE THIS BOOK
-
- TO
-
- "THANGLIANA"
-
- Lieut.-Colonel T. H. Lewin
-
- THE FRUITS OF WHOSE LABOURS I WAS PRIVILEGED TO REAP,
- AND WHO, AFTER AN ABSENCE OF NEARLY FORTY YEARS,
- IS STILL AFFECTIONATELY REMEMBERED BY THE LUSHAIS.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-TABLE OF CONTENTS
-
-
- Introduction xiii
- Bibliography xvii
- Glossary xix
-
-
- PART I
-
- THE LUSHEI CLANS
-
-
- CHAPTER I PAGE
-
- General 1
-
- 1. Habitat. 2. Appearance and physical characteristics.
- 3. History. 4. Affinities. 5. Dress. 6. Tattooing.
- 7. Ornaments. 8. Weapons.
-
-
- CHAPTER II
-
- Domestic Life 17
-
- 1. Occupation. 2. Weights and Measures. 3. Villages.
- 4. Houses. 5. Furniture. 6. Implements--Agricultural,
- Musical, Household. 7. Manufactures--Basket work, Pottery,
- Brass work, Iron work, Cloth manufacture, Dyeing,
- Ornamentation. 8. Domestic animals. 9. Agriculture.
- 10. Hunting and fishing. 11. Food and drink.
- 12. Amusements--Dances, Athletics, Games.
-
-
- CHAPTER III
-
- Laws and Customs 41
-
- 1. Internal structure--Formation and constitution of the
- Clan, Sub-division into Families and Branches. 2. Tribal
- organisation--The Chief, Village officials, Rights of
- chief, Boi, Sal, &c. 3. Marriage--Bride-price, Divorce,
- Widow remarriage. 4. Female chastity. 5. Inheritance--
- Adoption. 6. Offences regarding property. 7. Offences
- connected with the body. 8. Decisions of disputes.
- 9. War and head-hunting--Ambushing, Raiding, First use
- of guns, Head-hunting.
-
-
- CHAPTER IV
-
- Religion 61
-
- 1. General form of religious beliefs--Pathian the
- Creator, Other spirits, The world beyond the grave,
- Re-incarnation. 2. Ancestor worship--Offerings to the
- dead, Possession by spirit of the dead. 3. Worship of
- natural forces and deities--Spirits of hill, vale, and
- stream, The Lashi. 4. Religious rites and ceremonies--
- Definitions of terms used, Sacrifices, Epidemics, "Ai"
- sacrifice. 5. Priesthood. 6. Ceremonies connected with
- childbirth. 7. Marriage ceremonies. 8. Funerals--
- Description, Disposal of corpse of infants, Lukawng,
- Unnatural deaths. 9. Festivals--Connected with crops,
- "Thangchhuah feasts," "Buh-ai."
-
-
- CHAPTER V
-
- Folk-lore 92
-
- 1. Legends--Creation and natural phenomena, Nomenclature
- of hills, &c., Animal tales, Mythical heroes.
- 2. Superstitions--Connected with cultivation, with animals,
- house building, miscellaneous. 3. Snake worship--"Rulpui,"
- "The great snake," Other superstitions regarding snakes.
- 4. Omens. 5. Witchcraft--"Khuavang zawl," "Khawhring,"
- Origin of.
-
-
- CHAPTER VI.
-
- Language 113
-
- Lushai or Dulien, Grammar, Word for word translation.
-
-
- APPENDIX
-
- Families and Branches of Lushei Clan 125
-
-
-
- PART II
-
- THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS
-
-
- INTRODUCTORY
-
- Division of Clans into Five Groups 129
-
-
- CHAPTER I
-
- Clans included in the term Lushai 130
-
- Chawte, Chongthu, Hnamte, Kawlni, Kawlhring, Kiangte,
- Ngente, Paotu, Rentlei, Vangchhia, Zawngte.
-
-
- CHAPTER II
-
- Clans which, though not absorbed, have been much
- influenced by the Lushais 136
-
- Fanai, Ralte, Paihte or Vuite, Rangte.
-
-
- CHAPTER III
-
- The old Kuki Clans 148
-
- The old Kuki Clans of Manipur, Aimol, Anal, Chawte, Chiru,
- Kolhen, Kom, Lamgang, Purum, Tikhup, Vaiphei. Other old
- Kuki Clans, Khawtlang and Khawchhak.
-
-
- CHAPTER IV
-
- The Thado Clan 189
-
-
- CHAPTER V
-
- The Lakher or Mara Clan 213
-
-
- CHAPTER VI
-
- Language 225
-
- Resemblances between languages of clans, Change of
- certain letters, Comparative vocabulary.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
-
- PAGE
-
- Khamliana, Sailo Chief (Coloured Plate) Frontispiece
- Lushai Weapons, Ornaments, &c 10
- Lushai Men's Hair Ornaments To face 12
- Zawlbuk, or Young Men's House To face 22
- Plan of a Lushai's House 26
- A Rest by the Way--on the Way to the Jhums.
- Lushais and Pois To face 32
- Lushais Threshing Rice (Coloured Plate) To face 33
- Zataia, Sailo Chief and Family (Coloured Plate) To face 44
- Lushai Girls To face 53
- Copy of a Map of the Route to Mi-thi-khua, drawn
- by a Lushai 63
- Khwatlang Posts Erected to Commemorate the Slaying
- of Mithans at a Feast To face 65
- Chief's House showing "She lu Pun," the Posts
- Supporting the Skulls of Mithan Killed at One of
- the Feasts To face 90
- Cane Suspension Bridge To face 110
- Fanai To face 136
- Memorial Stone in Champhai, Known as Mangkhaia,
- Lungdawr To face 140
- Vuite Memorial To face 147
- Rangte Grave To face 147
- Aimol Nautch Party. The Youth is Holding a Rotchem To face 152
- Heads of Kuki Clans To face 184
- Memorial to a Man who has Performed the Ai of
- a Tiger 206
- Memorial to a Woman who has Performed the Buh Ai 206
- Lakher Chief and Family (Coloured Plate) To face 215
- Lakher Baskets To face 223
- Map At end of Volume
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTION
-
-
-This monograph was originally intended to deal only with the
-inhabitants of the Lushai Hills, but on my transfer to Manipur,
-I found so many clans living in the hill tracts of that curious
-little state that I suggested that the scope of the monograph might
-be enlarged to include all clans of the Kuki race as well.
-
-This term Kuki, like Naga, Chin, Shendu, and many others, is not
-recognised by the people to whom we apply it, and I will not attempt
-to give its derivation, but it has come to have a fairly definite
-meaning, and we now understand by it certain closely allied clans,
-with well marked characteristics, belonging to the Tibeto-Burman
-stock. On the Chittagong border the term is loosely applied to most
-of the inhabitants of the interior hills beyond the Chittagong Hill
-tracts; in Cachar it generally means some family of the Thado or
-Khawtlang clan, locally distinguished as New and Old Kukis. In the
-Lushai Hills nowadays the term is hardly ever employed, having been
-superseded by Lushai. In the Chin Hills and generally on the Burma
-border all these clans are called Chins.
-
-The term Lushai, as we now understand it, covers a great many clans;
-it is the result of incorrect transliteration of the word Lushei,
-which is the name of the clan, which, under various chiefs of the
-Thangur family, came into prominence in the eighteenth century and
-was responsible for the eruption into Cachar of Old Kukis at the end
-of that century and of the New Kukis half a century later.
-
-The Lusheis, however, did not eject all the clans they came in contact
-with, many of them they absorbed, and these now form the bulk of the
-subjects of the Thangur chiefs. In this monograph Lushai is used
-in this wider sense, Lushei being used only for the clan of that
-name. Among the people themselves the Lusheis are sometimes spoken
-of as Dulian, at the derivation of which I will hazard no guess,
-and the general population of the hills is spoken of as Mi-zo. Among
-inhabitants of the Lushai Hills are found a very considerable number
-of immigrants, or descendants of immigrants from the Chin Hills,
-who are found living among the Lushais under the Thangur Chiefs or
-in villages under their own chiefs. I have made no attempt to deal
-with these, as their proper place is the Chin Hills monograph, and
-Messrs. Carey and Tuck have already described them very fully in
-their Chin Hills Gazetteer.
-
-I am conscious that there are many omissions in this book; the subject
-is a very wide one and the difficulty of getting at the facts from so
-many different clans, each speaking a different dialect and scattered
-over an area of about 25,000 square miles is extremely great. I trust
-therefore that my readers will excuse all shortcomings.
-
-I have purposely avoided enunciating any theories and making
-deductions, considering it wiser to limit myself to as accurate a
-description as possible of the people, their habits, customs and
-beliefs. Regarding the affinities between the clans dealt with in
-this monograph and those described in the other books of the series,
-I venture to express a hope that the subject may be dealt with by
-some competent authority when the whole series has been published;
-until this is done no finality will be reached. It would be easy to
-fill several pages with points of resemblance between the different
-clans. Major Playfair, in his account of the Garos, has pointed
-out many ways in which the subjects of his monograph resemble the
-inhabitants of the Naga Hills, but reading his book I find many more in
-which they are like the clans I am dealing with. Sir Charles Lyall has
-drawn attention to the evident connection between the Mikirs and the
-Kuki-Chin group; I venture to think that a study of the following pages
-will confirm his theory. I may mention here that the main incidents
-of the "Tale of a Frog" given by Sir Charles are found not only in
-the folk-lore of the Aimol, as he has pointed out, but also among the
-Lushais, a very similar story having been recorded by Colonel Lewin in
-Demagri, 250 miles in an air line from the Mikir hills, and published
-in his Progressive Colloquial exercises in the Lushai dialect in 1874.
-
-My best thanks are due to Lt.-Colonel Cole, Major Playfair, and
-Mr. Little, P.W.D., for many of the photographs, and especially to
-my wife, my companion for many years in these hills, for the four
-coloured illustrations.
-
-I am also indebted to Rev. W. K. Firminger for correcting the second
-proofs and making the index. I must also acknowledge the assistance
-I received from many Lushais and others, notably Hrangzora Chuprasie
-of Aigal and Pathong, interpreter of Manipur.
-
-
-J. SHAKESPEAR.
-
-Imphal, Manipur State.
-
-September 12th, 1910.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-BIBLIOGRAPHY
-
-
-McCulloch, Major W. "Account of the Valley of Manipore and the Hill
-tribes; with a comparative vocabulary of the Manipore and other
-languages." Calcutta, 1859. Selections from the Records of the
-Government of India (For. Dept.) XXVII
-
- This is a most valuable book, full of useful information as regards
- all the Hill tribes of Manipur. I have made use of it freely in
- Part II., but space did not allow of my extracting all that I
- should have liked to reproduce. It would be well worth while to
- reprint this book, with notes bringing it up to date.
-
-Stewart, Lieutenant R. "Notes on Northern Cachar. Journal of the
-Asiatic Society of Bengal," Vol. XXIV, 1855.
-
- Another most valuable book, as regard Thados and Old Kukis,
- which would well repay reprinting. Both these books contain
- comparative vocabularies.
-
-Lewin, Captain Thomas Herbert. "Progressive Colloquial Exercises in
-the Lushai Dialect of the 'Dzo' or Kuki Language, with vocabularies
-and popular tales. (Notated.)" Calcutta, 1874.
-
- One of these tales is reproduced in Part II. The tales are well
- translated, but the Lushai is transliterated in a manner now out
- of date. The notes are as excellent as one would expect from a
- writer who certainly knew more of the Lushai than anyone else at
- that time, and who was more admired by them than any other white
- man has ever been.
-
-By the same Author. "The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers
-therein." Calcutta, 1869.
-
- A most fascinating book, full of information, expressed in
- good English. Pages 98 to 118 deal with Lushais and Shendus,
- i.e. Lakhers.
-
-By the same Author. "A fly on the wheel: or how I helped to govern
-India."
-
- The portion concerning the Author's life among the Lushais is full
- of interest, and his word pictures of the scenery and life among
- the people, for "Thangliana" as he was called really did live among
- the people, sharing their food even, are accurate and graphic. To
- few Europeans is the power given to mix thus with such savages
- and yet retain their respect. I once heard a Lushai's comment on
- a young officer who with the best of intentions tried to imitate
- the great "Thangliana." A friend asked him what he thought of
- So-and-So, the reply being: "I don't know what sort of man he is,
- all I know is, that he cannot be a sahib to live as he does."
-
-Carey, Bertram S. and H. N. Tuck. "The Chin hills: A History of the
-People, their Customs and Manners, and our Dealings with them, and
-a Gazetteer of their Country." Rangoon, 1896.
-
- A model of what such a book should be. The illustrations are
- particularly good. The Lushais and Thados are only touched. Much
- of the matter referring to the Haka and Klang-Klang Chins is
- applicable to the Lakhers.
-
-Lorrain, Herbert J., and Fred W. Savidge. "Grammar and Dictionary of
-the Lushai Language." Shillong, 1898.
-
- A very complete and accurate work. Unfortunately the standard
- system of transliteration has not been entirely adhered to.
-
-Soppitt, C. A. "A short account of the Kuki-Lushai tribes on the
-North-East Frontier Districts: Cachar, Sylhet, Naga Hills, &c.,
-and the North Cachar Hills." Shillong, 1887.
-
- I believe this is a useful accurate work, but have not been able
- to obtain it.
-
-Sneyd-Hutchinson, R. "Gazetteer of the Chittagong Hill Tracts."
-
- As regards Lushais there is not much of value, as they are beyond
- the scope of the work, but few being found in the Hill Tracts.
-
-
-Besides the above there are notes in the Census Reports of 1891 and
-1901, various military publications and gazetteers by Mr. A. W. Davis,
-I.C.S., and Mr. B. C. Allen, I.C.S., all of which contain a certain
-amount of useful information, but do not pretend to be more than
-notes giving succinctly the knowledge then obtained of what was then
-practically new ground. Colonel Woodthorpe's account of the Silchar
-columns' march to Champhai, though not professing to be an account
-of the people, is interesting reading. Round Champhai I met several
-men who had been there when the column arrived, and they all remember
-the little sahib who drew pictures; and would sit long looking at the
-pictures in his book and chatting to each other of the good old days.
-
-
-[Note.--On p. 6 of the present work the Author refers to a passage
-in Lewin's Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers therein,
-in which is cited an account of "the Cucis or inhabitants of the
-Tipperah Mountains written by J. Rennel, Chief Engineer of Bengal in
-1800." In reading through the proofs of the present work, it occurred
-to me that it would be important to discover whether the "J. Rennel"
-referred to by Lewin was or was not the famous Major James Rennell,
-Surveyer-General of Bengal, who is so often described as "the Father of
-Modern Geography." Major Rennell with his wife (née Jane Thackeray--a
-great aunt of the novelist W. M. Thackeray) left Bengal in March,
-1777, and reached England in February 1778. He died on March 29,
-1830. It seemed to me possible that the great Rennell might have
-obtained the information about the Kukis during his period of service
-in East Bengal, and that he might have published a memoir on the
-subject in 1800. Mr. W. Foster of the Record Department of the India
-Office very kindly informed me that no such a memoir could be traced
-at Whitehall, and drew my attention to Lewin's heading of the memoir,
-"From the French of M. Bouchesiche, who translated the original from
-the English of J. Rennel, Chief Engineer of Bengal.... Published
-at Leipsic in 1800." Mr. Edward Heawood, Librarian of the Royal
-Geographical Society, to whom I am indebted for much trouble taken
-in satisfying my curiosity, informed me that Bouchesiche gave what
-purported to be an extract, translated into French, from Rennell's
-well-known work on India, and that the Frenchman's book was printed
-in Paris in 1800, although there may perhaps have been a Leipzig issue
-also. The account of the Kukis given in Bouchesiche's work, however, is
-not taken from any known work by James Rennell. Dalton in his Ethnology
-of Bengal refers to what has been supposed to be the earliest account
-of the Kukis--a memoir by Surgeon McCrea, which appeared in 1799 in
-Volume vii of Asiatic Researches. Mr. Heawood most kindly hunted
-up McCrea's memoir, and found in it a reference to a memoir which
-appeared in Volume ii of Asiatic Researches, 1790. The title of the
-memoir of 1790 runs "On the Manners, Religion, and Laws of the Cucis,
-or Mountaineers of Tipra.... Communicated in Persian by John Rawlins,
-Esq." On investigation, Mr. Heawood found that the Memoir of 1790 is
-undoubtedly the original from which Bouchesiche drew his account in
-French, and of this the account, attributed to "J. Rennel" by Colonel
-Lewin, is a rough paraphrase. Note by the Rev. Walter K. Firminger.]
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-GLOSSARY
-
-
-Only the terms which occur often are given.
-
-
-Ai.--A ceremony performed to propitiate the spirit of an animal killed
-in the chase, or of a human being killed in war. The performer's
-spirit will own the spirit of person or animal killed in the next
-world. The term is also used for a ceremony performed to celebrate
-a particularly good crop--Buh-Ai, or Buh-za-ai.
-
-Boi.--Persons who have taken refuge in the chief's house.
-
-Dai-bawl.--A series of sacrifices to the demons of the hills, &c.
-
-Hlam-zuih.--Lushai. A first-born child that dies within a year of
-its birth and is buried without any ceremony.
-
-Hrilh.--A period during which no work must be done, after a sacrifice,
-closely resembling the Naga genna.
-
-Huai.--Lushai. Demons who cause sickness.
-
-Jhum.--A piece of land on which the jungle has been felled and burnt
-for cultivation.
-
-Kawhring.--A person whose spirit takes possession of another's body,
-the spirit of such a person.
-
-Khal.--A series of sacrifices to the demons of the village site,
-only performed by Lushais.
-
-Khuavang.--Lushai. A powerful spirit, sometimes used for "luck."
-
-Kum-ai.--Children's sleeping platform.
-
-Kum-pui.--Parent's sleeping platform.
-
-Kut.--Lushai. Festivals connected with the crops.
-
-Lal.--Lushai. Chief.
-
-Lashi.--Lushai. Mythical beings who control wild animals. Known also
-to Aimol and Vaiphei.
-
-Mi-thi-khua.--"Dead men's village." Expression used by all clans for
-the place of departed souls.
-
-Mi-thi-rawp-lam.--A feast in honour of the dead.
-
-Palal.--A man who receives part of the bride-price, and acts as
-trustee to the bride.
-
-Pathian.--Lushai. The Creator. Very similar names are used by all
-the clans dealt with.
-
-Pial-ral.--Lushai. The land beyond the Pial river, in the abode of
-the dead, to which the spirits of those who have acquired merit pass.
-
-Pu.--A word used in most dialects, meaning grandfather, maternal uncle,
-and other relations on mother's or wife's side. It is also used for
-a person specially chosen as a protector or guardian.
-
-Pui-thiam.--Lushai. Sorcerer, priest and medicine man.
-
-Ramhual.--Lushai. Chief's adviser as to distribution of jhums.
-
-Rem-Ar.--The cock killed on occasion of a marriage.
-
-Rotchem.--Mouth organ made of a gourd and reeds.
-
-Sakhua.--Lushai. The guardian spirit of the household and the sacrifice
-performed to him.
-
-Sawn-man.--Compensation payable to a father for seduction of an
-unmarried girl.
-
-Sherh.--Lushai. The portions of the sacrificed animal which are
-offered to the demon. Also the state of a house for a period after
-the performing of certain sacrifices, during which the entrance of
-outsiders is prohibited.
-
-Thangchhuah.--Lushai. A man who has given a series of feasts
-to his village. The expression is also used for the series of
-feasts. Honour in this world and comfort in the next are the reward
-of the Thangchhuah.
-
-Thian.--A woman who receives part of the bride-price, and acts as
-friend or trustee to the bride.
-
-Thir-deng.--Lushai. Blacksmith.
-
-Tlangau.--Lushai. Chief's crier.
-
-Upa.--Lushai. Chief's minister.
-
-Zawlbuk.--Bachelor's hall and guest house.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS
-
-THE LUSHEI CLANS
-
-PART I
-
-
-CHAPTER I
-
-GENERAL
-
-
-[1. Habitat.] The Lushei chiefs now rule over the country between the
-Kurnaphuli river and its main tributary, the Tuilianpui on the west,
-and the Tyao and Koladyne river on the east, while their southern
-boundary is roughly a line drawn east and west through the junction
-of the Mat and Koladyne rivers and their most northerly villages
-are found on the borders of the Silchar district. Within this area,
-roughly 7,500 square miles, there are only a few villages ruled
-over by chiefs of other clans, and outside it there are but few true
-Lushei villages, though I am told that there are villages of people
-very closely connected with the Lusheis, on the southern borders of
-Sylhet, in Tipperah and in the North Cachar Hills, and there are a
-few in the Chittagong Hill tracts.
-
-[2. Appearance and physical characteristics.] All the Lushai Kuki
-clans resemble each other very closely in appearance and the Mongolian
-type of countenance prevails. One meets, however, many exceptions,
-which may be due to the foreign blood introduced by the many captives
-taken from the plains and from neighbouring tribes; but these are
-not worth considering, and the description of the Kuki written by
-Lt. Stewart close on 80 years ago cannot be improved on. "The Kukis are
-a short, sturdy race of men with a goodly development of muscle. Their
-legs are, generally speaking, short in comparison with the length of
-their bodies, and their arms long. The face is nearly as broad as
-it is long and is generally round or square, the cheek bones high,
-broad and prominent, eyes small and almond-shaped, the nose short and
-flat, with wide nostrils. The women appear more squat than the men
-even, but are strong and lusty." In Lushai clans both sexes are as
-a rule rather slighter made than among the Thado and cognate clans,
-whom Lt. Stewart was describing. Adopting the scale given in the
-handbook of the Anthropological Institute, the colour of the skin
-varies between dark yellow-brown, dark olive, copper-coloured and
-yellow olive. Beards and whiskers are almost unknown, and a Lushai,
-even when able to grow a moustache, which is not often, pulls out all
-the hairs except those at the corners of his mouth. The few persons
-with hairy faces may, I think, be safely said to be of impure blood.
-
-The hair is worn, by both sexes, in a knot over the nape of the neck,
-and carefully parted in the middle. The young folk of about the
-marrying age devote much care to their hair, dressing it daily with
-much pigs' fat. Later in life they grow careless, and widows allow
-their hair to hang as it chooses. Children's hair is left to grow as
-it likes till it is long enough to tie up. Curly hair or hair with
-a pronounced wave in it is uncommon, and is much objected to.
-
-The women are prolific, five to seven children being about the average,
-but the mortality among the children is so great that few parents
-can boast of more than two or three grown up children.
-
-Both men and women are good walkers and hill-climbers, which is only
-natural, but for a race which lives exclusively on the hilltops the
-number of good swimmers is very large. Most men are not afraid of the
-water, and manage rafts very skilfully, making long journeys on them
-in the rains.
-
-Abortion is not infrequently resorted to when a widow who is living
-in her late husband's house, and therefore, as described later,
-expected to remain chaste, finds herself enceinte. Suicide is also
-rather common, poison being the usual means chosen. The cause is
-generally some painful and incurable disease, but very old persons
-with no one to support them sometimes prefer the unknown future to
-the miserable present.
-
-[3. History.] The existing Lushei Chiefs all claim descent from
-a certain Thang-ura, who is sometimes said to have sprung from the
-union of a Burman with a Paihte woman, but, according to the Paihtes,
-the Lusheis are descended from Boklua, an illegitimate son of the
-Paihte Chief Ngehguka. The Thados say that some hunters tracking a
-serao noticed the foot-marks of a child following those of the animal,
-and on surrounding the doe serao they found it suckling a child, who
-became the great Chief Thang-ura, or, as they call him, "Thangul." From
-Thang-ura the pedigree of all the living chiefs is fairly accurately
-established. The Lusheis, in common with the Thados and other Kuki
-tribes, attach great importance to their genealogies; and pedigrees,
-given at an interval of many years, and by persons living far apart,
-have been found to agree in a wonderful manner. From comparison of
-these genealogies and from careful enquiries lasting over many years,
-I estimate that Thang-ura must have lived early in the eighteenth
-century. His first village is said to have been at Tlangkua, north
-of Falam. It is probable that he personally ruled over only a small
-area. From him sprang six lines of Thang-ur chiefs:--(1) Rokum, (2)
-Zadeng, (3) Thangluah, (4) Pallian, (5) Rivung, and (6) Sailo. To
-the north the country was occupied by the Sukte, Paihte, and Thado
-clans. These appear to have been firmly established under regular
-chiefs; but to the west the hills appear to have been inhabited by
-small communities formed largely of blood relations and probably
-each at feud with its neighbours. Therefore when want of good jhuming
-land and the aggressions of the eastern clans made it necessary for
-the Thang-ur to move, they naturally went westward. The Rokum, the
-eldest branch, are said to have passed through the hills now occupied
-by the Lushais, and some of their descendants are said to be found
-on the Tipperah-Sylhet border. The Zadeng followed the Rokum, and,
-passing through Champhai, moved westwards and about 1830 ruled some
-1,000 houses divided into four villages situated near the banks of
-the Tlong or Dallesari river, round the Darlung peak. In alliance
-with Sailo chiefs of Lalul's family, they attacked and defeated
-successively the Hualgno (a Lushei family settled between Tyao and
-Manipur rivers) and the Pallian, who were their allies against the
-Hualgno. Subsequently the Zadeng quarrelled with Mangpura, then the
-most powerful Sailo chief, who, dying about that time, bequeathed
-the feud to his relatives, one of whom, Vutaia, prosecuted it with
-such vigour that the Zadeng, in spite of an alliance with the Manipur
-Rajah--who, however, proved but a broken reed--had to flee southwards,
-and their last independent village, numbering only 100 houses,
-broke up on the death of the chief, which occurred at Chengpui, near
-Lungleh, about 1857. The Zadeng chiefs are reputed to have been cruel
-and arbitrary rulers, whose defeat was not regretted even by their
-own followers. Their descendants have retained these qualities, and,
-in spite of much assistance, have failed to regain their position in
-the world.
-
-The Thangluah and Rivung took a more southerly course. The latter
-penetrated into what is now the Chittagong Hill tracts, and a chief
-named Vanhnuai-Thanga had a very large village on the Longteroi hill,
-between the Chengri and Kassalong rivers. He died about 1850, and
-shortly after his death the village was destroyed by Vutaia. The
-remnant of the Rivungs fled to Hill Tipperah, where Liantlura, a
-great-grandson of Vanhnuai-Thanga, had a village up till a few years
-ago, and there is one small hamlet under a Rivung chief in the Aijal
-sub-division of the Lushai Hills.
-
-The Thangluah penetrated as far as Demagri and Barkhul, where
-Rothangpuia (Ruttonpoia) became known to us, first as a foe, and
-then as a faithful ally. Rothangpuia's son Lalchheva, fretting at our
-control, moved his village across our boundary, in spite of a warning
-that Government could on no account protect him if he did so. Very
-shortly after this move he was attacked by Hausata, a Chin chief,
-and his village totally destroyed, many persons being killed and more
-taken captive. All the mithan (tame bison) were driven off and the
-chief escaped with little more than the one cloth he was wearing,
-and now the once prosperous Thangluah clan is represented by only a
-few poverty-stricken hamlets round Demagri.
-
-The Pallian followed the same route as the Zadeng. The best
-known chiefs of this clan are Sibuta (Sheeboot) and Lalsuktla
-(Lalchokla). Sibuta is said in Mackenzie's "Eastern Frontier"
-to have thrown off the Tipperah yoke with 25,000 houses. He died
-close to Aijal, and his memorial stone is at the first stage on the
-Aijal-Lungleh road. It is extremely doubtful whether he ever was really
-subject to Tipperah, though it is certain that all these Lushai clans
-had dealings with the Tipperah Rajahs and feared them greatly. Among
-the tales in Chapter V. will be found one which exemplifies this.
-
-Lalsuktla (Lal chokla), captured by Captain Blackwood in 1841, was
-a great-grandson of Sibuta's. Purbura is said to have been a very
-powerful Pallian chief and at one time to have received tribute from
-almost all his contemporary Thangur chiefs. He had a large village,
-said to contain 3,000 houses, on the Dungtlang, whence he moved
-as far westwards as Pukzing, where his village was destroyed by a
-combined force of Zadeng, Sailo, and Chuckmahs. This attack took place
-somewhere about 1830. Purbura rebuilt his village, but died soon after,
-and his descendants were attacked frequently by the chiefs of the
-Rolura branch of the Sailo family, and now only two small hamlets,
-close to Aijal, remain to remind us of this once powerful clan.
-
-The Sailo.--These chiefs are descended from Sailova, a great-grandson
-of Thang-ura's. They came into prominence last, but have crushed all
-their rivals, and have developed such a talent for governing that
-they hold undisputed sway over representatives of all sorts of clans,
-over nearly the whole of the area now known as the Lushai Hills.
-
-This great family has often come in contact with the British
-Government, but from the fact that our dealings with them have
-generally been through illiterate interpreters, they appear in our
-records under various names. The Howlongs, who caused much anxiety on
-the Chittagong frontier from 1860 to 1890, Lalul's descendants, whose
-doings fill the records of Silchar for nearly a century, Vonolel,
-Savunga, and Sangvunga, against whom the two columns of the Lushai
-Expedition of 1871-72 were directed--all these were Sailos.
-
-As above remarked, it seems most probable that the country into which
-the various Thangur chiefs moved, under pressure from the Chins,
-was almost entirely occupied by small communities having no power of
-cohesion. The greater part of these were absorbed, and now form the
-majority of the subjects of the Thangur chiefs; but some fled north
-and west into Manipur, Silchar, Sylhet and Tipperah, where they are
-known as Kukis and where their appearance caused much trouble, as,
-from the very nature of the cause of their migration, much ill-feeling
-existed between them and the triumphant Lushais. In Stewart's notes
-on Northern Cachar, it is stated that the Old Kukis made their
-appearance in Cachar about the end of the eighteenth century. These
-Old Kukis include the Biate (Beteh) and Hrangchul (Rhangkol) and
-other cognate clans who are now known to us as Khawtlang. They claim
-the hills round Champhai as their place of origin, and the sites
-are still known by their names. We have seen that the Lusheis claim
-to have sprung from a village south-east of Champhai, and that the
-Zadeng passed through Champhai on their westward move, which ended
-so disastrously for them. The advance of such tribes would be slow,
-and would be largely regulated by the rate at which they exhausted the
-cultivable land near their village sites; therefore the appearance of
-the Biate and Hrangchul in Cachar at the beginning of the nineteenth
-or end of the eighteenth century fits in well with the date I had
-assigned for Thang-ura, the first Lushei chief, before I had read
-Lieutenant Stewart's book. These Khawtlang clans to this day have
-little power of cohesion, and they naturally gave way at once before
-the well-organised Lushais, and fled north and north-west into Cachar
-and Manipur, passing through the territory of the Thado clans and
-suffering considerably at their hands. When the Thangur had firmly
-established themselves, and the capable Sailo chiefs had come to
-the front, they felt equal to fighting the Thado clans, which were
-as highly organised as themselves. The Sailo chiefs triumphed, and
-hence the eruption of the New Kukis, alias Thados, and cognate clans,
-into Silchar about 1848.
-
-In Colonel Lewin's "The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers
-Therein," page 109, is given an account of the "Cucis or inhabitants
-of the Tipperah mountains," written by J. Rennel, Chief Engineer
-of Bengal in 1800. With very slight alterations, this account is
-applicable to the Lushais of to-day, and I have no doubt that the
-Cucis therein described were the Rivung, the advance-guard of the
-great Lushai invasion.
-
-On the Chittagong side, we find, as early as 1777, records of frontier
-disturbances ascribed to "Kookies, men who live far in the interior
-parts of the hills, who have not the use of firearms, and whose bodies
-go unclothed" (Lewin's "The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers
-Therein," page 21). These Kukis were allies of the Chuckmahs, and we
-have seen that about fifty years later the Chuckmahs joined with the
-Zadeng and the Sailos in an attack on Purbura.
-
-The various branches of the Sailo family were frequently at war, the
-cause almost invariably being a dispute as to land. About 1856 a war,
-known as "The War of the North and the South," broke out and lasted
-about three years. The Northern combatants were the descendants of
-Lallula, their opponents being Cherra's family. The bone of contention
-was the Piler hill, and this quarrel was on the point of breaking out
-again in 1892, when Mr. McCabe and I, appearing on the scene from Aijal
-and Lungleh respectively, "frightened both the heroes so they quite
-forgot their quarrel." The war ended in a victory for the North, who
-surprised Konglung, a village on the top of a very precipitous rock,
-and captured the young chief and his mother, who later were ransomed
-for many necklaces.
-
-In 1874 the Southern Lushais fell out with the Thlantlang (Klangklang)
-chiefs. Vandula, head of the Lushais, had raided Vaki, a village on
-the Arracan border, and brought away as part of the loot a brass bowl
-and a big earthenware vase, which the Thlantlang chief claimed as
-being part of the promised price of his daughter, who had recently
-been married to the son of the Vaki chief. As Vandula refused to
-give up the articles, the Thlantlangs attacked a Lushai piquet on
-the Koladyne, killing some men. To revenge this insult, the Lushais
-attacked Bunkhua, with disastrous results, as is described in Chapter
-III, Para. 5, and had to make an ignominious peace.
-
-Later the Northern chiefs quarrelled among themselves, and the war of
-the East and West broke out and lasted several years. The cause is said
-to have been a girl called Tuali, for whose affections Liankhama and
-Khalkhama were rivals. It is unnecessary to go into the history of our
-dealings with the Lushais, which have ended in the whole of the Hills
-being annexed, and a stop put to all such wars, but when we occupied
-Lungleh in 1889 we found the Fanai clan coming into prominence, and
-there is little doubt that, but for our intervention, that clan would
-shortly have attempted to eject the Southern Lushai chiefs.
-
-[4. Affinities.] The Lushais are more or less closely allied
-to all the tribes now living in their vicinity, but some who show
-this most strongly, such as the Chiru, Kom, Aimol, are now settled
-in the Manipur State, while the intervening country is occupied by
-clans belonging to the Thado, Paihte, and Khawtlang families, which,
-though no doubt of the same stock, are more distantly connected. It
-seems certain that the former clans lived near the Lusheis when the
-Thangur commenced their victorious career, and it may well be that
-it was fear of absorption by their more powerful neighbour that drove
-these clans northwards, while the Lusheis took a westerly direction.
-
-The connection between the Lusheis and their eastern neighbours is
-apparent both in their language and in their customs, but the eastern
-tribes, known to us generally as Chins, are of finer physique and,
-owing to their having permanent villages, the differences between
-clans have become more marked than among the semi-nomadic Lushais
-and Kukis. The feuds between different clans, which are always found
-where permanent villages exist, tend to widen the breach between
-communities and to accentuate every accidental variation of custom,
-so that the common origin is soon lost sight of. Nevertheless there is
-no doubt that the Kukis, Chins, and Lushais are all of the same race.
-
-Less apparent but still quite traceable is the relationship between
-the Lushais and the Kabuis and Manipuris, though the latter nowadays
-try in every way to disown all connection with their poor relations.
-
-[5. Dress.] The men's dress could not well be simpler, consisting
-as it does of a single cloth about 7 feet long and 5 wide. It is worn
-as follows:--One corner is grasped in the left hand, and the cloth is
-passed over the left shoulder, behind the back, under the right arm
-across the chest and the end thrown over the left shoulder. Although
-it would appear probable that clothing so loosely worn would be
-continually falling off, yet, as a matter of fact, accidents of that
-sort seldom occur. In cold weather, one or more cloths are worn, one
-over the other, and also a white coat, reaching well down the thigh
-but only fastened at the throat. These coats are ornamented on the
-sleeves with bands of red and white of various patterns. When at work,
-in hot weather, the Lushai wraps his cloth round his waist, letting
-the ends hang down in front, and should he find the sun warm and if
-he is wearing two cloths, he will wear one as a puggri. Puggris are
-sometimes worn when out in the sun for long, and some affect rather
-a quaint style, twisting the cloth round the head so as to make an
-end stand up straight over each ear.
-
-All these garments are of cotton, grown locally and manufactured
-by the women of the household. The cloths in general use are white,
-but every man likes to have two or three blue cloths ornamented with
-stripes of various colours.
-
-The Lushais have a very strong objection to getting their heads wet,
-and therefore in the rain wear hats made of strips of bamboo or cane
-plaited and lined with smoked leaves. The original hats were almost
-flat and circular, but nowadays these have been discarded in favour
-of very clever imitations of helmets and solar topis. In the southern
-portion of the district the people use, as a protection from the wet,
-a large shallow basket-work tray, shaped like an oyster shell, and
-made waterproof by being lined with smoked leaves; the narrow end
-rests on the wearer's head, while the broad end reaches down well
-below the waist, so that, while bending down weeding in the jhum,
-the head and body are kept dry. This form of waterproof is not much
-used in the northern portion of the Lushai Hills, but is common
-among the Chiru and other allied clans in Manipur. As the Lushai has
-no pockets, he carries, wherever he goes, a haversack made of some
-pretty coloured cotton cloth slung over his shoulder by a strap of
-the same material. In this he carries his flint and steel and his
-tobacco, in neatly made boxes carved out of solid pieces of wood and
-fitted with lids of the same material, or of leather moulded into
-shape by being stretched over a block. His pipe is generally in his
-mouth; it consists of a bowl made out of a particularly hard kind
-of bamboo which is only found in the Chin hills--whence the Lushais
-claim to have sprung--with a long stem made of a reed-like variety
-of the same plant. When not in his mouth, this also reposes in his
-haversack along with his "tuibur," a small gourd to hold the water
-which has been impregnated with nicotine in the pipe of his wife or
-sweetheart. A little of this evil-smelling concoction he takes into
-his mouth from time to time and, having kept it there a few minutes,
-he spits it out and declares that it has a stimulating effect. In his
-haversack you will also find his knife, the wooden sheath tied to
-one of the shoulder straps so that the handle is always convenient
-to his hand. The blade is about four or five inches long and nearly
-an inch wide at the handle, but comes to a sharp point; the edge is
-straight and ground like a chisel.
-
-The dress of the chiefs is the same as that of the common people,
-except on occasions of ceremony, when they wear dark blue cloths,
-with red lines of a particular pattern, and plumes, made of the tail
-feathers of the king-crow, in their hair knots. These plumes are very
-much prized and are kept most carefully in bamboo tubes with leather
-caps. The cloth referred to above can also be worn by anyone who has
-given certain feasts, as described later on.
-
-Dress in War-time.--When the Lushais were fighting us in 1892 I was
-much struck by the whiteness of their garments. The men who ran away
-from the stockades as we rushed them were always dressed in nice
-clean coats and cloths, and crowds of similarly attired warriors
-used to assemble every morning just out of range and challenge us
-to come and fight. I was told that it was considered the correct
-thing to come properly dressed when there was fighting on hand, but
-a raiding party I once came across was dressed far more suitably. A
-single cloth wrapped tightly round the waist, a haversack protected
-by a bear or tiger skin guard over one shoulder, and a fighting dao
-or dah over the other, and a gun in his hand completed each warrior's
-equipment. It will be seen from the above description that the Lushais
-are not fond of dress, and this is another point in which all Kuki
-clans differ from those of Naga stock.
-
-Special Attire.--A man who has earned the title of "Thangchhuah"
-(v. Chap. IV, 9) is allowed to wear a cloth of a certain pattern and
-those who have killed men in war have special head-dresses, known as
-"chhawndawl" and "arke-ziak."
-
-The Women's Dress.--The women are no more addicted to fine clothes
-than their men-folk. All women wear the same costume; a dark-blue
-cotton cloth, just long enough to go round the wearer's waist with
-a slight over-lap, and held up by a girdle of brass wire or string,
-serves as a petticoat which only reaches to the knee, the only other
-garments being a short white jacket and a cloth which is worn in
-the same manner as the men. On gala days the only addition to the
-costume is a picturesque head-dress worn by girls while dancing. This
-consists of a chaplet made of brass and coloured cane, into which
-are inserted porcupine quills, and to the upper ends of these are
-fixed the green wing-feathers of the common parrot, tipped with tufts
-of red wool. At the back is affixed a horizontal bar from which hang
-strings of glistening wing covers of green beetles. The women smoke as
-much as the men and have a special form of pipe, a miniature hookah
-about 9 inches high with a clay bowl, the water container being of
-bamboo much ornamented with patterns roughly scratched. The water
-when thoroughly impregnated is transferred to the "tuibur" gourd of
-some male relative or admirer. Children of both sexes begin smoking
-very young. I have seen a woman take her pipe from her mouth and put
-it into that of the baby on her back.
-
-[6. Tattooing.] This is not much practised. The only patterns
-employed are circles on the forearm and breast, which are said
-to be mementoes of love affairs in happy bachelor days, and rude
-representations of a metna's head, which is said to have no particular
-meaning.
-
-[7. Ornaments worn by men.] The Lushai wears a variety of articles
-in his hair knot. The commonest is a brass two-pronged pin with a head
-shaped like a G. The prongs are drawn out to sharp points and vary in
-length from three to eight or nine inches. These very long pins are a
-recent innovation, and their use seems to be restricted to the young
-dandies of the hamlets round Aijal. Skewers of ivory, bone, and metal
-about six or eight inches long are also worn. Of the two former there
-are two patterns, one four-sided, about a quarter of an inch thick at
-two thirds of its length, tapering to a point at each end, the other
-being flat, pointed at one end and about half an inch broad at the
-other. Both are ornamented with engraved circles and lines. The metal
-skewers are quite plain and more for use in scratching the head than
-for ornament; a piece of the rib of a broken umbrella is now often
-used. The hair comb is also an ornamental article; it consists of a
-piece of ivory or wood about three inches long, half an inch thick
-and an inch or so wide, into which are inserted, very close together,
-teeth of strips of bamboo about two inches long. If the back is of
-wood it is generally crescent-shaped and lacquered red and inlaid.
-
-With reference to the comb I may quote from Colonel McCulloch's
-descriptions of the Thados in his "Account of the Valley of
-Manipur":--"Their attention to genealogy, the distinction of clans,
-and the respect paid to seniors, I have already noticed. Out of this
-may have sprung the only exclusiveness shown by the Khonjai (Thado),
-namely, in the point of who would be entitled to use his comb and
-whose comb he might use. This, though amongst them a very important
-matter, I cannot find to have any religious importance attached to
-it, but there is an indication of the superior rank in respect of
-descent or by connection, or of estimation in which an individual is
-held or holds himself to be found to whom he would refuse his comb,
-or amongst whom his comb is common." My Lushai informant says that
-the use of the comb is restricted, as headaches are communicated by
-the comb. He also adds, "A higher clan man is contaminated by a lower
-clan man using his comb. Thus a Renthlei may not use a Sailo's hair
-comb, and a Chawngthu may not use that of a Pallian."
-
-Earrings.--Most men have their ears pierced, and wear either small
-wooden studs, with flat heads about half an inch in diameter, and
-coloured red, or cornelians suspended by a piece of string. The stones
-are barrel-shaped and unpolished, the surface being pitted with minute
-holes and circular marks. These are valued very highly, and are passed
-on from father to son, or given as a daughter's dowry. Some of them
-have names connecting them with some story of bygone days. These
-naturally fetch higher prices. I know of stones valued at Rs. 400/-.
-
-Necklaces.--Both sexes are fond of necklaces: those of amber are most
-valued, and any that have histories attached to them fetch prices
-which to us seem absurd. I remember a chief, who was offered Rs. 60/-
-for his necklace, replying that if the Sahib wanted the necklace he
-would give it him, but that he would not sell it for Rs. 1000/- as it
-had been the property of his ancestors. The old necklaces are made of
-very dark amber, beautifully clear, and the beads are sometimes two to
-three inches long and over an inch in diameter. There is some doubt
-as to where these beads came from, but it is probable that they came
-through the Chin hills from Burmah. Besides amber, agate, cornelian,
-and various sorts of bead necklaces are worn, or, failing all these,
-white shirt buttons are acceptable.
-
-A tiger's tooth is often hung round the neck as an ornament and is
-also thought to have magical properties. The young dandies are fond
-of hanging round their necks tufts of white goat's hair bound together
-with red thread; these are now worn as ornaments, but undoubtedly the
-custom arose from the idea that cures are effected by hanging round
-the affected part a piece of the skin or feathers of the animal or
-bird sacrificed to the demon, who is thought to be responsible for
-the illness.
-
-Bracelets are not much worn and are generally plain brass rings.
-
-Ornaments Worn by Women.--With the exception of their earrings,
-the Lushai women affect the same ornaments as the men. The earrings,
-however, are quite distinct, and, in order to be able to wear them,
-much preparation is necessary. When quite a child the girl has her
-ears pierced, and small wooden plugs are inserted. These are replaced
-by larger ones, which in turn give place to still larger ones of clay,
-the size of which is gradually increased till the real earring, which
-is an ivory disc some inch or inch and a half in diameter, with a hole
-in its centre, can be inserted. Widows remove their earrings, and slit
-the lobes of their ears when they abandon all thought of re-marrying.
-
-[8. Weapons.] The Lushais have been in possession of firearms
-for the last sixty or seventy years. These weapons are flint-locks
-bearing the names of many European makers; many are Tower muskets,
-and guns bearing the marks of the French Customs Department are not
-at all rare. These guns came into the country in the first instance
-chiefly through Burmah, though no doubt some came through Chittagong,
-and much money must have been made, for the demand was large. When
-the weapons first began to appear, the Lushais and other western
-tribes used to obtain them from the tribes on the Burmah border,
-giving slaves in exchange, a strong male slave being equivalent to
-two guns. The other weapons in use are spears and dahs. The former
-are inferior weapons with iron laurel-leaf shaped blades about a
-foot or fifteen inches long, very insecurely attached to the shaft,
-which is of hard wood, often a piece of sago palm; at the other end
-of the shaft is a long iron spike which is stuck into the ground when
-the user halts. A special spear is used for sacrificial purposes,
-the blade of which is much longer and diamond-shaped. The spike at
-the other end is also much elongated, so that sometimes the wooden
-shaft is only six or seven inches long. The dah is a more serviceable
-weapon, being copied, as its name "kawlnam" denotes, from the Burmese
-weapon, but the blade is shorter, the handle is of wood lacquered
-black and red, and ornamented with brass bands and a brass knob at
-the end. In former days oblong shields of bison-hide eighteen inches
-wide and about two feet long, adorned at the two upper corners with
-tassels of goat's hair dyed red, were carried. The upper half of the
-shield was sometimes covered with discs of brass, while from a string
-crossing the centre of the shield hung a row of brass cones about two
-inches long, from each of which depended a tassel of red goat's hair,
-reaching to the base of the shield. Bows and arrows have entirely gone
-out of use, but were formerly used, especially in the chase, when
-the arrows were poisoned. The bows were small and made of bamboo,
-the string being of bark. The arrows were furnished with barbed
-iron points, and were carried in a bamboo quiver with a leather cap
-to it. Among weapons we must class the bamboo spikes with which a
-retreating foe or villagers expecting an attack rendered the ground
-almost impassable to a bare-footed enemy. These spikes were of two
-kinds, one used round the village or block house, and the other,
-carried in a neat little cane-work quiver, and stuck in the path
-when returning from a raid to delay pursuit. The former were simple
-bamboo spikes of various lengths, while the latter were carefully
-smoothed bamboo spikes about six inches long, and no thicker than
-a knitting needle; each sort was nicked so that it might break off
-after entering the flesh. To a bare-footed foe these spikes form a
-very serious obstacle, and even our troops have suffered from them,
-the spikes being sometimes long enough to reach to a man's knee.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II
-
-DOMESTIC LIFE
-
-
-[1. Occupation.] The entire population may be classed
-as agriculturists, as only a few people, as will be afterwards
-described, live on contributions of rice given them in exchange for
-services rendered to the community. There are no shop-keepers, and,
-except the blacksmith, no craftsmen, each household being capable of
-existing on its own labours. The men build the house and cut the jhum,
-they help in the weeding and harvesting, and procure fresh meat by
-their skill in setting snares and hunting. Periodically they visit
-the nearest bazar, often a journey of several days, to purchase
-salt and the few requisites that their own industry cannot produce,
-consisting chiefly of brass cooking pots, iron to be made into daos
-or finished daos. Nowadays, it is true, the wants of the people
-are slowly increasing, and looking-glasses, umbrellas, needles,
-and Manchester goods are finding their way into the most remote
-villages. The women folk fetch the wood and water, cook the food and
-do the greatest part of the weeding and harvesting; they also make all
-the clothing for the whole household from cotton grown in the jhums,
-which they themselves gather, clean, spin, and weave into strong cloth.
-
-A Lushai woman has to rise early, fill her basket with empty bamboo
-tubes, and trudge off before daylight down to the spring, which is
-generally some way down the hill, and the supply of water is frequently
-so scanty that it takes her some time to fill her bamboos. Having
-conveyed her basketful to the house, she has to set to work cleaning
-the rice for the day. The necessary amount of unhusked rice has been
-dried the previous day on the shelf over the hearth, and this she now
-proceeds to pound in a mortar in the front verandah, and winnow on an
-oval bamboo tray till it is clean enough for use. The breakfast of
-rice has then to be cooked, and by the time it is ready her husband
-is awake. After the meal the real work of the day begins. In the cold
-weather the women settle themselves to some of the operations connected
-with clothmaking, while the men prepare to pass a day of complete
-enjoyment, lying in the sun and smoking, the younger ones combining
-this with courting any of the pretty clothmakers; while the children
-play around entirely uncontrolled, save when a shrill-voiced mother
-calls one of them to assist her in some domestic operation. About noon
-there is a meal of rice and herbs, after which work is resumed and
-continued till the evening, when the housewife has to make another
-journey to the spring, and on her return the pigs must be fed with
-a mixture composed of rice husks and a species of edible arum bulb,
-mashed and boiled together, the fowls enticed into their baskets,
-and finally the family collected for the evening meal, which varies
-little from the two previous ones, but some garnish, a little meat,
-dried fish, or some savoury vegetable is generally added. As soon as
-it is dark, all the female members of the family gather round the
-hearth, and carry on such work as can be carried on by what light
-they can get from the fire; though in villages near fir forests some
-pine splinters are generally kept handy for use when an extra bright
-light is required for a few minutes. The men either gather in the
-"zawlbuk" or in some house where there is drink going, but the young
-bucks sneak off to court their lady loves, which the girls' parents
-give them every facility for doing. In the other seasons of the year,
-that is from March to December, the people are engaged in their jhums
-from the morning to the evening meal, as is described later on.
-
-Lushai parents are very fond of their children, and fathers are
-often seen carrying their infants about. In times of scarcity, what
-rice can be got is reserved for the young children, the rest of
-the people living on yams, jungle vegetables, and the pith of the
-sago palm. The children assist their parents as much as they can,
-tiny girls accompanying their mothers to the spring, and bringing
-up one or two bamboos of water, while the lads help their fathers in
-cutting the jhum. No one, however, takes any care of children, and they
-are allowed to run about the village as they like, in all weathers,
-which no doubt accounts largely for the heavy mortality among them,
-as their clothing is of the scantiest.
-
-Teknonymy is very common. The parents of a child called Thanga will
-generally be known as Thanga-Pa and Thanga-Nu, and I have come across
-old widows whose real names were unknown. There is a strong and
-general dislike among all Lushais to saying their own names. When
-we first occupied the hills, a man would not tell you his name; if
-asked he would refer to someone else and say, "You tell him." The
-following explanation, given me by a Lushai, seems to me scarcely
-satisfactory:--"Lushais are shy of saying the name of their father
-and mother and their own names. Because it is their own name they
-are shy of saying it. Some people are shy because their names are
-bad. Their parents' names--because they are their parents they never
-call them by their names, therefore they are shy of saying them. Their
-own names also they never say; just for that reason they are shy of
-saying them. The names of their brothers and friends they are always
-saying, therefore they are not shy of saying them." Long ago another
-explanation was given me. When a man kills another, he calls out his
-own name: "I, Lalmanga, have killed you!" so that the spirit of the
-dying man may know whose slave he will be in Mithi-Khua, the dead
-man's village; it was suggested that it was unlucky to say one's name
-on less important occasions.
-
-[2. Weights and Measures.] In every village there is a small flat
-basket, the size of which is fixed by the chief, which is used for
-all retail dealings in rice and such goods, but large quantities are
-measured by the number of loads, a load being about 50 lbs. After the
-harvest the unhusked rice is piled in a conical heap. A Lushai will
-tell you that his crop is "chhip-zawn," that is, the heap is level
-with the top of his head; "silai-zawn," that is, level with the end
-of his gun held up perpendicularly over his head. This is about a
-record crop; lesser quantities are denoted by the height of his hand
-or hoe or axe held up. Time he measures by the time a pot of rice
-takes to cook--i.e., about an hour--or by the time he can hold a sip
-of nicotine in his mouth; he has terms for each period of the day,
-denoting the usual occupation; he also divides the year according to
-the agricultural occupation proper to it. Terms expressing measures
-of length are very numerous. Short lengths are expressed by reference
-to the human body, as we speak of a span; but the Lushai has sixteen
-or seventeen of these, extending from "chang-khat"--i.e., from the
-tip to the first joint of the first finger--to "hlam," which is the
-distance a man can stretch with both arms extended. Longer distances
-he expresses by terms such as the distance of the nearest jhum,
-the distance of the furthest jhum, the distance a mithan will wander
-during the day, the distance a man can travel before his mid-day meal,
-&c.--terms which, though well understood by the people, are a little
-perplexing to strangers. Measures of weight are scanty; a curious
-one is "chuai"--i.e., as much as can be supported if suspended from
-the tip of the first finger palm downwards. Many of the stars and
-constellations have received names; most of them have some story
-attached to them. The months are lunar months, and some have names,
-but these are but little known or used.
-
-[3. Villages.] The Lushai likes to perch his village on the top
-of a ridge or spur, partly because, hillsides being steep, it is
-difficult to find sites elsewhere, partly for the sake of the climate,
-but chiefly, I think, in order to get a good defensive position. His
-migratory habits disinclining him to make the elaborate defences over
-which the Chins, Nagas, and other dwellers in permanent villages took
-so much pains, he therefore sought for a site which was difficult
-of approach. When we first occupied the country, every village was
-surrounded by one or more lines of stockade made of timber, with
-several rows of bamboo spikes outside it. At each gateway was a block
-house, and others were built at suitable places on the roads along
-which enemies were expected to come, and were occupied whenever an
-attack was apprehended. Tradition speaks of villages of 3,000 houses,
-and, though this is probably an exaggeration, still from an examination
-of the sites it is evident that they must have been very large, and
-even when we occupied the country villages of 400 and 500 houses were
-not uncommon, and there were two or three of 800 houses.
-
-Now that all fear of being raided has gone for ever, people no longer
-feel the need of living together in large communities, and the size of
-villages is steadily decreasing. The peculiar vagabond strain in the
-blood of the Kuki-Lushai race, if not controlled, leads to villages
-splitting into hamlets and hamlets sub-dividing, till in the Manipur
-Hills we find single houses in the midst of dense jungle, several
-miles from the next habitation. This could never happen among tribes
-belonging to the Naga group, with whom intense love for the ancestral
-village site is a leading characteristic. A short distance outside
-the village by the roadside there generally are several platforms of
-logs with posts round them adorned with skulls of animals, gourds,
-rags, and old pots. These are memorials of deceased heroes, and will
-be more fully dealt with later on.
-
-The gate itself was composed either of two large slabs of timber,
-or of a number of stout saplings suspended from a cross bar by holes
-cut through their upper ends; during the day these were drawn aside,
-but at night they hung perpendicularly in the gateways and were
-firmly secured between two cross bars. Passing through the gate,
-one finds oneself in a sort of irregular street leading up to the
-highest point of the village, where there is generally an open space,
-from which other streets branch off. On one side of this space will
-be the chiefs house, with the "zawlbuk," or bachelors' hall, opposite
-it. The villages of powerful chiefs are beautifully laid out in regular
-streets which follow the natural features of the ground. When Colonel
-Lister in 1850 captured the village of Shentlang he was so impressed
-with the regularity with which the villages within sight were laid out
-that he was easily led to believe these were cantonments inhabited
-solely by warriors. If the village is a large one and contains a
-mixed population, it is divided into several quarters, or "veng,"
-which are generally inhabited by people of the same clan, and each
-will have its zawlbuk, a large building constructed by the united
-labour of the men of the veng or the village. As the mithan or gyal
-(tame bison) belonging to the village pass the night under the zawlbuk,
-it is generally built on rather a steep hillside, so that the natural
-fall of the ground may allow ample room for the animals under the
-raised floor and ensure good drainage. It is built, as are all other
-buildings in the village, of timber and bamboos, tied together with
-cane and thatched with either cane leaves or grass--if the former,
-then the ridge of the roof is straight and gable-ended; if the latter,
-it is far higher in the centre, whence it curves down somewhat abruptly
-to each gable. Access to the building is obtained by a platform of
-rough logs at the uphill end, where the front wall commences some 3
-1/2 feet above the platform. Having stooped under this wall you are
-confronted by a low matting partition, surmounted by a huge log, the
-whole some 3 feet high, over which you scramble and find yourself in
-a large bare room varying from 15 to 50 feet long and 15 to 30 feet
-wide, according to the size of the village, with a square earthen
-hearth in the centre on which a few logs are always smouldering,
-and at the far end is a raised sleeping platform extending the whole
-width of the building. The young boys of the village have to keep up
-the supply of firewood for the zawlbuk, this duty continuing till they
-reach the age of puberty, when they cease sleeping in their parents'
-houses and join the young men in the zawlbuk. Until that time they are
-under the orders of the eldest or most influential boy, who is their
-"hotu," or superintendent. The zawlbuk is the particular property of
-the unmarried men of the village, who gather there in the evening to
-sing songs, tell stories, and make jokes till it is time to visit
-their sweethearts, after which they return there for the rest of
-the night. Travellers not having any friends in the village use the
-zawlbuk as a rest-house, but eating and drinking are seldom, if ever,
-carried on there. The zawlbuk is an institution common to many tribes,
-but among the clans I am dealing with it is confined to the Lushei
-and the clans most nearly allied to them. Its appearance among the
-Chiru and Vaiphei emphasises the close connection between these clans
-and the Lusheis.
-
-The houses all abut on the street, but small gardens are often found at
-the back, in which sugar cane, beans, cucumbers, &c., are grown. The
-houses of the chief's advisers and wealthy men are generally grouped
-near his, but should the chief have more than one wife, or should
-he have some less fortunate relations dependent on him, their houses
-will be found scattered through the village, each forming a centre of
-a quarter or a veng, from the inhabitants of which the chief allows
-them to collect the dues, which are his by right.
-
-The steepness of the hillside is no obstacle to house building,
-and frequently the roof of one house will be lower than the floor
-of the one immediately above it. The Lushais have been nomadic ever
-since their ancestors started on their western trek some 200 years
-ago. The method of cultivation which they follow is very wasteful,
-and a large village soon uses up all the land within reach, and then
-a move becomes imperative. Their custom of burying their dead within
-the village tends to make a site unhealthy, especially as the water
-supply is usually so situated as to receive the drainage of the
-village, and when the rate of mortality rises unduly high, a move
-is at once made. In old times these moves were often of considerable
-length--sometimes as much as two or three days' journey--and sometimes
-a halt for a whole season would be made at some temporary site, the
-people living in huts alongside their cultivation. The selection of
-a new site is a matter of much thought, and before a final decision
-is arrived at, a deputation of elders is sent to sleep at the proposed
-site, taking with them a cock. If the bird crows lustily an hour before
-daybreak, as all good cocks should, the site is approved of. Sites of
-villages which have been burnt by enemies are eschewed as unlucky,
-and a chief when re-occupying a site of some other chief's village
-generally tries to establish himself slightly to one side or other,
-in hopes that the new site will bear his name for many years.
-
-As soon as the move has been decided on, arrangements are made for
-cutting the jhums near the new site, and during the rains all the
-workers live either in the jhum houses, or in temporary shelters
-built near the new site, to which, after the harvest, they laboriously
-carry all their belongings on their own backs, as they own no beasts
-of burden. These constant moves have had a great share in moulding
-the Lushai character, for when you have to carry all your worldly
-goods from your old to your new house every four or five years, it is
-not strange if you are disinclined to amass more than is absolutely
-necessary, and gradually become content with very little, and prefer
-ease and idleness to toiling in the hopes of being able to add to
-your worldly possessions. This I believe to be the explanation of the
-difference between the Lushai and the Chins, the latter being eager
-to earn money by work or trade, while the former far prefer to lie
-smoking in the sun.
-
-[4. Houses.] The house of a commoner consists of three parts, the
-front verandah, approached by a rough platform of logs, the main room,
-and a small closet partitioned off at the far end, beyond which there
-will sometimes be a small bamboo platform. The verandah is termed
-"sum-hmun," from the "sum," or mortar in which the paddy is cleaned,
-which has its place here. On one side the careful housewife stacks
-her firewood, and the front wall of the house is the place on which
-the householder, if he is a sportsman, displays the skulls of the
-animals and birds he has slain; among them hang baskets in which the
-fowls lay, and even sit on their eggs, hatching out as numerous and as
-healthy broods as do the most pampered inhabitants of model poultry
-farms. The fowls spend the night in long tubular bamboo baskets,
-hung under the eaves, access to which is gained by climbing up an
-inclined stick from the front verandah. Hens with broods are shut up
-each night in special baskets with sliding doors.
-
-From the verandah a small door, about 2 1/2 feet by 4, with a very
-high sill, opens into the house. This door is placed at the side
-furthest from the hill, and consists of a panel of split bamboo work
-attached to a long bamboo which slides to and fro, resting in the
-groove between two other bamboos lashed on to the top of the sill,
-in which there is generally a small opening, with a swinging door,
-for use of the dogs and fowls when the big door is closed. Immediately
-inside the door, in one corner, are collected the hollow bamboo tubes
-which take the place of water pots; opposite will often be a large
-circular bamboo bin containing the household's supply of paddy. Next
-to this is a sleeping platform, known as "kum-ai," beyond which is
-the hearth of earth, in the centre of which three stones or pieces
-of iron are fixed, on which the cooking pot rests. The earth is
-kept in its place by three pieces of wood, that in front being a
-wide plank with the top carefully smoothed, which forms a favourite
-seat during cold weather. The earth is put in wet and well kneaded,
-and eventually becomes as hard as brick. Along the wall an earthen
-shelf serves the double purpose of keeping the fire from the wall and
-affording a resting place for the pots. Over the hearth are hung two
-bamboo shelves, one above the other, on which to-morrow's supply of
-paddy is dried, and various odds and ends are stored. These shelves
-also serve to keep the sparks from reaching the roof. Beyond the
-fireplace is another sleeping place, called the "kum-pui"--i.e.,
-big bed--which is reserved for the parents, while the young children
-and unmarried girls use the kum-ai; the bigger boys and young men,
-as has already been stated, sleeping in the zawlbuk. Beyond the
-kum-pui comes the partition dividing off the small recess used as a
-lumber room, and often as a closet. The beds and hearth are always
-on the side of the house nearest to the hillside, and do not usually
-extend quite to the centre, the rest of the floor being vacant, and,
-in order to avoid obstructing this, the posts which support the ridge
-are placed slanting, passing through the floor in line with the edge
-of the hearth. Along the wall opposite to the hearth are lashed two
-or more bamboos, forming convenient shelves, while a platform of the
-same useful plant is constructed from one cross beam to another. Forked
-sticks tied to the wall or to the uprights form hooks, and the large
-bamboos, wherever used, have openings cut in them which convert each
-joint into a tiny cupboard. At the far end of the house, opposite the
-front door, is a similar door opening on to a small platform, whence
-a notched log serves as a means of descending to the garden or the
-street. Many houses have bamboo platforms adjoining the front verandah,
-on which the women folk sit and do their weaving, while the young
-men lie at their ease and flirt with any girls who are good looking.
-
-The houses of the chiefs are very similar to those of their subjects,
-only a good deal larger. Entering from the front verandah, the visitor
-finds himself in a passage running along one side of the house, off
-which open several small rooms inhabited by the married retainers;
-the other end of the passage opens into a large room with several
-sleeping platforms and sometimes two or more hearths, but otherwise
-similar to that above described. Beyond this is the usual closet,
-while beyond that is a wide verandah partially closed in, which is
-especially reserved for the chief's family. These verandahs, called
-"bazah," are forbidden to all except chiefs or wealthy persons who
-have given certain feasts. A similar prohibition exists regarding
-windows, which are one of the prerogatives of the "Thangchhuah,"
-as will be described in Chapter IV, para 1. Openings in the side of
-the house are viewed with suspicion, as likely to bring misfortune,
-and a most progressive chief told me he had refrained from making any
-but the authorised ones, in deference to the strong public feeling
-that the whole village would suffer for such an innovation.
-
-The materials of which all the buildings are constructed are the
-same--viz., timber for uprights and cross beams, bamboos for the
-framework of the floor, walls, and roof, split bamboos for the floor,
-walls, and if cane leaves are used to cover the thatch; the whole being
-tied together with cane. The uprights consist of sections of hard wood
-trees, which are split longitudinally and left to season for as long as
-possible. The cross beams which rest on the wall plates appear to us
-unduly heavy, while the wall plates seem very weak. The Lushais claim
-that the weight of the cross beams gives the house stability in high
-winds. The broad bands of split bamboo laid on top of the cane leaf
-thatch from eave to eave, secured at intervals by longitudinal bamboos
-tied down with cane, give the roof a semi-circular appearance from the
-outside. When cane leaves cannot be obtained, thatching grass is used,
-but its extreme inflammability makes it unpopular. When cane leaves
-are used, holes for the passage of cane ties cannot be avoided, and
-beneath each of these a bamboo split in half is secured as a drain
-pipe to convey the drippings beyond the walls.
-
-[5. Furniture.] Owing to their nomadic habits the Lushais have not
-much furniture. Even in the houses of powerful chiefs but little will
-be found but a few rough and low wooden stools, some wooden platters,
-some earthenware beer pots, strengthened by plaited cane coverings,
-some brass pots, and many baskets in which valuable or perishable
-articles are preserved. Property which can be safely buried is often
-concealed in this way, a custom which is fast dying out now that
-raids are things of the past.
-
-[6. Implements.] Agricultural.--The Lushai's cultivation being
-confined to cutting down the jungle, burning it, and dibbling in the
-seed among the ashes, he does not require many or elaborate implements
-and is content with a dao, an axe, and a hoe. The dao is a knife with
-a triangular blade, about 3 inches wide at the end and 1 inch or so at
-the handle. It is ground with a chisel edge, the broad end being also
-sharpened. This is used for clearing the jungle, and the broad end
-is used for grubbing the holes in which the seeds are placed. The axe
-heads are of iron only about 1 1/2 inches wide at the edge, and taper
-almost to a point; the handles are simply pieces of bamboo, the heads
-being thrust through the tough root portion. The hoes very closely
-resemble the axes, the heads being a little lighter and broader.
-
-Musical Instruments.--The commonest are gongs and drums, but a kind
-of mouth-organ known as "rotchem" and a fiddle made out of a piece
-of bamboo are sometimes used. The gongs are mostly imported from
-Burma, as much as Rs. 150/- being paid for large ones, but the most
-prized are sets of three small gongs, each with a separate note,
-on which three skilled performers can produce something resembling a
-tune. The drums are sections of trees hollowed out, the ends being
-covered with metna hide caps laced together. The rotchem, which is
-found in all Lushai-Kuki clans, consists of a gourd into which nine
-hollow reeds are inserted, one to serve as a mouthpiece; the others,
-which are of various lengths, have small holes cut in them. The
-performer blows into the mouthpiece, and, by closing and opening the
-holes with his fingers, he can produce various notes, but the music
-is dull and monotonous. The fiddle is a very rough affair, produced
-in a few minutes by loosening a strip of the outer skin of a bamboo,
-without detaching it at its ends, and raising it up and inserting
-a piece of stick to act as a bridge; the bow is made out of another
-piece of bamboo. The sound of a bugle is very cleverly imitated by
-blowing through several lengths of bamboo inserted one into the other.
-
-Household Utensils.--Besides the articles enumerated under furniture,
-earthenware cooking pots and bamboo spoons complete the utensils used
-inside the house.
-
-[7. Manufactures.] Basket Work.--This is chiefly carried on by
-men. The patterns are very numerous, each being adapted to some
-particular use. The material is generally bamboo. The "thul" is a
-basket with four short legs, about twelve inches square at the bottom,
-widening till the mouth is a circle with a diameter of about thirty
-inches; this basket is supplied with a conical lid and is chiefly
-used to keep valuables in. The outer layer is of finely split bamboo
-closely woven, and this is lined with broad leaves well dried, which
-are held in their place by an inner layer of bamboo more loosely
-woven. These baskets are quite waterproof.
-
-For carrying goods there are the "deron," a truncated cone 30 to 36
-inches long with a diameter at its mouth of about 24 inches, holding
-about 50 lbs. of paddy; the "em," similar to the deron, but about
-half the size. The "bomrang," an open-work basket with an oval mouth,
-15 inches by 12, is used for carrying goods on long journeys. The
-"paikawng" similar in shape to the em, but with open-work sides,
-is for conveyance of wood, water tubes, &c. There are also several
-sorts of flat baskets for holding grain, each with its particular
-name. The containing power of these is approximately constant, and
-they are used as measures of quantity.
-
-Pottery.--The women make clay pots, moulding them by hand. There are
-only two kinds in use--a small circular pot with a mouth some 6 to
-8 inches in diameter, used for cooking, and a large jar, about 24
-inches high and 15 inches in diameter, tapering to about 9 inches at
-the mouth, which is used for brewing beer in.
-
-Brass Work.--Occasionally one comes across rough specimens of moulding
-in this metal, which show considerable if untrained talent, but they
-are very rare, and I attribute them to captives taken from the plains
-of India or Burma, or to persons who have learnt from them. The method
-followed is to make a model in wax and cover it with successive washes
-of clay till a sufficient thickness is obtained, the whole then being
-baked till the clay is hard, and the wax has all run out through a
-hole left for this purpose. Into this mould the molten brass is then
-poured. The commonest use of this work is for the semi-circular tube
-required to connect the two arms of the syphons used in drawing off
-the rice beer. These tubes are sometimes surmounted by quite elaborate
-designs, a hunter approaching his quarry, a tree with many hornbills
-perched among the boughs, and on one which I bought are represented
-Vutaia and his "kawnbawl," or minister, with leg irons on. The latter
-carries on his shoulder an elephant's tusk, which formed part of
-the ransom of his master, who, in the ups and downs of the troublous
-times in which he lived, had been captured by the Kamhaus.
-
-Iron Work.--The blacksmith is one of the village officials described in
-Chapter III, para. 2. The forge is placed in the middle of the widest
-street to lessen the risk of fire; it is only a rough shed with a log
-platform in front, which is as favourite a resort for loafers as is
-the forge door in England. The bellows consist of two hollow wooden
-cylinders in which pistons fringed with feathers are worked up and
-down. The lower ends of the cylinders are buried in the ground, side
-by side, and from them two bamboo tubes converge, meeting just behind
-a stone through which there is a hole; the charcoal fire is placed in
-front of this stone, and when the pistons are worked smartly a very
-strong draught is obtained. The blacksmith does little more than make
-and repair the simple agricultural implements of the village, but I
-have heard rumours of some who are capable of making gun locks. I think
-the form of bellows and the art of working iron have been introduced by
-captives, as the same type of bellows is found in the adjoining plains.
-
-Cloth Manufacture.--Cotton is grown in the jhums. It is cleaned in
-a home-made gin, consisting of a frame holding two wooden rollers,
-one end of each being carved for a few inches of its length into
-a screw, grooved in the opposite way to the other, so that on the
-handle being turned the rollers revolve in opposite directions, and
-the cotton is drawn between them, the seeds being left behind. The
-cotton is then worked by hand into rolls a few inches long, whence it
-is spun into the spindle of a rough spinning wheel, or occasionally
-a bobbin is used, which, being given a sharp twist, draws the cotton
-into a thread by its own weight. This method admits of diligent ones
-spinning as they go to and from their jhums. The thread having been
-spun, it is thoroughly wetted and then hung in loops some three or
-four feet long over a horizontal bar, and stretched by several heavy
-bars being suspended in these loops.
-
-Weaving.--The warp is prepared by passing the thread round two smooth
-pieces of wood, one of which is fastened to two uprights, while the
-ends of the other are attached to the ends of a broad leather band,
-which passes behind the back of the weaver as she sits on the ground
-and, by leaning back, stretches the threads to the requisite degree
-of tightness. The woof is formed by passing to and fro bamboos round
-which are wound different coloured threads, which are beaten home
-with a well polished batten made of the sago palm.
-
-A very serviceable form of quilt called "puanpui" is made by passing
-round every fourth or fifth thread of the warp a small roll of raw
-cotton and drawing both ends up. A row of these cotton rolls is put
-in after every fourth or fifth thread of the woof, so that on one
-side the quilt is composed of closely placed tufts of cotton.
-
-Dyeing.--The commonest dye is obtained by boiling the leaves of
-the Assam indigo (Strobilanthes flaccidifolia). Many immersions
-are required to render the colour permanent, and as the plant,
-which is cultivated near the villages or in the gardens, does not
-grow luxuriantly, it is seldom possible to obtain enough leaves in
-any one year for more than two immersions, so that the whole process
-may take two or three years.
-
-Several red and yellow dyes are known, but they are little used,
-and most of the thread, excepting the blue and white, is obtained
-from the bazars.
-
-Ornamentation.--Cloths are ornamented almost entirely by lines
-of different colours. White cloths have blue and red stripes down
-the centre and sometimes one transversely about a foot from either
-end. Coloured cloths are mainly blue, with stripes of red, yellow,
-and green. Zigzags are not uncommon, and short lengths of this pattern
-are placed haphazard on cloths and coats. The stems of women's pipes
-are ornamented with spirals and coils.
-
-[8. Domestic animals.] The most valued animal is the mithan; these
-tame bison wander all day at will in the jungle round the village and
-towards dusk return spontaneously, each animal going to its owner's
-house, round which it loiters till it receives a little salt, after
-which it joins the rest of the herd under the zawlbuk. The animals are
-only used for slaughter. They interbreed freely with the wild mithan,
-and the hybrids are, I believe, not sterile. The other domestic animals
-are pigs, goats, fowls, and dogs. The pigs are the scavengers of the
-village, but are generously fed on a species of arum and rice husks
-boiled together. The fowls are of a small breed; pure white, brown,
-and black are the commonest colours, but there is also a handsome
-spangled breed. The dogs have bushy tails, which curl tightly. Dogs
-are eaten freely, but their chief value is derived from the demand
-for sacrificial purposes. The goats are splendid animals with long
-silky hair and very large horns.
-
-[9. Agriculture.] The only form of agriculture practised is that
-known to us generally as jhuming, and it consists in felling a piece of
-jungle and when it has completely dried setting fire to it. The ground
-is thus cleared and manured by the ashes at the same time. Timber
-which is not entirely burnt is dragged to the side of the plot and
-made into a rough fence to keep deer out. The surface of the jhum
-is lightly hoed over and then there is nothing more to be done till
-the gathering clouds warn the cultivator that the rains are about to
-break, then everyone sallies out, each with a small basket of seeds
-slung over one shoulder and the square-ended dao in hand. Line is
-formed at the lower end of the clearing, and the whole family proceeds
-slowly upwards, dibbling shallow holes with their daos and dropping
-into each a few seeds. It is considered very lucky to get well soaked
-while sowing. The chief crop is rice, but the maize, ripening as it
-does in August, is eagerly looked for by the improvident Lushais who
-have probably used up more rice than was prudent in the manufacture
-of beer. The rice does not ripen till November or December, though
-a little early rice is grown which ripens in September. Between the
-sowing and the end of the rains in October the crop requires constant
-weeding, a duty which falls on the women folk if the family contains
-enough of them. In each clearing a small house is built, well raised
-off the ground, in which the cultivators stay during the time the work
-is heaviest. The other crops grown are millet, Job's tears, peas, and
-beans. Tobacco and cotton are also grown for home consumption. The rice
-is cut very high as the straw has no value. It is threshed on a piece
-of ground specially levelled near the jhum house. Threshing is done
-in two or three ways. The ears are thrown on to the threshing floor
-and trodden out by persons dancing on them, or are beaten with sticks
-till the grains have all fallen out. Both these methods are rather
-wasteful, and a better one, which is much used in the northern part of
-the hills, is to construct a platform about 7 or 8 feet from the ground
-on which a circular bamboo bin is fixed, into which the ears of rice
-are thrown and a young man with a girl as a companion dance merrily
-among them, singing all the while, the split end of the bamboos of
-which the platform is made keeping up a cheerful clatter. The grain
-is quickly separated from the ear and falls in a golden cone on to
-the threshing floor, whence it can be easily collected and stored in
-large round bins in the jhum houses or in specially built granaries
-in some sheltered nook at a convenient distance from the village.
-
-Jhuming is certainly a very wasteful method of cultivation, as seldom
-more than two crops are taken off the same piece of land, which is then
-allowed to lie fallow till it has again become covered with jungle,
-which will take three or four years in the case of bamboo, and seven
-to ten if the jungle be trees. Tree land is said to give better crops,
-but the labour of felling is greater than in the case of bamboo and
-more weeding is required, and if the land is jhumed too frequently the
-trees give place to coarse grass, which the Lushais refuse to jhum,
-whereas bamboos only grow thicker for cutting.
-
-[10. Hunting and fishing.] All the hill men are very fond of fresh
-meat, and are clever at trapping game. Long lines of rough fencing are
-run through the jungle, with small openings at intervals, in which
-snares are set. Pheasants, jungle fowl, &c., coming to one of these
-fences will always run along it till an opening is found, and thus get
-snared. Porcupines are killed by a bamboo spear fastened to a sapling
-bent back like a spring alongside a run and so arranged that it shall
-be released just as the animal is opposite the spear point. Tigers
-are caught under a platform of heavy logs, which is supported in an
-inclined position by a strong cane passed over a cross piece held up
-by two uprights. In a hole under this platform is placed a pig in a
-basket; on the tiger pulling at the basket the heavy platform falls
-and squashes him, while the pig, being in a hole, escapes. Deer,
-wild cats, &c., are caught in snares, a noose being arranged so
-that on the animal's stepping in it a sapling to which the noose is
-attached, and which is held down in a bent position, is released,
-thus hoisting the animal up into the air. The method of releasing
-the bent sapling or causing the platform to fall is in all cases
-the same. Two uprights are driven into the ground and a bar securely
-tied across near their tops. The string or rope which supports the
-platform or keeps the sapling in a bent position has a wooden toggle
-tied to it. The string is drawn between the uprights and one end
-of the toggle is hitched under the bar and the other end drawn down
-between the uprights until it is perpendicular, in which position it
-is held by a movable piece of wood being slipped across the uprights,
-just behind its lower end. In this position the pull of the string is
-on the upper cross bar, and a very slight touch will remove the lower
-one and set the toggle free; then up goes the string and down comes
-the platform or the noose is tightened. The removal of the lower bar
-is achieved in several ways. The bait or one end of a string stretched
-across the run may be tied to it, or it may be made to support one
-end of a tiny platform, on which the unwary quarry treads as it passes.
-
-Pitfalls constructed in former times for the capture of elephants
-are found all over the hills, generally on a narrow ridge between
-precipices. To catch monkeys some rice is placed on a small platform
-at the end of a partially severed bamboo standing at a right angle
-to the hillside. The monkey, attracted by the rice, springs on to
-the platform and is precipitated on to a number of bamboo spikes
-which have been stuck in the ground beneath it. The same device with
-suitable alterations is sometimes employed to destroy tigers and bears.
-
-The Lushai is also very fond of shooting, and with his old flintlock
-accounts each year for a good number of bears and tigers. If a village
-is much troubled by a tiger systematically waylaying its livestock,
-a general hunt is ordered, guns are borrowed from the neighbours, and
-the tiger, having been tracked into a piece of jungle, is approached by
-a shouting mob, from which he flies. Every effort of his to turn from
-the path selected for him is defeated by well posted crowds, who turn
-him back with shouts and beating of drums, till, wearied out, he comes
-to bay and falls a victim to a volley from all the guns present, but
-before he dies he has often severely mauled several of his tormentors.
-
-Large hunting parties make lengthy expeditions into the uninhabited
-parts in search of elephants and wild mithan. To kill an elephant
-with their flintlocks is not an easy task. A volley is fired at the
-selected animal, which is then followed for days, being fired at
-when an opportunity occurs, till it falls from sheer exhaustion. The
-following graphic account of an unsuccessful hunt was written for me
-by a Lushai. The Kongpuishiam and funeral ceremonies will be described
-in the proper place further on.
-
-"When Hmongphunga's village was at Kanghmun, they intended to go out
-shooting. They performed the Kongpuishiam ceremony; they placed the
-ashes in the middle of the road. Early next day they went and looked at
-them, and in the ashes they saw the footmarks of a tiger, an elephant,
-and a man. They started on the hunting expedition, carrying plenty
-of rice with them. They certainly found the elephants and fired a
-volley at one of them. One of the party was called Hrangkunga. The
-elephant ran away. They found it in a narrow ravine. Hrangkunga was
-about to shoot at it from above when the earth gave way and he rolled
-down close to the elephant, which picked him up and carried him to
-a level place close by, and threw him down and trampled on him and
-broke up his gun and powder horn. His friends fired at the animal,
-and it went off; they could not kill it. When the elephant had gone
-they took up Hrankunga and buried him close by in the jungle, and
-set out for their village, near which they shot a tiger. When the
-people in the village heard of their approach they came out to meet
-them with 'zu.' The hunters wrapped up grass and leaves in a cloth
-to represent the corpse of their friend. Outside the village they
-fired guns and put down the effigy, which was buried by the elders
-of the village. Shortly after this they went out shooting again,
-and after going some way they saw Hrangkunga's ghost on the branch
-of a tree and were very frightened, and went home."
-
-Fishing is carried on with the ordinary casting net, and fish are
-sometimes killed with spears or daos by torchlight, but most reliance
-is placed on the "ngoi." This is a weir built of timber and bamboos
-reinforced with stones, which stretches from side to side of the
-river. At one side an opening is left through which the water rushes
-with great force into a long bamboo shoot, which curves slightly
-upwards and ends in a deep receptacle, also of bamboo. The fish are
-carried into this by the force of the water which escapes between
-the bamboos, and are unable to leap out. Close by is placed a hut,
-well raised off the ground, in which the fishermen live for several
-days at a time and smoke the catch. Any chance openings in the weir
-are closed with conical baskets which detain small fish, prawns,
-&c. These weirs are constructed by the united labour of the whole
-village, and any villager can make use of them, but he has to pay a
-toll in kind to the chief. Certain spots are peculiarly adapted for
-these weirs, and each is by prescriptive right the property of the
-village occupying a certain site in the vicinity, any infringement
-of which will lead to a serious quarrel.
-
-Deep pools in the smaller streams are sometimes poisoned by having a
-decoction of a certain herb called "kokur" or of a bark called "ru"
-poured into them. This stupefies the fish, which float to the surface
-and are easily captured. The mixture is said to be harmless to human
-beings or cattle.
-
-[11. Food and drink.] The Lushai when speaking of food always means
-rice. Though he is fond of meat and likes vegetables and seasonings,
-he only considers them as a garnish to his rice. When a mithan is
-killed to feast the village, the flesh is boiled in earthen pots
-in the street and the contents emptied out on to plantain leaves,
-whence the feasters help themselves with their fingers, washing down
-the savoury morsels with the water in which they have been boiled,
-but this banquet in no way takes the place of the regular meal of rice.
-
-Flesh of all animals is eaten, and is not objected to even when
-considerably decomposed. The flesh of leopards and tigers is only
-eaten by children, but in spite of many enquiries I have been unable
-to ascertain why adults abstain from this article of diet. Rats of
-the white-bellied variety are considered a luxury. Dogs, especially
-puppies, are a favourite dish. Next to rice, maize may be considered
-the most important staple. It is eaten boiled, never being ground
-into flour. Besides the grains and herbs which he grows in his jhums,
-the Lushai finds many edible roots and herbs in the jungle. The young
-shoots of the bamboo are by no means unpleasant eating, and a salad
-of those of the sago palm is quite a luxury, while the pith of the
-latter is much eaten in times of scarcity. When a large animal has
-been killed at any distance from the village the flesh is cut into
-strips and dried over a slow fire, after which it remains edible,
-according to Lushai ideas, for a very long time. Boiling is the only
-culinary art known.
-
-As regards his drink, the Lushai has very simple tastes. With his meals
-he drinks nothing but the water in which the food has been boiled,
-which he sips sparingly, washing the meal down with a draught of cold
-water. Intoxicating drinks he only takes when he has full leisure to
-enjoy them and in company with a party of friends.
-
-There are two kinds of such drinks, both home-made, from rice. The
-commonest is known as "zu," and is a simple partially fermented drink;
-the other, called "rakzu" or "zuthak," is distilled. This is very
-seldom used, being only made on special occasions. The still is a
-very simple contrivance, generally consisting of an earthenware pot
-on the top of which a gourd is fixed securely, the joint being made
-airtight with rags and clay; through the top of the gourd is passed a
-bamboo which is swathed in rags which are kept wet so as to condense
-the vapour from the pot. Zu is a very important article with these
-people. It is required for the due observance of every ceremony;
-a child's birth is an occasion for entertaining its relations, no
-marriage can be celebrated without the consumption of zu, while after
-his death a Lushai's friends and relatives drown their sorrow in all
-the zu they can obtain.
-
-Has a demon to be propitiated, the return of a raiding or hunting
-party to be celebrated or a friend to be welcomed, in every case zu
-is indispensable.
-
-Good zu takes some time to prepare. After being well bruised, paddy
-is damped and packed away in several layers of leaves and kept for
-some months--the longer the better. When the zu has to be brewed the
-bundles are opened and the contents placed in a large earthen jar and
-well pressed down, with a layer of leaves on top, and the jar filled
-up with water. After standing a few minutes the liquor is drawn off
-by a syphon into a brass or wooden bowl, out of which it is handed
-round to the guests in horns or small bamboos. The principal guest is
-served first, and as he tosses off the cup he names the one in whose
-honour he drinks, who in duty bound must drink next, naming another
-to follow him. While the important personages are thus ceremoniously
-entertaining each other the rank and file sitting round in a circle
-are each in turn receiving a brimming horn full. As the supply in the
-jar gets low, more water is added, so that the quality of the liquor
-steadily deteriorates. Occasionally, instead of drawing off the zu,
-a tube is inserted and each toper in turn sucks up his allowance,
-the appearance of the top of a peg, inserted in the layer of leaves,
-giving him a hint when to leave off.
-
-Should the zu not have been kept long enough, a cake of yeast prepared
-from rice may be required to start fermentation. Well prepared zu
-is by no means an unpalatable drink. It contains much nourishment,
-and Savunga, one of our opponents in the 1871-72 expedition, whom I
-found still living in 1898, was said to have taken little else during
-the last two years of his life. The drink naturally varies much in
-strength, but even at its strongest it is not very intoxicating, and
-it has not the exciting effect which the drink brewed from maize and
-millet seems to have on the eastern tribes, among whom violent crimes,
-committed during drinking bouts, are very common.
-
-[12. Amusements.] The songs which the folk seem never tired
-of singing are slow, solemn dirges sung by the whole party to the
-accompaniment of a drum or gong, and are generally in praise of some
-former home of the tribe or some departed hero.
-
-The dances also are very slow and monotonous. A single male performer
-enters the circle of drinkers and postures slowly, keeping time to
-the drum or gong. There are one or two exceptions, such as the dances
-in which the performer imitates a monkey or a bird, but generally
-speaking they are most uninteresting.
-
-The men are fond of putting the weight; the stone used is a light one
-weighing 10 to 12 lbs. and the thrower is allowed to follow on as much
-as he likes. Jumping and running races are never indulged in, and,
-though I have often prevailed on the young men to try, the results
-were always very poor.
-
-The Lushais are very badly off for games. Girls play a game with a
-large, flat bean, called "koi." The players divide into two parties,
-each in turn placing their kois in a row on the ground to serve as
-a target for those of the other party, which are held between the
-thumb and first finger of the left hand and propelled by the middle
-finger of the right. Should the target not be struck the first time,
-each firer goes to where her koi lies and again aims at the target, but
-this time the missile has to be propelled in another manner. Sometimes
-it is placed between the knees and jerked forward by a sharp jump, or
-it is balanced on the cheek or forehead and then projected by a jerk
-of the head, or it may be balanced on the instep and kicked towards
-the mark. This game is played among the Manipuris, who call it "Kang
-sanaba." The koi bean of the Lushai is called "kang" by the Manipuris,
-but the latter now usually use round discs of ivory instead of the
-natural bean.
-
-A game played by both sexes is "Vai lung thlan." [1]
-
-The players sit on the ground on opposite sides of two parallel rows
-of shallow holes. In each row there are six holes and in each hole
-five small stones are placed. Each player in turn picks up all the
-stones in any hole in the row nearest him and, commencing from the
-hole next on the left, drops one in each hole along his row and then
-back along that of his opponent. If at the end of a turn one or more
-of the holes last dropped into is found to contain only one stone,
-the player removes these single stones and places them aside. The game
-continues till all the stones have been thus removed, and the winner
-is he who has taken most. Counting the stones in the hole before
-removing them is not allowed, and considerable skill is required
-to judge accurately the number of stones, so as to select a hole
-containing the number of stones which when distributed will leave
-the maximum number of holes with single stones in them. This game,
-under the name of "Mancala Bao" and "Warri," is played by the Negroes
-in many parts of Africa, but on elaborately carved boards.
-
-Boys and young men are very proficient with the pellet bow, and many
-a bird and squirrel falls victim to the sun-dried pellets shot from
-their bamboo bows, with strings of cane. The other amusements of the
-children consist chiefly in imitating their elders, the building of
-model houses forming a favourite pastime. Swinging is also popular,
-the swing consisting of a creeper suspended from the branch of a
-tree or from two poles stuck in the ground and tied together at the
-top. The swinger holds on to the end of the creeper, or places one
-leg through a loop, or sits astride a big knot tied at the end of it.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III
-
-LAWS AND CUSTOMS
-
-
-[1. Internal structure.] The population of a village ruled by a
-Thangur chief at the present time is composed of representatives
-of many tribes and clans, which have all more or less adopted the
-language and customs of their rulers. I have already described the
-rise of the Thangurs and the process by which they either ejected or
-absorbed into their communities the other inhabitants of the country.
-
-Our arrival in the country put a stop in certain cases to this process
-of absorption. For instance, many chiefs held considerable numbers
-of Paihte or Vuite and Khawtlang in a species of semi-slavery. These
-were captives or descendants of captives made in war, and nearly all
-have availed themselves of the Pax Britannica to return to their own
-people. Again, we found certain villages ruled over by non-Lushei
-chiefs, who were living under the protection of powerful Lushei
-chiefs. In the process of pacification these non-Lushei chiefs regained
-their independence and have gathered round them many of their clansmen,
-who formerly were scattered among the Lushei villages, and who, if we
-may judge by what has undoubtedly happened in other cases, would in
-a short time have become completely absorbed. Inquiries lasting over
-many years have convinced me that these clans are little more than
-enlarged families. In most cases the dialects of the minor clans
-have been entirely forgotten, and the only differences remaining
-are the manner of performing the "sakhua" or domestic sacrifice,
-the position occupied by the corpse at the funeral feast, and such
-other minor points.
-
-A stranger might live for a long time in a Lushai village without
-knowing that such divisions existed. Every clan is further subdivided
-into families and branches. Thus the Lushei clan has several
-families. One of these is the Thangur, and the Thangur family has six
-branches--Rokum, Zadeng, Rivung, Thangluah, Pallian, and Sailo--but
-none of these branches has any further sub-division, though the
-descendants of certain powerful chiefs are sometimes collectively
-spoken of by their ancestor's name, showing how these clan, family,
-and branch names have arisen.
-
-During the census of 1901 an unsuccessful attempt was made to get a
-complete list of the clan families and branches. The causes of the
-failure were the ignorance of the people themselves as to what clan or
-family they belonged to and the tendency to claim to be true Lushais.
-
-Everyone knew the name of the branch to which he belonged, and as
-a rule the family name would be correctly given, but in many cases
-the clan name was altogether omitted, or Lushei was entered against
-families which had no real claim to that distinction.
-
-An old Lushai once asked me why I was troubling myself about family
-and branch names, and on my explaining that I hoped to make a complete
-list of them he muttered, "Can you count the grains in that basket
-of rice?" and turned from me to the zu-pot.
-
-As a sample of the constitution of a clan I give in the Appendix a
-list of all the families and branches of the Lushei clan.
-
-My enquiries lead me to believe that practically all the clan and a
-great many of the family and branch names are eponyms. In some cases
-the name of a village site has been given to its inhabitants, first
-probably by outsiders and eventually adopted by the people themselves,
-but even in these cases as often as not enquiry will show that the
-village site was first named after some famous chief who lived there.
-
-Before the Thangur chiefs had risen to their present predominant
-position there were many consanguineous communities scattered over
-the hills, living under headmen of their own and each using a dialect
-of its own. Some of these communities appear to have had separate
-corporate existence for long periods and in consequence to have been
-sub-divided into many families and branches, while others were quickly
-absorbed by the Thangur and consequently have few sub-divisions.
-
-I have been accused of deriving "Lushei" from "lu," head, and "shei,"
-long. If in the salad days of my sojourn among these folks I was ever
-guilty of this folly, I hereby publicly repudiate it. There is no
-doubt that Lushei, in common with the other clan names, is an eponym.
-
-A versatile and imaginative writer has recently derived "Sailo,"
-the name of the branch of the Lushai clan to which the present chiefs
-belong, from "sai" elephant, and "lo," a jhum, alleging that because
-the elephant is the biggest animal, therefore "Sailo" means the
-biggest jhum and that the name refers to the excellence of the jhum
-land between Burkhal and the source of the Kornaphuli river, where
-he says the Sailos formerly lived. There are some objections to this
-theory; to begin with, the Lushais never use "sai" as a prefix meaning
-greatness, and secondly half the area mentioned was never inhabited by
-Sailo chiefs, and thirdly only a small and little considered branch
-of the great Sailo family ever entered this land of fatness and not
-till long after the family name had been generally accepted; further
-the name of the common ancestor of all the Sailo chiefs is known to
-have been Sailova, which is a common name still in the family.
-
-[2. Tribal organisation of the Lushais.] Among the Lushais,
-each village is a separate State, ruled over by its own "lal" or
-chief. Each son of a chief, as he attained a marriageable age, was
-provided with a wife at his father's expense, and given a certain
-number of households from his father's village and sent forth to
-a village of his own. Henceforth he ruled as an independent chief,
-and his success or failure depended on his own talents for ruling. He
-paid no tribute to his father, but was expected to help him in his
-quarrels with neighbouring chiefs; but when fathers lived long it
-was not unusual to find their sons disowning even this amount of
-subordination. The youngest son remained in his father's village and
-succeeded not only to the village, but also to all the property.
-
-Our rule has tended to increase the independence of the young chiefs;
-for in former days, when might was right, it behoved a son to follow
-the advice of his father, or the latter's help might not be forthcoming
-when danger threatened.
-
-The chief was, in theory at least, a despot; but the nomadic instinct
-of the people is so strong that any chief whose rule was unduly harsh
-soon found his subjects leaving him, and he was therefore constrained
-to govern according to custom.
-
-To assist him each chief appoints one or more elderly men, known
-as "upa." These form a sort of council which discusses all matters
-connected with the village, and decides all disputes between people of
-the village, for which they receive fees termed "salam" from the party
-who loses the case. These fees are their only remuneration. The chief
-presides over this council, which is generally held of an evening in
-the chief's house, while the zu horn circulates briskly. The chief
-receives a portion of each fine levied, a practice found to prevent
-undue leniency.
-
-Besides the upas the chief appoints the following village
-officials--"ramhual" and "tlangau." The former, of whom there may be
-several, are advisers as to where the jhums shall be cut, and are
-allowed first choice of land for the purpose, but have to give the
-chief five to seven baskets of paddy instead of two, which is the
-portion due from other subjects.
-
-The tlangau is the crier, whose high-pitched voice is heard after dark,
-when every good householder is at home, proclaiming the chief's orders.
-
-He also arranges how the work of the village is to be divided, who
-are to go and make a road, who are to repair the zawlbuk, &c.
-
-In return for his labours he receives a small basket of rice from
-each house in the village.
-
-Besides the ramhual and the tlangau, no village is complete without at
-least one "thirdeng," or blacksmith, and a "puithiam," or sorcerer. The
-former receives one basket of rice from each householder whose tools
-he repairs; the latter receives the same amount from each householder
-for whom he performs the sacrifices connected with his cultivation.
-
-The chief receives one hind leg of every wild animal shot by any of his
-men, and when the killing of elephants was allowed he took one of the
-tusks if his villagers were lucky enough to slay one of those animals.
-
-The villagers build the house of their ruler, and formerly they also
-cut his jhum, but I regret to say that nowadays they have ceased doing
-so, and this is an unsatisfactory sign of how, without any desire on
-our part to do so, our rule has weakened the authority of the chiefs.
-
-The chief held rather an anomalous position. Nominally he was
-a despot--I am speaking now of the state of things which existed
-prior to our occupation of the Hills--but in reality his power was
-very much circumscribed, and his subjects could so easily transfer
-their allegiance to some rival chief, who would probably be willing,
-for a consideration, to champion the cause of his last recruit, that
-every ruler had to use tact as well as force. In fact the amount of
-power he wielded depended almost entirely on the personal influence of
-the chief. A strong ruler, who governed mainly according to custom,
-could do almost anything he liked without losing his followers,
-but a weak man who tried petty tyrannies soon found himself a king
-without any subjects.
-
-The chiefs naturally tried their best to stop people leaving their
-villages, and it was customary to confiscate the paddy of any person
-who left the village without permission, but leave was seldom refused
-if the emigrant intended moving to the village of a friendly chief;
-and if the fugitive took refuge with a more powerful ruler it was
-extremely likely that a demand for the prompt surrender of all his
-property would be made with such a show of force that it could not
-be ignored.
-
-I add here two extracts from Colonel Lewin's book, "The Hill Tracts
-of Chittagong and the Dwellers Therein," page 100.
-
-"The village system among the Kookis, i.e. (Lushais) is best described
-as a series of petty states, each under a Dictator or President. To
-illustrate the position of the chief or President I may mention
-that in 1866, when on a visit to the village of one of the leading
-chiefs among the Looshai, I was standing talking with him in the path
-that ran through the village. While we were thus standing a drunken
-Looshai came stumbling along, and finding us somewhat in the way,
-he seized the chief by the neck and shoved him off the path, asking
-why he stopped the road. On my asking the chief for an explanation
-of such disrespect being permitted, he replied, 'On the war-path or
-in the council I am chief, and my words are obeyed; behaviour like
-that would be punished by death. Here, in the village, that drunkard
-is my fellow and equal.' In like manner any presents given to the
-chief are common property. His people walk off with them, saying:
-'He is a big man, and will get lots more given to him. Who will give
-to us if he does not?' On the other hand, all that is in his village
-belongs to the chief; he can and does call upon people to furnish
-him with everything that he requires.
-
-"To collect his people, or in fact to authenticate any order, the
-chief's spear, which is usually carved and ornamented, is sent by a
-messenger from village to village. Should the message be a hostile one,
-the messenger carries a fighting dao, to which a piece of red cloth
-is attached. Another method is by the 'phuroi,' which is a species
-of wand made out of strips of peeled bamboo, about eight inches long,
-in this shape (†). If the tips of the cross pieces be broken, a demand
-for blackmail is indicated, a rupee to be levied for each break. If
-the end of one of the cross pieces is charred, it implies urgency,
-and that the people are to come even by torch light. If a capsicum
-be fixed on to the 'phuroi,' it signifies that disobedience to the
-order will meet with punishment as severe as the capsicum is hot. If
-the cross piece is of cane, it means that disobedience will entail
-corporal punishment."
-
-The "Boi" Custom.--Among the Thados and Chins real slavery used to
-exist, and men and women were sold like cattle. Among the Lushais this
-has never been the case, but there is a class known as "boi" who have
-been miscalled slaves by those ignorant of their real condition.
-
-Among the Lushais no one but a chief can have boi, who are divided
-into the following classes:--
-
-(i.) Inpuichhung (Inpui = big house, chhung = within), Lalchhung,
-or Chhungte--viz. those who live in the big house or chief's
-house. (ii.) chemshen boi (chem = dao, shen = red); (iii.) tuklut
-boi (tuk = promise, lut = to enter). The first class consist of all
-those who have been driven by want of food to take refuge in the
-chief's house. Widows, orphans, and others who are unable to support
-themselves, and have no relatives willing to do so, form the bulk of
-this class of "boi," but it is not unusual, if a young widow remarries,
-for her second husband to insist on his predecessor's children being
-put into the chief's house, unless any of their father's relatives
-will take them. The inpuichhung are looked on as part of the chief's
-household, and do all the chief's work in return for their food and
-shelter. The young men cut and cultivate the chief's jhum and attend
-to his fish traps. The women and girls fetch up wood and water,
-clean the daily supply of rice, make cloths, and weed the jhum, and
-look after the chief's children. In return the boi get good food and
-live in the chief's house, and often wear his ornaments and use his
-guns and weapons. They have to do very little more work than they
-would have to do if they were independent, and, on the other hand,
-they are free of all anxiety as to the morrow.
-
-As all the chiefs are of the same family, a boi is at liberty to move
-from one chief's house to another. If a chief or his wife treats a
-boi very badly, the injured one goes off and seeks for a new master,
-and, as a large number of boi is considered to increase a chief's
-importance, every chief is willing to receive him, and therefore
-boi are generally well treated. In former days powerful chiefs like
-Sukpuilala and Vutaia only allowed their boi to go to one of their
-own relations, but even then a boi very often would manage to find
-an asylum with some equally powerful chief.
-
-When a person has once entered the chief's house, he or she can only
-purchase freedom by paying one mithan or its equivalent in cash or
-goods. The fact that a boi can ever do this shows that he is allowed
-to acquire property. When a male boi reaches a marriageable age, the
-chief generally buys him a wife, and he lives with her for three years
-in the chief's house: should he marry a female boi, the couple have
-to live six years in the chief's house. After this period, he sets
-up a house of his own and is known as "inhrang (in = house, hrang =
-separate) boi," and works for himself, but is still in some respects
-a boi. If he kills any animal he has to give a hind leg to the chief,
-and failure to do so renders him liable to a fine of one mithan or
-its equivalent. If the chief is in want of rice he can call on his
-boi to help him if they have any surplus, and if a boi is in want he
-can look to the chief for assistance.
-
-Regarding the children of such a boi, customs differ somewhat. Some
-chiefs have made it the rule that only the youngest son, who inherits
-his father's property, is a boi, the remainder of the sons and all
-the girls being entirely free. Others insist that all the children
-are boi, and that the chief is entitled to the marriage prices of
-the daughters. They give, as a reason for this, that the chief has
-paid for the boi's wife and so is entitled to consider the children
-as boi. In either case the children are inhrang boi.
-
-A female boi is allowed to marry, and the chief receives the marriage
-price, and when this has been paid in full he has no further claim on
-the woman or her children during her husband's lifetime, but should
-she be left a widow, she is sometimes forced to re-enter the chief's
-house; but as a rule, if she behaves decently, she is allowed to remain
-on in her husband's house, and manage his property on behalf of his
-children, who are never considered boi. Should she re-marry, the
-chief will again receive whatever sum is paid as her marriage price.
-
-It will be seen that the inpuichhung are by no means badly off, and the
-custom seems in every way suited to the circumstances of the case. Many
-a clever young man rises from being a boi to being the chief's most
-trusted adviser, and it is by no means unusual for a chief to take
-a favourite boi into his own family by the ceremony called "Saphun"
-(see under Adoption, page 54).
-
-(ii.) Chemsen Boi (Red Dao Boi).--These are criminals who, to escape
-from the consequences of their ill deeds, take refuge in the chief's
-house. Murderers closely pursued by the avengers of blood rushed
-into the chief's presence and saved their lives at the expense
-of their own or their children's freedom. Debtors unable to pay
-their creditors sought the chief's protection, and he released them
-from their debts on condition that they and their children became
-boi. Thieves and other vagabonds avoided punishment by becoming the
-chief's boi. Civil disputes were unblushingly decided in favour of the
-party who volunteered to become the chief's boi. It is evident that
-the custom in these cases has grown up by degrees from the chief's
-granting sanctuary to those who, having committed serious crimes, were
-in danger of being killed by those they had injured or their relatives.
-
-Chemsen boi do not live in the chief's house or work for him. Their
-position is similar to that of an inhrang boi, but all their children
-are considered boi to the same extent as their parents. The chiefs
-generally take the marriage price of the daughters of such Boi.
-
-(iii.) Tuklut (Enter by Promising) Boi.--These are persons who
-during war have deserted the losing side and joined the victors by
-promising that they and their descendants will be boi. A tuklut boi
-can purchase his freedom for a mithan, and if there are three or
-four persons in one household one mithan will release them all. As
-a rule the daughters of tuklut boi are not considered boi. A tuklut
-boi does not live in the chief's house, and is in most respects in
-the same position as an inhrang boi.
-
-Chemshen boi have not been recognised by our officers, and whenever
-one has claimed protection he has been released. The tuklut boi have
-also not been formally recognised, but their duties weigh so lightly
-on them that they seldom claim their release, and in their case, as in
-that of the "sal," the class, receiving no fresh recruits, will soon
-cease to exist. As regards the inpuichhung boi, the custom seems well
-suited to the people and provides for the maintenance of the poor, old,
-and destitute, and it would be extremely unwise to attempt to alter it.
-
-When we first visited Kairuma in 1891, we found some 80 houses of
-Thado, Biate, and other clans living in his village (in a species of
-serfdom) very much on the footing of the tuklut boi, only that Kairuma
-received a mithan out of the marriage price of each of the daughters
-as well as the other dues. These people were remnants of conquered
-clans and were not allowed to leave the village. I was assured that,
-if any of them tried to run away, a party of young men would be at
-once sent off to kill or bring back the fugitives. When Kairuma's
-village was burnt, owing to its continued contumacious behaviour,
-all these people made their escape to the villages of their own clans.
-
-Sal.--Persons captured in raids are called "sal"; their position is
-quite different from that of any of the classes of boi. They are the
-personal property of their captors, and I am told that when guns first
-made their appearance in the hills the western tribes used to exchange
-their sal with the eastern tribes for guns, one strong sal being worth
-two guns. As a rule only children and marriageable women were taken
-captive, and the latter were disposed of in marriage, the lucky captor
-acting in loco parentis and taking the marriage price. The children
-grew up in the captor's house as his children, and as a rule were so
-well treated that they seldom wished to return to their former homes.
-
-[3. Marriage.] The Lushais have wide views as to matrimony. A young
-man is not hampered in his choice by any table of prohibited degrees,
-nor is his choice confined to any particular family or clan; in fact,
-he can practically marry any woman he chooses except his sister or his
-mother. There is, however, a certain amount of prejudice against first
-cousins on the father's side marrying, but the reason generally given
-for this is that when a girl's parents have to consider the question of
-her marriage they naturally try to dispose of her outside the family,
-in order that her price may increase the wealth of the family, not
-merely transfer it from one brother to another. I have, however, been
-told that girls object to marrying their "brothers." Among the chiefs
-the desire to marry another chief's daughter limits the young man's
-choice, and marriage among first cousins is more frequent than among
-commoners. Marriage among nearly all the other clans dealt with in this
-monograph is endogamous as regards the clan, but exogamous as regards
-the family. When we consider the composition of the following of the
-Thangur chiefs, we see at once the cause of this difference, for any
-restrictions on intermarriage would have interfered with that fusion
-of clans which was so necessary for the establishment of their power.
-
-Regarding the number of his wives also the Lushai has great latitude;
-in fact, it is simply a matter of money. Experience has taught
-them that two wives in one house is not conducive to peace, and
-consequently polygamy is almost entirely confined to the chiefs,
-for few others can afford to keep up two establishments. Marriage
-is purely a civil contract, although, as is described in Chapter IV,
-para. 7, a pseudo-religious ceremony is performed.
-
-Among Lushais the following sums constitute the price which has to
-be paid for a wife:--
-
-(i.) Manpui (Principal Price).--This is paid to the bride's nearest
-male relative on the father's side. In case the bride's father is
-dead and she has brothers these divide the manpui, but if any one of
-them has contributed more than the others to the girl's support, or
-has provided her "thuam"--i.e., her trousseau--he receives a larger
-share of the manpui than the others.
-
-The manpui is always reckoned in mithan, and varies according to the
-family of the bride. Thus a Thangur maiden is valued at ten mithan,
-while less aristocratic girls are worth less, the lowest price being
-three. A custom seems springing up of counting the manpui in "tlai" =
-Rs. 20/-. If the bride's "thuam," or trousseau, is a good one a sum
-of Rs. 20/-, called "tlai," is added to the manpui, but should the
-woman die without issue, this sum will not be paid, as the thuam will
-return to her father's family. If she has children these inherit the
-thuam, and therefore in such cases the tlai must be paid. The thuam
-consists of necklaces, earrings, and superior cloths, not articles
-for everyday use.
-
-(ii.) Pushum.--The perquisite of the nearest male relative on the
-mother's side or of a person specially chosen as the bride's "pu"
-or protector. It varies between Rs. 4/-, and Rs. 10/- but in the case
-of a chief's daughter it is a mithan.
-
-(iii.) Palal.--The bride or her relations select some trusted friend,
-who may be of any family, whom they appoint her "palal," or trustee,
-and he is expected to look after her interests throughout her whole
-married life. His fee varies in accordance with the pushum.
-
-(iv.) Niman (Aunt's Price).--A sum equal to the pushum which has to
-be paid to the bride's aunt on her father's side. If there are several
-aunts the eldest takes the "niman" of the eldest niece and the second
-aunt that of the second niece and so on. It is possible for a niece
-to refuse to allow her aunt to take the niman and to select another
-person of her own family.
-
-(v.) Thian.--The "thian," or friend, is a female palal, but she only
-receives a small sum from Rs. 10/- downwards.
-
-(vi.) Nau Puan Puak Man (Price of Carrying the Younger Sister in
-her Cloth).--Each sister receives this from the husband of her next
-younger sister. Among Sailo it varies from Rs. 20/- to Rs. 40/-;
-in other families it is only Rs. 3/- or Rs. 4/-. In the case of the
-eldest sister it is taken by some near female relative.
-
-These sums are never paid down at once; in fact, they are allowed to
-remain unpaid for many years, but, as a rule, in each family it is
-the custom to pay a certain amount of the manpui before the marriage;
-this is called "sum hma hruai," "price before taking."
-
-Divorce.--The bonds of matrimony are extremely loose and are very
-easily slipped off. If a couple disagree they simply separate. The
-woman returns to her parents and the man renounces all claim to any
-portion of her price which he may have paid, unless the woman agrees
-to its being partially returned. If the man turns the woman out for
-no fault he must pay up her full price, if he has not already done
-so. If a woman commits adultery or leaves her husband against his
-will, however unfaithful he may have been, the whole of her price
-has to be refunded.
-
-If a pair who have separated by mutual consent wish to make it up
-they can do so. If the overtures are made by the man he is expected
-to pay the woman a small sum up to Rs. 20/-. If, however, the woman
-makes the advances the man has nothing to pay.
-
-Widow Re-marriage.--There is no objection to a widow remarrying. If
-a woman has a son and there is any property, it is proper for her to
-remain unmarried and look after her son and his interests; should she,
-however, wish to remarry there is nothing to prevent her, but her
-late husband's relatives will take charge of the children and all the
-property. Should a widow be left with daughters only, it rests with her
-husband's nearest male relatives whether she shall continue to live
-separately or shall enter his house. It is not unusual in such cases
-for the widow to be allowed to bring up her daughters, utilising,
-with the heir's approval, whatever property has been left, but the
-marriage prices of the girls will be taken by their father's heir. In
-olden times a widow had to remain unwashed and with her hair uncombed
-for a whole year from the death of her husband, but the period has
-been reduced to three months, out of pity for the women, and after
-that time remarriage is allowed. A widower who remarries before
-three months has passed since his wife's death used to be fined,
-but this excellent custom has dropped out of use. Should a woman
-elect to live in her late husband's house and bring up his children,
-she is considered as still married to him, and should she be detected
-in an intrigue her relatives will have to refund her marriage price
-just as if her husband were alive.
-
-[4. Female chastity.] The unmarried girls are not very strictly
-looked after, and, if they conduct their intrigues with a fair
-amount of secrecy, nothing is said. As has been described in Chapter
-II, 3, there is a sleeping place on each side of the hearth, that
-furthest from the door--kumpui--being reserved for the parents, the
-other--kumai--being for the girls and young children. Sometimes,
-however, if the family is large, one of the girls sleeps with her
-parents. If a young man is found on the kumai nothing is said to him;
-if, however, he trespasses on the kumpui he is fined. In some villages
-if he even crosses the centre of the hearth he is fined. The fine
-varies in different villages, but it is about Rs. 10/-. If a girl
-becomes pregnant, the man responsible is at once surrounded by her
-relatives, who demand a mithan as the price of his indiscretion. This
-is called "sawn man," "the price of the bastard." This has to be
-paid even in the case of the child being born dead and in cases of
-premature births where the legs and arms are complete.
-
-When the father has paid the sawn man he can claim the child as soon
-as it is old enough to leave its mother.
-
-In cases in which the girl has been prodigal of her favours, no sawn
-man can be demanded.
-
-In case a man should have a second illegitimate child by the same
-woman, he is not expected to pay more than Rs. 10/- and often nothing
-at all. For a third child he would, however, have to pay a mithan. In
-case when asked to pay sawn man, the man at once expresses his desire
-to marry the girl, he would not have to pay the fine in addition to
-the usual marriage price. If, however, he delays in marrying her,
-he must pay both. In this matter, however, custom varies considerably
-in different villages.
-
-[5. Inheritance.] The general rule is for the youngest son to
-inherit, but occasionally the eldest also claims a share. With chiefs
-it is usual for each son, as he comes to a marriageable age, to be
-given a certain number of households and allowed to set up a village
-of his own, but the youngest generally remains with his father,
-and inherits his village and his property.
-
-Adoption.--Persons of property who have no son sometimes adopt a near
-relative, but there is no special ceremony; it is a purely private
-arrangement. The custom known as "Sa-phun," is in some respects akin
-to adoption. Should a chief have a very favourite boi, he sometimes
-grants him admission into his own clan. The "puitiam" being called,
-a fowl or a pig is sacrificed, after the appropriate prayer has been
-said, and a few of the hairs or feathers are tied round the man's neck,
-and he is henceforth considered to belong to the chief's clan. Anyone
-can thus admit another to his clan, but in practice it is seldom
-done, except by chiefs. I think the sacrifice is made with a view to
-propitiate the Sakhua of the clan which the man is abandoning.
-
-[6. Offences regarding property.] Certain articles are said "man a
-nei," "to have a price," and the theft of any of them is punished by
-a fine of one mithan, quite irrespective of the actual value of the
-article stolen. These are--rice cleaned or unhusked, cloths, guns,
-brass pots, domestic animals, and wild animals, or birds which have
-been killed or trapped. The theft of other articles is punished by
-fines of from Rs. 1/- to Rs. 5/-, which are taken by the chief and
-his upa, and termed "salam." Restitution of the articles stolen is
-always insisted on.
-
-To steal or even to retain a hoe or axe found on the road is most
-unlucky, and is supposed to be followed by the death of the finder's
-child.
-
-[7. Offences connected with the body.] The punishment in these
-cases rested originally with the aggrieved party or his relatives,
-who were allowed to exact summary vengeance. Thus a husband was at
-liberty to kill an unfaithful wife and her paramour, but if he did
-not take refuge in the chief's house, becoming a chemsen boi, the
-families of the victims were also entitled to kill him whenever they
-got an opportunity. Very shortly after our occupation of the Lushai
-Hills, two lads deliberately cut down a man who, they were told, had
-murdered their father many years before. The deed was done in broad
-daylight, in the middle of the village, and apparently attracted
-but little attention. The boys both entered the chief's house, and
-I should never have heard of the occurrence had they not applied to
-be released from service to the chief.
-
-To cut off the ears or nose of the paramour was a favourite way for a
-husband to avenge himself, and he did not always wait to be sure that
-there was anything to avenge. A man of Lianphunga's village passed
-the night in Tlungbuta's village, and, having been very hospitably
-treated by a friend, mistook the house of a very jealous husband for
-that in which he was to sleep, and was promptly ejected and deprived
-of his ears. Lianphunga, being a more powerful chief than Tlungbuta,
-exacted ten mithan as compensation for the injury done to his man,
-who, however, received absolutely nothing. The chief kept eight of
-the animals and killed two to feast the village, but the unfortunate
-victim was too ill even to share in the feast.
-
-Rape or sodomy were punished in the same way, but the latter, if
-committed with the consent of the pathicus or with an animal, was
-not considered a crime, and there is no doubt that the class of men
-known as Tuai, who dressed as women and did women's work, indulged
-habitually in this disgusting vice. Fortunately the class, never very
-large, has almost died out, but I fear the vice is far from extinct.
-
-[8. Decisions of disputes.] The chief of each village, assisted
-by his upa, was the one and only court of justice in the village,
-and from their decisions there was no appeal, but nevertheless an
-unsuccessful litigant found a way of getting his case reheard. If the
-matter in dispute were of sufficient value to make half of it worth a
-great chief's acceptance, the would-be appellant could generally find
-some powerful chief who would accept him as a subject and take up his
-quarrel on those terms. The custom of settling disputes by ordeal or
-by oaths, which is so common among the Naga tribes, is almost unknown
-to the Lushais. During the fourteen years I was among them I have
-only twice heard a party to a case offer to accept the other's oath.
-
-In ordinary cases, a man wishing to be believed will take an oath
-holding a tiger's tooth, saying, "If I lie, may a tiger eat me as I
-now gnaw this tooth"--suiting the action to the word.
-
-An oath of friendship between chiefs is a serious matter. A mithan
-is tied up to a post and the parties to the oath, grasping a spear
-with their right hands, stab it behind the shoulder with sufficient
-force to draw blood, repeating a formula to the effect that until the
-rivers run backwards into the earth again they will be friends. The
-animal is then killed and a little of the blood is smeared on the
-feet and forehead of the oath takers. To make this oath more binding
-they both eat a small piece of the liver raw.
-
-
-[9. War and head-hunting.] The true Lushai method of making war
-was to raid the enemy's villages and carry off as many captives and
-as much loot as possible. In this they form a great contrast to the
-Chins, whose plan of action was systematically to ambush the paths
-in the enemy's country and kill as many passers-by as possible. The
-Lushais consider this unsporting and say pathetically, "How can men
-live if for fear of ambushes no cultivation can be carried on?" The
-Chins were fully aware of the effectiveness of their method of warfare
-and resorted to it whenever they wished to extend their boundaries,
-piqueting the coveted piece of land so effectually that it was soon
-abandoned to them.
-
-The essence of success in Lushai tactics was surprise, and no disgrace
-attached to a party of warriors which, on finding the enemy on the
-alert, quickly returned home without attempting any attack.
-
-The wars between the different Lushai clans lasted sometimes for
-several years, but were not very energetically prosecuted. Thus in a
-war between the Thangluah and Sailo chiefs which lasted from about
-1833 to 1850, about six villages were destroyed on each side, but,
-except on one occasion, but few lives were lost. The exception was the
-massacre of Thaurang, a Sailo chief's village, which is still spoken
-of with pride by the descendants of the perpetrators. The people of
-Thaurang were celebrating a great feast, and in all the principal
-houses in the village zu was being dispensed to all comers. There had
-been no hostilities of late, and the guards gradually abandoned their
-posts and joined the groups round the zu pots. With song and dance
-the night passed merrily, and by two or three in the morning no one
-was in a fit state to notice that a large number of strangers, whose
-drunkenness was only assumed, had mingled with the crowd. Suddenly
-a gun-shot gave the signal, and, drawing their dahs, the Thangluahs
-fell on their enemies, who, too drunk to know friend from foe, were
-slaughtered without mercy. Having burnt the village, the successful
-warriors returned dragging with them many captives. The Sailo chiefs
-tried to play the same trick on the Thangluah when some time later
-the latter were celebrating their victory with a large feast, but
-their intelligence department was inefficient and the attack was not
-delivered till some days after the feast.
-
-At that time there were but few guns in the country, and so little
-was the use of those they had understood that the wad on the top of
-the bullet was often omitted, with the natural result that when the
-time for firing came there was no ball in the gun, and hot were the
-arguments as to the value of this new-fangled weapon. In those days
-also they had not acquired the art of making stockades, which they
-subsequently copied from the Chins, and consequently there was but
-little chance of resistance if the surprise was successful, and the
-shouts of the assailants were a signal for a general stampede on the
-part of the whole population. The attack was always delivered just
-before daylight, and, if successful, but little time was lost; as many
-captives as could be caught were collected and loaded with as much
-loot as they could carry without retarding the retreat, and the whole
-party set off and seldom halted till they had travelled forty-eight
-hours. As a rule only strong women and children who could keep up in
-the retreat were taken, all other captives being killed on the spot,
-and should any captive lag behind a spear thrust quickly ended her
-career, and her head was taken on to form an ornament in the raiders'
-village. Occasionally a few young men were carried off to be killed
-during the festivities which were held in honour of the success of
-the raid. If the raiders' chief had a son too young to accompany them,
-a captive was frequently reserved for him to slaughter and thus prove
-his bravery.
-
-Having put what they considered a safe distance between them and
-any possible pursuers, the party proceeded more leisurely, sending
-on messengers to announce their success, whose arrival set the
-village in a ferment, and everyone commenced preparations for the
-ensuing feast. As the brave warriors were seen in the distance the
-whole population rushed out to meet them with horns of zu for their
-refreshment, beating drums and gongs, and shouting praises of their
-bravery. The following is an accurate translation of an account given
-me by a Lushai of the proceedings which followed the return of a
-successful raiding party:--
-
-"Formerly the Lushais raided the Tipperahs and captured about ten
-and dragged them back to their village, and killed them either in
-the street or just in front of their houses. Presently they said,
-'Let us dance.' They danced before the heads of the slain, and a crowd
-collected and watched. The heads were placed on posts around the open
-space in the village, and those who had killed men came out into the
-space in the centre of the village with their guns and fighting dahs,
-wearing their 'chhawn' head-dress, and the girls came with beautiful
-plaits of red and black cotton thread and tied them round the knots
-of the young men's hair. This is called 'arkezen.' Then the young
-men danced beautifully. 'We are very magnificent,' they said. In the
-middle of the open space a platform had been built of bamboos like
-those in front of the house. On this everyone collected any number
-of eggs, and those who had killed their enemies and those who had
-felt no fear ate up the eggs as fast as possible. This is called
-'malchawh.' Very tall 'thingsia' and 'phulrua' (kinds of bamboo) are
-put up in front of each man's house and called 'ralngul,' and they
-hang to the end of the phulrua, by a piece of cane called 'vawmhrui,'
-a circle of pierced pieces of wood; these are called 'hrangkhual.'"
-
-In wars between Lushais it was considered wrong to kill chiefs. This,
-of course, was due to the chiefs being all of the same family.
-
-When starting on a raid each man provided himself with cooked rice
-for several days. This was rammed down very tightly into pieces of
-bamboo, so that several days' food could be conveniently carried
-without fear of any being lost on the road. Sections of bamboos were
-also employed as water bottles, the bamboo being cut above one joint
-and below the next and a small hole made just below the joint on one
-side, which could be easily plugged with a roll of leaves; for sake
-of lightness the bamboo would be whittled down as much as could be
-safely done. These raiding parties travelled immense distances. About
-1850, Vuta, whose village was then at Hweltu, suddenly appeared at
-Pirovi's village on the Soldeng, and, taking the people entirely by
-surprise, made many captives, among whom were the chieftainess and her
-infant son. Many others were killed and much loot rewarded the daring
-savages. The distance between the two villages is about seventy miles
-in an air line and at least twice that by the jungle paths. Although
-guns quickly became common in the Hills, the style of warfare did
-not change. In the war between the Northern and Southern Chiefs,
-which lasted from 1856 to 1859, each side only made three successful
-raids, and the actual number killed in action appears to have been very
-small. I once asked one of the chiefs who had been very prominent in
-one of the later wars how many men he had killed with his own hand,
-and, on my expressing surprise at his admitting that he killed none,
-he naïvely remarked, "You see, we chiefs always go last, shouting
-'Forward, forward!' and by the time I reached the village the people
-had always run away." Though the Lushais were able to turn the Thados
-and other clans of their own kindred out of their possessions, yet when
-they came in contact with the Chins they were invariably defeated. In
-1881 a large force of Southern Lushais raided Bunkhua, a Chin village
-to the north of the Tao hill. They burnt the village without much
-trouble, but the Chins refused to acknowledge this as a defeat and
-kept up a hot fire on their assailants, killing one of their bravest
-warriors. When the Lushais set out on their return journey they found
-the whole country up, and in a gorge they were greeted with a volley
-which laid forty of them low, and the remainder fled in all directions,
-and, had it not been for heavy rain, which washed away the bloodstains
-and made tracking difficult, but few would have reached their homes.
-
-Although when fighting among themselves the ambushing of cultivators
-and travellers was disapproved of, they resorted to it freely when
-fighting us, but our casualties were not very great, as the ambushers
-were so anxious about their own safety they generally fired too
-soon. These ambushes were always arranged below the road, where the
-ground fell away very sharply, and, having fired, the brave fellows
-hurled themselves down the hill, ignoring all cuts and scratches in
-their anxiety to escape.
-
-Head-hunting.--It used to be considered that all inhabitants of these
-Hills were head-hunters. In fact, so great an authority as Colonel
-Lewin derives the name "Lushai" from "lu," "a head," and "sha," "to
-cut." This, of course, is a mistake, as the name of the clan is not
-Lushai, but Lushei, and though "sha" does mean "to cut," it does not
-mean "to cut off," and could not be used of cutting off a man's head;
-but that such a mistake should have been possible shows how firmly
-rooted was the belief that head-hunting was one of the peculiarities
-of the population of these Hills. I believe that as far as the Lushais
-and their kindred clans are concerned, head-hunting was not indulged
-in. By this I mean that parties did not go out simply to get heads. Of
-course, a man who had killed his man was thought more highly of than
-one who had not, and, therefore, when a man did kill a person he
-brought the head home to show that he was speaking the truth; but
-the raids were not made to get heads, but for loot and slaves. The
-killing and taking of heads were merely incidents in the raid, not
-the cause of it. I think that the Chins or Pois are an exception to
-this, and, as far as I can gather, the glory of bringing in a head
-was sufficient to send a young man and his friends off on the raid.
-
-I have also made careful enquiries in all parts of the Hills as to
-whether there is any truth in the commonly accepted theory that on
-the death of a chief a party was at once sent off to kill people in
-order that their heads might adorn his memorial and their ghosts wait
-on his spirit in the other world, but I never heard anything which
-lent any colour to the idea, and, as regards Lushais, I believe it
-to be a pure invention; but it was undoubtedly a Thado custom. If a
-single person is killed in a raid every person in the attacking party
-is entitled to all the honours pertaining to a slayer of a man.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV
-
-RELIGION
-
-
-[1. General form of religious beliefs.] Practically all divisions
-of the Lushai-Kuki family believe in a spirit called Pathian, who is
-supposed to be the creator of everything and is a beneficent being,
-but has, however, little concern with men.
-
-Far more important to the average man are the numerous "Huai" or
-demons, who inhabit every stream, mountain, and forest, and to whom
-every illness and misfortune is attributed. The "puithiam" (sorcerer)
-is supposed to know what demon is causing the trouble and what form
-of sacrifice will appease him, and a Lushai's whole life is spent in
-propitiating these spirits.
-
-In addition to Pathian and the Huai there is a spirit known as
-Khuavang, who is sometimes spoken of as identical with Pathian, but
-is generally considered to be inferior to him, and more concerned with
-human beings. Khuavang sometimes appears to people, and his appearance
-is always followed by the illness of those who see him. A Lushai
-will say, "My Khuavang is bad," if things are going wrong with him,
-and he will also tell you that you are his Khuavang, meaning that his
-fate rests with you. I have also been told that there are two spirits
-called Mivengtu, watchers of men. One of these is a good spirit and
-guards people; the other is a bad spirit who is always trying to sell
-men to the Huai. Similarly each person is said to have two "thlarao,"
-or souls, one of which is wise, while the other is foolish, and it
-is the struggles between these two that make men so unreliable. If
-a man hits his foot against a stone, he attributes it to a temporary
-victory of the foolish spirit.
-
-In addition to all these spirits, there is another. Each clan has a
-special spirit presiding over its destinies. The spirit is known as
-"Sakhua," and all sacrifices to him have to be performed by a puithiam
-of the clan, and only members of the family can be present.
-
-The Lushais believe in a spirit world beyond the grave, which is
-known as Mi-thi-khua--i.e., dead man's village--but on the far side
-of Mi-thi-khua runs the Pial river, beyond which lies Pial-ral, an
-abode of bliss. Access to this is not obtained by a life of virtue
-while on earth, but the due performance of sacrifices and the killing
-of men and certain animals and success in the courts of Venus. The
-following account of the common belief was written for me by a
-Lushai, who embellished his essay with a map. It will be noticed
-that in the latter he has inserted the Kristian's (Christian's)
-village and their heaven, the road to which is under Isua (Jesus),
-while the roads to the Lushai's Mi-thi-khua are watched by Seitana
-(Satan). This incorporation of the teaching of the missionaries
-with the indigenous belief is not without interest, showing a broad
-spirit of tolerance in the author, who, without abandoning the faith
-of his forefathers, is ready to admit the truth of Christianity and
-its suitability to those who profess it, and sees no difficulty in
-providing in the unknown lands beyond the grave a special country
-for each race, just as there is in the world he knows of.
-
-
-
-Translation of a Lushai's account of the World beyond the Grave
-
-"The first man is said to have been Pupawla; then he died before all
-those born after him. Then Pupawla, this man who died first, shoots
-at those who have died after him with a very big pellet bow, but at
-some he cannot shoot. Hlamzuih (see below, para. 8) he cannot shoot
-at. Thangchhuah he may not shoot at. Then he may not shoot at a young
-man who has enjoyed three virgins, nor at one who has enjoyed seven
-different women, even if they were not virgins; but women, whoever they
-may be, he always shoots at. They say that there is a road between
-the Mi-thi-khua and the Rih lake. [This lake is on the left bank of
-Tyao river 1 1/2 miles from the place where the Aijal-Falam road
-crosses the river.] To go there, they say, there are seven roads,
-but Pupawla has built his house where the seven roads meet. Then
-after Pupawla has shot them, there is a hill called Hringlang hill,
-and then there is the Lunglo river [heartless, feelingless, which
-removes feelings] the water of which is clear and transparent, and
-the 'hawilopar' [look back no more flowers] flourish there. The dead
-pluck hawilo flowers and place them behind their eyes and drink of
-the Lunglo water, and have no more desire for the land of the living."
-
-
-
-The Thangchhuah, mentioned above, are those who have slain men and
-certain animals and have given a series of feasts to the village,
-which will be found described in para. 9 of this chapter.
-
-Those whom Pupawla hits with his pellet cannot cross the Pial river
-and are doomed to stay in Mi-thi-khua, where life is troublesome and
-difficult, everything being worse than in this world, the metna of
-Mi-thi-khua being no larger than crabs.
-
-The proud title of Thangchhuah, which carries with it much honour
-in this world as well as the right of admission to Pial-ral after
-death, can only be obtained by killing a man and each of the
-following animals--elephant, bear, sambhur, barking deer, wild
-boar, wild mithan--and by giving the feasts enumerated below; but
-it is well also to have killed a species of snake called "rulngan,"
-a bird called "vahluk" and a species of eagle called "mu-van-lai"
-(hawk in the middle of the sky). A Lushai gave me the following
-account of the journey of Thangchhuah to Pial-ral.
-
-"After death the dead man holds the horns of the sambhur while sitting
-on its head, the rulngan will wind itself round him and the horns,
-the mu-van-lai will try to seize the rulngan, but the Thangchhuah can
-drive them off. That is why they always fly screaming so high in the
-sky. The vahluk shade him by flying above him and also hide him from
-Pupawla, and thus the Thangchhuah is carried to Pial-ral."
-
-In Pial-ral food and drink are to be obtained without labour, which
-to the Lushai appears the height of bliss.
-
-The omission of the tiger from the list of animals which a Thangchhuah
-must have killed is curious, and I cannot explain it as the Lushais
-have no superstitious objection to killing tigers and the "Ai" of
-a tiger is a very special function, as will be seen in para. 4 of
-this chapter.
-
-This ceremony called "Ai" is always performed when a man or a wild
-animal has been killed. It is supposed to give the performer's ghost
-power over the ghosts of the man or animals killed. He is described as
-going to Pial-ral leading the ghost of his enemy on a string like a
-dog. Every member of a hunting party in which an elephant is killed
-or of a raiding party in which a man is slain is entitled to say
-that he has killed an elephant or a man. This simplifies admission to
-Pial-ral, and now that the killing of men and elephants is prohibited
-by an unsympathetic Government, it is popularly supposed that this
-qualification will not be insisted on.
-
-Many people profess to have seen Mi-thi-khua in their dreams, but none
-claim to have seen Pial-ral. Should a person dream of his parents
-and in his dream accept rice from their hands he will die without
-fail in a very short time.
-
-I have been told that the spirits of the dead sometimes are
-reincarnated in the form of hornets and sometimes in the form of dew,
-and if this falls on a person the spirit is reborn in his or her child.
-
-[2. Ancestor worship.] Though this can scarcely be said to be the
-religion of the Lushais, yet they firmly believe that the spirits of
-the dead are constantly present and need to be propitiated, and one
-of the principal Thangchhuah feasts is in honour of the dead. This
-is described in para. 9 of this chapter.
-
-At every feast or sacrifice a small portion of flesh, rice, and a
-little zu is placed on a shelf under the eaves for the spirits of
-the dead members of the family. This is called "rao-chhiak."
-
-A little of the first fruits of each crop is always placed on the
-wall under the eaves, above the spot where the water tubes are
-stacked, as an offering to the cultivator's parents. This is called
-"Mi-thi-chhiah," but there is another more important Mi-thi-chhiah. It
-is supposed that the spirits of the departed are very fond of coming
-to watch the Kut festivities (see para. 9 of this chapter) and on
-such occasions the spirit of a mother will enter her daughter's
-body and the daughter then goes off into a trance. The Lusheis say,
-"Mi-thi in a thluk" (The dead has taken her place). To cause the spirit
-to depart and restore the girl to consciousness it is necessary to
-perform the ceremony called Mi-thi-chhiah. Necklaces, earrings, cloths,
-petticoats, rice, and zu are placed in a heap on the floor where the
-corpse of the deceased was seated during the funeral feast. Then the
-worst cloth and petticoat of the girl are burnt in the forge and she
-forthwith returns to life. One reason given for the behaviour of the
-spirit is that sufficient attention to the adornment of the corpse
-at the funeral feast had not been paid. The spirit is supposed to be
-able to brood over the slight put on its late tenement; hence the
-collection of all sorts of cloths and ornaments on the spot where
-the corpse had been seated.
-
-[3. Worship of natural forces and deities.] The Lushais do not
-worship the sun or moon or any of the forces of nature, though when
-wishing to emphasise a statement they frequently say, "If what I say is
-not true, may the sun and moon desert me." But they believe the hills,
-streams, and trees are inhabited by various demons. These are known as
-"Huai," those inhabiting the water being called "Tui-huai," and those
-residing on land being known as "Ram-huai." These spirits are uniformly
-bad, and all the troubles and ills of life are attributed to them, and
-the sacrifices described in the next part are supposed to appease them.
-
-The following account of the doings of one of these Huai was given
-me by Suakhnuna, one of the most intelligent of the Lushei chiefs:--
-
-"A Ram-huai named Chongpuithanga used to live near the ford over
-the Sonai. He said he was the servant of the King of the Huai and
-was always on the look out for men along the banks of the river. He
-spoke through a girl called Ziki, who was often ill, and used to
-go into trances. He demanded a pig and professed to have caused
-the deaths of ten persons of the village." The following is another
-story which the teller fully believed. "About six years ago Hminga,
-of Lalbuta's village, was looking at a ngoi (fishing weir) and saw
-some Ram-huai. These wore the chawndawl (headdress worn by slayers
-of men), and round these were strings of babies' skulls. On his
-return home he got very ill, and all his family kept on asking him
-what was the matter, but when he was going to tell them the Ram-huai
-would seize him by the throat so that he could not tell them. If he
-managed to say a few words he got a pain in the head. He did not die,
-but recovered." Again, "A woman of Lalbuta's village went out of her
-house at night for purposes of nature. Her name was Mangami; she was
-enceinte. The Huai of the Tuitlin precipice caught her, and forced
-out the immature child and then carried her off down the rocks. The
-young men of the village went to search for her and found her naked
-in the jungle at the foot of the precipice, where the Ram-huai had
-left her. She knew nothing about it. She recovered."
-
-The following story gives rather a different view of the Huai:--"A
-man called Dailova, who may be alive now, did not know that it was
-time for him to perform his Sakhua sacrifice. He and his son went down
-to fetch 'dhan' from the jhum house, and slept there among the straw;
-in the night the boy, feeling cold, went into the jhum house and slept
-among the paddy, but Dailova covered himself up in the straw and kept
-warm. Towards morning two Huais came along, one of whom was called
-Lianthawnga, and the other, Ram-huai, called to him, 'Where are you
-going to, Lianthawnga?' and he replied 'I am going to Lungzawl.' Then
-Dailova, from under the straw, called out, 'Where are you going to,
-Lianthawnga?' Then the Ram-huai came into the straw and wrestled with
-Dailova. When they had finished wrestling it was daylight, so they
-ate their rice and came home, and Ram-huai followed them and wrestled
-with Dailova. Sometimes the Ram-huai appears as a tiger and sometimes
-as a man. Dailova kept on saying, 'I will wrestle again with him,'
-and at last he called out, 'I have conquered.' Then the Ram-huai
-told him that his Sakhua sacrifice was overdue and he performed it
-at once." In the last story the Ram-huai is represented in much the
-same aspect as Khuavang has been described to me by others, one of
-whom told me that once, returning from a drinking bout at the chief's
-house, he had found a man of huge stature sitting by his hearth,
-who after staring at him for a moment or two disappeared. Another,
-who also had been at a feast, while on his way home saw huge men
-with enormous heads passing through the jungle. In both these cases
-the narrators assured me that they were perfectly sober; in fact,
-one of them alleged as a reason for being sure that the figure which
-he saw was Khuavang was that, in spite of having drunk a great deal,
-he did not feel intoxicated. In each case the vision was followed by
-a severe illness.
-
-There is a lake called "Dil," between the southern border of the
-Lushai Hills and the Arracan hill tracts, which was credited with being
-the abode of many savage Tui-huai. No hill man would go within sight
-of the water, and when I first went there I had great difficulty in
-getting men to accompany me. The story is that some foreigner visited
-the place once and climbed into a tree overhanging the water, whence
-he dropped his knife into the lake and sent one of his men down to
-fetch it. The diver returned without the knife, but with tales of
-wonderful beings beneath the water. The foreigner fired his gun into
-the lake, whereupon numbers of Tui-huai emerged and chased the whole
-party of intruders, catching and carrying off all except their leader,
-who made good his escape.
-
-Every form of sickness is attributed to the influence of some Huai
-or other, and all tales about Huais either begin or end, "There was
-much sickness in our village." At the time of an epidemic there is
-probably some hysterical girl, such as Ziki appears to have been, whose
-mind has been imbued with tales of Huais, who works herself up into a
-frenzy and believes herself possessed of a devil. This theory receives
-confirmation from the facts recorded in the next chapter regarding
-Khawhring. Not every Huai is known by name, and the sacrifices about
-to be described are offered to all Huais of a particular class.
-
-Lashi.--Although the Lashi are not considered as demons or divinities,
-yet this seems an appropriate place to deal with them. A Lushai
-describes them thus:--"The Lashi folk are spirits which live in the
-Lur and Tan precipices. Formerly a Lushai young man went shooting
-alone. Beneath the Tan precipice a most beautiful Lashi maiden was
-weaving, and on seeing her the youth became love-sick and could not
-go away, so he stayed and courted her all day, till it began to grow
-dark; then the Lashi maiden, wishing to go to her house, asked him to
-roll up her weaving for her, but he would not. Then she said to him,
-'What animal would you most like to shoot?' and on his saying an
-elephant she at once caused him to kill one and he bore its head back
-in triumph, while the Lashi maiden and her mother rolled up the cloth
-and disappeared into the precipice." My informant assured me that had
-the young man rolled up the weaving he would never have escaped. In
-another tale a Lashi youth falls in love with the daughter of a man
-called Lianlunga, to whom he appeared in a dream and offered to place
-in his tobacco box the fur of many wild animals and to enable him to
-shoot every animal the fur of which was in the box. In return for this
-Lianlunga agreed to the match, and both he and his wife were given
-the power of decoying wild animals. Lianlunga's wife would pinch her
-pig's ear, and if it made no noise Lianlunga would go out shooting and
-Chawntinleri, a younger sister of the Lashi son-in-law, would drive
-all the animals past him, and he shot what he liked, for the Lashi
-had tamed all the animals. Lianlunga, however, came to a tragic end
-through trying to dispense with the services of the Lashi. He enticed
-a wild metna under his house and then tried to spear it through the
-floor, but only wounded it and the animal escaped. This offended the
-Lashi, who "made the barb of an arrow come out of his heart so that
-he died." The Lashi seem to be only concerned with wild animals,
-over whom they are believed to have complete control.
-
-[4. Religious rites and ceremonies.] In this part I propose only
-to deal with the various sacrifices which play so important a part
-in a Lushai's existence, but the festivals described in para. 9 are,
-to a certain extent, religious ceremonies, and are performed with the
-idea of pleasing the gods. Suakhnuna explained to me, when giving the
-description of the Thangchhuah feasts, that Pathian resided in the
-sky and that these feasts were supposed to please him. Similarly,
-the carrying about of the effigies of their ancestors in the
-"mi-thi-rawp-lam" is supposed to be acceptable to the spirits of
-the departed. In these feasts I think we may safely trace the rude
-beginnings of the magnificent pageants performed by the Manipuris
-and called by them "Lai-harauba"--i.e., "Pleasing the god." Before
-describing the various sacrifices it is necessary to explain some of
-the terms used.
-
-Hrilh closely approximates to the Naga "Genna." The meaning is that
-those to whom it applies must do no work, except necessary household
-tasks, and must not leave a prescribed area. The "hrilh" may apply to
-the whole village or only to the household of the performer of the
-sacrifice, and the area in which those under "hrilh" are allowed to
-move about may be either their own house and garden, or the village
-limits.
-
-Sherh.--This term is used to describe the portions of the animal
-sacrificed, which are reserved for the god or Huai. These portions
-vary slightly in different sacrifices, but, generally speaking,
-they are the extremities and some of the internal organs, such as
-the heart, liver, or entrails. In every case the extremities are
-included. I believe the Khasis offer these to the "thlen." [2] I have
-found the Manipuri iron-workers when about to work a new deposit,
-also offer the hair from the end of the tail and from the fetlocks,
-and a little blood drawn from the ear of the buffalo, to the local
-god. Having become Hindus, they can no longer kill the animal as their
-forefathers did, but still make this offering of the "sherh." "Sherh"
-is also used in the sense of tabu. Thus a house in which a sacrifice
-has been performed may be said to be "sherh," meaning that no one
-outside the household may enter it. Portions of the animal killed are
-kept for certain periods, during this time are "sherh," and cannot
-be touched by outsiders. A woman is "sherh," for some days after her
-confinement, and during that time must not go to the water supply.
-
-Thiang-lo is translated by the missionaries as "unlawful," but I think
-"unlucky" more exactly represents the meaning, which is that a certain
-act will be followed by some misfortune to the doer. [3]
-
-The sacrifices made by Lushais may be divided into eight classes.
-
-
- 1. Sakhua.--A sacrifice to the guardian spirit of the clan or
- family.
- 2. Khal.--These are sacrifices to Huai supposed to frequent the
- village and houses.
- 3. Daibawl.--These are to propitiate the Huai in the jungle,
- streams, and mountains.
- 4. Various sacrifices in case of sickness.
- 5. Sacrifices to cure barrenness in women.
- 6. Nao-hri.--These sacrifices should be performed once in a
- lifetime in a particular order.
- 7. Sacrifices connected with hunting and killing animals.
- 8. Sacrifices connected with jhuming.
-
-
-[1. Sakhua.] From the chant given below a good idea is obtained of
-what the word "Sakhua" means to the Lushais.
-
-Each clan has a special chant or invocation, and though in almost
-every case the animal sacrificed is a big sow, yet the method and
-place of the sacrifice and the disposal of the "sherh" vary in each
-clan, and uniformity in this respect is looked on as proof positive
-that two families belong to the same clan.
-
-Among the Lushei clans the sacrifice must be performed by a pui-thiam
-of the clan, and the pig is killed outside the house, but is brought
-in to be cooked and eaten. The legs and ribs have to be kept for
-three days above the rafters, and during this time they are "sherh,"
-and if they are touched by anyone of another family, someone of the
-household performing the sacrifice will suffer in some way, unless
-another pig is quickly killed. The skull of the animal is hung on
-the centre post inside the house. The sacrifice is generally made
-about once in four years, unless the pui-thiam advises the performance
-more frequently on account of sickness. The following is the chant or
-invocation used by the pui-thiam at this sacrifice. Each invocation
-begins and ends with a long drawn out note. The refrain "And accept,
-&c.," is repeated after each line.
-
-
- Ah--h. Arise from the village. Aw--w.
- And accept our sacrifice.
- Ah--h. Arise from the open spaces in the village. Aw--w,
- And accept our sacrifice.
- Ah--h. Arise from your dwelling places. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the paths. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the gathering mists. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the yam plots. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from Bualchuam hill. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from Khawkawk hill. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from Buhmam hill. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from above the road. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from below the hill. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from Vahlit hill. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from Muchhip hill. Aw--w.
-
-
-The spirits of three more hills are invoked.
-
-
- Ah--h. Arise from the new village site. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the shelf over the hearth. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the village. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the floor. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Arise from the earth. Aw--w.
- Ah--h. Spirits prayed to by our ancestors,
- Accept our sacrifice.
- Bless Luta's spirit (the householder's name),
- Bless us with sons, bless us with daughters,
- Bless us while in bed, bless us round the hearth.
- Make us to flourish like a sago palm,
- Make us to flourish like a hai tree.
- Bless us while the sun shines,
- Bless us while the moon shines.
- May those above bless us, may those below us bless us.
- Guard us from our enemies, guard us from death.
- Favour us with flesh. (May we have success in the chase.)
- Favour us with the produce of the jungle.
- For ten, for a hundred years bless us.
- Bless us in killing man, bless us in shooting animals,
- Bless us in cultivating our jhums, bless us in cultivating the beans.
- Guard us in the presence of men, guard us in the presence of
- animals. Bless us in our old age,
- Bless us when our heads are bowed down.
- Guard us from the spear, guard us from the dah.
- Those whom our grandmothers worshipped guard us,
- Those whom our grandfathers worshipped guard us.
- Bless us in spite of the faults in this our chant,
- Bless us in spite of the faults in this our worship."
-
-
-Bualchuam hill is the hill in which the first men built their first
-village, Buhmam the hill on which the first bird's nest was built by
-a crow. The other hills mentioned give a clue to the village sites of
-the first Lushei chiefs. The omission of a prayer to be preserved from
-the danger of gunshots shows that the chant has remained unaltered
-in spite of the gun having superseded the dah and the spear.
-
-[2. Khal.] There are many sorts of Khal. The following are some of
-the most important.
-
-Vok-te-Khal.--A small pig killed near the head of the parents' sleeping
-platform, flesh cooked inside the house, and the skull hung over the
-sleeping place. The sherh consisting of the heart and liver and fat,
-are kept for the night in a pot with salt and rice and then thrown
-away. The day of the sacrifice and the night following are "hrilh"
-for the household.
-
-Ar-Khal.--Similar to the Vok-te, but a red cock is killed, and instead
-of the head, the long feathers from above the tail, called "fep" by
-the Lushais, are strung on a cane and hung over the parents' sleeping
-place. The sherh, consisting of the head, feet, heart and liver,
-and wings, are placed in a small basket and thrown away in the morning.
-
-Kel-Khal.--A goat is killed in a place where the water tubes are kept;
-its flesh is cooked inside the house. The sherh are hung on a cane
-in the front verandah. The hrilh lasts three days, and during that
-time no intercourse must be held with strangers, nor must any of the
-household enter the forge.
-
-These three sacrifices should always be performed soon after marriage,
-but poor persons postpone them till ill-health shows that the Huais
-will wait no longer. Dreams are also the means of notifying when a
-Khal should be performed. If a person dreams of a beautiful stranger of
-the opposite sex who laughs constantly, then the Vok-te-Khal should be
-performed, and if the dream is repeated often Ar-Khal must follow or
-the dreamer will certainly get ill. Should a tiger bite the dreamer,
-Kel-Khal is most urgently needed, and if not performed the dreamer
-will certainly die. Persons who dream this dream are so frightened
-that they will not leave their houses after dark, nor stir beyond
-the village during the day, for fear of a tiger seizing them.
-
-Van-chung-Khal.--A white cock is killed on the hearth and the flesh
-cooked inside the house. The sherh are placed in a winnowing basket
-on the top shelf over the hearth with salt and a little rice taken
-from the pot before anyone has eaten. The next morning it is thrown
-away. Hrilh only for one night.
-
-Khal-chuang or Mei-awr-lo.--"Tail not worn"--because it is not
-obligatory for the performer to wear the tail on a string round his
-neck as is is done in Kel-Khal.
-
-A goat is killed as in Kel-Khal and the sherh are treated in the same
-way, but the flesh must not be cooked till the next day, and it is
-"thiang-lo" to eat "thei-hai" fruit. Though this sacrifice is so very
-similar to the Kel-Khal, yet it is considered more efficacious.
-
-[3. Daibawl.] The commonest of these is "Tui-leh-ram" (water and
-land). This sacrifice has to be performed at the outskirts of the
-village. It is to appease the demons inhabiting the woods and the
-streams.
-
-A cock and hen are killed. Three bamboos are brought; of these
-"theibial" are made, which are pieces of bamboo about four inches long
-stuck into the ground. A small basket called "maicham" is also made,
-and some small square mats called "lengleh" made of a thin strip of
-bamboo bent round and round itself and kept in position by lacings of
-black and red threads. These are hung from small pieces of bamboo stuck
-into the theibial. The fowls' throats are cut and the blood allowed to
-flow on the maicham and theibial. Then three small stones are brought
-from the nearest stream and a shallow hole is dug at the place of
-sacrifice and lined with a wild plantain leaf. In this some water is
-poured and the stones and the sherh are placed in the water. The fowls'
-flesh may be cooked and eaten either on the spot or in the house.
-
-Bawl-pui.--This is a very important sacrifice, which is seldom
-performed and only after all others have been tried. Two small clay
-figures are made, one to represent a man and the other a woman. These
-are called "ram-chawm."
-
-The female figure has a petticoat of "hnahtial" (a plant which has
-tough leaves used for wrapping up food to be taken on a journey),
-and is made to bite the pig's liver.
-
-The male figure is provided with a pipe and a necklace of the liver
-of the pig which is sacrificed. A small bamboo platform is made,
-and on it is put a clay model of a gong and other household utensils,
-and sometimes of mithan.
-
-The pig's throat is cut and the blood allowed to flow over the
-platform, &c.
-
-The pig's flesh is cooked on the spot. To take it into the house is
-"thianglo." Many persons come and eat it with the puithiam. If the
-patient does not die during the performance of the sacrifice or during
-the subsequent feast he will undoubtedly recover.
-
-[4. Various sacrifices in case of sickness.] Kangpuizam.--This is a
-very important and efficacious sacrifice, and can only be performed by
-a certain wise man of the Khawtlang or Vuite clans. It costs Rs. 40/-
-besides the cost of the animals killed and zu drunk. In front of the
-house a sort of arbour is made of grass and boughs supported on four
-sticks. All round this are hung little balls made of split cane rolled
-up tight. This split cane is said to be much liked by the devils. All
-round the house strands of cane are stretched, the ends being tied to
-the arbour. The devils are supposed to be unable to pass these canes,
-so that the sorcerer has no fear of the devils who are already inside
-the house being assisted by recruits from the outside. Drinking of
-zu and reciting of charms goes on during the day, and after dark the
-sorcerer and his assistants get up on the roof of the sick man's house
-and commence marching up and down reciting charms and ordering the
-devils to leave the man, and offering them asylum in the bodies of a
-goat, pig, and dog which they carry with them. After some shouting and
-firing of a gun the party sit down on the roof over the front entrance
-of the house, and the sorcerer commences a long incantation over each
-of the animals in turn, beating them and stamping on them. Then some
-of the party come down and the rest retire to the back of the house,
-and each of the animals is brought in turn from the far end of the
-house, being made to walk on its hind legs to the front, and then is
-thrown down on to the entrance platform. Lastly a big bough is carried
-from the back of the house along the roof and fixed in a hole through
-the roof over the entrance. From this bough a cane is stretched to
-the arbour. Then all the rest of the party come down, and after many
-incantations and much shouting the animals are sacrificed and eaten
-by the sorcerer and his assistants, the usual useless portions being
-hung up in the arbour for the devils, who are supposed to have been
-driven either into the animal or along the cane into the arbour.
-
-Ui-hring.--A full-grown dog or bitch is killed on the entrance platform
-and its flesh is cooked in front of the house. Blood is put on the sick
-man's wrist, inside his elbow joint, on his forehead, on his chest, at
-the back of the knee and ankle. Sherh and head are hung up on a post.
-
-Hring-ai-tan.--Similar, but a different charm is muttered and the
-heart is roasted and eaten. The house is "sherh" for one day, leaves
-being hung in front of the door to warn outsiders. One day's hrilh
-is observed.
-
-Khuavang-hring.--Puithiam decides what animal shall be killed, and
-the sacrifice takes place on a platform before the house, the flesh
-being cooked in the street. Sherh and head are hung on a post in a
-small basket.
-
-Thlako (The Calling of the Spirit).--Sometimes a Lushai returning
-from a shooting expedition experiences a sudden feeling of fear
-near the water supply, and on reaching his house feels ill and out
-of sorts. He then realises that he has lost one of his "thlarau," or
-souls, in the jungle. So he calls in the puithiam and requests him to
-call back the wanderer. The puithiam then hangs the head of a hoe on
-to the shaft of a spear and goes down to the water spring chanting
-a charm and calling on the spirit to return. As he goes the iron
-hoe head jingles against the iron butt of the spear and the spirit
-hears the noise and listens. The puithiam returns from the spring
-to the house still chanting and calling, and the spirit follows him,
-but should the puithiam laugh or look back the spirit is afraid and
-flies back to the jungle.
-
-Epidemics.--The appearance of cholera, or any similar disease, is the
-signal for the evacuation of the village. The sick are abandoned and
-the people scatter, some families taking up their abode in the jhum
-huts, others building huts in the jungle. The neighbouring villages
-close their gates to all coming from the infected neighbourhood, and to
-terrify the Huai, who is supposed to be responsible for the epidemic,
-a gateway is built across the road leading to the stricken villages,
-on the sides and arch of which rude figures of armed men made of
-straw with wooden spears and dahs are placed. A dog is sacrificed
-and the sherh are hung on the gateway. [4]
-
-[5. Sacrifices to remove barrenness in women.] Chhim.--This is
-generally performed if a woman does not become enceinte in the first
-year of married life. A white hen has to be caught just as it has
-laid an egg, but as this is a somewhat difficult feat, and as the
-demons, though malevolent, are supposed to be easily imposed upon,
-a white hen is often caught and put into a nest basket with an egg
-and fastened there till the puithiam arrives and says, "Oh, ho! so
-your hen has laid an egg!" Then the hen is killed at the head of
-the sleeping platform (khumpi), under which the sherh are placed in
-a basket till sunrise next morning, when they are thrown away. The
-flesh is cooked on the hearth and eaten.
-
-Nu-hrih.--A black fowl is killed and eaten as in the "Chhim"
-sacrifice. The sherh are wrapped in a wild plantain before being placed
-under the bed in a basket. They are thrown away in the morning. The
-feathers are bound with the thread used for tying the woman's hair and
-hung on the wall opposite the fireplace. Whether the couple cohabit
-on this night or not is immaterial.
-
-[6. Nao-hri.] The following sacrifices are performed some time during
-life, whenever a person is unwell. If a person keeps well they will
-not be made. Rich people often go through the whole course for their
-children as a precautionary measure. The sacrifices are done in the
-following order:--
-
-
- 1. Hmar-phir.--Cock and hen killed on entrance ladder.
- 2. Hmarchung.--Cock killed on entrance ladder.
- 3. Hmarkhat.--Hen killed on entrance ladder.
- 4. Vawk-te-luilam.--Small pig killed outside house.
- 5. Ui-te-luilam.--Puppy killed outside house.
- 6. Zinhnawn.--Puppy killed outside house.
- 7. Zin-thiang.--Puppy killed outside house.
- 8. Ui-ha-awr.--Dog killed in front of platform, tooth worn round
- neck.
-
-
-[7. Sacrifices connected with hunting and killing animals.]
-Kongpui Shiam (Making a Big Road).--This ceremony is supposed to
-make successful hunting probable; it also foretells the result. It
-is performed before a large hunting party starts and also annually
-about April.
-
-
-
-Translation of Lushai Account.
-
-"As soon as it gets dusk two men and the puithiam go a short way
-down the road which leads out of the village southwards taking a
-small pig with them, and there they make a fire, and kill the pig
-and cook its flesh. They drink some zu which they have brought with
-them in a gourd and also eat the flesh of the pig. Presently they say
-no one is to come this way, and the puithiam sweeps a place in the
-middle of the road and places some of the ashes from the fire there,
-and sings this magic chant:--
-
-"'Animals come, animals of the Ri lake come, animals of the Champhai
-come, animals from the village come, animals of Ai-zawl come, you
-with the white tusks, you with the standing manes (bears), you with
-the branching horns come.'
-
-"Then, picking up some small stones and putting them in their
-haversacks, they return. As they are about to enter the chief's house,
-they say, 'We are bringing men's and animals' heads.' The upas who are
-collected in the chief's house ask, 'Are you friends or enemies?' 'We
-are friends,' they reply. Then they open the door and put the stones
-which they have brought into a basket, and as they enter they are
-given zu."
-
-The next day is "hrilh" for the whole village. In the morning, early,
-they go to look at the ashes, and are supposed to be able to see
-the likeness to footmarks in them, and thus to what animals will be
-killed in the chase. If a man's foot marks are seen, it is unfortunate,
-and a man will be killed.
-
-Ai.--In order that a person after death may gain possession of
-the spirits of the men or wild animals he has killed here below,
-it is necessary for him to sacrifice a mithan, goat, or pig. This
-is called "Ai." After this feast, before the skull can be placed in
-the front verandah, a religious ceremony has to be performed by the
-puithiam. This is called "Sa-lu-an-chhuang"--i.e., "Hoist the head of
-the wild animal." A small white fowl is given to him and the skull of
-the animal is placed in front of him. He then takes some zu in his
-mouth and spits it out over the skull, and, after muttering a charm
-in so low a tone that no one can hear him, he strikes the skull with
-the head of the chicken. If some of the feathers stick on the skull
-it is very lucky. After this the skull can be put up. As is stated
-further on, the Lushais believe that the spirit of a dead man cannot
-pass to Mi-thi-khua unless some animals are killed. These have to be
-provided by the heir, and no greater objection can be urged against a
-claim to inherit than a failure to provide the funeral sacrifice. This
-explains the reason of the Ai ceremony; the performer thereby enables
-the spirit of the dead animal to pass to Mi-thi-khua and in return
-acquires power over it. No Ai has to be performed for tame animals,
-presumably because they are the property of the slayer already. The
-word "Ai" has many meanings--among them are "to fascinate," "to obtain
-power over"; and there is also a plant of that name, which in one of
-the folk tales is said to have the magical property of driving away
-any evil spirit at which it is pointed.
-
-The Ai of a man requires the sacrifice of a mithan and a small pig. If
-an enemy is killed and no Ai performed the slayer is very likely to
-go mad.
-
-If you perform the Ai you can take your enemy with you (as a slave)
-when you die; if you do not perform the Ai you cannot do so, and the
-spirit of your deceased enemy will haunt you in this life.
-
-
-
-Translation of a Lushai Account of the Sakei-Ai.
-
-"When Bengkhawia's village was at Thenzawl, a tiger beset the
-village and in one day killed a mithan and two goats. The crier
-called on the people to surround it, and they did so. Thangbawnga
-shot it and performed the Ai ceremony; the night before he must
-not sleep. A young man cut its tail off; he also must keep awake
-all night. The next day he performed the Ai ceremony, sacrificing a
-mithan. Thangbawnga, who was performing the Ai, dressed himself up as
-a woman, smoked a woman's pipe, wore a woman's petticoat and cloth,
-carried a small basket, spun a cotton spindle, wore ivory earrings,
-let his hair down, and wrapped a mottled cloth, which was said to be
-of an ancient pattern, round his head as a turban. A crowd watched
-him and yelled with laughter, but it would have been 'thianglo' for
-him to laugh. Presently he took off his turban and carried it in the
-basket. Then he took off his woman's disguise and dressed himself
-as a man, and strapped on a fighting dah and carried a gun. He also
-took 'sailungvar' (white flints) and put them into the tiger's mouth
-while he ate eggs. 'You eat the sailungvar,' he said; 'who will
-swallow them the quicker?' 'I have out-swallowed you, you have not
-swallowed yours; I have swallowed mine. You go by the lower road;
-I will go by the upper. You will be like the lower southern hills;
-I shall be like the high northern ones. You are the brave man of the
-south; I am the brave man of the north,' he said, and cut the tiger's
-head three times with his dao. Then the men buried the body of the
-tiger outside the village." If the tiger has killed men, his eyes are
-gouged out with skewers or needles and thrown away; it is "thianglo"
-for the performer to laugh, so he holds a porcupine in his arms, and
-if he laughs by accident they say, "The porcupine laughed." The idea
-of the performer disguising himself as a woman is that the spirit
-of the dead tiger may be humbled, thinking that it has been shot by
-a woman; and the giving of the flints while the performer eats eggs
-is to show the power of the performer over the the tiger, as he eats
-the eggs easily, while the tiger is unable to chew the flints.
-
-Haohuk Ai.--The Ai of a "haohuk," or gibbon, means a feast given to
-all who care to attend. Twenty pots of zu are required, but they
-are of a small size. A pig has to be killed and eaten. This Ai is
-especially necessary because of the superstition connected with the
-killing of these animals, which will be found in Chapter V.
-
-[8. Sacrifices connected with jhuming.] Lohman.--When the jhum
-house has been completed, the sacrifice has to be performed by the
-owner of the jhum. The puithiam has to be called and two fowls killed
-by him. A small hole is dug in the ground under the house and lined
-with plantain leaves and then filled with water, and three small
-stones are dropped in. The puithiam cuts the throats of the fowls,
-allowing the blood to fall into the hole. The sherh are then cut off
-and hung under the house, and the rest of the flesh is cooked and
-eaten in the jungle. The next day is hrilh. The first day after this
-on which they work, some rice and vegetables are placed on the top of
-one of the posts of the house platform as an offering to the Ram-huai.
-
-Fanodawi.--The chief prepares zu in his house. Puithiam and two upas
-go just outside the village on the road to the jhum and sacrifice a
-cock, and its wings are hung on either side of the road and the sherh
-are placed in the middle of the road. Next day is hrilh; no one goes
-out of the village except to carry water. This is to make grain fill
-in the ear, and is performed in July.
-
-[5. Priesthood.] There is no regular priesthood; the nearest approach
-to priests are the puithiam (great knowers). These men pretend to
-be able, by feeling a sick man's pulse, to tell which sacrifice
-is needed. The only training necessary is to commit to memory the
-various "hla," or charms, which have to be muttered while performing
-the sacrifices. Any man who thinks he has a call can acquire these
-from a puithiam on payment of a fee of a few rupees. His success in
-his calling appears largely to depend on luck.
-
-There is generally one puithiam appointed by the chief, but there is
-no limit to the number there may be in a village. As has been said,
-the important Sakhua sacrifice requires the presence of a puithiam of
-the clan concerned, but other sacrifices can be performed by a puithiam
-of any clan. The services of a puithiam are not given gratis. For
-performing those connected with cultivation he receives a basket of
-rice; for other sacrifices he receives sums varying from a rupee up
-to ten rupees, but for some it is not customary to take payment, and
-the fees depend chiefly on the position of the person who has to pay
-them, as the puithiam, on the principle that half a loaf is better
-than no bread, will generally perform a sacrifice and take what he
-can get rather than get nothing. For the more important sacrifices,
-the fees, however, are always higher.
-
-[6. Ceremonies connected with child birth.] The particular sacrifices
-to be performed in connection with a child's birth vary considerably
-in different clans and families. Within seven days of the birth,
-the sacrifice known as the "Arte-luilam," consisting of a cock and
-a hen killed just outside the house, must be made; till this is done
-the woman cannot go to the spring and is "sherh," and had better not
-leave the house.
-
-Should the woman not observe the custom the child will suffer in
-health. Three days after the birth of a child a small chicken and
-seven small packets of rice and vegetables are suspended under
-the edge of the front verandah. This is called "arte-hring-ban"
-or "khaw-hring-tir." The object is to satisfy the "khawhring" (see
-Chapter V, para 5) and prevent it entering the child.
-
-If a woman has difficulty in bringing forth, a fowl is killed and
-divided equally. The portion with the head is put at the upper
-end of the village with seven pieces of cane rolled into bundles,
-the other half at the lower end of the village with five rolls of
-cane, and the woman is given a little water to drink. This is called
-"arte-pum-phelna"--i.e., "to open the stomach with a fowl."
-
-For seven days after a child's birth its spirit is supposed not to be
-quite at home in the little body and to spend some of its time perched
-like a bird on the parents' bodies and clothes, and therefore, for
-fear of injuring it, the parents keep as quiet as possible for these
-seven days. If either of the parents works during these seven days
-and a red rash appears on the child, the illness is called "borh,"
-and the cure, which is called "borh keo," is as follows:--A certain
-creeper called "vomhrui" is brought and coiled round and round,
-forming a sort of cylinder, and into this the child is dipped three
-times. This is done at night after the fire is out, and no fire can
-be lit again till morning.
-
-Two days after the birth of a child its parents give a big drink to
-their friends and relatives--this is called "nau"--and seven days
-later another big feast is given. Some families give the name at the
-first feast, some at the second. The proper custom is for the "pu"
-to name the child, but nowadays parents generally do this.
-
-Should several children have died young, the parents will carry the
-next baby and deposit it in a friend's house, and then come and ask,
-"Have you a slave to sell," and purchase it for a small sum. This
-is supposed to deceive the Huais. Such children's names always begin
-with Suak, [5] and, judging from the frequency with which such names
-are met, the custom must be a very common one.
-
-It is thought good to appoint a "pu." The pu kills a pig and a fowl
-and eats it with his friends. Some of the "fep" of the fowl are
-tied round the child's neck. The pu is a general protector, and he
-only can get the "pushum" of a girl. He also receives the "lukawng"
-(see Part 8). Should a woman die in childbirth, it was considered
-unlucky for another woman to rear the child, which was buried alive
-with its mother.
-
-There are no ceremonies connected with attaining the age of puberty. A
-boy simply joins the young men in the zawlbuk. After this it is
-considered unlucky to cut the hair.
-
-[7. Marriage ceremonies.] A young Lushai as a rule chooses his own
-bride, but the arrangements are made by the parents. The would-be
-bridegroom's parents select two male friends, called "palai," who
-go to the parents of the selected girl and arrange matters. If the
-parents are agreeable the palai go on another day with zu, and the
-girl's parents brew zu. The price to be paid is fixed by custom, as
-before explained, but the amount to be paid down has to be settled
-by negotiation, and this is often a long business, the palai urging
-the poverty of the bridegroom's family, while the bride's parents
-try to fix the sum as high as possible. When this difficulty has
-been overcome the palai go again with zu, and the girl's parents
-also provide zu. On that day the girl is escorted by her friends
-to the house of the bridegroom's parents. This is called "Loi." As
-they pass through the village all the children pelt them with dirt,
-but on arrival they are welcomed with brimming cups of zu, and the
-bridegroom says to the bride, "Oh! your cloth is dirty," and gives
-her a new one. After some time the bridegroom produces a fowl, and
-this is killed by the puithiam, who says certain charms while doing
-so. This fowl is called "rem ar"--i.e., "the fowl of agreement"--and
-directly it is killed the bride and bridegroom pledge each other in
-zu. Then the bride and her young friends retire, while the rest of
-the party remain and have a great feast, consuming the "rem ar,"
-and also the fowls and zu, which the bridegroom receives from the
-bride's aunt, pu, thian, and palal. The next day towards evening,
-the bridegroom's mother or other elderly female relative goes to the
-bride's house accompanied by two or three young girls, and they escort
-the bride to her husband's house and hand her over to him. The young
-companions of the bridegroom sometimes amuse themselves by collecting a
-number of fowls under the house, tying she-goats up in the verandah,
-while the kids are tied at the far end of the village, and throw
-stones at the house throughout the night, so that the happy couple
-get but little sleep. This is called "Inngaithlak." On the following
-morning the bride returns to her mother's house, and for some time,
-occasionally for several weeks, the bride will spend her days at her
-mother's house, only going to her husband's after dark.
-
-[8. Funerals.] Different clans have different methods of disposing of
-their dead. The following is the custom of all true Lusheis, whenever
-the means of the deceased's family are sufficient to meet the expenses.
-
-Directly after death the corpse is washed, the hair dressed carefully,
-and then the body is attached to a bamboo frame, placed in a sitting
-position, and adorned with fine raiment, necklaces, &c.; if the
-deceased was a man his gun, dao, &c., are put near him. In Lushei
-families the corpse is put on the floor at the head of the kumpui. In
-other clans it is placed against the wall on one side. If the family
-be rich a mithan, a pig, a dog, and a goat are killed, but at least
-one of these must be killed. The flesh is then cooked in anticipation
-of the arrival of the friends and neighbours who are invited to a
-funeral feast, "Ral," which is kept up with singing and drinking till
-the evening of the next day. Food and drink are offered at intervals to
-the corpse. The spirits of the animals killed are supposed to accompany
-the soul of the deceased to Mi-thi-khua. If these animals are not
-killed the soul of the deceased will either not reach Mi-thi-khua,
-or if it does will be very poorly off there. So far there is not much
-difference between the Lushei custom and that of other clans. The other
-clans, on the evening of the day after the death, bury the deceased
-outside the house, without any particular ceremony. The nearest male
-relative makes a short farewell speech wishing the deceased a pleasant
-journey and asking him to prepare things for those who have to follow
-him. With a man are buried his pipe, haversack, and flint and steel;
-with a woman only the two first. As regards the burying of food and
-drink and weapons the custom varies, but it is generally done.
-
-The Lusheis, however, prefer not to bury their dead. The body is placed
-in a box made by hollowing out a log, a slab of wood is placed over
-the opening, and the joint plastered up with mud. This rough sort of
-coffin is placed in the deceased's house near to the wall. A bamboo
-tube is passed up through the floor and through a hole in the bottom
-of the coffin and into the stomach of the corpse. The other end is
-buried in the ground. A special hearth is made close to the coffin
-and a fire is kept burning day and night on this for three months,
-and during the whole of this time the widow of the deceased, if he
-leaves one, must sit alongside the coffin, over which are hung any
-valuables owned by the deceased. About six weeks after placing the
-corpse in the coffin, the latter is opened to see if the destruction
-of the corpse is proceeding properly, and if necessary the coffin is
-turned round so as to present the other side to the fire. The opening
-of the coffin is celebrated by the killing of a pig and the usual
-drink, and is known either as "en-lawk" or looking, examining.
-
-When it is thought that everything but the bones has been destroyed,
-the coffin is opened and the bones removed. The skull and the larger
-bones are removed and kept in a basket, which is placed on a special
-shelf opposite the hearth. The remainder of the bones are collected
-and buried generally in an earthenware pot.
-
-On the occasion of the final opening of the coffin--"khuang pai,"
-"throwing away coffin"--it is customary for chiefs to kill a mithan;
-lesser people are content with the usual drink. Few Lusheis, except
-chiefs, can afford the expense incurred in this method of disposing
-of their dead, and in such cases the body is simply buried. It is
-customary for relations and friends of the deceased to send animals
-to be killed in his honour, and the spirits of these are supposed to
-belong to the spirit of the deceased in the Mi-thi-khua.
-
-The skulls of all animals killed on such occasions are placed on poles
-round the grave if the body has been buried. If the body has not been
-buried, the heads will be placed on poles round the "lung dawh,"
-or platform erected in memory of the deceased. These "lung dawh,"
-in most cases, are merely a rough platform of logs placed beside the
-road just outside the village, but in the case of chiefs and of men
-who have killed men in war, the platform is built of stones. A big
-upright stone is placed in the centre, and on this various figures are
-roughly outlined, representing the deceased and sometimes his wife and
-children and the various animals he has killed. An indiarubber-tree
-is very often planted by a chief's grave. Sometimes a person who
-either has no near relatives, or who mistrusts those he or she has,
-will get the young men of the village to build the lung dawh during
-his or her lifetime.
-
-An aged couple with no relatives expended all they had on a feast to
-the young men who brought and set up a big stone. The old people were
-carried in sitting on the stone and cheerfully superintended the feast,
-and a month later peacefully departed this life. [6]
-
-Hlamzuih.--If the first child in a family dies shortly after birth,
-it is buried without any ceremony under the house, and it is called
-"hlamzuih" (hlam = after birth, zuih = to follow). Should other
-children subsequently die, however young they be, they will be honoured
-with a complete funeral. It will be remembered that the hlamzuih are
-exempt from being shot by Pupawla. (See above, page 62).
-
-Lukawng.--On a person's death a sum, varying from Rs. 2/- to Rs. 20/-
-according to family custom, has to be paid by his heir to the pu of
-the deceased (see para. 6). A chief generally claims the "lukawng"
-of all his boi.
-
-Sar-thi.--Deaths from accidents, in childbirth, or those caused by
-wild animals, or in war are termed "sar-thi," and the corpse must not
-be buried within the village; in some cases the corpse must not even
-be brought into the village, if the death occurred outside. Even if
-the corpse is brought into the village, it is often not allowed into
-a house, but deposited in the forge. In such cases no lukawng can
-be demanded. Should the injured person survive for any considerable
-time, the death will not be called sar-thi unless the person has
-been wounded by a tiger. The fact that tigers eat men is given as the
-reason for this. The graves of persons killed by tigers are watched
-by the young men of the village for several nights, lest the tigers,
-or their elder brothers the wild cats, should come and dig up the body.
-
-In-thian, Thi-thin.--Three months after a death a small chicken is
-killed and placed with some rice on the shelf which runs along the
-wall. The family indulge in zu. This is apparently a sort of farewell
-to the soul.
-
-[9. Festivals.] There are three feasts connected with the crops. They
-are all known as "Kut." The first is called "Chap-char-kut"; it is the
-most important of the three, and is held after the jhums are burnt,
-about the time of sowing, and is never omitted. It lasts three or
-four days. On the first day a pig is killed by each householder who
-can afford it and zu is drunk. On the second day, about 4 p.m., the
-whole population gathers in the open space in the village, dressed
-in its best. Everyone brings platters of rice, eggs, and flesh, and
-tries to force the food down the throats of their friends. After dark
-the young men and girls collect in houses of well-to-do people with
-several daughters and dance "Chai" till daylight.
-
-The Chai consists in all the young men sitting with their backs to
-the walls, each with a girl sitting between his knees with her back to
-him. Individual performers dance in the middle, the remainder singing
-and clapping hands. On the third day the young men and girls collect in
-the centre of the village and form a circle, every girl being between
-two youths, whose arms cross over her neck, holding in their hands
-cloths which hang down behind like a curtain. Inside the circle is
-a drummer or gong-beater, who chants continuously, the young people
-taking up the refrain, and treading a slow measure in time with the
-song, while cups of zu are brought to them in rotation. Fourth day,
-"Zuting-ni." The performance is repeated again if the liquor holds out.
-
-In villages where there are many Ralte, [7] they kill their pigs the
-next day after the Lusheis and the other ceremonies are postponed
-one day.
-
-Mim-kut.--Named after the maize, as it takes place when the crop
-ripens. It is of but little importance and seems likely to die
-out. Cakes of Job's tears are eaten and the next day is "hrilh."
-
-Pawl-kut.--Held at harvest time. Fowls are killed and children,
-dressed in their finest clothes, are fed with the flesh mixed with
-rice and eggs. The next day is "hrilh."
-
-The correct performance of the Chap-char-kut is thought to go far
-towards insuring a good crop for the year.
-
-Thang-chhuah Feasts.--The feasts which an aspirant for the honours
-of Thang-chhuah must give are five in number and have to be given in
-the order named, as they involve considerable expenditure, but not
-within any specified time.
-
-1. Chong.--The feast lasts four days, the first of which is called
-"In-chhia-shem-ni," (day for repairing the house). The floor in
-the house is strengthened to make it safe for the large number of
-guests. The labourers receive a liberal allowance of zu in payment for
-their trouble. The second day is called "Zu-pui-ni," from the large
-amount of zu that is drunk. The next day--"Rawi-ni"--two boars and a
-sow are killed and there is a great feast. The last day is known as
-"Chang-do-ni," and on it the remains of the feast are finished up.
-
-2. She-doi.--The feast only lasts three days. The first day is
-"In-chhia-shem-ni," the second is known as "She-shun-ni" (mithan
-slaughter day), and a mithan is killed and eaten. The third day,
-known as "Sa-ru-che-u-ni," is similar to Chong-do-ni.
-
-3. Mi-thi-rawp-lam.--Three months before the day fixed for the feast
-all the young men and girls of the village start cutting firewood, for
-cooking the flesh of the animal to be killed. A cane is stretched along
-from tree to tree beside one of the main approaches to the village
-for some 500 yards, and against this on alternate sides are rested
-the billets so that they may be thoroughly dry by the time they are
-needed. As a reward the young people receive a he-goat and a sow, which
-they consume with much merry-making, the skulls being placed on posts
-at each end of the line of billets. This collection of wood is called
-"sa-thing-zar" (flesh-wood-hangout). The actual feast lasts four days,
-which are known by the same names as in the "Chong" and are spent in
-much the same way, but on the Rawi-ni, besides the slaying and eating
-of mithan, effigies, supposed to represent their deceased relatives,
-are made and attired in the finest cloths and adorned with the best
-necklaces. These are strapped on a square bamboo framework, in the
-centre of which on a tall pole is an effigy supposed to represent the
-progenitor of the clan. The oldest living member of the clan then
-comes slowly from his house, bringing with him a gourd of zu, and
-gives each effigy in turn a little zu, muttering a charm as he does
-so; he arranges his tour so as to reach his own father's effigy last,
-and when he has muttered his charm and given it the zu he dashes the
-gourd down on the ground and, bursting into tears, rushes into his
-house, whence he must not emerge for a month. The effigies are then
-carried about the village with much shouting.
-
-This carrying about of their effigies is supposed to be very pleasing
-to the spirits of the ancestors, and it is evident that the people
-consider that these spirits are able to influence them for good or for
-bad, though I have never had this view of the matter clearly explained
-to me. This carrying about of persons on a platform is considered
-an honour, and an instance of it will be found in the description
-of the Fa-nai. It also appears among the Aimol and Tikhup. Among
-the Manipuris or Meitheis the right to be carried in a "dolai," or
-litter, is much valued and is the prerogative of certain officials,
-but is sometimes granted by the Rajah as a personal distinction. The
-last day of the feast resembles the same day in the Chong.
-
-4. She-doi as before.
-
-5. Khuang-choi.--This is the greatest feast. Wood is collected three
-months before, as in the Mi-thi-rawp-lam, but the collectors get a
-mithan and a goat as their reward. The feast lasts four days, the
-names being the same as in the Chong. On the Rawi-ni at least three
-mithan must be killed. The Khuang-choi really completes the series,
-and the giver can now proudly wear the Thang-chhuah cloth and have
-a window in his side wall, but it is considered unlucky to stop,
-and after some time the She-doi is performed again under the name
-of "Tlip," followed in the course of a year or so by "Zankhuan,"
-a four days' feast similar to the Chong, but one or two mithan are
-killed. If the fortunate man's life is prolonged he will continue
-repeating these two feasts alternately. A man who has twice celebrated
-a Khuang-choi is allowed to build a raised summer house called "zao"
-a short distance in front of his living house.
-
-After slaying a mithan in any of these feasts the giver of the feast is
-subject to various restrictions. Till he has performed the "In-thian"
-ceremony, he may not leave the house nor talk to anyone from another
-village. In some cases his movements are not so closely restricted,
-but he must in no case cross running water. I am told that should
-he infringe these rules his Sakhua would be offended and he or his
-family would get ill. The "In-thian" ceremony is performed some forty
-or fifty days after the killing of the mithan, and consists in the
-sacrificing of a cock. The prohibition of conversing with strangers
-is generally enforced only for three or four days, but on no account
-must they be allowed inside the house.
-
-The skulls of mithan killed on these occasions are placed on posts
-to one side of the entrance to the house of the giver of the feast,
-and it is the highest ambition of the Lushai to have a long line of
-such posts in front of his house. Each post is cut out of a tree of
-considerable size, which is dressed until the lower 7 or 8 feet are
-only some 8 or 9 inches thick. Above this the tree is roughly cut into
-a plank some 8 or 9 inches thick, forming an irregular quadrilateral,
-the lower side being a foot or so long and the upper from 2 to 3 feet,
-while one side may be 18 inches and the other 2 feet or a little more;
-at each of the upper corners there is a perpendicular projection some
-12 inches long terminating in a spike, a short distance below which
-a ring of wood is left. The skull is placed on the higher spike,
-while on the lower an egg is affixed by a thin peg of fir wood. This
-use of fir may be a survival of the time when the clan lived east of
-the Tyao, where fir forests are still found.
-
-Posts are erected on similar occasions by many of the Kuki-Lushai
-clans. Among the Khawtlang the quadrilateral portion is only two or
-three feet from the ground, while the projections are far longer. Among
-the Vuite the custom is to put a thin straight post slightly carved on
-one side of the house and to plant a number of branches in a clump on
-the other. The Tangkhul Nagas, to commemorate the slaying of cattle,
-plant lines of dead trees in front of their houses.
-
-The method of killing the mithan at these feasts is strictly laid
-down. After the puithiam has said a prayer, the giver of the feast
-stabs the animal behind the shoulder in the region of the heart, but
-only sufficient to draw blood. The poor beast is then despatched by
-other men with sharp bamboos or clubs; it must on no account be shot.
-
-Buh-ai.--This is a feast given by a wealthy person who has had an
-exceptionally good harvest. It is not one of the feasts which a
-would-be Thangchhuah has to give, nor is there any idea of obtaining
-advantage in the next world, as there is in the Ai ceremonies performed
-after the killing of animals or men, but it is a thank-offering for
-a good harvest. It is not worth performing Ai for a crop of less than
-100 baskets. An old red cock and a pig are killed and much zu prepared.
-
-There is a special pot of zu prepared on the platform in front of
-the house of which no one who has not performed the Buh-ai can drink,
-for others to drink of it is "thianglo." The person who gave the last
-Buh-ai feast is entitled to the first drink at this zu, which is called
-the "Buhza-zu" (the 100 baskets of rice zu). There is ordinary zu for
-the others to drink, and if it is not all finished the first day the
-guests return on the morrow.
-
-The flesh of the animals killed is eaten by the guests. At night the
-girls and lads dance the Chai, as in the Chap-char-kut. To give such
-a feast reflects great glory on the giver and improves his standing
-in the village.
-
-The Buh-ai is celebrated by nearly all the Lushai-Kuki clans and in
-some replaces the Thangchhuah feasts. Full particulars will be found
-in Part II.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V
-
-FOLK-LORE
-
-
-[1. Legends.] There are many tales common to all the Kuki-Lushai
-clans, though the names under which the various personages figure in
-them are not always the same. A numerous class of legends deals with
-the creation of the world and the first appearance of mankind thereon
-and other natural phenomena; another class accounts for the names of
-hills and rivers; a third class reminds one of Uncle Remus's tales of
-the doings of Brer Rabbit; but there are also a great many which are
-simply tales and which are generally a trifle obscene. The following
-are instances of the first class:--
-
-Chhura is said to have shaped the world, beating it out flat with his
-mallet. There are many tales connected with Chhura some of which will
-be found further on. The following translation gives a Lushai's idea
-of an eclipse of the sun or moon:--
-
-"Formerly the Hauhul chief swallowed the moon, having been changed
-during his dream into an awk, and many people were watching and said,
-'The awk is swallowing the moon.' Then he awoke and his mouth was
-bleeding. A year later he died and his ghost was turned into an awk and
-went up into the sky, and the moon was full and big, and the ghost,
-which had been changed into an awk, could not swallow the moon, but
-the next day the moon was smaller and he swallowed it. Thus men knew
-for the first time that there was an awk."
-
-When an eclipse occurs there is much excitement and beating of drums,
-&c. This is to frighten the awk, for the Lushais believe that once
-the awk swallowed the sun so effectually that general darkness
-prevailed. This awful time is called "Thimzing"--i.e., the gathering
-of the darkness--and many awful things happened. Everything except the
-skulls of animals killed in the chase became alive, dry wood revived,
-even stones became alive and produced leaves, and so men had nothing
-to burn. The successful hunters who had accumulated large stocks of the
-trophies of their skill were able to keep alive using them as fuel, and
-some of their descendants still survive among the Thados, under which
-heading they will be found in Part II. As it was pitch dark, neither
-animals nor men could see at all, and tigers went about biting wildly
-at trees, stones, and people. A general transformation took place,
-men being all changed into animals. Those who were going merrily to the
-jhum were changed into "satbhai" (laughing thrushes), as can be known
-by their white heads, which represent the turbans worn by the men, and
-their cheery chatterings. People wearing striped cloths became tigers,
-the chiefs of those days being represented by the hornbills of to-day,
-whose bills represent the bamboo rods for stirring rice while cooking;
-but another version is that the chiefs became king-crows, whose long
-tail-feathers the chiefs value much and wear as plumes. The black
-hands of the gibbon prove clearly that his ancestors were dyeing thread
-when the Thimzing occurred. Another version ascribes the same origin
-to the crows. Similarly those who were carrying torches finding their
-way down stream beds were changed into fireflies. The Chongthu family
-are sometimes said to have been turned into monkeys, the Vangchhia
-into elephants; but another version says the elephants were old women
-who were wearing their "puanpui"--i.e., cotton quilts--with the tufts
-of cotton outside. Wrestlers were suddenly transformed into bears,
-who to this day grapple with their foes.
-
-The Paihte or Vuite clan became a species of squirrel, while the
-Ralte's ancestor was just saying, "Vaibel kan chep te ang nge?" "Shall
-we suck our pipes?" and was therefore changed into a sort of squirrel
-called "chepchepa," from the sound it is always making.
-
-The domestic animals were changed into wild ones, but a number of
-large boulders in the Van-laiphai are said to represent Chhura's
-mithan which were grazing there at the Thimzing. After this terrible
-catastrophe the world was again repeopled by men and women issuing
-from a hole in the earth called the "Chhinglung," which appeared to
-me to be a disused "cache" in which some long forgotten chief used
-to hide his valuables on the approach of danger. Mithan reappeared
-from gourd seeds, as is shown by their bellow "um mu"--i.e., gourd
-seed. Pigs issued from the Rih-lake, wherefore they come to their
-food when called "rih rih." Fowls were re-created from the mud, so
-to this day they answer to the call "chirih chirih," i.e., "chir mud."
-
-It is not quite clear how, if representatives of the different clans
-were changed into various animals, these same clans again issued
-from the Chhinglung, but our own legends are not always quite easy
-to follow.
-
-The following is a translation of a Lushai account of the repeopling
-of the world and of a feast which is said to have taken place soon
-after:--
-
-"The place whence all people sprang is called Chhinglung. All the clans
-came out of that place. Then two Ralte came out together, and began at
-once chattering, and this made Pathian think there were too many men,
-and so he shut down the stone. After a short time Thlandropa was going
-to hold a Khuangchoi, and told them to call together all the people
-of the world, and when this had been done he held his Khuangchoi. They
-said to the sun, 'Do not shine, because we want our leader the Sa-huai
-(Loris) to lead us in the dance,' and the sun said, 'All right.' At
-that time the Sa-huai and all the animals could talk, and the bamboo
-rat was beating the drum, and they all danced, and in the middle of
-their fun the sun said, 'Oh, how I do want to look,' and shone out,
-and all the animals got hot, and could not dance any more, so the
-Sa-huai got angry and quarrelled with the sun, and won't even look at
-it nowadays. There was a great feast of flesh, but the owl got no meat,
-so he got angry, and went and sat on the bough of a tree, and Zuhrei,
-the big rat, chaffed him and said, 'Buka has eaten his fill.' Then
-the owl being still hungry, got angry and bit Zuhrei. Since that day
-they have been at war, and if the owl sees Zuhrei he assuredly bites
-him." The point of the allusion to the Ralte is that this clan is
-famed throughout the Hills for the loquacity of its members.
-
-Another story connected with this feast is that Thlandropa gave a
-number of presents: to the ancestor of the Poi or Chin tribes he
-gave a fighting dao, while the ancestor of the Lushais only received
-a cloth, which is the reason that the Poi tribes are braver than the
-Lushais. On my asking what the ancestor of the white man had received,
-I was told he had received the knowledge of reading and writing--a
-curious instance of the pen being considered mightier than the sword.
-
-Thlandropa appears to have been a great person in his day, for he
-is supposed to have received Khuavang's daughter in marriage, giving
-in exchange a gun, the report of which we call thunder. This legend
-puts Khuavang on a par with Pathian, and supports the theory that
-the differentiation is of comparatively recent growth.
-
-There is a legend that the king of the Water Huai fell in love with
-Ngai-ti (loved one) and, as she rejected his addresses and ran away,
-he pursued her and surrounded the whole human race on the top of a
-hill called Phun-lu-buk, said to be far away to the north-east. As
-the water kept on rising, to save themselves the people threw Ngai-ti
-into the flood, which thereupon receded. It was the running off of
-this water which cut up the surface of the world, which Chhura had
-levelled, into the deep valleys and high hill ranges of which the
-whole world as known to the ancestors of the Lushais consisted.
-
-As a sample of the second class of tale, the following story regarding
-the origin of the Tui-chong river, which joins the Kurnaphuli, near
-Demagri, may be taken:--
-
-Nine miles from Demagri, on the Lungleh road, the traveller has to
-cross the Tui-chong river, one of the largest tributaries of the
-Kurnaphuli, on which Chittagong stands. This river, according to
-the Lushais, owes its origin to the self-denial of a girl called
-Tui-chongi, who, with her little sister Nuengi, was walking on the
-hills whence the river rises. It was April, and the sun blazed down on
-them. Nuengi began to cry for water. "How can I get you water on the
-top of a hill? Don't you know that all the springs are dry, for are not
-the jhums ready to be burnt?" "Water, water, or I shall die," wailed
-Nuengi. "Would you rather have water than me?" asked Tui-chongi. "If
-I don't get water, I shall die, and then of what use would you be to
-me?" replied the spoilt child. So Tui-chongi, to satisfy her youngest
-sister's thirst, changed herself into a river, and Nuengi drank and
-was satisfied. But the water flowed down among the hills and burst
-its way into the country of the Bengalis. The king of the Bengalis
-was astonished to see so mighty a river flowing past his palace, and
-sent some of his people to find out whence it came. They journeyed
-many days, till at length they reached the source of the stream,
-and there sat Nuengi, who, now that her thirst was satisfied, would
-gladly have had her sister back again to show her the way home. The
-explorers were astonished to find so beautiful a maiden sitting
-thus in the middle of the jungle, and decided that it would be wise
-to take her back to their master, who liked pretty girls. So Nuengi
-was added to the harem of the king of Chittagong, and in time became
-the mother of a most lovely boy. The king's chief wife, on seeing the
-child, thought to herself, "If my lord sees this jungle woman's brat,
-he will assuredly love her more than me who am childless." So she had
-the child thrown into the river, which flowed under the palace windows,
-and frightened Nuengi into keeping silence on the matter. Tui-chongi,
-however, in spite of the change in her circumstances, remembered
-her little sister, and cherished the child so that he grew and
-throve. In the same way six more children were born and thrown into
-Tui-chongi's fostering arms. When they were grown up Tui-chongi told
-them the circumstances of their birth, and sent them to dance on the
-roof of their father's palace, who, hearing the noise, came out to
-see the cause of the disturbance. When he saw seven handsome young
-men he was much astonished, and asked them who they were. "We are
-your sons," they replied. "Why do you lie to me?" said the king;
-"liars have short lives in my kingdom." "Nay, O king, we lie not;
-we are Nuengi's sons"; and they told him their story. So the king
-smote off the head of the bad queen, and installed Nuengi in her place.
-
-Of the third class the following are good examples, and admirers of
-Uncle Remus will be reminded of the doings of "Brer Rabbit and the
-other animals."
-
-
-
-The Tale of Granddaddy Bear and the Monkey.
-
-The Monkey made a swing and was always swinging in it. One day
-Granddaddy Bear saw him and said, "Oh, Monkey, let me have a
-swing." The Monkey replied, "Wait a minute till I have hung it
-more securely." Then he climbed up and bit the cane nearly through
-and jumped down again crying out, "Come on, Granddaddy Bear, have
-a swing." The bear got in and swung, the cane broke, and he fell
-down. The Monkey, intending to eat him, had gone and fetched some
-cooked rice (to eat with the bear's flesh). But though Granddaddy Bear
-fell down he was not killed. The Monkey, being terribly afraid, said,
-"Oh, Granddaddy Bear, hearing you had fallen I brought some rice for
-you," and gave him all he had brought.
-
-
-
-The Bear's Water Hole.
-
-The Bear made a dam to collect water, and put the Monkey to
-watch it. Every sort of animal came crying, "I am dry. Who has
-water which he does not want? I am dry." The Monkey always said,
-"The water belongs to Granddaddy Bear. If you dare to drink, drink;
-if you dare to suck, suck it up." Then the Tiger came along, saying,
-"I am dry. Who has water which he does not want? I am dry." The Monkey
-replied, "It is my Granddaddy Bear's water. If you dare to drink,
-drink; if you dare to suck, suck it up." The Tiger drank it all;
-he sucked the place dry. Then the Monkey went to the Bear and said,
-"Oh, Granddaddy Bear, the Tiger has drunk your water!" So the Bear
-rushed up and began to fight with the Tiger. They fought a long time
-and both died, and the Monkey took their bones. "Whose ever bones will
-sound, whether my Granddaddy the Tiger's or Granddaddy the Bear's,"
-he said, and so, taking the bones which would sound, he made a rotchem
-(see Chapter II, para. 6) out of them and he sat in the fork of a
-tree and played on it. The Quail, hearing the sound, came up. "Hallo,
-Monkey! let me play for a bit," he said. "Oh, ho!" said the Monkey,
-"you will fly off with the rotchem." "If you fear that," said the
-Quail, "hold me by the tail." So the Monkey held him tight by the
-tail, and off he flew, but the Monkey pulled his tail clean out. Then
-the Quail came and begged for his tail, saying, "Do give me back my
-tail." But the Monkey replied, "You can ransom it by paying eight
-mithan." "Oh," said the Quail, "if I have to pay eight mithan for it,
-I'll just remain tailless," and flew away.
-
-The following tale is interesting as showing the great prestige the
-Tipperah chief enjoyed among the Lushais, who call him "Rengpui." There
-are many versions of this tale, some of which are very long. I have
-been obliged to abridge it considerably.
-
-Rimenhoiyi married Zawlthlia. Their house was of iron. They had an
-eight-fold iron door. They beautified the inside with iron and brass
-things. They also had a window (i.e., Zawlthlia was Thangchhuah [8])
-and a platform to sit on--in fact they wanted for nothing.
-
-Rimenhoiyi planted flowers, but there was one flower she had
-not, called "nipuipar" (bright sun flower--a creeper with scarlet
-flowers). When her husband was about to go in search of it he said to
-her, "Please don't go outside the house," and having filled the brass
-vessels with enough water to last her many days, he went off. However,
-the supply ran short and the lady went to the stream to wash, and
-one of her hairs was carried down and swallowed by a fish, which
-was caught by the cook of the king near the mouth of the river; and
-from out of the fish the cook pulled this immensely long hair, and it
-filled a winnowing basket. The king sent for the owner of the hair,
-and after many episodes she was brought to him. Zawlthlia returning
-found his wife gone, but with the help of the domestic animals he
-traced her, and, on arriving at the foreign king's village he saw
-slaves fetching water; and, ascertaining that it was for the new
-queen, he put one of the nipuipar into the vessel, so Rimenhoiyi knew
-he had arrived. According to one version, they resorted to the same
-subterfuge that Abraham and Sarah employed when entering Egypt and
-lived happily till, the king's suspicion being aroused, Zawlthlia was
-summarily slain. According to another, Rimenhoiyi married them both,
-but as she showed a preference for Zawlthlia the king killed him.
-
-With the help of a wise woman learned in charms Zawlthlia was brought
-to life in a more beautiful form, and the king was so struck by the
-improvement in his appearance that he asked to be allowed to undergo
-the same treatment, and was duly killed, but, unfortunately for
-him, was by some accident restored to life in the shape of a dog;
-but in this shape he seems to have found more favour in the fickle
-fair one's eyes, and a child called Uithovi was born, who, being
-very poor, begged for some land of Zawlthlia, who had become king
-of the Tipperahs, and was told to take as much as a buffalo hide
-measured. By cutting the hide into a very thin strip he was able to
-measure a considerable area of ground, but, not content with this,
-he voyaged far till he reached the place where money was to be found,
-and he became very prosperous. "Nevertheless it was said that to the
-present day Kumpinu (the Company's Mother--i.e., the late Queen),
-who is a descendant of Uithovi's, cannot get the better of Rengpui
-(the Rajah of Tipperah). If the Sahibs fight against Rengpui, all
-their crops fail, and much sickness occurs among them. Pathian once
-threw down a cannon from the sky, and a great number of Kumpinu's
-sepoys tried to move it, but could not, while a few of Rengpui's men
-were able to drag it away."
-
-Chhura is represented as a man of immense strength and stature, of
-an easy-going disposition, but not much blessed with brains. Thus
-one story tells of how, being on a visit, he was regaled with a crab
-stew, which he had not tasted before, and liked greatly. He inquired
-of what animal it was made. On his way home he forgot the name and
-commenced searching. Someone seeing him looking about asked what he had
-lost. "Stupid," replied Chhura; "if I knew, would I be looking?" The
-passer-by remarked that he smelt strongly of crab. "That's it! That's
-what I was searching for," cried Chhura much pleased, and went on
-his way. His mallet head, a roughly dressed cylinder of stone, about
-30 inches long and 18 in diameter, is pointed out to the curious,
-lying beside the path between Leng and Lingvum, where it is said to
-have fallen when it flew off the handle while Chhura was flattening
-the earth in the Van-lai-phai valley some five miles away. A large
-spherical stone in the same neighbourhood is pointed out as one of
-the pellets shot from his pellet bow when he was at Thenzawl, many
-miles distant.
-
-There are many tales of this hero, who is especially honoured by
-the Khawtlang.
-
-Mualsavata is another mythical hero of immense stature. The smoke
-from his pipe was like that of a jhum burning. His whetstone, some
-18 inches long, lies beside the road near Chongthleng, where it fell
-from his haversack, which his wife had neglected to mend.
-
-I have given so many tales in other parts of the monograph that I
-shall only add one more here.
-
-
-
-The Tale of Him who Demanded His Sister's Price.
-
-He went to the west to demand his sister's price. The debtor gave
-him a bamboo stirring rod. If you stirred an empty pot with this rod
-it was at once filled with rice. He returned towards his village. On
-the way he stayed the night in the house of a widow, and placed his
-stirring rod on the shelf over the hearth saying, "Granny, please
-don't stir your pot with my stirring rod." "All right," said she, but,
-while he was walking about the village, she stirred her pot just to
-see what sort of a stirring rod it was, and, behold, her pot was full
-of rice. "It is a very good stirring rod," she said; "I will just
-exchange mine for it"--which she did secretly. And the owner of the
-magic rod went on to his village, and on arrival there he called to
-his children, "Set the water boiling to cook the rice." His children
-replied, "We have nothing to cook. What is the use of boiling water
-alone?" "I have got rice, I've got rice," he said. So they boiled the
-water, and he stirred it hard with his rod, but nothing came. "If we
-stir more it will come," he said, but nevertheless nothing came.
-
-Then he went off to demand the price from the debtor again, who
-gave him a goat which passed nothing but amber and cornelian beads,
-and said, "Take it carefully home." "All right," said he. He stayed
-the night at the same widow's house, and when he was going out to
-stroll through the village he said, "Granny, you will be careful
-not to kick my goat on the rump, won't you?" "All right," said she,
-but directly he was out of sight she kicked the goat and he passed
-many beads. "It is a good goat," she said, and secretly substituted
-her own goat for it. Her guest went off and directly he reached his
-house he called out, "Prepare strings for necklaces. Prepare strings
-for necklaces." His children replied, "Father, we have nothing to
-put on the strings. What is the good of the strings alone?" "I have
-got beads, I have got beads," he cried. So they prepared a winnowing
-basket full of threads. Then he gave the goat several good kicks on
-the rump, but it only passed filth and bleated loudly.
-
-Then he went again to demand payment and was given a mallet and a
-piece of cane. "The name of this piece of cane is 'Ramdia,'" they
-said. He set off for home and again stayed in the same old woman's
-house and put Ramdia and his mallet down among the firewood, and as
-he started for his stroll he said, "Granny, don't touch this cane,
-will you? It is called Ramdia--and you won't touch the mallet either,
-will you?" "All right," she said, but no sooner was he gone than,
-saying, "They are valuable things," she touched them both. The cane
-wound round and round her and the mallet began to beat her. She was
-in terrible trouble and shouted to her neighbours; wherever she went
-the mallet beat her and beat her till she died.
-
-[2. Superstitions.] The Lushais are an extremely superstitious
-race; any unusual occurrence is considered as portending some evil
-results. The meaning of the word "thianglo" has been already explained
-in Chapter IV, para. 4. Certain acts, dreams, or sights are universally
-considered "thianglo," or unlucky, but should a Lushai see any unusual
-sight or hear an unusual sound he would at once consider that some
-misfortune was imminent and take advice from the puithiam as to how
-it could be avoided. The following are some of the superstitions
-connected with cultivation.
-
-It is "thianglo" to find, in the proposed jhum, a gibbon's skull stuck
-on a tree stump. If in burning the jhum the flames make a peculiar
-huk-huk sound; if the khatchhat (nightjar) calls by day, the jhum
-had better be abandoned. Should the jhum cutter after his first day's
-work dream of water or rice all will be well, but should he dream of
-a mithan chasing him or tigers springing on him, he must not continue
-cutting the jhum, or he will certainly get very ill and probably will
-die. If on the site of the proposed jhum a "thing-lu-bul" is found,
-death will certainly claim the cultivator should he persist in jhuming
-anywhere near the unlucky object, which is a kind of abortive tree
-growth without boughs or shoots, but covered with bulbous excrescences,
-which sometimes remotely resemble the human form, and if cut exude
-a blood-red juice. Should a tree have a pendant protuberance, called
-"thingzang," the jungle near must not be cut. The rubbing together of
-two tree boughs is thought to denote the presence of a Huai, who must
-be appeased by the sacrifice of a cock and hen, the sherh being hung
-under the jhum house with some chips of the tree. Brackish springs,
-known as "sa-khi-shi" (barking deer springs), are supposed to be the
-abodes of Huai, who are generally satisfied with the sacrifice of a
-fowl, the sherh being hung in a basket over the spring, but if the
-Huai be greedy the jhumer will fall ill, and then a pig and a dog
-must be sacrificed in the same manner.
-
-The following are some of the superstitions about animals:--
-
-A Lushai named Kela visited Aijal; on the road he met a rat,
-which stood up in the middle of the road and held its paws to its
-head. "What a curious rat!" he said. Two days after he reached
-his home he died. To see such a rat is certainly "thianglo." This
-incident happened a short time ago; no one had ever heard of such a
-rat having been seen before, and the unusualness of the occurrence,
-coupled with the death of Kela, was, to the Lushais, proof positive of
-its being the cause of his death. The Lushais tell me that sometimes
-a muskrat will be followed by her whole family, each holding in its
-mouth the tail of the one in front; this they call "In tir mei kai,"
-and whoever sees it will certainly die. Should a bear on being shot
-fall on its back, and lie with its legs in the air, the shooter will
-die. If a bird enters the house prompt measures have to be taken to
-avert misfortune. The puithiam is called and the bird captured. The
-house is festooned within with the leaves of a certain tree, and the
-bird is thrown out of the house by the puithiam, who, muttering various
-charms, advises it to take itself off and carry its witchcraft with
-it. I came across, in an old number of the Outlook, a translation of
-a Chinese poem said to be dated about 100 B.C. in which the following
-occurs:--"When a wild bird enters a dwelling it portends that the
-human occupant must go forth." The coincidence is curious.
-
-The following translation of a Lushai's reason for considering
-the sight of an atlas moth "thianglo" shows the origin of such
-superstitions. Atlas moths are rare in the Lushai hills. The "keptuam"
-(atlas moth) was the letter bearer between Pathian and the Vai
-(foreigner); and once when he was carrying Pathian's letter to the
-Vai chief the keptuam made the letter into wings, and flew away and
-disappeared, and Pathian was much disturbed at the loss of his letter
-and at the disappearance of his messenger, and he made mankind hunt
-for the missing keptuam. Now the keptuam did not wish to be caught,
-so he said, "Whoever sees me will die"; but as mankind did not know
-this they hunted and hunted till at last one saw the fugitive and
-died, and so they learnt that to see a keptuam is "thianglo," and
-ever since if anyone sees a male keptuam he will probably die.
-
-Should the fowls at midnight become terrified and make an unusual sound
-like "i-ak, i-ak" someone will die. Should gibbons be heard hooting
-during the night, they have seen the corpse of someone who will fall
-from a tree or be drowned. As the gibbon retires to rest even before
-the sun sets, it must be very seldom that their shouts are heard at
-night. It is "thianglo" to shoot a gibbon, because at the Thimzing a
-man and a wife were changed into those animals. The woman at the time
-was dyeing blue thread, and therefore the palms of the hands of the
-female gibbon are black, though the rest of the body is light coloured.
-
-The rhinoceros is also safe from attack on account of a similar belief,
-the folds of his skin being supposed to be derived from the folds
-of the cloths of persons who were transmogrified. The natural result
-of killing one of these animals is that all members of the slayer's
-family sicken and die, but this can be avoided if the successful
-huntsman on his return to the village goes straight to the zawlbuk
-or forge and remains there a whole day and night, after which it is
-safe for him to enter his house, provided that he leaves his gun and
-haversack behind and has changed all his clothes.
-
-It is, however, worth noticing that, though monkeys, elephants,
-tigers, bears, &c., are also said to have been men before the
-Thimzing, there is no reluctance shown to kill them, and in fact
-the chiefs wear plumes of the king crow's feathers, and hornbills'
-beaks decorate many a chief's verandah.
-
-When building his house the Lushai must be careful that he does not
-put his hearth on the side of the house next to that on which his
-neighbour has his. To do so is "thianglo" and illness will follow. It
-is not difficult to guess how this idea has arisen. Lushai houses are
-generally built in lines one above the other on the sides of a hill,
-and therefore it is more convenient to place the heavy earthen hearth
-on the upper side where the posts are shorter. This causes the hearths
-of all the houses in one row to be on the same side, and, the custom
-once formed, any deviation from it is considered unlucky. To dream of
-the auction of a "hlang"--i.e., the bamboo frame to which the corpse
-is strapped during the funeral feast--is unlucky, and the person seen
-by the dreamer to purchase it will certainly die.
-
-The following translation of a Lushai account of "tualsumsu" is
-interesting:--
-
-"There are 'tualsumsu' in dreams and also while people are in a trance;
-the latter are the worst. If two friends are sleeping and in their
-dreams one says to the other, 'Go as "tualsumsu"'--i.e., 'beating
-your head on the ground'--nothing will happen to the one who goes,
-but the man who sends him will die. If anyone goes without being told
-to go, and likes it, he will die, but if he says, 'Oh, how it hurts
-my head!' he will not die. Sometimes a person will go beating his
-head on the ground and when roused from the trance know nothing of it."
-
-The following is another curious belief:--
-
-"If a man dreams that with his friend they are going to fly like
-'Chawifa,' and they, both carrying burning maize cobs wrapped in old
-cloths in baskets, intend flying from inside the house, and having come
-outside, his friend flies away, while he himself stands on the end of
-the roof and cannot fly, his friend who flew away will die quickly,
-while he who could not fly will live. And he that flew away knew
-nothing of it, and the corn cobs wrapped in old cloth were thrown
-up, and the people saw them blazing like fire. This is extremely
-'thianglo.'"
-
-The Lushais speak confidently of "Chawifa," and many say they have
-seen it. They describe it as a kind of meteor, which flies through the
-village blazing brightly, and if it alights on a house the owner must
-die. Compare the Lakher idea of "Chawifa," given in Part II., and the
-Manipuri "Sangaisel," in Mr. Hodson's book on the Meitheis, page 121.
-
-[3. Snake worship.] The Lushais do not worship snakes, but there
-are many tales of "rulpui" (the big snake). Colonel Lewin in his
-"Progressive Exercises" has written as follows:--
-
-"Throughout the Lushai Hills, among all the tribes with whom I have
-come in contact, whether 'Toung-tha' or 'Khyoung-tha,' sons of the
-hill or sons of the river, I have always found that special attributes
-have been assigned to a certain description of snake or serpent that
-is found in these forests. I remember once we were camped peacefully
-beside the border of a small hill stream; the shanties of leaves
-and grass which form our tentes d'abri in this part of the world
-had been erected, and all the world (our world some 30 persons)
-was either smoking the pipe of peace or stirring the pot of rice
-that was to form the evening meal. Suddenly there arose a shout of
-'Tchubba-gree! Tchubba-gree!' which is the Hill Arracanese for 'the big
-snake, the king-serpent.' Behold the camp in a ferment, each stalwart
-young fellow seizing his dao and tightening his waistband. We went
-forth, and indeed the snake was very big. His long sinuous growth was
-at least 20 feet in length and bulky in proportion; he moved slowly
-along, taking apparently no notice of the turmoil and confusion that
-soon filled the wood around him. The Hillmen swarmed around his length
-like ants, and in a few moments he was cut in pieces by dao strokes. I
-noticed that each of my combatants as they ran up to the snake spat at
-him before striking. On inquiring the reasons of this, I was informed
-that in attacking a snake of this description, if he spat at you first
-before you struck him, your fate was sealed, and strangulation was your
-doom; but if you were speedy in salivation and forestalled his action,
-then he was delivered a prey into the hands of his assailants. A
-similar superstition formerly attached to the basilisk or cockatrice,
-which was said to be able to fascinate or cause the destruction of
-man or beast if it first perceived its victim before it was itself
-perceived. Sir Thomas Browne, in discoursing 'Of the Basilisk,' says
-'that veneration shooteth from the eye, and that this way a basilisk
-may empoison, is not a thing impossible; but that this destruction
-should be the effect of the first beholder or depend on priority of
-aspection is a point not easily to be granted.' The flesh of this
-snake (which is a species of python) is eaten by the Hill folk, and
-the fat of the reptile is held to be a sovereign cure for all cuts
-and wounds, as well as for more obscure diseases. In the household
-tales and fireside stories of the people 'the big snake' holds a
-prominent place, and is vested with attributes of power and knowledge."
-
-Colonel McCulloch, in his account of the Valley of Manipur, 1859, page
-32, mentions the belief of the Manipuris in a snake god, and in fact
-the royal family is supposed to have sprung from a snake god known
-as "Pakhangba." Colonel McCulloch also relates that a Kuki--i.e., a
-Thado--who had left him in perfect health, "saw a black snake as large
-as his thigh, which uttered a sound like that of an ox bellowing." "On
-his reaching his home he became ill, his belly swelled, and he has not
-recovered his health." Compare this with the following translation of
-a statement made to me by Hrangzova, a Lushai political Chaprassie,
-in 1904:--
-
-"When I lived at Thenzawl, I once saw a curious object about 18 inches
-long, and about 6 inches thick, like a snake, which kept standing up
-on its stumpy tail, and then falling forward. I called my friend,
-who also saw it. When I got home I told my father and mother, who
-were very frightened, and said it was 'thianglo.' They both died
-within the year. This was 12 years ago. The rulpui which I saw had
-not got feathers, but perhaps that was because it was not big enough,
-as I am told the real rulpui has feathers like that of a cock."
-
-There are various places named after rulpui. On one hill the body
-of a large snake is said to have been raised up on a pole, and so
-big was it that its shadow fell on a hill many miles away, called
-thereafter "Rulpui-thlin"--i.e., Rulpui's Shadow. The following is
-the translation of the story of the origin of "rulpui."
-
-
-
-Chhawng-chili and the Rulpui.
-
-Once upon a time there was a girl called Chhawng-chili, who was in
-her father's jhum. At the bottom of the jhum in a hollow tree a snake
-had its nest, and the snake loved Chhawng-chili very much. Whenever
-they went to the jhum she used to send her younger sister to call
-the snake, who used to come up and coil itself up in Chhawng-chili's
-lap. The little sister was very much afraid of the snake and did not
-dare tell her father. When the girls were going to the jhum, their
-parents always used to wrap up some rice and vegetables for them
-to take with them. On account of her fear of the snake, the little
-sister could not eat anything. Then her sister and the snake ate up
-all the rice and the vegetables, and the little sister stayed in the
-jhum house all day and got very thin, and her parents said to her,
-"Oh, little one, why are you getting so thin?" but she always said,
-"Oh, father, I can't tell you"; but her parents pressed her to tell
-them, and at last she said, "My sister and the snake make love always;
-as soon as we get to the jhum she says to me, 'Call him to me,'
-and I call him, and he comes up and coils himself up on her lap,
-and I am so frightened that I cannot eat anything, and that is why I
-am so thin." So they kept Chhawng-chili at home, and her father and
-younger sister went to the jhum, and her father dressed himself up
-to resemble Chhawng-chili, but he put his dao by his side; then the
-little sister called the snake, who came up quickly and curled itself
-up in her father's lap, and he with one blow cut it in two, and then
-they returned to the village. On the next day Chhawng-chili and her
-sister went to the jhum and her little sister called the snake,
-but her father had killed it. So they came back to their house,
-and found their father lying on the floor just inside the door
-sill. Chhawng-chili said, "Get up, father, I want to scrape the mud
-off my feet" (on the door sill), but her father would not move. So
-Chhawng-chili scraped off the mud from her feet, and stepped over
-the sill, and her father struck up and killed her. In her stomach
-there were about 100 small snakes. They killed them and killed them,
-but one escaped and hid under a dry patch of mithan dung, and grew up
-and used to eat people, and when it got bigger it wriggled into the
-"rulchawm kua"--i.e., "feed snake hole"--and people of all villages
-used to feed it. After a time it was not content with goats and pigs,
-but demanded children. One day a Chin who was travelling noticed his
-host and hostess weeping, and on asking the reason was told it was
-the day for giving a child to the snake. "I will kill the snake," he
-replied, and, being provided with a goat, he slew it, and wrapped its
-flesh round his dao and forearm and offered it to the rulpui. When
-his forearm had been swallowed, by a quick turn of his wrist he
-disembowelled the monster. The place where this took place is on the
-Aijal-Champhai road, some forty miles from Aijal. The Biate or Bete
-claim to have been the people who fed the snake.
-
-If a "thingsir" (a snake of which the female is very light-coloured
-and the male dark) enters a house, it is very "thianglo."
-
-The entry of any snake into a house is looked on with suspicion, and
-either portends misfortune or it denotes that the sacrifice to Sakhua
-is urgently needed. If this sacrifice is not performed speedily death
-may ensue.
-
-To see a snake with legs is "thianglo." The Lushais believe there are
-such creatures. My informant says it is only nowadays that this is
-"thianglo," inferring that formerly such creatures were common and
-therefore attracted no attention. It is the unusualness of the thing
-which makes the Lushai think it "thianglo."
-
-[4. Omens.] In the section dealing with superstition the subject of
-omens of misfortune has been fully dealt with, and there is no need to
-say much more, but the following extract from "Asiatic Dissertations,"
-II, 1792, is interesting--it is from a description of the "Mountaineers
-of Tipra."
-
-"If at any time they see a star very near the moon they say, 'To-night
-we shall undoubtedly be attacked by some enemy,' and they pass the
-night under arms with extreme vigilance."
-
-This belief may be accounted for by the superstition that projects
-undertaken on such occasions are likely to succeed.
-
-Once when starting on a night expedition to capture a rebel chief,
-I noticed my guide staring up intently at the moon, and he expressed
-great satisfaction at seeing a star quite close to its edge, and
-exclaimed that our expedition was now sure to succeed, which I am
-glad to say proved true.
-
-
-[5. Witchcraft.] The Lushais are firm believers in witchcraft. There
-are several ways of bewitching your enemy. Colonel Lewin has a tale in
-which the wizard takes up the impression of a person's foot in the mud
-and puts it to dry over the hearth, thereby causing the owner to waste
-away. Clay figures into which bamboo spikes are thrust also figure
-in all cases in which a person is accused of this offence. To cut off
-a piece of a person's hair and put it in a spring is certain, unless
-the hair is speedily removed, to cause his death. Several tragedies
-have occurred on account of the belief in witchcraft. In 1897 three
-whole families were massacred because it was thought that they were
-bewitching a very aged chieftainess. The livers of the wizards were
-cut out and portions carried to the sufferer, but unfortunately she
-died before being able to taste them and thus prove the efficacy of
-the remedy. So strong was the feeling about these wizards that four
-or five households of their relatives had to be given a special and
-isolated site, as no village would receive them.
-
-The following translation of a Lushai's account of how mankind first
-learned the black art is specially interesting, as it introduces
-Lalruanga and Keichalla, who are the heroes of many of the oldest of
-the Lushai tales. Colonel Lewin gives some excellent stories in his
-"Progressive Colloquial Exercises." Keichalla is the man who can
-become a tiger at will, and appears in many tales:--
-
-"Dawi witchcraft was known to Pathian. Vahrika also was something like
-Pathian. Vahrika had a separate water supply, and Pathian's daughter
-was always disturbing it. Vahrika said, 'What can it be?' and lay in
-ambush. Pathian's daughter came, and he caught her and was going to
-kill her, but she said, 'Don't kill me; I will teach you magic.' So
-she taught him, and Vahrika taught it all to Keichalla, Lalruanga, and
-Hrang-sai-puia. Then Lalruanga went to court Zangkaki, and Zangkaki,
-who was a friend of Pathian's daughter, bewitched Lalruanga, who
-had forgotten his "dawi bur" (magic gourd), and he said to Chaichim
-(the mouse), 'Go and fetch my dawi bur which I put in my basket.' So
-the mouse went to fetch the dawi bur and got it, but the Tuiruang
-(Barak) river rose very high. The mouse took the dawi bur in his mouth
-and started to swim over the river. The dawi bur was washed away by
-the river till it stuck in the fish trap of the Thlangom tribe, who
-said, 'What is this?' The dawi bur was singing like anything. The
-Thlangoms broke it open. No sooner had they opened it than they
-each acquired knowledge of magic. Then the Thlangoms were chanting
-the magic song. Some Mizo (natives of these Hills) who were passing
-through the village also heard the song of those who knew magic. The
-Mizo saw a man eating rice. 'May you be bewitched!' they said. They
-bewitched him in his rice eating, and for a year after whenever he
-ate cooked rice it changed into dry uncooked rice, and it swelled
-inside him till his stomach could not hold it and he died. Thus the
-Mizo learnt about magic. Nowadays also there is magic, but those who
-know it won't teach it without payment."
-
-The Lushais maintain that the tribes to the north of them, such as
-Paihte, Bete, &c., are very proficient at witchcraft, while the Chins
-consider the Lushais such experts at the craft that when Captain
-Hall, 2nd Gurkhas, and I forced our way from the west through the
-then unexplored hills and joined General Symons at Haka in 1890,
-the chiefs of that village besought the General not to allow any of
-our Lushai followers to go within sight of it, lest they should, by
-merely looking at it, cause fearful misfortunes. The belief in the man
-tiger is common through the Hills and also in Nepal. When a man-eater
-gave much trouble in Lungleh, our Gurkha Sepoys maintained that it
-was a man, one of three friends who had assumed this shape and were
-travelling by different shapes to a previously selected rendezvous,
-on reaching which they would resume their human forms.
-
-Khuavang zawl.--The Lushais believe that certain persons--both males
-and females, but more generally females--have the power of putting
-themselves into a trance and are in a state of communication with
-Khuavang. This power is called "zawl," and a person who possesses
-it is called "zawlnei." During their trances they are said to be
-able to elicit from Khuavang information regarding the particular
-sacrifice required to cure any sick person, and their information is
-supposed to be more reliable than the opinion of the puithiam, who
-bases his statements solely on the action of the pulse. The method
-of interrogating a zawlnei is called "thumvor," and is as follows:--
-
-The zawlnei being in a trance is given a shallow basket containing
-rice, which he or she holds in one hand while an egg is placed in the
-palm of the other hand. When the zawlnei reverses this hand the egg
-does not fall. The basket of rice is shaken backwards and forwards,
-and there appears among the rice the footprint of the animal which
-it is necessary to sacrifice to ensure the patient's recovery. If it
-is impossible to trace any resemblance to any animal's footmark the
-state of the patient is serious and the whole series of sacrifices are
-needed. Compare the description of the Maibi's method of divination
-given in McCulloch's account of the Valley of Manipur, page 21. The
-following two accounts of Khuavang zawl were given me by Lushais:--
-
-Lianthangi was a Khuavang zawl. There was much sickness in the
-village. One night Khuavang came to her in her dreams and said, "If
-each house-owner will make a clay metna and place it outside his or
-her house the sickness will cease." So they did this and the next day
-they observed as "hrilh," and within 20 days everyone was well again.
-
-Thang-tei-nu was a zawlnei, but concealed the fact; people used to
-come secretly and make her perform the thumvor, and said she knew
-everything. She allowed no one to drink zu in her house, and if she
-drank zu she always got ill and it was "thianglo" for her to perform
-sacrifice. Khuavang told her this in her dreams.
-
-Khawhring.--In Chapter IV, para. 6, the sacrifice called Khawhring
-Tir has been described. The belief in Khawhring is universal, and
-from the following translation it will be seen that the unfortunate
-women who were accused of being possessed by such a spirit have good
-reason to be grateful that the control of the country has passed
-into our hands. The belief is that Khawhring lives in certain women,
-whence it issues forth from time to time and takes possession of
-another woman, who, falling into a trance, speaks with the voice of
-the original hostess of the Khawhring. A missionary described to me
-a weird scene of excitement which he once saw, the object being to
-exorcise a Khawhring which had possessed a girl. Amid a turmoil of
-shouting, drum-beating, and firing of guns the spirit was ordered to
-quit its temporary abode and return whence it came.
-
-
-
-Translation of a Lushai Version of the Origin of Khawhring.
-
-"Wild boars have Khawhring. Once a man shot a wild boar while out
-hunting. On his return home they cooked the flesh. Some of the fat
-got on the hand of his sister, who rubbed her head, and the wild
-boar's Khawhring just passed into her. On the next day, without any
-provocation, she entered another girl. She took entire possession
-of her. People said to her, "Where are you going to?" She replied,
-"It is the wild boar my brother shot." "Well, what do you want?" they
-said. "If you will give me eggs I will go away," she replied. They
-gave her eggs and she went. Presently all those who borrowed the
-"hnam" (a plaited cane band for carrying loads) of the girl with the
-Khawhring also got possessed. If one with a Khawhring has a daughter
-the child is always possessed, so no one wants to marry a person
-with a Khawhring. Even now, we being to some extent Lusheis, we do
-not like to let a person possessed by a Khawhring enter our houses,
-and if such a one sits on the bed of a true Lushei she will certainly
-be fined a metna. Those possessed of Khawhring are most disgusting
-people, and before the foreigners came they were always killed."
-
-The writer was not a true Lushei, but belonged to one of the clans
-which are fast being absorbed and are almost indistinguishable from
-Lusheis.
-
-The Lushais say that sometimes girls walk in their sleep and go and
-lick up urine, as the metna do, under the zawlbuk, and that when
-starting forth on these expeditions their feet and hands shine as
-if they were coated with phosphorus. If a young man wakes a girl up
-while she is walking thus she is very much ashamed, and generally
-grants him the favours of her bed to procure his silence.
-
-This state is called "Thlahzung."
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI
-
-LANGUAGE
-
-
-I propose, in this chapter, to deal only with Lushai, and to treat of
-the connection between the different dialects spoken in these Hills
-at the end of Part II.
-
-Lushai or Dulien, which is the dialect of the Lushei clan, modified,
-doubtless, by contact with those of other clans, is now the lingua
-franca of the whole Lushai Hills, and is understood in many parts
-of the adjoining districts. A very complete grammar and vocabulary
-has been published by Messrs. Savage and Lorrain, now of the London
-Baptist Mission, and therefore I only propose to give a bare outline
-of the language here, which is largely borrowed from the above work.
-
-Articles.--The indefinite article can generally be rendered by the
-numeral one.
-
-The definite article is sometimes represented by demonstrative pronouns
-or relative particles.
-
-Gender.--Inanimate objects have no gender. In nouns gender may
-be shown by use of different words, as "tlangval," a young man;
-"nula," a maiden. This system is only employed when speaking
-of human beings, by adding suffixes--"pa" and "chal" for males,
-"nu" and "pui" for females; thus "fa pa," son; "fa nu," daughter;
-"she chal," bull metna; "she pui," cow metna. "Chal" and "pui"
-are restricted to full-grown animals. All men's names end in "a,"
-all women's in "i." Some words are the same in both genders--"u,"
-elder brother or sister; "nao shen," a baby; "naupang," child. "I"
-is the feminine termination in Manipuri also.
-
-Number.--The plural terminations are "te," "ho," and "zong"; sometimes
-these are combined or duplicated.
-
-
- Mi zong zong = all mankind.
- Lal te ho = chiefs.
-
-
-These terminations are omitted when the number can be otherwise
-inferred.
-
-
- Sakor paruk = six horses.
- Puan tam tak ka pe = I gave many cloths.
-
-
-When a suffix is added to a noun to denote case, the plural suffix
-follows the case suffix.
-
-
- Zawng-a-te an lo changa.
- Monkey into s they became changed.
-
- Kan in-a-te an lo-lut-a.
- Our house into s they entered.
-
-
-Case.--Nouns are not inflected. The agent is denoted by the suffix
-"in."
-
-
- Lal in a that = The chief killed (him).
-
-
-The same suffix is used to distinguish the instrument.
-
-
- Lal in fei in a shun = The chief speared (him) with a spear.
-
-
-"In" is therefore exactly equivalent to "na" used in Manipuri to
-distinguish the agent or instrument.
-
-The other cases can only be inferred from the position of the words.
-
-The object immediately precedes the transitive verb governing it.
-
-
- Lal-in puan a-pe = The chief gave a cloth.
-
-
-The indirect object precedes the direct.
-
-
- Suaka puan ka pe = I gave a cloth to Suaka.
-
-
-Hnena (to) is sometimes used to give greater clearness.
-
-
- Lal hnena ui pakhat ka pe ang = I will give a dog to the chief.
-
-
-The thing possessed immediately follows the possessor.
-
-
- Kawn bawl in a-kang = The minister's house caught fire.
-
-
-The following construction is sometimes used:--
-
-
- Kawn bawl a in a lian e = Minister his house it big is.
-
-
-The other cases are rendered by suffixes.
-
-
- Ka in a daraw. Ka in a tang in laraw. Aizawl a kalraw.
- My house in put. My house from bring. Aijal to go.
-
-
-Adjectives follow the words they qualify, but are not inflected in
-any way.
-
-
- Mipa tha = a good man.
- Hmaichhia tha = a good woman.
- Nula-te tha = good girls.
-
-
-When a noun is used as an adjective it precedes the noun it qualifies,
-as, "Lung in," stone house.
-
-Adjectives are compared thus
-
-
- Suaka Nela ai- in a chha k zawk.
- Suaka Nela than he stronger.
-
- Suaka is stronger than Nela.
-
-
-When demonstrative adjectives are compared, "ai-in" is combined with
-them, thus:--
-
-
- He sakor he saw ai sawn ashang zawk.
- This horse here that than there is taller.
-
- This horse is taller than that.
- "Saw saw ai-in" being replaced by "Saw-ai sawn."
-
-
-When no object of comparison is mentioned "ai-in" is omitted.
-
-
- Nangma lo azao zawk.
- Your jhum extensive more.
-
- Your jhum is more extensive.
-
-
-The superlative is formed thus:--
-
-
- Lalzong zinga Khuma a vin ber.
- Chiefs among Khuma he bad tempered most.
-
- Khuma is the most bad-tempered of all the chiefs.
-
-
- Khuma lalzong ai-in a vin ber.
- Khuma chiefs than he ill-tempered more.
-
-
- Khuma lalzong a a vin ber.
- Khuma chiefs of he ill-tempered most.
-
-
- Khuma a vin ber.
- Khuma he ill-tempered most.
-
- Khuma is the most ill-tempered.
-
-
-The numerals are very simple:--
-
-
- 1 = pa khat 6 = pa ruk
- 2 = pa hnih 7 = pa sari
- 3 = pa thum 8 = pa riat
- 4 = pa li 9 = pa kua
- 5 = pa nga 10 = shom
-
-
-11 = "shom leh pa khat," 12 = "shom leh pa hnih," and so on to 20 =
-"shom hnih"; then "shom hnih leh pa khat" &c., to "shom thum" = 30,
-"shom li" = 40, "shom nga" = 50, and so on to "za" = 100, "za leh pa
-khat" = 101, and so on to "shang" = 1000.
-
-"Shing" = 10,000 and "nuai" for 1,000,000 are hardly ever used; 8,975 =
-"shang riat, leh za kua leh shom sari leh pa nga."
-
-It will be seen that the real numerals are "khat," "hnih," "thum,"
-&c., pa being equivalent to unit. It is usually omitted when animals
-or things are mentioned, but retained when speaking of human beings.
-
-
- Lal pa sari = seven chiefs.
- Sebong nga = five cows.
-
-
-With numbers above ten the name of the thing enumerated if a
-monosyllable, is often repeated. Thus:--
-
-
- Ni shom hnih leh ni nga.
- Days twenty and days five.
-
-
-Ordinals are formed by adding "na" to the cardinals, thus:--
-
-
- In shom na lutrawh.
- Enter the tenth house.
-
-But--
-
- Ni thum ni a lo-kalraw.
- Day three day on come.
-
-
- Every other day = Ni khat dan a.
- Every third day = Ni hnih dan a,
- and so on.
-
-
-Numeral adjectives are formed thus:--
-
-
- Voi nga, voi shom leh voi khat.
- Times five, times ten and times one,
-
- eleven times.
-
-
-Demonstrative adjectives are:--
-
-
- He or hehi } This = near Heng, henghi = these.
- Hei hei hi } the speaker.
- Saw = that. Sawng = those.
- Kha = that near you. Khang = those near you.
- Khu = that down there. Khung = those down there.
- Khi = that up there. Khing = those up there.
- Chu = that. Chung = those.
-
-
-They are generally repeated, thus:--
-
-
- Khu sava khu kadu e.
- That bird down there I want.
-
- Khi zawng khi a liane.
- That monkey up there he big is.
-
-
-When a noun qualified by one of these adjectives is an agent, the agent
-suffix "in" is combined with the second part of the adjective thus:--
-
-
-Khu ui khu-an min a sheh = That dog down there bit me instead of Khu
- ui in khu.
-
-
-The personal pronouns have several forms, which are the same for
-both genders.
-
-
- Nominative { Keima, kei, ka = I.
- { Keimani, keine, kan = we.
-
- Possessive { Keima, keiia, ka = my.
- { Keimani, keini, kan = our.
- { Keimata, keiata, kata = mine.
- { Keimanita, &c. = ours.
-
- Objective { Keimamin, kei min min = me.
- { Keimani min, &c. = us.
-
-
-The second person is "nangma" and "nangmani"; the third "ama,"
-"anmani."
-
-The possessive of the second person, when used as nominative of
-verbs, has a curious irregular form "i" in the singular and "in"
-in the plural.
-
-The pronominal particles "ka" (I), "i" (thou), "a" (he), "kan" (we),
-"in" (you), "an" (they) must be used with verbs in addition to the
-pronouns, thus:--
-
-
- Nangma i kal ang em? = Will you go?
- Keimani chaw kan ei mek = We are just eating our rice.
-
-
-The particle can never be omitted, whereas the true pronoun is
-generally left out except when required for emphasis.
-
-Reflexive action is denoted in several ways.
-
-The particle "in" is prefixed to the verb in all cases. The following
-are a few examples:--
-
-
- Ka in vel }
- Mani leh mani ka in vel } I hit myself.
- Mani in ka in vel }
- Keimani theoh vin kan in vel = We hit ourselves.
-
-
-Relative Pronouns are:--
-
-
- Kha, chu, a piang = who, which, what, that.
- A piang, a piang kha, a piang chu = whoever, &c.
-
-
- Lekha i ziak kha a tha e.
- Letter you wrote that it good is.
-
-
-The pronouns are sometimes omitted, the idea being conveyed by the
-use of relative participles or verbal nouns.
-
-
- I lekha ziak a tha e
- Your letter written it good is.
-
- The letter you wrote is good.
-
-
-Interrogative Pronouns are:--
-
-
- Tu-nge? Tu? Tu-maw? Eng-nge? Zeng-nge? Eng? Eng-maw? = What?
- Hhoi-i-nge? = Which?
-
-
-They are used thus:--
-
-
- Tu-nge a lo kal? = Who has come?
-
- Tu-in-a nge i riak? =
- (house in =) you stay
- Whose
-
- Tu ar nge i lei? Tu-in-nge vel che?
- (fowl) = you buy? Who hit you?
- Whose
-
- Tu-nge i vel? =
- Whom did you hit?
-
-
-Tu and Tu-maw are only used thus:--
-
-
- A lo kal Tu-Maw? or Tu? =
- He has come Who?
-
- Eng-nge i duh? Khoi-i lekha buh nge i duh? =
- What you want? (book) you want?
- which
-
- Which book do you want?
-
-
- Eng tui nge i choi?
- (water) = you draw?
- What
-
-
-The particle "a" preceding an interrogative pronoun has a partitive
-force.
-
-
- A tu-nge i ko? = Which of them did you call?
-
-
-
-Verbs.
-
-The same form is used for all persons and in singular and plural,
-the pronominal particles marking person and number.
-
-
- Shoi = to say
-
- Pres: Ka shoi = I say. Ka shoi mek = I am saying.
-
- Past: Ka shoi or } I said. { Ka shoi mek a ni = I
- Ka shoi or tawh } { was saying.
-
- Fut: Ka shoi ang } I will { Ka shoi mek ang
- Ka shoi dawn } say { = I shall be saying.
-
- Ka shoi tawh ang = I shall have said.
-
-
-
-Conditional Mood.
-
-
- Ka shoi tur = I would say, or, I ought to say.
- Ka shoi tawh tur = I would have said, or, ought to have said.
-
-
-The future terminations are often used in a conditional sense.
-
-
-Subjunctive Mood.
-
-
- Ka shoi chuan = If I say, said or had said.
-
-
-The following forms are peculiar and appear to me of foreign
-origin. The pronominal prefixes are absent, the person and number
-being indicated by different forms.
-
-
- Shoi i la or i lang = If I say or said.
- Shoi la, or lang = If thou sayest or saidst.
- Shoi shela or shelang = If he say or said.
- Shoi i la or i lang = If we say or said.
- Shoi u la or lang = If you say or said.
- Shoi shela or shelang = If they say or said.
-
-
-The pluperfect tense is formed by inserting "ta."
-
-
- Shoi ta i la = If I had said.
- Shoi ta u lang = If you had said.
-
-
-By inserting "ma" the meaning "although" or "even if" is given.
-
-
- Shoi ma she lang = Even if he says.
- Shoi ta ma u la = Although you say.
-
-
-
-Imperative Mood.
-
-The imperative has several forms:--
-
-
- Singular: Shoi rawh, shoi ang che, shoi ta che, shoi te, shoi che,
- all mean "say." The last four forms have a somewhat
- persuasive meaning.
- Plural: I shoi ang, i shoi ang u = Let us say.
-
-
-The second person plural is formed by adding "u" to the singular form.
-
-
-Infinitive Mood.
-
-The infinitive or verbal noun is the same as the root shoi = to say.
-
-
- Ka shoi lai in } When I was saying.
- I say time at }
-
-
-A verbal noun can also be formed by the suffix "na."
-
-
- Ka riak na in
- My staying house.
-
-
-The suffixes "tur," "tur-in," "na-tur," "nan," "an," "in," denotes
-infinitive of purposes.
-
-
- Tui in tur ka duh.
- Water to drink I want.
-
-
- Chaw lei tur ka nei lo } I have nothing wherewith
- Rice to buy I have not. } to buy rice.
-
-
-The suffix "tu" changes the verb into noun of agency.
-
-
- Veng-tu = a watchman. Hril-tu = an informant.
-
-
-
-Participles: Shoia, shoi-ing = saying.
-
-
-Negative.
-
-There are two negative particles:--lo and shu.
-
-The first is used except in the conditional and the imperative,
-when the latter is used.
-
-The particles are placed after the root except in the past tense,
-when they follow the tense termination.
-
-
- Ka kal lo = I do not go.
- Ka kal ta lo = I did not go.
- Ka kal lo vang = I will not go } The "v" is inserted for
- Ka kal lo ve = I do not go } sake of euphony.
- Kal rawh = Go.
- Kal shu = Don't go.
- Kal shu se = Do not let him go.
- Shoi shu u = Do not say (plural).
- Shoi shu i la = If we do not say.
-
-
-"Nem" and "nang" are used as negative particles and intensify the
-meaning.
-
-
- Ka hre lo = I don't know.
- Ka hre nem = I don't know. How should I?
- Lal in a ka kal nang = I am not going to the chief's house. Why
- should I be?
-
-
-Interrogative Particles.
-
-These are as a rule placed at the end of a sentence. They are "em"
-and "em ni."
-
-
- I kal ang em = Will you go?
-
-
-"Em ni" sometimes implies that the answer is expected in the same
-form as the question.
-
-
- I lo-kal em ni = You have come, have you?
- A lo-kal lo vem ni = He has come, has not he?
-
-
-"Maw"--This particle is used when the person asked, instead of
-replying at once, repeats part of the question--a pernicious and
-vexatious habit much indulged in by the Lushais.
-
-
- I dam em? = Are you well?
- Keima maw? Ka dam e = Do you mean me? I am well.
-
-
-The Passive Voice.
-
-The verb when used in the passive voice is pronounced slightly
-differently. The construction is as follows:--
-
-
- Lal in min kap = The chief shot me.
- Lal ka ka ni = I am shot by the chief.
-
-
-
-Verbal Prefixes.
-
-These are a very noticeable peculiarity. They are:--
-
-
- Zuk = motion downwards. Zuk la ro = Bring it down.
- Han = motion upwards. Han en rawh = Come up and see.
- Han = motion towards the A han la ta = He brought it.
- speaker.
- Lo = motion towards the Lal a lo kal = The chief arrives.
- speaker.
- Ron = motion towards the
- indirect object.
- Lal hnena ron hril rawh = Go and tell the chief.
- Min ron pe rawh = Come and give it to me.
- Va = motion from. Va la zo = Go and bring.
-
-
-
-Adverbs.
-
-There is a peculiar series of adverbs in Lushei, which, besides
-denoting the manner in which a thing is done, also convey some idea
-of the appearance of the agent, thus:--
-
-
- Lal a kal buk buk = The chief goes.
-
-
-"Buk buk" shows that the chief is a big, heavy man and is walking
-slowly.
-
-"Bak bak" similarly used would mean that the chief was medium-sized
-and walking slowly, whereas "bik bek" could only be used of a small
-person proceeding slowly.
-
-There are over a hundred such adverbs in Lushei.
-
-
-Interjections.
-
-The most common are "Ie" = I say! "Khai" = Come! "Ku" = Ho! "Chei chei"
-denoting disapproval and surprise. There are certain interjections,
-such as "Karei, Karei!" = Alas! Alas! which are only used by women.
-
-The Lushais are very fond of piling up adverbs to intensify the
-meaning:--
-
-
- Ava mak em em mai!
- How wonderful very very very!
-
- Ava mak em veleh!
- How wonderful very indeed!
-
-
-Literal Translation of an Account of the Thimzing.
-
-
- Hman lai hian thim a lo-zing-a; chutichuan mi zawn zawn
-Former time in darkness it collected; then mankind all all
-
- an in-khawm mur mur chutichuan zawng
-they themselves collected (untranslatable adverb) then monkey
-
-hmul a lo lenga an hgum a thak an hiat
-hair it began to grow their spine ends they itched they scratched
-
-thin-a zawng a te an changa tin lal te chu
-always monkeys into (plural suffix) they changed their chiefs indeed
-
- va-pual a an lo changa mi chhia e-raw chu
-horn-bill into they became changed people poor on the other hand
-
-zawng a te ngau-va te an lo changa. Tin sa lu ro
-monkey into grey monkeys they became changed. Then flesh head dry
-
-nei chuan an tuah a thing ai-in a tha zawh a
-had those who they put on fire wood than it good more was
-
-chu-te-chuan an dam rei thei zawk an ti. Tin mei-ling
- therefore they lived long could more they say. Then embers
-
- tlaivar lem-in puan tial shin in sakeia
-watched all night more than others cloth striped wearing tigers into
-
- an changa thei tin pitar te hian puanpui an sin-a
-they changed may be then old women quilts they were wearing
-
- sai a an lo changa.
-elephants into they became changed.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-APPENDIX
-
-FAMILIES AND BRANCHES OF THE LUSHEI CLAN.
-
-
-===========================================================================
-Thangur Rokum }
- Rivung }
- Pallian } All the Lushei chiefs belong to
- Zadeng } one of these branches.
- Thangluah }
- Sailo }
- Chenkhual Descended from Chenkhuala,
- said to be a brother of
- Sailova,
- probably a son of a concubine.
- The Chenkhual had once
- independent
- villages, but are no
- longer looked on as chiefs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Pachuao Cherlal This family is said to be
-descended
- Chhawthliak from illegitimate sons
- Chhoalak of Zadenga. Darchaova,
- Cherlalla,
- Chonglal Lianthunga, and Liannghora
- Darchao are heroes of whose
- Lalbawm prowess many tales are told,
- Lianthung and their names appear among
- Liannghor the branch names.
- Vanpuia-hrin I.e., sprung from Vanpuia.
- Varchuao
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Changte Darchun, Pamte
- Vokngak, Kawlchi "Chi" means family, "Kawl"
- Padaratu, Tumpha means Burma, and "ngak"
- Lungte, Ngakchi is to wait; so perhaps the
- Chonglun Kawlchi may be descendants
- of Changte, who settled
- temporarily
- in Burma, and the
- Ngakchi of some who delayed
- at some general move of the
- family.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Chongte Tuichhung, Lungte
- Muchhip-chhuak I.e., from Muchhip, the name of
- Pamte a hill.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Chuachang Chonchir, Chonchhon "Hang" means black and "ngo"
- white.
- Lathang This family and the next are said
- to be descended from two
- brothers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Chuaongo Vanpuia-thla Descendants of Vanpuia. The
- Hlengel, Hmunpel Chuaongo are said to have
- Zongpam, Laller been very powerful, and to
- Chumthluk, Aohmun have held a position similar
- to that now held by the Sailo.
- Their most powerful chief was
- Vanpuia.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Haonar Haothul, Haobul
- Tuithang, Shenlai
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Hrasel Shelpuia, Sontlunk
- Sumkhum, Sazah
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Hualbang Chalbuk, Sialchung This family and the next are
- Bailchi, Chumkal said to have sprung from two
- Khupao, Fangtet brothers, children of a Lushei
- Taihlum, Chertluang woman by a Poi or Chin, and
--------------------------------------- to have originated from a hole
-Hualngo Chalthleng, Khupno in the ground near the Shepui
- Tuazol, Cherput, Bochung rocks, to the east of the
- Manipur river. The Hualngo
- and Hualbang formerly lived
- together in villages under
- Hualngo chiefs. On the rise of
- the Thangur chiefs, a quarrel
- broke out, and the Hualngo
- were defeated by a combination
- of the Sailo, Zadeng, and
- Pallian, and driven across the
- Tiao, and took refuge under
- the protection of the Falam
- chiefs, where their descendants
- still are, and are miscalled
- Whenoh by the officers
- in charge of the Chin Hills.
- The Hualbang deserted to the
- Thangur, and are found
- scattered
- in the villages of their
- conquerors. There are six
- Hualngo villages in the Lushai
- Hills containing some 200
- houses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Lungkhua Sialchung, Ngalchi
- Ngalchung, Phungchi
- Ngaphawl
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tochong Topui, Chhakom
- Muchhip-chhuak Vide Changte.
- Chemhler, Tobul
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Vanchong Vanlung, Sumkhum The claim of this family to
- Chemhler, Chengrel be true Lusheis is sometimes
- Kaithum disputed.
-===========================================================================
-
-
-Besides the above families, there is one called Chhak-chhuak, i.e.,
-"Come out of the east." In spite of all enquiries I was unable to
-find out any reason for the name, which was sometimes said to be the
-name of a branch of one of the other families and sometimes that of
-a separate family.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-PART II
-
-THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS
-
-
-INTRODUCTORY
-
-
-In this part all the clans of the Lushai-Kuki race which are not
-included by the people themselves among the Lusheis will be briefly
-dealt with. All these clans practise the jhum methods of cultivation
-and were originally semi-nomadic, but certain of them, under changed
-circumstances, have ceased to move their villages and are taking to
-plough cultivation. There is a varying similarity in the religious
-beliefs and customs, and it will suffice to point out the principal
-divergences from those of the Lusheis as already described.
-
-The non-Lushei clans group themselves naturally into five sections:--
-
-1. The clans which live among the Lusheis under the rule of Thangur
-chiefs and have become practically assimilated by them, and are
-included in the wider term Lushai, as we use it. Naturally the accounts
-of these will be brief and will deal principally with the origin of
-the clans.
-
-2. The clans which, while still retaining a separate corporate
-existence, have been much influenced by the Lusheis, among or near
-whom they reside.
-
-3. The Old Kuki clans.
-
-4. The Thado clan with its numerous families and branches, often
-spoken of as New Kukis.
-
-5. The Lakhers. These are immigrants from the Chin Hills, and would
-more correctly be dealt with in the Chin Monograph, but a brief sketch
-of them, though very incomplete, may be useful till a fuller account
-is written. They call themselves Mara.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I
-
-CLANS INCLUDED IN THE TERM LUSHAI
-
-
-These clans have adopted most of the manners and customs of their
-conquerors, and to an ordinary observer are indistinguishable from
-the true Lushei. In many cases the only difference is in the method
-of performing the Sakhua sacrifice. In few cases some words of the
-clan dialect are still used, but, generally speaking, there is but
-little difference noticeable. In cases where the clan had attained
-considerable strength before its overthrow by the Lusheis the process
-of assimilation has naturally been slower, and there is more to
-describe. The following list of clans does not lay claim to being
-complete, but contains all the best-known names.
-
-[Chawte.] Members of this clan are found in small numbers
-scattered among the Lushei villages. They kill a goat as the Sakhua
-sacrifice, and omit all the Naohri sacrifices except the Zinthiang and
-Ui-ha-awr. When a mithan is sacrificed it is killed in the evening,
-and the giver of the feast wears some of the tail hairs on a string
-round his neck.
-
-In the hills between the Manipur valley and Tamu I found two small
-hamlets of Chawte, who said that their forefather had come from the
-hills far to the south very long ago. Their language closely resembles
-Lushei, but they have come much under Manipuri influence. The names
-of the families in no case agreed with those given me by the Chawte
-in the Lushai Hills. A detailed account of the Manipur Chawte will
-be found in (3).
-
-[Chongthu.] This clan is very widely scattered. The following account
-of the origin of the clan is given by Suaka, now Sub-Inspector of
-Police at Aijal:--"Of all Lushai clans Lershia (Chongthu) celebrated
-the Chong first of all. Lershia's village was on the hill to the
-south of the Vanlai-phai. There he celebrated the Chong. He was
-the richest of all men. Lershia had a younger brother, Singaia. His
-village was separate at Betlu. He was very rich in mithan, gongs,
-and necklaces. Once he was moving to another village with all his
-goods, when a very big snake swallowed him. Even till now Chongthus
-are always 'upa' to chiefs. It may be they are wiser than the other
-clans; they are very amiable--maybe they understand how to express
-matters well. In every village Chongthu are always upa. How many
-children Lershia had or where they are I do not know. Nevertheless he
-was the richest of all men. Because he was so rich in mithan, gongs,
-and necklaces he first celebrated the Chong. His name was also first
-given to the Chong song. Even till now the Sailo and all Lusheis and
-all Ralte, if they celebrate the Chong according to their customs,
-sing Lershia's song--they have not a new song of their own."
-
-From the above it would appear that Chongthu is a nickname given to
-Lershia on account of his having first celebrated the Chong. Chongthu's
-name appears in the Thado pedigree as the first of the race to emerge
-from the earth, and the great-great-grandfather of Thado. The Chiru
-and Kolhen also claim descent from him, though they cannot give the
-intermediate names.
-
-[Hnamte.] This clan lived to the east of the Tyao river. Their
-most famous chief was Chon-uma, their last village was at Tlangkua,
-on the Lentlang. Bad harvests and general misfortunes brought about
-their dispersal early in the last century.
-
-[Kawlni.] A widely-distributed clan sub-divided into at least 12
-families said to be connected with the Ralte, q.v.
-
-[Kawlhring. Kawl = Burma. Hring = Born.] This clan had a big
-village on the Hringfa hill, where the remains of earthworks made
-by them in their final struggle against the Haka people may still be
-seen. Messrs. Carey and Tuck in their "Chin Hills Gazetteer," p. 153,
-say:--"Having settled with their formidable neighbours on the north,
-the Hakas turned their attention to the Lushais, who at this time
-occupied the country as far east as the banks of the Lavar stream,
-barely 20 miles east of Haka. Their chief centres were Kwe Hring
-and Vizan, two huge villages on the western slopes of the Rongtlang
-range, and to this day the sites, fortifications, and roads of the
-former town may be traced." The Hakas, not feeling equal to attacking
-their powerful neighbours single-handed, called in the assistance
-of a Burmese chieftain, Maung Myat San of Tilin, who came with 200
-men armed with guns and bringing with them two brass cannons. "The
-Haka and Burman forces were collected on the spot where Lonzeert
-now stands, and, marching by night, surprised Kwe Hring in the early
-dawn by a noisy volley in which the brass cannon played a conspicuous
-part. The Lushais, who had no firearms, deserted their villages and
-fled in disorder, and for several months parties of Hakas ravaged
-the country, eventually driving every Lushai across the Tyao before
-the rains made that river unfordable."
-
-The people called here Lushais were the Kawlhring. The last Kawlhring
-chief was Lalmichinga. The clan is now scattered among the villages
-round Lungleh. There are eight families, but I have not found any
-branches. The Zinthiang and Zinhnawm are omitted from the Naohri
-sacrifices.
-
-[Kiangte.] This clan lived east of the Manipur river, from which
-place it was driven by the Chins. Kiangte are now found in small
-numbers in most of the villages in the North Lushai Hills. The clan
-is divided into seven families, without branches.
-
-[Ngente.] Although this clan has been practically absorbed
-its members have retained in an unusual degree their distinctive
-customs. The Ngente were formerly a somewhat powerful clan living
-at Chonghoiyi, on the Lungdup hill, where about 1780 A.D. a quarrel
-broke out between their two chiefs, Lalmanga and Ngaia, and the latter
-set out with his adherents to form another village, but was pursued
-and killed by his brother. Shortly after this the clan was attacked
-by the Lusheis and broken up. The above particulars were given me
-in 1904, when I was near the Lungdup hill. They seem to account
-for the Koihrui-an-chhat festival, which is described below from
-notes supplied to me by Mr. C. B. Drake-Brockman in 1901, embodying
-information gathered by him from Ngente living at Lungleh, many days'
-journey from Lungdup. This is an interesting instance of history
-being embalmed in a custom of which the origin has been forgotten,
-and I humbly recommend its consideration to those wise men who are
-ever ready to interpret every custom as affording evidence of their
-particular theories.
-
-Marriage.--The Ngente young man is no more restricted in the choice
-of his wife than is the Lushei, but the price is fixed at seven
-guns, which are taken as equivalent to Rs. 140/-. Of this sum the
-girl's nearest male relative receives Rs. 120/-, the remainder being
-distributed as follows:--Rs. 8/- to the "pu," maternal grandfather
-or uncle, Rs. 6/- to her elder sister, Rs. 4/- to her paternal aunt,
-Rs. 2/- to the "palal," or trustee. Should a woman die before the
-whole of her price has been paid, her relatives can only claim half
-the remainder.
-
-Childbirth.--Three months before the birth, the mother prepares zu,
-which is known as "nao-zu"--i.e., baby's beer, which must on no
-account be taken outside the house and which is drunk in the child's
-honour on the day of its birth. Women are delivered at the head of
-the bedstead, and the afterbirth is placed in a gourd and hung up on
-the back wall of the house, whence it is not removed. The puithiam
-sacrifices a cock and hen, which must not be white, outside the
-village, and, having cooked the flesh there, he takes it to his own
-house for consumption. On the third day after the birth the child
-is named by its "pu," who has to give a fowl and a pot of zu. A red
-cock is killed and some of its feathers are tied round the necks of
-the infant and other members of the family.
-
-Death Ceremonies.--The Ngente do not attach any importance to burying
-their dead near their place of abode. They put up no memorials
-and offer no sacrifices, and make no offerings to the deceased's
-spirit. The dead are buried wherever it is most convenient. This is
-a most singular divergence from the general custom.
-
-Festivals.--The Khuangchoi, Chong, Pawl-kut are observed. In place of
-the Mim-kut they celebrate a feast called Nao-lam-kut, which takes
-place in the autumn. For two nights all the men and women must keep
-awake, and they are provided with boiled yams and zu to help them in
-doing so. On the third day some men dress themselves up as women and
-others as Chins, colouring their faces with charcoal. They then visit
-every house in which a child has been born since the last Nao-lam-kut
-and treat the inmates to a dance, receiving presents of dyed cotton
-thread, women's cloths, &c., and much zu. Compare the account of the
-Fanai She-doi, p. 136 et seq. below.
-
-Koihrui-an-chhat (They Break the Koi Creeper).--A party of young men,
-being supplied with hard-boiled eggs and fowl's flesh, go off into
-the jungle equipped with bows and arrows. On the third day they return
-with the heads of some animals--for choice those of the "tangkawng,"
-a large lizard--and also a long piece of the creeper from which the
-Koi beans (v. Chap. II, para. 18) are obtained. They are received
-with all the honours paid to warriors returning from a successful
-raid, and a tug of war with the creeper takes place between the young
-men and the maidens. The heads of the animals are then placed in the
-centre of the village, and dancing, singing, and drinking go on round
-them all night, no young man or girl being allowed to go inside a
-house till daybreak, when the whole party adjourns to the house of
-a member of the Chonghoiyi-hring family--i.e., a descendant of one
-born at Chonghoiyi--and after further libations they disperse.
-
-It is quite clear that this feast commemorates the victory of Lalmanga
-over Ngaia--compare the account of the reception of a raiding party
-given in Part I., Chap. III, para. 9. The use of bows and arrows is
-an interesting survival.
-
-The tug of war with the creeper is found among the Old Kuki clans
-as one of the incidents of the spring festival, and in the Manipuri
-chronicle we find references to such amusements being indulged
-in. The Ngente evidently combined the play, intended to keep green
-the memories of their ancestor, with the usual ceremonies of the
-spring festival. [9]
-
-The Ngente do not practise the Khal sacrifices.
-
-Language.--In the Linguistic Survey Dr. Grierson gives a translation
-of the parable of the Prodigal Son in the Ngente dialect supplied him
-by Mr. Drake-Brockman, and sums up his description of the dialect as
-follows:--"But in all essential points both (i.e., Ngente and Lushei)
-agree, and the difference is much smaller than between dialects in
-connected languages."
-
-[Paotu.] A very insignificant clan, of which I have found only one
-family. The clan formerly lived on a hill north of the Tao peak, to
-the east of the Koladyne, and were probably driven out by the Chins
-at the same time as the Kawlhring.
-
-[Rentlei.] There are five families in this clan, which has long been
-absorbed by the Lusheis, but the Rentlei maintain that at one time,
-when they lived in a big village on the Minpui hill to the east of the
-Tyao river, they were the more powerful and showed their contempt for
-the Lusheis by throwing stones at the skulls of the pigs which the
-latter used to place on posts outside their houses after performing
-the Sakhua sacrifice, and this led to the Lusheis placing the skulls
-inside their houses, whereas the Rentlei to this day adhere to the
-custom of putting them outside. This clan is still looked on with
-respect, and chiefs frequently take Rentlei brides.
-
-[Roite.] This clan is divided into seven families, one of which
-has a branch. There is nothing of interest to be noted about it.
-
-[Vangchhia.] This clan has only three families and one branch. Its
-members are said to be generally wealthy, and therefore prudent
-parents strive to get them as "pu" to their children. Their Sakhua
-sacrifice is elaborate, a mithan being killed in front of the house,
-a cock at the head of the parents' bed, and a boar at that of the
-children. There is a great feast, followed by nine days' "hrilh."
-
-[Zawngte.] Now an insignificant clan, of which I have not obtained a
-single family name. Under a chief called Chengtea they lived on a hill
-north of Thlan-tlang, which is still known by their name. They were
-ejected by the Chins probably at the same time as the Kawlhring and
-Paotu. The eldest son inherits. They place their dead in hollowed-out
-logs in small houses outside the village, and leave them there for
-three months. In these particulars they resemble the Vuite. As among
-the Chawte, after killing a mithan the household of the giver of the
-feast wear some of the hairs of the tail on strings round their necks.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II
-
-CLANS WHICH, THOUGH NOT ABSORBED, HAVE BEEN MUCH INFLUENCED BY
-THE LUSHEIS
-
-
-[Fanai.] A clan which was rising into eminence, when our occupation
-of the country put a stop to its further aggrandisement. The chiefs
-trace their pedigree back six generations, to a man called Fanai, who
-lived among the Zahaos, to the east of the Tyao. His great grandson,
-Roreiluova, was a slave, or at least a dependant, of a Zahao chief, and
-was sent with 70 households to form a village at Bawlte, near Champhai,
-in Lushei territory, with the intention, no doubt, of enlarging the
-Zahao borders, but Roreiluova entered into peaceful relations with the
-Lushei chiefs, and gradually severed his connection with the Zahaos,
-and, moving south-west, occupied successively various sites to the
-west and north-west of Lungleh, between the Lushai and Chin villages,
-maintaining his position with considerable diplomatic skill, often
-acting as intermediary between his more powerful neighbours. He
-died at Konglung early in the nineteenth century, having attained
-such a position that his sons were at once recognised as chiefs, and
-on our occupying the country in 1890 we found eight Fanai villages,
-containing about 700 houses, grouped along the west bank of the Tyao
-and Koladyne rivers, between Biate on the north and Sangao on the
-south. Roreiluova's descendants seem to have inherited his skill
-in diplomacy, for they kept on good terms with their neighbours,
-and whenever these quarrelled managed to assist the stronger without
-entirely alienating the weaker.
-
-The clan is subdivided into six families and one branch.
-
-The Fanai now talk Lushai and dress in the same way, except as regards
-the method of dressing the hair, which is parted horizontally across
-the back of the head at the level of the ears, and the hair above
-this is gathered into a knot over the forehead, while that below is
-allowed to hang loose over the shoulders. They generally follow Lushai
-customs. In the series of feasts which an aspirant for the title of
-Thangchhuah has to perform, the Chong is replaced by the Buh-za-ai
-(buh = rice, za = 100), performed as among the Lushais. The She-doi
-feast has to be gone through twice, and is followed by a very similar
-feast called She-cha-chun (spearing of male mithan), which completes
-the series. Wealthy persons perform the Khuangchoi, but it is not
-necessary. The Mi-thi-rawp-lam is prohibited. The following account
-of the She-doi is taken from my diary of the 14th May, 1890.
-
-"We went up at once to the village, where a peculiar dance was in
-progress. Lembu's wife was being carried about on a platform, round
-which a wooden railing had been fixed to enable her to maintain her
-position. This platform had four long poles passed underneath it, and
-a number of men and women, holding these, were moving the platform
-about in a manner which must have been most uncomfortable for her
-Majesty. They lifted it up and down, then swayed it to one side, then
-to the other, then ran in one direction and stopped suddenly, then in
-another, and pulled up with a jerk. During all this time the royal
-lady maintained a solemn silence, and showed complete indifference
-to the whole proceeding. Her head-dress consisted of a band round
-which at intervals coloured bands of straw were plaited. From this
-chaplet porcupine quills stood up all round, to the ends of which the
-yellowish-green feathers of parrots were affixed, each terminating in a
-tuft of red wool. At the back, an iron crossbar, about 6 inches long,
-was tied horizontally, and from this a number of strings of black
-and white seeds depended, at the end of which glistening wing-cases
-of green beetles were attached. Except for this startling head-dress,
-the Queen was dressed much as usual, except that her waist cloth was
-longer and more gorgeous. Having been carried about for some time, her
-Majesty showed her appreciation of the attentions of her subjects by
-distributing gifts. First she threw a small chicken, which was eagerly
-scrambled for and torn to pieces by the young men anxious to obtain
-it, next followed a piece of white cotton wool, which no one would
-pick up, and then some red thread, which was scrambled for eagerly.
-
-"May 15th.--This morning a mithan was sacrificed. The animal was tied
-by the head to one of the sacrificial posts, on which his skull was
-to be placed later on. The chief then came out with a spear in one
-hand, a gourd of rice beer in the other. The puithiam, or sorcerer,
-accompanied him, also carrying a gourd of beer. The pair took up their
-stand just behind the mithan, and the puithiam began mumbling what I
-was told were prayers for the prosperity of the village. The prayers
-were interrupted by the chief and the sorcerer taking mouthfuls
-of beer and blowing them over the mithan. When the prayers were
-finished, they anointed the animal with the remains of the liquor,
-and the chief then gave it a slight stab behind the shoulder, and
-disappeared into his house. The mithan was then thrown on its side
-and killed by driving a sharp bamboo spear into its heart. The animal
-was then cut up. Later on another was killed, without any special
-ceremony, and the flesh of both cooked in the street. Later on there
-was a dance. Three men arrayed in fine cloths, with smart turbans,
-came up the main street, crossing from side to side. With bodies
-bent forward and arms extended, they took two steps forward, then
-whirled round once, beat time twice with the right foot, two steps,
-whirled round again, beat time twice with the left foot, and so on,
-keeping time with the royal band, consisting of a gong, a tom-tom,
-and a bamboo tube, used as a drum. The dancers, having been well
-regaled with beer, proceeded to dance each a pas seul of a decidedly
-indecent nature. The chief was prohibited from crossing running water
-for a month after this sacrifice had been performed." After this feast
-there is five days' "hrilh" for the whole community, and during this
-no flesh may be brought into the village. The skull of the mithan is
-kept on the post in front of the chief's house for a month, during
-which time he may not cross water or converse with strangers. On the
-expiry of a month a pig and a fowl are sacrificed and the skull is
-then removed to the front verandah.
-
-The only difference in the ceremonies connected with childbirth is
-that the Ui-ha-awr sacrifice is only performed if the child's hair
-has a reddish tinge and the whites of its eyes turn yellowish.
-
-The Sakhua sacrifices are very elaborate, and consist of a series
-commencing with the Vok-rial, which is necessary when a new house
-has been completed. A sow is killed at the head of the parents'
-sleeping place, and whatever portions of the flesh are not at once
-consumed are placed beneath it till the next day. The house during
-this time is "sherh." No one may enter it, and the occupants must
-not speak to strangers nor enter the forge. Later on a boar is killed
-in the front verandah, and the heart, liver, and entrails, known as
-"kawrawl," are placed under the parents' sleeping place for five
-days, and are eaten by the parents, the father sitting with his
-back to the partition wall and the mother facing him. During these
-five days a hrilh as above is observed. This sacrifice is called
-"Vok-pa"--i.e., "Boar"--and is followed by the "Hnuaipui"--i.e.,
-"Great Beneath"--a full-grown sow being killed under the house, and
-its head and sherh buried at the foot of one of the main posts. The
-flesh is cooked beneath the house, but eaten in it. A three days'
-hrilh follows. The series concludes with "Hnuaite"--i.e., "Lesser
-Beneath"--which is similar to the former, but a young sow is killed.
-
-These sacrifices are performed as the necessary animals become
-available.
-
-A dead Fanai is buried in the usual Lushai way, but no rice is placed
-in the grave. An offering of maize, however, is suspended above
-it. It may be noted that in the Zahao country rice is not cultivated,
-the staple crop being maize. The Fanai do not kill tigers, giving as
-the reason that a former ancestor of theirs lost his way, and was
-conducted back to his village by a tiger, which kindly allowed him
-to hold its tail.
-
-[The Ralte.] This clan is found scattered in the Lushai villages to
-the north of Aijal, in which neighbourhood there are also one or two
-villages under Ralte chiefs. I have already--in Part I., Chapter V,
-para. 1--given the legend regarding the repeopling of the world and
-the closing of the exit from the Chhinglung owing to the loquacity
-of the pair of Ralte. The names of these mythical ancestors were
-Hehua and Leplupi. Their two sons were Kheltea and Siakenga, who
-quarrelled over the distribution of their father's goods, which
-Kheltea, the younger, had taken, thus conforming to Lushei custom,
-and set up separate villages, and from them have sprung the two
-eponymous families into which the Ralte clan is divided. The Khelte
-have always occupied a predominant position, and all the chiefs
-belong to this family. Lutmanga, Kheltea's youngest son, is said to
-have made the first cloth from the fibre of the Khawpui creeper. He
-collected a community at Khuazim, a hill north of Champhai, and
-from him all the Ralte chiefs are descended. In the early years of
-the nineteenth century the Ralte villages were near Champhai, and
-Mangkhaia, a Ralte chief of importance, was captured by some Chuango,
-a family of the Lushei clan, then living at Bualte, above Tuibual
-(known to the Chin Hills officers as Dipwell). He was ransomed by
-his relatives, but Vanpuia, the Pachuao chief, not receiving a share,
-ambushed Mangkhaia on his way home and killed him. According to another
-account Mangkhaia filed through his fetters with a file given to him
-in a roll of smoked meat, and was killed as he was escaping. His
-memorial stone is famous throughout the Hills, and stands at the
-southern extremity of Champhai. Mangthawnga, father of Mangkhaia,
-joined Khawzahuala the Zadeng, then living at Tualbung, but, being
-ill-treated, the Ralte joined Sutmanga, a Thado chief then at Phaileng,
-who treated them well. Thawnglura, son of Mangthawnga, showed his
-gratitude to Sutmanga by assisting the Sailo chief Lallianvunga,
-father of Gnura (Mullah)--whose village Colonel Lister burnt in
-1850--to attack him. Sutmanga then fled northwards. It is satisfactory
-to know that Thawnglura's treachery was rewarded by the enslavement
-of his clan, who till our occupation of the Hills remained vassals
-of the Sailos. The Ralte are very quarrelsome, and have to a great
-extent resisted absorption into the Lushais. In some Sailo chiefs'
-villages there are so many Ralte that the chief himself speaks their
-dialect, and though Lushai is understood little else but Ralte is
-heard in the village.
-
-The Ralte are linguistically connected with the Thado, and, like the
-Thado, they used not to build zawlbuks, but are now following Lushai
-custom in this respect.
-
-The Khelte family has ten and the Siakeng family eleven branches. To
-the various sums paid to the relatives of the bride among the Lushais,
-the Ralte add "dawngbul" and "dawngler"--sums of Rs. 3/- paid to her
-male and female paternal first cousins.
-
-The two families have slightly different customs as regard
-sacrifices. The Khelte sacrifice to Sakhua is a boar, which is killed
-at the head of the parents' sleeping place and then cooked on the
-hearth. The skull is hung on the back wall of the house in a basket
-with six pieces of the liver and three of the skin. The chant is
-as follows:--
-
-
- Ah--h. You whom our grandmothers worshipped!
- Ah--h. You whom our grandfathers worshipped!
- Ah--h. You of our birthplace!
- Ah--h. You of our place of origin!
- Ah--h. You who made the Khelte!
- Ah--h. You who made the Tuangphei!
- Ah--h. In what we have done wrong!
- Ah--h. In what we have sung amiss!
- Ah--h. Make it right!
-
-
-The Siakeng, after killing the boar as the Khelte do, entertain those
-of their own branch, but before the flesh is eaten it is divided into
-three portions, which are placed for a short time successively on the
-floor, on the sleeping-place, and on the shelf over the hearth, being
-thus offered to the spirits of the house, the couch, and the hearth.
-
-Of the Naohri sacrifices the Khelte only perform the Hmar-phir, which
-they call "Thangsang" and the Ui-ha-awr, while the Siakeng perform
-the Vawkte-luilam, called by them "Chhim-hal," and the Ui-ha-awr.
-
-They have adopted most of the Thangchhuah festivals, but not the
-Mi-thi-rawp-lam. When a mithan is killed it is not speared as among
-the Lushais, but killed by a blow on the forehead. The skull is placed
-at the foot of the partition wall for three days, and on the fourth
-it is taken out and placed at the foot of the memorial post. Some
-ginger, beans, and salt are placed on a dish and an old man takes
-the skull, and all dance round the post three times to the beating of
-drums and gongs. Then ginger is thrown three times on to the skull,
-after which the house-owner's wife pierces the skull with a spear,
-but if she be pregnant this must be done by a man. The skull is then
-placed on one of the posts of the platform in front of the house till
-the Khuangchoi has been performed.
-
-On the occasion of the first death occurring in a new village a spot is
-selected beyond the line of houses, and the corpse is buried there,
-subsequent interments being made close at hand. It is considered
-"thianglo" to bury in a village. A well-to-do Khelte after death
-is dressed in his best, and seated with his back to the partition
-wall while his relatives and friends drink and dance before him. A
-bier is made by elderly persons, and on this the corpse is placed in
-a sitting position, with his weapons in his hands, and three times
-lifted by old men and women up to the rafters, while drums and gongs
-are beaten, after which the body is carried out to the graveyard.
-
-The birth customs generally resemble those of the Lushais.
-
-[The Paihte or Vuite.] This is a clan of some importance still. There
-are eleven Vuite villages, numbering 877 houses, in the south-west
-corner of the Manipur State and two in the adjoining portions of the
-Lushai Hills. When we occupied the Hills we found many of this clan
-living in a species of slavery in the villages of important Sailo
-chiefs. They have mostly rejoined their clansmen, from whom they had
-been carried off as prisoners of war.
-
-The clan is generally known to the Lushais as Paihte, but Vuite is
-the term more commonly used by its members and in Manipur. Vuitea and
-Paihtea were the sons of Lamleia, who was hatched out of an egg. There
-were two eggs, and Aichhana, a Thado, tasted one, and, finding it
-bitter, threw it away and put the other among the rice in the bin, and
-in due time Lamleia was hatched out, and the present Vuite chiefs claim
-to be his direct descendants, enumerating seventeen generations. The
-Thado version of this story is that Dongel, Thado's elder brother,
-had incestuous intercourse with his elder sister, and on a male child
-being born their mother was so ashamed that she hid the child in a
-hollow tree, thinking it would die, but when she found it was alive
-after several days she brought it into the house and concealed it
-in the paddy bin, and produced it a few days later, saying that she
-had found two big eggs in a hollow tree and had tasted one and had
-found it very bitter. The second she had placed in the paddy, where
-it had been hatched by the sun's rays. Hence the child was called
-Gwite, from "ni-gwi," the Thado for a ray of sunshine. The Vuite,
-of course, do not admit this tale to be true, but my informant tells
-me that in his father's time, when the Dongel and Vuite lived near to
-each other, the former paid "sathing"--i.e., a portion of each animal
-killed--to the latter, in recognition that the Vuite were descended
-from the elder sister of their ancestor. The Vuite, however, always
-tried to avoid accepting such presents, and when the Dongel moved
-away the custom died out. The first Vuite village is said to have
-been at Chimnuai, near to Tiddim. The name of this site comes first
-in the Vuite Sakhua chant which I obtained in the Lushai Hills. Being
-attacked by the Sokte and Falam clans, they joined the Thangur chiefs,
-but were ill-treated and fled to the neighbourhood in which they now
-live, and waged war with their oppressors till the establishment of
-our rule. They at one time approached the Manipur plain and in 1870,
-under Sumkam, they raided a Manipuri village, to avenge a charge of
-being wizards. They appear to be closely connected with the Malun,
-Sokte, and Kamhau clans of the adjoining Chin Hills, and Dr. Grierson
-places them linguistically in the same group as these clans and the
-Thado. In their dress and habitations they resemble the Lushais, but
-the place of the zawlbuk is taken by the front verandah of the houses
-of certain persons of importance, in which are long sleeping bunks in
-which half a dozen or more young men pass the night. The young fellows
-help their host in his house-building and cultivation, and once a year
-he gives them a feast of a pig. This custom prevails in most of the
-non-Lushei clans, and also among the Kabui Nagas in the Manipur Hills.
-
-The women do not wear the huge ivory earrings of the Lushai but
-cornelians or short lead bars.
-
-The general constitution of the clan and the village is very similar
-to that of the Lushais. As regards marriage they are monogamists,
-in this particular forming a very remarkable exception to all their
-cognates. The marriages of paternal first cousins are allowed--in
-fact, among chiefs they are the rule. The parents of a young man
-who desires to marry a girl go to her house with an offering of zu,
-and if this is accepted the girl is at once taken to their house,
-but the bridegroom continues for two or three months to sleep with
-his bachelor friends. The marriage is not considered final nor is any
-payment made till a child is born, and if this does not occur within
-three years the couple separate, but on the birth of a child the full
-price agreed on must be paid up and divorce is not countenanced. On
-my enquiring what would happen in case the lady subsequently proved
-fickle, my informant smiled in a superior manner and said that such
-behaviour was unknown among his people. The Vuite object to giving
-their girls to the Lushais on account of the tendency of Lushai
-husbands to discard their wives on the slightest excuse.
-
-Although the Vuite do not maintain that before marriage their girls
-are invariably chaste, yet one who errs is looked down on, and in
-consequence abortion and infanticide are said to be common. "Sawnman"
-at Rs. 23/- is demanded from the seducer.
-
-As among most non-Lushei tribes, the eldest son inherits. The
-punishments for offences are similar to those among the Lushais,
-but the Vuite assert that the crime of sodomy is unknown among
-them. Murder can be atoned for by the payment of seven mithan to
-the heir of the murdered man, and accidental homicide by that of one
-mithan and a gun. In the days when war was common they used to ambush
-their enemies more than was usual among the Lushais, but they never
-went head-hunting simply for honour and glory. As regards "boi,"
-they follow Lushai customs closely.
-
-Pathian is acknowledged, and in general their religious beliefs
-resemble those of the Lushais, but they have no idea of a separate
-abode for the spirits of warriors. They believe that departed spirits
-have two or more lives in the land beyond the grave.
-
-For their Sakhua sacrifice a boar is killed on the front verandah
-and cooked within the house. The skin of the head, the testicles,
-heart, snout, and liver are placed on a bamboo over the verandah,
-which must be freshly thatched.
-
-Immediately after birth the child is washed, and a fowl is killed, and
-its feathers are worn round the necks of the mother and infant. The
-mother may go out of the house, but for four days after the birth
-both parents abstain from all work. On occasion of the naming two
-or three pigs if available should be killed and much zu drunk. The
-Khal sacrifices, with the exception of Uihring, are not performed,
-but most of the other sacrifices are made.
-
-The custom of paying "lukawng" on the death of a person is unknown, and
-the funeral ceremonies generally are very unlike those of the Lushais.
-
-After death the corpse is placed on a platform and fires are lit round
-it, and young men and maidens sleep near it. The skin is hardened
-and preserved by being rubbed with some greasy preparation. The body
-is dressed in the best cloths available, and a chaplet of the tail
-feathers of the hornbill is placed on its head. During the daytime
-the corpse is kept in the house, but in the evening it is brought out
-and seated on the verandah while the villagers dance and sing round
-it and drink zu, pouring it also into the mouth of the corpse. This
-disgusting performance goes on for a month or more according to the
-social position of the deceased. The corpses of those who have attained
-Thangchhuah honours are kept for a year, at least, in a special shed
-encased in a tree trunk. Before burial the corpse is carried round
-the village. In case of a violent death, which does not as among
-the Lushais include deaths in childbirth, the corpse is placed in
-the forge and the puithiam sacrifices a fowl, after which the usual
-ceremonies take place. The Kut festivals are not observed, but after
-harvest the owners of houses in which young men lodge kill one or two
-pigs. The honour of Thangchhuah is obtained by giving the following
-feasts:--(1) Buh ai, one mithan being killed; (2) She-shun, one mithan
-being killed; (3) Chawn, three mithan and two pigs being killed. No
-other feasts are given and windows may be made by anyone. Most of the
-superstitions common among the Lushais are believed, but gibbons are
-freely killed. The Vuite are very much afraid of witchcraft, but deny
-all knowledge of it. When a new site for a house has to be chosen an
-egg is taken and one end is removed. It is then propped up on three
-small stones and a fire is lit under it. If the contents boil over
-towards the person consulting the omen the site is rejected as unlucky.
-
-
-[The Rangte.] This is a small clan which, after various vicissitudes,
-has settled down in thirteen hamlets, containing 372 houses, under
-their own chiefs in the south-western hills of Manipur. They claim
-connection with the Thados, but resemble the Lushais in many respects,
-which no doubt is due to their sojourn among them. They also claim
-relationship with the Vaiphei. They say that their original villages
-were on two hills called Phaizang and Koku, whence they were ejected
-by the Chins and took refuge with Poiboi, one of the Sailo chiefs who
-opposed us in 1871, whence they migrated northwards to their present
-place of abode. Their language shows that their claim to being allied
-to the Thado is not without foundation. The clan is divided into
-eleven eponymous families, named after Thanghlum and his ten sons,
-Thanghlum being supposed to be the son of Rangte. The constitution of
-the villages is practically the same as that of the Lushais, except
-that there are no zawlbuks. The young unmarried men sleep in the house
-of the girl they like best. An attractive young lady may have several
-admirers sleeping in her house, and they will continue to sleep there
-until she expresses a preference for one of them. Marriage is not
-very strictly limited, but matches with another member of the clan
-or with some member of one of the Thado families are most usual. The
-price of a wife--"manpui"--is one blue cloth, one mattress, and three
-mithan, which is paid to the nearest male relative to the bride on the
-father's side, but besides this the bride's paternal uncle receives
-one mithan, which is termed "mankang." If there be three brothers, A,
-B, and C, B will take the mankang of A's daughters, C that of B's,
-and A that of C's. Should a man have no brothers some near relative
-will take his daughter's mankang. The eldest son inherits everything,
-and is looked on as the head of the family. He receives the "manpui"
-of all the females, and in his verandah are hung all the trophies of
-the chase obtained by his brothers and their children, but on the death
-of one of these brothers the connection ceases, and the deceased's
-eldest son inherits his property and is looked on as the head of the
-family by his younger brothers. Like the Vuite, the Rangte claim that
-sodomy is unknown among them. In their religious beliefs they employ
-the nomenclature of the Thados, though there is a little variation. The
-place of Pupawla on the road to Mi-thi-khua is taken by an old woman,
-named Kul-lo-nu, who is evidently the same as the Thado Kulsamnu, who
-troubles all except the Thangchhuah. Thlan-ropa is known as "Dapa,"
-but the legends regarding him are similar to those told by the Lushais.
-
-On the birth of a female child, zu is drunk, but should the child be
-a son, a pig and a fowl have to be killed, and three days later the
-puithiam comes and sprinkles the mother with water, muttering charms
-as he does so, after which ceremony she can go out. Immediately after a
-death everyone present seizes the nearest weapon and slashes wildly at
-the walls, posts, shelves, and partitions, shouting, "You have killed
-him! We will cut you limb from limb, whoever you may be." The young
-men then go out in search of wild birds and beasts, the bodies of
-which are hung on posts round the grave. The corpse is adorned with
-the head-dress of hornbill's feathers, as among the Vuite and most
-of the Old Kuki clans. The corpses of ordinary persons are buried
-without much ceremony close to the house, but the Thangchhuah are
-carried round the village, as among the Khawtlang, and then enclosed
-in hollow tree trunks, and kept for periods varying from two months
-to a year in special sheds, with fires smouldering beneath them,
-after which the bones are buried. In this it will be noticed that
-the Rangte custom is a composite of Lushei, Vuite, and Khawtlang.
-
-Lukawng is only paid if the deceased has been a great hunter or
-warrior. In their marriage ceremonies the Rangte differ but little
-from the Lushais. The "Khal" sacrifices are omitted, but most of the
-others are performed.
-
-Thangchhuah honours are attained by giving only two feasts--the
-"Chong," at which a hen has to be sacrificed and two pigs and a mithan
-killed, and the "Mai-thuk-kai," at which two mithan, three pigs,
-and a hen have to be killed. The guests hold hands and form a circle
-round the house of the giver of the feast, who has to anoint the head
-of each of them with pig's fat. The Buh-Ai is unknown, but the Ai of
-wild animals is performed as among the Lushais.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III
-
-THE OLD KUKI CLANS
-
-
-The term Old Kukis has long been applied to the clans which
-suddenly appeared in Cachar about 1800, the cause of which eruption
-I have explained when dealing with the history of the Lushais, but
-Dr. Grierson in the Linguistic Survey has included in this group a
-number of clans which had long been settled in Manipur territory, and
-my enquiries all go to prove the correctness of this classification. It
-appears practically certain that the ancestors of the Old Kukis and the
-Lushais were related and lived very close together somewhere in the
-centre of the hills on the banks of the Tyao and Manipur rivers. The
-Old Kuki clans of Manipur seem to have been the first to move, as
-records of their appearance there are found in the Manipur chronicle
-as early as the sixteenth century, and, though the chronology of
-the chronicle is not beyond suspicion, I think this may be taken as
-proof that these clans appeared in Manipur a good deal earlier than
-their relations the Bete and Rhangkhol entered Cachar. What the cause
-of this move was it is impossible to say. Probably quarrels with
-their neighbours, coupled with a desire for better land, combined
-to cause the exodus, and the movement, once started, had to continue
-till the clans found a haven of rest in Manipur, as their relatives
-did centuries later in British territory; for they were small, weak
-communities, at the mercy of the stronger clans, through whose lands
-they passed.
-
-All these Old Kuki clans are organised far more democratically than
-the Lushais or Thados. Lieut. Stewart in his Notes on Northern Cachar
-says:--"There is no regular system of government among the Old Kukis
-and they have no hereditary chiefs as among the New ones. A headman
-called the 'ghalim' is appointed by themselves over each village,
-but he is much more a priest than a potentate, and his temporal power
-is much limited. Internal administration among them always takes
-a provisional form. When any party considers himself aggrieved, he
-makes an appeal to the elders, or the most powerful householders in
-the village, by inviting them to dinner and plying them with victuals
-and wine."
-
-Among the clans which settled early in Manipur, each village has been
-provided with a number of officials with high-sounding titles and
-little power, in imitation of the Manipur system. Among those who have
-settled in British territory the ghalim has been transformed into the
-"gaonbura"--i.e., head of the village--and has acquired a certain
-amount of authority, whilst among the Khawtlang and Khawchhak clans,
-which after various vicissitudes, including a more or less lengthy
-sojourn among the Lushais, recently entered Manipur territory, the
-ghalim has become a feeble imitation of a Lushai lal.
-
-
-
-The Old Kuki Clans of Manipur.
-
-Under this heading I propose dealing with the Aimol, Anal, Chawte,
-Chiru, Kolhen, Kom, Lamgang, Purum, Tikhup, and Vaiphei, who are now
-found in various parts of the hills bordering the Manipur valley,
-and who resemble each other in very many respects. In spite of this
-resemblance, the clans, while acknowledging their relationship to
-one another, keep entirely apart, living in separate villages and
-never intermarrying.
-
-In the Manipur chronicle the Chiru and Anal are mentioned as early
-as the middle of the sixteenth century, while the Aimol make their
-first appearance in 1723. They are said to have come from Tipperah,
-but at that time the eastern boundary of Tipperah was not determined,
-and the greater part of the present Lushai Hills district was supposed
-to be more or less under the control of the Rajah of that State. A
-short distance to the east of Aijal there is a village site called
-Vai-tui-chhun--i.e., the watering place of the Vai--which is said to
-commemorate a former settlement of the Vaiphei. It seems probable,
-therefore, that the Aimol and Vaiphei left their former homes in
-consequence of the forward movement of the Lusheis. The remaining
-tribes all claim to have come from various places to the south of
-Manipur--the Anal from the Haubi peak, the Chiru from "the Hranglal
-hill far away in the south," the Kom from the Sakripung hill in the
-Chin Hills; the other clans can give no nearer definition of the home
-of their forefathers than far away to the south. Like the Lushais,
-they all assert that they are descended from couples who issued
-out of the earth, the Chhinglung of the Lushais being replaced by
-"Khurpui"--i.e., the great hole.
-
-The Anal assert that two brothers came out of a cave on the
-Haubi peak, and that the elder was the ancestor of the Anals,
-while the younger went to the valley of Manipur and became king of
-the valley. Another tradition says that the Manipuris, Anals, and
-Thados are the descendants of three men, whose father was the son
-of Pakhangba, the mythical snake-man ancestor of the Manipuri royal
-family, who, taking the form of an attractive youth, overcame the
-scruples of a maiden engaged in weeding her jhum (compare Hodson's
-"Meitheis," page 12). These legends were probably invented after the
-clans had come in contact in order to account for the resemblances
-between them. The Chiru claim to be descended from Rezar, the son
-of Chongthu, the ancestor of the clan of that name still found in
-the Lushai Hills, whose name also appears in the Thado pedigree. The
-Lamgang tell the following tale:--On the Kangmang hill, away to the
-south, there is a cave. Out of this came a man and a woman, and were
-eaten up by a tiger which was watching. A god who had two horns,
-seeing this horrible sight, came out and drove away the tiger,
-and so the next couple to emerge escaped and became the ancestors
-of the Lamgang. The Purum claim to be descended from Tonring and
-Tonshu, who issued from the earth. It is said that "Pu rum" means
-"hide from tiger," which connects them closely with the Lamgang
-legend. The Kolhen's ancestors were a man and woman who sprang out
-of Khurpui provided with a basket and a spear, and lived at Talching,
-and had a son and daughter called Nairung and Shaithatpal, the direct
-descendants of whom are said still to be found among the Kolhen.
-
-The Chawte told me the tale of the peopling of the world out of a hole
-in the ground, adding the graphic touch that an inquisitive monkey
-lifted up a stone which lay over the opening, and thus allowed their
-ancestors to emerge.
-
-It is not quite clear whether these clans are eponymous. The Chiru
-say that their clan is named after an ancestor, but can give no
-pedigree. The Aimol say that there is no general name for the various
-families, and that Aimol is the name of the village site. It is
-probably Ai-mual. "Ai" is the Lushai name of a berry and also means
-crab, and appears in Ai-zawl or Aijal. "Mual" is the Lushai for a
-spur of a hill. It is a very common, in fact almost a universal,
-custom to call a new village site, if it has no recognised name,
-after the site of the old village, and probably the original Aimual
-would be found in the centre of the Lushai Hills.
-
-All these clans have come much under Manipuri influence, and the Chiru,
-Aimol, Kolhen, Chawte, Purum, and Tikhup have abandoned the ancestral
-architecture, and now live in houses built on raised earthen plinths
-like the Manipuris.
-
-The remaining clans still adhere to the ancient style, their houses
-being raised some four or five feet off the ground on posts. The
-walls are of planks, and the roofs of thatching grass; they remind
-one much of the Falam houses. Round each village are clustered
-the granaries--small houses raised well off the ground and placed
-sufficiently far from the dwelling houses to make them fairly safe
-from fire. Where the houses are raised sufficiently pigs and poultry
-live under them; but cattle sheds are common, most of these clans
-having learnt the value of cows and buffaloes from the Manipuris. The
-handsome breed of goats so common in a Lushai village is seldom if
-ever seen, but animals of an inferior sort are generally kept.
-
-The Chiru, Kom, and Tikhup still build zawlbuks. No woman is allowed
-to enter these buildings, which, besides being the dormitories of
-the unmarried men, are used for drinking bouts. They are externally
-very like those built by the Lushais, but have several fireplaces
-evidently used for cooking, and the general hearth in the centre is
-absent. Some of the clans which do not now build zawlbuks say that
-they believe their forefathers did so. In the absence of the zawlbuk
-the young men generally sleep in the houses of well-to-do villagers,
-but among the Purum I am told that "if a man has one unmarried son
-and one unmarried daughter, the boy goes to sleep at the house of
-a man who has an unmarried daughter; though they sleep in this way
-they are very careful about their characters." Have we here stumbled
-on the real origin of the "young men's house"--a desire to prevent
-incest? The young women also have houses in which they gather at time
-of festivals, but they do not sleep there.
-
-The rotchem, the Lushai mouth-organ, is found among all these clans,
-but rather smaller and ornamented with fowls' feathers. The Anal make
-a speciality of long bamboo trumpets, on which they perform with
-considerable skill, producing sounds indistinguishable from those
-of a bugle. The trumpets are from four to five feet long, and have
-bell-shaped mouths made of gourds.
-
-Most of these clans have adopted various dances from the Manipuris,
-their own dancing being of the monotonous nature common to the Lushais
-and Kukis.
-
-In dress and method of wearing the hair Manipuri influence is also
-noticeable, the men generally wearing coats and loin-cloths and
-turbans. The women are more conservative and adhere to the short
-petticoat. The hair is generally worn very much in the Lushai fashion,
-but the Chiru men are an exception to this. They part their hair in
-the middle and brush it down straight, and trim it level with the
-bottom of the ears. They bind a narrow fillet of cane round the head
-slightly above the eyes. The Kolhen women gather the hair into two
-heavy rolls, which hang down in front of each ear. The Tikhup maidens
-have adopted the Manipuri method of dressing the hair.
-
-The ivory discs worn in the ears by Lushai women are not found,
-but metal rings are worn in a similar manner by both sexes.
-
-The Manipuris have instituted in each village a number of posts with
-high-sounding titles, similar to those in use among themselves,
-but traces of the older organisation are to be found. Thus the
-Aimol recognise a man called Thompa, of the Chomgom family, as
-the head of the clan, but he has no power and receives nothing,
-while in each village are four officials who receive a portion
-of every animal killed in the chase. They are called "kamzakhoi,"
-"zakachhunga," "zupalba," and "pakanglakpa." The last two titles have
-a distinctly Manipuri sound about them. The usual titles found are
-"khul-lakpa"--i.e., chief of the village--"lup-lakpa," "zupalba," and
-"Methei lumbu"--i.e. Manipuri interpreter--but there are others. The
-khul-lakpa and lup-lakpa are hereditary posts. Among the Lamgang there
-are seven such hereditary posts. Among the Chiru the khul-lakpa,
-besides receiving a portion of each animal killed, also gets his
-house built for nothing, which brings him very near to the Lushai
-"lal." Among the Kolhen the khul-lakpa's and lup-lakpa's posts are
-not hereditary, but on the death of either his successor must be
-chosen out of the same family, but his sons are ineligible. The new
-official has to give a feast, killing a pig, which is eaten by the
-whole community, and the young men and maidens make merry with dance
-and song. It seems probable that in this may be some idea of averting
-the evil effects of a breach of the generally accepted custom.
-
-The puithiam is known as "thempu," "khulpu," or "bulropa," and both
-he and the blacksmith are sometimes rewarded, receiving a day's labour
-from each householder they serve, instead of a donation of rice.
-
-The Lushai system of "boi" is generally unknown, which is only natural
-in such democratic communities.
-
-The following animals are not generally eaten--tigers, snakes, cats,
-crows, or kites; and among the Lamgang the rat is also considered
-unfit for food.
-
-Each clan is divided into eponymous families and generally marriage
-is restricted to the clan, but alliances within the family are
-prohibited. The Aimol clan is divided into five families--Chongom,
-Laita or Mangte, Khoichung or Leivon, Lanu, and Chaita. Marriage is
-unrestricted, but it is unusual for either sex to marry without the
-clan. The Kolhen are divided into twelve exogamous families divided
-into two groups, which are also exogamous (v. below, under Festivals,
-page 167), but marriage outside the clan is prohibited. Among the
-Anal, Purum, and Lamgang marriages must be made within the clan,
-but not within the family.
-
-The Tikhup clan, which only numbers some twenty households, is not
-sub-divided, but marriage is endogamous. The union of first cousins,
-either paternal or maternal, is prohibited. The elders of the clan
-attributed the steady decline in their numbers to this custom of
-endogamy.
-
-The Chiru and Chawte customs are alike; not only is a young man's
-choice limited to some family in the clan other than his own, but the
-actual families from which he may choose his bride are strictly fixed.
-
-Among the Chiru--
-
-
- A Danla lad may marry a Dingthoi or Shangpa girl.
- A Dingthoi lad may marry a Chongdur or Danla girl.
- A Rezar lad may marry a Danla girl.
- A Shangpa lad may marry a Dingthoi or Danla girl.
- A Chongdur lad may marry a Danla girl.
-
-
-Danla is the family from which the khul-lakpa must be taken, and Rezar
-has already been noticed as the son of Chongthu, from whom the Chiru
-claim descent.
-
-Among the Chawte--
-
-
- A Marem lad may only marry a Makhan girl.
- A Makhan lad may only marry an Irung girl.
- A Kiang lad may only marry a Makhan or Marem girl.
- An Irung lad may only marry a Marem, Thao, or Kiang girl.
- A Thao lad may only marry a Makhan girl.
-
-
-Among the Aimol, Anal, Chiru, and Purum, a young man has to serve
-his future wife's father for three years, during which he works as
-if he were a son of the house. During this period he has free access
-to the girl, though among the Chiru he continues to sleep among the
-bachelors. Should the girl become enceinte the marriage ceremony must
-be performed, and the price paid. Among the Aimol the bride's eldest
-brother gets Rs. 6/- and each of the others one rupee less than his
-immediate senior. The paternal and maternal uncles receive Rs. 2/-
-each; the aunt and the elder sister also receive Rs. 1/- each as
-"niman" and "nao-puan-puk-man," as among the Lushais. Among the Anal
-and the Purum, the price must not be less than a pig and a piece of
-iron a cubit in length, but the girl's relatives try to get as much
-more as they can. The bridegroom has also to feast the family of his
-bride three times on pork, fowls, and rice, washed down, of course,
-with plenty of zu. The Chiru girls are only valued at one gong.
-
-Among the other clans, marriage is by simple purchase. A Chawte maiden
-can be obtained for a spear, a dao, and a fowl, the payment being
-sealed by the consumption of much zu. The price of a Kolhen girl
-is a gong and Rs. 7/- to her mother, and Rs. 7/- each to the elder
-and younger brother and the maternal uncle. This is most curious,
-for the father is entirely omitted. Can it be a survival of mother
-right? The Kom girls are valued very high, the father receiving one
-gong, four buffaloes, fifteen cloths, a hoe, and a spear, the aunt
-taking a black and white cloth. A Lamgamg bridegroom has to pay his
-father-in-law three pigs or buffaloes or cows, one string of conch
-shell beads, one lead bracelet, and one black or blue petticoat. A
-Tikhup father expects a gong, ten hoes, one dao, and one spear;
-the maternal grandfather also demands Rs. 7/-.
-
-The price of a Vaiphei girl varies between two and ten mithan. To a
-certain extent the price of the girls may be taken as an indication
-of the relative importance of the clan. Marriage by servitude is not
-found among either the Lushai or the Thado clans; its appearance among
-the Old Kukis is therefore curious, for as a rule the customs of a
-clan will be found to resemble those of one or the other of these
-two main divisions of the Kuki-Lushai race.
-
-Polygamy is, as a rule, permitted. Among the Anal and Lamgang, the
-first wife is entitled to the company of her husband for five nights,
-the second for four, and the third for three. It is not quite clear
-how a second marriage by servitude can be carried out, and probably
-the rules are modified in such cases. Polygamy is but little practised
-on account of the expense; among the Kolhen it is prohibited.
-
-In most of these clans the Thado rule of inheritance is followed--viz.,
-the eldest son takes all his father's property, the younger sons only
-getting what the heir chooses to give them. Among the Anal and Purum,
-and probably also the Lamgang, the sons of the deceased divide the
-property, but the youngest son takes the house and supports the widow,
-thus approximating to the Lushai custom.
-
-In most clans the father of an illegitimate child is fined. Among
-the Chiru the fine is a pig, a mithan, and two gongs.
-
-Divorce is generally easily obtained. Among the Aimol, if either
-party repents of the bargain, the payment of a cloth and three pots
-of zu annuls the contract. Among the Tikhup the cost of divorce is a
-mithan and a gong. The Anal and most of the other clans insist on the
-question being submitted to the village officials, who receive fees
-according to their position, and settle what compensation, if any,
-shall be paid to either party. As a rule it is very difficult for a
-woman to obtain a divorce unless her husband agrees, even though he
-may be extremely unfaithful and brutal. Among the Anal she must give
-a feast to the village or pay her husband Rs. 50/-.
-
-In case of a wife being led astray the injured husband recovers her
-price or an equivalent amount (among the Tikhup twice the price)
-from her seducer. In this the Thado custom is followed, which is more
-just than that of the Lushais, but not so conducive to morality, for
-among the the Lushais the whole of the woman's family are interested
-in keeping her from committing herself and are loud in condemnation
-should she do so, as they have to refund the various sums they have
-received on her behalf, whereas among the Thado the seducer simply
-pays up the price and takes the woman, who is thought very little the
-worse of--in fact, among the clans which follow this apparently more
-just custom, women hold a far lower position, being traded from one
-to another, unless they have influential male relatives who take an
-interest in them.
-
-All these clans have been given definite sites in Manipur and have
-practically abandoned the migratory habits of their forefathers,
-and therefore the idea of property in land, which is entirely absent
-in the case of the Lushais, is fast springing up. Many villages are
-moving nearer to the plain in order that the people may take leases
-from the State of land in the valley and carry on plough cultivation,
-but they also do a certain amount of jhuming, and proprietary rights
-in jhum lands are recognised.
-
-The punishment for theft is arranged much on the Lushai system of the
-theft of certain articles having a fixed fine attached to it. This
-is generally a pig, two jars of zu, and a brass plate. Among the
-Chiru the whole fine is consumed by the people of the village, the
-thief also getting his share. The Kolhen punishment is a fine of
-Rs. 28/-, a pig, and two jars of zu. In case of rice being stolen,
-the Tikhup custom is that the village officials at once kill and eat
-the pig of the thief and then make him pay a mithan as compensation
-to the complainant. Thefts of minor articles are generally punished
-by the thief providing a pig and zu for the entertainment of his
-judges. Manslaughter is punished by the payment of compensation,
-the amount varying considerably. The Anal demand a mithan and a gong,
-the Chiru a mithan and a cloth, the Kolhen three mithan, a brass pot,
-a pig, and two pots of zu, the Lamgang four gongs, ten jars of zu,
-and a big pig. Petty assaults are punished by fines of pigs and zu. A
-false charge is often punished by a fine of zu. Most of these clans
-declare that sodomy is unknown among them, the very notion appearing
-to them highly absurd.
-
-All disputes and accusations are disposed of by the village officials,
-who meet sometimes in the house of the khul-lakpa and sometimes at a
-special spot outside the village where stone seats have been prepared.
-
-Since the settlement of these clans in Manipur territory all raiding
-and fighting has been stopped, so that they have practically forgotten
-what were the habits of their forefathers in these respects, but
-the Kom declare that in the good old days the young Kom warriors
-went off on head-hunting expeditions, and if successful adorned the
-village gate with the trophies of their prowess; and there is no
-reason to doubt that, in spite of their present peaceable behaviour,
-the previous history of these clans was not less full of raids and
-counter-raids than that of their neighbours.
-
-The general religious beliefs of these clans show a great resemblance
-to each other and also to that of the Lushais. Pathian is universally
-recognised as the creator who lives in the sky, though the name is
-slightly different, appearing as Pathel among the Anal and Kolhen,
-and Patheng among the Kom. Mi-thi-khua is generally known as the
-place of departed spirits, but the Chiru and Tikhup have no idea of
-a place of greater comfort for the spirits of warriors, though the
-Chiru believe that the spirits of those that die unnatural deaths
-go to a separate and inferior place, while those of the other dead
-go westwards into the sky. The Anal, Kolhen, and Lamgang believe
-that, after hovering around the grave for some time, the spirit is
-reincarnated in some new-born child, but that an unnatural death
-prevents this and the spirit passes away skywards and returns no
-more. The belief in a being or beings which trouble the spirits on
-their way to Mi-thi-khua, as Pupawla does with his pellet bow, is
-very general. The Aimol call him Ramcharipu, and say that he makes
-the spirits of all, except "Thangchhuah," kill a certain number of
-lice in his head. The Vaiphei say that a male and a female being
-guard the road and trouble and detain the spirits of those who have
-not attained the honours of Thangchhuah. With the exception of the
-Tikhup, all the clans believe in demons, which they call by various
-names and which correspond exactly with the Huai of the Lushais. The
-Aimol call these devils Numeinu, Thanglian Borh, Tuikuachoi. "Numeinu"
-means mother of woman Borh brings to memory the infantile illness
-called by that name by the Lushais, while "Tuikuachoi" is evidently
-the Tui-huai. The Aimol and Chiru perform the Daibawl sacrifices in
-the same manner as the Lushais. The Chawte sacrifice pigs and fowls
-in case of sickness, but the Khal sacrifices are quite unknown to any
-Old Kuki clans. Lashi is known to the Aimol and Vaiphei. Among the
-former the Sakhua sacrifices are performed to this deity, and he is
-capable of giving success in the chase. The Vaiphei place Lashi almost
-on a par with Pathian and sacrifice a pig to him every year. Strange
-to say, he is supposed to have only one leg. The Sakhua chant of the
-Vuite commences with an invocation to all the wild animals to collect.
-
-In nearly every clan there is an annual festival in honour of the
-souls of those who have died during the year, but in no case is the
-Mi-thi-rawp-lam or any similar festival included in the series of
-Thangchhuah feasts.
-
-The Aimol sacrifice either a pig or a goat to Lashi as their
-Sakhua. The Chawte have been much influenced by Manipuris, and I was
-first told that the names of their gods were Pakhangba and Nungchongba,
-but on a little further enquiry I found that Pakhangba was always
-called Pathian when talking among themselves. The other deity is
-probably the Manipuri god Nungshaba ("The Meitheis," Hodson, page 98).
-
-Above the hamlet was an oval, level space with a low wall round it. At
-the eastern end was a small house in which were two stones. This was
-the abode of Pakhangba, and to one side was Nungchongba's dwelling
-place, which consisted of three small stones, with a fourth one
-placed on the top. In front of these a bull is sacrificed once in
-three years, and dancing and singing take place every year after the
-harvest. The Chiru believe in "Rampus," which in some respects appear
-to be the same as the Lushai "Huai," but in others they appear to
-be local gods. The four chief Rampus live one on Kobru, a high hill
-overlooking the northern extremity of the Manipur valley and called
-by the Manipuris the guardian of the north, one in Kangjupkhul,
-the village site of my informants, one on Makong hill and one in the
-valley of Manipur. Twice a year the Rampu of Kobra is honoured with
-the sacrifice of a dog, while pigs, fowls, or goats are offered to
-the others. In July a dog is killed in honour of the first three and
-a pig in honour of the last-named. In case of very serious illness,
-when the Daibawl sacrifices have proved unavailing, special sacrifices
-are made to the three chief Rampus above mentioned. These four Rampus
-are evidently nearer to local godlings than the multitudinous and
-ill-defined Huais of the Lushais. In July Pathian also is honoured, a
-pig being killed on behalf of the whole village, while each household
-sacrifices a fowl. The day is held sacred, no work being done. It
-is known as Chapui-chol-lai--i.e., holiday in the great heat. The
-four Rampus can only have come into prominence since the settlement
-of the hamlet at Kangjupkhul, and it is probable that different
-ones are worshipped by other hamlets. The Chiru also perform Sakhua
-sacrifices as the Lushais do. The Tikhup denied all knowledge of any
-devils or semi-divine beings, saying that they worshipped Pathian
-and him only. Every year in Phalgun they sacrifice a pig and a cock
-to Pathian, and much zu is drunk. In cases of sickness sacrifices of
-pigs or fowls and offerings of flowers, eggs, and rice are made to
-Pathian. Dogs are never sacrificed. I think this is the only clan in
-which they are not. I failed to find out the cause of this.
-
-In the other clans the sacrifices are combined with festivals either
-in connection with the crops, the dead, or Thangchhuah, and are not
-simply in honour of the god.
-
-The puithiam of the Lushais becomes "thempu" and in some clans
-"khulpu." The last name seems to indicate his responsibility for
-protecting the village from all ills and misfortunes by performing the
-necessary sacrifices (khul = village, pu = protector). He appears here
-as one of the village officials, which is the natural result of the
-inhabitants of each village being all of the same clan, instead of many
-clans, as among the Lushais. The functions and methods of the thempu
-and khulpu appear to be the same as those of his Lushai confrère. There
-are various restrictions imposed on pregnant women. Among the Anal
-she may not eat chillies or honey, and her husband must not touch
-a snake or a corpse. The Kolhen prohibit her from killing a snake,
-attending a funeral ceremony, and eating a crab, eggs, and a certain
-vegetable called "chak" in its young state. The Lamgang also debar
-her from touching a corpse, but the prohibited articles of food
-are a sort of fish called "ngarin" and a small animal which I have
-not succeeded in identifying. The birth ceremonies are much alike;
-in every clan there is a period during which the woman, and in some
-cases the house, is "sherh." During this time the mother's movements
-are restricted in some way.
-
-Among the Aimol the period is five days in case of a boy, and three
-in case of a girl; among the Anal and Purum, three days in both
-cases; among the Chawte, Kom, and Vaiphei, five. Among the Chiru
-the period is extended to ten days, during which the mother must not
-go out and no one but near relations may enter the house. Among the
-Kolhen the period is also ten days, but all women of the village may
-enter the house; the mother must eat no flesh, and fowls only may
-be sacrificed. Cohabitation is prohibited for three months. Among
-the Tikhup the restriction on the mother's movements lasts only till
-the disposal of the afterbirth by special persons who clean up the
-house; till this is done no one may take a light from the fire or
-remove any article from the house. In every case at the conclusion
-of this period there is a sacrifice. The custom of the Aimol is for
-the "thempu" to pour out a libation of zu and herbs in front of the
-house and invoke the child's spirit to take up its residence within
-the new-born infant. The name is given at the same time, the father's
-family choosing the name of a son and the mother's of a daughter. On
-the day of the birth of an Anal child, the "khulpu" is called, and
-after he has muttered certain incantations, zu and fish are distributed
-to the whole village. All sacrificing is prohibited for three days,
-and cohabitation for three months. When distributing the zu and fish,
-the household gods--i.e., the Sakhua--are invoked and the soul of
-the child is summoned. Among the Chawte the thempu attends on the
-day of the birth, and sacrifices a fowl and sips zu. He then mutters
-incantations over a piece of turmeric which is then thrown out of the
-house. On the fifth day a fowl is killed, and as the name selected
-is pronounced three grains of rice are dropped into a cup of water,
-and if they sink the name is approved, but if they float another one
-must be selected and tested in the same manner.
-
-The Chiru ceremonies are more elaborate. After ten days the thempu
-comes to the house, a rakeng tree is planted in front of it, and then
-the thempu sacrifices a hen on behalf of the mother, and a cock or
-a hen, according to the sex of the child, on its behalf. The parents
-eat the flesh of the birds, and the sherh and bones are buried in the
-house. Two or three pots of zu are consumed by married persons. The
-thempu, taking some zu in his mouth, goes round inside the house,
-blowing it out on the walls and muttering charms. The mother can
-now leave the house, but for three or four days must not leave the
-village. The "keng-puna" or "ming-puna"--i.e., "name-giving"--takes
-place almost immediately. Two cocks or hens, according to the sex of
-the infant, are killed by the thempu, and their blood smeared on the
-infant's forehead and navel, some of the feathers being tied in its
-hair. The Kolhen pierce the child's ears and give the name on the tenth
-day, the ceremony being the same as among the Chiru on that day. The
-maternal grandfather is expected to give the child a pair of brass
-earrings, bracelets, leg ornaments, and a string of glass beads, and
-it is generally named after him--a custom also followed by the Koms,
-who combine the name-giving and ear-piercing, giving a feast for the
-purpose, on the expiration of the five days' sherh. The ear-piercing
-is done by the paternal aunt. The Lamgang ceremonies are the same
-as those of the Anal, but the father is prohibited from eating the
-flesh of fowls during the sherh period, while the mother is under no
-restriction as regards diet. No other animal may be sacrificed during
-that time, and cohabitation is not allowed for one month. The Purum
-customs are severely simple. The thempu comes and mutters charms on the
-day of the birth, and returns on the third day and makes a libation
-of zu. No sacrifices are allowed. The name is given on the second
-day by the midwife, and the ears are pierced on the seventh day,
-but in neither case is there any ceremony. The Tikhup give the name
-at a feast, to which the elders of the community are invited; a cock
-is killed and zu dispensed freely. In case of the parents being poor,
-this feast may be postponed till the child is two years old.
-
-The custom of summoning the child's soul reminds one of the Lushai
-prohibition of labour on the part of the parents for seven days after
-the child's birth, lest its soul, which hovers around them during
-that period, be injured.
-
-[Ceremonies connected with marriage.] Where marriage is by service,
-it is only natural that the actual ceremony should be of little
-importance, for the couple have been living as man and wife during
-the whole time; but there are exceptions.
-
-At an Aimol wedding two thempus are necessary--one of the bridegroom's,
-and one of the bride's family. Each kills a cock, the feathers of
-which are tied round the necks of the happy pair, after which there
-is the usual orgy. The Chiru and Tikhup custom is almost identical,
-but the village thempu officiates alone. Among the Kolhen, the
-young man's mother makes six visits to the parents of her future
-daughter-in-law, taking an offering of zu, and being accompanied by her
-eldest son-in-law or other male relative, and on the last occasion by
-two or three women. Two days after the last visit, the price is fixed,
-and the day for the ceremony chosen by the bridegroom's father and the
-village officials. The bridegroom, on the day before that fixed for
-the marriage, goes to the girl's house, accompanied by several male
-friends, and makes a present of three pots of zu to her parents. The
-next morning the bride, accompanied by the unmarried girls of the
-village, goes to her future home, taking with her two jars of zu,
-a hen, a piece of ginger, a dog, a strap for carrying loads, a new
-cloth, and a bracelet. She parts from her friends, with many tears,
-on the doorstep of her new home. The khulpu decapitates a fowl
-and throws it down; if the right leg falls over the left a happy
-married life is assured. The night is spent in singing and dancing,
-and the following night in the same way, but in the house of the
-bride, who on the next morning quits her father's house for good. On
-the day of the marriage the bride and bridegroom must not leave the
-village. This taking of omens by killing a cock is practised by the
-Lamgang and Kom. Where marriage is not by service the preliminaries
-in all clans resemble much those among the Kolhen. Among the Vaiphei,
-and, I think, in some other clans, the young man has to give a feast
-to the young men frequenting the same dormitory. A similar custom
-is described in Fielding Hall's "The Inward Light," page 104, as
-existing in Burma. "It is an old custom for the village boys to band
-themselves together in a company.... But when one marries he ceases
-to belong to the company, for he is about to enter into another and a
-wider life. He is a deserter and a traitor to his fellows. Therefore
-they lay in wait for him and caught him as he went home at night,
-and, taking him without the village gate, they tried him and found
-him guilty. With mock ceremony he was condemned to be turned out
-from their ranks, and to pay a fine wherewith his comrades might
-drown their sorrow at his desertion. Then with laughter and song,
-to the light of torches, they took him home in long procession."
-
-Widows are allowed to remarry, but as a rule the brothers of the
-deceased husband have a prior claim, and if the woman marries
-anyone else before the annual feast in honour of the dead she has
-to pay a fine, which in some clans is as much as Rs. 120/-, to her
-brother-in-law. Until this annual feast has come round she must remain
-in her late husband's house, but when that has been performed she
-may return to her father's house if she wishes to, but in that case
-the brother-in-law will take the dead man's property and children.
-
-[Ceremonies connected with death.] All these clans bury their dead in
-special cemeteries outside the village, and unnatural deaths or deaths
-in childbirth are universally considered signs that the deceased has
-failed in some way, and the corpses of such unfortunates are buried
-outside the cemetery and with scant ceremony.
-
-Among the Aimol, the corpse of the khul-lakpa is carried round the
-village before being taken to the grave. The corpse of one who has
-gained honours equivalent to Thangchhuah among the Lushais is enclosed
-in a rough log coffin and kept for two days amid much drinking and
-feasting, which recalls the funeral ceremonies of a Lushei chief. With
-a rich man many cloths are buried and with a poor man at least one. In
-addition some cooked rice, zu, a dao, some meat, and a bow and arrow
-are deposited in the grave. The bow and arrow are a survival, for such
-weapons have been long obsolete. Over the grave a small house is built
-in which some meat and zu are placed to attract the "Khawhring." Spears
-are then thrust through the house, which is then thrown away. I am
-not quite clear whether the "Khawhring" in this case is supposed,
-as among the Lushais, to have inhabited the body of the deceased,
-or whether it is believed to be a disembodied spirit which is on the
-lookout for the soul of the deceased.
-
-Three days after the burial a wild animal is killed and zu and rice are
-offered, and the spirit of the deceased is asked to go away and not
-to trouble the living who have sacrificed and made an offering of zu
-and rice. The Anal make a distinction between deaths in childbirth and
-deaths by accident or in war. In the former case the body is buried in
-the cemetery, the grave being dug by those of her household, and food
-and drink and domestic utensils are deposited therein. The husband
-has to sacrifice a pig and feast the village before the burial, and
-the village is "sherh" for that day. The first stones and earth are
-placed in the grave by aged men, and the filling then completed by
-young men. The thempu having muttered some charms, the young men and
-women sing and dance for the deliverance of the soul. In cases of
-ordinary death the grave is dug by men not of the household, but in
-case of unnatural death only old grey-headed men may perform the task,
-and the grave is dug in the jungle and no dance or song terminates
-the funeral, but the village is not "sherh."
-
-The Chawte make their cemetery some distance from the village. The dead
-are buried on the day of death. Over each grave a mound is raised and
-fenced round with a bamboo trellis-work. A small post carved faintly to
-resemble the human form is placed over the grave of a man, while a hoe,
-axe, and winnowing fan denote the grave of a woman. On each grave rests
-a flat basket containing some flowers and a small jar of water. Behind
-each grave is a rough representation of a house raised some four feet
-from the ground, which is also ornamented with flowers, and some
-of the deceased's clothes hang from it, while inside are placed a
-bamboo full of zu and a small cup, which is filled with clean water,
-and a handful of raw rice. These are changed every third or fourth day
-till the Thi-duh ceremony comes round in May, when there is a feast,
-and portions of meat and some zu are placed on each fresh grave.
-
-On the death of a Chiru, guns are fired and gongs beaten, and a fowl,
-pig, and goat are killed at once. There is the usual funeral feast,
-and food and personal effects, including his comb, are buried with
-him. The house is "sherh" for three days, during which rice is placed
-in a small basket in the house and then thrown on to the grave. On
-the third day the house is purified by the thempu sacrificing a
-cock. In nearly every clan the house has to be purified by the
-thempu besprinkling it with either consecrated water or zu, and in
-many cases the funeral party are similarly purified. The Kolhen bury
-the bodies of those who die natural deaths in front of their houses,
-as do the Lushais, and the funeral feast closely resembles that held
-by the Lushais. The body of a khul-lakpa is carried three times
-round his memorial stone, from left to right. A bow and arrow are
-placed in the grave. The village is "sherh" for three days for any
-death. The Lamgang follow the same customs as the Anal, but the bodies
-of women who die in childbirth are not buried in the graveyard. The
-Kom and the Purum have the curious custom that the duty of digging
-the grave in case of an unnatural death falls on the son-in-law of
-the deceased. They say that the spirit of the dead cries out at the
-place where he met his death until appeased by an offering of tobacco
-leaves and rice. The Tikhup funeral is exactly the same as that of
-an ordinary Lushai. The Vaiphei dress up the corpse and strap it on
-to a bamboo frame, as do the Lushais, and feast around it for three
-days if food and drink suffice for so long. At the end of the feast
-the thempu pours some zu down the throat of the corpse and bids the
-spirit go in peace, and the body is carried to the grave, but if the
-deceased has attained Thangchhuah honours, it is first earned round
-the village. The household of the deceased abstain from washing or
-dressing the hair till some wild animal has been killed. The custom
-of giving something to the maternal grandfather or uncle on the
-occasion of a death, known among the Lushais as "lukawng," is found
-among several clans. Among the Tikhup and Kolhen, for instance, he
-receives the neck of the animal killed on the occasion of the funeral,
-and in the last-named clan he also receives a pipe or Rs. 2/-. The
-custom known among the Kabui and other allied tribes in Manipur as
-"mandu," which ordains that a widower shall pay his deceased wife's
-father a certain sum as the price of her bones, is only found among
-the Kolhen, with whom it is usual to pay Rs. 5/- or 6/-. Among the
-Kolhen a child dying within ten days of its birth is buried under
-the eaves of the house, and is called "thichhiat" equivalent to the
-"hlamzuih" among the Lushais.
-
-[Festivals.] 1. Connected with Crops.--The Tikhup, the only
-monotheistic clan in the hills, have no ceremonies connected with
-the crops, but allow no dancing, singing, or music in the village
-between the sowing and the reaping.
-
-Among the other Old Kuki clans there is a great resemblance between the
-festivals, and their connection with the Lushai "Kuts" can be easily
-traced--in some cases, as among the Kom, the name being actually
-the same.
-
-A festival which is common to several clans and generally takes place
-in the spring, though sometimes later, and is supposed to ensure good
-crops and good luck generally, is known by various similar names,
-all meaning "Pulling the Creeper."
-
-Kolhen "Keidun" Festival.--This occurs in April. The first day, called
-"Karamindai," or "Changritakhoi," is occupied by the young men going
-off to bring in two long creepers. A fowl and a pig are sacrificed
-and the creepers are hung over a post. On the next day the creepers
-are brought to the khul-lakpa's stone, and he, saying certain charms,
-pours out a libation of rice beer, and then a tug of war takes place
-between two parties selected as follows:--On one side are all the young
-men of the khul-lakpa's family--viz., the Chongthu--and on the other
-those of the Jete, to which the lup-lakpa belongs. With the Chongthu
-pull the young men of the following families--viz., Tulthung, Maite,
-Tiante, Laishel, Songchungnung, while with the Jete are associated the
-young men of the Lunglai, Rembual, Mirem Tumtin, and Vanbie. The girls
-of each family pull on the opposite side to the young men of their
-family. While the pull is in progress the khul-lakpa sings a song,
-and when he reaches a certain point the rope is cut in two by a man
-who stands waiting with a dao. The pull is repeated with the second
-creeper, and each party carries off the ends it has retained. Marriages
-are only allowed between the young people who pull on the same side,
-with the exception of the Chongthu, who, being of the chief's family,
-may marry a girl of any family except their own. During the festival no
-work of any sort must be done, but otherwise there are no restrictions
-as regards villagers or strangers, but the khul-lakpa must abstain
-from work and from cohabitation for two or three days before. Should
-a death occur a day or two before the date fixed for the festival, the
-fact will not be recognised till the completion of the feast, when the
-funeral ceremonies will take place as if the death had occurred on that
-day, the corpse being kept outside the village during the interval.
-
-The Anal and Lamgang, as usual, observe the festival in a similar
-manner. The creeper having been brought to the gate of the village, the
-headmen and the thempu receive it, and the latter, muttering prayers,
-pours over it a libation of rice beer, and then ties a piece of it to
-the gate. The remainder is cut up and a piece is tied to each house
-in the village. The thempu goes round at night throwing a piece of
-turmeric into each house and calling out as he throws each piece, "From
-to-day may all evil and misfortune run away from this house." [10]
-
-The Purum celebrate the festival in August, and the unmarried girls
-take a prominent part in the ceremony. A raised platform is made
-before the house of the eldest unmarried girl in the village. (In
-a community where there is no dearth of husbands, and every girl
-is sure of being married in due course, the prominence given to
-the eldest spinster is not objected to as it might be in an English
-village.) On this platform the girls assemble, and the creeper after
-the usual ceremonies is tied to the platform, and there is a great
-feast with much dancing between the young folk.
-
-The similarity between these festivals and the "Koi-hrui-an-chat,"
-mentioned under the Ngente, bears out the truth of the tradition that
-these clans long ago were near neighbours.
-
-The Chiru at the time of cutting the jhums go in procession with
-drums and gongs to the place chosen and on their return drink much
-rice beer. In March or April, before the sowing, a festival called
-"Arem" is celebrated. On the first day a dog is killed at a stone to
-the west of the village, and a pig to the north in the direction of
-the hill Kobru. All the men attend, but no women. The animals are
-killed by the thempu. The flesh is eaten there by the whole party,
-and the "sherh" are left at the place of sacrifice. There is then a
-drinking party in the house of the thempu. On the second day all the
-young men go and catch fish, and on their return they are entertained
-with two pots of rice beer by the unmarried girls. On the third day
-the lup-lakpa gives a feast of meat and rice, washed down by much
-rice beer, to the men only, and later all dance in front of the
-"chhirbuk"--i.e., Lushai zawlbuk.
-
-The fourth day is spent in visiting each other, drinking and singing
-at each other's houses. As soon as it is dark men and women meet
-before the chhirbuk and dance round the stone drinking; then they go
-to the lup-lakpa's house and drink again, and then to a house where
-all the unmarried girls are collected and drink again, and then bring
-the girls to the chhirbuk and dance round the stone again, drinking
-as they go. This is a pretty heavy day's work, and it speaks well
-for the young folk if many of them have the energy to complete the
-programme by drinking and dancing together on the fifth day. During
-the festival the village is "sherh."
-
-The Chawte, before cutting their jhums, sacrifice a pig and go down
-to the stream and sharpen their daos--"Trust in God, but keep your
-powder dry." The above festivals correspond to the "Chap-char-kut"
-of the Lushais, and the following resemble the "Mim-kut." The
-Purum in September observe "Chulkut" for five days, making and
-exchanging rice cakes and drinking rice beer, but not sacrificing any
-animals. The Kolhen observe "Chamershi" for two days in the middle of
-the rains--viz., in July or August. A pig and a cock are sacrificed in
-the khul-lakpa's house and eaten there by men only. Old men dance, and
-rice beer is drunk. This feast is supposed to expel evil spirits. The
-Chiru in July sacrifice a pig on behalf of the village to Pathian,
-while each household offers him a fowl. This feast is called the
-"feast of the hot season rest"--i.e., the few days of leisure after
-the second weeding of the crops.
-
-The Aimol, after burning the jhums, celebrate a feast they call
-"Lo-an-dai." Three fowls are killed and eaten in the khulpu's house,
-and rice beer is drunk, but no gong-beating or singing is allowed.
-
-After the harvest, feasts corresponding to the Lushai "Polkut"
-are held, but among the Purum a feast called "Shanghong" has to be
-celebrated in October, just when the grain is filling in the ear. Every
-householder has to bring a small sheaf of the green rice, which is
-presented to the village god, and feasting and drinking goes on for
-three days, during which time the village is "sherh." The Kolhen,
-before reaping the crop, carry the khul-lakpa or lup-lakpa out of the
-village towards the fields with beating of drums, and later drink at
-his expense.
-
-The Kom call the harvest festival "Lam-kut." It lasts three days. No
-sacrifice is performed, but the young men and girls dance and drink
-together.
-
-Among the Chawte the custom is practically the same as among the Purum,
-save that the feast only lasts one day.
-
-The Lamgang and Anal harvest festival is practically the same. In each
-case the best crop in the village is reaped by the whole community
-going to the field with dance and song, and subsequently the lucky
-owner of the crop has to entertain the village for three days. It
-would appear that all good Lamgangs and Anals must pray to have the
-second best crop. On the second day of the feast the consumption
-of meat and tobacco, the carrying of water and wood, and working
-with axes or hoes are tabu. The feast closely resembles the "Buh-Ai"
-of other clans. The Aimol custom is very different from that of the
-other clans. All the men go out in search of game, the flesh of which
-is eaten in the evening, and drums are beaten and songs sung while
-the rice beer circulates freely, in contrast to the feast at the
-sowing time. Dancing is, however, tabu. The harvest feast is called
-"Sherh an long."
-
-The Lamgang have an extra feast, or rather period of rest, when the
-grain is all garnered, when for ten days no one may enter or leave the
-village, and no work can be done, the whole energies of the community
-being concentrated on eating and drinking well.
-
-2. Feasts Corresponding with the Thangchhuah Feasts of the Lushai.--The
-idea of "Thangchhuah" is found in some form or other in all clans. Even
-in those clans who have no very clear conception of a special abode
-for the spirits of those who have earned good fortune in the world
-beyond the grave by feasts and killing men and animals here below,
-we find feasts the giving of which confers on the giver special
-consideration among his fellow-villagers and entitles his corpse to
-special funeral honours. All these feasts seem more or less connected
-with the erection of some form of memorial--either a post, such as
-the Lushai "she-lu-pun," which finds its counterpart among several
-Old Kuki clans, but among them the erection of the memorial is the
-important part of the ceremony, whereas among the Lushais the killing
-of the animal is the more important and the feast is named after that,
-not after the planting of the post; or a stone or a heap of stones,
-or a paved platform. All these are erected during a man's life and are
-quite distinct from the memorials erected in memory of the deceased,
-and thus connect the Lushai-Kuki race with the Nagas, among whom the
-erection of stones is a very important function.
-
-The "Mi-thi-rawp-lam" is not included in the Thangchhuah series by
-any of these clans--in fact, it seems to be omitted by all clans not
-living under Lushei chiefs. These all have a special annual ceremony to
-lay the ghosts of those who have died during the preceding year. The
-explanation of this seems to be that among the Lushais the clans
-have all been broken up and are scattered in different villages, and
-therefore an annual clan ceremony is not possible, and it has become
-a virtuous act for some wealthy member of the clan to celebrate the
-feast in honour of the dead of the clan. Among the clans which have
-retained their corporate existence the annual ceremony is natural,
-and therefore it is excluded from the Thangchhuah series.
-
-The Tikhup can earn consideration after death by giving a single
-feast. The young men and maidens collect a big heap of stones and
-arrange a seat of honour near it for the giver of the feast, who is
-carried down on a litter. The young folk dance and sing and drink
-before him, and then he is carried back to the village and has to
-present a mithan to the young men, who feast on it for a day and a
-night at the house of their leader. A song is composed in honour of
-the giver of the feast, which is sung at all subsequent feasts.
-
-The Lamgang, Kom, Kolhen, and Anal put up wooden posts, the Chawte
-erect a post and pave a piece of ground in front of it, while the
-Aimol put up a stone and make a pavement. Mithan and pigs are killed,
-and a feast given which lasts several days, the cost being met by
-the person ambitious of fame.
-
-The Chiru alone seem to have no idea of Thangchhuah, and, as noted
-before, have no idea of a special abode for good spirits.
-
-The Vaiphei have to give two feasts, at the first of which one, and at
-the second two or more, mithan are killed. The Kolhen, on occasion of
-putting up the post, sacrifice a mithan thus:--The thempu first throws
-an egg at the forehead of the mithan, muttering a charm to drive away
-all evil; the animal is then speared until blood is drawn, after which
-it may be shot. They also give the following feasts as part of the
-Thangchhuah ceremonies:--"Khuang-that"--i.e., "making a drum." The
-first day is occupied in bringing the log which is to be hollowed
-into the drum; on the second there is a dance outside the house of
-the giver of the feast; on the third the mithan is killed after a
-thempu has broken the egg on its forehead, and then another thempu
-invokes its spirit, blowing rice-beer over the body, as at the Fanai
-festival, p. 138. The fourth and fifth days are occupied with feasting.
-
-"Lungainai"--i.e., "collection of stones"--this is very similar to the
-Tikhup festival, with the carrying of the giver omitted; a mithan is
-killed as above described. The Aimol have also the drum-making feast,
-and another in which the giver is carried on a litter, but no heap
-of stones is made. On each occasion much rice-beer and flesh has to
-be consumed.
-
-3. Other Feasts.--Mostly annual, if necessary provisions are
-forthcoming. Some of these probably have reference to the crops.
-
-The Purum celebrate "Yarr" in February for seven days. Dancing begins
-each evening at sundown, and is kept up all night with feasting
-and drinking. In March they keep "Kumyai" for three days, the young
-men and maidens dancing and drinking together, but no animals are
-killed. This seems probably equivalent to the "Chap-char-kut" of
-the Lushais, but both it and the Yarr are said to be to please the
-village god, without any special reference to the crops. The Lamgang
-have a peculiar feast early in May, when the young men plant a very
-tall bamboo, from the end of which hangs a wooden representation of
-a bird, at which every man in turn, commencing with the thempu and
-the khul-lakpa, shoot with bows and arrows. Mithan are killed and
-eaten. No woman is allowed to join this festival.
-
-The Chiru and Kolhen celebrate a somewhat similar festival called
-"Ratek" in the middle of August. A pig and a dog are sacrificed by
-the thempu outside the village, on the side towards Kobru, and then
-two or three days later an offering of zu is placed in a small bamboo
-tube beside the water supply, and the drum is beaten for some time;
-the party then return to the khul-lakpa's house and are treated to a
-drink. The following day a tall bamboo is planted in the village with a
-wonderfully ornamented basket hanging from it, and much zu drunk. The
-following year the bamboo is taken up and thrown away, the festival
-being named "Ratek poiyi" (cf. Lushai "pai," to throw away). Before
-the feast young men go hunting, and if they are successful good luck
-is sure to follow. The first day of the feast a pig and a dog are
-sacrificed, and zu drunk; on the second, the bamboo is thrown away
-and more zu drunk in the house of the khul-lakpa. On the third day the
-unmarried girls of the village give a drinking feast to the young men,
-and both dance together. Should the zu suffice this portion of the
-festival may be prolonged for several days.
-
-It is believed that unless these two festivals are carried out every
-year in their proper rotation, there will be serious mortality among
-the elders of the village.
-
-Since writing the above, I have found two more small clans, which
-evidently belong to the Old Kuki group--Lonte or Ronte, of whom there
-are only nine households, living alongside of the Burma road, close
-to the Chawte hamlet, with whom they are classed by the Manipuris;
-and Tarau, eighteen households living slightly to the south of the
-Burma road.
-
-The Ronte clan is divided into two families, called Lanu and
-Changom. Marriages can only be made with members of the other family of
-the clan. They say that they came from the Ngente hill far to the south
-(v. Ngente clan), and claim some connection with the Chiru and Aimol.
-
-The Tarau clan is divided into four families, and marriages are
-restricted as among the Chawte, Chiru, and Kolhen.
-
-A youth of the Pachana family must marry a girl of the Tlangsha family.
-
-A youth of the Tlangsha family must marry a girl of the Thimasha
-family.
-
-A youth of the Thimasha family must marry a girl of the Khulpu-in
-family.
-
-A youth of the Khulpu-in family must marry a girl of the Pachana
-family.
-
-In both clans the young men sleep in any house, except their parents',
-in which there are unmarried girls. The Ronte say that formerly they
-built zawlbuks like the Lushais.
-
-The price of a Tarau girl is a gong or Rs. 30/-, or five years
-service in the girl's father's house. The Ronte maiden's price is
-two gongs, and her proper husband is her maternal first cousin. In
-both clans a fowl has to be killed by the khulpu at the time of the
-marriage, and the Ronte tie some of its feathers round the necks
-of the couple. Should a Tarau maiden be led astray both parties are
-fined a pot of rice-beer, which the villagers share, and the seducer
-pays the girl's father one pig. The child, when old enough to leave
-the mother, becomes the property of the father. A Ronte mother must
-not leave her house till five days after the birth of a daughter and
-seven after that of a son. On the day of the birth there is a feast,
-and on the fifth or seventh day, according to the sex of the child,
-a fowl is killed by the khulpu, and the child's hair is cut, its ears
-pierced, and its name decided on, the choice being made from the
-names of its forefathers. The house is purified by being sprinkled
-with zu by the khulpu.
-
-Among the Tarau, the period during which the mother may not leave her
-house is prolonged to ten days, at the expiry of which the khulpu kills
-a cock for male child and a hen for girl, and then purifies the house.
-
-In both clans the dead are buried in a cemetery situated to the west of
-the village, while the corpses of those who have died unnatural deaths
-are buried elsewhere with no ceremony. Women dying in childbirth among
-the Tarau are buried by old men, who have no further hope of becoming
-fathers, far from the village, while persons being killed by wild
-animals, or by some accident, such as a fall from a tree, are buried
-where they die. Persons who are drowned are buried on the bank of the
-river where the body is found, the grave being dug at the spot where
-some water thrown up by hand from the river happens to fall. This
-custom also exists among the Shans of the Upper Chindwin, which
-lends some colour to the tradition that the Tarau sojourned in Burma
-before entering Manipur. Among the Ronte, women dying in childbirth,
-and all children dying under a year of age, are buried to the east
-of the village, while accidental deaths necessitate the burial being
-made to the south. The funeral takes place on the day of death except
-in the case of old men, whose corpses are kept for a day while their
-friends eat, drink, and dance before them. Whatever animals can be
-spared are killed in the honour of the deceased, and their sherh are
-buried with him, together with some rice. Every day till the "Papek"
-feast, in honour of those who have died within the year, rice and zu
-are placed on the grave. At Papek a platform of bamboo is constructed
-near the cemetery, and on it are placed such offering of flesh as the
-family can afford; much zu is drunk and all dance. The Ronte Sakhua
-sacrifice consists of a goat, dogs and mithan being prohibited.
-
-Although the Tarau, from their language, are evidently closely allied
-to the Lushais, they are the only Old Kuki clan I have met which
-does not worship Pathian. They denied all knowledge of that name,
-affirming the name of their god was "Rapu," to whom the Manipuri name
-of "Sankhulairenma" has been given. Rapu has a shrine just above the
-Burma road near to Tegnopal, where every year fish, rice, and zu are
-offered to him. When the rice begins to fill in the ear there is a five
-days' feast in the village, during which time the young people dance
-and drink. A pig is killed, and the liver, ears, feet, and snout are
-offered to Rapu. These are called "sar" (cf. Lushai "sherh"). Before
-the cutting of jhums commences a small pig or a fowl is sacrificed to
-Rapu so that no one may be cut with a dao during the clearing of the
-jhums. Dogs are not eaten or sacrificed by the Tarau or the Ronte;
-the latter also consider the mithan unfit for a sacrifice. In these
-particulars they form an exception to the general custom of Kuki clans.
-
-The Ronte have a feast called "Va-en-la," which is given with the
-idea of enhancing the giver's importance in this world and assuring
-him comfort in the next. A pig is killed and thirty pots of zu are
-prepared, and the whole village makes merry. A long bamboo is planted
-in front of the house of the giver of the feast. Throughout its
-length this bamboo is transfixed with crosspieces of bamboo about 18
-inches long; from its end depends a bamboo representation of a bird,
-whence the name of the feast--"va," in Ronte, as in Lushai, meaning
-"a bird," and "en," "to see."
-
-To show the similarity between the Tarau and the Lushai language I
-give a few words of each.
-
-
- ENGLISH. LUSHAI. TARAU.
-
- One Pa-khat Khat.
- Two Pa-hnih Ni.
- Three Pa-thum Thum.
- Four Pa-li Ma-li.
- Five Pa-nga Ranga.
- Six Pa-ruk Kuruk.
- Seven Pa-sari Siri.
- Eight Pa-riat Tirit.
- Nine Pa-kua Ku.
- Ten Shom Shom.
- Father Pa Pa.
- Mother Nu Nu.
- Son Fa-pa Sha-pa. (Thado, "chapa.")
- Daughter Fa-nu Sha-nu.
- House In Im.
- Sun Ni Ni.
- Moon Thla Thla.
- Water Tui Tui. To carry water, "tui choi,"
- in both dialects.
- Dog Ui Uh.
- Mithan Shial Shil.
- Tree Thing Thing.
- Jhum Lo Lou.
-
-
-The east and west in Tarau are called "ni-chhuak-lam" and
-"ni-thlak-lam," which are pure Lushai for "the direction of sun rising
-and sun setting."
-
-
-
-Folklore.
-
-1. Legends.--A large number of tales have been collected by Babu
-Nithor Nath Banerji, of the Manipur State Office, from which I select
-the following. They have all to a certain extent suffered by being
-told to the Babu in Manipuri instead of in the vernacular of the
-relaters. This accounts for Manipuri names being used in some cases.
-
-The following is a tale told by the Anals:--"Once upon a time the whole
-world was flooded. All were drowned except one man and one woman,
-who ran to the highest peak of the Leng hill [this is interesting,
-as Leng is the name of one of the highest hills in the present Lushai
-Hills], where they climbed up a high tree and hid themselves among
-its branches. The tree grew near a large pond, which was as clear
-as the eye of a crow. They made themselves as comfortable as they
-could, being determined to spend the night there. They passed the
-night, sometimes exchanging whispers, and in the morning they were
-astonished to find that they had become a tiger and a tigress. [This
-changing of human beings into animals reminds one of the Lushai
-Thimzing legend.] Pathian, seeing the sad state of the world, sent
-a man and a woman from a cave, which was on the hill, to re-people
-it. The man and the woman emerging from the cave were terrified at
-seeing the two huge animals, and addressed Pathian thus: 'O Father,
-you have sent us to re-people the world, but we do not think that
-we shall be able to carry out your intention, as the whole world is
-under water, and the only spot on which we could make a resting place
-is occupied by two ferocious beasts which are waiting to devour us;
-give us strength to slay these animals.' After which they killed the
-tigers and lived happily and begat many sons and daughters, and from
-them the world was re-populated."
-
-The following tale told by the Kolhen resembles in many particulars
-the story of Kungori told by Colonel Lewin, which is given below:--
-
-
-
-The Story of Fachirang and Rangchar.
-
-"Once upon a time there lived a widow; she had a daughter whose beauty
-attracted many young men of the village. One day a tiger came in the
-shape of a man and asked to marry the girl. She was much frightened and
-kept silence. The tiger-man was angry at her behaviour, and recited
-a charm which made her ugly. Her mother said, 'Look! my daughter who
-was the most beautiful girl in the village has become ugly; if a man
-can restore her beauty he may marry her, and if a woman can do it she
-shall be my friend.' On hearing this, the tiger-man came to the old
-woman and said, 'Oh! Granny, I am a stranger, and have come from a
-distant village; let me put up in your house.' The old lady agreed,
-and after a few days he said, 'Oh! Granny, why are you so sad? Tell
-me the cause of your sorrow. Perhaps I can remove it.' 'Alas, my boy,
-it is beyond your power to do so,' she replied. The tiger-man, however,
-pressed her to tell him, and at last she did so, whereupon he replied,
-'All right, if I cure her you will give her to me,' and in a few days
-he had restored her beauty, and they were married and lived together
-in her mother's house for many years. At length he asked permission to
-take his wife to his own home, and they started, but no sooner had they
-passed the village gate than he was changed into the shape of a tiger,
-and his wife wept much at seeing him thus. An old woman of the village
-saw them and came and told the people that a tiger was carrying off the
-girl, so the villagers assembled to consult, but no one would volunteer
-for the task of rescuing the girl. At last Fachirang and Rangchar,
-two brothers, set off with a dao and a spear to kill the animal, but
-after going a very little way Fachirang, the elder brother, said,
-'Oh! Rangchar, I don't know what is the matter, but my heart beats
-so fast that I must remain here; you go and see if you can kill the
-beast alone.' So the younger brother went on alone till he came to
-the place where the tiger and the girl were living happily. Rangchar
-thrust his spear into the breast of the tiger, and it died at once,
-and Rangchar carried off the girl and returned to where his brother
-was waiting, and they all three set out for home together. The elder
-brother married the girl, and they all lived happily together."
-
-
-
-The Story of Kúngóri.
-
-(From "Progressive Colloquial Exercises in the Lushai Dialect" by
-Captain H. Lewin, 1874.)
-
-Her father, who was unmarried, was splitting cane to make a winnowing
-basket when he ran a splinter into his hand: the splinter grew into
-a little child; (after a time) the child was brought forth motherless
-and they called her Kúngóri. They fed her with single grains of millet
-and rice, and so little by little she grew big. Two or three years
-passed by and she attained puberty; she was very pretty, and all the
-young-men of the village wanted to marry her, but her father refused
-them all. Then the young tiger-man, Keimi, took up the impression of
-her foot and wrapped it up and placed it on the bamboo grating over
-the house fire to dry. Then Kúngóri became ill.
-
-Kúngóri's father said, "If there be anyone that can cure her, he
-shall have my daughter." All the villagers tried, but not one of
-them could do any good. Then the young tiger-man came. "I will cure
-her, and I will marry her afterwards," said he. Her father said,
-"Cure the girl first and you may then have her."
-
-So he cured her; the footprint which he had placed to dry on the
-fire-shelf he opened out and threw away. Kúngóri became well and Keimi
-married her. "Come, Kúngóri," said he, "will you go to my house?" So
-they went; on the road Keimi turned himself into a tiger, Kúngóri
-caught hold of his tail, and they ran like the wind. Some women of
-the village were gathering wood and they saw this, so they went back
-home and said to Kúngóri's father, "Your daughter has got a tiger for
-a husband." Kúngóri's father said, "Whoever can go and take Kúngóri
-may have her," but no one dared to take her. However, Hpohtir and
-Hrangchal, two friends, said, "We will take her." Kúngóri's father
-said, "If you are able to take her you may have her," so Hpohtir and
-Hrangchal set off. Going on they came to Keimi's village. The young
-tiger-man, Keimi, had gone out hunting; before he reached his house
-Hpohtir and Hrangchal went to Kúngóri. "Kúngóri," said they, "where
-is your husband?" "He is gone out hunting," she said, "but will be
-home directly." On this they became afraid, and Hpohtir and Hrangchal
-climbed up on to the top of the high fire-shelf. Kúngóri's husband
-arrived. "There is the smell of a human being," said he. "It must
-be my smell," said Kúngóri. Night fell; everyone ate their dinners
-and lay down to rest. In the morning Kúngóri's husband again went
-out to hunt. A widow said (to the two friends), "If you are going
-to run away with Kúngóri take fire-seed, thorn-seed, and water-seed
-(with you)." So they took fire-seed, thorn-seed, and water-seed,
-and they took Kúngóri also and carried her off.
-
-Kúngóri's husband returned home. He looked and found Kúngóri was
-gone, so he followed after them in hot haste. A little bird called
-to Hrangchal. "Run! run! Kúngóri's husband will catch you," said the
-bird. So (the friends) scattered the fire-seed, and the jungle and
-undergrowth burnt furiously, so that Kúngóri's husband could not come
-any further. When the fire subsided he again resumed the pursuit.
-
-The little bird cried to Hrangchal, "He is catching you up." So they
-scattered the water-seed, and a great river rose. However, Kúngóri's
-husband waited for the water to go down, and when the water went down
-he followed after them as before.
-
-The bird said to Hrangchal, "He is after you again--he is fast gaining
-on you; sprinkle the thorn-seed," and thorns sprouted in thickets,
-so that Kúngóri's husband could not get on. By biting and tearing
-the thorns he at length made a way. and again he followed after
-them. Hrangchal's [11] party became bewildered and hid in a clump of
-reeds. Hpohtir cut the tiger down dead with a blow of his dao. "I am
-Hpohtir,"1 said he. So the tiger died.
-
-Hrangchal and the others went on again until they came to the three
-cross-roads of Khuavang, and there they stopped. Hpohtir and Hrangchal
-were to keep guard turn about. Hrangchala went to sleep first while
-Hpohtir kept watch.
-
-At night Khuavang came. "Who is staying at my cross-roads?" he
-said. Hpohtira (spoke out boldly). "Hpohtira and Hrangchala (are
-here)," said he, "crouching under the reeds. We cut off the tiger's
-head without much ado." Khuavang, hearing and becoming afraid, ran
-off. So Hpohtira (woke up Hrangchal, saying), "Hrangchal, get up;
-you stay awake now. I am very sleepy; I will lie down. If Khuavang
-comes you must not be afraid." Having said this he slept. Hrangchala
-watched; presently Khuavang returned. "Who is this staying at my
-cross-roads?" he said. Hrangchala was frightened; (however), he
-replied, "Hpohtira and Hrangchala (are here); they killed the tiger
-that followed them among the reed-roots." But Khuavang was not to
-be frightened by this, so he took Kúngóri. Kúngóri marked the road,
-trailing behind her a line of cotton thread. They entered into a hole
-in the earth, and so arrived at Khuavang's village. The hole in the
-earth was stopped up by a great stone. In the morning Hpohtir and
-Hrangchala began to abuse each other. Said Hpohtira to Hrangchal,
-"Fool man!" said he, "where has Kúngóri gone to? On account of your
-faintheartedness Khuavang has carried her off. Away! you will have
-to go to Khuavang's village." So they followed Kúngóri's line of
-white thread and found that the thread entered (the earth) under a
-big rock. They moved away the rock and saw Khuavang's village below
-them. Hpohtira called out, "Hoy! give me back my Kúngóri!" Khuavang
-replied, "We know nothing about your Kúngóri, whom you were taking
-away." "If you do not (immediately) give me Kúngóri I will use my
-dao," said Hpohtir. "Hit away," answered Khuavang. With one cut of
-the dao a quarter of the village died right off. Again Hpohtir cried,
-"Give me my Kúngóri," Khuavang said, "Your Kúngóri is not here." On
-this Hpohtir and Hrangchal said, "We will come in." "Come along," said
-Khuavang, so they went in and came to Khuavang's house. Khuavang's
-daughter was a very pretty girl. "Here is Kúngóri," said they. "This
-is not she," said Hpohtir; "give me Kúngóri herself." So (at last)
-they gave her to him.
-
-They took her away. Kúngóri said, "I have forgotten my comb." "Go,
-Hrangchal, and fetch it," said Hpohtir; but Hrangchala--"I dare
-not. I am afraid," said he. So Hpohtir went (himself) to fetch (the
-comb). While he was gone Hrangchal took Kúngóri out and closed the
-hole with the great stone. After this they arrived at the house of
-Kúngóri's father. "You have been able to release my daughter," said he,
-"so take her." Kúngóri, however, did not agree. Said Kúngóri's father,
-"Hrangchal is here, but where is Hpohtira?" "We do not know Hpohtira's
-dwelling-place," he said. So Hrangchala and Kúngóri were united. Though
-Kúngóri did not wish it, he just married her.
-
-Hpohtira was married to Khuavang's daughter. Beside the house he
-sowed a koi-seed. It sprouted and a creeper sprang (upwards like
-a ladder). Hpohtira, when he was at Khuavang's, had a child (born
-to him), and he cooked some small stones, and when his wife was
-absent he gave the stones which he had cooked to the child, saying,
-"Eat." While it was eating Hpohtir climbed up the stalks of the koi
-creeper and got out. He went on and arrived at the house of Kúngóri's
-father. They had killed a mithan, and were celebrating the Khuangchoi
-and dancing. With one blow Hpohtira cut off the head of Hrangchal!
-
-Kúngóri's father cried, "Why, Hpohtira, do you cut off Hrangchala's
-head?" "I was obliged to decapitate him," said Hpohtir. "It was I who
-released Kúngóri from Keimi's village--Hrangchala dared not do it. When
-Khuavang carried off Kúngóri also Hrangchala dared not say him nay--he
-was afraid. Afterwards we followed Kúngóri's line of cotton thread,
-which led us to Khuavang's village. Kúngóri (after we had released
-her from there) forgot her comb; we told Hrangchal to go and fetch
-it, but he dared not. 'I am afraid,' said he, so I went to get it. He
-then took Kúngóri and left me behind, shutting the hole in the earth
-with a great stone. They went away. I married Khuavang's daughter, and
-while she was absent I climbed up the stalks of the creeper and came
-here." On this, "Is it so?" said they. "Then you shall be united." So
-Hrangchala died, and Hpohtira and Kúngóri were married. They were
-very comfortable together, and killed many mithan; they possessed
-many villages, and lived happy ever after. Thus the story is concluded.
-
-I condense the following tale told by the Kolhen from the obviously
-embellished version supplied to the Babu:--
-
-A widow had seven sons and one daughter, called Ringchanghoi, who
-was very beautiful, and much beloved by her brothers. To prove the
-truth of their professions of love she sent them off to catch the
-sun and the moon, that she might wear them as her necklace. Before
-their departure they built her a fortified house, and told her to
-remain within it until their return. They also left with her some
-unhusked rice, which had magical properties, turning red whenever
-the brothers were in danger. Ringchanghoi one day was sitting in
-the verandah cleaning her hair when she was seen by the king, who
-quickly added her to the number of his wives. The youngest brother,
-returning alone, found the house empty, and at once rejoining the
-others in the sky, where they were still hunting the sun and moon,
-told them of the disappearance of their sister. They all returned
-home, and on entering the house the youngest brother was changed
-into a parrot, while the others fell down dead. The youngest brother
-finds his sister and is captured and presented to her, and tells
-her what has happened, whereupon she sends off her husband, who by
-a powerful charm restores the dead to life and the youngest brother
-to his original form, and all ends happily.
-
-In this tale there is some slight resemblance to the Lushai tale of
-Rimenhoi, as also there is to the tales told by many clans to account
-for eclipses of the sun and moon. The Kom, for instance, say that
-the god Awk-pa was drying his rice when the sun and the moon came
-riding by and scattered it; this vexed Awk-pa, who lay in ambush in a
-cave, and the next time they came he swallowed them. The resemblance
-between this tale and the Lushai explanation of an eclipse is very
-marked. The name "Awk" is the same, and the idea of swallowing is
-preserved. The Purum, while using the same word for an eclipse, have
-quite a different story:--"Once upon a time there were seven brothers
-who went into the forest to cut wood, and shot a deer, and ordered the
-youngest brother to cook it while they went on with their work. The
-youngest brother, having cooked the meat, put it on some leaves till
-his brothers should return. Some leaves from a tree fell on the meat,
-whereupon the deer came to life again and ran away. The brothers
-returning got angry and, not believing the tale told by the youngest,
-killed him and put his body under the tree. Some leaves falling on
-the corpse, it came to life, and the brothers were much astonished
-and went home, taking some of the leaves, roots, and bark of the
-tree with them." On their way they saw the body of a dog floating
-in a river which they had to cross, and put some bark on it and the
-animal revived. When they reached home they put the bark, leaves,
-and pieces of root to dry in the sunshine, leaving their dog to watch
-them. The sun and the moon, perceiving the usefulness of the things,
-stole them all and were chased by the dog. When the dog gets too near,
-the sun and the moon hide, thus causing eclipses. The Kolhen have
-the same name for an eclipse, and their explanation of the phenomenon
-is much the same. The god Rikumpu left his dog to watch his garden,
-and the sun and the moon came to steal, and are still being chased by
-the faithful hound. The Lamgang say that eclipses are caused by their
-god catching the sun and the moon, who once stole his tobacco as it
-was drying. The Anal have much the same idea. The story is worthy of
-being given at length:--"Once upon a time a very pious man who devoted
-much time to worshipping God had a pet bitch. The sun and the moon,
-being envious, tried to take his virtue from the man. To accomplish
-their wicked purpose they promised to give him their virtue if only
-he would first entrust them with his. The saint fell into the trap
-and the celestial rascals ran off with his virtue. The holy man,
-finding himself defrauded, ordered his dog to catch the thieves. The
-dog brought a long pole and climbed up it to reach the fugitives,
-being followed by her master. She reached the sky and still chases the
-sun and moon, and sometimes catches them. Therefore, when an eclipse
-occurs the Anal call out, 'Release! Release!' The poor pious man took
-so long ascending the pole that before he accomplished the journey
-the white ants had eaten up the lower end and the saint fell to the
-earth and was killed." Thunder and lightning are accounted for by some
-clans thus:--Wulai the lizard climbs a tall tree and shouts defiance,
-whereupon God from the sky hurls his axe at him and he runs down,
-but the tree is burnt up. The Anal and Kom have also a more poetic
-explanation of lightning--viz., that it is the glitter of God's sword
-as he plays with it in heaven, while the Purum also say that it is
-the glitter of his robes.
-
-Earthquakes are accounted for by assuming the existence of another
-world below the surface of the earth. The Purum and Kom say that
-Yangmal the earth worm took a present of a piece of earth to the king
-of these lower regions. On the way the earth was changed into gold and
-silver, much to the delight of the monarch, who sent Yangmal back to
-fetch more, but the worm made excuse that the upper world had been
-destroyed. To test the truth of this statement the king shakes the
-world. The Anal and Lamgang say that the people of the lower world
-shake the upper one to find out if anyone is still alive up there,
-and so on, an earthquake occurring the Anal and Lamgang villages
-resound with shouts of "Alive! Alive!" Rainbows are accounted for as
-the lips of God spread in the act of drinking, or simply his glory.
-
-
-Note.--I must acknowledge the assistance I have received in preparing
-the account of these Old Kuki tribes from Babu Nithor Nath Banerji,
-head clerk of the Manipur State Hill Office. My information regarding
-the Anal, Kom, Purum, and Lamgang was chiefly from his notes, and in
-a lesser degree I am indebted to him for details regarding the Kolhen
-and Chiru.
-
-
-
-Old Kuki Clans--Khawtlang and Khawchhak
-
-The Old Kukis who appeared in Cachar about 1780 are described
-by Lieutenant Stewart as being divided into three clans called
-Rhangkol, Khelma, and Beteh. The first and last are known in the
-Lushai Hills as Hrangchal and Biate respectively, but the Khelma,
-whom Dr. Grierson identifies as the Hallam, seem to have emigrated
-entirely. The Hrangchal and Biate are two of many clans collectively
-known to the Lushais as Hmar--i.e., North--from the position of their
-villages with reference to those of the Lushais, and among themselves
-as Khawtlang and Khawchhak--i.e., Western and Eastern Villages I have
-found representatives of 16 clans in the Lushai Hills and adjoining
-portions of Manipur. The most important are Loitlang, subdivided
-into six families; Hrangchal, with four families; Thiak, with five
-families; and Biate, with the same number. The old village sites of
-many of these clans are still called by their names. The Hrangchal
-are said to have had a large village at Vanlaiphai, in the centre
-of which valley is a large memorial stone with many carvings on it,
-which is said to have been erected in memory of Chonluma, a famous
-Hrangchal chief of bygone days. The Biate assert that when they lived
-on the hill of that name they were attacked by huge eagles, and had
-to build stone shelters in which to hide their small children. These
-erections are still to be seen, and consist of three rough slabs of
-stone with a fourth as a roof, the whole structure being only about 2
-to 3 feet high. It was the Biate, also, who fed Rulpui, as has been
-described in Part I., Chapter V, 3. The Lungthau, a minor family,
-attribute their downfall to an attack by Chuckmahs, which led to
-their seeking refuge with the Sailo chief Lalsavunga, and forming a
-village at Kelsi, near Aijal, where they were under his protection.
-
-When the aggressions of the Thangur chiefs disturbed the Khawtlang
-and Khawchhak one section fled through the country of the Thados into
-Cachar, another took refuge among the Chhinchhuan, a Thado family in
-the southern portion of the Manipur Hills, to whom they paid tribute,
-and a certain number joined the Thangur villages. Between those who
-fled to the Chhinchhuan and the Lushais hostilities were carried on
-until our arrival in 1890, and, as in the case of the Vuite, we found
-many of them living in a state of semi-slavery in the Sailo villages,
-whence they have mostly rejoined their relatives, and there are now 296
-households of these people in the south-west of the Manipur Hills and
-more in the adjoining parts of the Lushai Hills. Lieutenant Stewart,
-in his description of the "Old Kukis," states that ordinarily the
-dead are cremated, warriors only being buried. I have never heard of
-any clan in these hills which cremates its dead. The custom may well
-have died out owing to the natural wish of the relatives to do honour
-to the deceased by according him the honours of a warrior. Lieutenant
-Stewart describes a regular marriage ceremony conducted by the headman
-of the village, at the foot of a large stone erected in the middle
-of the village. As far as my enquiries go, the marriage ceremonies
-differ very little from those of the Lushais.
-
-The dress of the men is the same as among the Lushais, but the
-women wear a petticoat with a broad white line between two narrower
-blue ones, and dress their hair in a long plait wound round the
-head. Zawlbuks are not maintained, but in other respects their
-villages resemble those of the Lushais. The village organisation is
-more democratic, the chief being replaced by a headman. The honours
-of "Thangchhuah" and admission to Pial-ral are obtained by three
-times celebrating the Buh-ai festival. There is no restriction as to
-having windows.
-
-When a young man wishes to marry he sends messengers bearing a blue and
-a white cloth, a hoe, and a pot of liquor to the girl's parents. This
-is called "In hawn." If the articles are accepted the marriage takes
-place as soon as the necessary amount of zu can be prepared. The
-bride's parents kill a pig and the two families feast together. The
-girl is conveyed to her husband's house by the men who arranged the
-marriage, the party being pelted with dirt as among the Lushais.
-
-In case of adultery, it is the seducer, not the woman's relatives,
-who have to compensate the injured husband. This is the common rule
-among non-Lushei clans.
-
-A boy is named seven days and a girl five days after birth, a red
-cock being killed and zu drunk. The maternal uncle gives the name.
-
-In common with many Old Kuki clans, the dead are buried in a special
-cemetery outside the village. The corpse of a "Thangchhuah," dressed
-in fine cloths and the head adorned with a chaplet of the tail feathers
-of the hornbill, is carried round the village on a bier by all the old
-people of both sexes, encircled by a ring of dancers singing a dirge
-to the accompaniment of drums, and followed by the widow dressed in
-the scantiest rags and raising loud lamentations. A halt is called
-opposite the house of every person of importance, and the inmate
-is expected to regale the party with zu. The circuit of the village
-completed, the corpse is carried to the grave and buried with rice
-and other eatables and a flagon of zu. A rough representation of a
-house is built over the grave and food and drink are placed in it for
-a year. The grave is fenced round and the heads of any animals which
-have been killed in the deceased's honour are placed on posts. At
-the close of a year a cane is stretched between poles over the grave,
-and from it are suspended pieces of cloth, small baskets containing
-tobacco and linseed, and the bodies of small animals and birds. This
-is the final ceremony, and the spirit is supposed to have no further
-concern with this world.
-
-The Biate in the Lushai Hills worship the images in the Bhuban caves,
-but I am told that those in the North Cachar Hills differ in this
-respect. The three images are called Bolawng Raia, Chhinga Raia,
-and Maituki Raia, Raia being a corruption of Rajah. A fowl, a pig,
-two eggs, and two kinds of jungle vegetable called "chinghrut" and
-"hruitung" are offered to these deities outside the village once a
-year. The following tale is told to account for this worship of images,
-which is so opposed to general custom:--Long ago Zatea stole a mithan
-belonging to two Biate chiefs, Chonlut and Manlal, and on their trying
-to recover their property they were severely wounded. On their way
-home they noticed that the leaves of the "bung" tree, a species of
-Ficus, attached themselves to their clothes, and at night they dreamt
-that the leaves spoke, saying, "Do not throw us away; we are sent by
-the gods of the Bhuban caves to heal you." They applied the leaves to
-their wounds and were soon healed, and then set off in search of these
-new gods. [12] It is probable that in the course of their wanderings
-the Biate at one time lived near the Bhuban, and in that case their
-adopting the figures as local deities is quite in keeping with what
-has happened in other clans. Thus the Chiru worship the god of Kobru,
-though their settlement near that hill is of recent date. The Zote,
-a clan very closely allied to the Biate, after sacrificing a mithan,
-place bung leaves in a basket at the foot of the memorial post and
-throw them away with the "sherh" after three days. This clan pays
-special honour to Chhura, and after a mithan sacrifice a knotched pole
-called Chhura's ladder is placed against the gable of the house, and
-the skull, tail, and entrails are placed over it for three days. The
-jawbones are hung on a branch specially left for this purpose when
-the memorial post is being trimmed; a rough fence is made round the
-posts, on which matting representations of pythons and a bow with an
-arrow adjusted are hung. The latter is said to drive off the Huai,
-and reminds one of the similar custom of the Manipuris on the occasion
-of erecting the first post of a house.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV
-
-THE THADO CLAN
-
-
-The term New Kukis, which appears so often in the records of Cachar
-and Sylhet in the middle of the last century, and which has been
-adopted by Dr. Grierson in the "Linguistic Survey of India," may be
-taken as synonymous with the Thado clan. The clan is a very large
-one; Dr. Grierson in the "Linguistic Survey" estimates the numbers
-as follows:--
-
-
- In Manipur 20,000.
- In Naga Hills 5,500.
- In Cachar Plains 5,403.
- In Sylhet 534.
- -------
- Total 31,437.
-
-
-This estimate omits the members of the clan in North Cachar Hills and
-in the unadministered tracts between the Naga Hills and Manipur on the
-west and the Upper Chindwin district of Burma on the east. Allowing
-for these, we may safely conclude that the clan now numbers about
-37,000 souls.
-
-The clan is divided in a manner exactly similar to the Lushei. There
-are four main families, all named after their progenitors, and these
-are further sub-divided into many eponymous branches. The whole clan
-traces its genealogy back to Thado and his elder brother Dongel,
-and beyond them to mythical heroes who lived below the surface of the
-ground. The late Colonel McCulloch, in his most interesting "Account
-of the Valley of Manipur," says, "About the names of those previous to
-Thado there may be some doubt, but from this great chief, from whom
-the whole race takes the appellation of Thado, I don't think that
-there is any." After many enquiries I am quite of the same opinion
-and have found pedigrees collected from various sources differ but
-slightly from that recorded by Colonel McCulloch fifty years ago. The
-original habitation of this clan is said to have been Kochuk, situated
-very far to the south of Manipur. Here I must differ from Colonel
-McCulloch, who says the traditional home of the Thados was in the
-north. There are other reasons besides tradition for believing that
-the Thados have come from the south, the many resemblances between
-them and other clans, which either still live in the centre of the
-Hills or did so till quite recently, and the connection between
-their language and those of the Sokte, Siyin, Vuite, and Ralte,
-so clearly established by Dr. Grierson, amply proves the southern
-origin of this clan. It appears almost certain that the Kamhaus,
-Soktes, and Siyins were the first to disturb the Thados, many of
-whom entered Manipur territory to escape from these active foes,
-while others probably moved westward and settled in the hills to the
-south of the Cachar district, whence in 1848-50 they were driven into
-Cachar by the triumphant Lushais, as described in Part I., Chapter I,
-para. 3. In the Manipuri chronicle there is mention of an expedition
-against the Khongjais, as the Manipuris call the Thados, as early
-as 1787, and though the chronicle cannot be accepted as infallible,
-I think we may conclude that the Thados entered the Manipur Hills
-about the middle of the 18th century. The different families seem very
-soon to have separated and, just as among the Lusheis, to have fought
-among themselves, for tradition speaks of a great battle between the
-Shit-hloh and the Chhinchhuan, on the Sawnchal hill, some 60 miles
-in an air-line south-east of Imphal, the capital of Manipur.
-
-The four main families are the Dongel, Shit-hloh, Haukip, and
-Kipgen. The Dongel are descended from Thado's elder brother, and
-therefore are considered as rather superior to the rest of the
-families. The reason why the clan has not been known by the name
-of Dongel is said to be that Thado was a far greater warrior and
-killed more men. His name is derived, by the people themselves, from
-"that," "to kill," and "doh," "to war." It is curious that the direct
-descendants of Thado are known as Shit-hloh. This Shit-hloh was the
-seventh in the direct line from Thado, and it is said that up till
-his time the followers of the direct line had been fewer than those
-of the Kipgen and Haukip, but Shit-hloh was great in council and
-war, and retrieved the fortunes of his family, and hence his name
-has been adopted by them. Thus Thado remains as the true clan name,
-while Shit-hloh, Kipgen, and Haukip are the names of the families,
-which are further subdivided, as among the Lushais, into many branches,
-mostly named eponymously. The Kipgen and Haukip have always differed
-slightly from the Shit-hloh. The reason given for this is that Thalun,
-the son of Thado, was one day sitting outside his house with his wife,
-and, being alone together, the lady was somewhat careless as to her
-garments. Hearing some people approaching, Thalun told her to adjust
-her dress, and as she did not at once comply he threw a piece of wood
-at her and killed her on the spot. Being overcome with grief and shame,
-he fled to another part of the country and married again, the second
-wife being the mother of Kipgen and Haukip, whereas Elmun, from whom
-the Shit-hloh claim descent, was the son of the ill-fated first wife.
-
-The number of branches into which these three families have
-divided is very great, and the connection of all of them with the
-parent stem is not very well established. Most of them are now of
-but little importance, the members being much scattered, but the
-Chhinchhuan, a branch of the Shit-hloh, and Chongput and Hawlthang,
-both branches of the Haukip family, still are of some importance. The
-Chhinchhuan chiefs rule over eleven villages, containing 952 houses,
-in the southern portion of the Manipur Hills, where they have been
-established certainly over 150 years. The Chongput and Hawlthang
-chiefs occupy sites in the hills to the west of the Manipur valley,
-which were assigned to them by Colonel McCulloch about 1850, and rule
-over some 190 houses.
-
-With the exception of the three branches just mentioned, the Thados
-have broken up very much, and are found in small hamlets scattered
-about the territory of totally different clans, without any reference
-to locality or ethnographical considerations.
-
-All members of these families, however, admit the claims of the head
-chief to their allegiance, and in token thereof give him, or his
-nearest representative, a hind leg of every wild animal killed.
-
-The Thados generally are very truculent; in Manipur they have settled
-themselves among the more peaceable Nagas, and until the British
-Government assumed control of the State they lived largely on the
-labour of these unfortunate people, whom they had virtually reduced to
-slaves. The Manipuris found it easier to acquiesce in this oppression
-by the Thados than to coerce them, and the Thados were used on many
-occasions to punish Naga tribes whom the Manipuris were unable to
-reduce to submission. The superior cunning of the Manipuris enabled
-them to maintain their influence over the Thados by skilfully playing
-off one family against another. On one occasion three of the most
-powerful chiefs were enticed inside the royal enclosure in Imphal and
-treacherously murdered. At present large numbers of Thados are moving
-eastward in unadministered country, carrying on the same bullying
-tactics, reducing the inhabitants, who as yet have no firearms,
-to the condition of slaves.
-
-Among the Thados are found the remnants of many other clans, which
-have been practically absorbed, having adopted Thado customs and
-language. It is asserted that at the time of the Thimzing (v. Part I.,
-Chap. V, para. 1) Lianthang and his brother Thlangom, and Lunkim and
-his brother Changsan, had such large supplies of skulls of animals
-killed by them that they were enabled to live through that trying
-time by using the trophies of their skill in the chase as fuel,
-and from them the present Lianthang, Thlangom, Lunkim, and Changsan
-clans claim descent. The Changsan are sub-divided into eight families
-and are considered a clan of some standing, as is shown by the fact
-that the Shit-hloh will only take wives from Shit-hloh, Changsan,
-and Mangyel households.
-
-The following clans are said not to be descended from Thado, but
-to have emerged from the earth after the Thimzing:--Kulho, Shongte,
-Kullon, Thangneo, Hanngeng, Henngar, and Thanchhing. They are now to
-all intents and purposes Thados, most of them having even adopted the
-Sakhua, or domestic sacrificial rites, of whichever family of the Thado
-clan they have attached themselves to. Shongte and his younger brother
-Kullon emerged from the Khulpi, which is the Thado equivalent of the
-Lushai Chhinglung. Kulho, Thangneo, and Hanngeng were sons of Shongte,
-the two latter being by a different mother to the first. Henngar was
-Kulho's son. Kulho celebrated the Chong festival, and invited his
-half-brothers, but Thangneo refused to come, so Kulho disowned him,
-which angered Thangneo, so that he proposed to Hanngeng that they
-should kill Kulho, but Hanngeng refused, saying that the removal of
-Kulho would make Thangneo head of the family, but would in no way
-benefit him. This ancient quarrel is sometimes revived even now,
-and blows are exchanged when representatives of Kulho and Thangneo
-meet round the zu-pot.
-
-The houses of the Thados generally resemble those of the Lushais, but
-are less regular in their interior arrangements, a big house sometimes
-having two or three hearths irregularly placed. Zawlbuks are not built,
-the young men sleeping in the houses of well-to-do people. The houses
-of the chiefs are surrounded by palisading enclosing a courtyard,
-along one side of which there is often a platform, which reminds one
-very much of the Chin houses, and is one of the many trifles tending
-to confirm the tradition of the southern origin of the clan. The
-following extracts from Lieut. Stewart's notes on Northern Cachar,
-written in 1855, show us the Thados as he knew them:--
-
-"Each of the four clans is divided into separate and independent
-Rajahlics, of greater or less power and numbers, consisting of one or
-more villages, each of which is presided over by a hereditary chief
-or Rajah, whose power is supreme, and who has a civil list as long,
-in proportion to the means of his subjects, as that possessed by any
-other despot in the world. All these Rajahs are supposed to have sprung
-from the same stock, which it is believed originally had connection
-with the gods themselves. Their persons are, therefore, looked upon
-with the greatest respect and almost superstitious veneration, and
-their commands are in every case law.
-
-"The revenue exacted by these chieftains is paid in kind and
-labour. In the former each able-bodied man pays annually a basket of
-rice containing about two maunds; out of each brood of pigs or fowls
-reared in the village, one of the young becomes the property of the
-Rajah, and he is further entitled to one quarter of every animal killed
-in the chase, and, in addition, to one of the tusks of each elephant
-so slain. In labour his entire population are bound to devote four
-days in each year, in a body, for the purpose of cultivating his
-private fields. On the first day they cut down the jungle, on the
-second day, the fuel being dry, they fire it and prepare the ground,
-on the third they sow and harrow, and on the fourth cut and bring
-in the harvest. Besides the labour of these four days in which the
-entire effective population, men, women, and children, work for him,
-small parties are told off during the whole season to assist his own
-domestic slaves in tending the crop, repairing his house (which edifice
-is always built afresh by the subjects when a new site is repaired
-to), and in supplying wood and water for the family. On the occasion
-of the days of general labour, a great feast is given by the Rajah to
-all his people; so also, on the occasion of an elephant being killed,
-to the successful hunters, but this is the only remuneration ever
-received by them, and calls can be made on them for further supplies
-and labour, whenever it may be required.
-
-"The Rajah is the sole and supreme authority in the village or
-villages under him, no one else being competent to give orders or
-inflict punishment except through him.
-
-"To assist him in carrying on the affairs of government the Rajah
-has a minister, and more frequently several, called 'thushois'
-or 'muntries,' who have the privilege of being exempt from labour
-and taxation at his hands. This office is not, strictly speaking,
-hereditary--although in most cases, except when thoroughly incompetent,
-the son succeeds the father--but is given to those qualified for it,
-as being men of property and influence as well as of ability, and
-good spokesmen. The Rajah himself is, on the contrary, invariably
-succeeded by his eldest son, for whom, should he be a minor, the
-kingdom is managed by a council of muntries. In default of sons, the
-Rajah's brother succeeds, and failing him the nearest male relative
-takes the guddee, the Salique law being in full force.
-
-"Should the Rajah die without any heir to the throne, the chief muntry,
-if he be an influential man, takes his place, or some neighbouring
-Rajah of the same clan is called upon to take the government or usurps
-it. Each of the clans have one great Rajah, supposed to be the main
-branch of the original stock, to whom, although those immediately
-beyond his own villages owe him no allegiance, great respect is shown
-by all, and acknowledgment of the superior title given, although in
-power and wealth he may be much poorer than others of the tribe.
-
-"No regular courts are held among the Kookis, but complaints are always
-heard before the Rajah, assisted by his muntries, whenever they may
-be made. Heinous crimes are very infrequent among these people. Theft
-is almost unknown, and they chiefly offend in slight quarrels and
-disputes among themselves, which are settled by their Rajah, a fine
-being exacted from the guilty party, according to his means and the
-extent of his guilt, either in wine, fowls, pigs, goats, cows, or
-methins. When cases of theft, burglary, or arson occur, the criminal
-loses his independence and becomes a bondman to the Rajah for the term
-of his life. Cases of murder and manslaughter are of course taken
-up by our authorities and punished by our laws. But the punishment
-awarded for murder among the Kookis was confiscation of all goods and
-property and perpetual bondage for the murderer, his wife, and family,
-who thenceforth became slaves of the Rajah and did his work. The
-only crime punishable by death among the Kookis was high treason,
-or an attempt at violence on the person of the king, and treacherous
-commerce with an enemy of the clan: the victim in these cases was
-cut to pieces with dhaos, but of course no such extreme measures
-can be resorted to by them in the present day. In cases of adultery
-and seduction the punishment is left in the hands of the aggrieved
-husband or father. In the former case, death might be inflicted on
-the adulterer by any means with impunity, but more generally it was,
-and now invariably is, the custom to compound with him for a large
-sum of money, something over and above the original price of the
-wife. The adulteress then becomes the property of her lover.
-
-"In cases of seduction every effort is made, and in most cases
-successfully, to have the guilty couple married forthwith, a penal
-price being put upon the bride. All the women in the village, married
-or single, are perfectly at the pleasure of the Rajah, and no voice
-would be lifted against him for cohabiting with any of them, the only
-prevention being a sense of immorality and an understanding among
-the royal families of the whole tribe generally that such conduct
-is infra dig.; indeed, there is little temptation, for the Rajah
-may have as many wives as he likes or can keep, both polygamy and
-concubinage being in common practice, female slaves living generally
-in the latter condition with respect to their masters."--Stewart's
-"Notes on Northern Cachar," pp. 45-48.
-
-This description is still fairly accurate, but the gradual breaking up
-of villages, coupled with the increased control by Government and State
-officers, has lessened the power of the chiefs and modified custom to
-a considerable extent. Lieutenant Stewart gives the following account
-of how the people hunted before guns were common among them:--
-
-"The Kookis are great hunters, and are passionately fond of the sport,
-looking upon it, next to war, as the noblest exercise for man. They
-kill tigers, deer, and smaller game by means of poisoned arrows. The
-bow is a small one made of bamboo, and very slightly bent, the string
-being manufactured of bark. The arrow, the head of which has a barbed
-iron point, is about 18 inches long, being drawn to the chest and not
-the ear, and therefore delivered with no great force, the destructive
-effect lying chiefly in the poison. With such an instrument the
-great art in hunting lies in stealthily approaching the animal near
-enough to deliver the arrow with effect, and in following it up after
-being wounded to the spot where it is found lying dead. In this the
-Kookis excel, being able to prowl about the jungle as noiselessly as
-tiger-cats, and being equal to North American Indians in distinguishing
-tracks. Tigers are also killed by spring bows with poisoned arrows
-set in the jungles and by poisoned panjies planted in their paths.
-
-"Elephants are slain in great numbers by the Kookis wherever
-they are to be had, not only the tusks but the flesh being highly
-prized. Parties of 20 and upwards go out in pursuit of them at a
-time. When some recent elephant track is discovered in the forest,
-two or three of the party ascend some convenient tree, whose branches
-overhang the track, the remainder follow it up, and having got on
-the other side of the herd scare it towards the ambush by shouting,
-beating gongs, and discharging firearms. Here, while passing, the
-animals are assailed from above with long spears having huge iron
-barbs covered with deadly poison; every wound inflicted results in
-the death of the animal at not more than half a mile from the spot
-on which he was hit. So wary are the elephants, however, that it is
-seldom that more than two out of a herd are killed. At the place
-where their game is found dead, they commence cutting him up, and
-extract his tusks; laden with these and as much of the flesh as they
-can carry, they return home, and other parties go out and encamp in
-the neighbourhood of the carcase until they have entirely consumed
-it, or are driven away by the effluvia of decomposition. Portions
-of the flesh that they cannot immediately eat are dried and smoked
-to be kept for future consumption. The Kookis also hunt the methin
-or wild cow, which they have likewise succeeded in domesticating,
-having introduced the breed to Northern Cachar.
-
-"The deadly poison used by the Kookis is, they say, extracted from a
-tree which does not grow in these parts, but the article is brought
-to them for sale by tribes inhabiting the borders of Manipur. The
-substance is of a dark blue or black colour and of about the
-consistency of common resin. To make it serviceable it is ground down
-with capsicum seeds and tobacco juice, so as to form a pulp, with which
-the weapons are smeared, cotton soaked in the mixture being also tied
-to the iron under the barb. I had once the cruelty to try the effect
-of this poison on two domestic fowls. To one I administered internally
-a dose equal to about two common-sized pills, and I punctured one of
-the legs of the other, so as merely to draw blood, with the pointed
-bamboo about the size of a toothpick which had been dipped into the
-mixture. The latter died in twenty minutes without much apparent pain,
-and in the former no effects whatever could be perceived, and it may be
-crowing to the present day. Another poison, called 'deo-bi,' is used
-by the Kookis to kill fish, and has an intoxicating effect upon them
-forcing them to the surface, when it is thrown into the water. The
-Kookis also spear fish, but have not much idea of catching them by
-the hook or net."--Stewart's "Notes on Northern Cachar," pp. 62, 63.
-
-When the track of a tiger is found the "thempu" lifts the earth on
-which the footprint is and lays it on a leaf of the "ai" plant. He
-pours some zu on it and then, muttering charms, he wraps it up in the
-leaf and drops it into a pot, which he places to his ear and professes
-to be able to hear whether the pursuit of the animal will be crowned
-with success. The customs as regards "boi" approximate to those of the
-Lushais, and where they differ it is always to the disadvantage of
-the boi; thus a criminal seeking refuge in the chief's house has to
-pay a mithan before he can be accepted. On a chief's death each boi
-has to kill a pig at his funeral. Slavery by purchase is recognised
-and is not restricted to the chiefs--another point of resemblance
-between the Thados and the Chins.
-
-The village organisation is much the same as among the Lushais, but
-the minor chiefs, while collecting all dues from the people of their
-villages, pay certain dues to the head of their family. The crier is
-known as "tlangsam," but he receives no remuneration. The "thirdeng,"
-or blacksmith, is known as "thirshu," and receives a day's labour
-from every householder in the village as his pay.
-
-The thempu only receives zu, and this only from those he cures--a
-system tending to increase the skill of the practitioners.
-
-As regards marriage the rules are not very clearly defined, but
-young men of the families which sacrifice a sow to their Sakhua
-will not generally take girls from the families which sacrifice a
-mithan. Strange to say, the sow-sacrificers have no objection to
-providing brides for the mithan-slayers, the cause probably being
-that in certain cases the wife's Sakhua has to be propitiated and
-the cautious sons of sow-killing families object to the extra expense
-involved by marrying a wife whose Sakhua demands a mithan. Lieutenant
-Stewart states that strict rules existed prohibiting the intermarriage
-of cousins, however remote, but my enquiries tend to show that at
-present the prohibition only extends to paternal cousins to the
-third generation.
-
-Marriage is by purchase, the sums to be paid being:--
-
-"Manpi" (Lushai "manpui")--three to 30 mithan, according to the family
-of the bride, to the father of the girl or his representative.
-
-"Golha" (Lushai "palal")--Rs. 4/- or 5/-.
-
-The bride's elder sister, one cloth of dark blue.
-
-The father's younger brother, one mithan, called "mankang," but if
-he is living in the same house as the father then the nearest male
-relative who is living separately receives this.
-
-Although a man has paid the full price for his wife, yet he has, on her
-death and the death of each of her sons, to pay a further sum called
-"longman" to her nearest male relative. Supposing Pathong marries
-Thonghlu's daughter and has by her two sons, one of whom dies, it is
-Thonghlu's duty to kill a pig in honour of the deceased and to take
-the skull and all the flesh except that of the head and the entrails
-to Pathong. The skull is placed over the grave and the flesh eaten
-by the family. Pathong now has to pay Thonghlu the price of the pig
-and Rs. 9/-, but if he prefers he may, instead of these two sums,
-give one mithan, however small, Rs. 1/-, and a hoe. It is often
-found cheaper to give the mithan. Suppose Thonghlu is now gathered
-to his fathers, leaving a son, Kanpu, and Pathong's wife also dies,
-then Kanpu must kill the pig and will receive the mithan. Pathong
-departs this life and his son marries and begets a son, Komyang, and
-Kanpu also dies leaving a son, Nelet. Now on the death of Pathong's
-remaining son, Nelet must kill the pig and will receive the mithan from
-the dead man's son, Komyang, and as this extinguishes the liability
-on account of Thonghlu's daughter, Komyang, in token thereof, will
-also give to Nelet one spear and one tinder-box. These payments,
-unfortunately, are seldom made on the spot, and claims on account
-of great-aunts or even more distant female relatives are frequently
-brought up for decision. In case of women who die in childbed or in
-any unnatural manner her "longman," as this payment is called, has
-not to be paid. "Longman" reminds one of the Lushai "lukawng," and
-very similar customs are found among the Old Kuki and some Naga clans.
-
-In common with nearly all non-Lushei clans, a Thado co-respondent,
-and not his victim's relatives, has to pay the injured husband all
-the expenses he had incurred in the marriage and also a fine of one
-mithan. The same rule applies to the seducer of a widow living in
-her late husband's house. On a man's death his eldest brother can
-insist on marrying the widow and taking all the children. "Sawnman"
-is enforced as among the Lushais, but should the father refuse to take
-the child when it is old enough to leave its mother, he is called on to
-pay a second mithan, and he forfeits the right to receive the marriage
-price in case of a girl. The eldest son inherits and, failing a son,
-the nearest male relative. Adoption is practised as among the Lushais,
-the ceremony being known as "Phunkai" (Lushai "Sa-phun").
-
-In case of accidental homicide the offender has to kill a pig at his
-victim's funeral and provide a blue cloth to wrap the body in. Should
-the death have been caused by a gunshot wound the gun is forfeited
-to the heir of the deceased. The Thados claim that rape and sodomy
-are unknown among them.
-
-There is no doubt that head-hunting was indulged in in olden days,
-and on the death of a powerful chief at least one freshly taken head
-had to adorn his grave.
-
-Lieutenant Stewart, in the book already quoted from, gives a good deal
-of information about the religious beliefs of the Thados. He says
-they recognise one all-powerful god, whom they call Pathen (Lushai
-Pathian), who has a wife, Nongjai. I have enquired about Pathen's wife,
-but though all my informants say that it is usual to speak of Pathen
-Nongjai together, none could say whether Nongjai was Pathen's wife--an
-equally powerful being, sharing power with Pathen--or simply another
-name for Pathen. Stewart also provides Pathen with a son, Thihla,
-but my informants all agree that the Thihla are demons of the hills,
-rivers, and forests--in other words exactly the same as the Huais of
-the Lushais. Ghumoishe, mentioned by Stewart, is the king of all these
-Thihla, and he has a wife, Imungshe. They are supposed to inhabit
-the densest forests on the highest mountain tops, and when passing
-through such their dread names are never mentioned. About this demon
-Stewart says: "By some he is said to be the illegitimate son of Pathen,
-but others deny the relationship, and say that he has no connection
-with the god whatever. The idea of making the origin of evil proceed
-thus from an illegitimate source is exceedingly clever." None of my
-informants would venture a guess even at Ghumoishe's parentage. Kuchom,
-whom Stewart gives as Ghumoishe's wife, is nowadays, as far as I can
-find out, unknown, as also is Hilo, said by Stewart to be the daughter
-of the last-named couple and to be the goddess of poisons. The Thihla
-are divided into Thingbulnga, the Thihla of the big trees; Shongbulnga,
-of the rocks and stones; Tuikhumnga, the demons of the water, of whom
-Tuikhumlen is the king. These water spirits are said to be far more
-powerful than those of the woods or rocks, and therefore are often
-spoken of as Tui-pathen. They also receive a fourfold sacrifice, of a
-white fowl or an egg, a pig, a dog, which must not be entirely black,
-and a he-goat, whereas cocks or hens are considered quite good enough
-for the Thingbulgna or Shongbulgna.
-
-Zomi is a female spectre, a sight of which is a sure forerunner of
-some dire misfortune, which can only be averted by the immediate
-sacrifice of a dog. Pheizam correspond to the Lashi. Nuaijingmang is
-an evil spirit which lives underground.
-
-After death the spirits of men and women, great and small, all go
-to Mi-thi-khua. The only advantage which the spirits of those who
-have slain men and beasts and given feasts obtain is that Kulsamnu
-does not dare to detain them, whereas she, sitting by the roadside,
-seizes all other poor wandering souls, and troubles them sorely unless
-their relatives who have gone on before come to their rescue.
-
-I have been unable to find any traces of ancestor worship, nor is it
-mentioned either by Stewart or McCulloch. This is extremely curious,
-as the Thados attach the highest possible importance to a long pedigree
-and, as has been seen, nearly every other clan practise some rites
-to appease the dead.
-
-Religious Rites and Sacrifices.--The Daibawl sacrifices are made
-as among the Lushais, but not the Khal. The Dongel and Shit-hloh
-families sacrifice a sow to Sakhua, but the Haukip and Kipgen kill
-a mithan. This difference is said to date back to the time when the
-Haukip lived on the banks of the Run or Manipur river, near to Tiddim,
-and sacrificed a mithan to Rulpui, or the great snake. The Chhinchhuan
-are said to have recently adopted the Vaiphei method of propitiating
-Sakhua, and in consequence the Shit-hloh have ceased intermarrying
-with them.
-
-Besides the sacrifice to Sakhua the Thado have a special sacrifice
-known as "Pathen biak na" ("speaking to Pathen"). This consists of
-killing a small pig in the closet at the end of the house and a white
-cock in front of the house. The crop, entrails, and bones are "sherh"
-and are placed on an oaken post in front of the house, and a thirty
-days' "hrilh" is observed.
-
-The Ai ceremonies are much the same as among the Lushais, but in that
-of the tiger the carrying of the porcupine is unknown. Directly a
-tiger is shot a bamboo skewer is hammered into its ear hole, to make
-sure that it is dead, and when the body is brought up to the village
-an egg is placed in the mouth by some female relative of the lucky
-hunter, who addresses the dead animal thus: "Oh! Ho! You stole that,
-did you? And so a peg has been driven into your ear." She then jumps
-across the body from side to side and from head to tail. After this the
-skin may be removed. In connection with cultivation, a ceremony called
-"Daibun" is performed after the burning of the jhums. Seven bamboos
-adorned with cotton wool are placed round the jhum as an offering to
-the "Thihla" of the locality, who are further propitiated later on
-by an offering of an egg and some leaves placed on a bamboo in the
-middle of the jhum. This is called "Daikam." Wanolnaunu died because
-she was so lazy that it was too much trouble to live, so if any of
-her signs are found in a new jhum, a sacrifice has to be performed
-to avoid a failure of the crops. A tree which has two trunks which
-unite some feet above the ground is said to represent her fingers,
-and a red fowl must be sacrificed and the tree dug up by the roots. A
-spring is said to be her tears, and a goat must be sacrificed. If
-a wallow is found a pig must be offered. If a woman is not blessed
-with offspring within the usual time of the marriage there are three
-methods of procedure:--The woman may go to her father's house, and
-he will kill a cock and they will drink zu together, after which he
-ties a string round her neck. If this is not successful she may go
-to her husband's eldest brother or cousin, and he will repeat the
-performance. If there is still no result the thempu is called in and
-kills a black hen inside the house, and its flesh, mixed with stones
-and other ingredients, is compounded by him into a medicine which
-the poor woman desirous of offspring has to eat. On the occasion of
-the birth of a child the mother may not leave her house for five days
-in case of a son and three in case of a daughter. When these periods
-have expired she goes to her father's house and takes a fowl or a pig,
-according to her means. This is called "Nau-bil-vu." The mother also
-gives her father or sometimes her mother a cloth on the occasion of
-the birth of a child, and the recipient kills a pig in honour of the
-occasion. In case of a child getting sick the thempu sacrifices a fowl,
-called "Ar-kang-tha."
-
-The marriage ceremonies of the Thados are described by both McCulloch
-and Stewart, and do not seem to have changed at all during the 55
-years that have elapsed since their accounts were written. Neither
-account, however, is quite complete. The bridegroom, accompanied by
-his friends, taking with them at any rate a portion of the sum to
-be paid for the bride, go to the village where the girl lives, and
-for three days the young men of the village wrestle with them. On
-arrival they are met with showers of filth from the children of the
-village. The girl's parents have to give a pig or a mithan and much
-zu to celebrate the occasion. At the conclusion of the feast the bride
-sets out for her future home dressed in her best and wearing a gong on
-her head. The actual marriage ceremony takes place in the house of the
-father of the bridegroom and consists of the thempu killing a fowl,
-feathers from the right wing being placed in the hair of the young
-couple. They then drink out of the same cup of zu, and the thempu,
-muttering charms, binds a cotton thread round their necks, which must
-be worn till it falls off from old age.
-
-The thempu then presents each with a comb. Only very near relatives
-may use the same comb. Stewart says husband and wife may share a comb,
-but my information is that uterine brothers and sisters may do so. A
-Lushai correspondent writes that among them the use of another man's
-comb may cause a headache, and that a person of a higher clan would
-be contaminated if he used the comb of a member of a lower one. To
-see whether the union will prove harmonious the thempu takes a hair
-from the head of each and moistens them in zu and then twists them
-together. If the hairs remain twisted all will go smoothly, but should
-they fly apart many bickerings and disputes are to be expected. The
-parents of the bridegroom give a feast to all concerned, and this
-completes the ceremony, but the young couple do not at once commence
-sleeping together. If they have not been previously acquainted they
-often sleep apart for a month, and for lesser periods according to
-the degree of their acquaintance.
-
-Eligible brides are even now carried off and married against the wishes
-of their parents, by ardent lovers belonging to powerful families.
-
-Immediately a death occurs guns are fired and a special funeral
-chant called "La pi" (Lushai "Hla") is sung three times. The funeral
-ceremonies of ordinary people are practically the same as among the
-Lushais, but in the case of those who have performed the "Chong"
-the ceremonies last seven days, and each day the corpse is carried
-in and out of the house seven times with much shouting, and a mithan
-has to be killed on each day. Every relative and slave has to attend
-and bring some animal to be killed. The skulls of all these adorn
-the great man's grave, and, in former days, at least one fresh human
-skull taken specially for the occasion from some other clan had to be
-added to the other trophies over a chief's grave. Sometimes the body
-of a great chief may be placed in a small house at a short distance
-from the village and partially dried over a slow fire; and a curious
-survival of the times of war is found in the practice, now dying out,
-of severing the head and burying it in an earthen pot in a separate
-place. This was done to prevent the heads being found and removed
-as trophies, should the village be raided. The entrails of the first
-animal killed in honour of the deceased are placed on leaves at the
-foot of the post against which the corpse rested during the funeral
-feast, and are left there for several days, even up to one month,
-and at every meal a handful of rice is taken out of the pot and placed
-on the leaves, before anyone is allowed to eat. This portion for the
-dead is called "thi an chhe." As among the Rangte, efforts are made
-to obtain some wild animal or bird, and if the hunters are successful
-the entrails of the animal, or the whole animal if it be not edible,
-are buried with the "thi an chhe" in the grave, without waiting for
-the expiry of the month.
-
-Unnatural deaths ("thichhia") are considered unlucky, and the custom
-regarding the disposal of the corpse in such cases is the same as among
-the Lushais. Memorial stones are not generally put up by the Thados,
-but are occasionally found among the Chhinchhuan, perhaps from their
-proximity to the Lushais.
-
-A man who has performed the Ai of a tiger is honoured with a special
-memorial. Two posts, one some four feet long and the other about three,
-carefully squared and with the four sides ornamented with transverse
-notches, are placed in the ground some five or six feet apart. The
-longer post terminates in a spike, on which are impaled several
-oval-shaped pieces of wood, which indicate the number of animals
-killed by the deceased. Between the posts and to one side a long pole
-is planted leaning over between the posts, and from this hangs half a
-dried gourd shell, convex side uppermost, from the rim of which hang
-tassels of rough wooden beads, and from the centre hangs a piece of
-wood 7 or 8 inches long, of which one end is forked and the other a
-knob. This represents "thotche," a sort of rat found in the jungle and
-said to be the master of the jungle. If this animal is burnt in the
-jungle the "Thihla" of the place will be angry and punish the persons
-responsible. Children eat the flesh of the thotche. The posts are
-called "thingel" and remind one of the memorial posts of the Chins,
-and the be-tasselled gourd is a sign among those people that the
-owner of the house before which it is displayed has killed a man.
-
-A woman who has performed the Buh Ai is also honoured with a special
-memorial, consisting of an upright stone some three feet high, in
-front of which are placed three others supporting a flat stone. A
-space of about four square yards in front is enclosed by a line of
-stones set on edge, the whole of the interior being planted with
-small stones, which are supposed to show the number of baskets of
-rice reaped on the occasion of the Ai. The feasts connected with
-the cultivation known by the Lushais as "Kut" are not practised,
-but when the rice is well up the whole community goes to the jhums,
-dancing and singing, and beating drums and gongs. In the jhums they
-work vigorously in perfect silence for a considerable time and then
-burst forth into song and dance, and eat their fill of rice washed down
-with zu. There is another feast connected with the crops called "Hun,"
-which takes place when the rice is about a foot high. Each household
-prepares two pots of zu, one for the husband and one for the wife,
-and a post called "shekhon" is planted before each house. This post
-has two horizontal arms projecting, one near the top and one near
-the ground, the upper one being the longer. These are perforated,
-and three reeds are passed through the holes. Each household kills
-a white cock at the foot of the shekhon. The flesh is cooked in the
-house and eaten by the householder alone. The "sherh" and bones are
-hung on the shekhon. The zu in the householder's pot may only be drunk
-by other householders, but that in the wife's pot is dispensed to
-all comers. For five days after this feast no one but members of the
-household may enter the house. Nothing out of the house may be given
-away, and the householder must do no work, nor may he attend a funeral.
-
-The series of feasts performed by the Lushais to attain the honours of
-"Thangchhuah" is not customary among the Thados, though some informants
-say that in olden days some such custom prevailed, and the "Chong"
-feast, at which seven mithan and two of every other sort of domestic
-animal had to be killed, is not performed now only because none can
-afford the expense. It will be remembered that "Chong" is the name
-of the first feast in the Thangchhuah series. Among the Haukip I am
-told that a position equivalent to Thangchhuah is attained by thrice
-celebrating the Ai of one of the following--tiger, bear, elephant,
-or hornbill.
-
-
-
-Thado Folk Tales.
-
-Benglama is the equivalent of the Lushai Chhura, and there are many
-tales about him which are common to both clans and in fact seem to
-be known to almost all representatives of the Kuki-Lushai race. The
-following is a translation of a portion of a tale written down in
-Lushai for me, but told by a Thado. Benglama had visited a village and
-got himself much disliked, and everyone was trying to catch him:--"Once
-they made a ladder and cut the lower side partly through and made
-a great quagmire underneath. Benglama climbed up it, it broke, and
-he fell down into the mud. Then a tiger came up. 'My friend, if you
-help me out you may eat me,' said Benglama. Then the tiger pulled him
-out. Then the tiger--'I will eat you up,' he said. Benglama--'I will
-just go and wash myself clean,' he said. 'Presently I will eat you
-up,' he said again. Benglama--'I will go and ease myself,' he said,
-'otherwise you will dislike my dung,' he said. Where he went to ease
-himself he cut a cane. The tiger--'Why do you do that?' he asked. Then
-Benglama--'It is going to blow and rain like anything, therefore
-I am going to tie myself to the stump of a tree,' he said. Then
-the tiger--'If that is so, tie me up first,' he said. He tied him
-up. Then he (Benglama) also put a mallet, that all who passed by might
-beat the tiger. Benglama went away. Then the wild-cat came along. The
-tiger--'My friend, you and I are just alike; we two are friends, we are
-brothers--undo me,' he said. He undid him. Then the wild-cat left him,
-going into a pangolin's hole. Then just as he was going in, the tiger
-caught him by the foot. 'What you have got hold of, that is not me, it
-is a tree root,' he said. The tiger let him go, but remained watching
-for him, but the wild-cat always slipped out at the other side, and
-was always eating fowls by Benglama's house. The tiger--'My friend,
-what is it you are eating?' he said. Then the wild-cat--'Oh, I am only
-just eating the bones of my hand,' he said. The tiger was always eating
-his paw, and it hurt very, very much indeed. Presently the wild-cat
-went to the tiger and said to him, 'If you were to take a torch and
-go near to Benglama's house you would be able to catch some fowls,'
-he said. So the tiger went up, but Benglama saw him, and heated some
-water. When it was very hot indeed, he poured it into a tui-um (bamboo
-tube for holding water) and threw it over the tiger. The tiger said,
-'My friend! My friend! I am dying, I am all burnt up,' he said. The
-wild-cat--'There is a waterfall some way down stream; if you roll
-down that you will be well,' he said. He rolled down and so he died."
-
-
-
-How Benglama Tried to Climb to the Top of the Big "Bung" Tree.
-
-"This Benglama--his wife was going to start for the jhum, and she
-spoke thus to him. To her husband his wife said, 'Benglam, when the
-sun shines through our doorway, cook the rice, do,' she said. 'When
-the sun shines on the top of the bung tree in front of our house, then
-clean the rice and tie up the goat,' she said, and she also left her
-child with him. His wife then left him to go to the jhum. Then he,
-according to his wife's orders, when the sun shone in the doorway
-prepared to cook the rice. As often as he put the pot on the fire
-it fell off again. Presently the sun shone on the top of the bung
-tree. 'Did my wife say cook the food on the top of the bung tree?' he
-said. Then saying, 'I will clean the rice,' he prepared to climb to
-the top of the bung tree with the rice, mortar, and pounder, with the
-goat and the basket of fowls; but he could not climb up, he kept on
-falling down again. Just then his child, being hungry, began to cry
-and cry. Then Benglama, saying, 'Is his fontanel hurting?' pricked
-it with his hairpin. Then the child died. Benglama, saying, 'Has it
-gone to sleep?' laid it down on the sleeping machan; he did not know
-that it was dead. Then his wife came back from the jhum, and Benglama
-just before had fallen from the bung tree and was nearly dead, and
-lay on the sleeping platform groaning terribly. His wife said, 'Are
-you ill?' and he--'Speak! Why, I can hardly speak, I have fallen from
-the top of the bung tree and am nearly dead, don't you know?' he said
-to her. Then she looked at her child; and his wife--'Our child here
-is dead; how has it happened?' she said. Then Benglama--'Go on! it's
-not dead, its head was hurting and I pricked it; it is just asleep,'
-he said to her. Then his wife--'It is dead indeed; go and bury it,'
-she said. Then Benglama wrapped it up in a mat and carried it over his
-shoulder, and the body dropped out behind him, and he placed the mat
-only in a cave, and on his way back he saw his child's body. 'Whose
-child is this?' he said, and kicked it about with his feet."
-
-
-
-The Story of Ngamboma and Khuptingi.
-
-"Formerly Ngamboma and Khuptingi, before they were born, while in
-their mothers' wombs, they loved each other. When the time for them to
-be born came near their mothers' bellies pained them. Then if their
-mothers put their bellies near to each other they got well. Then
-the children were born. In the jhums when they were placed apart
-in the jhum house while their mothers were at work they always got
-together. When they grew bigger they loved each other, and Ngamboma
-wanted to marry Khuptingi, but their fathers and mothers did not
-think it wise. Then Ngamboma made an image of Khuptingi in beeswax
-and tied it to a stump of a tree on the bank of the stream, and
-whenever the water rose Khuptingi got ill and when it went down she
-got better. Thus it went on for one year. One day the stream rose and
-carried away Khuptingi's image, then Khuptingi died. They placed her
-body in a dead-house. From the decaying matter which fell from her
-body flowers sprang up, and Ngamboma watched them always. One day a
-wild cat was going to take away those flowers, but Ngamboma caught
-it and said, 'Why did you think to steal my flowers--I'll just kill
-you?' he said. Then the wild cat--'Protector! Do not kill me; I am sent
-by Khuptingi,' he said. Then Ngamboma--'Where is Khuptingi, then?' he
-said. Then the wild cat--'If you catch hold of my tail we will both go
-(to her),' he said. Then the wild cat towed him to the village in which
-Khuptingi was in the sky, in Mi-thi-khua (the dead-people's-village),
-and they arrived at Khuptingi's house and they slept there, and they
-ate rice also together. When they slept together Khuptingi was only
-bare bones, and Ngamboma said, 'What bones are these?' and he threw
-them to the top of the wall and to the bottom of the wall (i.e., all
-about the room). Then the next day Khuptingi--'I am not well,' she
-said. Ngamboma--'What is the reason?' he said. The Khuptingi--'Last
-night when I was sleeping near you you threw me to the top of the
-wall and to the bottom of the wall; for that reason I am in pain,' she
-said. Then their villagers said, 'Let us go and fish,' they said. They
-went. The place where they caught fish--indeed it was not a stream,
-it was a patch of bamboo. The dead called the bamboo leaves fish, and
-they filled their baskets cram-full, but Ngamboma said to himself,
-'They will stop the holes in the baskets with the leaves when they
-come to the stream so that the fish may not fall out by accident,'
-he said, and he stopped the holes (in his basket) with leaves. Then
-they all returned to the village. Ngamboma, by diverting a stream,
-caught a few fish and returned. When they reached their houses the
-dead roasted the leaves which they called fish, but when Ngamboma
-tried to roast them the leaves all burnt up. Then Khuptingi said to
-Ngamboma, 'The others have caught so many fish; why have you caught
-so few?' Ngamboma roasted the real fish which he had caught, but they
-burnt up just like the bamboo leaves. Then one day the people again
-went out to hunt. In the place where they went hunting they saw a huge
-black caterpillar; the dead called it a bear. Ngamboma did not see
-it, and by accident trod on it and killed it. Then the dead said to
-Ngamboma, 'That bear which ran towards you, have you seen it?' they
-said. Ngamboma--'I have not seen it,' he said. Presently they saw
-the caterpillar which he had trodden on, 'Hei-le! Why, you have shot
-it!' they said. They carried it up to the village and all the dead
-ate up its flesh entirely. Ngamboma, however, did not care to eat
-any of it. Then Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, 'Living people and dead
-people, we shall not be able to live together comfortably; therefore,
-if you now build yourself a house here and then return to your home,
-when you die you will be able to live in it?'--thus Khuptingi said. So
-he set to work to build a house. The dead called the arum trees, and
-they split them with axes and built (with them), but Ngamboma just
-split those arums with his nail very quickly. 'Can one build houses
-with such stuff?' he said. Then, splitting real trees into planks, he
-built his house. Then Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, 'If you go to your
-house and call all the villagers together and sacrifice a mithan, and
-when you have finished eating its flesh you put on very good cloths
-and wear round your neck the sacrificial rope (the rope the mithan
-was bound with), and call on my name, then you will die and will be
-able to come to our village,' she said. Just as Khuptingi said it came
-to pass; he died as he was lying on his bed, then they were able to
-live together with comfort. When he saw the house that he had built
-in Mi-thi-khua, he said, 'Who built that house?' The dead said to him,
-'You built it while you were alive.' Then they married in Mi-thi-khua,
-it is said.
-
-"It is because of this story of Ngamboma and Khuptingi that we say
-nowadays people are in Mi-thi-khua."
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V
-
-THE LAKHER OR MARA CLAN
-
-
-This clan emigrated from the neighbourhood of Thlan-tlang (called
-by the Chin Hills officers Klang-klang) in comparatively recent
-times. They are closely allied to the Southern Chins, and a description
-of them belongs more properly to the Chin Monograph. Much of the
-information in Messrs Carey and Tuck's Gazetteer regarding the
-Southern Chins applies to the Lakhers. I therefore propose to give
-only a brief description here.
-
-The clan calls itself Mara, Lakher being the name used by the
-Lushais. The Chins, I believe, call them Zo, and the Arracan name
-for them is Klongshai. The following extract from my diary, dated
-10th February, 1891, gives a brief account of the advent of this
-clan:--"In the evening I had a long talk with the chiefs and found
-out the origin, according to them, of the feud with the Mrungs (in
-the Chittagong Hill tracts). In the lifetime of Thonglien's father,
-the Bohmong of that time sent to ask the Mara clan to come and make
-friends. A deputation went, taking with them two large elephant tusks
-as a peace offering. The Bohmong had two of the party treacherously
-killed, and hence the feud which has led to so much bloodshed. I am
-told that the first Mara to come here (Saiha) were a colony under one
-of Thonglien's ancestors. They came from Thlan-tlang to where Vongthu
-now is, and then moved further east till they settled somewhere on the
-Blue Mountain. Finding themselves too small a colony to hold their own,
-they sent for the rest of the clan, who, under Lianchi, Hmunklinga's
-great-grandfather, came and settled where Ramri now is. After a few
-years a few of the Chinja tribe arrived and were received into the
-village. These were followed by more and more until eventually the
-Mara left the Chinja in possession of Ramri and moved across the Blue
-Mountain, where they have remained ever since." There are other Lakher
-villages besides those referred to in the above extract, and the clan
-is found in considerable strength to the south of the Lushai Hills
-boundary, in territory which is at present unadministered. Members
-of the clan are also found in the Lushai and Chin villages adjoining
-the real Lakher country, which lies in the loop of the Koladyne or
-Kaladan river, south of latitude 22°3´.
-
-Their villages are more permanent than those of the Lushais though the
-houses are built of the same materials, the proximity of large supplies
-of bamboos having led the immigrants to abandon the substantial timber
-buildings of the land of their origin for more flimsy structures. The
-sites are, however, levelled and the villages are seldom moved. Before
-the reign of peace which has followed our occupation of the Hills,
-each village was surrounded by a triple line of stockading or by an
-impenetrable belt of thorny jungle, through which a narrow pathway,
-defended by three gates, led to the village. Inside the houses the
-sleeping platforms of the Lushais are absent and the hearth is in
-the middle of the floor. If the owner has slaves or a married son,
-the interior is divided into compartments by partitions which extend
-three-quarters of the way across the house.
-
-The men smoke but little, but much relish the nicotine water from
-the women's pipes, which differ slightly in shape from those used by
-their Lushai cousins.
-
-Dress.--I have been unable to detect any difference in dress between
-the Lakhers and the Southern Chins. The men wear a narrow loin-cloth
-twisted round the waist, one end being passed between the legs and
-slipped under the waist-band, the only other garment being a cloth
-about 7 feet by 5, worn as the Lushais wear theirs, and made either
-of cotton or silk. Blue and white check cloths are very much fancied,
-but are imported from Burma, whence also comes a very rough cotton
-cloth with large brown checks. The silk cloths are made by the women
-and are fine pieces of work, taking an industrious woman as much as
-a year to weave.
-
-The dress of the women is more elaborate--several petticoats reaching
-almost to the ground and held up by a massive brass girdle, made
-after the pattern of the chain of a cog-wheel. These petticoats are
-generally of dark blue cotton, but sometimes the outer one is a very
-elaborately worked piece of silk, similar in pattern to the man's
-cloth. Each petticoat is merely a strip of cloth wide enough to go
-one and a half times or even twice round the body.
-
-While clothing her nether extremities thus decently, the Lakher
-woman wears a jacket which consists really of little more than two
-very short sleeves joined at the back and tied loosely together in
-front. This absurd little garment does not by several inches reach
-to her petticoat. The jacket is generally of home-made cloth or
-silk of a pattern similar to the men's cloths. A loose cloth of the
-favourite blue and white check is wrapped round the body for warmth,
-but discarded when any work is being done.
-
-The men wear the hair tied in a knot above the forehead. A very narrow
-turban is often worn, being passed round the back of the head low
-down and the ends twisted round the knot of hair. Chiefs affect the
-high turban of the Thlan-tlangs.
-
-Women wear nothing on their heads, except in wet weather, when both
-sexes wear hats like the Lushais. The raincoat of the Chins is also
-used. Special cloths and plumes are worn by those who have killed
-men or given certain feasts, as among the Lushais.
-
-Ornaments.--The amber necklaces so dear to the Lushais do not find
-much favour with this clan, who value especially necklaces of a stuff
-known as "pumtek," but as this is very rare, necklaces of glass-beads,
-cornelians, buttons, coins, etc., are generally all that commoners
-can obtain. The women are particularly fond of necklaces; the men
-wear but few, which is in marked contrast to the custom of the Lushais.
-
-The men ornament their top-knots with combs, the backs of which are
-sometimes of ivory, sometimes of wood lacquered in various patterns. A
-long pin of iron or bone is always worn in the top-knot, and is used
-for scratching the head as well as for cleaning out the pipe.
-
-The women wear their hair rolled round a very heavy two-pronged brass
-skewer, the weight of which, sometimes as much as 3 lbs., keeps the
-hair low down on the nape of the neck.
-
-
-
-Constitution of Society.
-
-The Lakhers, in common with the Chins, are less democratic than
-the Lushais and their cognates. The power of the chiefs is greater,
-and the chiefs' relatives and other wealthy people form a kind of
-peerage and lord it over the lesser fry, being seldom interfered
-with unless their doings endanger the interests of the chief. Slaves
-with the Lakhers are real slaves, not merely unpaid servants as among
-the Lushais. A slave is the absolute property of his master, and may
-be sold like any other possession. Female slaves are not allowed to
-marry, but are encouraged to become mothers, as their children are the
-property of their owners. Male slaves who win their master's favour
-are sometimes married at their owner's expense, but they and their
-children remain slaves. Parents and other relations sell children
-when they are in pecuniary difficulties, and captives taken in war
-are naturally the slaves of their captors.
-
-In the matter of marriage the Lakher's choice is as little limited as
-that of the Lushai but, owing to the power of the upper class, there
-is great competition to secure a bride of good birth, and this leads
-to girls being married before they attain puberty. After her marriage
-such a child-wife helps in the household of her husband's mother, but
-sleeps with her own parents. The following extract from a report on
-the Lakhers sent me by Mr. Whalley, of the E. Bengal and Assam Police,
-cannot be improved on:--"The advanced age, as regards males, at which
-marriage takes place is due to the recognised obligation on the part
-of every male to marry the daughter of a house of higher standing
-than his own, with the consequently disproportionate advance in the
-amount of the marriage price. Too frequently a male on coming into
-his inheritance is occupied during his years of vigour in paying off
-the debt of his mother's marriage price, and can only afford to take
-a wife of a higher station than his own when he is no longer capable
-of becoming a father. In the interval he takes a concubine, generally
-of a lower class than his own. On the other hand, the marriage or
-betrothal of children by their parents is common. Such marriages are
-on two scales. In both from the date of betrothal the bridegroom
-commences to pay the marriage price in irregular instalments; in
-one, however, he contracts, if he becomes a father by his bride,
-to pay the whole marriage price, and can claim the return of all
-payments made if the decease of his bride precedes such an event;
-in the other he pays only a proportion of the whole fixed beforehand,
-which is not recoverable, even if marriage is never consummated. The
-first is in more general favour with parents, as even in the case of
-the death of the prospective bride it is by no means certain that,
-in view of the disparity in position of the families, the bridegroom
-will be able to compel disgorgement of the instalments paid."
-
-"The above description of customs refers mutatis mutandis to all
-classes of society except slaves. The desirability of an unmarried girl
-varies directly with the social position of the parents; appearance,
-industry, and chastity are entirely subordinate factors, and exercise
-very little influence on the marriage price demanded. There is a
-strange custom by which a husband who finds his wife incompatible
-may exchange her for any of her sisters still unmarried. A younger
-brother, again, whose parents are dead, even though already married,
-takes over as a rule the wife as well as the liability of an elder
-brother who has predeceased him. The precedence of such wives should
-be regulated solely by the position of their parents, and breaches
-of this rule, owing to the partiality of the husband, lead frequently
-to bitter feuds."
-
-The following valuable note on the marriage price of a Lakher girl,
-and on the dues payable at death, by Mr. R. A. Lorrain, is inserted
-just as received:--
-
-The important position occupied by the bride's eldest brother and
-her maternal uncle are noticeable.
-
-
-
-
-
-PARTICULARS OF MARRIAGE PRICE PAID BY A MARA FOR HIS BRIDE. [13]
-
-
-==========+================+==============+====+============================
- | Amount of Price. | | To whom price is paid and
-Name of +================+==============+ No.| other particulars in
- Price. | Common People. | Ruling Clan. | | regard to the Marriage
- | | | | Customs of the Mara Tribes.
-==========+================+==============+====+============================
-O-Kia | Rs. 20/- | Rs. 150/- | 1 | When the whole family live
- | Gong (7 spans).| One slave. | | in the same house, none of
- | Gun. | Two Mithan. | | the sons having their own
- | | | | houses, then the Prices
- | | | | Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and
- | | | | Nos. 9, 10, 11, have all
- | | | | to be paid to the father
- | | | | of the bride.
- | | | |
-Sei-pi- | Rs. 20/- | Rs. 50/- | 2 | If the family is divided
- hra | Gong (7 spans).| One Mithan | | and the eldest son has a
- | Gun. | (female). | | house of his own, then the
- | | | | father has price No. 11 and
- | | | | the eldest son must have
- | | | | price No 1, while the
- | | | | prices Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
- | | | | and Nos. 9, 10, are at the
- | | | | eldest son's disposal and
- | | | | he may or may not share with
- | | | | the youngest son as he
- | | | | pleases.
- | | | |
-Chaw chyu | Rs. 20/- | Rs. 50/- | 3 |
- | Gong (7 spans).| One Mithan. | |
- | Gun. | Gun (syulô). | |
- | | | |
-Sei-chei- | Rs 20/- | Rs 50/- | 4 |
- hra | Gong (7 spans).| One Mithan. | |
- | Gun. | Gun (syulô). | |
- | | | |
-Nô-hla | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 10/- | 5 |
- | Brass pot | Beer pot | |
- | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | |
- | | | |
-Saw-hla | Rs. 1/- | Rs. 2/- | 6 |
- | Full grown hen | Brass pot | |
- | | (4 spans). | |
- | | | |
-Kei-ma | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 5/- | 7 | No. 7 has to be paid to the
- | Brass pot | Beer pot | | friend of the father of the
- | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | | bride if the sons and father
- | | | | live in the same house. But
- | | | | if the family is divided,
- | | | | the eldest son having his
- | | | | own house, then this must be
- | | | | paid to his friend instead
- | | | | of the father's.
- | | | |
-Lao-khyu | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 5/- | 8 | No. 8 has to be paid to the
- | Brass pot | Beer pot | | bride's mother's brother
- | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | | (bride's uncle).
- | | | |
-Rai-pi- | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 10/- | 9 |
- hra | Brass pot | Beer pot | |
- | (4 spans). | (Rai-pi). | |
- | | | |
-Aw-rua- | Rs. 5/- | Rs. 50/- | 10 |
- baw-na | Beer pot | One Mithan. | |
- | (Ra-cha). | Gun. | |
-
-Si-sa-zi or chhi-sa-zi.
-
-{a U-thei-| Rs. 10/- | Rs. 20/- | | Note.==No. 11, divided
-{ pa | A "Sisa" bead. |A "Sisa" bead.| | into three sums, has to be
-{ | | | | given on engagement before
-{ | | | | marriage, and is kept by
-{ | | | | the father of the bride.
-{ | | | |
-{a Lia-pa | Rs. 5/- | Rs. 10/- | 11 |
-{ | Brass pot |A "Sisa" bead.| |
-{ | (5 spans). | | |
-{ | | | |
-{a Sei- | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 5/- | |
-{ hnai-pa| Brass pot | Beer pot | |
-{ | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | |
-
-
-PU-MA.[##]
-
-A-ma-pi | Rs. 20/- | Rs. 150/- | 12 | Pu-ma has to be paid by the
- | Gong (7 spans).| One slave. | | bridegroom to the bride's
- | Gun. | Two Mithan. | | "Pu-pa," that is, the
- | | | | bride's mother's brother
- | | | | (uncle). He therefore
- | | | | receives the prices Nos. 12,
- | | | | 13, 14, 15 and 18.
- | | | |
-Aw-rua- | Rs. 5/- | Rs. 50/- | 13 |
- baw-na | Beer pot | One Mithan. | |
- | (Ra-cha). | Gun. | |
- | | | |
-Nô-hla | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 10/- | 14 |
- | Brass pot | Beer pot | |
- | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | |
- | | | |
-Saw-hla | Rs. 1/- | Rs. 2/- | 15 |
- | Full grown hen.| Brass pot | |
- | | (4 spans). | |
- | | | |
-Kei-ma | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 5/- | 16 | No. 16 has to be paid to
- | Brass pot | Beer pot | | the friend of the "Pu-pa"
- | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | | (bride's uncle).
- | | | |
-Lao-khyu | Rs. 2/- | Rs. 5/- | 17 | No. 17 has to be paid to
- | Brass pot | Beer pot. | | the bride's grandmother's
- | (4 spans). | (Ra-cha). | | brother on her mother's
- | | | | side (bride's great uncle),
- | | | | or it is sometimes paid
- | | | | the "Pu-pa's" (bride's
- | | | | uncles) wife's father
- | | | | (father of aunt by marriage
- | | | | on the mother's side).
- | | | |
-
-Pha-vaw.
-
-{a U-thei-| Rs. 7/- | Rs. 20/- | |
-{ pa | A "Sisa" bead. |A "Sisa" bead.| |
-{ | | | |
-{a Lia-pa | Rs 2/- | Rs. 10/- | 18 |
-{ | Brass pot |A "Sisa" bead.| |
-{ | (4 spans). | | |
-{ | | | |
-{a Sei- | Rs. 1/- | Rs. 2/- | |
-{ hnai-pa| A large fowl. | Brass pot | |
-{ | | (4 spans). | |
-
-
-DEATH DUE. [##]
-
-Ru | Rs. 10/- | Rs. 80/- | 19 | At the death of a wife
- | or more. | or more. | | this price has to be paid
- | Gong. | One Mithan | | as a death due by the
- | | (large). | | husband to the dead wife's
- | | | | father or eldest brother as
- | This price is | | | the case may be.
- | often nearly as| This price is| |
- | heavy as the | often nearly | | At the death of a husband
- | "O-kia." | as heavy as | | the eldest son of the dead
- | | "O-kia." | | man has to pay the price to
- | | | | his father's mother's
- | | | | brother (the dead man's
- | | | | uncle).
- | | | |
- | | | | If there is no son, the
- | | | | dead man's brother will pay,
- | | | | and then the dead man's
- | | | | daughters, when they marry,
- | | | | their marriage prices will
- | | | | go to this brother of the
- | | | | dead man (his nieces'
- | | | | marriage prices).
- | | | |
- | | | | If there are no daughters
- | | | | then he has his dead
- | | | | brother's possessions as a
- | | | | recompense, and he will
- | | | | also care for the widow
- | | | | unless she prefers to go to
- | | | | her own family once again.
-==========+================+==============+====+============================
-
-
-One out of each of the above prices has to be paid by the bridegroom
-before he is out of debt for his bride, and it will be found that:--
-
-
- (1) An ordinary person has to give for his bride about Rs. 153/-,
- or £10 4s.
- (2) One of the ruling clan has to give for his bride about
- Rs. 671/-, or £44 14s. 8d.
-
- Then at death the for No. 1, from Rs. 10/- to 20/-, or 13/4
- death-due must be met, to £1 6s. 8d.
- for No. 2, from Rs. 80/- to 150/-, or £5
- 6s. 8d. to £10.
-
-
-Needless to say, many of these prices are kept on credit, and often
-have to be met after death by the son or the son's son, making it a
-terribly complicated matter on the whole.
-
-Reginald A. Lorrain,
-
-Pioneer Missionary to the Lakhers' or Maras'.
-
-May 4th, 1911.
-
-
-
-
-Offences against property and person can generally be settled by
-payment of a fine, but the Lakhers have no fixed custom in such
-matters, and a person of quality generally takes the law into his
-own hands if he considers himself aggrieved.
-
-Head-hunting used to be indulged in and is still practised by the
-Lakhers in unadministered tracks. In case of a chief's death it was
-proper to kill someone of a distant village before drums or gongs
-were beaten, but it was thought "thianglo" to bring back the head
-on such an occasion. As regards their religious beliefs, the Lakher
-equivalent of Pathian is Khazang. Mr. Whalley writes:--"All spirits,
-with one doubtful exception to be noted later, whether malignant or
-benign, are slaves of the great spirit Khazang or Loitha. Whereas the
-attributes and the names of the lesser spirits vary from village to
-village and individual to individual, this great spirit has a firmer
-outline and permits of some attempt at description. The picture they
-draw is primitive, almost touching in its childishness. The Khazang or
-Loitha is small and brown and almost hairless. He is capable of sexual
-love and has children. He is material in his essence, but superior to
-natural laws such as those of time, space, and gravity. He is immortal,
-and has an immaterial wife and immaterial children. For his continuance
-the world exists with its revenue. In their own phrase he 'eats' the
-domains of the lesser spirits through all nature as a chief 'eats'
-villages (i.e., receives tribute in supplies from villages). He regards
-individual men much as these same men regard individual ants. Nearer
-to the heart and farther from the intelligence of the Lakhers is
-the mysterious Pi-leh-pu, the all-mother and all-father (strictly
-translated 'grandmother' and 'grandfather,' the term is generally
-used for ancestors)--a being not anthropomorphised or materialised,
-partaking in some shadowy way of the functions both of guardian angel
-and of originator of the human race."
-
-In the course of my enquiries I did not come across any references
-to Pi-leh-pu, but there seems good reason to think that the term
-is applied to the mythical ancestor of the clan. In the Lushai
-Mi-thi-rawp-lam, it will be remembered that in the centre of the
-frame round which the effigies of the ancestors of the celebrants are
-fastened there is a white effigy to represent the mythical ancestor
-of the whole clan. In some respects Pi-leh-pu seems to resemble the
-Lushai Sakhua.
-
-The Ram-huai of the Lushais are known as "Hri-pa" and the Lashi as
-"Sakhia." After death the spirits pass to Mi-thi-khua, the road to
-which is by the village of Lunchoi and passes up a precipice. It is
-so narrow that women with child have to widen it as they go, for which
-purpose a hoe is buried with them, or at least laid beside the corpse
-during the funeral feast. Pial-ral is called "Pe-ra'," and to reach
-it all sorts of animals must be killed and the Ai ceremony performed
-for each. The Khuangchoi feast is also considered, if not absolutely
-necessary, at least very useful. Triumphs in the courts of Venus will
-not help the spirit to pass to Pe-ra'. Women can only reach that happy
-place if their husbands take them. A series of feasts or sacrifices
-closely resembling the Thangchhuah feast of the Lushais is performed,
-but I was assured that the performer's state in the next world was
-not in any way affected thereby, the feasts being equivalent to the
-Lushai Sakhua sacrifice. The series consists of--
-
-Vok-rial.--A very small pig which has been brought up in the house
-is killed and eaten.
-
-Vok-pa.--A boar of five fists' height which has been brought up in the
-house is killed, a black hen being also sacrificed at the same time.
-
-The "sherh" are kept inside the house for three days, during which time
-none of the household may do any work, but the house is not closed and
-anyone may share in the feast. The Vok-rial is performed three times
-and the Vok-pa twice, and then a mithan is killed and all share in
-the feast. The performer of the She-shun may not cross a big stream
-or enter another village till he has sacrificed a hen. Subsequently
-he again performs Vok-rial, which is said to conclude the sacrifices
-to Sakhua. A feast in which two mithan are killed is called "Bawi." It
-is followed by Khuangchoi, in which at least five mithan must be slain.
-
-The spirits of the dead are supposed to become mist after having
-lived two or three lives in the other world.
-
-Ten days after the birth of a child the mother goes to the water supply
-and washes herself. She then takes the child to her father's house,
-where she receives some rice and a fowl, which she takes home and
-eats. Sacrifices are not done at this time. Children's heads are shaved
-at three months, and the hair is allowed to grow at nine years with
-girls and at eleven with boys. The bodies of stillborn children are
-buried outside the village without any ceremony, but no purification,
-either of the house or village, is considered necessary.
-
-[Death.] The usual funeral feast, which in the case of wealthy
-persons may last three to five days, precedes the burial. Some time
-afterwards a second feast is given and a portion is put aside for
-the spirit of the deceased. At the funeral feast the corpse is laid
-out with fine cloths and ornaments and a dance is performed by two
-women and one man. In other respects the Lakher and Lushai customs
-are very much alike. There is an annual feast in honour of those who
-have died during the year. It is called "Lachhia." A pig is killed
-and the young men and maidens dance attired in their best clothes,
-and the usual large quantities of zu are consumed.
-
-In cases of unnatural death no one may leave the village till the sixth
-day. On the fourth day a hen is sacrificed outside the village. The
-corpse is buried beyond the village boundary fence. Deaths in
-childbirth are considered unnatural deaths. If the firstborn in
-a family dies within a few days of its birth the corpse is buried
-anywhere, without ceremony, and the household abstain from work for
-one day. Such a death is called "naw-dawng" (Lushai "hlamzuih").
-
-Many of the Lushai sacrifices are performed. The Khal takes the
-following form:--A fowl is killed at the head of the bed in the name
-of the father, a month later one is killed in the name of the mother,
-and in successive months one is killed for each child. The flesh of
-these fowls can only be eaten by the parents. The Uihring sacrifice
-is known as "An-hmu"; a dog is killed outside the house, the hills
-inhabited by their ancestors being named. The "sherh" are hung on
-a tree or a bamboo. The husbands of women who are enceinte may not
-enter the house on such occasions. The following sacrifices of the
-Lushais are not performed--Hring-ai-tan, Khuavanghring, Tui-leh-ram,
-Bawlpui. In the Thla-ko a cock is killed outside the village and
-the spirit is summoned. Khawhring is unknown, and they maintain that
-there are no wizards or witches among them.
-
-There are three festivals connected with the crops--(1) "Kicheo" or
-"Kutsa-zawng," which takes place in January; feasting and drinking
-are the main features of this festival, which is preceded by a
-general hunt, as the flesh of wild animals, birds, or land crabs
-is absolutely necessary. (2) "Paku," which comes just before the
-sowing of the rice, closely resembles the Lushai Chap-char-kut. (3)
-"Lalia"--this corresponds to the Lushai Mimkut; the children are fed
-with maize cakes, and if any member of the family has died within
-the previous year some cakes are put aside for his spirit.
-
-The superstitions of the Lakhers resemble those of the Lushais. To
-kill a python is sure to result in the death of the killer. Even to
-see a loris is unlucky and to kill one is fatal. The sight of two
-snakes copulating will also be followed by serious illness, if not by
-death. The Lushai Chawifa is known as "Thla-shi-pu," and if it falls
-in the jungle that is the place to cut your jhum, for then you are
-sure of a good crop. It seems that Thla-shi-pu is merely a meteor;
-the Lakhers have not surrounded this natural phenomenon with the
-myths which the more imaginative Lushais delight in. In choosing the
-site for a village a cock is taken, and if it does not crow the site
-will not be selected, but if one of the party dream of dead persons
-or bad things this is also sufficient cause for rejecting the site.
-
-Among the Lakhers there are no priests of any sort; every man is his
-own priest. At the marriage ceremony the fowl is killed by the man
-who has arranged the match.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI
-
-LANGUAGE
-
-
-The languages of all the clans dealt with in this monograph, except
-the Lakher, are very similar, and also bear a strong resemblance to
-those of their neighbours.
-
-Dr. Grierson, in the "Linguistic Survey of India," uses the term
-"Kuki-Chin" to describe all the languages spoken by the clans I have
-dealt with and their cognates, but he adds:--"Meithei-Chin would be
-a better appellation, as the whole group can be sub-divided into two
-sub-groups, the Meitheis (Manipuris) and the various tribes which are
-known to us under the names of Kuki and Chin." Dr. Grierson considers
-that all the Kuki-Chin languages belong to the Burmese branch of the
-Tibeto-Burman family, and he subdivides them as follows:--
-
- I. Meithei,* [17] or Manipuri.
-
- II. Chin languages--
-
- 1. Northern group: Thado, Sokte,* Siyin,* Ralte, and Paite
- or Vuite.
- 2. Central group: Tashon,* Lai,* Lakher, Lushai, Banjogi,*
- and Pankhu.*
- 3. Old Kuki group: Rhangkhol, Bete (Biate), Hallam,
- Langrong, Aimol, Anal, Chiru, Lamgang, Kolren (Kolhen),
- Kom, Purum, Mhar (Hmar or Khawtlang), and Cha.*
- 4. Southern group: Chinme,* Welaung,* Chinbok,* Yindu,*
- Chinbon,* Khyang or Sho,* Khami.*
-
-
-With reference to the connection between the different clans,
-Dr. Grierson writes:--"The terms Old Kuki and New Kuki are apt to
-convey the idea that the tribes so denoted are closely related to
-each other. But that is not the case. Not only do their customs and
-institutions differ considerably, but their languages are separated
-by a large group of dialects in the Lushai and Chin Hills, and the
-so-called New Kukis (Thados) are, so far as we can see, a Chin tribe,
-most closely connected to the inhabitants of the northern Chin Hills,
-while the Old Kukis are related to tribes more to the south."
-
-The account of the causes of the Old and New Kuki incursions into
-Cachar, given in Part I, Chap. I, Section 3, which was written before
-I had read Dr. Grierson's book, agrees entirely with his conclusions.
-
-A detailed account has been given in Part I of the Lushai language,
-and, considering the full manner in which the dialects of all these
-tribes have been dealt with by Dr. Grierson in the "Linguistic Survey
-of India," it seems superfluous to attempt to give outlines of them,
-and therefore I propose only to draw attention to the many points
-of similarity between them. The works I have consulted are:--"The
-Linguistic Survey of India," Vol. II, Part III, Lorrain and Savidge's
-"Grammar and Dictionary of the Lushai Language," Mr. T. C. Hodson's
-"Grammar and Small Vocabulary of Thado," and the appendix to Lieutenant
-Stewart's "Notes on Northern Cachar," 1855.
-
-In going through Mr. Hodson's vocabulary of the Thado language, the
-first thing that struck me was the absence of the letter R. Further
-examination showed that where R is used in Lushai and certain other
-languages G or Gh is substituted in Thado. Many instances of this
-will be found in the following comparative vocabulary.
-
-In many cases F in Lushai, Rhangkhol, and Langrong is replaced by
-Ch, sometimes softened into S in Thado, Manipuri, and some Old Kuki
-dialects. I have so far only found the following examples, but the
-material at my disposal is very insufficient, and I have no doubt that,
-given complete vocabularies, many more would be found:--
-
-"Fa" in Lushai, "cha" in Manipuri and Thado, meaning "child."
-
-"Far-nu" in Lushai and Langrong, "char-nu" in Aimol, Kolhen and
-Lamgang, "sar-nu" in Chiru, Kom, and Hallam, meaning "sister."
-
-"Fak" in Langrong, "chak" in Manipuri, "cha" in Aimol, Anal, Kolhen,
-Lamgang, "shak" in Chiru, meaning "to eat." In Lushai we have
-"chaw-fak-hun," "rice-eat-time." Until I found that "fak" meant "to
-eat" in Langrong, the Lushai equivalent for dinner-time had always
-puzzled me, as the Lushai word for "to eat" is "ei."
-
-"Fawp" in Lushai, "chop" in Thado, "chup" in Purum, meaning "to kiss."
-
-"Fang" in Bete, "chang" in Thado, meaning "paddy," while "fang"
-in Lushai means "a grain."
-
-"Fep" in Lushai, "chep" in Thado, meaning "to suck," as sugar-cane.
-
-"Feh" in Lushai, "to go to the jhums," "feh" in Rhangkhol, "to go";
-"che" in Thado, Aimol, and Anal, and "chatpa" in Manipuri have the
-same meaning.
-
-"Fing" in Lushai, "ching" in Thado, "singba" in Manipuri, mean "wise."
-
-"Fu" in Lushai, "chu" in Thado mean "sugar-cane."
-
-"Fang-hma" in Lushai, "fung-mat" in Bete, "chung-mai" in Thado, mean
-"a pumpkin."
-
-N in Lushai sometimes becomes "shi" in Lai or Haka dialect, as "ni"
-in Lushai and "shi" in Lai, meaning both "to be" and "aunt."
-
-G and K are often interchanged and also R, L, and N.
-
-In Lushai we have "lung" meaning both "stone" and "heart," while
-in Manipuri we have "nung" meaning "stone," and though "heart"
-is translated by "puk," we have "nung-siba" "to be sad," evidently
-composed of "nung" and "siba," "to die," and also "nung-ngaiba,"
-meaning "happy," showing that "nung" once meant heart.
-
-In many of these languages, similar words are used but have slightly
-different meanings. For instance, "shang" in Lushai means "tall,"
-while in Thado and Manipuri we have "sang" meaning "long."
-
-"Leng" in Lushai means "to stroll," and "lengba" in Manipuri means
-"to walk," but is only used of important personages who would be
-likely to move slowly and in a dignified manner.
-
-In Lushai "shat" means "to cut," but as a Lushai's house consists of
-timber and bamboos, he always uses "shat" when he speaks of building
-a house, and we find "sha" in Thado and "saba" in Manipuri mean
-"to make," "to build."
-
-In Lushai the verb "ni," "to be," is conjugated completely, but in
-Manipuri "ni" means "is" and has no other tenses.
-
-
- Manipuri: Ma ai-gi i nau ni.
- Lushai: Ama ka nau a ni.
- English: He my younger brother he is.
-
-
-The following comparative vocabulary gives in the first two columns
-the Thado and English words as given by Mr. Hodson. The first word in
-the column of remarks is always Lushai, and where it has not exactly
-the same meaning as the Thado word the correct meaning is given;
-then follow, where necessary, the equivalents in other dialects.
-
-About one word in every three given in Mr. Hodson's vocabulary has
-been found to resemble closely the Lushai word having the same or
-a similar meaning. Mr. Hodson's vocabulary has no pretensions to be
-a complete dictionary of the Thado language. Were such available I
-believe the number of similar words in the two dialects would be found
-to be even greater. As regards the Old Kuki dialects the information
-available is not sufficient to make a thorough comparison. It is clear
-that they are very closely allied to Lushai and Thado and to each
-other. The connection between Manipuri and what Dr. Grierson calls
-the Chin languages will, I believe, be found on further enquiry to
-be closer than at first appears.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY OF THADO AND LUSHAI LANGUAGES, WITH NOTES ON
-THE OTHER CHIN LANGUAGES AND MANIPURI OR MEITHEI.
-
-
-THADO. ENGLISH. LUSHAI AND REMARKS.
-
-A Fowl Ar. Old Kuki dialects, Ar.
-A-eng or Turmeric Ai-eng. Beteh, Aishel.
-A-yeng
-Ai Crab Ai. Beteh, Iae.
-A-le True, right Awle, all right.
-Ashi Star Arshi. Old Kuki dialects the same.
-Ban Arm Ban.
-Bat To owe Bat.
-Be To beat a drum Beng.
-Be Pulse Be, all sorts of peas and beans.
-Bon To wrestle Buan.
-Bong Cow Se-bong.
-Bong-hlo Mud Bol-hlawh.
-Bu Paddy Buh.
-Chem Dao Chem. Same in Old Kuki dialect.
-Chep To suck Fep.
-Chi Salt Chi; and in Old Kuki dialects also.
-Chok To buy Chawk. In most Old Kuki dialects,
- Chok or Chak, and Purum has Lei,
- which is the commoner word in
- Lushai.
-Da To spread Da, to put.
-Chol Tired Chawl, to rest when tired.
-Cham Level Cham.
-Dang Other Dang.
-Dai-tui Dew Dai.
-Dangka Silver Tangka.
-Deng To beat Deng, to pound, to hammer.
-Ding To stand Ding.
-Di Correct Dik.
-Doi Magic Doi; and in Old Kuki dialects.
-Doi Weak Doih, cowardly.
-Dui To love Duh, to like, to desire.
-Dum Tobacco Dum-ei, Dum-bawm, tobacco box; but
- the usual word is Vai-hlo.
-Eng Yellow Eng.
-Ga Fruit Ra; also Beteh.
-Gam-la Distant Ram, country; Hla, distant. In Old
- Kuki dialects, La, Hla, and Lak.
-Gam-mang Forest Ram. The Lushai Hills being covered
- with forest, Ram means both country
- and forest. Mang appears in the
- Manipuri, U-Mang.
-Ge To pass the night Ria(k). Cf. Manipuri. Lek.
-Gel Hail Rial. Manipuri, Lel.
-Ghai Pregnant Rai.
-Ghal Enemy Ral. Manipuri, Lal; Beteh, Ral.
-Ghi Heavy Rit. Beteh, Rik.
-Ghin Sound Ring, loud.
-Ghop Lean Rawp, to become thin, to waste away.
-Ghu A bone Ru; also in Manipuri and Old Kuki
- dialects.
-Ghu A thief, to steal Ru; also in Beteh.
-Ghul A snake Rul; also in Old Kuki dialects.
- Manipuri, Lil.
-Gim To worry Rim, tired, toilworn.
-Go A bamboo Ro, a particular sort of bamboo.
-Go To cremate Rawh, to heat, to roast.
-Ha Tooth Ha, and in all Old Kuki dialects.
-Hal To set fire to Hal; also in Beteh.
-Ham Blow through Ham, to play a wind instrument.
-Hao Rich Hao-sak; the k is nearly silent.
-He To know Thei to be able; Hre or Hriat, to
- know. Manipuri, Heiba, to know how
- to do.
-Hem Sharp Hriam.
-Hem To soothe Thlem, to pacify.
-Hla Month, the moon Thla; and Manipuri and Old Kuki
- dialects, Tha or Thla.
-Hla Wing Thla.
-Hla Song Hla.
-Hling To suffice Tling-tlak, to complete.
-Hlut To enter Lut.
-Hon Garden Huan.
-Hot To shake Hot, to stir with spoon.
-Hui A dog Ui. Hui or Ui in Manipuri and all
- Old Kuki dialects.
-In House In; and in all Old Kuki dialects.
-Kal To climb Kal, to go; also in Langrong.
-Kalson To walk
-Kan Dry Kang, to dry up. Manipuri, Kangba.
-Kap To shoot Kap.
-Kel Goat Kel; and in all Old Kuki dialects.
-Ket To be broken Keh.
-Kha Bitter Kha.
-Kha Chin Kha, the lower jaw.
-Khel buk Thigh Khel, side of upper part of thigh.
-Khoi Bee Khoi.
-Khom To collect Khon. Manipuri, Khom-silba.
-Khong Drum Khuang.
-Kho-shi To feel cold Khua a shik.
-Khu Cough Khuh.
-Khubu Knee Khup. Manipuri, Khuk-u; Beteh,
- Rakhuk.
-Khut Hand Kut. Rhangkhol, Gut; all other Old
- Kuki dialects and Manipuri, either
- Khut or Kut.
-Keng Leg Ke.
-Keng bai Lame Ke bai.
-Ki Horn Ki. Manipuri, Chi or Ji; Beteh,
- Raki.
-Ko To call Ko; and the same in Manipuri. In
- most Old Kuki dialects, Ko, Koi, or
- Kai.
-Kol a phe To lighten Kawl a phe; and the same in Beteh.
-Kong The waist Kawng, the loins.
-Korka A door Kongkhar.
-Ku Village Khua. Manipuri, Khul. Variations of
- this are found in all dialects.
-Ku To cover Khum. Manipuri, Khumba.
-Khul A hole Khur; and in Old Kuki dialects.
-Kum Year Kum. Manipuri, Kumsi, this year. All
- Old Kuki dialects have Kum.
-La To take Lak, with almost silent k. In all
- Old Kuki dialects the word is very
- nearly the same. It also has the
- meaning to bring, and so may be
- compared with the Manipuri Lak pa,
- to come.
-Lai Middle, navel Lai; and in Beteh also.
-Lai To dig Lai, to dig, to hoe.
-Laili Writing, the art Lai-shuih, paper, reading and
- of reading and writing. Cf. Manipuri, Lairik
- writing laishuih, writing materials, and
- Kachcha Naga, Laishi.
-Lam Direction Lam. Cf. Manipuri, Lom or Rom.
-Lambi Road Lam-lian, though Kong, or Kal-kong
- is the general word, Lam-lian being
- generally used for a made road as
- compared with a path. In Manipuri,
- Lambi; and in most Chin and Old Kuki
- dialects, either Lam or Lampi.
-Le Tongue Lei. This word with very slight
- variations is found in Manipuri, Old
- Kuki, and all Chin dialects.
-Le Earth Lei. Cf. Manipuri, Leipak, earth,
- country.
-Lei-chung Bridge Lei, Lei-lawn.
-Lei-ka White ant Lei-kha. Manipuri, Leisau.
-Len Net Len.
-Len Big Lian, contracted into Len. Beteh,
- Lien. Cf. Manipuri, Turel or
- Turen--i.e., Tui, water, and Len,
- big, though water in Manipuri is
- Ising.
-Leng To fly Leng, to stroll or float in the air.
- In Manipuri the word means to walk,
- but is only used of the Rajah or
- very important persons.
-Lim Form, shape Hlim, shadow, shape, picture.
-Lo Jhum, cultivation Lo. This is another word which is
- found in nearly every dialect.
-Lo Medicine, drug Hlo.
-Lo Suffix of Lo, not.
- negation
-Loi Buffalo Loi, Cf. Manipuri, Iroi; Beteh,
- Siloi.
-Lu Head Lu. Common to all Chin and Old Kuki
- dialects. Cf. Manipuri, Luchingba,
- principal.
-Lui Old Hlui; also in Beteh.
-Lum Hot, as water Lum.
-Lung Heart disposition Lung; also in most Old Kuki
- dialects.
-Mai Face Hmai. Manipuri, Mai, and Beteh,
- Hmai.
-Maiche Vegetables Mai, a pumpkin.
-Man Price Man. Common to Manipuri, Chin, and
- Old Kuki dialects.
-Mang Dream Mang; also in Manipuri.
-Mang To lose, to be Mang, to die out; Mang ang, to be
- spoilt upset in mind. Manipuri, Mangba, to
- lose; Manghalba, to spoil.
-Mao Woman Mo, a bride, daughter-in-law.
-Me Fire Mei, another universal word.
-Me Tail Mei; also in Manipuri.
-Me Cloud Ro-mei, haze.
-Me-hol Charcoal Mei-hol.
-Me-khu Smoke Me-khu.
-Me-tai Widow Hmei-thai.
-Mel Appearance Hmel, face, appearance.
-Min Name Hming. Manipuri, Ming.
-Min Ripe Hmin.
-Mi Person Mi. This word is found in all the
- dialects under consideration.
-Mit Eye Mit, which with very slight
- variations is found in all dialects.
-Mol Hill Mual, a hill, a spur of a hill.
-Mom To chew Hmom, to put into the mouth whole.
-Mu Hawk Mu.
-Mu Beak Hmui, beak, upper lip. In most Old
- Kuki dialects, Mur.
-Mu To see Hmu. Similar word used in all Old
- Kuki dialects except Anal, Purum,
- and Lamgang.
-Mul Feather, hair, Hmul.
- fur
-Mu mul Moustache Hmui hmul.
-Mut To sleep Mut, lie down, sleep.
-Na Leaf Hna. In Manipuri and Beteh, Na.
-Na Nose Hnar. Manipuri, Chin, and Old Kuki
- very similar.
-Na Ill Na, pain. Manipuri, Na.
-Nai Near Hnai. Manipuri, Nakpa; Chin and Old
- Kuki dialects, Nai or similar words.
-Nal Slippery Nal. Manipuri, Nalba, slippery,
- smooth.
-Nam To smell Nam. Manipuri, Namba; Beteh Num.
-Nam A strap for Hnam.
- carrying loads
-Nau Younger brother Nau. Found in Manipuri and in many
- or sister Old Kuki dialects, sometimes Nai.
-Nem Soft Nem, also in Beteh.
-Nga Five and Fish In all Chin and Old Kuki dialects,
- Manipuri.
-Ngai To be customary Ngai; has many meanings.
-Ngoi Fishing weir Ngoi.
-Ngol Mad, foolish Ngol-tawt, obstinate,
- uncontrollable. Manipuri, Ngaoba.
-Ni Sun, day Ni. In all Chin and Old Kuki
- dialects and in Manipuri, we have.
-Ni Aunt Ni; also in most Old Kuki dialects.
-Noi To laugh Nui. Manipuri, Nokpa; Beteh, Inui.
-Nom To wish Nuam, contracted into Nom.
-Nau-shen Baby Nau-shen.
-Nu Mother, female Nu, in nearly all these dialects.
- suffix. Appears in Manipuri in Nupi, woman,
- and "I cha nupi," my child
- female--i.e., daughter. Nupi is
- especially interesting because it
- combines both the Lushai female
- suffixes Nu and Pui.
-Nunga After, behind Nunga. Most dialects very similar.
- Cf. Manipuri, Back, Namgan.
-Nunga Girl Nula.
-Ole Alligator Awle. Beteh, Ove.
-Pa Father, and male Pa, in all these dialects and
- suffix Manipuri.
-Pa-gong A widower Parol; note the change of g into r.
-Pasal A male Pasal, a husband; Pasal-tha (man
- good), a brave man, hero. The word
- is used for man in several Old Kuki
- dialects.
-Paten The creator Pathian. With very slight variations
- common to all these clans except
- Manipuris.
-Pe To give Pe. Very similar terms in all these
- dialects. Manipuri, Piba.
-Pengpulep Butterfly Phengphehlep; Beteh Phelep. The
- Lushai may be Pheng, flat; Phe-phe,
- to move; Hlep, a slice.
-Phai Level Phei.
-Pho To dry in the sun Pho. In Manipuri the word has the
- same meaning and also means paddy.
-Phung Clan Phung-chang, fellow-clansman.
-Phut To place upright Phun.
- in the ground
-Pi Grandmother Pi.
-Pi Feminine suffix Pui. Found in many Old Kuki
- for animals. dialects. In Manipuri, "bi" is the
- feminine termination of adjectives.
-Pi Suffix denoting Pui. Common in one form or other to
- great. nearly all these dialects.
-Po To carry Paw, to carry on the back.
-Pol Straw Pawl.
-Pon Cloth Puan. The word in Chin and nearly
- all Old Kuki dialects is either the
- same or very similar.
-Pu Grandfather Pu; and in Manipuri and all Chin and
- Old Kuki dialects. The word has also
- other meanings, such as maternal
- uncle.
-Pu To carry on the Puak, to carry on the back.
- shoulder. Manipuri, Puba, to carry.
-Pum Body Pum, belly. Manipuri Puk. There is a
- curious dissimilarity here in most
- Old Kuki dialects, in which Won or
- some such word is used for belly.
-Pum Raft Pum.
-Sa Animal Sa. The word is used generally for
- wild animals. In Lushai it is
- prefixed to the names of wild
- animals and to those of such
- domestic animals as are not
- indigenous. Thus, Sa-kor, a horse;
- Sa-kei, a tiger; while Kel, a goat,
- Shial, a mithan, Ui, a dog, have no
- prefix. Sa is used in the same
- manner in Manipuri--Sagol, a horse;
- Sangamba, an otter; Saji, a barking
- deer, &c. The word is found in Old
- Kuki dialects.
-Sam Hair Sam. In Manipuri, Chin, and Old
- Kuki.
-Sang Tall Shang. Manipuri, Sangba, long.
-Sang Thousand Shang. Beteh, Shang.
-Sa-ku Porcupine Sa-kuh. Manipuri, Sa-bu.
-Sanga Wild cat Sa-nghar.
-Sat To cut Shat, to chop.
-Sat Hot, of weather Sha. Manipuri, Saba.
-Sha To build Shat, to cut. As all buildings and
- bridges were originally of timber,
- building meant cutting, and a Lushai
- always says, "In ka shat," "I build
- a house." In Manipuri, Saba means to
- make or build.
-Shai Elephant Sai.
-She To say Shoi.
-Shelda Mithan Shiel, but in conjunction She;
- Shepui, full-grown cow, mithan.
-Shem To make Shiam. Manipuri, Semba.
-Shi To be cold Shik.
-Shil To wash the body Sil, to wash.
-Soi, with To converse Thu, word; Shoi, to say.
-"tu"
-Shok A slave Sal is the Lushai for a slave; but
- Suak, found in so many names,
- evidently means slave (v. Part I,
- Ch. IV, p. 6). All Old Kuki dialects
- have very similar words for slave or
- servant.
-Sum Goods Sum. This word seems only to be
- found in Langrong among Old Kuki
- dialects. In the other dialects we
- find Nenun, Nei, Neina, which
- correspond to the Lushai Nei, to
- own; or Lal or Ral. Lal in Lushai
- means chief--i.e., the rich man; Cf.
- Hausa--in Lushai, rich, and in
- Thado, a chief.
-Sunga Within Chhunga.
-Tam Many Tam. In Aimol, Chiru, Kolhen, Kom,
- and Purum, Tam is a plural suffix.
-Tangka Rupee, silver Tangka.
-Tangval A young man Tlangval.
-Tat To kill That. Manipuri, Hatpa.
-Te To be permitted; Thei, to be able.
- to be able
-Tha New Thar. Beteh, Thur.
-Thal Arrow Thal. Manipuri, Tel; Beteh, Thul.
-The Edible fruit Thei. Manipuri, Hei.
-Thi Blood Thi. Beteh, Thi; Manipuri, I.
-Thi Iron Thir.
-Thing Tree Thing. Cf. Manipuri, Sing, firewood.
-Thou Fat Thao. Cf. Manipuri, Mahau, fat,
- grease, and Thau, oil.
-Ti To die Thi. Cf. Manipuri, Si-ba.
-Ti To say Ti. In most Old Kuki dialects, The.
-Tin Finger nail, claw Tin.
-Tou A fly Tho-shi, a mosquito.
-Tui Water Tui. Ti, Tui, or Dui in all Chin and
- Old Kuki dialects. Cf. Manipuri,
- Tu-ren (Tui-len), a river.
-Tunge Nowadays Tuna, now.
-Tu Grandchild Tu. is found in this sense through
- all these dialects.
-Ve Left (direction) Vei. Manipuri, Woi.
-Vo To beat Vuak, or Vel. Aimol, Ve; Kolhen,
- Wel; Kom, Wuk; Purum, Wel; Lai
- (Haka), Vel; Siyin, Vat.
-Vok Pig Vok. Manipuri, Ok. Vok or Wok are
- found in all Chin and Old Kuki
- dialects.
-Wan The sky Van.
-Wa-phol The pied hornbill Va-pual. Va is a prefix denoting
- bird, employed as Sa is with
- animals. Wa is used in the same way
- in Thado.
-Wat Leech Vang-vat.
-Wompi Bear Sa-vom. Manipuri, Sa-wom.
-Wu To stink Uih.
-Wun Skin Vun. Manipuri, Un.
-Wut Ashes Vut. Manipuri, Ut.
-Ya-cha To be ashamed Zah-thlak, shameful.
-Yan Night Zan.
-Yeng Yellow Eng.
-Ying Dense, as jungle Zim.
-Yao To complete Zaw.
-Yu To sell Zuar.
-Yu Rice beer Zu, a word found in one form or
- other throughout the Hills.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-NOTES
-
-
-[1] 1 Lung = stone; thlan = grave; "vai" may mean "foreign" or be
-short for "vai phei," the name of an old Kuki clan.
-
-[2] Vide p. 99 of Colonel P. R. Gurdon's Monograph on the Khasi People.
-
-[3] Compare Major Playfair's The Garos, page 114, where the word
-"marang" is said to have the meaning of "unlucky" and "unlawful."
-
-[4] For a somewhat similar instance of trying to ward off cholera,
-vide Khasi Monograph, p. 35.--P. R. G.
-
-[5] "Suak" or "Suok" in most old Kuki dialects and in Thado means
-a slave.
-
-[6] Can the fear of his heirs neglecting to put up a memorial stone
-have originated the "stone hauling" customs so distinctive of Maram
-and Angami Nagas?
-
-[7] The Ralte clan is described in Part II, Chap. II.
-
-[8] See above as to windows, page 27.
-
-[9] Cf. "Manipur Festival," Folklore, Vol. XXI, No. I.
-
-[10] Compare the Synteng custom of beh-dieng-khlam.--P. R. G.
-
-[11] a is merely the masculine termination. Hrangchal-a is a man's
-name, Hrangchal-i a woman's. The terminations are often omitted when
-it is known who is meant.
-
-[12] Cf. the Purum tale of the eclipse given on p. 183.
-
-[13] At the wedding the bridegroom has to kill half the number of
-pigs that are killed by the bride's family, thus:--
-
-
-Bride's family, 5 pigs killed; the bridegroom kills 3 pigs = 8 pigs.
-Bride's family, 10 pigs killed; the bridegroom kills 5 pigs = 15 pigs.
-
-
-[14] The amount of price in these columns are all equal to one
-another in value and the bridegroom chooses only one out of each
-price according to what he has.
-
-[15] If the "Pupa" wishes for these prices to be paid he has to go to
-the bridegroom's house after the marriage (some other day) and kill a
-big pig. Then the prices have to be met quickly, or at least some of
-them, and the bridegroom also has to go to the "Pupa's" house and kill
-a pig in exchange for the pig that was killed for him. If the "Pupa"
-is dead (or when dead) his children can claim the prices in his stead.
-
-[16] The death-due upon a woman is heavier than that upon a man. The
-death-due upon a prosperous man is more than that upon a poor man.
-
-[17] Clans marked * are not dealt with in this monograph.
-
-
-
-
-
-
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-
-The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lushei Kuki Clans, by John Shakespear
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: The Lushei Kuki Clans
- J. Shakespear
-
-Author: John Shakespear
-
-Release Date: February 12, 2017 [EBook #54160]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ASCII
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project
-Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously
-made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-</pre>
-
-<div class="front">
-<div class="div1 cover"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e113width"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt=
-"Original Front Cover." width="465" height="720"></div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 frenchtitle"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first xd24e119">THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 frontispiece"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e124width" id="frontispiece"><img src=
-"images/frontispiece.jpg" alt="KH&#256;MLIANA, SAILO CHIEF" width="524"
-height="720">
-<p class="figureHead">KH&#256;MLIANA, SAILO CHIEF</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 titlepage"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e131width"><img src="images/titlepage.png" alt=
-"Original Title Page." width="426" height="720"></div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="titlePage">
-<div class="docTitle">
-<div class="mainTitle">THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS</div>
-</div>
-<div class="byline">BY<br>
-<span class="docAuthor">Lt.-COLONEL J. SHAKESPEAR</span></div>
-<div class="docImprint"><i>Published under the orders of the Government
-of Eastern Bengal and Assam</i><br>
-<i>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAP</i><br>
-MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED<br>
-ST. MARTIN&rsquo;S STREET, LONDON<br>
-<span class="docDate">1912</span></div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 copyright"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first xd24e119"><i>Copyright.</i></p>
-<p class="par xd24e119"><span class="sc">Richard Clay and Sons,
-Limited</span><br>
-BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e175" href="#xd24e175" name=
-"xd24e175">V</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 dedication"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first xd24e119">I DEDICATE THIS BOOK</p>
-<p class="par xd24e119">TO</p>
-<p class="par xd24e119">&ldquo;TH&#256;NGLIANA&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par xd24e119"><span class="sc">Lieut.-Colonel T. H.
-Lewin</span></p>
-<p class="par xd24e119">THE FRUITS OF WHOSE LABOURS I WAS
-PRIVILEGED<br>
-TO REAP, AND WHO, AFTER AN ABSENCE OF<br>
-NEARLY FORTY YEARS, IS STILL AFFECTIONATELY<br>
-REMEMBERED BY THE<br>
-LUSHAIS. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e197" href="#xd24e197" name=
-"xd24e197">VII</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="toc" class="div1 contents"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">TABLE OF CONTENTS</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#intro" id=
-"xd24e203" name="xd24e203">Introduction</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">xiii</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#biblio" id=
-"xd24e211" name="xd24e211">Bibliography</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">xvii</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#gloss" id=
-"xd24e219" name="xd24e219">Glossary</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">xix</span></p>
-<p class="par tocPart">PART I</p>
-<p class="par tocPart"><a href="#pt1">THE LUSHEI CLANS</a></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER I
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">PAGE</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1.1" id=
-"xd24e238" name="xd24e238">General</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">1</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">1. <a href="#ch1.1.1">Habitat</a>. 2.
-<a href="#ch1.1.2">Appearance and physical characteristics</a>. 3.
-<a href="#ch1.1.3">History</a>. 4. <a href="#ch1.1.4">Affinities</a>.
-5. <a href="#ch1.1.5">Dress</a>. 6. <a href="#ch1.1.6">Tattooing</a>.
-7. <a href="#ch1.1.7">Ornaments</a>. 8. <a href=
-"#ch1.1.8">Weapons</a>.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER II</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1.2" id=
-"xd24e275" name="xd24e275">Domestic Life</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">17</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">1. <a href="#ch1.2.1">Occupation</a>. 2.
-<a href="#ch1.2.2">Weights and Measures</a>. 3. <a href=
-"#ch1.2.3">Villages</a>. 4. <a href="#ch1.2.4">Houses</a>. 5. <a href=
-"#ch1.2.5">Furniture</a>. 6. <a href=
-"#ch1.2.6">Implements</a>&mdash;Agricultural, Musical, Household. 7.
-<a href="#ch1.2.7">Manufactures</a>&mdash;Basket work, Pottery, Brass
-work, Iron work, Cloth manufacture, Dyeing, Ornamentation. 8. <a href=
-"#ch1.2.8">Domestic animals</a>. 9. <a href="#ch1.2.9">Agriculture</a>.
-10. <a href="#ch1.2.10">Hunting and fishing</a>. 11. <a href=
-"#ch1.2.11">Food and drink</a>. 12. <a href=
-"#ch1.2.12">Amusements</a>&mdash;Dances, Athletics, Games.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER III</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1.3" id=
-"xd24e326" name="xd24e326">Laws and Customs</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">41</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument"><span class="corr" id="xd24e333" title=
-"Not in source">1.</span> <a href="#ch1.3.1">Internal
-structure</a>&mdash;Formation and constitution of the Clan,
-Sub-division into Families and Branches. 2. <a href="#ch1.3.2">Tribal
-organisation</a>&mdash;The Chief, Village officials, Rights of chief,
-Boi, S&#257;l, &amp;c. 3. <a href=
-"#ch1.3.3">Marriage</a>&mdash;Bride-price, Divorce, Widow remarriage.
-4. <a href="#ch1.3.4">Female chastity</a>. 5. <a href=
-"#ch1.3.5">Inheritance</a>&mdash;Adoption. 6. <a href=
-"#ch1.3.6">Offences regarding property</a>. 7. <a href=
-"#ch1.3.7">Offences connected with the body</a>. 8. <a href=
-"#ch1.3.8">Decisions of disputes</a>. 9. <a href="#ch1.3.9">War and
-head-hunting</a>&mdash;Ambushing, Raiding, First use of guns,
-Head-hunting. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e363" href="#xd24e363"
-name="xd24e363">VIII</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER IV</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1.4" id=
-"xd24e368" name="xd24e368">Religion</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">61</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">1. <a href="#ch1.4.1">General form of
-religious beliefs</a>&mdash;Pathian the Creator, Other spirits, The
-world beyond the grave, Re-incarnation. 2. <a href="#ch1.4.2">Ancestor
-worship</a>&mdash;Offerings to the dead, Possession by spirit of the
-dead. 3. <a href="#ch1.4.3">Worship of natural forces and
-deities</a>&mdash;Spirits of hill, vale, and stream, The L&#257;shi. 4.
-<a href="#ch1.4.4">Religious rites and ceremonies</a>&mdash;Definitions
-of terms used, Sacrifices, Epidemics, &ldquo;Ai&rdquo; sacrifice. 5.
-<a href="#ch1.4.5">Priesthood</a>. 6. <a href="#ch1.4.6">Ceremonies
-connected with childbirth</a>. 7. <a href="#ch1.4.7">Marriage
-ceremonies</a>. 8. <a href="#ch1.4.8">Funerals</a>&mdash;Description,
-Disposal of corpse of infants, Lukawng, Unnatural deaths. 9. <a href=
-"#ch1.4.9">Festivals</a>&mdash;Connected with crops,
-&ldquo;Th&#257;ngchhuah feasts,&rdquo; &ldquo;Buh-ai.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER V</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1.5" id=
-"xd24e408" name="xd24e408">Folk-lore</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">92</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">1. <a href=
-"#ch1.5.1">Legends</a>&mdash;Creation and natural phenomena,
-Nomenclature of hills, &amp;c., Animal tales, Mythical heroes. 2.
-<a href="#ch1.5.2">Superstitions</a>&mdash;Connected with cultivation,
-with animals, house building, miscellaneous. 3. <a href=
-"#ch1.5.3">Snake worship</a>&mdash;&ldquo;Rulpui,&rdquo; &ldquo;The
-great snake,&rdquo; Other superstitions regarding snakes. 4. <a href=
-"#ch1.5.4">Omens</a>. 5. <a href=
-"#ch1.5.5">Witchcraft</a>&mdash;&ldquo;Khuavang zawl,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;Khawhring,&rdquo; Origin of.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER VI.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1.6" id=
-"xd24e436" name="xd24e436">Language</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">113</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">Lushai or Dulien, Grammar, Word for word
-translation.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">APPENDIX</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#app" id="xd24e448"
-name="xd24e448">Families and Branches of Lushei Clan</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">125</span></p>
-<p class="par tocPart">PART II</p>
-<p class="par tocPart"><a href="#pt2">THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS</a></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">INTRODUCTORY</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#intro2" id=
-"xd24e464" name="xd24e464">Division of Clans into Five
-Groups</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">129</span> <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e470" href=
-"#xd24e470" name="xd24e470">IX</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER I</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2.1" id=
-"xd24e475" name="xd24e475">Clans included in the term Lushai</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">130</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">Chawte, Chongthu, Hn&#257;mte, Kawlni,
-Kawlhring, Kiangte, Ngente, Paotu, Rentlei, V&#257;ngchhia,
-Zawngte.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER II</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2.2" id=
-"xd24e488" name="xd24e488">Clans which, though not absorbed, have been
-much influenced by the Lushais</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">136</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">Fanai, Ralte, Paihte or Vuite, Rangte.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER III</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2.3" id=
-"xd24e500" name="xd24e500">The old Kuki Clans</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">148</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">The old Kuki Clans of Manipur, Aimol, Anal,
-Chawte, Chiru, Kolhen, Kom, Lamgang, Purum, Tikhup, Vaiphei. Other old
-Kuki Clans, Khawtlang and Khawchhak.</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER IV</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2.4" id=
-"xd24e512" name="xd24e512">The Thado Clan</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">189</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER V</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2.5" id=
-"xd24e522" name="xd24e522">The Lakher or Mara Clan</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">213</span></p>
-<p class="par tocChapter">CHAPTER VI</p>
-<p class="par tocChapter"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2.6" id=
-"xd24e533" name="xd24e533">Language</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">225</span></p>
-<p class="par tocArgument">Resemblances between languages of clans,
-Change of certain letters, Comparative vocabulary. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="xd24e541" href="#xd24e541" name=
-"xd24e541">XI</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 contents"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
-<ul>
-<li>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">PAGE</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#frontispiece">Kh&#257;mliana, Sailo
-Chief</a></span> (<i>Coloured Plate</i>)
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><i>Frontispiece</i></span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p010">Lushai Weapons, Ornaments,
-&amp;c</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">10</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p012">Lushai Men&rsquo;s Hair
-Ornaments</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><i>To face</i> 12</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p022">Zawlbuk, or Young Men&rsquo;s
-House</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 22</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p026">Plan of a Lushai&rsquo;s
-House</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">26</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p032">A Rest by the Way&mdash;on the Way
-to the Jhums. Lushais and Pois</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="tocPageNum"><i>To
-face</i> 32</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p033">Lushais Threshing Rice</a></span>
-(<i>Coloured Plate</i>) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
-<span class="tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 33</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p044">Zataia, Sailo Chief and
-Family</a></span> (<i>Coloured Plate</i>)
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 44</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p053">Lushai Girls</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 53</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p063">Copy of a Map of the Route to
-Mi-thi-khua, drawn by a Lushai</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">63</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p065">Khwatlang Posts Erected to
-Commemorate the Slaying of Mithans at a Feast</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="tocPageNum"><i>To
-face</i> 65</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p090">Chief&rsquo;s House showing
-&ldquo;She lu Pun,&rdquo; the Posts Supporting the Skulls of Mithan
-Killed at One of the Feasts</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="tocPageNum"><i>To
-face</i> 90</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p110">Cane Suspension Bridge</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 110</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p136">F&#257;nai</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 136</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p140">Memorial Stone in Champhai, Known
-as Mangkhaia, Lungdawr</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
-<span class="tocPageNum"><i>To face</i> 140</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p147-1">Vuite Memorial</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 147</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p147-2">Rangte Grave</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 147</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p152">Aimol Nautch Party. The Youth is
-Holding a Rotchem</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
-<span class="tocPageNum"><i>To face</i> 152</span><span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="xd24e723" href="#xd24e723" name=
-"xd24e723">XII</a>]</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p184">Heads of Kuki Clans</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="tocPageNum"><i>To
-face</i> 184</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p206-1">Memorial to a Man who has
-Performed the Ai of a Tiger</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum">206</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p206-2">Memorial to a Woman who has
-Performed the Buh Ai</a></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
-<span class="tocPageNum">206</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p215">Lakher Chief and Family</a></span>
-(<i>Coloured Plate</i>) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
-<span class="tocPageNum"><i>To face</i> 215</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#p223">Lakher Baskets</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=
-"tocPageNum"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>To</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s"><i>face</i></span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span> 223</span></li>
-<li><span class="sc"><a href="#map">Map</a></span>
-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="tocPageNum"><i>At end
-of Volume</i></span></li>
-</ul>
-<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e778" href="#xd24e778" name=
-"xd24e778">XIII</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="intro" class="div1 introduction"><span class=
-"pagenum">[<a href="#xd24e203">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">INTRODUCTION</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">This monograph was originally intended to deal
-only with the inhabitants of the Lushai Hills, but on my transfer to
-Manipur, I found so many clans living in the hill tracts of that
-curious little state that I suggested that the scope of the monograph
-might be enlarged to include all clans of the Kuki race as well.</p>
-<p class="par">This term Kuki, like Naga, Chin, Shendu, and many
-others, is not recognised by the people to whom we apply it, and I will
-not attempt to give its derivation, but it has come to have a fairly
-definite meaning, and we now understand by it certain closely allied
-clans, with well marked characteristics, belonging to the Tibeto-Burman
-stock. On the Chittagong border the term is loosely applied to most of
-the inhabitants of the interior hills beyond the Chittagong Hill
-tracts; in Cachar it generally means some family of the Thado or
-Khawtlang clan, locally distinguished as New and Old Kukis. In the
-Lushai Hills nowadays the term is hardly ever employed, having been
-superseded by Lushai. In the Chin Hills and generally on the Burma
-border all these clans are called Chins.</p>
-<p class="par">The term Lushai, as we now understand it, covers a great
-many clans; it is the result of incorrect transliteration of the word
-Lushei, which is the name of the clan, which, under various chiefs of
-the Thangur family, came into prominence in the eighteenth century and
-was responsible for the eruption into Cachar of Old Kukis at the end of
-that century and of the New Kukis half a century later.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lusheis, however, did not eject all the clans they
-came in contact with, many of them they absorbed, and these now
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e790" href="#xd24e790" name=
-"xd24e790">XIV</a>]</span>form the bulk of the subjects of the Thangur
-chiefs. In this monograph Lushai is used in this wider sense, Lushei
-being used only for the clan of that name. Among the people themselves
-the Lusheis are sometimes spoken of as Dulian, at the derivation of
-which I will hazard no guess, and the general population of the hills
-is spoken of as Mi-zo. Among inhabitants of the Lushai Hills are found
-a very considerable number of immigrants, or descendants of immigrants
-from the Chin Hills, who are found living among the Lushais under the
-Thangur Chiefs or in villages under their own chiefs. I have made no
-attempt to deal with these, as their proper place is the Chin Hills
-monograph, and Messrs. Carey and Tuck have already described them very
-fully in their Chin Hills Gazetteer.</p>
-<p class="par">I am conscious that there are many omissions in this
-book; the subject is a very wide one and the difficulty of getting at
-the facts from so many different clans, each speaking a different
-dialect and scattered over an area of about 25,000 square miles is
-extremely great. I trust therefore that my readers will excuse all
-shortcomings.</p>
-<p class="par">I have purposely avoided enunciating any theories and
-making deductions, considering it wiser to limit myself to as accurate
-a description as possible of the people, their habits, customs and
-beliefs. Regarding the affinities between the clans dealt with in this
-monograph and those described in the other books of the series, I
-venture to express a hope that the subject may be dealt with by some
-competent authority when the whole series has been published; until
-this is done no finality will be reached. It would be easy to fill
-several pages with points of resemblance between the different clans.
-Major Playfair, in his account of the Garos, has pointed out many ways
-in which the subjects of his monograph resemble the inhabitants of the
-Naga Hills, but reading his book I find many more in which they are
-like the clans I am dealing with. Sir Charles Lyall has drawn attention
-to the evident connection between the Mikirs and the Kuki-Chin group; I
-venture to think that a study of the following pages will confirm his
-theory. I may mention here that the main incidents of the &ldquo;Tale
-of a Frog&rdquo; given by Sir Charles are found not only in
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e796" href="#xd24e796" name=
-"xd24e796">XV</a>]</span>the folk-lore of the Aimol, as he has pointed
-out, but also among the Lushais, a very similar story having been
-recorded by Colonel Lewin in Demagri, 250 miles in an air line from the
-Mikir hills, and published in his Progressive Colloquial exercises in
-the Lushai dialect in 1874.</p>
-<p class="par">My best thanks are due to Lt.-Colonel Cole, Major
-Playfair, and Mr. Little, P.W.D., for many of the photographs, and
-especially to my wife, my companion for many years in these hills, for
-the four coloured illustrations.</p>
-<p class="par">I am also indebted to Rev. W. K. Firminger for
-correcting the second proofs and making the index. I must also
-acknowledge the assistance I received from many Lushais and others,
-notably Hr&#257;ngzora Chuprasie of Aigal and P&#257;thong, interpreter
-of Manipur.</p>
-<p class="par signed">J. SHAKESPEAR.</p>
-<p class="par dateline">Imphal, Manipur State.</p>
-<p class="par dateline"><i>September 12th, 1910.</i> <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="xd24e811" href="#xd24e811" name=
-"xd24e811">XVII</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="biblio" class="div1 bibliography"><span class=
-"pagenum">[<a href="#xd24e211">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">BIBLIOGRAPHY</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="sc">McCulloch, Major W.</span>
-&ldquo;Account of the Valley of Manipore and the Hill tribes; with a
-comparative vocabulary of the Manipore and other languages.&rdquo;
-Calcutta, 1859. Selections from the Records of the Government of India
-(For. Dept.) XXVII</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">This is a most valuable book, full of useful
-information as regards all the Hill tribes of Manipur. I have made use
-of it freely in Part II., but space did not allow of my extracting all
-that I should have liked to reproduce. It would be well worth while to
-reprint this book, with notes bringing it up to date.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Stewart, Lieutenant R.</span>
-&ldquo;Notes on Northern Cachar. Journal of the Asiatic Society of
-Bengal,&rdquo; Vol. XXIV, 1855.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">Another most valuable book, as regard Thados and
-Old Kukis, which would well repay reprinting. Both these books contain
-comparative vocabularies.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Lewin, Captain Thomas Herbert.</span>
-&ldquo;Progressive Colloquial Exercises in the Lushai Dialect of the
-&lsquo;Dzo&rsquo; or Kuki Language, with vocabularies and popular
-tales. (Notated.)<span class="corr" id="xd24e836" title=
-"Not in source">&rdquo;</span> Calcutta, 1874.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">One of these tales is reproduced in Part II. The
-tales are well translated, but the Lushai is transliterated in a manner
-now out of date. The notes are as excellent as one would expect from a
-writer who certainly knew more of the Lushai than anyone else at that
-time, and who was more admired by them than any other white man has
-ever been.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">By the same Author.</span> &ldquo;The
-Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers therein.&rdquo; Calcutta,
-1869.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">A most fascinating book, full of information,
-expressed in good English. Pages 98 to 118 deal with Lushais and
-Shendus, <i>i.e.</i> Lakhers.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">By the same Author.</span> &ldquo;A fly
-on the wheel: or how I helped to govern India.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">The portion concerning the Author&rsquo;s life
-among the Lushais is full of interest, and his word pictures of the
-scenery and life among the people, for &ldquo;Thangliana&rdquo; as he
-was called really did live among the people, sharing their food even,
-are accurate and graphic. To few Europeans is the power given to mix
-thus with such savages and yet retain their respect. I once heard a
-Lushai&rsquo;s comment on a young officer who with the best of
-intentions tried to imitate the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e861"
-href="#xd24e861" name="xd24e861">XVIII</a>]</span>great
-&ldquo;Thangliana.&rdquo; A friend asked him what he thought of
-So-and-So, the reply being: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what sort of man
-he is, all I know is, that he cannot be a sahib to live as he
-does.&rdquo;</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Carey, Bertram S.</span> and
-<span class="sc">H. N. Tuck</span>. &ldquo;The Chin hills: A History of
-the People, their Customs and Manners, and our Dealings with them, and
-a Gazetteer of their Country.&rdquo; Rangoon, 1896.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">A model of what such a book should be. The
-illustrations are particularly good. The Lushais and Thados are only
-touched. Much of the matter referring to the Haka and Klang-Klang Chins
-is applicable to the Lakhers.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Lorrain, Herbert J.</span>, and
-<span class="sc">Fred W. Savidge</span>. &ldquo;Grammar and Dictionary
-of the Lushai Language.&rdquo; Shillong, 1898.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">A very complete and accurate work. Unfortunately
-the standard system of transliteration has not been entirely adhered
-to.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Soppitt, C. A.</span> &ldquo;A short
-account of the Kuki-Lushai tribes on the North-East Frontier Districts:
-Cachar, Sylhet, Naga Hills, &amp;c., and the North Cachar
-Hills.<span class="corr" id="xd24e890" title=
-"Not in source">&rdquo;</span> Shillong, 1887.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">I believe this is a useful accurate work, but have
-not been able to obtain it.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Sneyd-Hutchinson, R.</span>
-&ldquo;Gazetteer of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">As regards Lushais there is not much of value, as
-they are beyond the scope of the work, but few being found in the Hill
-Tracts.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Besides the above there are notes in the Census Reports
-of 1891 and 1901, various military publications and gazetteers by Mr.
-A. W. Davis, I.C.S., and Mr. B. C. Allen, I.C.S., all of which contain
-a certain amount of useful information, but do not pretend to be more
-than notes giving succinctly the knowledge then obtained of what was
-then practically new ground. Colonel Woodthorpe&rsquo;s account of the
-Silchar columns&rsquo; march to Champhai, though not professing to be
-an account of the people, is interesting reading. Round Champhai I met
-several men who had been there when the column arrived, and they all
-remember the little sahib who drew pictures; and would sit long looking
-at the pictures in his book and chatting to each other of the good old
-days.</p>
-<div class="blockquote">
-<p class="par first">[<span class="sc">Note.</span>&mdash;On p. 6 of
-the present work the Author refers to a passage in Lewin&rsquo;s
-<i>Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers therein</i>, in which is
-cited an account of &ldquo;the Cucis or inhabitants of the Tipperah
-Mountains written by J. Rennel, Chief Engineer of Bengal in
-1800.&rdquo; In reading through the proofs of the present work, it
-occurred to me that it would be important to discover whether the
-&ldquo;J. Rennel&rdquo; referred to by Lewin was or was not the famous
-Major James Rennell, Surveyer-General of Bengal, who is so often
-described as &ldquo;the Father of Modern Geography.&rdquo; Major
-Rennell with his wife (<i>n&eacute;e</i> Jane Thackeray&mdash;a great
-aunt of the novelist W. M. Thackeray) left Bengal in March, 1777, and
-reached England in February 1778. He died on March 29, 1830. It seemed
-to me possible that the great Rennell might have obtained the
-information about the Kukis during his period of service in East
-Bengal, and that he might have published a memoir on the subject in
-1800. Mr. W. Foster of the Record Department of the India Office very
-kindly informed me that no such a memoir could be traced at Whitehall,
-and drew <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e919" href="#xd24e919" name=
-"xd24e919">XIX</a>]</span>my attention to Lewin&rsquo;s heading of the
-memoir, &ldquo;From the French of M. Bouchesiche, who translated the
-original from the English of J. Rennel, Chief Engineer of Bengal....
-Published at Leipsic in 1800.&rdquo; Mr. Edward Heawood, Librarian of
-the Royal Geographical Society, to whom I am indebted for much trouble
-taken in satisfying my curiosity, informed me that Bouchesiche gave
-what purported to be an extract, translated into French, from
-Rennell&rsquo;s well-known work on India, and that the
-Frenchman&rsquo;s book was printed in Paris in 1800, although there may
-perhaps have been a Leipzig issue also. The account of the Kukis given
-in Bouchesiche&rsquo;s work, however, is not taken from any known work
-by James Rennell. Dalton in his <i>Ethnology of Bengal</i> refers to
-what has been supposed to be the earliest account of the Kukis&mdash;a
-memoir by Surgeon McCrea, which appeared in 1799 in Volume vii of
-<i>Asiatic Researches</i>. Mr. Heawood most kindly hunted up
-McCrea&rsquo;s memoir, and found in it a reference to a memoir which
-appeared in Volume ii of <i>Asiatic Researches</i>, 1790. The title of
-the memoir of 1790 runs &ldquo;On the Manners, Religion, and Laws of
-the Cucis, or Mountaineers of Tipra.... Communicated in Persian by John
-Rawlins, Esq.&rdquo; On investigation, Mr. Heawood found that the
-Memoir of 1790 is undoubtedly the original from which Bouchesiche drew
-his account in French, and of this the account, attributed to &ldquo;J.
-Rennel&rdquo; by Colonel Lewin, is a rough paraphrase. <i>Note by the
-Rev. Walter K. Firminger.</i>]</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd24e935" href="#xd24e935"
-name="xd24e935">XXI</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="gloss" class="div1 glossary"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e219">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">GLOSSARY</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><i>Only the terms which occur often are
-given.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Ai.&mdash;A ceremony performed to propitiate the spirit
-of an animal killed in the chase, or of a human being killed in war.
-The performer&rsquo;s spirit will own the spirit of person or animal
-killed in the next world. The term is also used for a ceremony
-performed to celebrate a particularly good crop&mdash;Buh-Ai, or
-Buh-za-ai.</p>
-<p class="par">Boi.&mdash;Persons who have taken refuge in the
-chief&rsquo;s house.</p>
-<p class="par">Dai-bawl.&mdash;A series of sacrifices to the demons of
-the hills, &amp;c.</p>
-<p class="par">Hlam-zuih.&mdash;Lushai. A first-born child that dies
-within a year of its birth and is buried without any ceremony.</p>
-<p class="par">Hrilh.&mdash;A period during which no work must be done,
-after a sacrifice, closely resembling the Naga genna.</p>
-<p class="par">Huai.&mdash;Lushai. Demons who cause sickness.</p>
-<p class="par">Jhum.&mdash;A piece of land on which the jungle has been
-felled and burnt for cultivation.</p>
-<p class="par">Kawhring.&mdash;A person whose spirit takes possession
-of another&rsquo;s body, the spirit of such a person.</p>
-<p class="par">Kh&#257;l.&mdash;A series of sacrifices to the demons of
-the village site, only performed by Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">Khuavang.&mdash;Lushai. A powerful spirit, sometimes
-used for &ldquo;luck.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">Kum-ai.&mdash;Children&rsquo;s sleeping platform.</p>
-<p class="par">Kum-pui.&mdash;Parent&rsquo;s sleeping platform.</p>
-<p class="par">Kut.&mdash;Lushai. Festivals connected with the
-crops.</p>
-<p class="par">Lal.&mdash;Lushai. Chief.</p>
-<p class="par">Lashi.&mdash;Lushai. Mythical beings who control wild
-animals. Known also to Aimol and Vaiphei.</p>
-<p class="par">Mi-thi-khua.&mdash;&ldquo;Dead men&rsquo;s
-village.&rdquo; Expression used by all clans for the place of departed
-souls.</p>
-<p class="par">Mi-thi-rawp-lam.&mdash;A feast in honour of the
-dead.</p>
-<p class="par">Palal.&mdash;A man who receives part of the bride-price,
-and acts as trustee to the bride.</p>
-<p class="par">Pathian.&mdash;Lushai. The Creator. Very similar names
-are used by all the clans dealt with. <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"xd24e982" href="#xd24e982" name="xd24e982">XXII</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Pial-ral.&mdash;Lushai. The land beyond the Pial river,
-in the abode of the dead, to which the spirits of those who have
-acquired merit pass.</p>
-<p class="par">Pu.&mdash;A word used in most dialects, meaning
-grandfather, maternal uncle, and other relations on mother&rsquo;s or
-wife&rsquo;s side. It is also used for a person specially chosen as a
-protector or guardian.</p>
-<p class="par">Pui-thiam.&mdash;Lushai. Sorcerer, priest and medicine
-man.</p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;mhual.&mdash;Lushai. Chief&rsquo;s adviser as to
-distribution of jhums.</p>
-<p class="par">Rem-Ar.&mdash;The cock killed on occasion of a
-marriage.</p>
-<p class="par">Rotchem.&mdash;Mouth organ made of a gourd and
-reeds.</p>
-<p class="par">Sakhua.&mdash;Lushai. The guardian spirit of the
-household and the sacrifice performed to him.</p>
-<p class="par">Sawn-man.&mdash;Compensation payable to a father for
-seduction of an unmarried girl.</p>
-<p class="par">Sherh.&mdash;Lushai. The portions of the sacrificed
-animal which are offered to the demon. Also the state of a house for a
-period after the performing of certain sacrifices, during which the
-entrance of outsiders is prohibited.</p>
-<p class="par">Thangchhuah.&mdash;Lushai. A man who has given a series
-of feasts to his village. The expression is also used for the series of
-feasts. Honour in this world and comfort in the next are the reward of
-the Thangchhuah.</p>
-<p class="par">Thian.&mdash;A woman who receives part of the
-bride-price, and acts as friend or trustee to the bride.</p>
-<p class="par">Thir-deng.&mdash;Lushai. Blacksmith.</p>
-<p class="par">Tlangau.&mdash;Lushai. Chief&rsquo;s crier.</p>
-<p class="par">Upa.&mdash;Lushai. Chief&rsquo;s minister.</p>
-<p class="par">Zawlbuk.&mdash;Bachelor&rsquo;s hall and guest
-house.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="body">
-<div id="pt1" class="div0 part">
-<h2 class="super">THE LUSHEI KUKI CLANS</h2>
-<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb1" href="#pb1" name=
-"pb1">1</a>]</span></p>
-<h2 class="main">THE LUSHEI CLANS</h2>
-<h2 class="label">PART I</h2>
-<div id="ch1.1" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e238">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER I</h2>
-<h2 class="main">GENERAL</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.1">1.
-Habitat<span class="corr" id="xd24e1033" title=
-"Not in source">.</span></span> The Lushei chiefs now rule over the
-country between the Kurnaphuli river and its main tributary, the
-Tuilianpui on the west, and the Tyao and Koladyne river on the east,
-while their southern boundary is roughly a line drawn east and west
-through the junction of the Mat and Koladyne rivers and their most
-northerly villages are found on the borders of the Silchar district.
-Within this area, roughly 7,500 square miles, there are only a few
-villages ruled over by chiefs of other clans, and outside it there are
-but few true Lushei villages, though I am told that there are villages
-of people very closely connected with the Lusheis, on the southern
-borders of Sylhet, in Tipperah and in the North Cachar Hills, and there
-are a few in the Chittagong Hill tracts.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.2">2. Appearance and
-physical characteristics.</span> All the Lushai Kuki clans resemble
-each other very closely in appearance and the Mongolian type of
-countenance prevails. One meets, however, many exceptions, which may be
-due to the foreign blood introduced by the many captives taken from the
-plains and from neighbouring tribes; but these are not worth
-considering, and the description of the Kuki written by Lt. Stewart
-close on 80 years ago cannot be improved on. &ldquo;The Kukis are a
-short, sturdy race of men with a goodly development of muscle. Their
-legs are, generally speaking, short in comparison with the length of
-their bodies, and their arms long. The face is nearly as broad as it is
-long and is generally round or square, the <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb2" href="#pb2" name="pb2">2</a>]</span>cheek bones
-high, broad and prominent, eyes small and almond-shaped, the nose short
-and flat, with wide nostrils. The women appear more squat than the men
-even, but are strong and lusty.&rdquo; In Lushai clans both sexes are
-as a rule rather slighter made than among the Thado and cognate clans,
-whom Lt. Stewart was describing. Adopting the scale given in the
-handbook of the Anthropological Institute, the colour of the skin
-varies between dark yellow-brown, dark olive, copper-coloured and
-yellow olive. Beards and whiskers are almost unknown, and a Lushai,
-even when able to grow a moustache, which is not often, pulls out all
-the hairs except those at the corners of his mouth. The few persons
-with hairy faces may, I think, be safely said to be of impure
-blood.</p>
-<p class="par">The hair is worn, by both sexes, in a knot over the nape
-of the neck, and carefully parted in the middle. The young folk of
-about the marrying age devote much care to their hair, dressing it
-daily with much pigs&rsquo; fat. Later in life they grow careless, and
-widows allow their hair to hang as it chooses. Children&rsquo;s hair is
-left to grow as it likes till it is long enough to tie up. Curly hair
-or hair with a pronounced wave in it is uncommon, and is much objected
-to.</p>
-<p class="par">The women are prolific, five to seven children being
-about the average, but the mortality among the children is so great
-that few parents can boast of more than two or three grown up
-children.</p>
-<p class="par">Both men and women are good walkers and hill-climbers,
-which is only natural, but for a race which lives exclusively on the
-hilltops the number of good swimmers is very large. Most men are not
-afraid of the water, and manage rafts very skilfully, making long
-journeys on them in the rains.</p>
-<p class="par">Abortion is not infrequently resorted to when a widow
-who is living in her late husband&rsquo;s house, and therefore, as
-described later, expected to remain chaste, finds herself enceinte.
-Suicide is also rather common, poison being the usual means chosen. The
-cause is generally some painful and incurable disease, but very old
-persons with no one to support them sometimes prefer the unknown future
-to the miserable present.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.3">3. History.</span>
-The existing Lushei Chiefs all claim descent from a certain Thang-ura,
-who is sometimes said to <a id="xd24e1054" name="xd24e1054"></a>have
-sprung from the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb3" href="#pb3" name=
-"pb3">3</a>]</span>union of a Burman with a Paihte woman, but,
-according to the Paihtes, the Lusheis are descended from Boklua, an
-illegitimate son of the Paihte Chief Ngehguka. The Thados say that some
-hunters tracking a serao noticed the foot-marks of a child following
-those of the animal, and on surrounding the doe serao they found it
-suckling a child, who became the great Chief Thang-ura, or, as they
-call him, &ldquo;Thangul.&rdquo; From Thang-ura the pedigree of all the
-living chiefs is fairly accurately established. The Lusheis, in common
-with the Thados and other Kuki tribes, attach great importance to their
-genealogies; and pedigrees, given at an interval of many years, and by
-persons living far apart, have been found to agree in a wonderful
-manner. From comparison of these genealogies and from careful enquiries
-lasting over many years, I estimate that Thang-ura must have lived
-early in the eighteenth century. His first village is said to have been
-at Tlangkua, north of Falam. It is probable that he personally ruled
-over only a small area. From him sprang six lines of Thang-ur
-chiefs:&mdash;(1) Rokum, (2) Z&#257;deng, (3) Thangluah, (4) Pallian,
-(5) Rivung, and (6) Sailo. To the north the country was occupied by the
-Sukte, Paihte, and Thado clans. These appear to have been firmly
-established under regular chiefs; but to the west the hills appear to
-have been inhabited by small communities formed largely of blood
-relations and probably each at feud with its neighbours. Therefore when
-want of good jhuming land and the aggressions of the eastern clans made
-it necessary for the Thang-ur to move, they naturally went westward.
-The Rokum, the eldest branch, are said to have passed through the hills
-now occupied by the Lushais, and some of their descendants are said to
-be found on the Tipperah-Sylhet border. The Z&#257;deng followed the
-Rokum, and, passing through Champhai, moved westwards and about 1830
-ruled some 1,000 houses divided into four villages situated near the
-banks of the Tlong or Dallesari river, round the Darlung peak. In
-alliance with Sailo chiefs of Lalul&rsquo;s family, they attacked and
-defeated successively the Hualgno (a Lushei family settled between Tyao
-and Manipur rivers) and the Pallian, who were their allies against the
-Hualgno. Subsequently the Z&#257;deng quarrelled with Mangpura, then
-the most powerful Sailo chief, who, dying about <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb4" href="#pb4" name="pb4">4</a>]</span>that time,
-bequeathed the feud to his relatives, one of whom, Vutaia, prosecuted
-it with such vigour that the Z&#257;deng, in spite of an alliance with
-the Manipur Rajah&mdash;who, however, proved but a broken
-reed&mdash;had to flee southwards, and their last independent village,
-numbering only 100 houses, broke up on the death of the chief, which
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e1060" title=
-"Source: occured">occurred</span> at Chengpui, near Lungleh, about
-1857. The Z&#257;deng chiefs are reputed to have been cruel and
-arbitrary rulers, whose defeat was not regretted even by their own
-followers. Their descendants have retained these qualities, and, in
-spite of much assistance, have failed to regain their position in the
-world.</p>
-<p class="par">The Thangluah and Rivung took a more southerly course.
-The latter penetrated into what is now the Chittagong Hill tracts, and
-a chief named Vanhnuai-Thanga had a very large village on the Longteroi
-hill, between the Chengri and Kassalong rivers. He died about 1850, and
-shortly after his death the village was destroyed by Vutaia. The
-remnant of the Rivungs fled to Hill Tipperah, where Liantlura, a
-great-grandson of Vanhnuai-Thanga, had a village up till a few years
-ago, and there is one small hamlet under a Rivung chief in the Aijal
-sub-division of the Lushai Hills.</p>
-<p class="par">The Thangluah penetrated as far as Demagri and Barkhul,
-where Rothangpuia (Ruttonpoia) became known to us, first as a foe, and
-then as a faithful ally. Rothangpuia&rsquo;s son Lalchheva, fretting at
-our control, moved his village across our boundary, in spite of a
-warning that Government could on no account protect him if he did so.
-Very shortly after this move he was attacked by Haus&#257;ta, a Chin
-chief, and his village totally destroyed, many persons being killed and
-more taken captive. All the mithan (tame bison) were driven off and the
-chief escaped with little more than the one cloth he was wearing, and
-now the once prosperous Thangluah clan is represented by only a few
-poverty-stricken hamlets round Demagri.</p>
-<p class="par">The Pallian followed the same route as the <span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e1070" title="Source: Zadeng">Z&#257;deng</span>. The
-best known chiefs of this clan are Sibuta (Sheeboot) and Lalsuktla
-(Lalchokla). Sibuta is said in Mackenzie&rsquo;s &ldquo;Eastern
-Frontier&rdquo; to have thrown off the Tipperah yoke with 25,000
-houses. He died close to Aijal, and his memorial stone is at the first
-stage on the Aijal-Lungleh road. It is extremely <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb5" href="#pb5" name="pb5">5</a>]</span>doubtful
-whether he ever was really subject to Tipperah, though it is certain
-that all these Lushai clans had dealings with the Tipperah Rajahs and
-feared them greatly. Among the tales in <a href="#ch1.5">Chapter V</a>.
-will be found one which exemplifies this.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Lalsuktla</i> (Lal chokla), captured by Captain
-Blackwood in 1841, was a <span class="corr" id="xd24e1082" title=
-"Source: greatgrandson">great-grandson</span> of Sibuta&rsquo;s.
-<i>Purbura</i> is said to have been a very powerful Pallian chief and
-at one time to have received tribute from almost all his contemporary
-Thangur chiefs. He had a large village, said to contain 3,000 houses,
-on the Dungtlang, whence he moved as far westwards as Pukzing, where
-his village was destroyed by a combined force of Z&#257;deng, Sailo,
-and Chuckmahs. This attack took place somewhere about 1830. Purbura
-rebuilt his village, but died soon after, and his descendants were
-attacked frequently by the chiefs of the Rolura branch of the Sailo
-family, and now only two small hamlets, close to Aijal, remain to
-remind us of this once powerful clan.</p>
-<p class="par">The <i>Sailo</i>.&mdash;These chiefs are descended from
-Sailova, a great-grandson of Thang-ura&rsquo;s. They came into
-prominence last, but have crushed all their rivals, and have developed
-such a talent for governing that they hold undisputed sway over
-representatives of all sorts of clans, over nearly the whole of the
-area now known as the Lushai Hills.</p>
-<p class="par">This great family has often come in contact with the
-British Government, but from the fact that our dealings with them have
-generally been through illiterate interpreters, they appear in our
-records under various names. The Howlongs, who caused much anxiety on
-the Chittagong frontier from 1860 to 1890, Lalul&rsquo;s descendants,
-whose doings fill the records of Silchar for nearly a century, Vonolel,
-Savunga, and Sangvunga, against whom the two columns of the Lushai
-Expedition of 1871&ndash;72 were directed&mdash;all these were
-Sailos.</p>
-<p class="par">As above remarked, it seems most probable that the
-country into which the various Thangur chiefs moved, under pressure
-from the Chins, was almost entirely occupied by small communities
-having no power of cohesion. The greater part of these were absorbed,
-and now form the majority of the subjects of the Thangur chiefs; but
-some fled north and west into Manipur, Silchar, Sylhet and Tipperah,
-where they are <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb6" href="#pb6" name=
-"pb6">6</a>]</span>known as Kukis and where their appearance caused
-much trouble, as, from the very nature of the cause of their migration,
-much ill-feeling existed between them and the triumphant Lushais. In
-Stewart&rsquo;s notes on Northern Cachar, it is stated that the Old
-Kukis made their appearance in Cachar about the end of the eighteenth
-century. These Old Kukis include the Biate (Beteh) and Hrangchul
-(Rhangkol) and other cognate clans who are now known to us as
-Khawtlang. They claim the hills round Champhai as their place of
-origin, and the sites are still known by their names. We have seen that
-the Lusheis claim to have sprung from a village south-east of Champhai,
-and that the Z&#257;deng passed through Champhai on their westward
-move, which ended so disastrously for them. The advance of such tribes
-would be slow, and would be largely regulated by the rate at which they
-exhausted the cultivable land near their village sites; therefore the
-appearance of the Biate and Hrangchul in Cachar at the beginning of the
-nineteenth or end of the eighteenth century fits in well with the date
-I had assigned for Thang-ura, the first Lushei chief, before I had read
-Lieutenant Stewart&rsquo;s book. These Khawtlang clans to this day have
-little power of cohesion, and they naturally gave way at once before
-the well-organised Lushais, and fled north and north-west into Cachar
-and Manipur, passing through the territory of the Thado clans and
-suffering considerably at their hands. When the Thangur had firmly
-established themselves, and the capable Sailo chiefs had come to the
-front, they felt equal to fighting the Thado clans, which were as
-highly organised as themselves. The Sailo chiefs triumphed, and hence
-the eruption of the New Kukis, alias Thados, and cognate clans, into
-Silchar about 1848.</p>
-<p class="par">In Colonel Lewin&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Hill Tracts of
-Chittagong and the Dwellers Therein,&rdquo; page 109, is given an
-account of the &ldquo;Cucis or inhabitants of the Tipperah
-mountains,&rdquo; written by J. Rennel, Chief Engineer of Bengal in
-1800. With very slight alterations, this account is applicable to the
-Lushais of to-day, and I have no doubt that the Cucis therein described
-were the Rivung, the advance-guard of the great Lushai invasion.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb7" href="#pb7" name=
-"pb7">7</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">On the Chittagong side, we find, as early as 1777,
-records of frontier disturbances ascribed to &ldquo;Kookies, men who
-live far in the interior parts of the hills, who have not the use of
-firearms, and whose bodies go unclothed<span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e1104" title="Source: &rsquo;">&rdquo;</span> (Lewin&rsquo;s
-&ldquo;The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers Therein,&rdquo;
-page 21). These Kukis were allies of the Chuckmahs, and we have seen
-that about fifty years later the Chuckmahs joined with the Z&#257;deng
-and the Sailos in an attack on Purbura.</p>
-<p class="par">The various branches of the Sailo family were frequently
-at war, the cause almost invariably being a dispute as to land. About
-1856 a war, known as &ldquo;The War of the North and the South,&rdquo;
-broke out and lasted about three years. The Northern combatants were
-the descendants of Lallula, their opponents being Cherra&rsquo;s
-family. The bone of contention was the Piler hill, and this quarrel was
-on the point of breaking out again in 1892, when Mr. McCabe and I,
-appearing on the scene from Aijal and Lungleh respectively,
-&ldquo;frightened both the heroes so they quite forgot their
-quarrel.&rdquo; The war ended in a victory for the North, who surprised
-Konglung, a village on the top of a very precipitous rock, and captured
-the young chief and his mother, who later were ransomed for many
-necklaces.</p>
-<p class="par">In 1874 the Southern Lushais fell out with the
-Thlantlang (Klangklang) chiefs. Vandula, head of the Lushais, had
-raided Vaki, a village on the Arracan border, and brought away as part
-of the loot a brass bowl and a big earthenware vase, which the
-Thlantlang chief claimed as being part of the promised price of his
-daughter, who had recently been married to the son of the Vaki chief.
-As Vandula refused to give up the articles, the Thlantlangs attacked a
-Lushai piquet on the Koladyne, killing some men. To revenge this
-insult, the Lushais attacked Bunkhua, with disastrous results, as is
-described in <a href="#ch1.3.5">Chapter III, Para. 5</a>, and had to
-make an ignominious peace.</p>
-<p class="par">Later the Northern chiefs quarrelled among themselves,
-and the war of the East and West broke out and lasted several years.
-The cause is said to have been a girl called Tuali, for whose
-affections Liankhama and Khalkhama were rivals. It is unnecessary to go
-into the history of our dealings with the Lushais, which have ended in
-the whole of the Hills being <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb8" href=
-"#pb8" name="pb8">8</a>]</span>annexed, and a stop put to all such
-wars, but when we occupied Lungleh in 1889 we found the F&#257;nai clan
-coming into prominence, and there is little doubt that, but for our
-intervention, that clan would shortly have attempted to eject the
-Southern Lushai chiefs.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.4">4.
-Affinities.</span> The Lushais are more or less closely allied to all
-the tribes now living in their vicinity, but some who show this most
-strongly, such as the Chiru, Kom, Aimol, are now settled in the Manipur
-State, while the intervening country is occupied by clans belonging to
-the Thado, Paihte, and Khawtlang families, which, though no doubt of
-the same stock, are more distantly connected. It seems certain that the
-former clans lived near the Lusheis when the Thangur commenced their
-victorious career, and it may well be that it was fear of absorption by
-their more powerful neighbour that drove these clans northwards, while
-the Lusheis took a westerly direction.</p>
-<p class="par">The connection between the Lusheis and their eastern
-neighbours is apparent both in their language and in their customs, but
-the eastern tribes, known to us generally as Chins, are of finer
-physique and, owing to their having permanent villages, the differences
-between clans have become more marked than among the semi-nomadic
-Lushais and Kukis. The feuds between different clans, which are always
-found where permanent villages exist, tend to widen the breach between
-communities and to accentuate every accidental variation of custom, so
-that the common origin is soon lost sight of. Nevertheless there is no
-doubt that the Kukis, Chins, and Lushais are all of the same race.</p>
-<p class="par">Less apparent but still quite traceable is the
-relationship between the Lushais and the Kabuis and Manipuris, though
-the latter nowadays try in every way to disown all connection with
-their poor relations.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.5">5. Dress.</span>
-The men&rsquo;s dress could not well be simpler, consisting as it does
-of a single cloth about 7 feet long and 5 wide. It is worn as
-follows:&mdash;One corner is grasped in the left hand, and the cloth is
-passed over the left shoulder, behind the back, under the right arm
-across the chest and the end thrown over the left shoulder. Although it
-would appear probable that clothing so loosely worn would be
-continually falling off, yet, as a matter of <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb9" href="#pb9" name="pb9">9</a>]</span>fact,
-accidents of that sort seldom occur. In cold weather, one or more
-cloths are worn, one over the other, and also a white coat, reaching
-well down the thigh but only fastened at the throat. These coats are
-ornamented on the sleeves with bands of red and white of various
-patterns. When at work, in hot weather, the Lushai wraps his cloth
-round his waist, letting the ends hang down in front, and should he
-find the sun warm and if he is wearing two cloths, he will wear one as
-a puggri. Puggris are sometimes worn when out in the sun for long, and
-some affect rather a quaint style, twisting the cloth round the head so
-as to make an end stand up straight over each ear.</p>
-<p class="par">All these garments are of cotton, grown locally and
-manufactured by the women of the household. The cloths in general use
-are white, but every man likes to have two or three blue cloths
-ornamented with stripes of various colours.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais have a very strong objection to getting
-their heads wet, and therefore in the rain wear hats made of strips of
-bamboo or cane plaited and lined with smoked leaves. The original hats
-were almost flat and circular, but nowadays these have been discarded
-in favour of very clever imitations of helmets and solar topis. In the
-southern portion of the district the people use, as a protection from
-the wet, a large shallow basket-work tray, shaped like an oyster shell,
-and made waterproof by being lined with smoked leaves; the narrow end
-rests on the wearer&rsquo;s head, while the broad end reaches down well
-below the waist, so that, while bending down weeding in the jhum, the
-head and body are kept dry. This form of waterproof is not much used in
-the northern portion of the Lushai Hills, but is common among the Chiru
-and other allied clans in Manipur. As the Lushai has no pockets, he
-carries, wherever he goes, a haversack made of some pretty coloured
-cotton cloth slung over his shoulder by a strap of the same material.
-In this he carries his flint and steel and his tobacco, in neatly made
-boxes carved out of solid pieces of wood and fitted with lids of the
-same material, or of leather moulded into shape by being stretched over
-a block. His pipe is generally in his mouth; it consists of a bowl made
-out of a particularly hard kind of bamboo which is only found in the
-Chin hills&mdash;whence the Lushais claim to have sprung&mdash;with a
-long stem made of a <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb11" href="#pb11"
-name="pb11">11</a>]</span>reed-like variety of the same plant. When not
-in his mouth, this also reposes in his haversack along with his
-&ldquo;tuibur,&rdquo; a small gourd to hold the water which has been
-impregnated with nicotine in the pipe of his wife or sweetheart. A
-little of this evil-smelling concoction he takes into his mouth from
-time to time and, having kept it there a few minutes, he spits it out
-and declares that it has a stimulating effect. In his haversack you
-will also find his knife, the wooden sheath tied to one of the shoulder
-straps so that the handle is always convenient to his hand. The blade
-is about four or five inches long and nearly an inch wide at the
-handle, but comes to a sharp point; the edge is straight and ground
-like a chisel.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1139width" id="p010"><img src="images/p010.jpg"
-alt="LUSHAI, WEAPONS, ORNAMENTS ETC." width="720" height="445">
-<p class="figureHead">LUSHAI, WEAPONS<span class="corr" id="xd24e1142"
-title="Not in source">,</span> ORNAMENTS ETC.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The dress of the chiefs is the same as that of the
-common people, except on occasions of ceremony, when they wear dark
-blue cloths, with red lines of a particular pattern, and plumes, made
-of the tail feathers of the king-crow, in their hair knots. These
-plumes are very much prized and are kept most carefully in bamboo tubes
-with leather caps. The cloth referred to above can also be worn by
-anyone who has given certain feasts, as described later on.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Dress in War-time.</i>&mdash;When the Lushais were
-fighting us in 1892 I was much struck by the whiteness of their
-garments. The men who ran away from the stockades as we rushed them
-were always dressed in nice clean coats and cloths, and crowds of
-similarly attired warriors used to assemble every morning just out of
-range and challenge us to come and fight. I was told that it was
-considered the correct thing to come properly dressed when there was
-fighting on hand, but a raiding party I once came across was dressed
-far more suitably. A single cloth wrapped tightly round the waist, a
-haversack protected by a bear or tiger skin guard over one shoulder,
-and a fighting dao or dah over the other, and a gun in his hand
-completed each warrior&rsquo;s equipment. It will be seen from the
-above description that the Lushais are not fond of dress, and this is
-another point in which all Kuki clans differ from those of Naga
-stock.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Special Attire.</i>&mdash;A man who has earned the
-title of &ldquo;Thangchhuah&rdquo; (<i>v.</i> Chap. IV, 9) is allowed
-to wear a cloth of a certain pattern and those who have killed men in
-war have special head-dresses, known as &ldquo;chhawndawl&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;arke-ziak.&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb12" href=
-"#pb12" name="pb12">12</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>The Women&rsquo;s Dress.</i>&mdash;The women are no
-more addicted to fine clothes than their men-folk. All women wear the
-same costume; a dark-blue cotton cloth, just long enough to go round
-the wearer&rsquo;s waist with a slight over-lap, and held up by a
-girdle of brass wire or string, serves as a petticoat which only
-reaches to the knee, the only other garments being a short white jacket
-and a cloth which is worn in the same manner as the men. On gala days
-the only addition to the costume is a picturesque head-dress worn by
-girls while dancing. This consists of a chaplet made of brass and
-coloured cane, into which are inserted porcupine quills, and to the
-upper ends of these are fixed the green wing-feathers of the common
-parrot, tipped with tufts of red wool. At the back is affixed a
-horizontal bar from which hang strings of glistening wing covers of
-green beetles. The women smoke as much as the men and have a special
-form of pipe, a miniature hookah about 9 inches high with a clay bowl,
-the water container being of bamboo much ornamented with patterns
-roughly scratched. The water when thoroughly impregnated is transferred
-to the &ldquo;tuibur&rdquo; gourd of some male relative or admirer.
-Children of both sexes begin smoking very young. I have seen a woman
-take her pipe from her mouth and put it into that of the baby on her
-back.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.6">6.
-Tattooing.</span> This is not much practised. The only patterns
-employed are circles on the forearm and breast, which are said to be
-mementoes of love affairs in happy bachelor days, and rude
-representations of a metna&rsquo;s head, which is said to have no
-particular meaning.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.7">7. Ornaments worn
-by men.</span> The Lushai wears a variety of articles in his hair knot.
-The commonest is a brass two-pronged pin with a head shaped like a G.
-The prongs are drawn out to sharp points and vary in length from three
-to eight or nine inches. These very long pins are a recent innovation,
-and their use seems to be restricted to the young dandies of the
-hamlets round Aijal. Skewers of ivory, bone, and metal about six or
-eight inches long are also worn. Of the two former there are two
-patterns, one four-sided, about a quarter of an inch thick at two
-thirds of its length, tapering to a point at each end, the other being
-flat, pointed at one end and about half an inch broad at the other.
-Both are ornamented <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb13" href="#pb13"
-name="pb13">13</a>]</span>with engraved circles and lines. The metal
-skewers are quite plain and more for use in scratching the head than
-for ornament; a piece of the rib of a broken umbrella is now often
-used. The hair comb is also an ornamental article; it consists of a
-piece of ivory or wood about three inches long, half an inch thick and
-an inch or so wide, into which are inserted, very close together, teeth
-of strips of bamboo about two inches long. If the back is of wood it is
-generally crescent-shaped and lacquered red and inlaid.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1174width" id="p012"><img src="images/p012.jpg"
-alt="Lushai Men&rsquo;s Hair Ornaments." width="720" height="475">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Lushai Men&rsquo;s Hair
-Ornaments.</span></p>
-<p class="par first"><i>Photo by Lt. Colonel H. G. M. Cole,
-I.A.</i></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">With reference to the comb I may quote from Colonel
-McCulloch&rsquo;s descriptions of the Thados in his &ldquo;Account of
-the Valley of Manipur&rdquo;:&mdash;&ldquo;Their attention to
-genealogy, the distinction of clans, and the respect paid to seniors, I
-have already noticed. Out of this may have sprung the only
-exclusiveness shown by the Khonjai (Thado), namely, in the point of who
-would be entitled to use his comb and whose comb he might use. This,
-though amongst them a very important matter, I cannot find to have any
-religious importance attached to it, but there is an indication of the
-superior rank in respect of descent or by connection, or of estimation
-in which an individual is held or holds himself to be found to whom he
-would refuse his comb, or amongst whom his comb is common.&rdquo; My
-Lushai informant says that the use of the comb is restricted, as
-headaches are communicated by the comb. He also adds, &ldquo;A higher
-clan man is contaminated by a lower clan man using his comb. Thus a
-Renthlei may not use a Sailo&rsquo;s hair comb, and a Chawngthu may not
-use that of a Pallian.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Earrings.</i>&mdash;Most men have their ears pierced,
-and wear either small wooden studs, with flat heads about half an inch
-in diameter, and coloured red, or cornelians suspended by a piece of
-string. The stones are barrel-shaped and unpolished, the surface being
-pitted with minute holes and circular marks. These are valued very
-highly, and are passed on from father to son, or given as a
-daughter&rsquo;s dowry. Some of them have names connecting them with
-some story of bygone days. These naturally fetch higher prices. I know
-of stones valued at Rs. 400/-.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Necklaces.</i>&mdash;Both sexes are fond of
-necklaces: those of amber <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb14" href=
-"#pb14" name="pb14">14</a>]</span>are most valued, and any that have
-histories attached to them fetch prices which to us seem absurd. I
-remember a chief, who was offered Rs. 60/- for his necklace, replying
-that if the Sahib wanted the necklace he would give it him, but that he
-would not sell it for Rs. 1000/- as it had been the property of his
-ancestors. The old necklaces are made of very dark amber, beautifully
-clear, and the beads are sometimes two to three inches long and over an
-inch in diameter. There is some doubt as to where these beads came
-from, but it is probable that they came through the Chin hills from
-Burmah. Besides amber, agate, cornelian, and various sorts of bead
-necklaces are worn, or, failing all these, white shirt buttons are
-acceptable.</p>
-<p class="par">A tiger&rsquo;s tooth is often hung round the neck as an
-ornament and is also thought to have magical properties. The young
-dandies are fond of hanging round their necks tufts of white
-goat&rsquo;s hair bound together with red thread; these are now worn as
-ornaments, but undoubtedly the custom arose from the idea that cures
-are effected by hanging round the affected part a piece of the skin or
-feathers of the animal or bird sacrificed to the demon, who is thought
-to be responsible for the illness.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Bracelets</i> are not much worn and are generally
-plain brass rings.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Ornaments Worn by Women.</i>&mdash;With the exception
-of their earrings, the Lushai women affect the same ornaments as the
-men. The earrings, however, are quite distinct, and, in order to be
-able to wear them, much preparation is necessary. When quite a child
-the girl has her ears pierced, and small wooden plugs are inserted.
-These are replaced by larger ones, which in turn give place to still
-larger ones of clay, the size of which is gradually increased till the
-real earring, which is an ivory disc some inch or inch and a half in
-diameter, with a hole in its centre, can be inserted. Widows remove
-their earrings, and slit the lobes of their ears when they abandon all
-thought of re-marrying.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.1.8">8. Weapons.</span>
-The Lushais have been in possession of firearms for the last sixty or
-seventy years. These weapons are flint-locks bearing the names of many
-European makers; many are Tower muskets, <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb15" href="#pb15" name="pb15">15</a>]</span>and guns bearing the
-marks of the French Customs Department are not at all rare. These guns
-came into the country in the first instance chiefly through Burmah,
-though no doubt some came through Chittagong, and much money must have
-been made, for the demand was large. When the weapons first began to
-appear, the Lushais and other western tribes used to obtain them from
-the tribes on the Burmah border, giving slaves in exchange, a strong
-male slave being equivalent to two guns. The other weapons in use are
-spears and dahs. The former are inferior weapons with iron laurel-leaf
-shaped blades about a foot or fifteen inches long, very insecurely
-attached to the shaft, which is of hard wood, often a piece of sago
-palm; at the other end of the shaft is a long iron spike which is stuck
-into the ground when the user halts. A special spear is used for
-sacrificial purposes, the blade of which is much longer and
-diamond-shaped. The spike at the other end is also much elongated, so
-that sometimes the wooden shaft is only six or seven inches long. The
-dah is a more serviceable weapon, being copied, as its name
-&ldquo;kawlnam&rdquo; denotes, from the Burmese weapon, but the blade
-is shorter, the handle is of wood lacquered black and red, and
-ornamented with brass bands and a brass knob at the end. In former days
-oblong shields of bison-hide eighteen inches wide and about two feet
-long, adorned at the two upper corners with tassels of goat&rsquo;s
-hair dyed red, were carried. The upper half of the shield was sometimes
-covered with discs of brass, while from a string crossing the centre of
-the shield hung a row of brass cones about two inches long, from each
-of which depended a tassel of red goat&rsquo;s hair, reaching to the
-base of the shield. Bows and arrows have entirely gone out of use, but
-were formerly used, especially in the chase, when the arrows were
-poisoned. The bows were small and made of bamboo, the string being of
-bark. The arrows were furnished with barbed iron points, and were
-carried in a bamboo quiver with a leather cap to it. Among weapons we
-must class the bamboo spikes with which a retreating foe or villagers
-expecting an attack rendered the ground almost impassable to a
-bare-footed enemy. These spikes were of two kinds, one used round the
-village or block house, and the other, carried in a neat little
-cane-work quiver, and stuck in the path when returning from a raid to
-delay <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb16" href="#pb16" name=
-"pb16">16</a>]</span>pursuit. The former were simple bamboo spikes of
-various lengths, while the latter were carefully smoothed bamboo spikes
-about six inches long, and no thicker than a knitting needle; each sort
-was nicked so that it might break off after entering the flesh. To a
-bare-footed foe these spikes form a very serious obstacle, and even our
-troops have suffered from them, the spikes being sometimes long enough
-to reach to a man&rsquo;s knee. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb17"
-href="#pb17" name="pb17">17</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch1.2" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e275">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER II</h2>
-<h2 class="main">DOMESTIC LIFE</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.1">1.
-Occupation.</span> The entire population may be classed as
-agriculturists, as only a few people, as will be afterwards described,
-live on contributions of rice given them in exchange for services
-rendered to the community. There are no shop-keepers, and, except the
-blacksmith, no craftsmen, each household being capable of existing on
-its own labours. The men build the house and cut the jhum, they help in
-the weeding and harvesting, and procure fresh meat by their skill in
-setting snares and hunting. Periodically they visit the nearest bazar,
-often a journey of several days, to purchase salt and the few
-requisites that their own industry cannot produce, consisting chiefly
-of brass cooking pots, iron to be made into daos or finished daos.
-Nowadays, it is true, the wants of the people are slowly increasing,
-and looking-glasses, umbrellas, needles, and Manchester goods are
-finding their way into the most remote villages. The women folk fetch
-the wood and water, cook the food and do the greatest part of the
-weeding and harvesting; they also make all the clothing for the whole
-household from cotton grown in the jhums, which they themselves gather,
-clean, spin, and weave into strong cloth.</p>
-<p class="par">A Lushai woman has to rise early, fill her basket with
-empty bamboo tubes, and trudge off before daylight down to the spring,
-which is generally some way down the hill, and the supply of water is
-frequently so scanty that it takes her some time to fill her bamboos.
-Having conveyed her basketful to the house, she has to set to work
-cleaning the rice for the day. The necessary amount of unhusked rice
-has been dried the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb18" href="#pb18"
-name="pb18">18</a>]</span>previous day on the shelf over the hearth,
-and this she now proceeds to pound in a mortar in the front verandah,
-and winnow on an oval bamboo tray till it is clean enough for use. The
-breakfast of rice has then to be cooked, and by the time it is ready
-her husband is awake. After the meal the real work of the day begins.
-In the cold weather the women settle themselves to some of the
-operations connected with clothmaking, while the men prepare to pass a
-day of complete enjoyment, lying in the sun and smoking, the younger
-ones combining this with courting any of the pretty clothmakers; while
-the children play around entirely uncontrolled, save when a
-shrill-voiced mother calls one of them to assist her in some domestic
-operation. About noon there is a meal of rice and herbs, after which
-work is resumed and continued till the evening, when the housewife has
-to make another journey to the spring, and on her return the pigs must
-be fed with a mixture composed of rice husks and a species of edible
-arum bulb, mashed and boiled together, the fowls enticed into their
-baskets, and finally the family collected for the evening meal, which
-varies little from the two previous ones, but some garnish, a little
-meat, dried fish, or some savoury vegetable is generally added. As soon
-as it is dark, all the female members of the family gather round the
-hearth, and carry on such work as can be carried on by what light they
-can get from the fire; though in villages near fir forests some pine
-splinters are generally kept handy for use when an extra bright light
-is required for a few minutes. The men either gather in the
-&ldquo;zawlbuk&rdquo; or in some house where there is drink going, but
-the young bucks sneak off to court their lady loves, which the
-girls&rsquo; parents give them every facility for doing. In the other
-seasons of the year, that is from March to December, the people are
-engaged in their jhums from the morning to the evening meal, as is
-described later on.</p>
-<p class="par">Lushai parents are very fond of their children, and
-fathers are often seen carrying their infants about. In times of
-scarcity, what rice can be got is reserved for the young children, the
-rest of the people living on yams, jungle vegetables, and the pith of
-the sago palm. The children assist their parents as much as they can,
-tiny girls accompanying their mothers to the <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb19" href="#pb19" name="pb19">19</a>]</span>spring,
-and bringing up one or two bamboos of water, while the lads help their
-fathers in cutting the jhum. No one, however, takes any care of
-children, and they are allowed to run about the village as they like,
-in all weathers, which no doubt accounts largely for the heavy
-mortality among them, as their clothing is of the scantiest.</p>
-<p class="par">Teknonymy is very common. The parents of a child called
-Thanga will generally be known as Thanga-Pa and Thanga-Nu, and I have
-come across old widows whose real names were unknown. There is a strong
-and general dislike among all Lushais to saying their own names. When
-we first occupied the hills, a man would not tell you his name; if
-asked he would refer to someone else and say, &ldquo;You tell
-him.&rdquo; The following explanation, given me by a Lushai, seems to
-me scarcely satisfactory:&mdash;&ldquo;Lushais are shy of saying the
-name of their father and mother and their own names. Because it is
-their own name they are shy of saying it. Some people are shy because
-their names are bad. Their parents&rsquo; names&mdash;because they are
-their parents they never call them by their names, therefore they are
-shy of saying them. Their own names also they never say; just for that
-reason they are shy of saying them. The names of their brothers and
-friends they are always saying, therefore they are not shy of saying
-them.&rdquo; Long ago another explanation was given me. When a man
-kills another, he calls out his own name: &ldquo;I, Lalmanga, have
-killed you!&rdquo; so that the spirit of the dying man may know whose
-slave he will be in Mithi-Khua, the dead man&rsquo;s village; it was
-suggested that it was unlucky to say one&rsquo;s name on less important
-occasions.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.2">2. Weights and
-Measures.</span> In every village there is a small flat basket, the
-size of which is fixed by the chief, which is used for all retail
-dealings in rice and such goods, but large quantities are measured by
-the number of loads, a load being about 50 lbs. After the harvest the
-unhusked rice is piled in a conical heap. A Lushai will tell you that
-his crop is &ldquo;chhip-zawn,&rdquo; that is, the heap is level with
-the top of his head; &ldquo;silai-zawn,&rdquo; that is, level with the
-end of his gun held up perpendicularly over his head. This is about a
-record crop; lesser quantities are denoted by the height of his hand or
-hoe or axe held up. Time he measures <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb20" href="#pb20" name="pb20">20</a>]</span>by the time a pot of rice
-takes to cook&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, about an hour&mdash;or by the time he
-can hold a sip of nicotine in his mouth; he has terms for each period
-of the day, denoting the usual occupation; he also divides the year
-according to the agricultural occupation proper to it. Terms expressing
-measures of length are very numerous. Short lengths are expressed by
-reference to the human body, as we speak of a span; but the Lushai has
-sixteen or seventeen of these, extending from
-&ldquo;chang-khat&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, from the tip to the first
-joint of the first finger&mdash;to &ldquo;hlam,&rdquo; which is the
-distance a man can stretch with both arms extended. Longer distances he
-expresses by terms such as the distance of the nearest jhum, the
-distance of the furthest jhum, the distance a mithan will wander during
-the day, the distance a man can travel before his mid-day meal,
-&amp;c.&mdash;terms which, though well understood by the people, are a
-little perplexing to strangers. Measures of weight are scanty; a
-curious one is &ldquo;chuai&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, as much as can be
-supported if suspended from the tip of the first finger palm downwards.
-Many of the stars and constellations have received names; most of them
-have some story attached to them. The months are lunar months, and some
-have names, but these are but little known or used.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.3">3.
-Villages.</span> The Lushai likes to perch his village on the top of a
-ridge or spur, partly because, hillsides being steep, it is difficult
-to find sites elsewhere, partly for the sake of the climate, but
-chiefly, I think, in order to get a good defensive position. His
-migratory habits disinclining him to make the elaborate defences over
-which the Chins, Nagas, and other dwellers in permanent villages took
-so much pains, he therefore sought for a site which was difficult of
-approach. When we first occupied the country, every village was
-surrounded by one or more lines of stockade made of timber, with
-several rows of bamboo spikes outside it. At each gateway was a block
-house, and others were built at suitable places on the roads along
-which enemies were expected to come, and were occupied whenever an
-attack was apprehended. Tradition speaks of villages of 3,000 houses,
-and, though this is probably an exaggeration, still from an examination
-of the sites it is evident that they must have been very large, and
-even when we occupied the country <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb21"
-href="#pb21" name="pb21">21</a>]</span>villages of 400 and 500 houses
-were not uncommon, and there were two or three of 800 houses.</p>
-<p class="par">Now that all fear of being raided has gone for ever,
-people no longer feel the need of living together in large communities,
-and the size of villages is steadily decreasing. The peculiar vagabond
-strain in the blood of the Kuki-Lushai race, if not controlled, leads
-to villages splitting into hamlets and hamlets sub-dividing, till in
-the Manipur Hills we find single houses in the midst of dense jungle,
-several miles from the next habitation. This could never happen among
-tribes belonging to the Naga group, with whom intense love for the
-ancestral village site is a leading characteristic. A short distance
-outside the village by the roadside there generally are several
-platforms of logs with posts round them adorned with skulls of animals,
-gourds, rags, and old pots. These are memorials of deceased heroes, and
-will be more fully dealt with later on.</p>
-<p class="par">The gate itself was composed either of two large slabs
-of timber, or of a number of stout saplings suspended from a cross bar
-by holes cut through their upper ends; during the day these were drawn
-aside, but at night they hung perpendicularly in the gateways and were
-firmly secured between two cross bars. Passing through the gate, one
-finds oneself in a sort of irregular street leading up to the highest
-point of the village, where there is generally an open space, from
-which other streets branch off. On one side of this space will be the
-chiefs house, with the &ldquo;zawlbuk,&rdquo; or bachelors&rsquo; hall,
-opposite it. The villages of powerful chiefs are beautifully laid out
-in regular streets which follow the natural features of the ground.
-When Colonel Lister in 1850 captured the village of Shentlang he was so
-impressed with the regularity with which the villages within sight were
-laid out that he was easily led to believe these were cantonments
-inhabited solely by warriors. If the village is a large one and
-contains a mixed population, it is divided into several quarters, or
-&ldquo;veng,&rdquo; which are generally inhabited by people of the same
-clan, and each will have its zawlbuk, a large building constructed by
-the united labour of the men of the veng or the village. As the mithan
-or gyal (tame bison) belonging to the village pass the night under the
-zawlbuk, it is generally built on rather a steep hillside, so that the
-natural fall of the ground <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb22" href=
-"#pb22" name="pb22">22</a>]</span>may allow ample room for the animals
-under the raised floor and ensure good drainage. It is built, as are
-all other buildings in the village, of timber and bamboos, tied
-together with cane and thatched with either cane leaves or
-grass&mdash;if the former, then the ridge of the roof is straight and
-gable-ended; if the latter, it is far higher in the centre, whence it
-curves down somewhat abruptly to each gable. Access to the building is
-obtained by a platform of rough logs at the uphill end, where the front
-wall commences some 3&frac12; feet above the platform. Having stooped
-under this wall you are confronted by a low matting partition,
-surmounted by a huge log, the whole some 3 feet high, over which you
-scramble and find yourself in a large bare room varying from 15 to 50
-feet long and 15 to 30 feet wide, according to the size of the village,
-with a square earthen hearth in the centre on which a few logs are
-always smouldering, and at the far end is a raised sleeping platform
-extending the whole width of the building. The young boys of the
-village have to keep up the supply of firewood for the zawlbuk, this
-duty continuing till they reach the age of puberty, when they cease
-sleeping in their parents&rsquo; houses and join the young men in the
-zawlbuk. Until that time they are under the orders of the eldest or
-most influential boy, who is their &ldquo;hotu,&rdquo; or
-superintendent. The zawlbuk is the particular property of the unmarried
-men of the village, who gather there in the evening to sing songs, tell
-stories, and make jokes till it is time to visit their sweethearts,
-after which they return there for the rest of the night. Travellers not
-having any friends in the village use the zawlbuk as a rest-house, but
-eating and drinking are seldom, if ever, carried on there. The zawlbuk
-is an institution common to many tribes, but among the clans I am
-dealing with it is confined to the Lushei and the clans most nearly
-allied to them. Its appearance among the Chiru and Vaiphei emphasises
-the close connection between these clans and the Lusheis.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1261width" id="p022"><img src="images/p022.jpg"
-alt="Zawlbuk, or Young Men&rsquo;s House." width="720" height="474">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Zawlbuk, or Young Men&rsquo;s
-House.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The houses all abut on the street, but small gardens are
-often found at the back, in which sugar cane, beans, cucumbers,
-&amp;c., are grown. The houses of the chief&rsquo;s advisers and
-wealthy men are generally grouped near his, but should the chief have
-more than one wife, or should he have some less fortunate <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb23" href="#pb23" name=
-"pb23">23</a>]</span>relations dependent on him, their houses will be
-found scattered through the village, each forming a centre of a quarter
-or a veng, from the inhabitants of which the chief allows them to
-collect the dues, which are his by right.</p>
-<p class="par">The steepness of the hillside is no obstacle to house
-building, and frequently the roof of one house will be lower than the
-floor of the one immediately above it. The Lushais have been nomadic
-ever since their ancestors started on their western trek some 200 years
-ago. The method of cultivation which they follow is very wasteful, and
-a large village soon uses up all the land within reach, and then a move
-becomes imperative. Their custom of burying their dead within the
-village tends to make a site unhealthy, especially as the water supply
-is usually so situated as to receive the drainage of the village, and
-when the rate of mortality rises unduly high, a move is at once made.
-In old times these moves were often of considerable
-length&mdash;sometimes as much as two or three days&rsquo;
-journey&mdash;and sometimes a halt for a whole season would be made at
-some temporary site, the people living in huts alongside their
-cultivation. The selection of a new site is a matter of much thought,
-and before a final decision is arrived at, a deputation of elders is
-sent to sleep at the proposed site, taking with them a cock. If the
-bird crows lustily an hour before daybreak, as all good cocks should,
-the site is approved of. Sites of villages which have been burnt by
-enemies are eschewed as unlucky, and a chief when re-occupying a site
-of some other chief&rsquo;s village generally tries to establish
-himself slightly to one side or other, in hopes that the new site will
-bear his name for many years.</p>
-<p class="par">As soon as the move has been decided on, arrangements
-are made for cutting the jhums near the new site, and during the rains
-all the workers live either in the jhum houses, or in temporary
-shelters built near the new site, to which, after the harvest, they
-laboriously carry all their belongings on their own backs, as they own
-no beasts of burden. These constant moves have had a great share in
-moulding the Lushai character, for when you have to carry all your
-worldly goods from your old to your new house every four or five years,
-it is not strange if you are disinclined to amass more than is
-absolutely necessary, and gradually become content with very little,
-and prefer ease and <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb24" href="#pb24"
-name="pb24">24</a>]</span>idleness to toiling in the hopes of being
-able to add to your worldly possessions. This I believe to be the
-explanation of the difference between the Lushai and the Chins, the
-latter being eager to earn money by work or trade, while the former far
-prefer to lie smoking in the sun.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.4">4. Houses.</span>
-The house of a commoner consists of three parts, the front verandah,
-approached by a rough platform of logs, the main room, and a small
-closet partitioned off at the far end, beyond which there will
-sometimes be a small bamboo platform. The verandah is termed
-&ldquo;sum-hmun,&rdquo; from the &ldquo;sum,&rdquo; or mortar in which
-the paddy is cleaned, which has its place here. On one side the careful
-housewife stacks her firewood, and the front wall of the house is the
-place on which the householder, if he is a sportsman, displays the
-skulls of the animals and birds he has slain; among them hang baskets
-in which the fowls lay, and even sit on their eggs, hatching out as
-numerous and as healthy broods as do the most pampered inhabitants of
-model poultry farms. The fowls spend the night in long tubular bamboo
-baskets, hung under the eaves, access to which is gained by climbing up
-an inclined stick from the front verandah. Hens with broods are shut up
-each night in special baskets with sliding doors.</p>
-<p class="par">From the verandah a small door, about 2&frac12; feet by
-4, with a very high sill, opens into the house. This door is placed at
-the side furthest from the hill, and consists of a panel of split
-bamboo work attached to a long bamboo which slides to and fro, resting
-in the groove between two other bamboos lashed on to the top of the
-sill, in which there is generally a small opening, with a swinging
-door, for use of the dogs and fowls when the big door is closed.
-Immediately inside the door, in one corner, are collected the hollow
-bamboo tubes which take the place of water pots; opposite will often be
-a large circular bamboo bin containing the household&rsquo;s supply of
-paddy. Next to this is a sleeping platform, known as
-&ldquo;kum-ai,&rdquo; beyond which is the hearth of earth, in the
-centre of which three stones or pieces of iron are fixed, on which the
-cooking pot rests. The earth is kept in its place by three pieces of
-wood, that in front being a wide plank with the top carefully smoothed,
-which forms a favourite seat during cold weather. The earth is put in
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb25" href="#pb25" name=
-"pb25">25</a>]</span>wet and well kneaded, and eventually becomes as
-hard as brick. Along the wall an earthen shelf serves the double
-purpose of keeping the fire from the wall and affording a resting place
-for the pots. Over the hearth are hung two bamboo shelves, one above
-the other, on which to-morrow&rsquo;s supply of paddy is dried, and
-various odds and ends are stored. These shelves also serve to keep the
-sparks from reaching the roof. Beyond the fireplace is another sleeping
-place, called the &ldquo;kum-pui&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, big
-bed&mdash;which is reserved for the parents, while the young children
-and unmarried girls use the kum-ai; the bigger boys and young men, as
-has already been stated, sleeping in the zawlbuk. Beyond the kum-pui
-comes the partition dividing off the small recess used as a lumber
-room, and often as a closet. The beds and hearth are always on the side
-of the house nearest to the hillside, and do not usually extend quite
-to the centre, the rest of the floor being vacant, and, in order to
-avoid obstructing this, the posts which support the ridge are placed
-slanting, passing through the floor in line with the edge of the
-hearth. Along the wall opposite to the hearth are lashed two or more
-bamboos, forming convenient shelves, while a platform of the same
-useful plant is constructed from one cross beam to another. Forked
-sticks tied to the wall or to the uprights form hooks, and the large
-bamboos, wherever used, have openings cut in them which convert each
-joint into a tiny cupboard. At the far end of the house, opposite the
-front door, is a similar door opening on to a small platform, whence a
-notched log serves as a means of descending to the garden or the
-street. Many houses have bamboo platforms adjoining the front verandah,
-on which the women folk sit and do their weaving, while the young men
-lie at their ease and flirt with any girls who are good looking.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1288width" id="p026"><img src="images/p026.png"
-alt="" width="720" height="426">
-<p class="par first">Komchak, or up-hill side.</p>
-<p class="par">Kawt, or street.</p>
-<p class="par">Komtlang, or down-hill side.</p>
-<ul>
-<li>1. Pawn-sut, Upright post.</li>
-<li>2. Sum-hmun sut, Upright post.</li>
-<li>3. Tap sut, Upright post.</li>
-<li>4. Banglai sut, Upright post.</li>
-<li>5. In-ch&#257;r sut, Upright post.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<ul>
-<li><i>a</i>, Thingai, or Thing-kawm, Woodstack.</li>
-<li><i>b</i>, Sum-hmun, Mortar place. Verandah in which is the
-&ldquo;sum&rdquo; or mortar for cleaning rice.</li>
-<li><i>c</i>, Kum-ai, Sleeping platform for children.</li>
-<li><i>d</i>, Tap, Hearth.</li>
-<li><i>e</i>, Kum-pui, Big bed. Parents&rsquo; sleeping platform.</li>
-<li><i>f</i>, In-ch&#257;r, Closet and lumber room.</li>
-<li><i>g</i>, Kum-pui lu, Head of big bed. The portion of the floor is
-known by this name.</li>
-<li><i>h</i>, Chhuar, A shelf level with the wall plate.</li>
-<li><i>i</i>, Chhuat. This portion of the floor is called by this
-name.</li>
-<li><i>j</i>, Tui-um huang, Water tube enclosure. A portion of the
-floor, unmatted, on which the bamboo tubes full of water are
-stood.</li>
-<li><i>k</i>, Kong-khar, Front door.</li>
-<li><i>l</i>, In-ch&#257;r kong-khar, Back door.</li>
-<li><i>m</i>, Luka-pui, Big &ldquo;luka,&rdquo; The raised platform,
-for weaving, sitting, and drying things on.</li>
-<li><i>n</i>, Luka, Platform of logs approached by
-&ldquo;kai-ten&rdquo; or &ldquo;kai-lawn,&rdquo; a log ladder.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The houses of the chiefs are very similar to those of
-their subjects, only a good deal larger. Entering from the front
-verandah, the visitor finds himself in a passage running along one side
-of the house, off which open several small rooms inhabited by the
-married retainers; the other end of the passage opens into a large room
-with several sleeping platforms and sometimes two or more hearths, but
-otherwise similar to that above described. Beyond this is the usual
-closet, while <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb26" href="#pb26" name=
-"pb26">26</a>]</span>beyond that is a wide verandah partially closed
-in, which is especially reserved for the chief&rsquo;s family. These
-verandahs, called &ldquo;b&#257;z&#257;h,&rdquo; are forbidden to all
-except chiefs or wealthy <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb27" href=
-"#pb27" name="pb27">27</a>]</span>persons who have given certain
-feasts. A similar prohibition exists regarding windows, which are one
-of the prerogatives of the &ldquo;Thangchhuah,&rdquo; as will be
-described in <a href="#ch1.4.1">Chapter IV, para 1</a>. Openings in the
-side of the house are viewed with suspicion, as likely to bring
-misfortune, and a most progressive chief told me he had refrained from
-making any but the authorised ones, in deference to the strong public
-feeling that the whole village would suffer for such an innovation.</p>
-<p class="par">The materials of which all the buildings are constructed
-are the same&mdash;<i>viz.</i>, timber for uprights and cross beams,
-bamboos for the framework of the floor, walls, and roof, split bamboos
-for the floor, walls, and if cane leaves are used to cover the thatch;
-the whole being tied together with cane. The uprights consist of
-sections of hard wood trees, which are split longitudinally and left to
-season for as long as possible. The cross beams which rest on the wall
-plates appear to us unduly heavy, while the wall plates seem very weak.
-The Lushais claim that the weight of the cross beams gives the house
-stability in high winds. The broad bands of split bamboo laid on top of
-the cane leaf thatch from eave to eave, secured at intervals by
-longitudinal bamboos tied down with cane, give the roof a semi-circular
-appearance from the outside. When cane leaves cannot be obtained,
-thatching grass is used, but its extreme inflammability makes it
-unpopular. When cane leaves are used, holes for the passage of cane
-ties cannot be avoided, and beneath each of these a bamboo split in
-half is secured as a drain pipe to convey the drippings beyond the
-walls.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.5">5.
-Furniture.</span> Owing to their nomadic habits the Lushais have not
-much furniture. Even in the houses of powerful chiefs but little will
-be found but a few rough and low wooden stools, some wooden platters,
-some earthenware beer pots, strengthened by plaited cane coverings,
-some brass pots, and many baskets in which valuable or perishable
-articles are preserved. Property which can be safely buried is often
-concealed in this way, a custom which is fast dying out now that raids
-are things of the past.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.6">6.
-Implements.</span> <i>Agricultural.</i>&mdash;The Lushai&rsquo;s
-cultivation being confined to cutting down the jungle, burning it, and
-dibbling in the seed among the ashes, he does not require many or
-elaborate implements <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb28" href="#pb28"
-name="pb28">28</a>]</span>and is content with a dao, an axe, and a hoe.
-The dao is a knife with a triangular blade, about 3 inches wide at the
-end and 1 inch or so at the handle. It is ground with a chisel edge,
-the broad end being also sharpened. This is used for clearing the
-jungle, and the broad end is used for grubbing the holes in which the
-seeds are placed. The axe heads are of iron only about 1&frac12; inches
-wide at the edge, and taper almost to a point; the handles are simply
-pieces of bamboo, the heads being thrust through the tough root
-portion. The hoes very closely resemble the axes, the heads being a
-little lighter and broader.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Musical Instruments.</i>&mdash;The commonest are
-gongs and drums, but a kind of mouth-organ known as
-&ldquo;rotchem&rdquo; and a fiddle made out of a piece of bamboo are
-sometimes used. The gongs are mostly imported from Burma, as much as
-Rs. 150/- being paid for large ones, but the most prized are sets of
-three small gongs, each with a separate note, on which three skilled
-performers can produce something resembling a tune. The drums are
-sections of trees hollowed out, the ends being covered with metna hide
-caps laced together. The rotchem, which is found in all Lushai-Kuki
-clans, consists of a gourd into which nine hollow reeds are inserted,
-one to serve as a mouthpiece; the others, which are of various lengths,
-have small holes cut in them. The performer blows into the mouthpiece,
-and, by closing and opening the holes with his fingers, he can produce
-various notes, but the music is dull and monotonous. The fiddle is a
-very rough affair, produced in a few minutes by loosening a strip of
-the outer skin of a bamboo, without detaching it at its ends, and
-raising it up and inserting a piece of stick to act as a bridge; the
-bow is made out of another piece of bamboo. The sound of a bugle is
-very cleverly imitated by blowing through several lengths of bamboo
-inserted one into the other.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Household Utensils.</i>&mdash;Besides the articles
-enumerated under furniture, earthenware cooking pots and bamboo spoons
-complete the utensils used inside the house.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.7">7.
-Manufactures.</span> <i>Basket Work.</i>&mdash;This is chiefly carried
-on by men. The patterns are very numerous, each being adapted to some
-particular use. The material is generally bamboo. The
-&ldquo;thul&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb29" href="#pb29"
-name="pb29">29</a>]</span>is a basket with four short legs, about
-twelve inches square at the bottom, widening till the mouth is a circle
-with a diameter of about thirty inches; this basket is supplied with a
-conical lid and is chiefly used to keep valuables in. The outer layer
-is of finely split bamboo closely woven, and this is lined with broad
-leaves well dried, which are held in their place by an inner layer of
-bamboo more loosely woven. These baskets are quite waterproof.</p>
-<p class="par">For carrying goods there are the &ldquo;deron,&rdquo; a
-truncated cone 30 to 36 inches long with a diameter at its mouth of
-about 24 inches, holding about 50 lbs. of paddy; the &ldquo;em,&rdquo;
-similar to the deron, but about half the size. The
-&ldquo;bomrang,&rdquo; an open-work basket with an oval mouth, 15
-inches by 12, is used for carrying goods on long journeys. The
-&ldquo;paikawng&rdquo; similar in shape to the em, but with open-work
-sides, is for conveyance of wood, water tubes, &amp;c. There are also
-several sorts of flat baskets for holding grain, each with its
-particular name. The containing power of these is approximately
-constant, and they are used as measures of quantity.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Pottery.</i>&mdash;The women make clay pots, moulding
-them by hand. There are only two kinds in use&mdash;a small circular
-pot with a mouth some 6 to 8 inches in diameter, used for cooking, and
-a large jar, about 24 inches high and 15 inches in diameter, tapering
-to about 9 inches at the mouth, which is used for brewing beer in.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Brass Work.</i>&mdash;Occasionally one comes across
-rough specimens of moulding in this metal, which show considerable if
-untrained talent, but they are very rare, and I attribute them to
-captives taken from the plains of India or Burma, or to persons who
-have learnt from them. The method followed is to make a model in wax
-and cover it with successive washes of clay till a sufficient thickness
-is obtained, the whole then being baked till the clay is hard, and the
-wax has all run out through a hole left for this purpose. Into this
-mould the molten brass is then poured. The commonest use of this work
-is for the semi-circular tube required to connect the two arms of the
-syphons used in drawing off the rice beer. These tubes are sometimes
-surmounted by quite elaborate designs, a hunter approaching his quarry,
-a tree with many hornbills perched among the <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb30" href="#pb30" name="pb30">30</a>]</span>boughs,
-and on one which I bought are represented Vutaia and his
-&ldquo;kawnbawl,&rdquo; or minister, with leg irons on. The latter
-carries on his shoulder an elephant&rsquo;s tusk, which formed part of
-the ransom of his master, who, in the ups and downs of the troublous
-times in which he lived, had been captured by the Kamhaus.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Iron Work.</i>&mdash;The blacksmith is one of the
-village officials described in <a href="#ch1.3.2">Chapter III, para.
-2</a>. The forge is placed in the middle of the widest street to lessen
-the risk of fire; it is only a rough shed with a log platform in front,
-which is as favourite a resort for loafers as is the forge door in
-England. The bellows consist of two hollow wooden cylinders in which
-pistons fringed with feathers are worked up and down. The lower ends of
-the cylinders are buried in the ground, side by side, and from them two
-bamboo tubes converge, meeting just behind a stone through which there
-is a hole; the charcoal fire is placed in front of this stone, and when
-the pistons are worked smartly a very strong draught is obtained. The
-blacksmith does little more than make and repair the simple
-agricultural implements of the village, but I have heard rumours of
-some who are capable of making gun locks. I think the form of bellows
-and the art of working iron have been introduced by captives, as the
-same type of bellows is found in the adjoining plains.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Cloth Manufacture.</i>&mdash;Cotton is grown in the
-jhums. It is cleaned in a home-made gin, consisting of a frame holding
-two wooden rollers, one end of each being carved for a few inches of
-its length into a screw, grooved in the opposite way to the other, so
-that on the handle being turned the rollers revolve in opposite
-directions, and the cotton is drawn between them, the seeds being left
-behind. The cotton is then worked by hand into rolls a few inches long,
-whence it is spun into the spindle of a rough spinning wheel, or
-occasionally a bobbin is used, which, being given a sharp twist, draws
-the cotton into a thread by its own weight. This method admits of
-diligent ones spinning as they go to and from their jhums. The thread
-having been spun, it is thoroughly wetted and then hung in loops some
-three or four feet long over a horizontal bar, and stretched by several
-heavy bars being suspended in these loops. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb31" href="#pb31" name="pb31">31</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Weaving.</i>&mdash;The warp is prepared by passing
-the thread round two smooth pieces of wood, one of which is fastened to
-two uprights, while the ends of the other are attached to the ends of a
-broad leather band, which passes behind the back of the weaver as she
-sits on the ground and, by leaning back, stretches the threads to the
-requisite degree of tightness. The woof is formed by passing to and fro
-bamboos round which are wound different coloured threads, which are
-beaten home with a well polished batten made of the sago palm.</p>
-<p class="par">A very serviceable form of quilt called
-&ldquo;puanpui&rdquo; is made by passing round every fourth or fifth
-thread of the warp a small roll of raw cotton and drawing both ends up.
-A row of these cotton rolls is put in after every fourth or fifth
-thread of the woof, so that on one side the quilt is composed of
-closely placed tufts of cotton.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Dyeing.</i>&mdash;The commonest dye is obtained by
-boiling the leaves of the Assam indigo (<i>Strobilanthes
-flaccidifolia</i>). Many immersions are required to render the colour
-permanent, and as the plant, which is cultivated near the villages or
-in the gardens, does not grow luxuriantly, it is seldom possible to
-obtain enough leaves in any one year for more than two immersions, so
-that the whole process may take two or three years.</p>
-<p class="par">Several red and yellow dyes are known, but they are
-little used, and most of the thread, excepting the blue and white, is
-obtained from the bazars.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Ornamentation.</i>&mdash;Cloths are ornamented almost
-entirely by lines of different colours. White cloths have blue and red
-stripes down the centre and sometimes one transversely about a foot
-from either end. Coloured cloths are mainly blue, with stripes of red,
-yellow, and green. Zigzags are not uncommon, and short lengths of this
-pattern are placed haphazard on cloths and coats. The stems of
-women&rsquo;s pipes are ornamented with spirals and coils.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.8">8. Domestic
-animals.</span> The most valued animal is the mithan; these tame bison
-wander all day at will in the jungle round the village and towards dusk
-return spontaneously, each animal going to its owner&rsquo;s house,
-round which it loiters till it receives a little salt, after which it
-joins the rest of the herd under the zawlbuk. The animals are only used
-for slaughter. They interbreed <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb32"
-href="#pb32" name="pb32">32</a>]</span>freely with the wild mithan, and
-the hybrids are, I believe, not sterile. The other domestic animals are
-pigs, goats, fowls, and dogs. The pigs are the scavengers of the
-village, but are generously fed on a species of arum and rice husks
-boiled together. The fowls are of a small breed; pure white, brown, and
-black are the commonest colours, but there is also a handsome spangled
-breed. The dogs have bushy tails, which curl tightly. Dogs are eaten
-freely, but their chief value is derived from the demand for
-sacrificial purposes. The goats are splendid animals with long silky
-hair and very large horns.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.9">9.
-Agriculture.</span> The only form of agriculture practised is that
-known to us generally as jhuming, and it consists in felling a piece of
-jungle and when it has completely dried setting fire to it. The ground
-is thus cleared and manured by the ashes at the same time. Timber which
-is not entirely burnt is dragged to the side of the plot and made into
-a rough fence to keep deer out. The surface of the jhum is lightly hoed
-over and then there is nothing more to be done till the gathering
-clouds warn the cultivator that the rains are about to break, then
-everyone sallies out, each with a small basket of seeds slung over one
-shoulder and the square-ended dao in hand. Line is formed at the lower
-end of the clearing, and the whole family proceeds slowly upwards,
-dibbling shallow holes with their daos and dropping into each a few
-seeds. It is considered very lucky to get well soaked while sowing. The
-chief crop is rice, but the maize, ripening as it does in August, is
-eagerly looked for by the improvident Lushais who have probably used up
-more rice than was prudent in the manufacture of beer. The rice does
-not ripen till November or December, though a little early rice is
-grown which ripens in September. Between the sowing and the end of the
-rains in October the crop requires constant weeding, a duty which falls
-on the women folk if the family contains enough of them. In each
-clearing a small house is built, well raised off the ground, in which
-the cultivators stay during the time the work is heaviest. The other
-crops grown are millet, Job&rsquo;s tears, peas, and beans. Tobacco and
-cotton are also grown for home consumption. The rice is cut very high
-as the straw has no value. It is threshed on a piece of ground
-specially levelled near the jhum house. Threshing is done in
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb33" href="#pb33" name=
-"pb33">33</a>]</span>two or three ways. The ears are thrown on to the
-threshing floor and trodden out by persons dancing on them, or are
-beaten with sticks till the grains have all fallen out. Both these
-methods are rather wasteful, and a better one, which is much used in
-the northern part of the hills, is to construct a platform about 7 or 8
-feet from the ground on which a circular bamboo bin is fixed, into
-which the ears of rice are thrown and a young man with a girl as a
-companion dance merrily among them, singing all the while, the split
-end of the bamboos of which the platform is made keeping up a cheerful
-clatter. The grain is quickly separated from the ear and falls in a
-golden cone on to the threshing floor, whence it can be easily
-collected and stored in large round bins in the jhum houses or in
-specially built granaries in some sheltered nook at a convenient
-distance from the village.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1467width" id="p032"><img src="images/p032.jpg"
-alt=
-"A Rest by the Way&mdash;on the Way to the Jhums. Lushais and Pois. "
-width="720" height="481">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">A Rest by the Way&mdash;on the
-Way to the Jhums. Lushais and Pois.</span></p>
-<p class="par first figBottomLeft"><i>Photo by Lt.-Colonel H. G. M.
-Cole, I. A.</i></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1477width" id="p033"><img src="images/p033.jpg"
-alt="LUSHAIS THRESHING RICE" width="720" height="528">
-<p class="figureHead">LUSHAIS THRESHING RICE</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Jhuming is certainly a very wasteful method of
-cultivation, as seldom more than two crops are taken off the same piece
-of land, which is then allowed to lie fallow till it has again become
-covered with jungle, which will take three or four years in the case of
-bamboo, and seven to ten if the jungle be trees. Tree land is said to
-give better crops, but the labour of felling is greater than in the
-case of bamboo and more weeding is required, and if the land is jhumed
-too frequently the trees give place to coarse grass, which the Lushais
-refuse to jhum, whereas bamboos only grow thicker for cutting.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.10">10. Hunting and
-fishing.</span> All the hill men are very fond of fresh meat, and are
-clever at trapping game. Long lines of rough fencing are run through
-the jungle, with small openings at intervals, in which snares are set.
-Pheasants, jungle fowl, &amp;c., coming to one of these fences will
-always run along it till an opening is found, and thus get snared.
-Porcupines are killed by a bamboo spear fastened to a sapling bent back
-like a spring alongside a run and so arranged that it shall be released
-just as the animal is opposite the spear point. Tigers are caught under
-a platform of heavy logs, which is supported in an inclined position by
-a strong cane passed over a cross piece held up by two uprights. In a
-hole under this platform is placed a pig in a basket; on the tiger
-pulling at the basket the heavy platform falls and squashes him, while
-the pig, being in a hole, escapes. Deer, <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb34" href="#pb34" name="pb34">34</a>]</span>wild cats, &amp;c., are
-caught in snares, a noose being arranged so that on the animal&rsquo;s
-stepping in it a sapling to which the noose is attached, and which is
-held down in a bent position, is released, thus hoisting the animal up
-into the air. The method of releasing the bent sapling or causing the
-platform to fall is in all cases the same. Two uprights are driven into
-the ground and a bar securely tied across near their tops. The string
-or rope which supports the platform or keeps the sapling in a bent
-position has a wooden toggle tied to it. The string is drawn between
-the uprights and one end of the toggle is hitched under the bar and the
-other end drawn down between the uprights until it is perpendicular, in
-which position it is held by a movable piece of wood being slipped
-across the uprights, just behind its lower end. In this position the
-pull of the string is on the upper cross bar, and a very slight touch
-will remove the lower one and set the toggle free; then up goes the
-string and down comes the platform or the noose is tightened. The
-removal of the lower bar is achieved in several ways. The bait or one
-end of a string stretched across the run may be tied to it, or it may
-be made to support one end of a tiny platform, on which the unwary
-quarry treads as it passes.</p>
-<p class="par">Pitfalls constructed in former times for the capture of
-elephants are found all over the hills, generally on a narrow ridge
-between precipices. To catch monkeys some rice is placed on a small
-platform at the end of a partially severed bamboo standing at a right
-angle to the hillside. The monkey, attracted by the rice, springs on to
-the platform and is precipitated on to a number of bamboo spikes which
-have been stuck in the ground beneath it. The same device with suitable
-alterations is sometimes employed to destroy tigers and bears.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushai is also very fond of shooting, and with his
-old flintlock accounts each year for a good number of bears and tigers.
-If a village is much troubled by a tiger systematically waylaying its
-livestock, a general hunt is ordered, guns are borrowed from the
-neighbours, and the tiger, having been tracked into a piece of jungle,
-is approached by a shouting mob, from which he flies. Every effort of
-his to turn from the path selected for him is defeated by well posted
-crowds, who turn him back with shouts and beating of drums, till,
-wearied out, he comes to bay and falls <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb35" href="#pb35" name="pb35">35</a>]</span>a victim to a volley from
-all the guns present, but before he dies he has often severely mauled
-several of his tormentors.</p>
-<p class="par">Large hunting parties make lengthy expeditions into the
-uninhabited parts in search of elephants and wild mithan. To kill an
-elephant with their flintlocks is not an easy task. A volley is fired
-at the selected animal, which is then followed for days, being fired at
-when an opportunity occurs, till it falls from sheer exhaustion. The
-following graphic account of an unsuccessful hunt was written for me by
-a Lushai. The Kongpuishiam and funeral ceremonies will be described in
-the proper place further on.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;When Hmongphunga&rsquo;s village was at Kanghmun,
-they intended to go out shooting. They performed the Kongpuishiam
-ceremony; they placed the ashes in the middle of the road. Early next
-day they went and looked at them, and in the ashes they saw the
-footmarks of a tiger, an elephant, and a man. They started on the
-hunting expedition, carrying plenty of rice with them. They certainly
-found the elephants and fired a volley at one of them. One of the party
-was called Hrangkunga. The elephant ran away. They found it in a narrow
-ravine. Hrangkunga was about to shoot at it from above when the earth
-gave way and he rolled down close to the elephant, which picked him up
-and carried him to a level place close by, and threw him down and
-trampled on him and broke up his gun and powder horn. His friends fired
-at the animal, and it went off; they could not kill it. When the
-elephant had gone they took up Hrankunga and buried him close by in the
-jungle, and set out for their village, near which they shot a tiger.
-When the people in the village heard of their approach they came out to
-meet them with &lsquo;zu.&rsquo; The hunters wrapped up grass and
-leaves in a cloth to represent the corpse of their friend. Outside the
-village they fired guns and put down the effigy, which was buried by
-the elders of the village. Shortly after this they went out shooting
-again, and after going some way they saw Hrangkunga&rsquo;s ghost on
-the branch of a tree and were very frightened, and went
-home.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">Fishing is carried on with the ordinary casting net, and
-fish are sometimes killed with spears or daos by torchlight, but most
-reliance is placed on the &ldquo;ngoi.&rdquo; This is a weir built of
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb36" href="#pb36" name=
-"pb36">36</a>]</span>timber and bamboos reinforced with stones, which
-stretches from side to side of the river. At one side an opening is
-left through which the water rushes with great force into a long bamboo
-shoot, which curves slightly upwards and ends in a deep receptacle,
-also of bamboo. The fish are carried into this by the force of the
-water which escapes between the bamboos, and are unable to leap out.
-Close by is placed a hut, well raised off the ground, in which the
-fishermen live for several days at a time and smoke the catch. Any
-chance openings in the weir are closed with conical baskets which
-detain small fish, prawns, &amp;c. These weirs are constructed by the
-united labour of the whole village, and any villager can make use of
-them, but he has to pay a toll in kind to the chief. Certain spots are
-peculiarly adapted for these weirs, and each is by prescriptive right
-the property of the village occupying a certain site in the vicinity,
-any infringement of which will lead to a serious quarrel.</p>
-<p class="par">Deep pools in the smaller streams are sometimes poisoned
-by having a decoction of a certain herb called &ldquo;kokur&rdquo; or
-of a bark called &ldquo;ru&rdquo; poured into them. This stupefies the
-fish, which float to the surface and are easily captured. The mixture
-is said to be harmless to human beings or cattle.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.11">11. Food and
-drink.</span> The Lushai when speaking of food always means rice.
-Though he is fond of meat and likes vegetables and seasonings, he only
-considers them as a garnish to his rice. When a mithan is killed to
-feast the village, the flesh is boiled in earthen pots in the street
-and the contents emptied out on to plantain leaves, whence the feasters
-help themselves with their fingers, washing down the savoury morsels
-with the water in which they have been boiled, but this banquet in no
-way takes the place of the regular meal of rice.</p>
-<p class="par">Flesh of all animals is eaten, and is not objected to
-even when considerably decomposed. The flesh of leopards and tigers is
-only eaten by children, but in spite of many enquiries I have been
-unable to ascertain why adults abstain from this article of diet. Rats
-of the white-bellied variety are considered a luxury. Dogs, especially
-puppies, are a favourite dish. Next to rice, maize may be considered
-the most important staple. It is eaten boiled, never being ground into
-flour. Besides the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb37" href="#pb37"
-name="pb37">37</a>]</span>grains and herbs which he grows in his jhums,
-the Lushai finds many edible roots and herbs in the jungle. The young
-shoots of the bamboo are by no means unpleasant eating, and a salad of
-those of the sago palm is quite a luxury, while the pith of the latter
-is much eaten in times of scarcity. When a large animal has been killed
-at any distance from the village the flesh is cut into strips and dried
-over a slow fire, after which it remains edible, according to Lushai
-ideas, for a very long time. Boiling is the only culinary art
-known.</p>
-<p class="par">As regards his drink, the Lushai has very simple tastes.
-With his meals he drinks nothing but the water in which the food has
-been boiled, which he sips sparingly, washing the meal down with a
-draught of cold water. Intoxicating drinks he only takes when he has
-full leisure to enjoy them and in company with a party of friends.</p>
-<p class="par">There are two kinds of such drinks, both home-made, from
-rice. The commonest is known as &ldquo;zu,&rdquo; and is a simple
-partially fermented drink; the other, called &ldquo;rakzu&rdquo; or
-&ldquo;zuthak,&rdquo; is distilled. This is very seldom used, being
-only made on special occasions. The still is a very simple contrivance,
-generally consisting of an earthenware pot on the top of which a gourd
-is fixed securely, the joint being made airtight with rags and clay;
-through the top of the gourd is passed a bamboo which is swathed in
-rags which are kept wet so as to condense the vapour from the pot. Zu
-is a very important article with these people. It is required for the
-due observance of every ceremony; a child&rsquo;s birth is an occasion
-for entertaining its relations, no marriage can be celebrated without
-the consumption of zu, while after his death a Lushai&rsquo;s friends
-and relatives drown their sorrow in all the zu they can obtain.</p>
-<p class="par">Has a demon to be propitiated, the return of a raiding
-or hunting party to be celebrated or a friend to be welcomed, in every
-case zu is indispensable.</p>
-<p class="par">Good zu takes some time to prepare. After being well
-bruised, paddy is damped and packed away in several layers of leaves
-and kept for some months&mdash;the longer the better. When the zu has
-to be brewed the bundles are opened and the contents placed in a large
-earthen jar and well pressed down, with a layer of leaves on top, and
-the jar filled up with water. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb38" href=
-"#pb38" name="pb38">38</a>]</span>After standing a few minutes the
-liquor is drawn off by a syphon into a brass or wooden bowl, out of
-which it is handed round to the guests in horns or small bamboos. The
-principal guest is served first, and as he tosses off the cup he names
-the one in whose honour he drinks, who in duty bound must drink next,
-naming another to follow him. While the important personages are thus
-ceremoniously entertaining each other the rank and file sitting round
-in a circle are each in turn receiving a brimming horn full. As the
-supply in the jar gets low, more water is added, so that the quality of
-the liquor steadily deteriorates. Occasionally, instead of drawing off
-the zu, a tube is inserted and each toper in turn sucks up his
-allowance, the appearance of the top of a peg, inserted in the layer of
-leaves, giving him a hint when to leave off.</p>
-<p class="par">Should the zu not have been kept long enough, a cake of
-yeast prepared from rice may be required to start fermentation. Well
-prepared zu is by no means an unpalatable drink. It contains much
-nourishment, and Savunga, one of our opponents in the 1871&ndash;72
-expedition, whom I found still living in 1898, was said to have taken
-little else during the last two years of his life. The drink naturally
-varies much in strength, but even at its strongest it is not very
-intoxicating, and it has not the exciting effect which the drink brewed
-from maize and millet seems to have on the eastern tribes, among whom
-violent crimes, committed during drinking bouts, are very common.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.2.12">12.
-Amusements.</span> The songs which the folk seem never tired of singing
-are slow, solemn dirges sung by the whole party to the accompaniment of
-a drum or gong, and are generally in praise of some former home of the
-tribe or some departed hero.</p>
-<p class="par">The dances also are very slow and monotonous. A single
-male performer enters the circle of drinkers and postures slowly,
-keeping time to the drum or gong. There are one or two exceptions, such
-as the dances in which the performer imitates a monkey or a bird, but
-generally speaking they are most uninteresting.</p>
-<p class="par">The men are fond of putting the weight; the stone used
-is a light one weighing 10 to 12 lbs. and the thrower is allowed to
-follow on as much as he likes. Jumping and running races are
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb39" href="#pb39" name=
-"pb39">39</a>]</span>never indulged in, and, though I have often
-prevailed on the young men to try, the results were always very
-poor.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais are very badly off for games. Girls play a
-game with a large, flat bean, called &ldquo;koi.&rdquo; The players
-divide into two parties, each in turn placing their kois in a row on
-the ground to serve as a target for those of the other party, which are
-held between the thumb and first finger of the left hand and propelled
-by the middle finger of the right. Should the target not be struck the
-first time, each firer goes to where her koi lies and again aims at the
-target, but this time the missile has to be propelled in another
-manner. Sometimes it is placed between the knees and jerked forward by
-a sharp jump, or it is balanced on the cheek or forehead and then
-projected by a jerk of the head, or it may be balanced on the instep
-and kicked towards the mark. This game is played among the Manipuris,
-who call it &ldquo;Kang sanaba.&rdquo; The koi bean of the Lushai is
-called &ldquo;kang&rdquo; by the Manipuris, but the latter now usually
-use round discs of ivory instead of the natural bean.</p>
-<p class="par">A game played by both sexes is &ldquo;Vai lung
-thl&#257;n.&rdquo;<a class="noteref" id="xd24e1540src" href=
-"#xd24e1540" name="xd24e1540src">1</a></p>
-<p class="par">The players sit on the ground on opposite sides of two
-parallel rows of shallow holes. In each row there are six holes and in
-each hole five small stones are placed. Each player in turn picks up
-all the stones in any hole in the row nearest him and, commencing from
-the hole next on the left, drops one in each hole along his row and
-then back along that of his opponent. If at the end of a turn one or
-more of the holes last dropped into is found to contain only one stone,
-the player removes these single stones and places them aside. The game
-continues till all the stones have been thus removed, and the winner is
-he who has taken most. Counting the stones in the hole before removing
-them is not allowed, and considerable skill is required to judge
-accurately the number of stones, so as to select a hole containing the
-number of stones which when distributed will leave the maximum number
-of holes with single stones in them. This game, under the name of
-&ldquo;Mancala Bao&rdquo; and &ldquo;Warri,&rdquo; is played by the
-Negroes in many parts of Africa, but on elaborately carved boards.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb40" href="#pb40" name=
-"pb40">40</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Boys and young men are very proficient with the pellet
-bow, and many a bird and squirrel falls victim to the sun-dried pellets
-shot from their bamboo bows, with strings of cane. The other amusements
-of the children consist chiefly in imitating their elders, the building
-of model houses forming a favourite pastime. Swinging is also popular,
-the swing consisting of a creeper suspended from the branch of a tree
-or from two poles stuck in the ground and tied together at the top. The
-swinger holds on to the end of the creeper, or places one leg through a
-loop, or sits astride a big knot tied at the end of it. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb41" href="#pb41" name="pb41">41</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e1540" href="#xd24e1540src" name="xd24e1540">1</a></span> Lung =
-stone; thl&#257;n = grave; &ldquo;vai&rdquo; may mean
-&ldquo;foreign&rdquo; or be short for &ldquo;vai phei,&rdquo; the name
-of an old Kuki clan.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#xd24e1540src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch1.3" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e326">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER III</h2>
-<h2 class="main">LAWS AND CUSTOMS</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.1">1. Internal
-structure.</span> The population of a village ruled by a Thangur chief
-at the present time is composed of representatives of many tribes and
-clans, which have all more or less adopted the language and customs of
-their rulers. I have already described the rise of the Thangurs and the
-process by which they either ejected or absorbed into their communities
-the other inhabitants of the country.</p>
-<p class="par">Our arrival in the country put a stop in certain cases
-to this process of absorption. For instance, many chiefs held
-considerable numbers of Paihte or Vuite and Khawtlang in a species of
-semi-slavery. These were captives or descendants of captives made in
-war, and nearly all have availed themselves of the Pax Britannica to
-return to their own people. Again, we found certain villages ruled over
-by non-Lushei chiefs, who were living under the protection of powerful
-Lushei chiefs. In the process of pacification these non-Lushei chiefs
-regained their independence and have gathered round them many of their
-clansmen, who formerly were scattered among the Lushei villages, and
-who, if we may judge by what has undoubtedly happened in other cases,
-would in a short time have become completely absorbed. Inquiries
-lasting over many years have convinced me that these clans are little
-more than enlarged families. In most cases the dialects of the minor
-clans have been entirely forgotten, and the only differences remaining
-are the manner of performing the &ldquo;sakhua&rdquo; or domestic
-sacrifice, the position occupied by the corpse at the funeral feast,
-and such other minor points. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb42" href=
-"#pb42" name="pb42">42</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">A stranger might live for a long time in a Lushai
-village without knowing that such divisions existed. Every clan is
-further subdivided into families and branches. Thus the Lushei clan has
-several families. One of these is the Thangur, and the Thangur family
-has six branches&mdash;Rokum, Z&#257;deng, Rivung, Thangluah, Pallian,
-and Sailo&mdash;but none of these branches has any further
-sub-division, though the descendants of certain powerful chiefs are
-sometimes collectively spoken of by their ancestor&rsquo;s name,
-showing how these clan, family, and branch names have arisen.</p>
-<p class="par">During the census of 1901 an unsuccessful attempt was
-made to get a complete list of the clan families and branches. The
-causes of the failure were the ignorance of the people themselves as to
-what clan or family they belonged to and the tendency to claim to be
-true Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">Everyone knew the name of the branch to which he
-belonged, and as a rule the family name would be correctly given, but
-in many cases the clan name was altogether omitted, or Lushei was
-entered against families which had no real claim to that
-distinction.</p>
-<p class="par">An old Lushai once asked me why I was troubling myself
-about family and branch names, and on my explaining that I hoped to
-make a complete list of them he muttered, &ldquo;Can you count the
-grains in that basket of rice?&rdquo; and turned from me to the
-zu-pot.</p>
-<p class="par">As a sample of the constitution of a clan I give in the
-Appendix a list of all the families and branches of the Lushei
-clan.</p>
-<p class="par">My enquiries lead me to believe that practically all the
-clan and a great many of the family and branch names are eponyms. In
-some cases the name of a village site has been given to its
-inhabitants, first probably by outsiders and eventually adopted by the
-people themselves, but even in these cases as often as not enquiry will
-show that the village site was first named after some famous chief who
-lived there.</p>
-<p class="par">Before the Thangur chiefs had risen to their present
-predominant position there were many consanguineous communities
-scattered over the hills, living under headmen of their own and each
-using a dialect of its own. Some of these communities <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb43" href="#pb43" name="pb43">43</a>]</span>appear
-to have had separate corporate existence for long periods and in
-consequence to have been sub-divided into many families and branches,
-while others were quickly absorbed by the Thangur and consequently have
-few sub-divisions.</p>
-<p class="par">I have been accused of deriving &ldquo;Lushei&rdquo;
-from <span class="corr" id="xd24e1581" title=
-"Source: &lsquo;">&ldquo;</span>lu,&rdquo; head, and
-&ldquo;shei,&rdquo; long. If in the salad days of my sojourn among
-these folks I was ever guilty of this folly, I hereby publicly
-repudiate it. There is no doubt that Lushei, in common with the other
-clan names, is an eponym.</p>
-<p class="par">A versatile and imaginative writer has recently derived
-&ldquo;Sailo,&rdquo; the name of the branch of the Lushai clan to which
-the present chiefs belong, from &ldquo;sai&rdquo; elephant, and
-&ldquo;lo,&rdquo; a jhum, alleging that because the elephant is the
-biggest animal, therefore &ldquo;Sailo&rdquo; means the biggest jhum
-and that the name refers to the excellence of the jhum land between
-Burkhal and the source of the Kornaphuli river, where he says the
-Sailos formerly lived. There are some objections to this theory; to
-begin with, the Lushais never use &ldquo;sai&rdquo; as a prefix meaning
-greatness, and secondly half the area mentioned was never inhabited by
-Sailo chiefs, and thirdly only a small and little considered branch of
-the great Sailo family ever entered this land of fatness and not till
-long after the family name had been generally accepted; further the
-name of the common ancestor of all the Sailo chiefs is known to have
-been Sailova, which is a common name still in the family.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.2">2. Tribal
-organisation of the Lushais.</span> Among the Lushais, each village is
-a separate State, ruled over by its own &ldquo;l&#257;l&rdquo; or
-chief. Each son of a chief, as he attained a marriageable age, was
-provided with a wife at his father&rsquo;s expense, and given a certain
-number of households from his father&rsquo;s village and sent forth to
-a village of his own. Henceforth he ruled as an independent chief, and
-his success or failure depended on his own talents for ruling. He paid
-no tribute to his father, but was expected to help him in his quarrels
-with neighbouring chiefs; but when fathers lived long it was not
-unusual to find their sons disowning even this amount of subordination.
-The youngest son remained in his father&rsquo;s village and succeeded
-not only to the village, but also to all the property.</p>
-<p class="par">Our rule has tended to increase the independence of the
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb44" href="#pb44" name=
-"pb44">44</a>]</span>young chiefs; for in former days, when might was
-right, it behoved a son to follow the advice of his father, or the
-latter&rsquo;s help might not be forthcoming when danger
-threatened.</p>
-<p class="par">The chief was, in theory at least, a despot; but the
-nomadic instinct of the people is so strong that any chief whose rule
-was unduly harsh soon found his subjects leaving him, and he was
-therefore constrained to govern according to custom.</p>
-<p class="par">To assist him each chief appoints one or more elderly
-men, known as &ldquo;upa.&rdquo; These form a sort of council which
-discusses all matters connected with the village, and decides all
-disputes between people of the village, for which they receive fees
-termed &ldquo;sal&#257;m&rdquo; from the party who loses the case.
-These fees are their only remuneration. The chief presides over this
-council, which is generally held of an evening in the chief&rsquo;s
-house, while the zu horn circulates briskly. The chief receives a
-portion of each fine levied, a practice found to prevent undue
-leniency.</p>
-<p class="par">Besides the upas the chief appoints the following
-village officials&mdash;&ldquo;r&#257;mhual&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;tlangau.&rdquo; The former, of whom there may be several, are
-advisers as to where the jhums shall be cut, and are allowed first
-choice of land for the purpose, but have to give the chief five to
-seven baskets of paddy instead of two, which is the portion due from
-other subjects.</p>
-<p class="par">The tlangau is the crier, whose high-pitched voice is
-heard after dark, when every good householder is at home, proclaiming
-the chief&rsquo;s orders.</p>
-<p class="par">He also arranges how the work of the village is to be
-divided, who are to go and make a road, who are to repair the zawlbuk,
-&amp;c.</p>
-<p class="par">In return for his labours he receives a small basket of
-rice from each house in the village.</p>
-<p class="par">Besides the r&#257;mhual and the tlangau, no village is
-complete without at least one &ldquo;thirdeng,&rdquo; or blacksmith,
-and a &ldquo;puithiam,&rdquo; or sorcerer. The former receives one
-basket of rice from each householder whose tools he repairs; the latter
-receives the same amount from each householder for whom he performs the
-sacrifices connected with his cultivation.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1608width" id="p044"><img src="images/p044.jpg"
-alt="ZATAIA, SAILO CHIEF AND FAMILY" width="720" height="534">
-<p class="figureHead">ZATAIA, SAILO CHIEF AND FAMILY</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The chief receives one hind leg of every wild animal
-shot by any of his men, and when the killing of elephants was allowed
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb45" href="#pb45" name=
-"pb45">45</a>]</span>he took one of the tusks if his villagers were
-lucky enough to slay one of those animals.</p>
-<p class="par">The villagers build the house of their ruler, and
-formerly they also cut his jhum, but I regret to say that nowadays they
-have ceased doing so, and this is an unsatisfactory sign of how,
-without any desire on our part to do so, our rule has weakened the
-authority of the chiefs.</p>
-<p class="par">The chief held rather an anomalous position. Nominally
-he was a despot&mdash;I am speaking now of the state of things which
-existed prior to our occupation of the Hills&mdash;but in reality his
-power was very much circumscribed, and his subjects could so easily
-transfer their allegiance to some rival chief, who would probably be
-willing, for a consideration, to champion the cause of his last
-recruit, that every ruler had to use tact as well as force. In fact the
-amount of power he wielded depended almost entirely on the personal
-influence of the chief. A strong ruler, who governed mainly according
-to custom, could do almost anything he liked without losing his
-followers, but a weak man who tried petty tyrannies soon found himself
-a king without any subjects.</p>
-<p class="par">The chiefs naturally tried their best to stop people
-leaving their villages, and it was customary to confiscate the paddy of
-any person who left the village without permission, but leave was
-seldom refused if the emigrant intended moving to the village of a
-friendly chief; and if the fugitive took refuge with a more powerful
-ruler it was extremely likely that a demand for the prompt surrender of
-all his property would be made with such a show of force that it could
-not be ignored.</p>
-<p class="par">I add here two extracts from Colonel Lewin&rsquo;s book,
-&ldquo;The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers Therein,&rdquo;
-page 100.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The village system among the Kookis, <i>i.e.</i>
-(Lushais) is best described as a series of petty states, each under a
-Dictator or President. To illustrate the position of the chief or
-President I may mention that in 1866, when on a visit to the village of
-one of the leading chiefs among the Looshai, I was standing talking
-with him in the path that ran through the village. While we were thus
-standing a drunken Looshai came stumbling along, and finding us
-somewhat in the way, he seized the chief by the neck and shoved him off
-the path, asking why he <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb46" href=
-"#pb46" name="pb46">46</a>]</span>stopped the road. On my asking the
-chief for an explanation of such disrespect being permitted, he
-replied, &lsquo;On the war-path or in the council I am chief, and my
-words are obeyed; behaviour like that would be punished by death. Here,
-in the village, that drunkard is my fellow and equal.&rsquo; In like
-manner any presents given to the chief are common property. His people
-walk off with them, saying: &lsquo;He is a big man, and will get lots
-more given to him. Who will give to us if he does not?&rsquo; On the
-other hand, all that is in his village belongs to the chief; he can and
-does call upon people to furnish him with everything that he
-requires.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;To collect his people, or in fact to authenticate
-any order, the chief&rsquo;s spear, which is usually carved and
-ornamented, is sent by a messenger from village to village. Should the
-message be a hostile one, the messenger carries a fighting dao, to
-which a piece of red cloth is attached. Another method is by the
-&lsquo;phuroi,&rsquo; which is a species of wand made out of strips of
-peeled bamboo, about eight inches long, in this shape (&dagger;). If
-the tips of the cross pieces be broken, a demand for blackmail is
-indicated, a rupee to be levied for each break. If the end of one of
-the cross pieces is charred, it implies urgency, and that the people
-are to come even by torch light. If a capsicum be fixed on to the
-&lsquo;phuroi,&rsquo; it signifies that disobedience to the order will
-meet with punishment as severe as the capsicum is hot. If the cross
-piece is of cane, it means that disobedience will entail corporal
-punishment.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><i>The &ldquo;Boi&rdquo; Custom.</i>&mdash;Among the
-Thados and Chins real slavery used to exist, and men and women were
-sold like cattle. Among the Lushais this has never been the case, but
-there is a class known as &ldquo;boi&rdquo; who have been miscalled
-slaves by those ignorant of their real condition.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Lushais no one but a chief can have boi, who
-are divided into the following classes:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e1641" title=
-"Source: (1)">(i.)</span> Inpuichhung (Inpui = big house, chhung =
-within), Lalchhung, or Chhungte&mdash;<i>viz.</i> those who live in the
-big house or chief&rsquo;s house. (ii.) chemshen boi (chem = dao, shen
-= red); (iii.) tuklut boi (tuk = promise, lut = to enter). The first
-class consist of all those who have been driven by want of food to take
-refuge in the chief&rsquo;s house. Widows, orphans, and others
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb47" href="#pb47" name=
-"pb47">47</a>]</span>who are unable to support themselves, and have no
-relatives willing to do so, form the bulk of this class of
-&ldquo;boi,&rdquo; but it is not unusual, if a young widow remarries,
-for her second husband to insist on his predecessor&rsquo;s children
-being put into the chief&rsquo;s house, unless any of their
-father&rsquo;s relatives will take them. The inpuichhung are looked on
-as part of the chief&rsquo;s household, and do all the chief&rsquo;s
-work in return for their food and shelter. The young men cut and
-cultivate the chief&rsquo;s jhum and attend to his fish traps. The
-women and girls fetch up wood and water, clean the daily supply of
-rice, make cloths, and weed the jhum, and look after the chief&rsquo;s
-children. In return the boi get good food and live in the chief&rsquo;s
-house, and often wear his ornaments and use his guns and weapons. They
-have to do very little more work than they would have to do if they
-were independent, and, on the other hand, they are free of all anxiety
-as to the morrow.</p>
-<p class="par">As all the chiefs are of the same family, a boi is at
-liberty to move from one chief&rsquo;s house to another. If a chief or
-his wife treats a boi very badly, the injured one goes off and seeks
-for a new master, and, as a large number of boi is considered to
-increase a chief&rsquo;s importance, every chief is willing to receive
-him, and therefore boi are generally well treated. In former days
-powerful chiefs like Sukpuilala and Vutaia only allowed their boi to go
-to one of their own relations, but even then a boi very often would
-manage to find an asylum with some equally powerful chief.</p>
-<p class="par">When a person has once entered the chief&rsquo;s house,
-he or she can only purchase freedom by paying one mithan or its
-equivalent in cash or goods. The fact that a boi can ever do this shows
-that he is allowed to acquire property. When a male boi reaches a
-marriageable age, the chief generally buys him a wife, and he lives
-with her for three years in the chief&rsquo;s house: should he marry a
-female boi, the couple have to live six years in the chief&rsquo;s
-house. After this period, he sets up a house of his own and is known as
-&ldquo;inhrang (in = house, hrang = separate) boi,&rdquo; and works for
-himself, but is still in some respects a boi. If he kills any animal he
-has to give a hind leg to the chief, and failure to do so renders him
-liable to a fine of one mithan or its equivalent. If the chief is in
-want of <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb48" href="#pb48" name=
-"pb48">48</a>]</span>rice he can call on his boi to help him if they
-have any surplus, and if a boi is in want he can look to the chief for
-assistance.</p>
-<p class="par">Regarding the children of such a boi, customs differ
-somewhat. Some chiefs have made it the rule that only the youngest son,
-who inherits his father&rsquo;s property, is a boi, the remainder of
-the sons and all the girls being entirely free. Others insist that all
-the children are boi, and that the chief is entitled to the marriage
-prices of the daughters. They give, as a reason for this, that the
-chief has paid for the boi&rsquo;s wife and so is entitled to consider
-the children as boi. In either case the children are inhrang boi.</p>
-<p class="par">A female boi is allowed to marry, and the chief receives
-the marriage price, and when this has been paid in full he has no
-further claim on the woman or her children during her husband&rsquo;s
-lifetime, but should she be left a widow, she is sometimes forced to
-re-enter the chief&rsquo;s house; but as a rule, if she behaves
-decently, she is allowed to remain on in her husband&rsquo;s house, and
-manage his property on behalf of his children, who are never considered
-boi. Should she re-marry, the chief will again receive whatever sum is
-paid as her marriage price.</p>
-<p class="par">It will be seen that the inpuichhung are by no means
-badly off, and the custom seems in every way suited to the
-circumstances of the case. Many a clever young man rises from being a
-boi to being the chief&rsquo;s most trusted adviser, and it is by no
-means unusual for a chief to take a favourite boi into his own family
-by the ceremony called &ldquo;Saphun&rdquo; (see under Adoption, page
-54).</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>ii.</i>) <i>Chemsen Boi (Red Dao
-Boi).</i>&mdash;These are criminals who, to escape from the
-consequences of their ill deeds, take refuge in the chief&rsquo;s
-house. Murderers closely pursued by the avengers of blood rushed into
-the chief&rsquo;s presence and saved their lives at the expense of
-their own or their children&rsquo;s freedom. Debtors unable to pay
-their creditors sought the chief&rsquo;s protection, and he released
-them from their debts on condition that they and their children became
-boi. Thieves and other vagabonds avoided punishment by becoming the
-chief&rsquo;s boi. Civil disputes were unblushingly decided in favour
-of the party who volunteered to become the chief&rsquo;s boi. It is
-evident that the custom in these cases has grown up by degrees from the
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb49" href="#pb49" name=
-"pb49">49</a>]</span>chief&rsquo;s granting sanctuary to those who,
-having committed serious crimes, were in danger of being killed by
-those they had injured or their relatives.</p>
-<p class="par">Chemsen boi do not live in the chief&rsquo;s house or
-work for him. Their position is similar to that of an inhrang boi, but
-all their children are considered boi to the same extent as their
-parents. The chiefs generally take the marriage price of the daughters
-of such Boi.</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>iii<span class="corr" id="xd24e1678" title=
-"Not in source">.</span></i>) <i>Tuklut (Enter by Promising)
-Boi.</i>&mdash;These are persons who during war have deserted the
-losing side and joined the victors by promising that they and their
-descendants will be boi. A tuklut boi can purchase his freedom for a
-mithan, and if there are three or four persons in one household one
-mithan will release them all. As a rule the daughters of tuklut boi are
-not considered boi. A tuklut boi does not live in the chief&rsquo;s
-house, and is in most respects in the same position as an inhrang
-boi.</p>
-<p class="par">Chemshen boi have not been recognised by our officers,
-and whenever one has claimed protection he has been released. The
-tuklut boi have also not been formally recognised, but their duties
-weigh so lightly on them that they <span class="corr" id="xd24e1686"
-title="Source: seldon">seldom</span> claim their release, and in their
-case, as in that of the &ldquo;s&#257;l,&rdquo; the class, receiving no
-fresh recruits, will soon cease to exist. As regards the inpuichhung
-boi, the custom seems well suited to the people and provides for the
-maintenance of the poor, old, and destitute, and it would be extremely
-unwise to attempt to alter it.</p>
-<p class="par">When we first visited Kairuma in 1891, we found some 80
-houses of Thado, Biate, and other clans living in his village (in a
-species of serfdom) very much on the footing of the tuklut boi, only
-that Kairuma received a mithan out of the marriage price of each of the
-daughters as well as the other dues. These people were remnants of
-conquered clans and were not allowed to leave the village. I was
-assured that, if any of them tried to run away, a party of young men
-would be at once sent off to kill or bring back the fugitives. When
-Kairuma&rsquo;s village was burnt, owing to its continued contumacious
-behaviour, all these people made their escape to the villages of their
-own clans. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb50" href="#pb50" name=
-"pb50">50</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>S&#257;l.</i>&mdash;Persons captured in raids are
-called &ldquo;s&#257;l&rdquo;; their position is quite different from
-that of any of the classes of boi. They are the personal property of
-their captors, and I am told that when guns first made their appearance
-in the hills the western tribes used to exchange their s&#257;l with
-the eastern tribes for guns, one strong s&#257;l being worth two guns.
-As a rule only children and marriageable women were taken captive, and
-the latter were disposed of in marriage, the lucky captor acting <i>in
-loco parentis</i> and taking the marriage price. The children grew up
-in the captor&rsquo;s house as his children, and as a rule were so well
-treated that they seldom wished to return to their former homes.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.3">3.
-Marriage.</span> The Lushais have wide views as to matrimony. A young
-man is not hampered in his choice by any table of prohibited degrees,
-nor is his choice confined to any particular family or clan; in fact,
-he can practically marry any woman he chooses except his sister or his
-mother. There is, however, a certain amount of prejudice against first
-cousins on the father&rsquo;s side marrying, but the reason generally
-given for this is that when a girl&rsquo;s parents have to consider the
-question of her marriage they naturally try to dispose of her outside
-the family, in order that her price may increase the wealth of the
-family, not merely transfer it from one brother to another. I have,
-however, been told that girls object to marrying their
-&ldquo;brothers.&rdquo; Among the chiefs the desire to marry another
-chief&rsquo;s daughter limits the young man&rsquo;s choice, and
-marriage among first cousins is more frequent than among commoners.
-Marriage among nearly all the other clans dealt with in this monograph
-is endogamous as regards the clan, but exogamous as regards the family.
-When we consider the composition of the following of the Thangur
-chiefs, we see at once the cause of this difference, for any
-restrictions on intermarriage would have interfered with that fusion of
-clans which was so necessary for the establishment of their power.</p>
-<p class="par">Regarding the number of his wives also the Lushai has
-great latitude; in fact, it is simply a matter of money. Experience has
-taught them that two wives in one house is not conducive to peace, and
-consequently polygamy is almost entirely confined to the chiefs, for
-few others can afford to keep up two establishments. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb51" href="#pb51" name="pb51">51</a>]</span>Marriage
-is purely a civil contract, although, as is described in <a href=
-"#ch1.4.7">Chapter IV, para. 7</a>, a pseudo-religious ceremony is
-performed.</p>
-<p class="par">Among Lushais the following sums constitute the price
-which has to be paid for a wife:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>i.</i>) <i>Manpui (Principal Price).</i>&mdash;This
-is paid to the bride&rsquo;s nearest male relative on the
-father&rsquo;s side. In case the bride&rsquo;s father is dead and she
-has brothers these divide the manpui, but if any one of them has
-contributed more than the others to the girl&rsquo;s support, or has
-provided her &ldquo;thuam&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, her
-trousseau&mdash;he receives a larger share of the manpui than the
-others.</p>
-<p class="par">The manpui is always reckoned in mithan, and varies
-according to the family of the bride. Thus a Thangur maiden is valued
-at ten mithan, while less aristocratic girls are worth less, the lowest
-price being three. A custom seems springing up of counting the manpui
-in &ldquo;tlai&rdquo; = Rs. 20/-. If the bride&rsquo;s
-&ldquo;thuam,&rdquo; or trousseau, is a good one a sum of Rs. 20/-,
-called &ldquo;tlai,&rdquo; is added to the manpui, but should the woman
-die without issue, this sum will not be paid, as the thuam will return
-to her father&rsquo;s family. If she has children these inherit the
-thuam, and therefore in such cases the tlai must be paid. The thuam
-consists of necklaces, earrings, and superior cloths, not articles for
-everyday use.</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>ii.</i>) <i>Pushum.</i>&mdash;The perquisite of the
-nearest male relative on the mother&rsquo;s side or of a person
-specially chosen as the bride&rsquo;s &ldquo;pu&rdquo; or protector. It
-varies between Rs. 4/-, and Rs. 10/- but in the case of a chief&rsquo;s
-daughter it is a mithan.</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>iii.</i>) <i>P&#257;l&#257;l.</i>&mdash;The bride or
-her relations select some trusted friend, who may be of any family,
-whom they appoint her &ldquo;p&#257;l&#257;l,&rdquo; or trustee, and he
-is expected to look after her interests throughout her whole married
-life. His fee varies in accordance with the pushum.</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>iv.</i>) <i>Niman (Aunt&rsquo;s Price).</i>&mdash;A
-sum equal to the pushum which has to be paid to the bride&rsquo;s aunt
-on her father&rsquo;s side. If there are several aunts the eldest takes
-the &ldquo;niman&rdquo; of the eldest niece and the second aunt that of
-the second niece and so on. It is possible for a niece to refuse to
-allow her aunt to take the niman and to select another person of her
-own family. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb52" href="#pb52" name=
-"pb52">52</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">(<i>v.</i>) <i>Thian.</i>&mdash;The &ldquo;thian,&rdquo;
-or friend, is a female p&#257;l&#257;l, but she only receives a small
-sum from Rs. 10/- downwards.</p>
-<p class="par">(<i>vi.</i>) <i>Nau Puan Puak Man (Price of Carrying the
-Younger Sister in her Cloth).</i>&mdash;Each sister receives this from
-the husband of her next younger sister. Among Sailo it varies from Rs.
-20/- to Rs. 40/-; in other families it is only Rs. 3/- or Rs. 4/-. In
-the case of the eldest sister it is taken by some near female
-relative.</p>
-<p class="par">These sums are never paid down at once; in fact, they
-are allowed to remain unpaid for many years, but, as a rule, in each
-family it is the custom to pay a certain amount of the manpui before
-the marriage; this is called &ldquo;sum hm&#257; hruai,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;price before taking.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Divorce.</i>&mdash;The bonds of matrimony are
-extremely loose and are very easily slipped off. If a couple disagree
-they simply separate. The woman returns to her parents and the man
-renounces all claim to any portion of her price which he may have paid,
-unless the woman agrees to its being partially returned. If the man
-turns the woman out for no fault he must pay up her full price, if he
-has not already done so. If a woman commits adultery or leaves her
-husband against his will, however unfaithful he may have been, the
-whole of her price has to be refunded.</p>
-<p class="par">If a pair who have separated by mutual consent wish to
-make it up they can do so. If the overtures are made by the man he is
-expected to pay the woman a small sum up to Rs. 20/-<span class="corr"
-id="xd24e1776" title="Not in source">.</span> If, however, the woman
-makes the advances the man has nothing to pay.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Widow Re-marriage.</i>&mdash;There is no objection to
-a widow remarrying. If a woman has a son and there is any property, it
-is proper for her to remain unmarried and look after her son and his
-interests; should she, however, wish to remarry there is nothing to
-prevent her, but her late husband&rsquo;s relatives will take charge of
-the children and all the property. Should a widow be left with
-daughters only, it rests with her husband&rsquo;s nearest male
-relatives whether she shall continue to live separately or shall enter
-his house. It is not unusual in such cases for the widow to be allowed
-to bring up her daughters, utilising, with the heir&rsquo;s approval,
-whatever property has <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb53" href="#pb53"
-name="pb53">53</a>]</span>been left, but the marriage prices of the
-girls will be taken by their father&rsquo;s heir. In olden times a
-widow had to remain unwashed and with her hair uncombed for a whole
-year from the death of her husband, but the period has been reduced to
-three months, out of pity for the women, and after that time remarriage
-is allowed. A widower who remarries before three months has passed
-since his wife&rsquo;s death used to be fined, but this excellent
-custom has dropped out of use. Should a woman elect to live in her late
-husband&rsquo;s house and bring up his children, she is considered as
-still married to him, and should she be detected in an intrigue her
-relatives will have to refund her marriage price just as if her husband
-were alive.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1785width" id="p053"><img src="images/p053.jpg"
-alt="Lushai Girls." width="720" height="491">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Lushai Girls.</span></p>
-<p class="par first figBottomLeft"><i>Photo by Lt.-Colonel H. G. M.
-Cole, I.A.</i></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.4">4. Female
-chastity.</span> The unmarried girls are not very strictly looked
-after, and, if they conduct their intrigues with a fair amount of
-secrecy, nothing is said. As has been described in <a href=
-"#ch1.3.3">Chapter II, 3</a>, there is a sleeping place on each side of
-the hearth, that furthest from the door&mdash;kumpui&mdash;being
-reserved for the parents, the other&mdash;kumai&mdash;being for the
-girls and young children. Sometimes, however, if the family is large,
-one of the girls sleeps with her parents. If a young man is found on
-the kumai nothing is said to him; if, however, he trespasses on the
-kumpui he is fined. In some villages if he even crosses the centre of
-the hearth he is fined. The fine varies in different villages, but it
-is about Rs. 10/-. If a girl becomes pregnant, the man responsible is
-at once surrounded by her relatives, who demand a mithan as the price
-of his indiscretion. This is called &ldquo;sawn man,&rdquo; &ldquo;the
-price of the bastard.&rdquo; This has to be paid even in the case of
-the child being born dead and in cases of premature births where the
-legs and arms are complete.</p>
-<p class="par">When the father has paid the sawn man he can claim the
-child as soon as it is old enough to leave its mother.</p>
-<p class="par">In cases in which the girl has been prodigal of her
-favours, no sawn man can be demanded.</p>
-<p class="par">In case a man should have a second illegitimate child by
-the same woman, he is not expected to pay more than Rs. 10/- and often
-nothing at all. For a third child he would, however, have to pay a
-mithan. In case when asked to pay sawn man, the man at once expresses
-his desire to marry the girl, he would <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb54" href="#pb54" name="pb54">54</a>]</span>not have to pay the fine
-in addition to the usual marriage price. If, however, he delays in
-marrying her, he must pay both. In this matter, however, custom varies
-considerably in different villages.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.5">5.
-Inheritance.</span> The general rule is for the youngest son to
-inherit, but occasionally the eldest also claims a share. With chiefs
-it is usual for each son, as he comes to a marriageable age, to be
-given a certain number of households and allowed to set up a village of
-his own, but the youngest generally remains with his father, and
-inherits his village and his property.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Adoption.</i>&mdash;Persons of property who have no
-son sometimes adopt a near relative, but there is no special ceremony;
-it is a purely private arrangement. The custom known as
-&ldquo;S&#257;-phun,&rdquo; is in some respects akin to adoption.
-Should a chief have a very favourite boi, he sometimes grants him
-admission into his own clan. The &ldquo;puitiam&rdquo; being called, a
-fowl or a pig is sacrificed, after the appropriate prayer has been
-said, and a few of the hairs or feathers are tied round the man&rsquo;s
-neck, and he is henceforth considered to belong to the <span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e1817" title="Source: chief s">chief&rsquo;s</span>
-clan. Anyone can thus admit another to his clan, but in practice it is
-seldom done, except by chiefs. I think the sacrifice is made with a
-view to propitiate the Sakhua of the clan which the man is
-abandoning.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.6">6. Offences
-regarding property.</span> Certain articles are said &ldquo;man a
-nei,&rdquo; &ldquo;to have a price,&rdquo; and the theft of any of them
-is punished by a fine of one mithan, quite irrespective of the actual
-value of the article stolen. These are&mdash;rice cleaned or unhusked,
-cloths, guns, brass pots, domestic animals, and wild animals, or birds
-which have been killed or trapped. The theft of other articles is
-punished by fines of from Rs. 1/- to Rs. 5/-, which are taken by the
-chief and his upa, and termed &ldquo;sal&#257;m.&rdquo; Restitution of
-the articles stolen is always insisted on.</p>
-<p class="par">To steal or even to retain a hoe or axe found on the
-road is most unlucky, and is supposed to be followed by the death of
-the finder&rsquo;s child.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.7">7. Offences
-connected with the body.</span> The punishment in these cases rested
-originally with the aggrieved party or his relatives, who were allowed
-to exact summary vengeance. Thus a husband was at liberty to kill an
-unfaithful wife and her paramour, but if he did not take <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb55" href="#pb55" name="pb55">55</a>]</span>refuge
-in the chief&rsquo;s house, becoming a chemsen boi, the families of the
-victims were also entitled to kill him whenever they got an
-opportunity. Very shortly after our occupation of the Lushai Hills, two
-lads deliberately cut down a man who, they were told, had murdered
-their father many years before. The deed was done in broad daylight, in
-the middle of the village, and apparently attracted but little
-attention. The boys both entered the chief&rsquo;s house, and I should
-never have heard of the occurrence had they not applied to be released
-from service to the chief.</p>
-<p class="par">To cut off the ears or nose of the paramour was a
-favourite way for a husband to avenge himself, and he did not always
-wait to be sure that there was anything to avenge. A man of
-Lianphunga&rsquo;s village passed the night in Tlungbuta&rsquo;s
-village, and, having been very hospitably treated by a friend, mistook
-the house of a very jealous husband for that in which he was to sleep,
-and was promptly ejected and deprived of his ears. Lianphunga, being a
-more powerful chief than Tlungbuta, exacted ten mithan as compensation
-for the injury done to his man, who, however, received absolutely
-nothing. The chief kept eight of the animals and killed two to feast
-the village, but the unfortunate victim was too ill even to share in
-the feast.</p>
-<p class="par">Rape or sodomy were punished in the same way, but the
-latter, if committed with the consent of the pathicus or with an
-animal, was not considered a crime, and there is no doubt that the
-class of men known as Tuai, who dressed as women and did women&rsquo;s
-work, indulged habitually in this disgusting vice. Fortunately the
-class, never very large, has almost died out, but I fear the vice is
-far from extinct.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.8">8. Decisions of
-disputes.</span> The chief of each village, assisted by his upa, was
-the one and only court of justice in the village, and from their
-decisions there was no appeal, but nevertheless an unsuccessful
-litigant found a way of getting his case reheard. If the matter in
-dispute were of sufficient value to make half of it worth a great
-chief&rsquo;s acceptance, the would-be appellant could generally find
-some powerful chief who would accept him as a subject and take up his
-quarrel on those terms. The custom of settling disputes by ordeal or by
-oaths, which is so common among the Naga tribes, is almost unknown to
-the Lushais. During the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb56" href=
-"#pb56" name="pb56">56</a>]</span>fourteen years I was among them I
-have only twice heard a party to a case offer to accept the
-other&rsquo;s oath.</p>
-<p class="par">In ordinary cases, a man wishing to be believed will
-take an oath holding a tiger&rsquo;s tooth, saying, &ldquo;If I lie,
-may a tiger eat me as I now gnaw this tooth&rdquo;&mdash;suiting the
-action to the word.</p>
-<p class="par">An oath of friendship between chiefs is a serious
-matter. A mithan is tied up to a post and the parties to the oath,
-grasping a spear with their right hands, stab it behind the shoulder
-with sufficient force to draw blood, repeating a formula to the effect
-that until the rivers run backwards into the earth again they will be
-friends. The animal is then killed and a little of the blood is smeared
-on the feet and forehead of the oath takers. To make this oath more
-binding they both eat a small piece of the liver raw.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.3.9">9<span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e1850" title="Not in source">.</span> War and
-head-hunting.</span> The true Lushai method of making war was to raid
-the enemy&rsquo;s villages and carry off as many captives and as much
-loot as possible. In this they form a great contrast to the Chins,
-whose plan of action was systematically to ambush the paths in the
-enemy&rsquo;s country and kill as many passers-by as possible. The
-Lushais consider this unsporting and say pathetically, &ldquo;How can
-men live if for fear of ambushes no cultivation can be carried
-on?&rdquo; The Chins were fully aware of the effectiveness of their
-method of warfare and resorted to it whenever they wished to extend
-their boundaries, piqueting the coveted piece of land so effectually
-that it was soon abandoned to them.</p>
-<p class="par">The essence of success in Lushai tactics was surprise,
-and no disgrace attached to a party of warriors which, on finding the
-enemy on the alert, quickly returned home without attempting any
-attack.</p>
-<p class="par">The wars between the different Lushai clans lasted
-sometimes for several years, but were not very energetically
-prosecuted. Thus in a war between the Thangluah and Sailo chiefs which
-lasted from about 1833 to 1850, about six villages were destroyed on
-each side, but, except on one occasion, but few lives were lost. The
-exception was the massacre of Thaurang, a Sailo chief&rsquo;s village,
-which is still spoken of with pride by the descendants of the
-perpetrators. The people of Thaurang were celebrating a great feast,
-and in <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb57" href="#pb57" name=
-"pb57">57</a>]</span>all the principal houses in the village zu was
-being dispensed to all comers. There had been no hostilities of late,
-and the guards gradually abandoned their posts and joined the groups
-round the zu pots. With song and dance the night passed merrily, and by
-two or three in the morning no one was in a fit state to notice that a
-large number of strangers, whose drunkenness was only assumed, had
-mingled with the crowd. Suddenly a gun-shot gave the signal, and,
-drawing their dahs, the Thangluahs fell on their enemies, who, too
-drunk to know friend from foe, were slaughtered without mercy. Having
-burnt the village, the successful warriors returned dragging with them
-many captives. The Sailo chiefs tried to play the same trick on the
-Thangluah when some time later the latter were celebrating their
-victory with a large feast, but their intelligence department was
-inefficient and the attack was not delivered till some days after the
-feast.</p>
-<p class="par">At that time there were but few guns in the country, and
-so little was the use of those they had understood that the wad on the
-top of the bullet was often omitted, with the natural result that when
-the time for firing came there was no ball in the gun, and hot were the
-arguments as to the value of this new-fangled weapon. In those days
-also they had not acquired the art of making stockades, which they
-subsequently copied from the Chins, and consequently there was but
-little chance of resistance if the surprise was successful, and the
-shouts of the assailants were a signal for a general stampede on the
-part of the whole population. The attack was always delivered just
-before daylight, and, if successful, but little time was lost; as many
-captives as could be caught were collected and loaded with as much loot
-as they could carry without retarding the retreat, and the whole party
-set off and seldom halted till they had travelled forty-eight hours. As
-a rule only strong women and children who could keep up in the retreat
-were taken, all other captives being killed on the spot, and should any
-captive lag behind a spear thrust quickly ended her career, and her
-head was taken on to form an ornament in the raiders&rsquo; village.
-Occasionally a few young men were carried off to be killed during the
-festivities which were held in honour of the success of the raid. If
-the raiders&rsquo; chief had a son too young to <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb58" href="#pb58" name=
-"pb58">58</a>]</span>accompany them, a captive was frequently reserved
-for him to slaughter and thus prove his bravery.</p>
-<p class="par">Having put what they considered a safe distance between
-them and any possible pursuers, the party proceeded more leisurely,
-sending on messengers to announce their success, whose arrival set the
-village in a ferment, and everyone commenced preparations for the
-ensuing feast. As the brave warriors were seen in the distance the
-whole population rushed out to meet them with horns of zu for their
-refreshment, beating drums and gongs, and shouting praises of their
-bravery. The following is an accurate translation of an account given
-me by a Lushai of the proceedings which followed the return of a
-successful raiding party:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Formerly the Lushais raided the Tipperahs and
-captured about ten and dragged them back to their village, and killed
-them either in the street or just in front of their houses. Presently
-they said, &lsquo;Let us dance.&rsquo; They danced before the heads of
-the slain, and a crowd collected and watched. The heads were placed on
-posts around the open space in the village, and those who had killed
-men came out into the space in the centre of the village with their
-guns and fighting dahs, wearing their &lsquo;chhawn&rsquo; head-dress,
-and the girls came with beautiful plaits of red and black cotton thread
-and tied them round the knots of the young men&rsquo;s hair. This is
-called &lsquo;arkezen.&rsquo; Then the young men danced beautifully.
-&lsquo;We are very magnificent,&rsquo; they said. In the middle of the
-open space a platform had been built of bamboos like those in front of
-the house. On this everyone collected any number of eggs, and those who
-had killed their enemies and those who had felt no fear ate up the eggs
-as fast as possible. This is called &lsquo;m&#257;lchawh.&rsquo; Very
-tall &lsquo;thingsia&rsquo; and &lsquo;phulrua&rsquo; (kinds of bamboo)
-are put up in front of each man&rsquo;s house and called
-&lsquo;r&#257;lngul,&rsquo; and they hang to the end of the phulrua, by
-a piece of cane called &lsquo;vawmhrui,&rsquo; a circle of pierced
-pieces of wood; these are called &lsquo;hrangkhual.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">In wars between Lushais it was considered wrong to kill
-chiefs. This, of course, was due to the chiefs being all of the same
-family.</p>
-<p class="par">When starting on a raid each man provided himself with
-cooked rice for several days. This was rammed down very tightly
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb59" href="#pb59" name=
-"pb59">59</a>]</span>into pieces of bamboo, so that several days&rsquo;
-food could be conveniently carried without fear of any being lost on
-the road. Sections of bamboos were also employed as water bottles, the
-bamboo being cut above one joint and below the next and a small hole
-made just below the joint on one side, which could be easily plugged
-with a roll of leaves; for sake of lightness the bamboo would be
-whittled down as much as could be safely done. These raiding parties
-travelled immense distances. About 1850, Vuta, whose village was then
-at Hweltu, suddenly appeared at Pirovi&rsquo;s village on the Soldeng,
-and, taking the people entirely by surprise, made many captives, among
-whom were the chieftainess and her infant son. Many others were killed
-and much loot rewarded the daring savages. The distance between the two
-villages is about seventy miles in an air line and at least twice that
-by the jungle paths. Although guns quickly became common in the Hills,
-the style of warfare did not change. In the war between the Northern
-and Southern Chiefs, which lasted from 1856 to 1859, each side only
-made three successful raids, and the actual number killed in action
-appears to have been very small. I once asked one of the chiefs who had
-been very prominent in one of the later wars how many men he had killed
-with his own hand, and, on my expressing surprise at his admitting that
-he killed none, he na&iuml;vely remarked, &ldquo;You see, we chiefs
-always go last, shouting &lsquo;Forward, forward!&rsquo; and by the
-time I reached the village the people had always run away.&rdquo;
-Though the Lushais were able to turn the Thados and other clans of
-their own kindred out of their possessions, yet when they came in
-contact with the Chins they were invariably defeated. In 1881 a large
-force of Southern Lushais raided Bunkhua, a Chin village to the north
-of the Tao hill. They burnt the village without much trouble, but the
-Chins refused to acknowledge this as a defeat and kept up a hot fire on
-their assailants, killing one of their bravest warriors. When the
-Lushais set out on their return journey they found the whole country
-up, and in a gorge they were greeted with a volley which laid forty of
-them low, and the remainder fled in all directions, and, had it not
-been for heavy rain, which washed away the bloodstains and made
-tracking difficult, but few would have reached their homes.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb60" href="#pb60" name=
-"pb60">60</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Although when fighting among themselves the ambushing of
-cultivators and travellers was disapproved of, they resorted to it
-freely when fighting us, but our casualties were not very great, as the
-ambushers were so anxious about their own safety they generally fired
-too soon. These ambushes were always arranged below the road, where the
-ground fell away very sharply, and, having fired, the brave fellows
-hurled themselves down the hill, ignoring all cuts and scratches in
-their anxiety to escape.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Head-hunting.</i>&mdash;It used to be considered that
-all inhabitants of these Hills were head-hunters. In fact, so great an
-authority as Colonel Lewin derives the name &ldquo;Lushai&rdquo; from
-&ldquo;lu,&rdquo; &ldquo;a head,&rdquo; and &ldquo;sha,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;to cut.&rdquo; This, of course, is a mistake, as the name of the
-clan is not Lushai, but Lushei, and though &ldquo;sha&rdquo; does mean
-&ldquo;to cut,&rdquo; it does not mean &ldquo;to cut off,&rdquo; and
-could not be used of cutting off a man&rsquo;s head; but that such a
-mistake should have been possible shows how firmly rooted was the
-belief that head-hunting was one of the peculiarities of the population
-of these Hills. I believe that as far as the Lushais and their kindred
-clans are concerned, head-hunting was not indulged in. By this I mean
-that parties did not go out simply to get heads. Of course, a man who
-had killed his man was thought more highly of than one who had not,
-and, therefore, when a man did kill a person he brought the head home
-to show that he was speaking the truth; but the raids were not made to
-get heads, but for loot and slaves. The killing and taking of heads
-were merely incidents in the raid, not the cause of it. I think that
-the Chins or Pois are an exception to this, and, as far as I can
-gather, the glory of bringing in a head was sufficient to send a young
-man and his friends off on the raid.</p>
-<p class="par">I have also made careful enquiries in all parts of the
-Hills as to whether there is any truth in the commonly accepted theory
-that on the death of a chief a party was at once sent off to kill
-people in order that their heads might adorn his memorial and their
-ghosts wait on his spirit in the other world, but I never heard
-anything which lent any colour to the idea, and, as regards Lushais, I
-believe it to be a pure invention; but it was undoubtedly a Thado
-custom. If a single person is killed in a raid every person in the
-attacking party is entitled to all the honours pertaining to a slayer
-of a man. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb61" href="#pb61" name=
-"pb61">61</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch1.4" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e368">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER IV</h2>
-<h2 class="main">RELIGION</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.1">1. General
-form of religious beliefs.</span> Practically all divisions of the
-Lushai-Kuki family believe in a spirit called Pathian, who is supposed
-to be the creator of everything and is a beneficent being, but has,
-however, little concern with men.</p>
-<p class="par">Far more important to the average man are the numerous
-&ldquo;Huai&rdquo; or demons, who inhabit every stream, mountain, and
-forest, and to whom every illness and misfortune is attributed. The
-&ldquo;puithiam&rdquo; (sorcerer) is supposed to know what demon is
-causing the trouble and what form of sacrifice will appease him, and a
-Lushai&rsquo;s whole life is spent in propitiating these spirits.</p>
-<p class="par">In addition to Pathian and the Huai there is a spirit
-known as Khuavang, who is sometimes spoken of as identical with
-Pathian, but is generally considered to be inferior to him, and more
-concerned with human beings. Khuavang sometimes appears to people, and
-his appearance is always followed by the illness of those who see him.
-A Lushai will say, &ldquo;My Khuavang is bad,&rdquo; if things are
-going wrong with him, and he will also tell you that you are his
-Khuavang, meaning that his fate rests with you. I have also been told
-that there are two spirits called Mivengtu, watchers of men. One of
-these is a good spirit and guards people; the other is a bad spirit who
-is always trying to sell men to the Huai. Similarly each person is said
-to have two &ldquo;thlarao,&rdquo; or souls, one of which is wise,
-while the other is foolish, and it is the struggles between these two
-that make men so unreliable. If a man hits his foot against a stone, he
-attributes it to a temporary victory of the foolish spirit.</p>
-<p class="par">In addition to all these spirits, there is another. Each
-clan <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb62" href="#pb62" name=
-"pb62">62</a>]</span>has a special spirit presiding over its destinies.
-The spirit is known as &ldquo;Sakhua,&rdquo; and all sacrifices to him
-have to be performed by a puithiam of the clan, and only members of the
-family can be present.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais believe in a spirit world beyond the grave,
-which is known as Mi-thi-khua&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, dead man&rsquo;s
-village&mdash;but on the far side of Mi-thi-khua runs the Pial river,
-beyond which lies Pial-ral, an abode of bliss. Access to this is not
-obtained by a life of virtue while on earth, but the due performance of
-sacrifices and the killing of men and certain animals and success in
-the courts of Venus. The following account of the common belief was
-written for me by a Lushai, who embellished his essay with a map. It
-will be noticed that in the latter he has inserted the Kristian&rsquo;s
-(Christian&rsquo;s) village and their heaven, the road to which is
-under Isua (Jesus), while the roads to the Lushai&rsquo;s Mi-thi-khua
-are watched by Seitana (Satan). This incorporation of the teaching of
-the missionaries with the indigenous belief is not without interest,
-showing a broad spirit of tolerance in the author, who, without
-abandoning the faith of his forefathers, is ready to admit the truth of
-Christianity and its suitability to those who profess it, and sees no
-difficulty in providing in the unknown lands beyond the grave a special
-country for each race, just as there is in the world he knows of.</p>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Translation of a Lushai&rsquo;s
-account of the World beyond the Grave</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;The first man is said to have been Pupawla;
-then he died before all those born after him. Then Pupawla, this man
-who died first, shoots at those who have died after him with a very big
-pellet bow, but at some he cannot shoot. Hlamzuih (see below, para. 8)
-he cannot shoot at. Thangchhuah he may not shoot at. Then he may not
-shoot at a young man who has enjoyed three virgins, nor at one who has
-enjoyed seven different women, even if they were not virgins; but
-women, whoever they may be, he always shoots at. They say that there is
-a road between the Mi-thi-khua and the Rih lake. [This lake is on the
-left bank of Tyao river 1&frac12; miles from the place where the
-Aijal-Falam road crosses the river.] To go there, <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb63" href="#pb63" name="pb63">63</a>]</span>they
-say, there are seven roads, but Pupawla has built his house where the
-seven roads meet. Then after Pupawla has shot them, there is a hill
-called Hringlang hill, and then there is the Lunglo river [heartless,
-feelingless, which removes feelings] the water of which is clear and
-transparent, and the &lsquo;hawilopar&rsquo; [look back no more
-flowers] flourish there. The dead pluck hawilo flowers and place them
-behind their eyes and drink of the Lunglo water, and have no more
-desire for the land of the living.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1915width" id="p063"><img src="images/p063.png"
-alt="Copy of a Map of the route to Mi-thi-khua drawn by a Lushai."
-width="502" height="423">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Copy of a Map of the route to
-Mi-thi-khua drawn by a Lushai.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The Thangchhuah, mentioned above, are those who have
-slain men and certain animals and have given a series of feasts to the
-village, which will be found described in <a href="#ch1.4.9">para. 9 of
-this chapter</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">Those whom Pupawla hits with his pellet cannot cross the
-Pial river and are doomed to stay in Mi-thi-khua, where life is
-troublesome and difficult, everything being worse than in this world,
-the metna of Mi-thi-khua being no larger than crabs.</p>
-<p class="par">The proud title of Thangchhuah, which carries with it
-much <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb64" href="#pb64" name=
-"pb64">64</a>]</span>honour in this world as well as the right of
-admission to Pial-ral after death, can only be obtained by killing a
-man and each of the following animals&mdash;elephant, bear, sambhur,
-barking deer, wild boar, wild mithan&mdash;and by giving the feasts
-enumerated below; but it is well also to have killed a species of snake
-called &ldquo;rulngan,&rdquo; a bird called &ldquo;vahluk&rdquo; and a
-species of eagle called &ldquo;mu-v&#257;n-l&#257;i&rdquo; (hawk in the
-middle of the sky). A Lushai gave me the following account of the
-journey of Thangchhuah to Pial-ral.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;After death the dead man holds the horns of the
-sambhur while sitting on its head, the rulngan will wind itself round
-him and the horns, the mu-v&#257;n-l&#257;i will try to seize the
-rulngan, but the Thangchhuah can drive them off. That is why they
-always fly screaming so high in the sky. The v&#257;hluk shade him by
-flying above him and also hide him from Pupawla, and thus the
-Thangchhuah is carried to Pial-ral.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">In Pial-ral food and drink are to be obtained without
-labour, which to the Lushai appears the height of bliss.</p>
-<p class="par">The omission of the tiger from the list of animals which
-a Thangchhuah must have killed is curious, and I cannot explain it as
-the Lushais have no superstitious objection to killing tigers and the
-&ldquo;Ai&rdquo; of a tiger is a very special function, as will be seen
-in <a href="#ch1.4.4">para. 4 of this chapter</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">This ceremony called &ldquo;Ai&rdquo; is always
-performed when a man or a wild animal has been killed. It is supposed
-to give the performer&rsquo;s ghost power over the ghosts of the man or
-animals killed. He is described as going to Pial-ral leading the ghost
-of his enemy on a string like a dog. Every member of a hunting party in
-which an elephant is killed or of a raiding party in which a man is
-slain is entitled to say that he has killed an elephant or a man. This
-simplifies admission to Pial-ral, and now that the killing of men and
-elephants is prohibited by an unsympathetic Government, it is popularly
-supposed that this qualification will not be insisted on.</p>
-<p class="par">Many people profess to have seen Mi-thi-khua in their
-dreams, but none claim to have seen Pial-ral. Should a person dream of
-his parents and in his dream accept rice from their hands he will die
-without fail in a very short time.</p>
-<p class="par">I have been told that the spirits of the dead sometimes
-are <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb65" href="#pb65" name=
-"pb65">65</a>]</span>reincarnated in the form of hornets and sometimes
-in the form of dew, and if this falls on a person the spirit is reborn
-in his or her child.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e1948width" id="p065"><img src="images/p065.jpg"
-alt=
-"Khawtlang Posts Erected to Commemorate the Slaying of Mithans at a Feast."
-width="720" height="535">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Khawtlang Posts Erected to
-Commemorate the Slaying of Mithans at a Feast.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.2">2. Ancestor
-worship.</span> Though this can scarcely be said to be the religion of
-the Lushais, yet they firmly believe that the spirits of the dead are
-constantly present and need to be propitiated, and one of the principal
-Thangchhuah feasts is in honour of the dead. This is described in
-<a href="#ch1.4.9">para. 9 of this chapter</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">At every feast or sacrifice a small portion of flesh,
-rice, and a little zu is placed on a shelf under the eaves for the
-spirits of the dead members of the family. This is called
-&ldquo;rao-chhiak.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">A little of the first fruits of each crop is always
-placed on the wall under the eaves, above the spot where the water
-tubes are stacked, as an offering to the cultivator&rsquo;s parents.
-This is called &ldquo;Mi-thi-chhiah,&rdquo; but there is another more
-important Mi-thi-chhiah. It is supposed that the spirits of the
-departed are very fond of coming to watch the Kut festivities (see
-<a href="#ch1.4.9">para. 9 of this chapter</a>) and on such occasions
-the spirit of a mother will enter her daughter&rsquo;s body and the
-daughter then goes off into a trance. The Lusheis say, &ldquo;Mi-thi in
-a thluk&rdquo; (The dead has taken her place). To cause the spirit to
-depart and restore the girl to consciousness it is necessary to perform
-the ceremony called Mi-thi-chhiah. Necklaces, earrings, cloths,
-petticoats, rice, and zu are placed in a heap on the floor where the
-corpse of the deceased was seated during the funeral feast. Then the
-worst cloth and petticoat of the girl are burnt in the forge and she
-forthwith returns to life. One reason given for the behaviour of the
-spirit is that sufficient attention to the adornment of the corpse at
-the funeral feast had not been paid. The spirit is supposed to be able
-to brood over the slight put on its late tenement; hence the collection
-of all sorts of cloths and ornaments on the spot where the corpse had
-been seated.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.3">3. Worship of
-natural forces and deities.</span> The Lushais do not worship the sun
-or moon or any of the forces of nature, though when wishing to
-emphasise a statement they frequently say, &ldquo;If what I say is not
-true, may the sun and moon desert me.&rdquo; But they believe the
-hills, streams, and trees are inhabited by various demons. These are
-known as &ldquo;Huai,&rdquo; those inhabiting the water being called
-&ldquo;Tui-huai,&rdquo; and those residing on land being known as
-&ldquo;R&#257;m-huai.&rdquo; These <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb66"
-href="#pb66" name="pb66">66</a>]</span>spirits are uniformly bad, and
-all the troubles and ills of life are attributed to them, and the
-sacrifices described in the next part are supposed to appease them.</p>
-<p class="par">The following account of the doings of one of these Huai
-was given me by Suakhnuna, one of the most intelligent of the Lushei
-chiefs:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;A R&#257;m-huai named Chongpuithanga used to live
-near the ford over the Sonai. He said he was the servant of the King of
-the Huai and was always on the look out for men along the banks of the
-river. He spoke through a girl called Ziki, who was often ill, and used
-to go into trances. He demanded a pig and professed to have caused the
-deaths of ten persons of the village.&rdquo; The following is another
-story which the teller fully believed. &ldquo;About six years ago
-Hminga, of L&#257;lbuta&rsquo;s village, was looking at a ngoi (fishing
-weir) and saw some R&#257;m-huai. These wore the chawndawl (headdress
-worn by slayers of men), and round these were strings of babies&rsquo;
-skulls. On his return home he got very ill, and all his family kept on
-asking him what was the matter, but when he was going to tell them the
-R&#257;m-huai would seize him by the throat so that he could not tell
-them. If he managed to say a few words he got a pain in the head. He
-did not die, but recovered.&rdquo; Again, &ldquo;A woman of
-L&#257;lbuta&rsquo;s village went out of her house at night for
-purposes of nature. Her name was Mang&#257;mi; she was enceinte. The
-Huai of the Tuitlin precipice caught her, and forced out the immature
-child and then carried her off down the rocks. The young men of the
-village went to search for her and found her naked in the jungle at the
-foot of the precipice, where the R&#257;m-huai had left her. She knew
-nothing about it. She recovered.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The following story gives rather a different view of the
-Huai:&mdash;&ldquo;A man called Dailova, who may be alive now, did not
-know that it was time for him to perform his Sakhua sacrifice. He and
-his son went down to fetch &lsquo;dhan&rsquo; from the jhum house, and
-slept there among the straw; in the night the boy, feeling cold, went
-into the jhum house and slept among the paddy, but Dailova covered
-himself up in the straw and kept warm. Towards morning two Huais came
-along, one of whom was called Lianthawnga, and the other,
-R&#257;m-huai, called to him, &lsquo;Where <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb67" href="#pb67" name="pb67">67</a>]</span>are you
-going to, Lianthawnga?&rsquo; and he replied &lsquo;I am going to
-Lungzawl.&rsquo; Then Dailova, from under the straw, called out,
-&lsquo;Where are you going to, Lianthawnga?&rsquo; Then the
-R&#257;m-huai came into the straw and wrestled with Dailova. When they
-had finished wrestling it was daylight, so they ate their rice and came
-home, and R&#257;m-huai followed them and wrestled with Dailova.
-Sometimes the R&#257;m-huai appears as a tiger and sometimes as a man.
-Dailova kept on saying, &lsquo;I will wrestle again with him,&rsquo;
-and at last he called out, &lsquo;I have conquered.&rsquo; Then the
-R&#257;m-huai told him that his Sakhua sacrifice was overdue and he
-performed it at once.&rdquo; In the last story the R&#257;m-huai is
-represented in much the same aspect as Khu&#257;v&#257;ng has been
-described to me by others, one of whom told me that once, returning
-from a drinking bout at the chief&rsquo;s house, he had found a man of
-huge stature sitting by his hearth, who after staring at him for a
-moment or two disappeared. Another, who also had been at a feast, while
-on his way home saw huge men with enormous heads passing through the
-jungle. In both these cases the narrators assured me that they were
-perfectly sober; in fact, one of them alleged as a reason for being
-sure that the figure which he saw was Khu&#257;v&#257;ng was that, in
-spite of having drunk a great deal, he did not feel intoxicated. In
-each case the vision was followed by a severe illness.</p>
-<p class="par">There is a lake called &ldquo;Dil,&rdquo; between the
-southern border of the Lushai Hills and the Arracan hill tracts, which
-was credited with being the abode of many savage Tui-huai. No hill man
-would go within sight of the water, and when I first went there I had
-great difficulty in getting men to accompany me. The story is that some
-foreigner visited the place once and climbed into a tree overhanging
-the water, whence he dropped his knife into the lake and sent one of
-his men down to fetch it. The diver returned without the knife, but
-with tales of wonderful beings beneath the water. The foreigner fired
-his gun into the lake, whereupon numbers of Tui-huai emerged and chased
-the whole party of intruders, catching and carrying off all except
-their leader, who made good his escape.</p>
-<p class="par">Every form of sickness is attributed to the influence of
-some Huai or other, and all tales about Huais either begin or end,
-&ldquo;There was much sickness in our village.&rdquo; At the time of an
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb68" href="#pb68" name=
-"pb68">68</a>]</span>epidemic there is probably some hysterical girl,
-such as Ziki appears to have been, whose mind has been imbued with
-tales of Huais, who works herself up into a frenzy and believes herself
-possessed of a devil. This theory receives confirmation from the facts
-recorded in the <a href="#ch1.5">next chapter</a> regarding Khawhring.
-Not every Huai is known by name, and the sacrifices about to be
-described are offered to all Huais of a particular class.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>L&#257;shi.</i>&mdash;Although the L&#257;shi are not
-considered as demons or divinities, yet this seems an appropriate place
-to deal with them. A Lushai describes them thus:&mdash;&ldquo;The
-L&#257;shi folk are spirits which live in the Lur and T&#257;n
-precipices. Formerly a Lushai young man went shooting alone. Beneath
-the T&#257;n precipice a most beautiful L&#257;shi maiden was weaving,
-and on seeing her the youth became love-sick and could not go away, so
-he stayed and courted her all day, till it began to grow dark; then the
-L&#257;shi maiden, wishing to go to her house, asked him to roll up her
-weaving for her, but he would not. Then she said to him, &lsquo;What
-animal would you most like to shoot?&rsquo; and on his saying an
-elephant she at once caused him to kill one and he bore its head back
-in triumph, while the L&#257;shi maiden and her mother rolled up the
-cloth and disappeared into the precipice.&rdquo; My informant assured
-me that had the young man rolled up the weaving he would never have
-escaped. In another tale a L&#257;shi youth falls in love with the
-daughter of a man called Lianlunga, to whom he appeared in a dream and
-offered to place in his tobacco box the fur of many wild animals and to
-enable him to shoot every animal the fur of which was in the box. In
-return for this Lianlunga agreed to the match, and both he and his wife
-were given the power of decoying wild animals. Lianlunga&rsquo;s wife
-would pinch her pig&rsquo;s ear, and if it made no noise Lianlunga
-would go out shooting and Chawntinleri, a younger sister of the
-L&#257;shi son-in-law, would drive all the animals past him, and he
-shot what he liked, for the L&#257;shi had tamed all the animals.
-Lianlunga, however, came to a tragic end through trying to dispense
-with the services of the L&#257;shi. He enticed a wild metna under his
-house and then tried to spear it through the floor, but only wounded it
-and the animal escaped. This offended the L&#257;shi, <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb69" href="#pb69" name="pb69">69</a>]</span>who
-&ldquo;made the barb of an arrow come out of his heart so that he
-died.&rdquo; The L&#257;shi seem to be only concerned with wild
-animals, over whom they are believed to have complete control.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.4">4. Religious rites
-and ceremonies.</span> In this part I propose only to deal with the
-various sacrifices which play so important a part in a Lushai&rsquo;s
-existence, but the festivals described in para. 9 are, to a certain
-extent, religious ceremonies, and are performed with the idea of
-pleasing the gods. Suakhnuna explained to me, when giving the
-description of the Thangchhuah feasts, that Pathian resided in the sky
-and that these feasts were supposed to please him. Similarly, the
-carrying about of the effigies of their ancestors in the
-&ldquo;mi-thi-rawp-lam&rdquo; is supposed to be acceptable to the
-spirits of the departed. In these feasts I think we may safely trace
-the rude beginnings of the magnificent pageants performed by the
-Manipuris and called by them
-&ldquo;Lai-harauba&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;Pleasing the
-god.&rdquo; Before describing the various sacrifices it is necessary to
-explain some of the terms used.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Hrilh</i> closely approximates to the Naga
-&ldquo;Genna.&rdquo; The meaning is that those to whom it applies must
-do no work, except necessary household tasks, and must not leave a
-prescribed area. The &ldquo;hrilh&rdquo; may apply to the whole village
-or only to the household of the performer of the sacrifice, and the
-area in which those under &ldquo;hrilh&rdquo; are allowed to move about
-may be either their own house and garden, or the village limits.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Sherh.</i>&mdash;This term is used to describe the
-portions of the animal sacrificed, which are reserved for the god or
-Huai. These portions vary slightly in different sacrifices, but,
-generally speaking, they are the extremities and some of the internal
-organs, such as the heart, liver, or entrails. In every case the
-extremities are included. I believe the Khasis offer these to the
-&ldquo;thlen.&rdquo;<a class="noteref" id="xd24e2013src" href=
-"#xd24e2013" name="xd24e2013src">1</a> I have found the Manipuri
-iron-workers when about to work a new deposit, also offer the hair from
-the end of the tail and from the fetlocks, and a little blood drawn
-from the ear of the buffalo, to the local god. Having become Hindus,
-they can no longer kill the animal as their forefathers did, but still
-make this offering of the &ldquo;sherh.&rdquo; &ldquo;Sherh&rdquo; is
-also used in the sense of tabu. Thus a house in which a sacrifice has
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb70" href="#pb70" name=
-"pb70">70</a>]</span>been performed may be said to be
-&ldquo;sherh,&rdquo; meaning that no one outside the household may
-enter it. Portions of the animal killed are kept for certain periods,
-during this time are &ldquo;sherh,&rdquo; and cannot be touched by
-outsiders. A woman is &ldquo;sherh,&rdquo; for some days after her
-confinement, and during that time must not go to the water supply.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Thiang-lo</i> is translated by the missionaries as
-&ldquo;unlawful,&rdquo; but I think &ldquo;unlucky&rdquo; more exactly
-represents the meaning, which is that a certain act will be followed by
-some misfortune to the doer.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e2024src" href=
-"#xd24e2024" name="xd24e2024src">2</a></p>
-<p class="par">The sacrifices made by Lushais may be divided into eight
-classes.</p>
-<ul>
-<li>1. <i>S&#257;khua.</i>&mdash;A sacrifice to the guardian spirit of
-the clan or family.</li>
-<li>2. <i>Kh&#257;l.</i>&mdash;These are sacrifices to Huai supposed to
-frequent the village and houses.</li>
-<li>3. <i>Daibawl.</i>&mdash;These are to propitiate the Huai in the
-jungle, streams, and mountains.</li>
-<li>4. Various sacrifices in case of sickness.</li>
-<li>5. Sacrifices to cure barrenness in women.</li>
-<li>6. <i>Nao-hri.</i>&mdash;These sacrifices should be performed once
-in a lifetime in a particular order.</li>
-<li>7. Sacrifices connected with hunting and killing animals.</li>
-<li>8. Sacrifices connected with jhuming.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>1. S&#257;khua.</b></span>
-From the chant given below a good idea is obtained of what the word
-&ldquo;S&#257;khua&rdquo; means to the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">Each clan has a special chant or invocation, and though
-in almost every case the animal sacrificed is a big sow, yet the method
-and place of the sacrifice and the disposal of the &ldquo;sherh&rdquo;
-vary in each clan, and uniformity in this respect is looked on as proof
-positive that two families belong to the same clan.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Lushei clans the sacrifice must be performed
-by a pui-thiam of the clan, and the pig is killed outside the house,
-but is brought in to be cooked and eaten. The legs and ribs have to be
-kept for three days above the rafters, and during this <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb71" href="#pb71" name="pb71">71</a>]</span>time
-they are &ldquo;sherh,&rdquo; and if they are touched by anyone of
-another family, someone of the household performing the sacrifice will
-suffer in some way, unless another pig is quickly killed. The skull of
-the animal is hung on the centre post inside the house. The sacrifice
-is generally made about once in four years, unless the pui-thiam
-advises the performance more frequently on account of sickness. The
-following is the chant or invocation used by the pui-thiam at this
-sacrifice<span class="corr" id="xd24e2073" title=
-"Not in source">.</span> Each invocation begins and ends with a long
-drawn out note. The refrain &ldquo;And accept, &amp;c.,&rdquo; is
-repeated after each line.</p>
-<div class="lgouter">
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the village. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line xd24e2079">And accept our sacrifice.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the open spaces in the village.
-Aw&mdash;w,</p>
-<p class="line xd24e2079">And accept our sacrifice.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from your dwelling places.
-Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the paths. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the gathering mists.
-Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the yam plots. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from Bualchuam hill. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from Khawkawk hill. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from Buhm&#257;m hill.
-Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from above the road. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from below the hill. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from V&#257;hlit hill.
-Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from Muchhip hill. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par first">The spirits of three more hills are invoked.</p>
-<div class="lgouter">
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the new village site.
-Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the shelf over the hearth.
-Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the village. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the floor. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Arise from the earth. Aw&mdash;w.</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Spirits prayed to by our ancestors,</p>
-<p class="line xd24e2079">Accept our sacrifice.</p>
-<p class="line">Bless Luta&rsquo;s spirit (the householder&rsquo;s
-name),</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us with sons, bless us with daughters,</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us while in bed, bless us round the hearth.</p>
-<p class="line">Make us to flourish like a sago palm,</p>
-<p class="line"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb72" href="#pb72" name=
-"pb72">72</a>]</span>Make us to flourish like a hai tree.</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us while the sun shines,</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us while the moon shines.</p>
-<p class="line">May those above bless us, may those below us bless
-us.</p>
-<p class="line">Guard us from our enemies, guard us from death.</p>
-<p class="line">Favour us with flesh. (May we have success in the
-chase.)</p>
-<p class="line">Favour us with the produce of the jungle.</p>
-<p class="line">For ten, for a hundred years bless us.</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us in killing man, bless us in shooting
-animals,</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us in cultivating our jhums, bless us in
-cultivating the beans.</p>
-<p class="line">Guard us in the presence of men, guard us in the
-presence of animals. Bless us in our old age,</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us when our heads are bowed down.</p>
-<p class="line">Guard us from the spear, guard us from the dah.</p>
-<p class="line">Those whom our grandmothers worshipped guard us,</p>
-<p class="line">Those whom our grandfathers worshipped guard us.</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us in spite of the faults in this our chant,</p>
-<p class="line">Bless us in spite of the faults in this our
-worship.&rdquo;</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par first">Bualchuam hill is the hill in which the first men
-built their first village, Buhm&#257;m the hill on which the first
-bird&rsquo;s nest was built by a crow. The other hills mentioned give a
-clue to the village sites of the first Lushei chiefs. The omission of a
-prayer to be preserved from the danger of gunshots shows that the chant
-has remained unaltered in spite of the gun having superseded the dah
-and the spear.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>2. Kh&#257;l.</b></span>
-There are many sorts of Kh&#257;l. The following are some of the most
-important.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Vok-te-Kh&#257;l.</i>&mdash;A small pig killed near
-the head of the parents&rsquo; sleeping platform, flesh cooked inside
-the house, and the skull hung over the sleeping place. The sherh
-consisting of the heart and liver and fat, are kept for the night in a
-pot with salt and rice and then thrown away. The day of the sacrifice
-and the night following are &ldquo;hrilh&rdquo; for the household.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Ar-Kh&#257;l.</i>&mdash;Similar to the Vok-te, but a
-red cock is killed, and instead of the head, the long feathers from
-above the tail, called &ldquo;fep&rdquo; by the Lushais, are strung on
-a cane and hung <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb73" href="#pb73" name=
-"pb73">73</a>]</span>over the parents&rsquo; sleeping place. The sherh,
-consisting of the head, feet, heart and liver, and wings, are placed in
-a small basket and thrown away in the morning.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Kel-Kh&#257;l.</i>&mdash;A goat is killed in a place
-where the water tubes are kept; its flesh is cooked inside the house.
-The sherh are hung on a cane in the front verandah. The hrilh lasts
-three days, and during that time no intercourse must be held with
-strangers, nor must any of the household enter the forge.</p>
-<p class="par">These three sacrifices should always be performed soon
-after marriage, but poor persons postpone them till ill-health shows
-that the Huais will wait no longer. Dreams are also the means of
-notifying when a Kh&#257;l should be performed. If a person dreams of a
-beautiful stranger of the opposite sex who laughs constantly, then the
-Vok-te-Kh&#257;l should be performed, and if the dream is repeated
-often Ar-Kh&#257;l must follow or the dreamer will certainly get ill.
-Should a tiger bite the dreamer, Kel-Kh&#257;l is most urgently needed,
-and if not performed the dreamer will certainly die. Persons who dream
-this dream are so frightened that they will not leave their houses
-after dark, nor stir beyond the village during the day, for fear of a
-tiger seizing them.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>V&#257;n-chung-Kh&#257;l.</i>&mdash;A white cock is
-killed on the hearth and the flesh cooked inside the house. The sherh
-are placed in a winnowing basket on the top shelf over the hearth with
-salt and a little rice taken from the pot before anyone has eaten. The
-next morning it is thrown away. Hrilh only for one night.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Kh&#257;l-chuang</i> or
-<i>Mei-awr-lo</i>.&mdash;&ldquo;Tail not worn&rdquo;&mdash;because it
-is not obligatory for the performer to wear the tail on a string round
-his neck as is is done in Kel-Kh&#257;l.</p>
-<p class="par">A goat is killed as in Kel-Kh&#257;l and the sherh are
-treated in the same way, but the flesh must not be cooked till the next
-day, and it is &ldquo;thiang-lo&rdquo; to eat &ldquo;thei-hai&rdquo;
-fruit. Though this sacrifice is so very similar to the Kel-Kh&#257;l,
-yet it is considered more efficacious.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>3. Daibawl.</b></span> The
-commonest of these is &ldquo;Tui-leh-r&#257;m&rdquo; (water and land).
-This sacrifice has to be performed at the outskirts of the village. It
-is to appease the demons inhabiting the woods and the streams.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb74" href="#pb74" name=
-"pb74">74</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">A cock and hen are killed. Three bamboos are brought; of
-these &ldquo;theibial&rdquo; are made, which are pieces of bamboo about
-four inches long stuck into the ground. A small basket called
-&ldquo;maich&#257;m&rdquo; is also made, and some small square mats
-called &ldquo;lengleh&rdquo; made of a thin strip of bamboo bent round
-and round itself and kept in position by lacings of black and red
-threads. These are hung from small pieces of bamboo stuck into the
-theibial. The fowls&rsquo; throats are cut and the blood allowed to
-flow on the maich&#257;m and theibial. Then three small stones are
-brought from the nearest stream and a shallow hole is dug at the place
-of sacrifice and lined with a wild plantain leaf. In this some water is
-poured and the stones and the sherh are placed in the water. The
-fowls&rsquo; flesh may be cooked and eaten either on the spot or in the
-house.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Bawl-pui.</i>&mdash;This is a very important
-sacrifice, which is seldom performed and only after all others have
-been tried. Two small clay figures are made, one to represent a man and
-the other a woman. These are called &ldquo;r&#257;m-chawm.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The female figure has a petticoat of
-&ldquo;hnahtial&rdquo; (a plant which has tough leaves used for
-wrapping up food to be taken on a journey), and is made to bite the
-pig&rsquo;s liver.</p>
-<p class="par">The male figure is provided with a pipe and a necklace
-of the liver of the pig which is sacrificed. A small bamboo platform is
-made, and on it is put a clay model of a gong and other household
-utensils, and sometimes of mithan.</p>
-<p class="par">The pig&rsquo;s throat is cut and the blood allowed to
-flow over the platform, &amp;c.</p>
-<p class="par">The pig&rsquo;s flesh is cooked on the spot. To take it
-into the house is &ldquo;thianglo.&rdquo; Many persons come and eat it
-with the puithiam. If the patient does not die during the performance
-of the sacrifice or during the subsequent feast he will undoubtedly
-recover.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>4. Various sacrifices in
-case of sickness.</b></span> <i>K&#257;ngpuiz&#257;m.</i>&mdash;This is
-a very important and efficacious sacrifice, and can only be performed
-by a certain wise man of the Khawtlang or Vuite clans. It costs Rs.
-40/- besides the cost of the animals killed and zu drunk. In front of
-the house a sort of arbour is made of grass and boughs supported on
-four sticks. All round this are hung little balls made of split cane
-rolled up tight. This split cane is said to be much liked by
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb75" href="#pb75" name=
-"pb75">75</a>]</span>the devils. All round the house strands of cane
-are stretched, the ends being tied to the arbour. The devils are
-supposed to be unable to pass these canes, so that the sorcerer has no
-fear of the devils who are already inside the house being assisted by
-recruits from the outside. Drinking of zu and reciting of charms goes
-on during the day, and after dark the sorcerer and his assistants get
-up on the roof of the sick man&rsquo;s house and commence marching up
-and down reciting charms and ordering the devils to leave the man, and
-offering them asylum in the bodies of a goat, pig, and dog which they
-carry with them. After some shouting and firing of a gun the party sit
-down on the roof over the front entrance of the house, and the sorcerer
-commences a long incantation over each of the animals in turn, beating
-them and stamping on them. Then some of the party come down and the
-rest retire to the back of the house, and each of the animals is
-brought in turn from the far end of the house, being made to walk on
-its hind legs to the front, and then is thrown down on to the entrance
-platform. Lastly a big bough is carried from the back of the house
-along the roof and fixed in a hole through the roof over the entrance.
-From this bough a cane is stretched to the arbour. Then all the rest of
-the party come down, and after many incantations and much shouting the
-animals are sacrificed and eaten by the sorcerer and his assistants,
-the usual useless portions being hung up in the arbour for the devils,
-who are supposed to have been driven either into the animal or along
-the cane into the arbour.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Ui-hring.</i>&mdash;A full-grown dog or bitch is
-killed on the entrance platform and its flesh is cooked in front of the
-house. Blood is put on the sick man&rsquo;s wrist, inside his elbow
-joint, on his forehead, on his chest, at the back of the knee and
-ankle. Sherh and head are hung up on a post.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Hring-ai-t&#257;n.</i>&mdash;Similar, but a different
-charm is muttered and the heart is roasted and eaten. The house is
-&ldquo;sherh&rdquo; for one day, leaves being hung in front of the door
-to warn outsiders. One day&rsquo;s hrilh is observed.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Khuavang-hring.</i>&mdash;Puithiam decides what
-animal shall be killed, and the sacrifice takes place on a platform
-before the house, the flesh being cooked in the street. Sherh and head
-are hung on a post in a small basket. <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb76" href="#pb76" name="pb76">76</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Thlako (The Calling of the
-Spirit).</i>&mdash;Sometimes a Lushai returning from a shooting
-expedition experiences a sudden feeling of fear near the water supply,
-and on reaching his house feels ill and out of sorts. He then realises
-that he has lost one of his &ldquo;thlarau,&rdquo; or souls, in the
-jungle. So he calls in the puithiam and requests him to call back the
-wanderer. The puithiam then hangs the head of a hoe on to the shaft of
-a spear and goes down to the water spring chanting a charm and calling
-on the spirit to return. As he goes the iron hoe head jingles against
-the iron butt of the spear and the spirit hears the noise and listens.
-The puithiam returns from the spring to the house still chanting and
-calling, and the spirit follows him, but should the puithiam laugh or
-look back the spirit is afraid and flies back to the jungle.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Epidemics.</i>&mdash;The appearance of cholera, or
-any similar disease, is the signal for the evacuation of the village.
-The sick are abandoned and the people scatter, some families taking up
-their abode in the jhum huts, others building huts in the jungle. The
-neighbouring villages close their gates to all coming from the infected
-neighbourhood, and to terrify the Huai, who is supposed to be
-responsible for the epidemic, a gateway is built across the road
-leading to the stricken villages, on the sides and arch of which rude
-figures of armed men made of straw with wooden spears and dahs are
-placed. A dog is sacrificed and the sherh are hung on the
-gateway.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e2259src" href="#xd24e2259" name=
-"xd24e2259src">3</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>5. Sacrifices to remove
-barrenness in women.</b></span> <i>Chhim.</i>&mdash;This is generally
-performed if a woman does not become enceinte in the first year of
-married life. A white hen has to be caught just as it has laid an egg,
-but as this is a somewhat difficult feat, and as the demons, though
-malevolent, are supposed to be easily imposed upon, a white hen is
-often caught and put into a nest basket with an egg and fastened there
-till the puithiam arrives and says, &ldquo;Oh, ho! so your hen has laid
-an egg!&rdquo; Then the hen is killed at the head of the sleeping
-platform (khumpi), under which the sherh are placed in a basket till
-sunrise next morning, when they are thrown away. The flesh is cooked on
-the hearth and eaten. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb77" href="#pb77"
-name="pb77">77</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Nu-hrih.</i>&mdash;A black fowl is killed and eaten
-as in the &ldquo;Chhim&rdquo; sacrifice. The sherh are wrapped in a
-wild plantain before being placed under the bed in a basket. They are
-thrown away in the morning. The feathers are bound with the thread used
-for tying the woman&rsquo;s hair and hung on the wall opposite the
-fireplace. Whether the couple cohabit on this night or not is
-immaterial.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>6. Nao-hri.</b></span> The
-following sacrifices are performed some time during life, whenever a
-person is unwell. If a person keeps well they will not be made. Rich
-people often go through the whole course for their children as a
-precautionary measure. The sacrifices are done in the following
-order:&mdash;</p>
-<ul>
-<li>1. <i>Hmar-phir.</i>&mdash;Cock and hen killed on entrance
-ladder.</li>
-<li>2. <i>Hmarchung.</i>&mdash;Cock killed on entrance ladder.</li>
-<li>3. <i>Hmarkhat.</i>&mdash;Hen killed on entrance ladder.</li>
-<li>4. <i>Vawk-te-luilam.</i>&mdash;Small pig killed outside
-house.</li>
-<li>5. <i>Ui-te-luilam.</i>&mdash;Puppy killed outside house.</li>
-<li>6. <i>Zinhnawn.</i>&mdash;Puppy killed outside house.</li>
-<li>7. <i>Zin-thiang.</i>&mdash;Puppy killed outside house.</li>
-<li>8. <i>Ui-ha-awr.</i>&mdash;Dog killed in front of platform, tooth
-worn round neck.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>7. Sacrifices connected with
-hunting and killing animals.</b></span> <i>Kongpui Shiam (Making a Big
-Road).</i>&mdash;This ceremony is supposed to make successful hunting
-probable; it also foretells the result. It is performed before a large
-hunting party starts and also annually about April.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Translation of Lushai
-Account.</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;As soon as it gets dusk two men and the
-puithiam go a short way down the road which leads out of the village
-southwards taking a small pig with them, and there they make a fire,
-and kill the pig and cook its flesh. They drink some zu which they have
-brought with them in a gourd and also eat the flesh of the pig.
-Presently they say no one is to come this way, and the puithiam sweeps
-a place in the middle of the road and places some of the ashes from the
-fire there, and sings this magic chant:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;&lsquo;Animals come, animals of the Ri lake come,
-animals of the Champhai come, animals from the village come, animals of
-Ai-zawl <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb78" href="#pb78" name=
-"pb78">78</a>]</span>come, you with the white tusks, you with the
-standing manes (bears), you with the branching horns come.&rsquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Then, picking up some small stones and putting
-them in their haversacks, they return. As they are about to enter the
-chief&rsquo;s house, they say, &lsquo;We are bringing men&rsquo;s and
-animals&rsquo; heads.&rsquo; The upas who are collected in the
-chief&rsquo;s house ask, &lsquo;Are you friends or enemies?&rsquo;
-&lsquo;We are friends,&rsquo; they reply. Then they open the door and
-put the stones which they have brought into a basket, and as they enter
-they are given zu.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The next day is &ldquo;hrilh&rdquo; for the whole
-village. In the morning, early, they go to look at the ashes, and are
-supposed to be able to see the likeness to footmarks in them, and thus
-to what animals will be killed in the chase. If a man&rsquo;s foot
-marks are seen, it is unfortunate, and a man will be killed.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Ai.</i>&mdash;In order that a person after death may
-gain possession of the spirits of the men or wild animals he has killed
-here below, it is necessary for him to sacrifice a mithan, goat, or
-pig. This is called &ldquo;Ai.&rdquo; After this feast, before the
-skull can be placed in the front verandah, a religious ceremony has to
-be performed by the puithiam. This is called
-&ldquo;Sa-lu-an-chhuang&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;Hoist the head
-of the wild animal.&rdquo; A small white fowl is given to him and the
-skull of the animal is placed in front of him. He then takes some zu in
-his mouth and spits it out over the skull, and, after muttering a charm
-in so low a tone that no one can hear him, he strikes the skull with
-the head of the chicken. If some of the feathers stick on the skull it
-is very lucky. After this the skull can be put up. As is stated further
-on, the Lushais believe that the spirit of a dead man cannot pass to
-Mi-thi-khua unless some animals are killed. These have to be provided
-by the heir, and no greater objection can be urged against a claim to
-inherit than a failure to provide the funeral sacrifice. This explains
-the reason of the Ai ceremony; the performer thereby enables the spirit
-of the dead animal to pass to Mi-thi-khua and in return acquires power
-over it. No Ai has to be performed for tame animals, presumably because
-they are the property of the slayer already. The word &ldquo;Ai&rdquo;
-has many meanings&mdash;among them are &ldquo;to fascinate,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;to obtain power over&rdquo;; and there is also a plant of that
-name, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb79" href="#pb79" name=
-"pb79">79</a>]</span>which in one of the folk tales is said to have the
-magical property of driving away any evil spirit at which it is
-pointed.</p>
-<p class="par">The Ai of a man requires the sacrifice of a mithan and a
-small pig. If an enemy is killed and no Ai performed the slayer is very
-likely to go mad.</p>
-<p class="par">If you perform the Ai you can take your enemy with you
-(as a slave) when you die; if you do not perform the Ai you cannot do
-so, and the spirit of your deceased enemy will haunt you in this
-life.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Translation of a Lushai Account of
-the Sakei-Ai.</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;When Bengkhawia&rsquo;s village was at
-Thenzawl, a tiger beset the village and in one day killed a mithan and
-two goats. The crier called on the people to surround it, and they did
-so. Thangbawnga shot it and performed the Ai ceremony; the night before
-he must not sleep. A young man cut its tail off; he also must keep
-awake all night. The next day he performed the Ai ceremony, sacrificing
-a mithan. Thangbawnga, who was performing the Ai, dressed himself up as
-a woman, smoked a woman&rsquo;s pipe, wore a woman&rsquo;s petticoat
-and cloth, carried a small basket, spun a cotton spindle, wore ivory
-earrings, let his hair down, and wrapped a mottled cloth, which was
-said to be of an ancient pattern, round his head as a turban. A crowd
-watched him and yelled with laughter, but it would have been
-&lsquo;thianglo&rsquo; for him to laugh. Presently he took off his
-turban and carried it in the basket. Then he took off his woman&rsquo;s
-disguise and dressed himself as a man, and strapped on a fighting dah
-and carried a gun. He also took &lsquo;sailungvar&rsquo; (white flints)
-and put them into the tiger&rsquo;s mouth while he ate eggs. &lsquo;You
-eat the sailungvar,&rsquo; he said; &lsquo;who will swallow them the
-quicker?&rsquo; &lsquo;I have out-swallowed you, you have not swallowed
-yours; I have swallowed mine. You go by the lower road; I will go by
-the upper. You will be like the lower southern hills; I shall be like
-the high northern ones. You are the brave man of the south; I am the
-brave man of the north,&rsquo; he said, and cut the tiger&rsquo;s head
-three times with his dao. Then the men buried the body of the tiger
-outside the village.&rdquo; If the tiger has killed men, his eyes are
-gouged out with skewers or needles and thrown away; it is
-&ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb80" href="#pb80"
-name="pb80">80</a>]</span>for the performer to laugh, so he holds a
-porcupine in his arms, and if he laughs by accident they say,
-&ldquo;The porcupine laughed.&rdquo; The idea of the performer
-disguising himself as a woman is that the spirit of the dead tiger may
-be humbled, thinking that it has been shot by a woman; and the giving
-of the flints while the performer eats eggs is to show the power of the
-performer over the the tiger, as he eats the eggs easily, while the
-tiger is unable to chew the flints.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Haohuk Ai.</i>&mdash;The Ai of a
-&ldquo;haohuk,&rdquo; or gibbon, means a feast given to all who care to
-attend. Twenty pots of zu are required, but they are of a small size. A
-pig has to be killed and eaten. This Ai is especially necessary because
-of the superstition connected with the killing of these animals, which
-will be found in <a href="#ch1.5">Chapter V</a>.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote"><b>8. Sacrifices connected with
-jhuming.</b></span> <i>Lohman.</i>&mdash;When the jhum house has been
-completed, the sacrifice has to be performed by the owner of the jhum.
-The puithiam has to be called and two fowls killed by him. A small hole
-is dug in the ground under the house and lined with plantain leaves and
-then filled with water, and three small stones are dropped in. The
-puithiam cuts the throats of the fowls, allowing the blood to fall into
-the hole. The sherh are then cut off and hung under the house, and the
-rest of the flesh is cooked and eaten in the jungle. The next day is
-hrilh. The first day after this on which they work, some rice and
-vegetables are placed on the top of one of the posts of the house
-platform as an offering to the R&#257;m-huai.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>F&#257;nodawi.</i>&mdash;The chief prepares zu in his
-house. Puithiam and two upas go just outside the village on the road to
-the jhum and sacrifice a cock, and its wings are hung on either side of
-the road and the sherh are placed in the middle of the road. Next day
-is hrilh; no one goes out of the village except to carry water. This is
-to make grain fill in the ear, and is performed in July.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.5">5.
-Priesthood.</span> There is no regular priesthood; the nearest approach
-to priests are the puithiam (great knowers). These men pretend to be
-able, by feeling a sick man&rsquo;s pulse, to tell which sacrifice is
-needed. The only training necessary is to commit to memory the various
-&ldquo;hla,&rdquo; or charms, which have to be muttered while
-performing the sacrifices. Any man who thinks he has a call
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb81" href="#pb81" name=
-"pb81">81</a>]</span>can acquire these from a puithiam on payment of a
-fee of a few rupees. His success in his calling appears largely to
-depend on luck.</p>
-<p class="par">There is generally one puithiam appointed by the chief,
-but there is no limit to the number there may be in a village. As has
-been said, the important Sakhua sacrifice requires the presence of a
-puithiam of the clan concerned, but other sacrifices can be performed
-by a puithiam of any clan. The services of a puithiam are not given
-gratis. For performing those connected with cultivation he receives a
-basket of rice; for other sacrifices he receives sums varying from a
-rupee up to ten rupees, but for some it is not customary to take
-payment, and the fees depend chiefly on the position of the person who
-has to pay them, as the puithiam, on the principle that half a loaf is
-better than no bread, will generally perform a sacrifice and take what
-he can get rather than get nothing. For the more important sacrifices,
-the fees, however, are always higher.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.6">6. Ceremonies
-connected with child birth.</span> The particular sacrifices to be
-performed in connection with a child&rsquo;s birth vary considerably in
-different clans and families. Within seven days of the birth, the
-sacrifice known as the &ldquo;Arte-luilam,&rdquo; consisting of a cock
-and a hen killed just outside the house, must be made; till this is
-done the woman cannot go to the spring and is &ldquo;sherh,&rdquo; and
-had better not leave the house.</p>
-<p class="par">Should the woman not observe the custom the child will
-suffer in health. Three days after the birth of a child a small chicken
-and seven small packets of rice and vegetables are suspended under the
-edge of the front verandah. This is called &ldquo;arte-hring-ban&rdquo;
-or &ldquo;khaw-hring-tir.&rdquo; The object is to satisfy the
-&ldquo;khawhring&rdquo; (<i>see</i> <a href="#ch1.5.5">Chapter V, para
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e2407" title="Source: 12">5</span></a>) and
-prevent it entering the child.</p>
-<p class="par">If a woman has difficulty in bringing forth, a fowl is
-killed and divided equally. The portion with the head is put at the
-upper end of the village with seven pieces of cane rolled into bundles,
-the other half at the lower end of the village with five rolls of cane,
-and the woman is given a little water to drink. This is called
-&ldquo;arte-pum-phelna&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;to open the
-stomach with a fowl.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">For seven days after a child&rsquo;s birth its spirit is
-supposed not <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb82" href="#pb82" name=
-"pb82">82</a>]</span>to be quite at home in the little body and to
-spend some of its time perched like a bird on the parents&rsquo; bodies
-and clothes, and therefore, for fear of injuring it, the parents keep
-as quiet as possible for these seven days. If either of the parents
-works during these seven days and a red rash appears on the child, the
-illness is called &ldquo;borh,&rdquo; and the cure, which is called
-&ldquo;borh keo,&rdquo; is as follows:&mdash;A certain creeper called
-&ldquo;vomhrui&rdquo; is brought and coiled round and round, forming a
-sort of cylinder, and into this the child is dipped three times. This
-is done at night after the fire is out, and no fire can be lit again
-till morning.</p>
-<p class="par">Two days after the birth of a child its parents give a
-big drink to their friends and relatives&mdash;this is called
-&ldquo;nau&rdquo;&mdash;and seven days later another big feast is
-given. Some families give the name at the first feast, some at the
-second. The proper custom is for the &ldquo;pu&rdquo; to name the
-child, but nowadays parents generally do this.</p>
-<p class="par">Should several children have died young, the parents
-will carry the next baby and deposit it in a friend&rsquo;s house, and
-then come and ask, &ldquo;Have you a slave to sell,&rdquo; and purchase
-it for a small sum. This is supposed to deceive the Huais. Such
-children&rsquo;s names always begin with Suak,<a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2424src" href="#xd24e2424" name="xd24e2424src">4</a> and, judging
-from the frequency with which such names are met, the custom must be a
-very common one.</p>
-<p class="par">It is thought good to appoint a &ldquo;pu.&rdquo; The pu
-kills a pig and a fowl and eats it with his friends. Some of the
-&ldquo;fep&rdquo; of the fowl are tied round the child&rsquo;s neck.
-The pu is a general protector, and he only can get the
-&ldquo;pushum&rdquo; of a girl. He also receives the
-&ldquo;lukawng&rdquo; (see Part 8). Should a woman die in childbirth,
-it was considered unlucky for another woman to rear the child, which
-was buried alive with its mother.</p>
-<p class="par">There are no ceremonies connected with attaining the age
-of puberty. A boy simply joins the young men in the zawlbuk. After this
-it is considered unlucky to cut the hair.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.7">7. Marriage
-ceremonies.</span> A young Lushai as a rule chooses his own bride, but
-the arrangements are made by the parents. The would-be
-bridegroom&rsquo;s parents select two male friends, called
-&ldquo;palai,&rdquo; who go to the parents of the selected girl and
-arrange matters. If the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb83" href=
-"#pb83" name="pb83">83</a>]</span>parents are agreeable the palai go on
-another day with zu, and the girl&rsquo;s parents brew zu. The price to
-be paid is fixed by custom, as before explained, but the amount to be
-paid down has to be settled by negotiation, and this is often a long
-business, the palai urging the poverty of the bridegroom&rsquo;s
-family, while the bride&rsquo;s parents try to fix the sum as high as
-possible. When this difficulty has been overcome the palai go again
-with zu, and the girl&rsquo;s parents also provide zu. On that day the
-girl is escorted by her friends to the house of the bridegroom&rsquo;s
-parents. This is called &ldquo;Loi.&rdquo; As they pass through the
-village all the children pelt them with dirt, but on arrival they are
-welcomed with brimming cups of zu, and the bridegroom says to the
-bride, &ldquo;Oh! your cloth is dirty,&rdquo; and gives her a new one.
-After some time the bridegroom produces a fowl, and this is killed by
-the puithiam, who says certain charms while doing so. This fowl is
-called &ldquo;rem &#257;r&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;the fowl of
-agreement&rdquo;&mdash;and directly it is killed the bride and
-bridegroom pledge each other in zu. Then the bride and her young
-friends retire, while the rest of the party remain and have a great
-feast, consuming the &ldquo;rem &#257;r,&rdquo; and also the fowls and
-zu, which the bridegroom receives from the bride&rsquo;s aunt, pu,
-thian, and p&#257;l&#257;l. The next day towards evening, the
-bridegroom&rsquo;s mother or other elderly female relative goes to the
-bride&rsquo;s house accompanied by two or three young girls, and they
-escort the bride to her husband&rsquo;s house and hand her over to him.
-The young companions of the bridegroom sometimes amuse themselves by
-collecting a number of fowls under the house, tying she-goats up in the
-verandah, while the kids are tied at the far end of the village, and
-throw stones at the house throughout the night, so that the happy
-couple get but little sleep. This is called &ldquo;Inngaithlak.&rdquo;
-On the following morning the bride returns to her mother&rsquo;s house,
-and for some time, occasionally for several weeks, the bride will spend
-her days at her mother&rsquo;s house, only going to her husband&rsquo;s
-after dark.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.8">8.
-Funerals.</span> Different clans have different methods of disposing of
-their dead. The following is the custom of all true Lusheis, whenever
-the means of the deceased&rsquo;s family are sufficient to meet the
-expenses. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb84" href="#pb84" name=
-"pb84">84</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Directly after death the corpse is washed, the hair
-dressed carefully, and then the body is attached to a bamboo frame,
-placed in a sitting position, and adorned with fine raiment, necklaces,
-&amp;c.; if the deceased was a man his gun, dao, &amp;c., are put near
-him. In Lushei families the corpse is put on the floor at the head of
-the kumpui. In other clans it is placed against the wall on one side.
-If the family be rich a mithan, a pig, a dog, and a goat are killed,
-but at least one of these must be killed. The flesh is then cooked in
-anticipation of the arrival of the friends and neighbours who are
-invited to a funeral feast, &ldquo;R&#257;l,&rdquo; which is kept up
-with singing and drinking till the evening of the next day. Food and
-drink are offered at intervals to the corpse. The spirits of the
-animals killed are supposed to accompany the soul of the deceased to
-Mi-thi-khua. If these animals are not killed the soul of the deceased
-will either not reach Mi-thi-khua, or if it does will be very poorly
-off there. So far there is not much difference between the Lushei
-custom and that of other clans. The other clans, on the evening of the
-day after the death, bury the deceased outside the house, without any
-particular ceremony. The nearest male relative makes a short farewell
-speech wishing the deceased a pleasant journey and asking him to
-prepare things for those who have to follow him. With a man are buried
-his pipe, haversack, and flint and steel; with a woman only the two
-first. As regards the burying of food and drink and weapons the custom
-varies, but it is generally done.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lusheis, however, prefer not to bury their dead. The
-body is placed in a box made by hollowing out a log, a slab of wood is
-placed over the opening, and the joint plastered up with mud. This
-rough sort of coffin is placed in the deceased&rsquo;s house near to
-the wall. A bamboo tube is passed up through the floor and through a
-hole in the bottom of the coffin and into the stomach of the corpse.
-The other end is buried in the ground. A special hearth is made close
-to the coffin and a fire is kept burning day and night on this for
-three months, and during the whole of this time the widow of the
-deceased, if he leaves one, must sit alongside the coffin, over which
-are hung any valuables owned by the deceased. About six weeks after
-placing the corpse in the coffin, the latter is opened to see if the
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb85" href="#pb85" name=
-"pb85">85</a>]</span>destruction of the corpse is proceeding properly,
-and if necessary the coffin is turned round so as to present the other
-side to the fire. The opening of the coffin is celebrated by the
-killing of a pig and the usual drink, and is known either as
-&ldquo;en-lawk&rdquo; or looking, examining.</p>
-<p class="par">When it is thought that everything but the bones has
-been destroyed, the coffin is opened and the bones removed. The skull
-and the larger bones are removed and kept in a basket, which is placed
-on a special shelf opposite the hearth. The remainder of the bones are
-collected and buried generally in an earthenware pot.</p>
-<p class="par">On the occasion of the final opening of the
-coffin&mdash;&ldquo;khuang pai,&rdquo; &ldquo;throwing away
-coffin&rdquo;&mdash;it is customary for chiefs to kill a mithan; lesser
-people are content with the usual drink. Few Lusheis, except chiefs,
-can afford the expense incurred in this method of disposing of their
-dead, and in such cases the body is simply buried. It is customary for
-relations and friends of the deceased to send animals to be killed in
-his honour, and the spirits of these are supposed to belong to the
-spirit of the deceased in the Mi-thi-khua.</p>
-<p class="par">The skulls of all animals killed on such occasions are
-placed on poles round the grave if the body has been buried. If the
-body has not been buried, the heads will be placed on poles round the
-&ldquo;lung dawh,&rdquo; or platform erected in memory of the deceased.
-These &ldquo;lung dawh,&rdquo; in most cases, are merely a rough
-platform of logs placed beside the road just outside the village, but
-in the case of chiefs and of men who have killed men in war, the
-platform is built of stones. A big upright stone is placed in the
-centre, and on this various figures are roughly outlined, representing
-the deceased and sometimes his wife and children and the various
-animals he has killed. An indiarubber-tree is very often planted by a
-chief&rsquo;s grave. Sometimes a person who either has no near
-relatives, or who mistrusts those he or she has, will get the young men
-of the village to build the lung dawh during his or her lifetime.</p>
-<p class="par">An aged couple with no relatives expended all they had
-on a feast to the young men who brought and set up a big stone. The old
-people were carried in sitting on the stone and cheerfully <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb86" href="#pb86" name=
-"pb86">86</a>]</span>superintended the feast, and a month later
-peacefully departed this life.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e2462src"
-href="#xd24e2462" name="xd24e2462src">5</a></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Hlamzuih.</i>&mdash;If the first child in a family
-dies shortly after birth, it is buried without any ceremony under the
-house, and it is called &ldquo;hlamzuih&rdquo; (hlam = after birth,
-zuih = to follow). Should other children subsequently die, however
-young they be, they will be honoured with a complete funeral. It will
-be remembered that the hlamzuih are exempt from being shot by Pupawla.
-(See above, page 62).</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Lukawng.</i>&mdash;On a person&rsquo;s death a sum,
-varying from Rs. 2/- to Rs. 20/- according to family custom, has to be
-paid by his heir to the pu of the deceased (see para. 6). A chief
-generally claims the &ldquo;lukawng&rdquo; of all his boi.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>S&#257;r-thi.</i>&mdash;Deaths from accidents, in
-childbirth, or those caused by wild animals, or in war are termed
-&ldquo;s&#257;r-thi,&rdquo; and the corpse must not be buried within
-the village; in some cases the corpse must not even be brought into the
-village, if the death occurred outside. Even if the corpse is brought
-into the village, it is often not allowed into a house, but deposited
-in the forge. In such cases no lukawng can be demanded. Should the
-injured person survive for any considerable time, the death will not be
-called s&#257;r-thi unless the person has been wounded by a tiger. The
-fact that tigers eat men is given as the reason for this. The graves of
-persons killed by tigers are watched by the young men of the village
-for several nights, lest the tigers, or their elder brothers the wild
-cats, should come and dig up the body.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>In-thian, Thi-thin.</i>&mdash;Three months after a
-death a small chicken is killed and placed with some rice on the shelf
-which runs along the wall. The family indulge in zu. This is apparently
-a sort of farewell to the soul.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.4.9">9.
-Festivals.</span> There are three feasts connected with the crops. They
-are all known as &ldquo;Kut.&rdquo; The first is called
-&ldquo;Ch&#257;p-ch&#257;r-kut&rdquo;; it is the most important of the
-three, and is held after the jhums are burnt, about the time of sowing,
-and is never omitted. It lasts three or four days. On the first day a
-pig is killed by each <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb87" href="#pb87"
-name="pb87">87</a>]</span>householder who can afford it and zu is
-drunk. On the second day, about 4 p.m., the whole population gathers in
-the open space in the village, dressed in its best. Everyone brings
-platters of rice, eggs, and flesh, and tries to force the food down the
-throats of their friends. After dark the young men and girls collect in
-houses of well-to-do people with several daughters and dance
-&ldquo;Chai&rdquo; till daylight.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chai consists in all the young men sitting with
-their backs to the walls, each with a girl sitting between his knees
-with her back to him. Individual performers dance in the middle, the
-remainder singing and clapping hands. On the third day the young men
-and girls collect in the centre of the village and form a circle, every
-girl being between two youths, whose arms cross over her neck, holding
-in their hands cloths which hang down behind like a curtain. Inside the
-circle is a drummer or gong-beater, who chants continuously, the young
-people taking up the refrain, and treading a slow measure in time with
-the song, while cups of zu are brought to them in rotation. Fourth day,
-&ldquo;Zuting-ni.&rdquo; The performance is repeated again if the
-liquor holds out.</p>
-<p class="par">In villages where there are many R&#257;lte,<a class=
-"noteref" id="xd24e2491src" href="#xd24e2491" name="xd24e2491src">6</a>
-they kill their pigs the next day after the Lusheis and the other
-ceremonies are postponed one day.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Mim-kut.</i>&mdash;Named after the maize, as it takes
-place when the crop ripens. It is of but little importance and seems
-likely to die out. Cakes of Job&rsquo;s tears are eaten and the next
-day is &ldquo;hrilh.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Pawl-kut.</i>&mdash;Held at harvest time. Fowls are
-killed and children, dressed in their finest clothes, are fed with the
-flesh mixed with rice and eggs. The next day is
-&ldquo;hrilh.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The correct performance of the Ch&#257;p-ch&#257;r-kut
-is thought to go far towards insuring a good crop for the year.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Thang-chhuah Feasts.</i>&mdash;The feasts which an
-aspirant for the honours of Thang-chhuah must give are five in number
-and have to be given in the order named, as they involve considerable
-expenditure, but not within any specified time.</p>
-<p class="par">1. <i>Chong.</i>&mdash;The feast lasts four days, the
-first of which is called &ldquo;In-chhia-shem-ni,&rdquo; (day for
-repairing the house). The floor in <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb88"
-href="#pb88" name="pb88">88</a>]</span>the house is strengthened to
-make it safe for the large number of guests. The labourers receive a
-liberal allowance of zu in payment for their trouble. The second day is
-called &ldquo;Zu-pui-ni,&rdquo; from the large amount of zu that is
-drunk. The next day&mdash;&ldquo;Rawi-ni&rdquo;&mdash;two boars and a
-sow are killed and there is a great feast. The last day is known as
-&ldquo;Chang-do-ni,&rdquo; and on it the remains of the feast are
-finished up.</p>
-<p class="par">2. <i>She-doi<span class="corr" id="xd24e2520" title=
-"Not in source">.</span></i>&mdash;The feast only lasts three days. The
-first day is &ldquo;In-chhia-shem-ni,&rdquo; the second is known as
-&ldquo;She-shun-ni&rdquo; (mithan slaughter day), and a mithan is
-killed and eaten. The third day, known as &ldquo;Sa-ru-che-u-ni,&rdquo;
-is similar to Chong-do-ni.</p>
-<p class="par">3. <i>Mi-thi-rawp-l&#257;m.</i>&mdash;Three months
-before the day fixed for the feast all the young men and girls of the
-village start cutting firewood, for cooking the flesh of the animal to
-be killed. A cane is stretched along from tree to tree beside one of
-the main approaches to the village for some 500 yards, and against this
-on alternate sides are rested the billets so that they may be
-thoroughly dry by the time they are needed. As a reward the young
-people receive a he-goat and a sow, which they consume with much
-merry-making, the skulls being placed on posts at each end of the line
-of billets. This collection of wood is called
-&ldquo;sa-thing-z&#257;r&rdquo; (flesh-wood-hangout). The actual feast
-lasts four days, which are known by the same names as in the
-&ldquo;Chong&rdquo; and are spent in much the same way, but on the
-Rawi-ni, besides the slaying and eating of mithan, effigies, supposed
-to represent their deceased relatives, are made and attired in the
-finest cloths and adorned with the best necklaces. These are strapped
-on a square bamboo framework, in the centre of which on a tall pole is
-an effigy supposed to represent the progenitor of the clan. The oldest
-living member of the clan then comes slowly from his house, bringing
-with him a gourd of zu, and gives each effigy in turn a little zu,
-muttering a charm as he does so; he arranges his tour so as to reach
-his own father&rsquo;s effigy last, and when he has muttered his charm
-and given it the zu he dashes the gourd down on the ground and,
-bursting into tears, rushes into his house, whence he must not emerge
-for a month. The effigies are then carried about the village with much
-shouting. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb89" href="#pb89" name=
-"pb89">89</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">This carrying about of their effigies is supposed to be
-very pleasing to the spirits of the ancestors, and it is evident that
-the people consider that these spirits are able to influence them for
-good or for bad, though I have never had this view of the matter
-clearly explained to me. This carrying about of persons on a platform
-is considered an honour, and an instance of it will be found in the
-description of the Fa-nai. It also appears among the Aimol and Tikhup.
-Among the Manipuris or Meitheis the right to be carried in a
-&ldquo;dolai,&rdquo; or litter, is much valued and is the prerogative
-of certain officials, but is sometimes granted by the Rajah as a
-personal distinction. The last day of the feast resembles the same day
-in the Chong.</p>
-<p class="par">4. <i>She-doi</i> as before.</p>
-<p class="par">5. <b>Khuang-choi.</b>&mdash;This is the greatest feast.
-Wood is collected three months before, as in the Mi-thi-rawp-l&#257;m,
-but the collectors get a mithan and a goat as their reward. The feast
-lasts four days, the names being the same as in the Chong. On the
-Rawi-ni at least three mithan must be killed. The Khuang-choi really
-completes the series, and the giver can now proudly wear the
-Thang-chhuah cloth and have a window in his side wall, but it is
-considered unlucky to stop, and after some time the She-doi is
-performed again under the name of &ldquo;Tlip,&rdquo; followed in the
-course of a year or so by &ldquo;Z&#257;nkhu&#257;n,&rdquo; a four
-days&rsquo; feast similar to the Chong, but one or two mithan are
-killed. If the fortunate man&rsquo;s life is prolonged he will continue
-repeating these two feasts alternately. A man who has twice celebrated
-a Khuang-choi is allowed to build a raised summer house called
-&ldquo;zao&rdquo; a short distance in front of his living house.</p>
-<p class="par">After slaying a mithan in any of these feasts the giver
-of the feast is subject to various restrictions. Till he has performed
-the &ldquo;In-thian&rdquo; ceremony, he may not leave the house nor
-talk to anyone from another village. In some cases his movements are
-not so closely restricted, but he must in no case cross running water.
-I am told that should he infringe these rules his Sakhua would be
-offended and he or his family would get ill. The &ldquo;In-thian&rdquo;
-ceremony is performed some forty or fifty days after the killing of the
-mithan, and consists <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb90" href="#pb90"
-name="pb90">90</a>]</span>in the sacrificing of a cock. The prohibition
-of conversing with strangers is generally enforced only for three or
-four days, but on no account must they be allowed inside the house.</p>
-<p class="par">The skulls of mithan killed on these occasions are
-placed on posts to one side of the entrance to the house of the giver
-of the feast, and it is the highest ambition of the Lushai to have a
-long line of such posts in front of his house. Each post is cut out of
-a tree of considerable size, which is dressed until the lower 7 or 8
-feet are only some 8 or 9 inches thick. Above this the tree is roughly
-cut into a plank some 8 or 9 inches thick, forming an irregular
-quadrilateral, the lower side being a foot or so long and the upper
-from 2 to 3 feet, while one side may be 18 inches and the other 2 feet
-or a little more; at each of the upper corners there is a perpendicular
-projection some 12 inches long terminating in a spike, a short distance
-below which a ring of wood is left. The skull is placed on the higher
-spike, while on the lower an egg is affixed by a thin peg of fir wood.
-This use of fir may be a survival of the time when the clan lived east
-of the Tyao, where fir forests are still found.</p>
-<p class="par">Posts are erected on similar occasions by many of the
-Kuki-Lushai clans. Among the Khawtlang the quadrilateral portion is
-only two or three feet from the ground, while the projections are far
-longer. Among the Vuite the custom is to put a thin straight post
-slightly carved on one side of the house and to plant a number of
-branches in a clump on the other. The Tangkhul Nagas, to commemorate
-the slaying of cattle, plant lines of dead trees in front of their
-houses.</p>
-<p class="par">The method of killing the mithan at these feasts is
-strictly laid down. After the puithiam has said a prayer, the giver of
-the feast stabs the animal behind the shoulder in the region of the
-heart, but only sufficient to draw blood. The poor beast is then
-despatched by other men with sharp bamboos or clubs; it must on no
-account be shot.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e2551width" id="p090"><img src="images/p090.jpg"
-alt=
-"Chief&rsquo;s House Showing &ldquo;She Lu Pun,&rdquo; the Posts Supporting the Skulls of Mithan Killed at One of the Feasts."
-width="720" height="500">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Chief&rsquo;s House Showing
-&ldquo;She Lu Pun,&rdquo; the Posts Supporting the Skulls of Mithan
-Killed at One of the Feasts.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Buh-ai.</i>&mdash;This is a feast given by a wealthy
-person who has had an exceptionally good harvest. It is not one of the
-feasts which a would-be Thangchhuah has to give, nor is there any idea
-of obtaining advantage in the next world, as there is in <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb91" href="#pb91" name="pb91">91</a>]</span>the Ai
-ceremonies performed after the killing of animals or men, but it is a
-thank-offering for a good harvest. It is not worth performing Ai for a
-crop of less than 100 baskets. An old red cock and a pig are killed and
-much zu prepared.</p>
-<p class="par">There is a special pot of zu prepared on the platform in
-front of the house of which no one who has not performed the Buh-ai can
-drink, for others to drink of it is &ldquo;thianglo.&rdquo; The person
-who gave the last Buh-ai feast is entitled to the first drink at this
-zu, which is called the &ldquo;Buhza-zu&rdquo; (the 100 baskets of rice
-zu). There is ordinary zu for the others to drink, and if it is not all
-finished the first day the guests return on the morrow.</p>
-<p class="par">The flesh of the animals killed is eaten by the guests.
-At night the girls and lads dance the Chai, as in the
-Ch&#257;p-ch&#257;r-kut. To give such a feast reflects great glory on
-the giver and improves his standing in the village.</p>
-<p class="par">The Buh-ai is celebrated by nearly all the Lushai-Kuki
-clans and in some replaces the Thangchhuah feasts. Full particulars
-will be found in Part II. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb92" href=
-"#pb92" name="pb92">92</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2013" href="#xd24e2013src" name="xd24e2013">1</a></span>
-<i>Vide</i> p. 99 of Colonel P. R. Gurdon&rsquo;s Monograph on the
-Khasi People.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#xd24e2013src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2024" href="#xd24e2024src" name="xd24e2024">2</a></span> Compare
-Major Playfair&rsquo;s <i>The Garos</i>, page 114, where the word
-&ldquo;marang&rdquo; is said to have the meaning of
-&ldquo;unlucky&rdquo; and &ldquo;unlawful.&rdquo;&nbsp;<a class=
-"fnarrow" href="#xd24e2024src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2259" href="#xd24e2259src" name="xd24e2259">3</a></span> For a
-somewhat similar instance of trying to ward off cholera, <i>vide</i>
-Khasi Monograph, p. 35.&mdash;P. R. G.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#xd24e2259src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2424" href="#xd24e2424src" name="xd24e2424">4</a></span>
-&ldquo;Suak&rdquo; or &ldquo;Suok&rdquo; in most old Kuki dialects and
-in Thado means a slave.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#xd24e2424src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2462" href="#xd24e2462src" name="xd24e2462">5</a></span> Can the
-fear of his heirs neglecting to put up a memorial stone have originated
-the &ldquo;stone hauling&rdquo; customs so distinctive of Maram and
-Angami Nagas?&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#xd24e2462src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2491" href="#xd24e2491src" name="xd24e2491">6</a></span> The
-R&#257;lte clan is described in Part II, Chap. II.&nbsp;<a class=
-"fnarrow" href="#xd24e2491src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch1.5" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e408">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER V</h2>
-<h2 class="main">FOLK-LORE</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.5.1">1.
-Legends.</span> There are many tales common to all the Kuki-Lushai
-clans, though the names under which the various personages figure in
-them are not always the same. A numerous class of legends deals with
-the creation of the world and the first appearance of mankind thereon
-and other natural phenomena; another class accounts for the names of
-hills and rivers; a third class reminds one of Uncle Remus&rsquo;s
-tales of the doings of Brer Rabbit; but there are also a great many
-which are simply tales and which are generally a trifle obscene. The
-following are instances of the first class:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">Chhura is said to have shaped the world, beating it out
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e2581" title="Source: fla">flat</span> with
-his mallet. There are many tales connected with Chhura some of which
-will be found further on. The following translation gives a
-Lushai&rsquo;s idea of an eclipse of the sun or moon:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Formerly the Hauhul chief swallowed the moon,
-having been changed during his dream into an awk, and many people were
-watching and said, &lsquo;The awk is swallowing the moon.&rsquo; Then
-he awoke and his mouth was bleeding. A year later he died and his ghost
-was turned into an awk and went up into the sky, and the moon was full
-and big, and the ghost, which had been changed into an awk, could not
-swallow the moon, but the next day the moon was smaller and he
-swallowed it. Thus men knew for the first time that there was an
-awk.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">When an eclipse occurs there is much excitement
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e2588" title="Source: an">and</span> beating
-of drums, &amp;c. This is to frighten the awk, for the Lushais believe
-that once the awk swallowed the sun so effectually that general
-darkness prevailed. This awful time is <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb93" href="#pb93" name="pb93">93</a>]</span>called
-&ldquo;Thimzing&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the gathering of the
-darkness&mdash;and many awful things happened. Everything except the
-skulls of animals killed in the chase became alive, dry wood revived,
-even stones became alive and produced leaves, and so men had nothing to
-burn. The successful hunters who had accumulated large stocks of the
-trophies of their skill were able to keep alive using them as fuel, and
-some of their descendants still survive among the Thados, under which
-heading they will be found in Part II. As it was pitch dark, neither
-animals nor men could see at all, and tigers went about biting wildly
-at trees, stones, and people. A general transformation took place, men
-being all changed into animals. Those who were going merrily to the
-jhum were changed into &ldquo;satbhai&rdquo; (laughing thrushes), as
-can be known by their white heads, which represent the turbans worn by
-the men, and their cheery chatterings. People wearing striped cloths
-became tigers, the chiefs of those days being represented by the
-hornbills of to-day, whose bills represent the bamboo rods for stirring
-rice while cooking; but another version is that the chiefs became
-king-crows, whose long tail-feathers the chiefs value much and wear as
-plumes. The black hands of the gibbon prove clearly that his ancestors
-were dyeing thread when the Thimzing occurred. Another version ascribes
-the same origin to the crows. Similarly those who were carrying torches
-finding their way down stream beds were changed into fireflies. The
-Chongthu family are sometimes said to have been turned into monkeys,
-the Vangchhia into elephants; but another version says the elephants
-were old women who were wearing their
-&ldquo;puanpui&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, cotton quilts&mdash;with the
-tufts of cotton outside. Wrestlers were suddenly transformed into
-bears, who to this day grapple with their foes.</p>
-<p class="par">The Paihte or Vuite clan became a species of squirrel,
-while the R&#257;lte&rsquo;s ancestor was just saying, &ldquo;Vaibel
-kan chep te ang nge?&rdquo; &ldquo;Shall we suck our pipes?&rdquo; and
-was therefore changed into a sort of squirrel called
-&ldquo;chepchepa,&rdquo; from the sound it is always making.</p>
-<p class="par">The domestic animals were changed into wild ones, but a
-number of large boulders in the Van-laiphai are said to represent
-Chhura&rsquo;s mithan which were grazing there at the Thimzing. After
-this terrible catastrophe the world was again <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb94" href="#pb94" name=
-"pb94">94</a>]</span>repeopled by men and women issuing from a hole in
-the earth called the &ldquo;Chhinglung,&rdquo; which appeared to me to
-be a disused &ldquo;cache&rdquo; in which some long forgotten chief
-used to hide his valuables on the approach of danger. Mithan reappeared
-from gourd seeds, as is shown by their bellow &ldquo;um
-mu&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, gourd seed. Pigs issued from the Rih-lake,
-wherefore they come to their food when called &ldquo;rih rih.&rdquo;
-Fowls were re-created from the mud, so to this day they answer to the
-call &ldquo;chirih chirih,&rdquo; <i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;chir
-mud.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">It is not quite clear how, if representatives of the
-different clans were changed into various animals, these same clans
-again issued from the Chhinglung, but our own legends are not always
-quite easy to follow.</p>
-<p class="par">The following is a translation of a Lushai account of
-the repeopling of the world and of a feast which is said to have taken
-place soon after:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The place whence all people sprang is called
-Chhinglung. All the clans came out of that place. Then two R&#257;lte
-came out together, and began at once chattering, and this made Pathian
-think there were too many men, and so he shut down the stone. After a
-short time Thl&#257;ndropa was going to hold a Khuangchoi, and told
-them to call together all the people of the world, and when this had
-been done he held his Khuangchoi. They said to the sun, &lsquo;Do not
-shine, because we want our leader the S&#257;-huai (Loris) to lead us
-in the dance,&rsquo; and the sun said, &lsquo;All right.&rsquo; At that
-time the S&#257;-huai and all the animals could talk, and the bamboo
-rat was beating the drum, and they all danced, and in the middle of
-their fun the sun said, &lsquo;Oh, how I do want to look,&rsquo; and
-shone out, and all the animals got hot, and could not dance any more,
-so the S&#257;-huai got angry and quarrelled with the sun, and
-won&rsquo;t even look at it nowadays. There was a great feast of flesh,
-but the owl got no meat, so he got angry, and went and sat on the bough
-of a tree, and Zuhrei, the big rat, chaffed him and said, &lsquo;Buka
-has eaten his fill.&rsquo; Then the owl being still hungry, got angry
-and bit Zuhrei. Since that day they have been at war, and if the owl
-sees Zuhrei he assuredly bites him.&rdquo; The point of the allusion to
-the R&#257;lte is that this clan is famed throughout the Hills for the
-loquacity of its members. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb95" href=
-"#pb95" name="pb95">95</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Another story connected with this feast is that
-Thl&#257;ndropa gave a number of presents: to the ancestor of the Poi
-or Chin tribes he gave a fighting dao, while the ancestor of the
-Lushais only received a cloth, which is the reason that the Poi tribes
-are braver than the Lushais. On my asking what the ancestor of the
-white man had received, I was told he had received the knowledge of
-reading and writing&mdash;a curious instance of the pen being
-considered mightier than the sword.</p>
-<p class="par">Thl&#257;ndropa appears to have been a great person in
-his day, for he is supposed to have received Khuavang&rsquo;s daughter
-in marriage, giving in exchange a gun, the report of which we call
-thunder. This legend puts Khuavang on a par with Pathian, and supports
-the theory that the differentiation is of comparatively recent
-growth.</p>
-<p class="par">There is a legend that the king of the Water Huai fell
-in love with Ngai-ti (loved one) and, as she rejected his addresses and
-ran away, he pursued her and surrounded the whole human race on the top
-of a hill called Phun-lu-buk, said to be far away to the north-east. As
-the water kept on rising, to save themselves the people threw Ngai-ti
-into the flood, which thereupon receded. It was the running off of this
-water which cut up the surface of the world, which Chhura had levelled,
-into the deep valleys and high hill ranges of which the whole world as
-known to the ancestors of the Lushais consisted.</p>
-<p class="par">As a sample of the second class of tale, the following
-story regarding the origin of the Tui-chong river, which joins the
-Kurnaphuli, near Demagri, may be taken:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">Nine miles from Demagri, on the Lungleh road, the
-traveller has to cross the Tui-chong river, one of the largest
-tributaries of the Kurnaphuli, on which Chittagong stands. This river,
-according to the Lushais, owes its origin to the self-denial of a girl
-called Tui-chongi, who, with her little sister Nuengi, was walking on
-the hills whence the river rises. It was April, and the sun blazed down
-on them. Nuengi began to cry for water. &ldquo;How can I get you water
-on the top of a hill? Don&rsquo;t you know that all the springs are
-dry, for are not the jhums ready to be burnt?&rdquo; &ldquo;Water,
-water, or I shall die,&rdquo; wailed Nuengi. &ldquo;Would you rather
-have water than me?&rdquo; asked Tui-chongi. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb96" href="#pb96" name=
-"pb96">96</a>]</span>&ldquo;If I don&rsquo;t get water, I shall die,
-and then of what use would you be to me?&rdquo; replied the spoilt
-child. So Tui-chongi, to satisfy her youngest sister&rsquo;s thirst,
-changed herself into a river, and Nuengi drank and was satisfied. But
-the water flowed down among the hills and burst its way into the
-country of the Bengalis. The king of the Bengalis was astonished to see
-so mighty a river flowing past his palace, and sent some of his people
-to find out whence it came. They journeyed many days, till at length
-they reached the source of the stream, and there sat Nuengi, who, now
-that her thirst was satisfied, would gladly have had her sister back
-again to show her the way home. The explorers were astonished to find
-so beautiful a maiden sitting thus in the middle of the jungle, and
-decided that it would be wise to take her back to their master, who
-liked pretty girls. So Nuengi was added to the harem of the king of
-Chittagong, and in time became the mother of a most lovely boy. The
-king&rsquo;s chief wife, on seeing the child, thought to herself,
-&ldquo;If my lord sees this jungle woman&rsquo;s brat, he will
-assuredly love her more than me who am childless.&rdquo; So she had the
-child thrown into the river, which flowed under the palace windows, and
-frightened Nuengi into keeping silence on the matter. Tui-chongi,
-however, in spite of the change in her circumstances, remembered her
-little sister, and cherished the child so that he grew and throve. In
-the same way six more children were born and thrown into
-Tui-chongi&rsquo;s fostering arms. When they were grown up Tui-chongi
-told them the circumstances of their birth, and sent them to dance on
-the roof of their father&rsquo;s palace, who, hearing the noise, came
-out to see the cause of the disturbance. When he saw seven handsome
-young men he was much astonished, and asked them who they were.
-&ldquo;We are your sons,&rdquo; they replied. &ldquo;Why do you lie to
-me?&rdquo; said the king; &ldquo;liars have short lives in my
-kingdom.&rdquo; &ldquo;Nay, O king, we lie not; we are Nuengi&rsquo;s
-sons&rdquo;; and they told him their story. So the king smote off the
-head of the bad queen, and installed Nuengi in her place.</p>
-<p class="par">Of the third class the following are good examples, and
-admirers of Uncle Remus will be reminded of the doings of &ldquo;Brer
-Rabbit and the other animals.&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb97" href="#pb97" name="pb97">97</a>]</span></p>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><i>The Tale of Granddaddy Bear and the
-Monkey.</i></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The Monkey made a swing and was always swinging in
-it. One day Granddaddy Bear saw him and said, &ldquo;Oh, Monkey, let me
-have a swing.&rdquo; The Monkey replied, &ldquo;Wait a minute till I
-have hung it more securely.&rdquo; Then he climbed up and bit the cane
-nearly through and jumped down again crying out, &ldquo;Come on,
-Granddaddy Bear, have a swing.&rdquo; The bear got in and swung, the
-cane broke, and he fell down. The Monkey, intending to eat him, had
-gone and fetched some cooked rice (to eat with the bear&rsquo;s flesh).
-But though Granddaddy Bear fell down he was not killed. The Monkey,
-being terribly afraid, said, &ldquo;Oh, Granddaddy Bear, hearing you
-had fallen I brought some rice for you,&rdquo; and gave him all he had
-brought.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><i>The Bear&rsquo;s Water Hole.</i></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The Bear made a dam to collect water, and put the
-Monkey to watch it. Every sort of animal came crying, &ldquo;I am dry.
-Who has water which he does not want? I am dry.&rdquo; The Monkey
-always said, &ldquo;The water belongs to Granddaddy Bear. If you dare
-to drink, drink; if you dare to suck, suck it up.&rdquo; Then the Tiger
-came along, saying, &ldquo;I am dry. Who has water which he does not
-want? I am dry.&rdquo; The Monkey replied, &ldquo;It is my Granddaddy
-Bear&rsquo;s water. If you dare to drink, drink; if you dare to suck,
-suck it up.&rdquo; The Tiger drank it all; he sucked the place dry.
-Then the Monkey went to the Bear and said, &ldquo;Oh, Granddaddy Bear,
-the Tiger has drunk your water!&rdquo; So the Bear rushed up and began
-to fight with the Tiger. They fought a long time and both died, and the
-Monkey took their bones. &ldquo;Whose ever bones will sound, whether my
-Granddaddy the Tiger&rsquo;s or Granddaddy the Bear&rsquo;s,&rdquo; he
-said, and so, taking the bones which would sound, he made a
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e2646" title=
-"Source: rotchhem">rotchem</span> (see <a href="#ch1.2.6">Chapter II,
-para. 6</a>) out of them and he sat in the fork of a tree and played on
-it. The Quail, hearing the sound, came up. &ldquo;Hallo, Monkey! let me
-play for a bit,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Oh, ho!&rdquo; said the Monkey,
-&ldquo;you will fly off with the <span class="corr" id="xd24e2652"
-title="Source: rotchhem">rotchem</span>.&rdquo; &ldquo;If you fear
-that,&rdquo; said the Quail, &ldquo;hold me by the tail.&rdquo; So the
-Monkey held him tight by the tail, and off he flew, but the Monkey
-pulled his tail clean out. Then the Quail came and begged for his tail,
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb98" href="#pb98" name=
-"pb98">98</a>]</span>saying, &ldquo;Do give me back my tail.&rdquo; But
-the Monkey replied, &ldquo;You can ransom it by paying eight
-mithan.&rdquo; &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; said the Quail, &ldquo;if I have to
-pay eight mithan for it, I&rsquo;ll just remain tailless,&rdquo; and
-flew away.</p>
-<p class="par">The following tale is interesting as showing the great
-prestige the Tipperah chief enjoyed among the Lushais, who call him
-&ldquo;Rengpui.&rdquo; There are many versions of this tale, some of
-which are very long. I have been obliged to abridge it
-considerably.</p>
-<p class="par">Rimenhoiyi married Zawlthlia. Their house was of iron.
-They had an eight-fold iron door. They beautified the inside with iron
-and brass things. They also had a window (<i>i.e.</i>, Zawlthlia was
-Thangchhuah<a class="noteref" id="xd24e2664src" href="#xd24e2664" name=
-"xd24e2664src">1</a>) and a platform to sit on&mdash;in fact they
-wanted for nothing.</p>
-<p class="par">Rimenhoiyi planted flowers, but there was one flower she
-had not, called &ldquo;nipuipar&rdquo; (bright sun flower&mdash;a
-creeper with scarlet flowers). When her husband was about to go in
-search of it he said to her, &ldquo;Please don&rsquo;t go outside the
-house,&rdquo; and having filled the brass vessels with enough water to
-last her many days, he went off. However, the supply ran short and the
-lady went to the stream to wash, and one of her hairs was carried down
-and swallowed by a fish, which was caught by the cook of the king near
-the mouth of the river; and from out of the fish the cook pulled this
-immensely long hair, and it filled a winnowing basket. The king sent
-for the owner of the hair, and after many episodes she was brought to
-him. Zawlthlia returning found his wife gone, but with the help of the
-domestic animals he traced her, and, on arriving at the foreign
-king&rsquo;s village he saw slaves fetching water; and, ascertaining
-that it was for the new queen, he put one of the nipuipar into the
-vessel, so Rimenhoiyi knew he had arrived. According to one version,
-they resorted to the same subterfuge that Abraham and Sarah employed
-when entering Egypt and lived happily till, the king&rsquo;s suspicion
-being aroused, Zawlthlia was summarily slain. According to another,
-Rimenhoiyi married them both, but as she showed a preference for
-Zawlthlia the king killed him.</p>
-<p class="par">With the help of a wise woman learned in charms
-Zawlthlia was brought to life in a more beautiful form, and the king
-was <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb99" href="#pb99" name=
-"pb99">99</a>]</span>so struck by the improvement in his appearance
-that he asked to be allowed to undergo the same treatment, and was duly
-killed, but, unfortunately for him, was by some accident restored to
-life in the shape of a dog; but in this shape he seems to have found
-more favour in the fickle fair one&rsquo;s eyes, and a child called
-Uithovi was born, who, being very poor, begged for some land of
-Zawlthlia, who had become king of the Tipperahs, and was told to take
-as much as a buffalo hide measured. By cutting the hide into a very
-thin strip he was able to measure a considerable area of ground, but,
-not content with this, he voyaged far till he reached the place where
-money was to be found, and he became very prosperous.
-&ldquo;Nevertheless it was said that to the present day Kumpinu (the
-Company&rsquo;s Mother&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the late Queen), who is a
-descendant of Uithovi&rsquo;s, cannot get the better of Rengpui (the
-Rajah of Tipperah). If the Sahibs fight against Rengpui, all their
-crops fail, and much sickness occurs among them. Pathian once threw
-down a cannon from the sky, and a great number of Kumpinu&rsquo;s
-sepoys tried to move it, but could not, while a few of Rengpui&rsquo;s
-men were able to drag it away.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">Chhura is represented as a man of immense strength and
-stature, of an easy-going disposition, but not much blessed with
-brains. Thus one story tells of how, being on a visit, he was regaled
-with a crab stew, which he had not tasted before, and liked greatly. He
-inquired of what animal it was made. On his way home he forgot the name
-and commenced searching. Someone seeing him looking about asked what he
-had lost. &ldquo;Stupid,&rdquo; replied Chhura; &ldquo;if I knew, would
-I be looking?&rdquo; The passer-by remarked that he smelt strongly of
-crab. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it! That&rsquo;s what I was searching
-for,&rdquo; cried Chhura much pleased, and went on his way. His mallet
-head, a roughly dressed cylinder of stone, about 30 inches long and 18
-in diameter, is pointed out to the curious, lying beside the path
-between Leng and Lingvum, where it is said to have fallen when it flew
-off the handle while Chhura was flattening the earth in the
-V&#257;n-lai-phai valley some five miles away. A large spherical stone
-in the same neighbourhood is pointed out as one of the pellets shot
-from his pellet bow when he was at Thenzawl, many miles distant.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb100" href="#pb100" name=
-"pb100">100</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">There are many tales of this hero, who is especially
-honoured by the Khawtlang.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Mualsavata</i> is another mythical hero of immense
-stature. The smoke from his pipe was like that of a jhum burning. His
-whetstone, some 18 inches long, lies beside the road near Chongthleng,
-where it fell from his haversack, which his wife had neglected to
-mend.</p>
-<p class="par">I have given so many tales in other parts of the
-monograph that I shall only add one more here.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><i>The Tale of Him who Demanded His Sister&rsquo;s
-Price.</i></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">He went to the west to demand his sister&rsquo;s
-price. The debtor gave him a bamboo stirring rod. If you stirred an
-empty pot with this rod it was at once filled with rice. He returned
-towards his village. On the way he stayed the night in the house of a
-widow, and placed his stirring rod on the shelf over the hearth saying,
-&ldquo;Granny, please don&rsquo;t stir your pot with my stirring
-rod.&rdquo; &ldquo;All right,&rdquo; said she, but, while he was
-walking about the village, she stirred her pot just to see what sort of
-a stirring rod it was, and, behold, her pot was full of rice. &ldquo;It
-is a very good stirring rod,&rdquo; she said; &ldquo;I will just
-exchange mine for it&rdquo;&mdash;which she did secretly. And the owner
-of the magic rod went on to his village, and on arrival there he called
-to his children, &ldquo;Set the water boiling to cook the rice.&rdquo;
-His children replied, &ldquo;We have nothing to cook. What is the use
-of boiling water alone?&rdquo; &ldquo;I have got rice, I&rsquo;ve got
-rice,&rdquo; he said. So they boiled the water, and he stirred it hard
-with his rod, but nothing came. &ldquo;If we stir more it will
-come,&rdquo; he said, but nevertheless nothing came.</p>
-<p class="par">Then he went off to demand the price from the debtor
-again, who gave him a goat which passed nothing but amber and cornelian
-beads, and said, &ldquo;Take it carefully home.&rdquo; &ldquo;All
-right,&rdquo; said he. He stayed the night at the same widow&rsquo;s
-house, and when he was going out to stroll through the village he said,
-&ldquo;Granny, you will be careful not to kick my goat on the rump,
-won&rsquo;t you?&rdquo; &ldquo;All right,&rdquo; said she, but directly
-he was out of sight she kicked the goat and he passed many beads.
-&ldquo;It is a good goat,&rdquo; she said, and secretly substituted her
-own goat for it. Her guest went off and directly he reached his house
-he <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb101" href="#pb101" name=
-"pb101">101</a>]</span>called out, &ldquo;Prepare strings for
-necklaces. Prepare strings for necklaces.&rdquo; His children replied,
-&ldquo;Father, we have nothing to put on the strings. What is the good
-of the strings alone?&rdquo; &ldquo;I have got beads, I have got
-beads,&rdquo; he cried. So they prepared a winnowing basket full of
-threads. Then he gave the goat several good kicks on the rump, but it
-only passed filth and bleated loudly.</p>
-<p class="par">Then he went again to demand payment and was given a
-mallet and a piece of cane. &ldquo;The name of this piece of cane is
-&lsquo;Ramdia,&rsquo;&rdquo; they said. He set off for home and again
-stayed in the same old woman&rsquo;s house and put Ramdia and his
-mallet down among the firewood, and as he started for his stroll he
-said, &ldquo;Granny, don&rsquo;t touch this cane, will you? It is
-called Ramdia&mdash;and you won&rsquo;t touch the mallet either, will
-you?&rdquo; &ldquo;All right,&rdquo; she said, but no sooner was he
-gone than, saying, &ldquo;They are valuable things,&rdquo; she touched
-them both. The cane wound round and round her and the mallet began to
-beat her. She was in terrible trouble and shouted to her neighbours;
-wherever she went the mallet beat her and beat her till she died.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.5.2">2.
-Superstitions.</span> The Lushais are an extremely superstitious race;
-any unusual occurrence is considered as portending some evil results.
-The meaning of the word &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; has been already
-explained in <a href="#ch1.4.4">Chapter IV, para. 4</a>. Certain acts,
-dreams, or sights are universally considered &ldquo;thianglo,&rdquo; or
-unlucky, but should a Lushai see any unusual sight or hear an unusual
-sound he would at once consider that some misfortune was imminent and
-take advice from the puithiam as to how it could be avoided. The
-following are some of the superstitions connected with cultivation.</p>
-<p class="par">It is &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; to find, in the proposed
-jhum, a gibbon&rsquo;s skull stuck on a tree stump. If in burning the
-jhum the flames make a peculiar huk-huk sound; if the khatchhat
-(nightjar) calls by day, the jhum had better be abandoned. Should the
-jhum cutter after his first day&rsquo;s work dream of water or rice all
-will be well, but should he dream of a mithan chasing him or tigers
-springing on him, he must not continue cutting the jhum, or he will
-certainly get very ill and probably will die. If on the site of the
-proposed jhum a &ldquo;thing-lu-bul&rdquo; is found, death will
-certainly claim the cultivator should he persist in jhuming
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb102" href="#pb102" name=
-"pb102">102</a>]</span>anywhere near the unlucky object, which is a
-kind of abortive tree growth without boughs or shoots, but covered with
-bulbous excrescences, which sometimes remotely resemble the human form,
-and if cut exude a blood-red juice. Should a tree have a pendant
-protuberance, called &ldquo;thingzang,&rdquo; the jungle near must not
-be cut. The rubbing together of two tree boughs is thought to denote
-the presence of a Huai, who must be appeased by the sacrifice of a cock
-and hen, the sherh being hung under the jhum house with some chips of
-the tree. Brackish springs, known as &ldquo;sa-khi-shi&rdquo; (barking
-deer springs), are supposed to be the abodes of Huai, who are generally
-satisfied with the sacrifice of a fowl, the sherh being hung in a
-basket over the spring, but if the Huai be greedy the jhumer will fall
-ill, and then a pig and a dog must be sacrificed in the same
-manner.</p>
-<p class="par">The following are some of the superstitions about
-animals:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">A Lushai named Kela visited Aijal; on the road he met a
-rat, which stood up in the middle of the road and held its paws to its
-head. &ldquo;What a curious rat!&rdquo; he said. Two days after he
-reached his home he died. To see such a rat is certainly
-&ldquo;thianglo.&rdquo; This incident happened a short time ago; no one
-had ever heard of such a rat having been seen before, and the
-unusualness of the occurrence, coupled with the death of Kela, was, to
-the Lushais, proof positive of its being the cause of his death. The
-Lushais tell me that sometimes a muskrat will be followed by her whole
-family, each holding in its mouth the tail of the one in front; this
-they call &ldquo;In tir mei kai,&rdquo; and whoever sees it will
-certainly die. Should a bear on being shot fall on its back, and lie
-with its legs in the air, the shooter will die. If a bird enters the
-house prompt measures have to be taken to avert misfortune. The
-puithiam is called and the bird captured. The house is festooned within
-with the leaves of a certain tree, and the bird is thrown out of the
-house by the puithiam, who, muttering various charms, advises it to
-take itself off and carry its witchcraft with it. I came across, in an
-old number of the <i>Outlook</i>, a translation of a Chinese poem said
-to be dated about 100 <span class="sc">B.C.</span> in which the
-following occurs:&mdash;&ldquo;When a wild bird enters a dwelling it
-portends that the human occupant must go forth.&rdquo; The coincidence
-is curious. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb103" href="#pb103" name=
-"pb103">103</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The following translation of a Lushai&rsquo;s reason for
-considering the sight of an atlas moth &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; shows the
-origin of such superstitions. Atlas moths are rare in the Lushai hills.
-The &ldquo;keptuam&rdquo; (atlas moth) was the letter bearer between
-Pathian and the Vai (foreigner); and once when he was carrying
-Pathian&rsquo;s letter to the Vai chief the keptuam made the letter
-into wings, and flew away and disappeared, and Pathian was much
-disturbed at the loss of his letter and at the disappearance of his
-messenger, and he made mankind hunt for the missing keptuam. Now the
-keptuam did not wish to be caught, so he said, &ldquo;Whoever sees me
-will die&rdquo;; but as mankind did not know this they hunted and
-hunted till at last one saw the fugitive and died, and so they learnt
-that to see a keptuam is &ldquo;thianglo,&rdquo; and ever since if
-anyone sees a male keptuam he will probably die.</p>
-<p class="par">Should the fowls at midnight become terrified and make
-an unusual sound like &ldquo;i-ak, i-ak&rdquo; someone will die. Should
-gibbons be heard hooting during the night, they have seen the corpse of
-someone who will fall from a tree or be drowned. As the gibbon retires
-to rest even before the sun sets, it must be very seldom that their
-shouts are heard at night. It is &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; to shoot a
-gibbon, because at the Thimzing a man and a wife were changed into
-those animals. The woman at the time was dyeing blue thread, and
-therefore the palms of the hands of the female gibbon are black, though
-the rest of the body is light coloured.</p>
-<p class="par">The rhinoceros is also safe from attack on account of a
-similar belief, the folds of his skin being supposed to be derived from
-the folds of the cloths of persons who were transmogrified. The natural
-result of killing one of these animals is that all members of the
-slayer&rsquo;s family sicken and die, but this can be avoided if the
-successful huntsman on his return to the village goes straight to the
-zawlbuk or forge and remains there a whole day and night, after which
-it is safe for him to enter his house, provided that he leaves his gun
-and haversack behind and has changed all his clothes.</p>
-<p class="par">It is, however, worth noticing that, though monkeys,
-elephants, tigers, bears, &amp;c., are also said to have been men
-before the Thimzing, there is no reluctance shown to kill them, and in
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb104" href="#pb104" name=
-"pb104">104</a>]</span>fact the chiefs wear plumes of the king
-crow&rsquo;s feathers, and hornbills&rsquo; beaks decorate many a
-chief&rsquo;s verandah.</p>
-<p class="par">When building his house the Lushai must be careful that
-he does not put his hearth on the side of the house next to that on
-which his neighbour has his. To do so is &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; and
-illness will follow. It is not difficult to guess how this idea has
-arisen. Lushai houses are generally built in lines one above the other
-on the sides of a hill, and therefore it is more convenient to place
-the heavy earthen hearth on the upper side where the posts are shorter.
-This causes the hearths of all the houses in one row to be on the same
-side, and, the custom once formed, any deviation from it is considered
-unlucky. To dream of the auction of a
-&ldquo;hlang&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the bamboo frame to which the
-corpse is strapped during the funeral feast&mdash;is unlucky, and the
-person seen by the dreamer to purchase it will certainly die.</p>
-<p class="par">The following translation of a Lushai account of
-&ldquo;tualsumsu&rdquo; is interesting:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;There are &lsquo;tualsumsu&rsquo; in dreams and
-also while people are in a trance; the latter are the worst. If two
-friends are sleeping and in their dreams one says to the other,
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e2744" title=
-"Source: &ldquo;">&lsquo;</span>Go as
-&ldquo;tualsumsu&rdquo;&rsquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &lsquo;beating your
-head on the ground&rsquo;&mdash;nothing will happen to the one who
-goes, but the man who sends him will die. If anyone goes without being
-told to go, and likes it, he will die, but if he says, &lsquo;Oh, how
-it hurts my head!&rsquo; he will not die. Sometimes a person will go
-beating his head on the ground and when roused from the trance know
-nothing of it.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The following is another curious belief:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;If a man dreams that with his friend they are
-going to fly like &lsquo;Chawifa,&rsquo; and they, both carrying
-burning maize cobs wrapped in old cloths in baskets, intend flying from
-inside the house, and having come outside, his friend flies away, while
-he himself stands on the end of the roof and cannot fly, his friend who
-flew away will die quickly, while he who could not fly will live. And
-he that flew away knew nothing of it, and the corn cobs wrapped in old
-cloth were thrown up, and the people saw them blazing like fire. This
-is extremely &lsquo;thianglo.&rsquo;&rdquo; <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb105" href="#pb105" name="pb105">105</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais speak confidently of &ldquo;Chawifa,&rdquo;
-and many say they have seen it. They describe it as a kind of meteor,
-which flies through the village blazing brightly, and if it alights on
-a house the owner must die. Compare the Lakher idea of
-&ldquo;Chawifa,&rdquo; given in Part II., and the Manipuri
-&ldquo;Sangaisel,&rdquo; in Mr. Hodson&rsquo;s book on the Meitheis,
-page 121.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.5.3">3. Snake
-worship.</span> The Lushais do not worship snakes, but there are many
-tales of &ldquo;rulpui&rdquo; (the big snake). Colonel Lewin in his
-&ldquo;Progressive Exercises&rdquo; has written as follows:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Throughout the Lushai Hills, among all the tribes
-with whom I have come in contact, whether &lsquo;Toung-tha&rsquo; or
-&lsquo;Khyoung-tha,&rsquo; sons of the hill or sons of the river, I
-have always found that special attributes have been assigned to a
-certain description of snake or serpent that is found in these forests.
-I remember once we were camped peacefully beside the border of a small
-hill stream; the shanties of leaves and grass which form our <i lang=
-"fr">tentes d&rsquo;abri</i> in this part of the world had been
-erected, and all the world (our world some 30 persons) was either
-smoking the pipe of peace or stirring the pot of rice that was to form
-the evening meal. Suddenly there arose a shout of &lsquo;Tchubba-gree!
-Tchubba-gree!&rsquo; which is the Hill Arracanese for &lsquo;the big
-snake, the king-serpent.&rsquo; Behold the camp in a ferment, each
-stalwart young fellow seizing his dao and tightening his waistband. We
-went forth, and indeed the snake was very big. His long sinuous growth
-was at least 20 feet in length and bulky in proportion; he moved slowly
-along, taking apparently no notice of the turmoil and confusion that
-soon filled the wood around him. The Hillmen swarmed around his length
-like ants, and in a few moments he was cut in pieces by dao strokes. I
-noticed that each of my combatants as they ran up to the snake spat at
-him before striking. On inquiring the reasons of this, I was informed
-that in attacking a snake of this description, if he spat at you first
-before you struck him, your fate was sealed, and strangulation was your
-doom; but if you were speedy in salivation and forestalled his action,
-then he was delivered a prey into the hands of his assailants. A
-similar superstition formerly attached to the basilisk or cockatrice,
-which was said to be able to fascinate or cause the destruction of man
-or beast if it first perceived its victim before it was <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb106" href="#pb106" name=
-"pb106">106</a>]</span>itself perceived. Sir Thomas Browne, in
-discoursing &lsquo;Of the Basilisk,&rsquo; says &lsquo;that veneration
-shooteth from the eye, and that this way a basilisk may empoison, is
-not a thing impossible; but that this destruction should be the effect
-of the first beholder or depend on priority of aspection is a point not
-easily to be granted.&rsquo; The flesh of this snake (which is a
-species of python) is eaten by the Hill folk, and the fat of the
-reptile is held to be a sovereign cure for all cuts and wounds, as well
-as for more obscure diseases. In the household tales and fireside
-stories of the people &lsquo;the big snake&rsquo; holds a prominent
-place, and is vested with attributes of power and knowledge.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">Colonel McCulloch, in his account of the Valley of
-Manipur, 1859, page 32, mentions the belief of the Manipuris in a snake
-god, and in fact the royal family is supposed to have sprung from a
-snake god known as &ldquo;Pakhangba.&rdquo; Colonel McCulloch also
-relates that a Kuki&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, a Thado&mdash;who had left him
-in perfect health, &ldquo;saw a black snake as large as his thigh,
-which uttered a sound like that of an ox bellowing.&rdquo; &ldquo;On
-his reaching his home he became ill, his belly swelled, and he has not
-recovered his health.&rdquo; Compare this with the following
-translation of a statement made to me by Hrangzova, a Lushai political
-Chaprassie, in 1904:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;When I lived at Thenzawl, I once saw a curious
-object about 18 inches long, and about 6 inches thick, like a snake,
-which kept standing up on its stumpy tail, and then falling forward. I
-called my friend, who also saw it. When I got home I told my father and
-mother, who were very frightened, and said it was
-&lsquo;thianglo.&rsquo; They both died within the year. This was 12
-years ago. The rulpui which I saw had not got feathers, but perhaps
-that was because it was not big enough, as I am told the real rulpui
-has feathers like that of a cock.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">There are various places named after rulpui. On one hill
-the body of a large snake is said to have been raised up on a pole, and
-so big was it that its shadow fell on a hill many miles away, called
-thereafter &ldquo;Rulpui-thlin&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, Rulpui&rsquo;s
-Shadow. The following is the translation of the story of the origin of
-&ldquo;rulpui.&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb107" href=
-"#pb107" name="pb107">107</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><i>Chhawng-chili and the Rulpui.</i></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">Once upon a time there was a girl called
-Chhawng-chili, who was in her father&rsquo;s jhum. At the bottom of the
-jhum in a hollow tree a snake had its nest, and the snake loved
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e2788" title=
-"Source: Chawng-chili">Chhawng-chili</span> very much. Whenever they
-went to the jhum she used to send her younger sister to call the snake,
-who used to come up and coil itself up in Chhawng-chili&rsquo;s lap.
-The little sister was very much afraid of the snake and did not dare
-tell her father. When the girls were going to the jhum, their parents
-always used to wrap up some rice and vegetables for them to take with
-them. On account of her fear of the snake, the little sister could not
-eat anything. Then her sister and the snake ate up all the rice and the
-vegetables, and the little sister stayed in the jhum house all day and
-got very thin, and her parents said to her, &ldquo;Oh, little one, why
-are you getting so thin?&rdquo; but she always said, &ldquo;Oh, father,
-I can&rsquo;t tell you&rdquo;; but her parents pressed her to tell
-them, and at last she said, &ldquo;My sister and the snake make love
-always; as soon as we get to the jhum she says to me, &lsquo;Call him
-to me,&rsquo; and I call him, and he comes up and coils himself up on
-her lap, and I am so frightened that I cannot eat anything, and that is
-why I am so thin.&rdquo; So they kept Chhawng-chili at home, and her
-father and younger sister went to the jhum, and her father dressed
-himself up to resemble Chhawng-chili, but he put his dao by his side;
-then the little sister called the snake, who came up quickly and curled
-itself up in her father&rsquo;s lap, and he with one blow cut it in
-two, and then they returned to the village. On the next day
-Chhawng-chili and her sister went to the jhum and her little sister
-called the snake, but her father had killed it. So they came back to
-their house, and found their father lying on the floor just inside the
-door sill. Chhawng-chili said, &ldquo;Get up, father, I want to scrape
-the mud off my feet&rdquo; (on the door sill), but her father would not
-move. So Chhawng-chili scraped off the mud from her feet, and stepped
-over the sill, and her father struck up and killed her. In her stomach
-there were about 100 small snakes. They killed them and killed them,
-but one escaped and hid under a dry patch of mithan dung, and grew up
-and used to eat people, and when it got bigger it wriggled into the
-&ldquo;rulchawm kua&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;feed snake
-hole&rdquo;&mdash;and people of all villages used to <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb108" href="#pb108" name="pb108">108</a>]</span>feed
-it. After a time it was not content with goats and pigs, but demanded
-children. One day a Chin who was travelling noticed his host and
-hostess weeping, and on asking the reason was told it was the day for
-giving a child to the snake. &ldquo;I will kill the snake,&rdquo; he
-replied, and, being provided with a goat, he slew it, and wrapped its
-flesh round his dao and forearm and offered it to the <span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e2796" title="Source: ralpui">rulpui</span>. When his
-forearm had been swallowed, by a quick turn of his wrist he
-disembowelled the monster. The place where this took place is on the
-Aijal-Champhai road, some forty miles from Aijal. The Biate or Bete
-claim to have been the people who fed the snake.</p>
-<p class="par">If a &ldquo;thingsir&rdquo; (a snake of which the female
-is very light-coloured and the male dark) enters a house, it is very
-&ldquo;thianglo.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The entry of any snake into a house is looked on with
-suspicion, and either portends misfortune or it denotes that the
-sacrifice to Sakhua is urgently needed. If this sacrifice is not
-performed speedily death may ensue.</p>
-<p class="par">To see a snake with legs is &ldquo;thianglo.&rdquo; The
-Lushais believe there are such creatures. My informant says it is only
-nowadays that this is &ldquo;thianglo,&rdquo; inferring that formerly
-such creatures were common and therefore attracted no attention. It is
-the unusualness of the thing which makes the Lushai think it
-&ldquo;thianglo.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.5.4">4. Omens.</span>
-In the section dealing with superstition the subject of omens of
-misfortune has been fully dealt with, and there is no need to say much
-more, but the following extract from &ldquo;Asiatic
-Dissertations,&rdquo; II, 1792, is interesting&mdash;it is from a
-description of the &ldquo;Mountaineers of Tipra.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;If at any time they see a star very near the moon
-they say, &lsquo;To-night we shall undoubtedly be attacked by some
-enemy,&rsquo; and they pass the night under arms with extreme
-vigilance.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">This belief may be accounted for by the superstition
-that projects undertaken on such occasions are likely to succeed.</p>
-<p class="par">Once when starting on a night expedition to capture a
-rebel chief, I noticed my guide staring up intently at the moon, and he
-expressed great satisfaction at seeing a star quite close to its edge,
-and exclaimed that our expedition was now sure to succeed, which I am
-glad to say proved true. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb109" href=
-"#pb109" name="pb109">109</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote" id="ch1.5.5">5<span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e2819" title="Not in source">.</span> Witchcraft.</span>
-The Lushais are firm believers in witchcraft. There are several ways of
-bewitching your enemy. Colonel Lewin has a tale in which the wizard
-takes up the impression of a person&rsquo;s foot in the mud and puts it
-to dry over the hearth, thereby causing the owner to waste away. Clay
-figures into which bamboo spikes are thrust also figure in all cases in
-which a person is accused of this offence. To cut off a piece of a
-person&rsquo;s hair and put it in a spring is certain, unless the hair
-is speedily removed, to cause his death. Several tragedies have
-occurred on account of the belief in witchcraft. In 1897 three whole
-families were massacred because it was thought that they were
-bewitching a very aged chieftainess. The livers of the wizards were cut
-out and portions carried to the sufferer, but unfortunately she died
-before being able to taste them and thus prove the efficacy of the
-remedy. So strong was the feeling about these wizards that four or five
-households of their relatives had to be given a special and isolated
-site, as no village would receive them.</p>
-<p class="par">The following translation of a Lushai&rsquo;s account of
-how mankind first learned the black art is specially interesting, as it
-introduces Lalruanga and Keichalla, who are the heroes of many of the
-oldest of the Lushai tales. Colonel Lewin gives some excellent stories
-in his &ldquo;Progressive Colloquial Exercises.&rdquo; Keichalla is the
-man who can become a tiger at will, and appears in many
-tales:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Dawi witchcraft was known to Pathian. Vahrika
-also was something like Pathian. Vahrika had a separate water supply,
-and Pathian&rsquo;s daughter was always disturbing it. Vahrika said,
-&lsquo;What can it be?&rsquo; and lay in ambush. Pathian&rsquo;s
-daughter came, and he caught her and was going to kill her, but she
-said, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t kill me; I will teach you magic.&rsquo; So she
-taught him, and Vahrika taught it all to Keichalla, Lalruanga, and
-Hrang-sai-puia. Then Lalruanga went to court Zangk&#257;ki, and
-Zangk&#257;ki, who was a friend of Pathian&rsquo;s daughter, bewitched
-Lalruanga, who had forgotten his &ldquo;dawi bur&rdquo; (magic gourd),
-and he said to Chaichim (the mouse), &lsquo;Go and fetch my dawi bur
-which I put in my basket.&rsquo; So the mouse went to fetch the dawi
-bur and got it, but the Tuiruang (Barak) river rose very high. The
-mouse took the dawi bur in his mouth and started <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb110" href="#pb110" name="pb110">110</a>]</span>to
-swim over the river. The dawi bur was washed away by the river till it
-stuck in the fish trap of the Thlangom tribe, who said, &lsquo;What is
-this?&rsquo; The dawi bur was singing like anything. The Thlangoms
-broke it open. No sooner had they opened it than they each acquired
-knowledge of magic. Then the Thlangoms were chanting the magic song.
-Some Mizo (natives of these Hills) who were passing through the village
-also heard the song of those who knew magic. The Mizo saw a man eating
-rice. &lsquo;May you be bewitched!&rsquo; they said. They bewitched him
-in his rice eating, and for a year after whenever he ate cooked rice it
-changed into dry uncooked rice, and it swelled inside him till his
-stomach could not hold it and he died. Thus the Mizo learnt about
-magic. Nowadays also there is magic, but those who know it won&rsquo;t
-teach it without payment.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais maintain that the tribes to the north of
-them, such as Paihte, Bete, &amp;c., are very proficient at witchcraft,
-while the Chins consider the Lushais such experts at the craft that
-when Captain Hall, 2nd Gurkhas, and I forced our way from the west
-through the then unexplored hills and joined General Symons at Haka in
-1890, the chiefs of that village besought the General not to allow any
-of our Lushai followers to go within sight of it, lest they should, by
-merely looking at it, cause fearful misfortunes. The belief in the man
-tiger is common through the Hills and also in Nepal. When a man-eater
-gave much trouble in Lungleh, our Gurkha Sepoys maintained that it was
-a man, one of three friends who had assumed this shape and were
-travelling by different shapes to a previously selected rendezvous, on
-reaching which they would resume their human forms.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e2832width" id="p110"><img src="images/p110.jpg"
-alt="Cane Suspension Bridge." width="720" height="485">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Cane Suspension
-Bridge.</span></p>
-<p class="par first figBottomRight"><i>Photo by Major Playfair,
-I.A.</i></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Khuavang zawl.</i>&mdash;The Lushais believe that
-certain persons&mdash;both males and females, but more generally
-females&mdash;have the power of putting themselves into a trance and
-are in a state of communication with Khuavang. This power is called
-&ldquo;zawl,&rdquo; and a person who possesses it is called
-&ldquo;zawlnei.&rdquo; During their trances they are said to be able to
-elicit from Khuavang information regarding the particular sacrifice
-required to cure any sick person, and their information is supposed to
-be more reliable than the opinion of the puithiam, who bases his
-statements <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb111" href="#pb111" name=
-"pb111">111</a>]</span>solely on the action of the pulse. The method of
-interrogating a zawlnei is called &ldquo;thumvor,&rdquo; and is as
-follows:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">The zawlnei being in a trance is given a shallow basket
-containing rice, which he or she holds in one hand while an egg is
-placed in the palm of the other hand. When the zawlnei reverses this
-hand the egg does not fall. The basket of rice is shaken backwards and
-forwards, and there appears among the rice the footprint of the animal
-which it is necessary to sacrifice to ensure the patient&rsquo;s
-recovery. If it is impossible to trace any resemblance to any
-animal&rsquo;s footmark the state of the patient is serious and the
-whole series of sacrifices are needed. Compare the description of the
-Maibi&rsquo;s method of divination given in McCulloch&rsquo;s account
-of the Valley of Manipur, page 21. The following two accounts of
-Khuavang zawl were given me by Lushais:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">Lianthangi was a Khuavang zawl. There was much sickness
-in the village. One night Khuavang came to her in her dreams and said,
-&ldquo;If each house-owner will make a clay metna and place it outside
-his or her house the sickness will cease.&rdquo; So they did this and
-the next day they observed as &ldquo;hrilh,&rdquo; and within 20 days
-everyone was well again.</p>
-<p class="par">Thang-tei-nu was a zawlnei, but concealed the fact;
-people used to come secretly and make her perform the thumvor, and said
-she knew everything. She allowed no one to drink zu in her house, and
-if she drank zu she always got ill and it was &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo;
-for her to perform sacrifice. Khuavang told her this in her dreams.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Khawhring.</i>&mdash;In <a href="#ch1.4.6">Chapter
-IV, para. 6</a>, the sacrifice called Khawhring Tir has been described.
-The belief in Khawhring is universal, and from the following
-translation it will be seen that the unfortunate women who were accused
-of being possessed by such a spirit have good reason to be grateful
-that the control of the country has passed into our hands. The belief
-is that Khawhring lives in certain women, whence it issues forth from
-time to time and takes possession of another woman, who, falling into a
-trance, speaks with the voice of the original hostess of the Khawhring.
-A missionary described to me a weird scene of excitement which he once
-saw, the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb112" href="#pb112" name=
-"pb112">112</a>]</span>object being to exorcise a Khawhring which had
-possessed a girl. Amid a turmoil of shouting, drum-beating, and firing
-of guns the spirit was ordered to quit its temporary abode and return
-whence it came.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><i>Translation of a Lushai Version of the Origin of
-Khawhring.</i></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;Wild boars have Khawhring. Once a man shot
-a wild boar while out hunting. On his return home they cooked the
-flesh. Some of the fat got on the hand of his sister, who rubbed her
-head, and the wild boar&rsquo;s Khawhring just passed into her. On the
-next day, without any provocation, she entered another girl. She took
-entire possession of her. People said to her, &ldquo;Where are you
-going to?&rdquo; She replied, &ldquo;It is the wild boar my brother
-shot.&rdquo; &ldquo;Well, what do you want?&rdquo; they said. &ldquo;If
-you will give me eggs I will go away,&rdquo; she replied. They gave her
-eggs and she went. Presently all those who borrowed the
-&ldquo;hnam&rdquo; (a plaited cane band for carrying loads) of the girl
-with the Khawhring also got possessed. If one with a Khawhring has a
-daughter the child is always possessed, so no one wants to marry a
-person with a Khawhring. Even now, we being to some extent Lusheis, we
-do not like to let a person possessed by a Khawhring enter our houses,
-and if such a one sits on the bed of a true Lushei she will certainly
-be fined a metna. Those possessed of Khawhring are most disgusting
-people, and before the foreigners came they were always
-killed.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The writer was not a true Lushei, but belonged to one of
-the clans which are fast being absorbed and are almost
-indistinguishable from Lusheis.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais say that sometimes girls walk in their sleep
-and go and lick up urine, as the metna do, under the zawlbuk, and that
-when starting forth on these expeditions their feet and hands shine as
-if they were coated with phosphorus. If a young man wakes a girl up
-while she is walking thus she is very much ashamed, and generally
-grants him the favours of her bed to procure his silence.</p>
-<p class="par">This state is called &ldquo;Thlahzung.&rdquo;
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb113" href="#pb113" name=
-"pb113">113</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e2664" href="#xd24e2664src" name="xd24e2664">1</a></span> See
-above as to windows, page <a href="#pb27" class=
-"pageref">27</a>.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#xd24e2664src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch1.6" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e436">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER VI</h2>
-<h2 class="main">LANGUAGE</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">I propose, in this chapter, to deal only with
-Lushai, and to treat of the connection between the different dialects
-spoken in these Hills at the end of Part II.</p>
-<p class="par">Lushai or Dulien, which is the dialect of the Lushei
-clan, modified, doubtless, by contact with those of other clans, is now
-the <i>lingua franca</i> of the whole Lushai Hills, and is understood
-in many parts of the adjoining districts. A very complete grammar and
-vocabulary has been published by Messrs. Savage and Lorrain, now of the
-London Baptist Mission, and therefore I only propose to give a bare
-outline of the language here, which is largely borrowed from the above
-work.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Articles.</i>&mdash;The indefinite article can
-generally be rendered by the numeral one.</p>
-<p class="par">The definite article is sometimes represented by
-demonstrative pronouns or relative particles.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Gender.</i>&mdash;Inanimate objects have no gender.
-In nouns gender may be shown by use of different words, as
-&ldquo;tlangval,&rdquo; a young man; &ldquo;nula,&rdquo; a maiden. This
-system is only employed when speaking of human beings, by adding
-suffixes&mdash;&ldquo;pa&rdquo; and &ldquo;chal&rdquo; for males,
-&ldquo;nu&rdquo; and &ldquo;pui&rdquo; for females; thus &ldquo;fa
-pa,&rdquo; son; &ldquo;fa nu,&rdquo; daughter; &ldquo;she chal,&rdquo;
-bull metna; &ldquo;she pui,&rdquo; cow metna. &ldquo;Chal&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;pui&rdquo; are restricted to full-grown animals. All men&rsquo;s
-names end in &ldquo;a,&rdquo; all women&rsquo;s in &ldquo;i.&rdquo;
-Some words are the same in both genders&mdash;&ldquo;u,&rdquo; elder
-brother or sister; &ldquo;nao shen,&rdquo; a baby;
-&ldquo;naupang,&rdquo; child. &ldquo;I&rdquo; is the feminine
-termination in Manipuri also. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb114"
-href="#pb114" name="pb114">114</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Number.</i>&mdash;The plural terminations are
-&ldquo;te,&rdquo; &ldquo;ho,&rdquo; and &ldquo;zong&rdquo;; sometimes
-these are combined or duplicated.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Mi zong zong =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">all mankind.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">L&#257;l te ho =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">chiefs.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">These terminations are omitted when the number can be
-otherwise inferred.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">S&#257;kor paruk =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">six horses.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Puan tam tak ka pe =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">I gave many cloths.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">When a suffix is added to a noun to denote case, the
-plural suffix follows the case suffix.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Zawng-a-te</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Monkey into
-s</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">they</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">became</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">changa.</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">changed.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Kan in-a-te</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Our house into
-s</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">they</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo-lut-a.</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">entered.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Case.</i>&mdash;Nouns are not inflected. The agent is
-denoted by the suffix &ldquo;in.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Lal in a that =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">The chief killed (him).</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The same suffix is used to distinguish the
-instrument.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Lal in fei in a shun
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">The chief speared (him) with a
-spear.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;In&rdquo; is therefore exactly equivalent to
-&ldquo;na&rdquo; used in Manipuri to distinguish the agent or
-instrument.</p>
-<p class="par">The other cases can only be inferred from the position
-of the words.</p>
-<p class="par">The object immediately precedes the transitive verb
-governing it.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Lal-in puan a-pe
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">The chief gave a cloth.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The indirect object precedes the direct.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Suaka puan ka pe
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">I gave a cloth to Suaka.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Hnena (to) is sometimes used to give greater
-clearness.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Lal hnena ui pakhat
-ka pe ang =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">I will give a dog to the
-chief.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The thing possessed immediately follows the
-possessor.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Kawn bawl in
-a-k&#257;ng =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">The minister&rsquo;s house
-caught fire.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The following construction is sometimes used:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Kawn bawl a in a
-lian e =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">Minister his house it big
-is.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb115" href="#pb115" name=
-"pb115">115</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The other cases are rendered by suffixes.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ka</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">My</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">in</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">house</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">in</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">daraw.</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">put.</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">Ka</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">My</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">in a</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">house</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">tang</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">from</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">in laraw.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">bring.</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">Aizawl</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">Aijal</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">to</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">kalraw<span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e3130" title="Not in source">.</span></span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">go.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par">Adjectives follow the words they qualify, but are not
-inflected in any way.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Mipa tha =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">a good man.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Hmaichhia th&#257; =</td>
-<td class="cellRight">a good woman.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Nula-te tha =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">good girls.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">When a noun is used as an adjective it precedes the noun
-it qualifies, as, &ldquo;Lung in,&rdquo; stone house.</p>
-<p class="par">Adjectives are compared thus</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Suaka</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Suaka</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">Nela</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">Nela</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ai-</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">than</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">in a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">he</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">chh&#257; k
-zawk.</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">stronger.</span></span><br>
-Suaka is stronger than Nela.</p>
-<p class="par">When demonstrative adjectives are compared,
-&ldquo;ai-in&rdquo; is combined with them, thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">He</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">This</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">sakor</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">horse</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">he</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">here</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">saw</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">that</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ai</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">than</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">sawn</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">there</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">ashang zawk.</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">is
-taller.</span></span><br>
-This horse is taller than that.<br>
-&ldquo;Saw saw ai-in&rdquo; being replaced by &ldquo;Saw-ai
-sawn.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">When no object of comparison is mentioned
-&ldquo;ai-in&rdquo; is omitted.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Nangma</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Your</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">jhum</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">azao</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">extensive</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">zawk.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">more.</span></span><br>
-Your jhum is more extensive.</p>
-<p class="par">The superlative is formed thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Lalzong</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">Chiefs</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">zinga</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">among</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">Khuma</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">Khuma</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">he</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">vin</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">bad tempered</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ber.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">most.</span></span><br>
-Khuma is the most bad-tempered of all the chiefs.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Khuma</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Khuma</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lalzong</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">chiefs</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ai-in</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">than</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">he</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">vin</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">ill-tempered</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ber.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">more.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Khuma</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Khuma</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lalzong</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">chiefs</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">of</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">he</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">vin</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">ill-tempered</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ber.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">most.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Khuma</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Khuma</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">he</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">vin</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">ill-tempered</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">ber.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">most.</span></span><br>
-Khuma is the most ill-tempered. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb116"
-href="#pb116" name="pb116">116</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The numerals are very simple:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tbody>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft cellTop">1</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight cellTop">= pa khat</td>
-<td class="cellDoubleUp"></td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">5</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa nga</td>
-<td class="cellDoubleUp"></td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">9</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa kua</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">2</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa hnih</td>
-<td class="cellDoubleUp"></td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">6</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa ruk</td>
-<td class="cellDoubleUp"></td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft cellBottom">10</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight cellBottom">= shom</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">3</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa thum</td>
-<td class="cellDoubleUp"></td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">7</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa sari</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">4</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa li</td>
-<td class="cellDoubleUp"></td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellLeft">8</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">= pa riat</td>
-</tr>
-</tbody>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">11 = &ldquo;shom leh pa khat,&rdquo; 12 = &ldquo;shom
-leh pa hnih,&rdquo; and so on to 20 = &ldquo;shom hnih&rdquo;; then
-&ldquo;shom hnih leh pa khat&rdquo; &amp;c., to &ldquo;shom thum&rdquo;
-= 30, &ldquo;shom li&rdquo; = 40, &ldquo;shom nga&rdquo; = 50, and so
-on to &ldquo;za&rdquo; = 100, &ldquo;za leh pa khat&rdquo; = 101, and
-so on to &ldquo;shang&rdquo; = 1000.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Shing&rdquo; = 10,000 and &ldquo;nuai&rdquo; for
-1,000,000 are hardly ever used; 8,975 = &ldquo;shang riat, leh za kua
-leh shom sari leh pa nga.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">It will be seen that the real numerals are
-&ldquo;khat,&rdquo; &ldquo;hnih,&rdquo; &ldquo;thum,&rdquo; &amp;c., pa
-being equivalent to unit. It is usually omitted when animals or things
-are mentioned, but retained when speaking of human beings.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Lal pa sari =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">seven chiefs.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Sebong nga =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">five cows.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">With numbers above ten the name of the thing enumerated
-if a monosyllable, is often repeated. Thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ni</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Days</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">shom hnih</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">twenty</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">leh</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">and</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">ni</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">days</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">nga.</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">five.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par">Ordinals are formed by adding &ldquo;na&rdquo; to the
-cardinals, thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">In</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Enter</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">shom</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">the</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">na</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">tenth</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">lutrawh.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">house.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par">But&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ni</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Day</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">thum</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">three</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ni</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">day</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">on</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo-kalraw.</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">come.</span></span></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">Every other day =</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight cellTop">Ni khat dan a.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Every third day =</td>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellRight">Ni hnih dan a,</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="2" class="colspan cellLeft cellRight cellBottom">and so
-on.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Numeral adjectives are formed thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Voi</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Times</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">nga,</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">five,</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">voi</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">times</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">shom</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">ten</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">leh</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">and</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">voi</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">times</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">khat.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">one,</span></span><br>
-eleven times. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb117" href="#pb117" name=
-"pb117">117</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Demonstrative adjectives are:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">He <i>or</i> hehi</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan cellTop"><img src="images/rbrace2.png"
-alt="" width="14" height="45"></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="xd24e3719 rowspan cellTop">This = near the
-speaker.</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Heng, henghi = these.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hei hei hi</td>
-<td class="cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellLeft">Saw = that.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sawng = those.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellLeft">Kh&#257; = that near you.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kh&#257;ng = those near you.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellLeft">Khu = that down there.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khung = those down there<span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e3742" title="Not in source">.</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellLeft">Khi = that up there.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khing = those up there.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellLeft cellBottom">Chu = that.</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Chung = those.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">They are generally repeated, thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Khu</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">That</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">sava</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">bird</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">khu</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">down there</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">kadu</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">I</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">e.</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">want.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Khi</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">That</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">zawng</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">monkey</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">khi</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">up there</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">he</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">liane.</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">big is.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par">When a noun qualified by one of these adjectives is an
-agent, the agent suffix &ldquo;in&rdquo; is combined with the second
-part of the adjective thus:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Khu ui khu-an min a
-sheh =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">That dog down there bit me
-instead of <span lang="lus">Khu ui in khu.</span></td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The personal pronouns have several forms, which are the
-same for both genders.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan cellLeft cellTop">Nominative</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan cellTop"><img src="images/lbrace2.png"
-alt="" width="11" height="41"></td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Keima, kei, ka = I.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellRight">Keimani, keine, kan = we.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td rowspan="4" class="rowspan cellLeft">Possessive</td>
-<td rowspan="4" class="rowspan"><img src="images/lbrace4.png" alt=""
-width="17" height="84"></td>
-<td class="cellRight">Keima, keiia, ka = my.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellRight">Keimani, keini, kan = our.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellRight">Keimata, keiata, kata = mine.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellRight">Keimanita, &amp;c. = ours.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan cellLeft cellBottom">Objective</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan cellBottom"><img src=
-"images/lbrace2.png" alt="" width="11" height="41"></td>
-<td class="cellRight">Keimamin, kei min min = me.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Keimani min, &amp;c. = us.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The second person is &ldquo;nangma&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;nangmani&rdquo;; the third &ldquo;ama,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;anmani.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The possessive of the second person, when used as
-nominative of verbs, has a curious irregular form &ldquo;i&rdquo; in
-the singular and &ldquo;in&rdquo; in the plural.</p>
-<p class="par">The pronominal particles &ldquo;ka&rdquo; (I),
-&ldquo;i&rdquo; (thou), &ldquo;a&rdquo; (he), &ldquo;kan&rdquo; (we),
-&ldquo;in&rdquo; (you), &ldquo;an&rdquo; (they) must be used with verbs
-in addition to the pronouns, thus:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Nangma i kal ang em? =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Will you go?</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Keimani chaw kan ei mek
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">We are just eating our rice.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb118" href="#pb118" name=
-"pb118">118</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The particle can never be omitted, whereas the true
-pronoun is generally left out except when required for emphasis.</p>
-<p class="par">Reflexive action is denoted in several ways.</p>
-<p class="par">The particle &ldquo;in&rdquo; is prefixed to the verb in
-all cases. The following are a few examples:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Ka in vel</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan cellTop"><img src="images/rbrace3.png"
-alt="" width="14" height="61"></td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="xd24e3719 rowspan cellRight cellTop">I hit
-myself.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Mani leh mani ka in vel</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Mani in ka in vel</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" colspan="2" class="colspan cellLeft cellBottom">Keimani
-theoh vin kan in vel =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">We hit ourselves.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Relative Pronouns are</i>:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Kha, chu, a piang =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">who, which, what, that.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">A piang, a piang kha, a
-piang chu =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">whoever, &amp;c.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Lekha</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Letter</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">i</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">you</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">ziak</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">wrote</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">kha</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">that</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">it</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">tha</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">good</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">e.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">is.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par">The pronouns are sometimes omitted, the idea being
-conveyed by the use of relative participles or verbal nouns.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">I</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Your</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lekha</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">letter</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ziak</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">written</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">it</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">tha</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">good</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">e</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">is.</span></span><br>
-The letter you wrote is good.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Interrogative Pronouns are</i>:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Tu-nge? Tu? Tu-maw? Eng-nge?
-Zeng-nge? Eng? Eng-maw? =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">What?</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Hhoi-i-nge? =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Which?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">They are used thus:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Tu-nge a lo kal?
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">Who has come?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Tu-in-a nge</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">(<span class=
-"stacked"><span class="top">house in</span><span class="bottom">Whose
-=</span></span>)</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">i</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">you</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">riak? =</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">stay</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Tu ar nge</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">(<span class=
-"stacked"><span class="top">fowl</span><span class=
-"bottom">Whose</span></span>) =</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">i</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">you</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">lei?</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">buy?</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">Tu-in-nge</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">Who</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">vel</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">hit</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">che?</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">you?</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Tu-nge</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Whom
-did</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">i</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">you</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">vel? =</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">hit?</span></span> <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb119" href="#pb119" name="pb119">119</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Tu and Tu-maw are only used thus:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">A</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">He</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">has</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">kal</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">come</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Tu-Maw? <i>or</i> Tu? =</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">Who?</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Eng-nge</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">What</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">i</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">you</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">duh?</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">want?</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">Khoi-i lekha buh nge</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">(<span class="stacked"><span class=
-"top">book</span><span class=
-"bottom">which</span></span>)</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">i</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">you</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">duh? =</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">want?</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample">Which book do you want?</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Eng tui nge</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">(<span class=
-"stacked"><span class="top">water</span><span class=
-"bottom">What</span></span>) =</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">i</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">you</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">choi?</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">draw?</span></span></p>
-<p class="par">The particle &ldquo;a&rdquo; preceding an interrogative
-pronoun has a partitive force.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">A tu-nge i ko?
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">Which of them did you
-call?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Verbs.</i></p>
-<p class="par">The same form is used for all persons and in singular
-and plural, the pronominal particles marking person and number.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Shoi =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">to say</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop"><i>Pres</i>:</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellTop">Ka shoi = I say.</td>
-<td colspan="2" class="colspan cellRight cellTop">Ka shoi mek = I am
-saying.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"><i>Past</i>:</td>
-<td>Ka shoi <i>or</i></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan"><img src="images/rbrace2.png" alt=""
-width="14" height="45"></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="xd24e3719 rowspan">I said.</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan"><img src="images/lbrace2.png" alt=""
-width="11" height="41"></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="xd24e3719 rowspan cellRight">Ka shoi mek a ni =
-I was saying.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"></td>
-<td>Ka shoi <i>or</i> tawh</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"><i>Fut</i>:</td>
-<td>Ka shoi ang</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan"><img src="images/rbrace2.png" alt=""
-width="14" height="45"></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="xd24e3719 rowspan">I will say</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan"><img src="images/lbrace2.png" alt=""
-width="11" height="41"></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="xd24e3719 rowspan cellRight">Ka shoi mek ang = I
-shall be saying.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"></td>
-<td>Ka shoi dawn</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom"></td>
-<td colspan="5" class="colspan cellRight cellBottom">Ka shoi tawh ang =
-I shall have said.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Conditional Mood.</i></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Ka shoi tur</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">= I would say, or, I ought to say.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Ka shoi tawh tur</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">= I would have said, or, ought to have
-said.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The future terminations are often used in a conditional
-sense.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Subjunctive Mood.</i></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Ka shoi chuan =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">If I say, said or had
-said.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The following forms are peculiar and appear to me of
-foreign <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb120" href="#pb120" name=
-"pb120">120</a>]</span>origin. The pronominal prefixes are absent, the
-person and number being indicated by different forms.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Shoi i la <i>or</i> i lang</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">= If I say <i>or</i> said.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Shoi la, <i>or</i> lang</td>
-<td class="cellRight">= If thou sayest <i>or</i> saidst.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Shoi shela <i>or</i> shelang</td>
-<td class="cellRight">= If he say <i>or</i> said.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Shoi i la <i>or</i> i lang</td>
-<td class="cellRight">= If we say <i>or</i> said.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Shoi u la <i>or</i> lang</td>
-<td class="cellRight">= If you say <i>or</i> said.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Shoi shela <i>or</i>
-shelang</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">= If they say <i>or</i> said.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The pluperfect tense is formed by inserting
-&ldquo;ta.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Shoi ta i la =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">If I had said.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Shoi ta u lang =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">If you had said.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">By inserting &ldquo;ma&rdquo; the meaning
-&ldquo;although&rdquo; or &ldquo;even if&rdquo; is given.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Shoi ma she lang =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Even if he says.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Shoi ta ma u la =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Although you say.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Imperative Mood.</i></p>
-<p class="par">The imperative has several forms:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop"><i>Singular</i>:</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Shoi rawh, shoi ang che, shoi ta che,
-shoi te<span class="corr" id="xd24e4508" title="Not in source">,</span>
-shoi che, all mean &ldquo;say.&rdquo; The last four forms have a
-somewhat persuasive meaning.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom"><i>Plural</i>:</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">I shoi ang, i shoi ang u = Let us
-say.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The second person plural is formed by adding
-&ldquo;u&rdquo; to the singular form.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Infinitive Mood.</i></p>
-<p class="par">The infinitive or verbal noun is the same as the root
-shoi = to say.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ka</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">I</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">shoi</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">say</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lai</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">time</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">in</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">at</span></span> } When
-I was saying.</p>
-<p class="par">A verbal noun can also be formed by the suffix
-&ldquo;na.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ka</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">My</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">riak</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">staying</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">na in</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">house.</span></span> <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb121" href="#pb121" name="pb121">121</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The suffixes &ldquo;tur,&rdquo; &ldquo;tur-in,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;na-tur,&rdquo; &ldquo;nan,&rdquo; &ldquo;an,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;in,&rdquo; denotes infinitive of purposes.</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Tui</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Water</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">in tur</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">to drink</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ka</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">I</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">duh.</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">want.</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Chaw</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">Rice</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lei tur</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">to buy</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">ka</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">I</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">nei lo</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">have
-not.</span></span> } I have nothing wherewith to buy rice.</p>
-<p class="par">The suffix &ldquo;tu&rdquo; changes the verb into noun
-of agency.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Veng-tu = a watchman.</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">Hril-tu = an informant.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Participles</i>: Shoia, shoi-ing = saying.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Negative.</i></p>
-<p class="par">There are two negative particles:&mdash;lo and shu.</p>
-<p class="par">The first is used except in the conditional and the
-imperative, when the latter is used.</p>
-<p class="par">The particles are placed after the root except in the
-past tense, when they follow the tense termination.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Ka kal lo =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight cellTop">I do not go.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Ka kal ta lo =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight">I did not go.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Ka kal lo vang =</td>
-<td>I will not go</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan"><img src="images/rbrace2.png" alt=""
-width="14" height="45"></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="xd24e3719 rowspan cellRight">The &ldquo;v&rdquo;
-is inserted for sake of euphony.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Ka kal lo ve =</td>
-<td>I do not go</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Kal rawh =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight">Go.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Kal shu =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight">Don&rsquo;t go.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Kal shu se =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight">Do not let him go.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Shoi shu u =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight">Do not say (plural).</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Shoi shu i la =</td>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan cellRight cellBottom">If we do not
-say.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Nem&rdquo; and &ldquo;n&#257;ng&rdquo; are used
-as negative particles and intensify the meaning.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">Ka hre lo =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">I don&rsquo;t know.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft">Ka hre nem =</td>
-<td class="cellRight">I don&rsquo;t know. How should I?</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Lal in a ka kal n&#257;ng
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">I am not going to the chief&rsquo;s
-house. Why should I be?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Interrogative Particles.</i></p>
-<p class="par">These are as a rule placed at the end of a sentence.
-They are &ldquo;em&rdquo; and &ldquo;em ni.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">I kal ang em =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">Will you go?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb122" href="#pb122" name=
-"pb122">122</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Em ni&rdquo; sometimes implies that the answer is
-expected in the same form as the question.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">I lo-kal em ni =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">You have come, have you?</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">A lo-kal lo vem ni =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">He has come, has not he?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Maw&rdquo;&mdash;This particle is used when the
-person asked, instead of replying at once, repeats part of the
-question&mdash;a pernicious and vexatious habit much indulged in by the
-Lushais.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">I dam em? =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Are you well?</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">Keima maw? Ka dam e =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Do you mean me? I am well.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>The Passive Voice.</i></p>
-<p class="par">The verb when used in the passive voice is pronounced
-slightly differently. The construction is as follows:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop">L&#257;l in min k&#257;p =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">The chief shot me.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellBottom">L&#257;l k&#257; k&#257; ni
-=</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">I am shot by the chief.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Verbal Prefixes.</i></p>
-<p class="par">These are a very noticeable peculiarity. They
-are:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">Zuk = motion downwards.</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">Zuk la ro = Bring it down.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Han = motion upwards.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Han en rawh = Come up and see.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Han = motion towards the speaker.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">A han la ta = He brought it.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lo = motion towards the speaker<span class="corr"
-id="xd24e4821" title="Source: =">.</span></td>
-<td class="cellRight">L&#257;l a lo k&#257;l = The chief arrives.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="2" class="colspan cellLeft cellRight">Ron = motion towards
-the indirect object.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"></td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lal hnena ron hril rawh = Go and tell the
-chief.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"></td>
-<td class="cellRight">Min ron pe rawh = Come and give it to me.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom">V&#257; = motion from.</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">V&#257; l&#257; zo = Go and
-bring.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Adverbs.</i></p>
-<p class="par">There is a peculiar series of adverbs in Lushei, which,
-besides denoting the manner in which a thing is done, also convey some
-idea of the appearance of the agent, thus:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="sample">
-<tr>
-<td lang="lus" class="cellLeft cellTop cellBottom">Lal a k&#257;l buk
-buk =</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop cellBottom">The chief goes.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb123" href="#pb123" name=
-"pb123">123</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Buk buk&rdquo; shows that the chief is a big,
-heavy man and is walking slowly.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Bak bak&rdquo; similarly used would mean that the
-chief was medium-sized and walking slowly, whereas &ldquo;bik
-bek&rdquo; could only be used of a small person proceeding slowly.</p>
-<p class="par">There are over a hundred such adverbs in Lushei.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Interjections.</i></p>
-<p class="par">The most common are &ldquo;Ie&rdquo; = I say!
-&ldquo;Khai&rdquo; = Come! &ldquo;Ku&rdquo; = Ho! &ldquo;Chei
-chei&rdquo; denoting disapproval and surprise. There are certain
-interjections, such as &ldquo;Karei, Karei!&rdquo; = Alas! Alas! which
-are only used by women.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushais are very fond of piling up adverbs to
-intensify the meaning:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ava</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">How</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">mak</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">wonderful</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">em</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">very</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">em</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">very</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">mai!</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">very!</span></span></p>
-<p class="par sample"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Ava</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">How</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">mak</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">wonderful</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">em</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">very</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">veleh!</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">indeed!</span></span></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Literal Translation of an Account of the
-Thimzing.</i></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">Hm&#257;n</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">Former</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">lai hian</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">time
-in</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">thim</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">darkness</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">it</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">lo-zing-a;</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">collected;</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">chutichuan</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">then</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">mi</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">mankind</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">zawn</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">all</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">zawn</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">all</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">they</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">in-khawm</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">themselves collected</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">mur mur</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">(untranslatable adverb)</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">chutichuan</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">then</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">zawng</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">monkey</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">hmul</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">hair</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">it</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">began</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">lenga</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">to
-grow</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">their</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">hgum</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">spine ends</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">thak</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">itched</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">hiat</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">scratched</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">thin-a</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">always</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">zawng</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">monkeys</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">into</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">te</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">(plural suffix)</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">changa</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">changed</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">tin</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">their</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">lal te</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">chiefs</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">chu</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">indeed</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">va-pual</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">horn-bill</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">into</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">lo</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">became</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">changa</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">changed</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">mi</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">people</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">chhia</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">poor</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">e-raw</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">on the
-other</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">chu</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">hand</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">zawng</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">monkey</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a te ngau-va</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">into grey</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">te</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">monkeys</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">they</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lo</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">became</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">changa.</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">changed.</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">Tin</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">Then</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">sa</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">flesh</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lu</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">head</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">ro</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">dry</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">nei</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">had</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">chuan</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">those who</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">tuah</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">put on</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">fire</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">thing</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">wood</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">ai-in</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">than</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">it</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">tha</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">good</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">zawh</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">more</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">was</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">chu-te-chuan</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">therefore</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">they</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">dam</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">lived</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">rei</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">long</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">thei</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">could</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">zawk</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">more</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">ti.</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">say.</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">Tin</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">Then</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">mei-ling</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">embers</span></span> <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb124"
-href="#pb124" name="pb124">124</a>]</span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">tlaivar</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">watched all night</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">lem-in</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">more than others</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">puan</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">cloth</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">tial</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">striped</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">shin in</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">wearing</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">sakeia</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">tigers
-into</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">an</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">they</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">changa</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">changed</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">thei</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">may be</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus"
-class="top">tin</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">then</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">pitar</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">old</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">te hian</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">women</span></span> <span class=
-"intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">puanpui</span> <span lang="en"
-class="bottom">quilts</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">sin-a</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">were
-wearing</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">sai</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">elephants</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">a</span> <span lang=
-"en" class="bottom">into</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang=
-"lus" class="top">an</span> <span lang="en" class=
-"bottom">they</span></span> <span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class=
-"top">lo</span> <span lang="en" class="bottom">became</span></span>
-<span class="intra"><span lang="lus" class="top">changa.</span>
-<span lang="en" class="bottom">changed.</span></span> <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb125" href="#pb125" name="pb125">125</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="app" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e448">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">APPENDIX</h2>
-<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Families and Branches of the Lushei
-Clan.</span></h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="xd24e5621">
-<thead>
-<tr class="label">
-<td class="xd24e5622 cellHeadLeft cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">
-<span class="sc">Family Name.</span></td>
-<td class="xd24e5622 cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom"><span class=
-"sc">Branch Name.</span></td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellHeadRight cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">
-<span class="sc">Remarks.</span></td>
-</tr>
-</thead>
-<tbody>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="7" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Thangur</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Rokum</td>
-<td rowspan="6" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight">} All the
-Lushei chiefs belong to one of these branches.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Rivung</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Pallian</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Zadeng</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Thangluah</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Sailo</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chenkhual</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight">Descended from Chenkhuala, said to be a
-brother of Sailova, probably a son of a concubine. The Chenkhual had
-once independent villages, but are no longer looked on as chiefs.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="10" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Pachuao</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Cherlal</td>
-<td rowspan="8" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight">This
-family is said to be descended from illegitimate sons of Zadenga.
-Darchaova, Cherlalla, Lianthunga, and Liannghora are heroes of whose
-prowess many tales are told, and their names appear among the branch
-names.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chhawthliak</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chhoalak</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chonglal</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Darchao</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Lalbawm</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Lianthung</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Liannghor</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Vanpuia-hrin</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight"><i>I.e.</i>, sprung from Vanpuia.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Varchuao</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="5" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Changte</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Darchun, Pamte</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Vokngak<span class="corr" id="xd24e5715" title=
-"Source: .">,</span> Kawlchi</td>
-<td rowspan="4" class="rowspan xd24e5624 cellRight">&ldquo;Chi&rdquo;
-means family, &ldquo;Kawl&rdquo; means Burma, and &ldquo;ngak&rdquo; is
-to wait; so perhaps the Kawlchi may be descendants of Changte, who
-settled temporarily in Burma, and the Ngakchi of some who delayed at
-some general move of the family.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Padaratu, Tumpha</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Lungte, Ngakchi</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chonglun <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb126"
-href="#pb126" name="pb126">126</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Chongte</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Tuichhung, Lungte</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Muchhip-chhuak</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan xd24e5624 cellRight"><i>I.e.</i>, from
-Muchhip, the name of a hill.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Pamte</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Chuachang</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Chonchir, Chonchhon</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight">&ldquo;Hang&rdquo; means
-black and &ldquo;ngo&rdquo; white.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Lathang</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight">This family and the next are said to be
-descended from two brothers.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="4" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Chuaongo</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Vanpuia-thla</td>
-<td rowspan="4" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight">
-Descendants of Vanpuia. The Chuaongo are said to have been very
-powerful, and to have held a position similar to that now held by the
-Sailo. Their most powerful chief was Vanpuia.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Hlengel, Hmunpel</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Zongpam, Laller</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chumthluk, Aohmun</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Haonar</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Haothul, Haobul</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Tuithang, Shenlai</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Hrasel</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Shelpuia, Sontlunk</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Sumkhum, Sazah</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="4" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft"></td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Chalbuk, Sialchung</td>
-<td rowspan="6" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight">This
-family and the next are said to have sprung from two brothers, children
-of a Lushei woman by a Poi or Chin, and to have originated from a hole
-in the ground near the Shepui rocks, to the east of the Manipur river.
-The Hualngo and <span class="corr" id="xd24e5802" title=
-"Source: Hualhang">Hualbang</span> formerly lived together in villages
-under Hualngo chiefs. On the rise of the Thangur chiefs, a quarrel
-broke out, and the Hualngo were defeated by a combination of the Sailo,
-Zadeng, and Pallian, and driven across the Tiao, and took refuge under
-the protection of the Falam chiefs, where their descendants still are,
-and are miscalled Whenoh by the officers in charge of the Chin Hills.
-The <span class="corr" id="xd24e5805" title=
-"Source: Hualhang">Hualbang</span> deserted to the Thangur, and are
-found scattered in the villages of their conquerors. There are six
-Hualngo villages in the Lushai Hills containing some 200 houses.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Bailchi, Chumkal</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Khupao, Fangtet</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Taihlum, Chertluang</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="2" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Hualngo</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Chalthleng, Khupno</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Tuazol, Cherput, Bochung <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb127" href="#pb127" name=
-"pb127">127</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Lungkhua</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Sialchung, Ngalchi</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Ngalchung, Phungchi</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Ngaphawl</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft">
-Tochong</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Topui, Chhakom</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Muchhip-chhuak</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight"><i>Vide</i> Changte.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chemhler, Tobul</td>
-<td class="xd24e5624 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderTop">
-<td rowspan="3" class=
-"borderBottom rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5622 cellLeft cellBottom">
-Vanchong</td>
-<td class="xd24e5638 xd24e5622">Vanlung, Sumkhum</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class=
-"borderBottom rowspan xd24e5638 xd24e5624 cellRight cellBottom">The
-claim of this family to be true Lusheis is sometimes disputed.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e5622">Chemhler, Chengrel</td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="borderBottom">
-<td class="xd24e5866 xd24e5622 cellBottom">Kaithum</td>
-</tr>
-</tbody>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Besides the above families, there is one called
-Chhak-chhuak, <i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;Come out of the east.&rdquo; In spite
-of all enquiries I was unable to find out any reason for the name,
-which was sometimes said to be the name of a branch of one of the other
-families and sometimes that of a separate family. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb129" href="#pb129" name="pb129">129</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="pt2" class="div0 part">
-<h2 class="label">PART II</h2>
-<h2 class="main">THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS</h2>
-<div id="intro2" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e464">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">INTRODUCTORY</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">In this part all the clans of the Lushai-Kuki race
-which are not included by the people themselves among the Lusheis will
-be briefly dealt with. All these clans practise the jhum methods of
-cultivation and were originally semi-nomadic, but certain of them,
-under changed circumstances, have ceased to move their villages and are
-taking to plough cultivation. There is a varying similarity in the
-religious beliefs and customs, and it will suffice to point out the
-principal divergences from those of the Lusheis as already
-described.</p>
-<p class="par">The non-Lushei clans group themselves naturally into
-five sections:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">1. The clans which live among the Lusheis under the rule
-of Thangur chiefs and have become practically assimilated by them, and
-are included in the wider term Lushai, as we use it. Naturally the
-accounts of these will be brief and will deal principally with the
-origin of the clans.</p>
-<p class="par">2. The clans which, while still retaining a separate
-corporate existence, have been much influenced by the Lusheis, among or
-near whom they reside.</p>
-<p class="par">3. The Old Kuki clans.</p>
-<p class="par">4. The Thado clan with its numerous families and
-branches, often spoken of as New Kukis.</p>
-<p class="par">5. The Lakhers. These are immigrants from the Chin
-Hills, and would more correctly be dealt with in the Chin Monograph,
-but a brief sketch of them, though very incomplete, may be useful till
-a fuller account is written. They call themselves Mara. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb130" href="#pb130" name="pb130">130</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch2.1" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e475">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER I</h2>
-<h2 class="main">CLANS INCLUDED IN THE TERM LUSHAI</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">These clans have adopted most of the manners and
-customs of their conquerors, and to an ordinary observer are
-indistinguishable from the true Lushei. In many cases the only
-difference is in the method of performing the Sakhua sacrifice. In few
-cases some words of the clan dialect are still used, but, generally
-speaking, there is but little difference noticeable. In cases where the
-clan had attained considerable strength before its overthrow by the
-Lusheis the process of assimilation has naturally been slower, and
-there is more to describe. The following list of clans does not lay
-claim to being complete, but contains all the best-known names.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Chawte.</span> Members of this
-clan are found in small numbers scattered among the Lushei villages.
-They kill a goat as the Sakhua sacrifice, and omit all the Naohri
-sacrifices except the Zinthiang and Ui-ha-awr. When a mithan is
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e5910" title=
-"Source: sacrified">sacrificed</span> it is killed in the evening, and
-the giver of the feast wears some of the tail hairs on a string round
-his neck.</p>
-<p class="par">In the hills between the Manipur valley and Tamu I found
-two small hamlets of Chawte, who said that their forefather had come
-from the hills far to the south very long ago. Their language closely
-resembles Lushei, but they have come much under Manipuri influence. The
-names of the families in no case agreed with those given me by the
-Chawte in the Lushai Hills. A detailed account of the Manipur Chawte
-will be found in (3).</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Chongthu.</span> This clan is
-very widely scattered. The following account of the origin of the clan
-is given by Suaka, now Sub-Inspector of <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb131" href="#pb131" name="pb131">131</a>]</span>Police at
-Aijal:&mdash;&ldquo;Of all Lushai clans Lershia (Chongthu) celebrated
-the Chong first of all. Lershia&rsquo;s village was on the hill to the
-south of the Vanlai-phai. There he celebrated the Chong. He was the
-richest of all men. Lershia had a younger brother, Singaia. His village
-was separate at Betlu. He was very rich in mithan, gongs, and
-necklaces. Once he was moving to another village with all his goods,
-when a very big snake swallowed him. Even till now Chongthus are always
-&lsquo;upa&rsquo; to chiefs. It may be they are wiser than the other
-clans; they are very amiable&mdash;maybe they understand how to express
-matters well. In every village Chongthu are always upa. How many
-children Lershia had or where they are I do not know. Nevertheless he
-was the richest of all men. Because he was so rich in mithan, gongs,
-and necklaces he first celebrated the Chong. His name was also first
-given to the Chong song. Even till now the Sailo and all Lusheis and
-all Ralte, if they celebrate the Chong according to their customs, sing
-Lershia&rsquo;s song&mdash;they have not a new song of their
-own.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">From the above it would appear that Chongthu is a
-nickname given to Lershia on account of his having first celebrated the
-Chong. Chongthu&rsquo;s name appears in the Thado pedigree as the first
-of the race to emerge from the earth, and the great-great-grandfather
-of Thado. The Chiru and Kolhen also claim descent from him, though they
-cannot give the intermediate names.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Hnamte.</span> This clan lived
-to the east of the Tyao river. Their most famous chief was Chon-uma,
-their last village was at Tl&#257;ngkua, on the Lentl&#257;ng. Bad
-harvests and general misfortunes brought about their dispersal early in
-the last century.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Kawlni.</span> A
-widely-distributed clan sub-divided into at least 12 families said to
-be connected with the Ralte, <i>q.v.</i></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Kawlhring. Kawl = Burma. Hring
-= Born.</span> This clan had a big village on the Hringfa hill, where
-the remains of earthworks made by them in their final struggle against
-the Haka people may still be seen. Messrs. Carey and Tuck in their
-&ldquo;Chin Hills Gazetteer,&rdquo; p. 153, say:&mdash;&ldquo;Having
-settled with their formidable neighbours on the north, the Hakas turned
-their attention to the Lushais, who at this time occupied the country
-as far east as the banks of the L&#257;v&#257;r stream, barely 20 miles
-east of Haka. Their chief centres were Kwe Hring <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb132" href="#pb132" name="pb132">132</a>]</span>and
-Vizan, two huge villages on the western slopes of the Rongtlang range,
-and to this day the sites, fortifications, and roads of the former town
-may be traced.&rdquo; The Hakas, not feeling equal to attacking their
-powerful neighbours single-handed, called in the assistance of a
-Burmese chieftain, Maung Myat San of Tilin, who came with 200 men armed
-with guns and bringing with them two brass cannons. &ldquo;The Haka and
-Burman forces were collected on the spot where Lonzeert now stands,
-and, marching by night, surprised Kwe Hring in the early dawn by a
-noisy volley in which the brass cannon played a conspicuous part. The
-Lushais, who had no firearms, deserted their villages and fled in
-disorder, and for several months parties of Hakas ravaged the country,
-eventually driving every Lushai across the Tyao before the rains made
-that river unfordable.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The people called here Lushais were the Kawlhring. The
-last Kawlhring chief was Lalmichinga. The clan is now scattered among
-the villages round Lungleh. There are eight families, but I have not
-found any branches. The Zinthiang and Zinhnawm are omitted from the
-Naohri sacrifices.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Kiangte.</span> This clan lived
-east of the Manipur river, from which place it was driven by the Chins.
-Kiangte are now found in small numbers in most of the villages in the
-North Lushai Hills. The clan is divided into seven families, without
-branches.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Ngente.</span> Although this
-clan has been practically absorbed its members have retained in an
-unusual degree their distinctive customs. The Ngente were formerly a
-somewhat powerful clan living at Chonghoiyi, on the Lungdup hill, where
-about 1780 <span class="sc">A.D.</span> a quarrel broke out between
-their two chiefs, Lalmanga and Ngaia, and the latter set out with his
-adherents to form another village, but was pursued and killed by his
-brother. Shortly after this the clan was attacked by the Lusheis and
-broken up. The above particulars were given me in 1904, when I was near
-the Lungdup hill. They seem to account for the Koihrui-an-chhat
-festival, which is described below from notes supplied to me by Mr. C.
-B. Drake-Brockman in 1901, embodying information gathered by him from
-Ngente living at Lungleh, many days&rsquo; journey from Lungdup. This
-is an interesting instance of history being embalmed in a custom of
-which the origin has been forgotten, and I humbly recommend its
-consideration to <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb133" href="#pb133"
-name="pb133">133</a>]</span>those wise men who are ever ready to
-interpret every custom as affording evidence of their particular
-theories.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Marriage.</i>&mdash;The Ngente young man is no more
-restricted in the choice of his wife than is the Lushei, but the price
-is fixed at seven guns, which are taken as equivalent to Rs. 140/-. Of
-this sum the girl&rsquo;s nearest male relative receives Rs. 120/-, the
-remainder being distributed as follows:&mdash;Rs. 8/- to the
-&ldquo;pu,&rdquo; maternal grandfather or uncle, Rs. 6/- to her elder
-sister, Rs. 4/- to her paternal aunt, Rs. 2/- to the
-&ldquo;p&#257;l&#257;l,&rdquo; or trustee. Should a woman die before
-the whole of her price has been paid, her relatives can only claim half
-the remainder.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Childbirth.</i>&mdash;Three months before the birth,
-the mother prepares zu, which is known as
-&ldquo;nao-zu&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, baby&rsquo;s beer, which must
-on no account be taken outside the house and which is drunk in the
-child&rsquo;s honour on the day of its birth. Women are delivered at
-the head of the bedstead, and the afterbirth is placed in a gourd and
-hung up on the back wall of the house, whence it is not removed. The
-puithiam sacrifices a cock and hen, which must not be white, outside
-the village, and, having cooked the flesh there, he takes it to his own
-house for consumption. On the third day after the birth the child is
-named by its &ldquo;pu,&rdquo; who has to give a fowl and a pot of zu.
-A red cock is killed and some of its feathers are tied round the necks
-of the infant and other members of the family.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Death Ceremonies.</i>&mdash;The Ngente do not attach
-any importance to burying their dead near their place of abode. They
-put up no memorials and offer no sacrifices, and make no offerings to
-the deceased&rsquo;s spirit. The dead are buried wherever it is most
-convenient. This is a most singular divergence from the general
-custom.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Festivals.</i>&mdash;The Khuangchoi, Chong, Pawl-kut
-are observed. In place of the Mim-kut they celebrate a feast called
-Nao-l&#257;m-kut, which takes place in the autumn. For two nights all
-the men and women must keep awake, and they are provided with boiled
-yams and zu to help them in doing so. On the third day some men dress
-themselves up as women and others as Chins, colouring their faces with
-charcoal. They then visit every house in which a child has been born
-since the last Nao-l&#257;m-kut and treat the inmates to a dance,
-receiving presents of <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb134" href=
-"#pb134" name="pb134">134</a>]</span>dyed cotton thread, women&rsquo;s
-cloths, &amp;c., and much zu. Compare the account of the Fanai She-doi,
-p. 136 <i>et seq.</i> below.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Koihrui-an-chhat (They Break the Koi
-Creeper).</i>&mdash;A party of young men, being supplied with
-hard-boiled eggs and fowl&rsquo;s flesh, go off into the jungle
-equipped with bows and arrows. On the third day they return with the
-heads of some animals&mdash;for choice those of the
-&ldquo;tangkawng,&rdquo; a large lizard&mdash;and also a long piece of
-the creeper from which the Koi beans (<i>v.</i> Chap. II, para. 18) are
-obtained. They are received with all the honours paid to warriors
-returning from a successful raid, and a tug of war with the creeper
-takes place between the young men and the maidens. The heads of the
-animals are then placed in the centre of the village, and dancing,
-singing, and drinking go on round them all night, no young man or girl
-being allowed to go inside a house till daybreak, when the whole party
-adjourns to the house of a member of the Chonghoiyi-hring
-family&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, a descendant of one born at
-Chonghoiyi&mdash;and after further libations they disperse.</p>
-<p class="par">It is quite clear that this feast commemorates the
-victory of Lalmanga over Ngaia&mdash;compare the account of the
-reception of a raiding party given in Part I., Chap. III, para. 9. The
-use of bows and arrows is an interesting survival.</p>
-<p class="par">The tug of war with the creeper is found among the Old
-Kuki clans as one of the incidents of the spring festival, and in the
-Manipuri chronicle we find references to such amusements being indulged
-in. The Ngente evidently combined the play, intended to keep green the
-memories of their ancestor, with the usual ceremonies of the spring
-festival.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e5994src" href="#xd24e5994" name=
-"xd24e5994src">1</a></p>
-<p class="par">The Ngente do not practise the Kh&#257;l sacrifices.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Language.</i>&mdash;In the <i>Linguistic Survey</i>
-Dr. Grierson gives a translation of the parable of the Prodigal Son in
-the Ngente dialect supplied him by Mr. Drake-Brockman, and sums up his
-description of the dialect as follows:&mdash;&ldquo;But in all
-essential points both (<i>i.e.</i>, Ngente and Lushei) agree, and the
-difference is much smaller than between dialects in connected
-languages.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Paotu.</span> A very
-insignificant clan, of which I have found only one family. The clan
-formerly lived on a hill north of the Tao <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb135" href="#pb135" name="pb135">135</a>]</span>peak, to the east of
-the Koladyne, and were probably driven out by the Chins at the same
-time as the Kawlhring.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Rentlei.</span> There are five
-families in this clan, which has long been absorbed by the Lusheis, but
-the Rentlei maintain that at one time, when they lived in a big village
-on the Minpui hill to the east of the Tyao river, they were the more
-powerful and showed their contempt for the Lusheis by throwing stones
-at the skulls of the pigs which the latter used to place on posts
-outside their houses after performing the Sakhua sacrifice, and this
-led to the Lusheis placing the skulls inside their houses, whereas the
-Rentlei to this day adhere to the custom of putting them outside. This
-clan is still looked on with respect, and chiefs frequently take
-Rentlei brides.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Roite.</span> This clan is
-divided into seven families, one of which has a branch. There is
-nothing of interest to be noted about it.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Vangchhia.</span> This clan has
-only three families and one branch. Its members are said to be
-generally wealthy, and therefore prudent parents strive to get them as
-&ldquo;pu&rdquo; to their children. Their Sakhua sacrifice is
-elaborate, a mithan being killed in front of the house, a cock at the
-head of the parents&rsquo; bed, and a boar at that of the children.
-There is a great feast, followed by nine days&rsquo;
-&ldquo;hrilh.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Zawngte.</span> Now an
-insignificant clan, of which I have not obtained a single family name.
-Under a chief called Chengtea they lived on a hill north of
-Thlan-tlang, which is still known by their name. They were ejected by
-the Chins probably at the same time as the Kawlhring and Paotu. The
-eldest son inherits. They place their dead in hollowed-out logs in
-small houses outside the village, and leave them there for three
-months. In these particulars they resemble the Vuite. As among the
-Chawte, after killing a mithan the household of the giver of the feast
-wear some of the hairs of the tail on strings round their necks.
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb136" href="#pb136" name=
-"pb136">136</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e5994" href="#xd24e5994src" name="xd24e5994">1</a></span> Cf.
-&ldquo;Manipur Festival,&rdquo; <i>Folklore</i>, Vol. XXI, No.
-I.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href="#xd24e5994src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch2.2" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e488">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER II</h2>
-<h2 class="main">CLANS WHICH, THOUGH NOT ABSORBED, HAVE BEEN MUCH
-INFLUENCED BY THE LUSHEIS</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><span class="marginnote">Fanai<span class="corr"
-id="xd24e6044" title="Not in source">.</span></span> A clan which was
-rising into eminence, when our occupation of the country put a stop to
-its further aggrandisement. The chiefs trace their pedigree back six
-generations, to a man called Fanai, who lived among the Zahaos, to the
-east of the Tyao. His great grandson, Roreiluova, was a slave, or at
-least a dependant, of a Zahao chief, and was sent with 70 households to
-form a village at Bawlte, near Champhai, in Lushei territory, with the
-intention, no doubt, of enlarging the Zahao borders, but Roreiluova
-entered into peaceful relations with the Lushei chiefs, and gradually
-severed his connection with the Zahaos, and, moving south-west,
-occupied successively various sites to the west and north-west of
-Lungleh, between the Lushai and Chin villages, maintaining his position
-with considerable diplomatic skill, often acting as intermediary
-between his more powerful neighbours. He died at Konglung early in the
-nineteenth century, having attained such a position that his sons were
-at once recognised as chiefs, and on our occupying the country in 1890
-we found eight Fanai villages, containing about 700 houses, grouped
-along the west bank of the Tyao and Koladyne rivers, between Biate on
-the north and Sangao on the south. Roreiluova&rsquo;s descendants seem
-to have inherited his skill in diplomacy, for they kept on good terms
-with their neighbours, and whenever these quarrelled managed to assist
-the stronger without entirely alienating the weaker.</p>
-<p class="par">The clan is subdivided into six families and one
-branch.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6049width" id="p136"><img src="images/p136.jpg"
-alt="Fanai." width="720" height="474">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Fanai.</span></p>
-<p class="par first figBottomRight"><i>Photo by Major Playfair,
-I.A.</i></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The Fanai now talk Lushai and dress in the same way,
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb137" href="#pb137" name=
-"pb137">137</a>]</span>except as regards the method of dressing the
-hair, which is parted horizontally across the back of the head at the
-level of the ears, and the hair above this is gathered into a knot over
-the forehead, while that below is allowed to hang loose over the
-shoulders. They generally follow Lushai customs. In the series of
-feasts which an aspirant for the title of Thangchhuah has to perform,
-the Chong is replaced by the Buh-za-ai (buh = rice, za = 100),
-performed as among the Lushais. The She-doi feast has to be gone
-through twice, and is followed by a very similar feast called
-She-cha-chun (spearing of male mithan), which completes the series.
-Wealthy persons perform the Khuangchoi, but it is not necessary. The
-Mi-thi-rawp-l&#257;m is prohibited. The following account of the
-She-doi is taken from my diary of the 14th May, 1890.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;We went up at once to the village, where a
-peculiar dance was in progress. Lembu&rsquo;s wife was being carried
-about on a platform, round which a wooden railing had been fixed to
-enable her to maintain her position. This platform had four long poles
-passed underneath it, and a number of men and women, holding these,
-were moving the platform about in a manner which must have been most
-uncomfortable for her Majesty. They lifted it up and down, then swayed
-it to one side, then to the other, then ran in one direction and
-stopped suddenly, then in another, and pulled up with a jerk. During
-all this time the royal lady maintained a solemn silence, and showed
-complete indifference to the whole proceeding. Her head-dress consisted
-of a band round which at intervals coloured bands of straw were
-plaited. From this chaplet porcupine quills stood up all round, to the
-ends of which the yellowish-green feathers of parrots were affixed,
-each terminating in a tuft of red wool. At the back, an iron crossbar,
-about 6 inches long, was tied horizontally, and from this a number of
-strings of black and white seeds depended, at the end of which
-glistening wing-cases of green beetles were attached. Except for this
-startling head-dress, the Queen was dressed much as usual, except that
-her waist cloth was longer and more gorgeous. Having been carried about
-for some time, her Majesty showed her appreciation of the attentions of
-her subjects by distributing gifts. First she threw a small chicken,
-which was eagerly <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb138" href="#pb138"
-name="pb138">138</a>]</span>scrambled for and torn to pieces by the
-young men anxious to obtain it, next followed a piece of white cotton
-wool, which no one would pick up, and then some red thread, which was
-scrambled for eagerly.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;May 15th.&mdash;This morning a mithan was
-sacrificed. The animal was tied by the head to one of the sacrificial
-posts, on which his skull was to be placed later on. The chief then
-came out with a spear in one hand, a gourd of rice beer in the other.
-The puithiam, or sorcerer, accompanied him, also carrying a gourd of
-beer. The pair took up their stand just behind the mithan, and the
-puithiam began mumbling what I was told were prayers for the prosperity
-of the village. The prayers were interrupted by the chief and the
-sorcerer taking mouthfuls of beer and blowing them over the mithan.
-When the prayers were finished, they anointed the animal with the
-remains of the liquor, and the chief then gave it a slight stab behind
-the shoulder, and disappeared into his house. The mithan was then
-thrown on its side and killed by driving a sharp bamboo spear into its
-heart. The animal was then cut up. Later on another was killed, without
-any special ceremony, and the flesh of both cooked in the street. Later
-on there was a dance. Three men arrayed in fine cloths, with smart
-turbans, came up the main street, crossing from side to side. With
-bodies bent forward and arms extended, they took two steps forward,
-then whirled round once, beat time twice with the right foot, two
-steps, whirled round again, beat time twice with the left foot, and so
-on, keeping time with the royal band, consisting of a gong, a tom-tom,
-and a bamboo tube, used as a drum. The dancers, having been well
-regaled with beer, proceeded to dance each a pas seul of a decidedly
-indecent nature. The chief was prohibited from crossing running water
-for a month after this sacrifice had been performed.&rdquo; After this
-feast there is five days&rsquo; &ldquo;hrilh&rdquo; for the whole
-community, and during this no flesh may be brought into the village.
-The skull of the mithan is kept on the post in front of the
-chief&rsquo;s house for a month, during which time he may not cross
-water or converse with strangers. On the expiry of a month a pig and a
-fowl are sacrificed and the skull is then removed to the front
-verandah.</p>
-<p class="par">The only difference in the ceremonies connected with
-childbirth <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb139" href="#pb139" name=
-"pb139">139</a>]</span>is that the Ui-ha-awr sacrifice is only
-performed if the child&rsquo;s hair has a reddish tinge and the whites
-of its eyes turn yellowish.</p>
-<p class="par">The Sakhua sacrifices are very elaborate, and consist of
-a series commencing with the Vok-rial, which is necessary when a new
-house has been completed. A sow is killed at the head of the
-parents&rsquo; sleeping place, and whatever portions of the flesh are
-not at once consumed are placed beneath it till the next day. The house
-during this time is &ldquo;sherh.&rdquo; No one may enter it, and the
-occupants must not speak to strangers nor enter the forge. Later on a
-boar is killed in the front verandah, and the heart, liver, and
-entrails, known as &ldquo;kawrawl,&rdquo; are placed under the
-parents&rsquo; sleeping place for five days, and are eaten by the
-parents, the father sitting with his back to the partition wall and the
-mother facing him. During these five days a hrilh as above is observed.
-This sacrifice is called &ldquo;Vok-pa&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>,
-&ldquo;Boar&rdquo;&mdash;and is followed by the
-&ldquo;Hnuaipui&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;Great
-Beneath&rdquo;&mdash;a full-grown sow being killed under the house, and
-its head and sherh buried at the foot of one of the main posts. The
-flesh is cooked beneath the house, but eaten in it. A three days&rsquo;
-hrilh follows. The series concludes with
-&ldquo;Hnuaite&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, &ldquo;Lesser
-Beneath&rdquo;&mdash;which is similar to the former, but a young sow is
-killed.</p>
-<p class="par">These sacrifices are performed as the necessary animals
-become available.</p>
-<p class="par">A dead Fanai is buried in the usual Lushai way, but no
-rice is placed in the grave. An offering of maize, however, is
-suspended above it. It may be noted that in the Zahao country rice is
-not cultivated, the staple crop being maize. The Fanai do not kill
-tigers, giving as the reason that a former ancestor of theirs lost his
-way, and was conducted back to his village by a tiger, which kindly
-allowed him to hold its tail.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">The R&#257;lte.</span> This
-clan is found scattered in the Lushai villages to the north of Aijal,
-in which neighbourhood there are also one or two villages under
-R&#257;lte chiefs. I have already&mdash;in <a href="#ch1.5.1">Part I.,
-Chapter V, para. 1</a>&mdash;given the legend regarding the repeopling
-of the world and the closing of the exit from the Chhinglung owing to
-the loquacity of the pair of R&#257;lte. The names of these mythical
-ancestors were Hehua and Leplupi. Their two <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb140" href="#pb140" name="pb140">140</a>]</span>sons
-were Kheltea and Siakenga, who quarrelled over the distribution of
-their father&rsquo;s goods, which Kheltea, the younger, had taken, thus
-conforming to Lushei custom, and set up separate villages, and from
-them have sprung the two eponymous families into which the R&#257;lte
-clan is divided. The Khelte have always occupied a predominant
-position, and all the chiefs belong to this family. Lutmanga,
-Kheltea&rsquo;s youngest son, is said to have made the first cloth from
-the fibre of the Khawpui creeper. He collected a community at Khuazim,
-a hill north of Champhai, and from him all the R&#257;lte chiefs are
-descended. In the early years of the nineteenth century the R&#257;lte
-villages were near Champhai, and Mangkhaia, a R&#257;lte chief of
-importance, was captured by some Chuango, a family of the Lushei clan,
-then living at Bualte, above Tuibual (known to the Chin Hills officers
-as Dipwell). He was ransomed by his relatives, but Vanpuia, the Pachuao
-chief, not receiving a share, ambushed Mangkhaia on his way home and
-killed him. According to another account Mangkhaia filed through his
-fetters with a file given to him in a roll of smoked meat, and was
-killed as he was escaping. His memorial stone is famous throughout the
-Hills, and stands at the southern extremity of Champhai. Mangthawnga,
-father of Mangkhaia, joined Khawzahuala the Zadeng, then living at
-Tualbung, but, being ill-treated, the R&#257;lte joined Sutmanga, a
-Thado chief then at Phaileng, who treated them well. Thawnglura, son of
-Mangthawnga, showed his gratitude to Sutmanga by assisting the Sailo
-chief Lallianvunga, father of Gnura (Mullah)&mdash;whose village
-Colonel Lister burnt in 1850&mdash;to attack him. Sutmanga then fled
-northwards. It is satisfactory to know that Thawnglura&rsquo;s
-treachery was rewarded by the enslavement of his clan, who till our
-occupation of the Hills remained vassals of the Sailos. The R&#257;lte
-are very quarrelsome, and have to a great extent resisted absorption
-into the Lushais. In some Sailo chiefs&rsquo; villages there are so
-many R&#257;lte that the chief himself speaks their dialect, and though
-Lushai is understood little else but R&#257;lte is heard in the
-village.</p>
-<p class="par">The R&#257;lte are linguistically connected with the
-Thado, and, like the Thado, they used not to build zawlbuks, but are
-now following Lushai custom in this respect.</p>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6099width" id="p140"><img src="images/p140.jpg"
-alt="Memorial Stone in Champhai Known as Mangkhaia, Lungdawr." width=
-"520" height="720">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Memorial Stone in Champhai Known
-as Mangkhaia, Lungdawr.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb141" href="#pb141" name=
-"pb141">141</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The Khelte family has ten and the Siakeng family eleven
-branches. To the various sums paid to the relatives of the bride among
-the Lushais, the Ralte add &ldquo;dawngbul&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;dawngler&rdquo;&mdash;sums of Rs. 3/- paid to her male and
-female paternal first cousins.</p>
-<p class="par">The two families have slightly different customs as
-regard sacrifices. The Khelte sacrifice to Sakhua is a boar, which is
-killed at the head of the parents&rsquo; sleeping place and then cooked
-on the hearth. The skull is hung on the back wall of the house in a
-basket with six pieces of the liver and three of the skin. The chant is
-as follows:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="lgouter">
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. You whom our grandmothers worshipped!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. You whom our grandfathers worshipped!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. You of our birthplace!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. You of our place of origin!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. You who made the Khelte!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. You who made the Tuangphei!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. In what we have done wrong!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. In what we have sung amiss!</p>
-<p class="line">Ah&mdash;h. Make it right!</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par first">The Siakeng, after killing the boar as the Khelte
-do, entertain those of their own branch, but before the flesh is eaten
-it is divided into three portions, which are placed for a short time
-successively on the floor, on the sleeping-place, and on the shelf over
-the hearth, being thus offered to the spirits of the house, the couch,
-and the hearth.</p>
-<p class="par">Of the Naohri sacrifices the Khelte only perform the
-Hmar-phir, which they call &ldquo;Thangsang&rdquo; and the Ui-ha-awr,
-while the Siakeng perform the Vawkte-luilam, called by them
-&ldquo;Chhim-hal,&rdquo; and the Ui-ha-awr.</p>
-<p class="par">They have adopted most of the Thangchhuah festivals, but
-not the Mi-thi-rawp-lam. When a mithan is killed it is not speared as
-among the Lushais, but killed by a blow on the forehead. The skull is
-placed at the foot of the partition wall for three days, and on the
-fourth it is taken out and placed at the foot of the memorial post.
-Some ginger, beans, and salt are placed on a dish and an old man takes
-the skull, and all dance round the post three times to the beating of
-drums and gongs. Then ginger is thrown three times on to the skull,
-after <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb142" href="#pb142" name=
-"pb142">142</a>]</span>which the house-owner&rsquo;s wife pierces the
-skull with a spear, but if she be pregnant this must be done by a man.
-The skull is then placed on one of the posts of the platform in front
-of the house till the Khuangchoi has been performed.</p>
-<p class="par">On the occasion of the first death occurring in a new
-village a spot is selected beyond the line of houses, and the corpse is
-buried there, subsequent interments being made close at hand. It is
-considered &ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; to bury in a village. A well-to-do
-Khelte after death is dressed in his best, and seated with his back to
-the partition wall while his relatives and friends drink and dance
-before him. A bier is made by elderly persons, and on this the corpse
-is placed in a sitting position, with his weapons in his hands, and
-three times lifted by old men and women up to the rafters, while drums
-and gongs are beaten, after which the body is carried out to the
-graveyard.</p>
-<p class="par">The birth customs generally resemble those of the
-Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">The Paihte or Vuite.</span>
-This is a clan of some importance still. There are eleven Vuite
-villages, numbering 877 houses, in the south-west corner of the Manipur
-State and two in the adjoining portions of the Lushai Hills. When we
-occupied the Hills we found many of this clan living in a species of
-slavery in the villages of important Sailo chiefs. They have mostly
-rejoined their clansmen, from whom they had been carried off as
-prisoners of war.</p>
-<p class="par">The clan is generally known to the Lushais as Paihte,
-but Vuite is the term more commonly used by its members and in Manipur.
-Vuitea and Paihtea were the sons <span class="corr" id="xd24e6147"
-title="Source: of of">of</span> Lamleia, who was hatched out of an egg.
-There were two eggs, and Aichhana, a Thado, tasted one, and, finding it
-bitter, threw it away and put the other among the rice in the bin, and
-in due time Lamleia was hatched out, and the present Vuite chiefs claim
-to be his direct descendants, enumerating seventeen generations. The
-Thado version of this story is that Dongel, Thado&rsquo;s elder
-brother, had incestuous intercourse with his elder sister, and on a
-male child being born their mother was so ashamed that she hid the
-child in a hollow tree, thinking it would die, but when she found it
-was alive after several days she brought it into the house and
-concealed it in the paddy bin, and produced it a few days later, saying
-that she had found two <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb143" href=
-"#pb143" name="pb143">143</a>]</span>big eggs in a hollow tree and had
-tasted one and had found it very bitter. The second she had placed in
-the paddy, where it had been hatched by the sun&rsquo;s rays. Hence the
-child was called Gwite, from &ldquo;ni-gwi,&rdquo; the Thado for a ray
-of sunshine. The Vuite, of course, do not admit this tale to be true,
-but my informant tells me that in his father&rsquo;s time, when the
-Dongel and Vuite lived near to each other, the former paid
-&ldquo;sathing&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, a portion of each animal
-killed&mdash;to the latter, in recognition that the Vuite were
-descended from the elder sister of their ancestor. The Vuite, however,
-always tried to avoid accepting such presents, and when the Dongel
-moved away the custom died out. The first Vuite village is said to have
-been at Chimnuai, near to Tiddim. The name of this site comes first in
-the Vuite Sakhua chant which I obtained in the Lushai Hills. Being
-attacked by the Sokte and Falam clans, they joined the Thangur chiefs,
-but were ill-treated and fled to the neighbourhood in which they now
-live, and waged war with their oppressors till the establishment of our
-rule. They at one time approached the Manipur plain and in 1870, under
-Sumk&#257;m, they raided a Manipuri village, to avenge a charge of
-being wizards. They appear to be closely connected with the Malun,
-Sokte, and Kamhau clans of the adjoining Chin Hills, and Dr. Grierson
-places them linguistically in the same group as these clans and the
-Thado. In their dress and habitations they resemble the Lushais, but
-the place of the zawlbuk is taken by the front verandah of the houses
-of certain persons of importance, in which are long sleeping bunks in
-which half a dozen or more young men pass the night. The young fellows
-help their host in his house-building and cultivation, and once a year
-he gives them a feast of a pig. This custom prevails in most of the
-non-Lushei clans, and also among the Kabui Nagas in the Manipur
-Hills.</p>
-<p class="par">The women do not wear the huge ivory earrings of the
-Lushai but cornelians or short lead bars.</p>
-<p class="par">The general constitution of the clan and the village is
-very similar to that of the Lushais. As regards marriage they are
-monogamists, in this particular forming a very remarkable exception to
-all their cognates. The marriages of paternal first cousins are
-allowed&mdash;in fact, among chiefs they are the rule. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb144" href="#pb144" name="pb144">144</a>]</span>The
-parents of a young man who desires to marry a girl go to her house with
-an offering of zu, and if this is accepted the girl is at once taken to
-their house, but the bridegroom continues for two or three months to
-sleep with his bachelor friends. The marriage is not considered final
-nor is any payment made till a child is born, and if this does not
-occur within three years the couple separate, but on the birth of a
-child the full price agreed on must be paid up and divorce is not
-countenanced. On my enquiring what would happen in case the lady
-subsequently proved fickle, my informant smiled in a superior manner
-and said that such behaviour was unknown among his people. The Vuite
-object to giving their girls to the Lushais on account of the tendency
-of Lushai husbands to discard their wives on the slightest excuse.</p>
-<p class="par">Although the Vuite do not maintain that before marriage
-their girls are invariably chaste, yet one who errs is looked down on,
-and in consequence abortion and infanticide are said to be common.
-&ldquo;Sawnman&rdquo; at Rs. 23/- is demanded from the seducer.</p>
-<p class="par">As among most non-Lushei tribes, the eldest son
-inherits. The punishments for offences are similar to those among the
-Lushais, but the Vuite assert that the crime of sodomy is unknown among
-them. Murder can be atoned for by the payment of seven mithan to the
-heir of the murdered man, and accidental homicide by that of one mithan
-and a gun. In the days when war was common they used to ambush their
-enemies more than was usual among the Lushais, but they never went
-head-hunting simply for honour and glory. As regards &ldquo;boi,&rdquo;
-they follow Lushai customs closely.</p>
-<p class="par">Pathian is acknowledged, and in general their religious
-beliefs resemble those of the Lushais, but they have no idea of a
-separate abode for the spirits of warriors. They believe that departed
-spirits have two or more lives in the land beyond the grave.</p>
-<p class="par">For their Sakhua sacrifice a boar is killed on the front
-verandah and cooked within the house. The skin of the head, the
-testicles, heart, snout, and liver are placed on a bamboo over the
-verandah, which must be freshly thatched.</p>
-<p class="par">Immediately after birth the child is washed, and a fowl
-is <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb145" href="#pb145" name=
-"pb145">145</a>]</span>killed, and its feathers are worn round the
-necks of the mother and infant. The mother may go out of the house, but
-for four days after the birth both parents abstain from all work. On
-occasion of the naming two or three pigs if available should be killed
-and much zu drunk. The Kh&#257;l sacrifices, with the exception of
-Uihring, are not performed, but most of the other sacrifices are
-made.</p>
-<p class="par">The custom of paying &ldquo;lukawng&rdquo; on the death
-of a person is unknown, and the funeral ceremonies generally are very
-unlike those of the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">After death the corpse is placed on a platform and fires
-are lit round it, and young men and maidens sleep near it. The skin is
-hardened and preserved by being rubbed with some greasy preparation.
-The body is dressed in the best cloths available, and a chaplet of the
-tail feathers of the hornbill is placed on its head. During the daytime
-the corpse is kept in the house, but in the evening it is brought out
-and seated on the verandah while the villagers dance and sing round it
-and drink zu, pouring it also into the mouth of the corpse. This
-disgusting performance goes on for a month or more according to the
-social position of the deceased. The corpses of those who have attained
-Thangchhuah honours are kept for a year, at least, in a special shed
-encased in a tree trunk. Before burial the corpse is carried round the
-village. In case of a violent death, which does not as among the
-Lushais include deaths in childbirth, the corpse is placed in the forge
-and the puithiam sacrifices a fowl, after which the usual ceremonies
-take place. The Kut festivals are not observed, but after harvest the
-owners of houses in which young men lodge kill one or two pigs. The
-honour of Thangchhuah is obtained by giving the following
-feasts:&mdash;(1) Buh ai, one mithan being killed; (2) She-shun, one
-mithan being killed; (3) Chawn, three mithan and two pigs being killed.
-No other feasts are given and windows may be made by anyone. Most of
-the superstitions common among the Lushais are believed, but gibbons
-are freely killed. The Vuite are very much afraid of witchcraft, but
-deny all knowledge of it. When a new site for a house has to be chosen
-an egg is taken and one end is removed. It is then propped up on three
-small stones and a fire is lit under it. If the contents <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb146" href="#pb146" name="pb146">146</a>]</span>boil
-over towards the person consulting the omen the site is rejected as
-unlucky.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">The R&#257;ngte.</span> This is
-a small clan which, after various vicissitudes, has settled down in
-thirteen hamlets, containing 372 houses, under their own chiefs in the
-south-western hills of Manipur. They claim connection with the Thados,
-but resemble the Lushais in many respects, which no doubt is due to
-their sojourn among them. They also claim relationship with the
-Vaiphei. They say that their original villages were on two hills called
-Phaizang and Koku, whence they were ejected by the Chins and took
-refuge with Poiboi, one of the Sailo chiefs who opposed us in 1871,
-whence they migrated northwards to their present place of abode. Their
-language shows that their claim to being allied to the Thado is not
-without foundation. The clan is divided into eleven eponymous families,
-named after Thanghlum and his ten sons, Thanghlum being supposed to be
-the son of R&#257;ngte. The constitution of the villages is practically
-the same as that of the Lushais, except that there are no zawlbuks. The
-young unmarried men sleep in the house of the girl they like best. An
-attractive young lady may have several admirers sleeping in her house,
-and they will continue to sleep there until she expresses a preference
-for one of them. Marriage is not very strictly limited, but matches
-with another member of the clan or with some member of one of the Thado
-families are most usual. The price of a
-wife&mdash;&ldquo;manpui&rdquo;&mdash;is one blue cloth, one mattress,
-and three mithan, which is paid to the nearest male relative to the
-bride on the father&rsquo;s side, but besides this the bride&rsquo;s
-paternal uncle receives one mithan, which is termed
-&ldquo;mankang.&rdquo; If there be three brothers, A, B, and C, B will
-take the mankang of A&rsquo;s daughters, C that of B&rsquo;s, and A
-that of C&rsquo;s. Should a man have no brothers some near relative
-will take his daughter&rsquo;s mankang. The eldest son inherits
-everything, and is looked on as the head of the family. He receives the
-&ldquo;manpui&rdquo; of all the females, and in his verandah are hung
-all the trophies of the chase obtained by his brothers and their
-children, but on the death of one of these brothers the connection
-ceases, and the deceased&rsquo;s eldest son inherits his property and
-is looked on as the head of the family by his <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb147" href="#pb147" name=
-"pb147">147</a>]</span>younger brothers. Like the Vuite, the
-R&#257;ngte claim that sodomy is unknown among them. In their religious
-beliefs they employ the nomenclature of the Thados, though there is a
-little variation. The place of Pupawla on the road to Mi-thi-khua is
-taken by an old woman, named Kul-lo-nu, who is evidently the same as
-the Thado Kulsamnu, who troubles all except the Thangchhuah. Thlan-ropa
-is known as &ldquo;D&#257;p&#257;,&rdquo; but the legends regarding him
-are similar to those told by the Lushais.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6186width" id="p147-1"><img src=
-"images/p147-1.jpg" alt="Vuite Memorial." width="444" height="584">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Vuite Memorial.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6191width" id="p147-2"><img src=
-"images/p147-2.jpg" alt="R&#257;ngte Grave." width="444" height="587">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc"><span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e6194" title="Source: Rangte">R&#257;ngte</span> Grave.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">On the birth of a female child, zu is drunk, but should
-the child be a son, a pig and a fowl have to be killed, and three days
-later the puithiam comes and sprinkles the mother with water, muttering
-charms as he does so, after which ceremony she can go out. Immediately
-after a death everyone present seizes the nearest weapon and slashes
-wildly at the walls, posts, shelves, and partitions, shouting,
-&ldquo;You have killed him! We will cut you limb from limb, whoever you
-may be.&rdquo; The young men then go out in search of wild birds and
-beasts, the bodies of which are hung on posts round the grave. The
-corpse is adorned with the head-dress of hornbill&rsquo;s feathers, as
-among the Vuite and most of the Old Kuki clans. The corpses of ordinary
-persons are buried without much ceremony close to the house, but the
-Thangchhuah are carried round the village, as among the Khawtlang, and
-then enclosed in hollow tree trunks, and kept for periods varying from
-two months to a year in special sheds, with fires smouldering beneath
-them, after which the bones are buried. In this it will be noticed that
-the R&#257;ngte custom is a composite of Lushei, Vuite, and
-Khawtlang.</p>
-<p class="par">Lukawng is only paid if the deceased has been a great
-hunter or warrior. In their marriage ceremonies the R&#257;ngte differ
-but little from the Lushais. The &ldquo;Kh&#257;l&rdquo; sacrifices are
-omitted, but most of the others are performed.</p>
-<p class="par">Thangchhuah honours are attained by giving only two
-feasts&mdash;the &ldquo;Chong,&rdquo; at which a hen has to be
-sacrificed and two pigs and a mithan killed, and the
-&ldquo;Mai-thuk-kai,&rdquo; at which two mithan, three pigs, and a hen
-have to be killed. The guests hold hands and form a circle round the
-house of the giver of the feast, who has to anoint the head of each of
-them with pig&rsquo;s fat. The Buh-Ai is unknown, but the Ai of wild
-animals is performed as among the Lushais. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb148" href="#pb148" name="pb148">148</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch2.3" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e500">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER III</h2>
-<h2 class="main">THE OLD KUKI CLANS</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The term Old Kukis has long been applied to the
-clans which suddenly appeared in Cachar about 1800, the cause of which
-eruption I have explained when dealing with the history of the Lushais,
-but Dr. Grierson in the <i>Linguistic Survey</i> has included in this
-group a number of clans which had long been settled in Manipur
-territory, and my enquiries all go to prove the correctness of this
-classification. It appears practically certain that the ancestors of
-the Old Kukis and the Lushais were related and lived very close
-together somewhere in the centre of the hills on the banks of the Tyao
-and Manipur rivers. The Old Kuki clans of Manipur seem to have been the
-first to move, as records of their appearance there are found in the
-Manipur chronicle as early as the sixteenth century, and, though the
-chronology of the chronicle is not beyond suspicion, I think this may
-be taken as proof that these clans appeared in Manipur a good deal
-earlier than their relations the Bete and Rhangkhol entered Cachar.
-What the cause of this move was it is impossible to say. Probably
-quarrels with their neighbours, coupled with a desire for better land,
-combined to cause the exodus, and the movement, once started, had to
-continue till the clans found a haven of rest in Manipur, as their
-relatives did centuries later in British territory; for they were
-small, weak communities, at the mercy of the stronger clans, through
-whose lands they passed.</p>
-<p class="par">All these Old Kuki clans are organised far more
-democratically than the Lushais or Thados. Lieut. Stewart in his Notes
-on Northern Cachar says:&mdash;&ldquo;There is no regular system of
-government among the Old Kukis and they have no hereditary chiefs as
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb149" href="#pb149" name=
-"pb149">149</a>]</span>among the New ones. A headman called the
-&lsquo;ghalim&rsquo; is appointed by themselves over each village, but
-he is much more a priest than a potentate, and his temporal power is
-much limited. Internal administration among them always takes a
-provisional form. When any party considers himself aggrieved, he makes
-an appeal to the elders, or the most powerful householders in the
-village, by inviting them to dinner and plying them with victuals and
-wine.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">Among the clans which settled early in Manipur, each
-village has been provided with a number of officials with high-sounding
-titles and little power, in imitation of the Manipur system. Among
-those who have settled in British territory the ghalim has been
-transformed into the &ldquo;gaonbura&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, head of
-the village&mdash;and has acquired a certain amount of authority,
-whilst among the Khawtlang and Khawchhak clans, which after various
-vicissitudes, including a more or less lengthy sojourn among the
-Lushais, recently entered Manipur territory, the ghalim has become a
-feeble imitation of a Lushai lal.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>The Old Kuki Clans of Manipur.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Under this heading I propose dealing with the Aimol,
-Anal, Chawte, Chiru, Kolhen, Kom, Lamgang, Purum, Tikhup, and Vaiphei,
-who are now found in various parts of the hills bordering the Manipur
-valley, and who resemble each other in very many respects. In spite of
-this resemblance, the clans, while acknowledging their relationship to
-one another, keep entirely apart, living in separate villages and never
-intermarrying.</p>
-<p class="par">In the Manipur chronicle the Chiru and Anal are
-mentioned as early as the middle of the sixteenth century, while the
-Aimol make their first appearance in 1723. They are said to have come
-from Tipperah, but at that time the eastern boundary of Tipperah was
-not determined, and the greater part of the present Lushai Hills
-district was supposed to be more or less under the control of the Rajah
-of that State. A short distance to the east of Aijal there is a village
-site called Vai-tui-chhun&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the watering place of the
-Vai&mdash;which is said to commemorate a former settlement of the
-Vaiphei. It seems probable, therefore, that the Aimol and Vaiphei left
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb150" href="#pb150" name=
-"pb150">150</a>]</span>their former homes in consequence of the forward
-movement of the Lusheis. The remaining tribes all claim to have come
-from various places to the south of Manipur&mdash;the Anal from the
-Haubi peak, the Chiru from &ldquo;the Hranglal hill far away in the
-south,&rdquo; the Kom from the Sakripung hill in the Chin Hills; the
-other clans can give no nearer definition of the home of their
-forefathers than far away to the south. Like the Lushais, they all
-assert that they are descended from couples who issued out of the
-earth, the Chhinglung of the Lushais being replaced by
-&ldquo;Khurpui&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the great hole.</p>
-<p class="par">The Anal assert that two brothers came out of a cave on
-the Haubi peak, and that the elder was the ancestor of the Anals, while
-the younger went to the valley of Manipur and became king of the
-valley. Another tradition says that the Manipuris, Anals, and Thados
-are the descendants of three men, whose father was the son of
-Pakh&#257;ngba, the mythical snake-man ancestor of the Manipuri royal
-family, who, taking the form of an attractive youth, overcame the
-scruples of a maiden engaged in weeding her jhum (compare
-Hodson&rsquo;s &ldquo;Meitheis,&rdquo; page 12). These legends were
-probably invented after the clans had come in contact in order to
-account for the resemblances between them. The Chiru claim to be
-descended from Rezar, the son of Chongthu, the ancestor of the clan of
-that name still found in the Lushai Hills, whose name also appears in
-the Thado pedigree. The Lamgang tell the following tale:&mdash;On the
-Kangmang hill, away to the south, there is a cave. Out of this came a
-man and a woman, and were eaten up by a tiger which was watching. A god
-who had two horns, seeing this horrible sight, came out and drove away
-the tiger, and so the next couple to emerge escaped and became the
-ancestors of the Lamgang. The Purum claim to be descended from Tonring
-and Tonshu, who issued from the earth. It is said that &ldquo;Pu
-rum&rdquo; means &ldquo;hide from tiger,&rdquo; which connects them
-closely with the Lamgang legend. The Kolhen&rsquo;s ancestors were a
-man and woman who sprang out of Khurpui provided with a basket and a
-spear, and lived at Talching, and had a son and daughter called Nairung
-and Shaithatpal, the direct descendants of whom are said still to be
-found among the Kolhen. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb151" href=
-"#pb151" name="pb151">151</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The Chawte told me the tale of the peopling of the world
-out of a hole in the ground, adding the graphic touch that an
-inquisitive monkey lifted up a stone which lay over the opening, and
-thus allowed their ancestors to emerge.</p>
-<p class="par">It is not quite clear whether these clans are eponymous.
-The Chiru say that their clan is named after an ancestor, but can give
-no pedigree. The Aimol say that there is no general name for the
-various families, and that Aimol is the name of the village site. It is
-probably Ai-mual. &ldquo;Ai&rdquo; is the Lushai name of a berry and
-also means crab, and appears in Ai-zawl or Aijal. &ldquo;Mual&rdquo; is
-the Lushai for a spur of a hill. It is a very common, in fact almost a
-universal, custom to call a new village site, if it has no recognised
-name, after the site of the old village, and probably the original
-Aimual would be found in the centre of the Lushai Hills.</p>
-<p class="par">All these clans have come much under Manipuri influence,
-and the Chiru, Aimol, Kolhen, Chawte, Purum, and Tikhup have abandoned
-the ancestral architecture, and now live in houses built on raised
-earthen plinths like the Manipuris.</p>
-<p class="par">The remaining clans still adhere to the ancient style,
-their houses being raised some four or five feet off the ground on
-posts. The walls are of planks, and the roofs of thatching grass; they
-remind one much of the Falam houses. Round each village are clustered
-the granaries&mdash;small houses raised well off the ground and placed
-sufficiently far from the dwelling houses to make them fairly safe from
-fire. Where the houses are raised sufficiently pigs and poultry live
-under them; but cattle sheds are common, most of these clans having
-learnt the value of cows and buffaloes from the Manipuris. The handsome
-breed of goats so common in a Lushai village is seldom if ever seen,
-but animals of an inferior sort are generally kept.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chiru, Kom, and Tikhup still build zawlbuks. No
-woman is allowed to enter these buildings, which, besides being the
-dormitories of the unmarried men, are used for drinking bouts. They are
-externally very like those built by the Lushais, but have several
-fireplaces evidently used for cooking, and the general hearth in the
-centre is absent. Some of the clans which do not now build zawlbuks say
-that they believe their <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb152" href=
-"#pb152" name="pb152">152</a>]</span>forefathers did so. In the absence
-of the zawlbuk the young men generally sleep in the houses of
-well-to-do villagers, but among the Purum I am told that &ldquo;if a
-man has one unmarried son and one unmarried daughter, the boy goes to
-sleep at the house of a man who has an unmarried daughter; though they
-sleep in this way they are very careful about their characters.&rdquo;
-Have we here stumbled on the real origin of the &ldquo;young
-men&rsquo;s house&rdquo;&mdash;a desire to prevent incest? The young
-women also have houses in which they gather at time of festivals, but
-they do not sleep there.</p>
-<p class="par">The rotchem, the Lushai mouth-organ, is found among all
-these clans, but rather smaller and ornamented with fowls&rsquo;
-feathers. The Anal make a speciality of long bamboo trumpets, on which
-they perform with considerable skill, producing sounds
-indistinguishable from those of a bugle. The trumpets are from four to
-five feet long, and have bell-shaped mouths made of gourds.</p>
-<p class="par">Most of these clans have adopted various dances from the
-Manipuris, their own dancing being of the monotonous nature common to
-the Lushais and Kukis.</p>
-<p class="par">In dress and method of wearing the hair Manipuri
-influence is also noticeable, the men generally wearing coats and
-loin-cloths and turbans. The women are more conservative and adhere to
-the short petticoat. The hair is generally worn very much in the Lushai
-fashion, but the Chiru men are an exception to this. They part their
-hair in the middle and brush it down straight, and trim it level with
-the bottom of the ears. They bind a narrow fillet of cane round the
-head slightly above the eyes. The Kolhen women gather the hair into two
-heavy rolls, which hang down in front of each ear. The Tikhup maidens
-have adopted the Manipuri method of dressing the hair.</p>
-<p class="par">The ivory discs worn in the ears by Lushai women are not
-found, but metal rings are worn in a similar manner by both sexes.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6264width" id="p152"><img src="images/p152.jpg"
-alt="Aimol Nautch Party. The Youth is Holding a Rotchem." width="720"
-height="467">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Aimol Nautch Party. The Youth is
-Holding a Rotchem.</span></p>
-<p class="par first figBottomRight"><i>Photo by M. Little, Esq., Loc.
-Engineer<span class="corr" id="xd24e6271" title=
-"Not in source">.</span></i></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The Manipuris have instituted in each village a number
-of posts with high-sounding titles, similar to those in use among
-themselves, but traces of the older organisation are to be found. Thus
-the Aimol recognise a man called Thompa, of the Chomgom family, as the
-head of the clan, but he has no power <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb153" href="#pb153" name="pb153">153</a>]</span>and receives nothing,
-while in each village are four officials who receive a portion of every
-animal killed in the chase. They are called &ldquo;kamzakhoi,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;zakachhunga,&rdquo; &ldquo;zupalba,&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;pakanglakpa.&rdquo; The last two titles have a distinctly
-Manipuri sound about them. The usual titles found are
-&ldquo;khul-lakpa&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, chief of the
-village&mdash;&ldquo;lup-lakpa,&rdquo; &ldquo;zupalba,&rdquo; and
-&ldquo;Methei lumbu&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i> Manipuri
-interpreter&mdash;but there are others. The khul-lakpa and lup-lakpa
-are hereditary posts. Among the Lamgang there are seven such hereditary
-posts. Among the Chiru the khul-lakpa, besides receiving a portion of
-each animal killed, also gets his house built for nothing, which brings
-him very near to the Lushai &ldquo;l&#257;l.&rdquo; Among the Kolhen
-the khul-lakpa&rsquo;s and lup-lakpa&rsquo;s posts are not hereditary,
-but on the death of either his successor must be chosen out of the same
-family, but his sons are ineligible. The new official has to give a
-feast, killing a pig, which is eaten by the whole community, and the
-young men and maidens make merry with dance and song. It seems probable
-that in this may be some idea of averting the evil effects of a breach
-of the generally accepted custom.</p>
-<p class="par">The puithiam is known as &ldquo;thempu,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;khulpu,&rdquo; or &ldquo;bulropa,&rdquo; and both he and the
-blacksmith are sometimes rewarded, receiving a day&rsquo;s labour from
-each householder they serve, instead of a donation of rice.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lushai system of &ldquo;boi&rdquo; is generally
-unknown, which is only natural in such democratic communities.</p>
-<p class="par">The following animals are not generally
-eaten&mdash;tigers, snakes, cats, crows, or kites; and among the
-Lamgang the rat is also considered unfit for food.</p>
-<p class="par">Each clan is divided into eponymous families and
-generally marriage is restricted to the clan, but alliances within the
-family are prohibited. The Aimol clan is divided into five
-families&mdash;Chongom, Laita or Mangte, Khoichung or Leivon, Lanu, and
-Chaita. Marriage is unrestricted, but it is unusual for either sex to
-marry without the clan. The Kolhen are divided into twelve exogamous
-families divided into two groups, which are also exogamous (<i>v.</i>
-below, under Festivals, page 167), but marriage outside the clan is
-prohibited. Among the Anal, Purum, and Lamgang marriages must be made
-within the clan, but not within the family. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb154" href="#pb154" name="pb154">154</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The Tikhup clan, which only numbers some twenty
-households, is not sub-divided, but marriage is endogamous. The union
-of first cousins, either paternal or maternal, is prohibited. The
-elders of the clan attributed the steady decline in their numbers to
-this custom of endogamy.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chiru and Chawte customs are alike; not only is a
-young man&rsquo;s choice limited to some family in the clan other than
-his own, but the actual families from which he may choose his bride are
-strictly fixed.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Chiru&mdash;</p>
-<ul>
-<li>A Danla lad may marry a Dingthoi or Shangpa girl.</li>
-<li>A Dingthoi lad may marry a Chongdur or Danla girl.</li>
-<li>A Rezar lad may marry a Danla girl.</li>
-<li>A Shangpa lad may marry a Dingthoi or Danla girl.</li>
-<li>A Chongdur lad may marry a Danla girl.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Danla is the family from which the khul-lakpa must be
-taken, and Rezar has already been noticed as the son of Chongthu, from
-whom the Chiru claim descent.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Chawte&mdash;</p>
-<ul>
-<li>A Marem lad may only marry a Makhan girl.</li>
-<li>A Makhan lad may only marry an Irung girl.</li>
-<li>A Kiang lad may only marry a Makhan or Marem girl.</li>
-<li>An Irung lad may only marry a Marem, Thao, or Kiang girl.</li>
-<li>A Thao lad may only marry a Makhan girl.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Among the Aimol, Anal, Chiru, and Purum, a young man has
-to serve his future wife&rsquo;s father for three years, during which
-he works as if he were a son of the house. During this period he has
-free access to the girl, though among the Chiru he continues to sleep
-among the bachelors. Should the girl become enceinte the marriage
-ceremony must be performed, and the price paid. Among the Aimol the
-bride&rsquo;s eldest brother gets Rs. 6/- and each of the others one
-rupee less than his immediate senior. The paternal and maternal uncles
-receive Rs. 2/- each; the aunt and the elder sister also receive Rs.
-1/- each as &ldquo;niman&rdquo; and &ldquo;nao-puan-puk-man,&rdquo; as
-among the Lushais. Among the Anal and the Purum, the price must not be
-less <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb155" href="#pb155" name=
-"pb155">155</a>]</span>than a pig and a piece of iron a cubit in
-length, but the girl&rsquo;s relatives try to get as much more as they
-can. The bridegroom has also to feast the family of his bride three
-times on pork, fowls, and rice, washed down, of course, with plenty of
-zu. The Chiru girls are only valued at one gong.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the other clans, marriage is by simple purchase. A
-Chawte maiden can be obtained for a spear, a dao, and a fowl, the
-payment being sealed by the consumption of much zu. The price of a
-Kolhen girl is a gong and Rs. 7/- to her mother, and Rs. 7/- each to
-the elder and younger brother and the maternal uncle. This is most
-curious, for the father is entirely omitted. Can it be a survival of
-mother right? The Kom girls are valued very high, the father receiving
-one gong, four buffaloes, fifteen cloths, a hoe, and a spear, the aunt
-taking a black and white cloth. A Lamgamg bridegroom has to pay his
-father-in-law three pigs or buffaloes or cows, one string of conch
-shell beads, one lead bracelet, and one black or blue petticoat. A
-Tikhup father expects a gong, ten hoes, one dao, and one spear; the
-maternal grandfather also demands Rs. 7/-.</p>
-<p class="par">The price of a Vaiphei girl varies between two and ten
-mithan. To a certain extent the price of the girls may be taken as an
-indication of the relative importance of the clan. Marriage by
-servitude is not found among either the Lushai or the Thado clans; its
-appearance among the Old Kukis is therefore curious, for as a rule the
-customs of a clan will be found to resemble those of one or the other
-of these two main divisions of the Kuki-Lushai race.</p>
-<p class="par">Polygamy is, as a rule, permitted. Among the Anal and
-Lamgang, the first wife is entitled to the company of her husband for
-five nights, the second for four, and the third for three. It is not
-quite clear how a second marriage by servitude can be carried out, and
-probably the rules are modified in such cases. Polygamy is but little
-practised on account of the expense; among the Kolhen it is
-prohibited.</p>
-<p class="par">In most of these clans the Thado rule of inheritance is
-followed&mdash;viz., the eldest son takes all his father&rsquo;s
-property, the younger sons only getting what the heir chooses to give
-them. Among the Anal and Purum, and probably also the Lamgang, the sons
-of the deceased divide the property, but the youngest <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb156" href="#pb156" name="pb156">156</a>]</span>son
-takes the house and supports the widow, thus approximating to the
-Lushai custom.</p>
-<p class="par">In most clans the father of an illegitimate child is
-fined. Among the Chiru the fine is a pig, a mithan, and two gongs.</p>
-<p class="par">Divorce is generally easily obtained. Among the Aimol,
-if either party repents of the bargain, the payment of a cloth and
-three pots of zu annuls the contract. Among the Tikhup the cost of
-divorce is a mithan and a gong. The Anal and most of the other clans
-insist on the question being submitted to the village officials, who
-receive fees according to their position, and settle what compensation,
-if any, shall be paid to either party. As a rule it is very difficult
-for a woman to obtain a divorce unless her husband agrees, even though
-he may be extremely unfaithful and brutal. Among the Anal she must give
-a feast to the village or pay her husband Rs. 50/-.</p>
-<p class="par">In case of a wife being led astray the injured husband
-recovers her price or an equivalent amount (among the Tikhup twice the
-price) from her seducer. In this the Thado custom is followed, which is
-more just than that of the Lushais, but not so conducive to morality,
-for among the the Lushais the whole of the woman&rsquo;s family are
-interested in keeping her from committing herself and are loud in
-condemnation should she do so, as they have to refund the various sums
-they have received on her behalf, whereas among the Thado the seducer
-simply pays up the price and takes the woman, who is thought very
-little the worse of&mdash;in fact, among the clans which follow this
-apparently more just custom, women hold a far lower position, being
-traded from one to another, unless they have influential male relatives
-who take an interest in them.</p>
-<p class="par">All these clans have been given definite sites in
-Manipur and have practically abandoned the migratory habits of their
-forefathers, and therefore the idea of property in land, which is
-entirely absent in the case of the Lushais, is fast springing up. Many
-villages are moving nearer to the plain in order that the people may
-take leases from the State of land in the valley and carry on plough
-cultivation, but they also do a certain amount of jhuming, and
-proprietary rights in jhum lands are recognised.</p>
-<p class="par">The punishment for theft is arranged much on the Lushai
-system of the theft of certain articles having a fixed fine
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb157" href="#pb157" name=
-"pb157">157</a>]</span>attached to it. This is generally a pig, two
-jars of zu, and a brass plate. Among the Chiru the whole fine is
-consumed by the people of the village, the thief also getting his
-share. The Kolhen punishment is a fine of Rs. 28/-, a pig, and two jars
-of zu. In case of rice being stolen, the Tikhup custom is that the
-village officials at once kill and eat the pig of the thief and then
-make him pay a mithan as compensation to the complainant. Thefts of
-minor articles are generally punished by the thief providing a pig and
-zu for the entertainment of his judges. Manslaughter is punished by the
-payment of compensation, the amount varying considerably. The Anal
-demand a mithan and a gong, the Chiru a mithan and a cloth, the Kolhen
-three mithan, a brass pot, a pig, and two pots of zu, the Lamgang four
-gongs, ten jars of zu, and a big pig. Petty assaults are punished by
-fines of pigs and zu. A false charge is often punished by a fine of zu.
-Most of these clans declare that sodomy is unknown among them, the very
-notion appearing to them highly absurd.</p>
-<p class="par">All disputes and accusations are disposed of by the
-village officials, who meet sometimes in the house of the khul-lakpa
-and sometimes at a special spot outside the village where stone seats
-have been prepared.</p>
-<p class="par">Since the settlement of these clans in Manipur territory
-all raiding and fighting has been stopped, so that they have
-practically forgotten what were the habits of their forefathers in
-these respects, but the Kom declare that in the good old days the young
-Kom warriors went off on head-hunting expeditions, and if successful
-adorned the village gate with the trophies of their prowess; and there
-is no reason to doubt that, in spite of their present peaceable
-behaviour, the previous history of these clans was not less full of
-raids and counter-raids than that of their neighbours.</p>
-<p class="par">The general religious beliefs of these clans show a
-great resemblance to each other and also to that of the Lushais.
-Pathian is universally recognised as the creator who lives in the sky,
-though the name is slightly different, appearing as Pathel among the
-Anal and Kolhen, and Patheng among the Kom. Mi-thi-khua is generally
-known as the place of departed spirits, but the Chiru and Tikhup have
-no idea of a place of greater <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb158"
-href="#pb158" name="pb158">158</a>]</span>comfort for the spirits of
-warriors, though the Chiru believe that the spirits of those that die
-unnatural deaths go to a separate and inferior place, while those of
-the other dead go westwards into the sky. The Anal, Kolhen, and Lamgang
-believe that, after hovering around the grave for some time, the spirit
-is reincarnated in some new-born child, but that an unnatural death
-prevents this and the spirit passes away skywards and returns no more.
-The belief in a being or beings which trouble the spirits on their way
-to Mi-thi-khua, as Pupawla does with his pellet bow, is very general.
-The Aimol call him Ramcharipu, and say that he makes the spirits of
-all, except &ldquo;Thangchhuah,&rdquo; kill a certain number of lice in
-his head. The Vaiphei say that a male and a female being guard the road
-and trouble and detain the spirits of those who have not attained the
-honours of Thangchhuah. With the exception of the Tikhup, all the clans
-believe in demons, which they call by various names and which
-correspond exactly with the Huai of the Lushais. The Aimol call these
-devils Numeinu, Thanglian Borh, Tuikuachoi. &ldquo;Numeinu&rdquo; means
-mother of woman Borh brings to memory the infantile illness called by
-that name by the Lushais, while &ldquo;Tuikuachoi&rdquo; is evidently
-the Tui-huai. The Aimol and Chiru perform the Daibawl sacrifices in the
-same manner as the Lushais. The Chawte sacrifice pigs and fowls in case
-of sickness, but the Kh&#257;l sacrifices are quite unknown to any Old
-Kuki clans. L&#257;shi is known to the Aimol and Vaiphei. Among the
-former the Sakhua sacrifices are performed to this deity, and he is
-capable of giving success in the chase<span class="corr" id="xd24e6367"
-title="Source: ,">.</span> The Vaiphei place L&#257;shi almost on a par
-with Pathian and sacrifice a pig to him every year. Strange to say, he
-is supposed to have only one leg. The Sakhua chant of the Vuite
-commences with an invocation to all the wild animals to collect.</p>
-<p class="par">In nearly every clan there is an annual festival in
-honour of the souls of those who have died during the year, but in no
-case is the Mi-thi-rawp-l&#257;m or any similar festival included in
-the series of Thangchhuah feasts.</p>
-<p class="par">The Aimol sacrifice either a pig or a goat to L&#257;shi
-as their Sakhua. The Chawte have been much influenced by Manipuris, and
-I was first told that the names of their gods were <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb159" href="#pb159" name=
-"pb159">159</a>]</span>Pakh&#257;ngba and Nungchongba, but on a little
-further enquiry I found that Pakh&#257;ngba was always called Pathian
-when talking among themselves. The other deity is probably the Manipuri
-god Nungshaba (&ldquo;The Meitheis,&rdquo; Hodson, page 98).</p>
-<p class="par">Above the hamlet was an oval, level space with a low
-wall round it. At the eastern end was a small house in which were two
-stones. This was the abode of Pakh&#257;ngba, and to one side was
-Nungchongba&rsquo;s dwelling place, which consisted of three small
-stones, with a fourth one placed on the top. In front of these a bull
-is sacrificed once in three years, and dancing and singing take place
-every year after the harvest. The Chiru believe in
-&ldquo;Rampus,&rdquo; which in some respects appear to be the same as
-the Lushai &ldquo;Huai,&rdquo; but in others they appear to be local
-gods. The four chief Rampus live one on Kobru, a high hill overlooking
-the northern extremity of the Manipur valley and called by the
-Manipuris the guardian of the north, one in Kangjupkhul, the village
-site of my informants, one on Makong hill and one in the valley of
-Manipur. Twice a year the Rampu of Kobra is honoured with the sacrifice
-of a dog, while pigs, fowls, or goats are offered to the others. In
-July a dog is killed in honour of the first three and a pig in honour
-of the last-named. In case of very serious illness, when the Daibawl
-sacrifices have proved unavailing, special sacrifices are made to the
-three chief Rampus above mentioned. These four Rampus are evidently
-nearer to local godlings than the multitudinous and ill-defined Huais
-of the Lushais. In July Pathian also is honoured, a pig being killed on
-behalf of the whole village, while each household sacrifices a fowl.
-The day is held sacred, no work being done. It is known as
-Chapui-chol-lai&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, holiday in the great heat. The four
-Rampus can only have come into prominence since the settlement of the
-hamlet at Kangjupkhul, and it is probable that different ones are
-worshipped by other hamlets. The Chiru also perform Sakhua sacrifices
-as the Lushais do. The Tikhup denied all knowledge of any devils or
-semi-divine beings, saying that they worshipped Pathian and him only.
-Every year in Phalgun they sacrifice a pig and a cock to Pathian, and
-much zu is drunk. In cases of sickness sacrifices of pigs or fowls and
-offerings of flowers, eggs, and rice are made <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb160" href="#pb160" name="pb160">160</a>]</span>to
-Pathian. Dogs are never sacrificed. I think this is the only clan in
-which they are not. I failed to find out the cause of this.</p>
-<p class="par">In the other clans the sacrifices are combined with
-festivals either in connection with the crops, the dead, or
-Thangchhuah, and are not simply in honour of the god.</p>
-<p class="par">The puithiam of the Lushais becomes &ldquo;thempu&rdquo;
-and in some clans &ldquo;khulpu.&rdquo; The last name seems to indicate
-his responsibility for protecting the village from all ills and
-misfortunes by performing the necessary sacrifices (khul = village, pu
-= protector). He appears here as one of the village officials, which is
-the natural result of the inhabitants of each village being all of the
-same clan, instead of many clans, as among the Lushais. The functions
-and methods of the thempu and khulpu appear to be the same as those of
-his Lushai <i>confr&egrave;re</i>. There are various restrictions
-imposed on pregnant women. Among the Anal she may not eat chillies or
-honey, and her husband must not touch a snake or a corpse. The Kolhen
-prohibit her from killing a snake, attending a funeral ceremony, and
-eating a crab, eggs, and a certain vegetable called &ldquo;chak&rdquo;
-in its young state. The Lamgang also debar her from touching a corpse,
-but the prohibited articles of food are a sort of fish called
-&ldquo;ngarin&rdquo; and a small animal which I have not succeeded in
-identifying. The birth ceremonies are much alike; in every clan there
-is a period during which the woman, and in some cases the house, is
-&ldquo;sherh.&rdquo; During this time the mother&rsquo;s movements are
-restricted in some way.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Aimol the period is five days in case of a
-boy, and three in case of a girl; among the Anal and Purum, three days
-in both cases; among the Chawte, Kom, and Vaiphei, five. Among the
-Chiru the period is extended to ten days, during which the mother must
-not go out and no one but near relations may enter the house. Among the
-Kolhen the period is also ten days, but all women of the village may
-enter the house; the mother must eat no flesh, and fowls only may be
-sacrificed. Cohabitation is prohibited for three months. Among the
-Tikhup the restriction on the mother&rsquo;s movements lasts only till
-the disposal of the afterbirth by special persons who clean up the
-house; till this is done no one may take a light <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb161" href="#pb161" name="pb161">161</a>]</span>from
-the fire or remove any article from the house. In every case at the
-conclusion of this period there is a sacrifice. The custom of the Aimol
-is for the &ldquo;thempu&rdquo; to pour out a libation of zu and herbs
-in front of the house and invoke the child&rsquo;s spirit to take up
-its residence within the new-born infant. The name is given at the same
-time, the father&rsquo;s family choosing the name of a son and the
-mother&rsquo;s of a daughter. On the day of the birth of an Anal child,
-the &ldquo;khulpu&rdquo; is called, and after he has muttered certain
-incantations, zu and fish are distributed to the whole village. All
-sacrificing is prohibited for three days, and cohabitation for three
-months. When distributing the zu and fish, the household
-gods&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the Sakhua&mdash;are invoked and the soul of
-the child is summoned. Among the Chawte the thempu attends on the day
-of the birth, and sacrifices a fowl and sips zu. He then mutters
-incantations over a piece of turmeric which is then thrown out of the
-house. On the fifth day a fowl is killed, and as the name selected is
-pronounced three grains of rice are dropped into a cup of water, and if
-they sink the name is approved, but if they float another one must be
-selected and tested in the same manner.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chiru ceremonies are more elaborate. After ten days
-the thempu comes to the house, a rakeng tree is planted in front of it,
-and then the thempu sacrifices a hen on behalf of the mother, and a
-cock or a hen, according to the sex of the child, on its behalf. The
-parents eat the flesh of the birds, and the sherh and bones are buried
-in the house. Two or three pots of zu are consumed by married persons.
-The thempu, taking some zu in his mouth, goes round inside the house,
-blowing it out on the walls and muttering charms. The mother can now
-leave the house, but for three or four days must not leave the village.
-The &ldquo;keng-puna&rdquo; or
-&ldquo;ming-puna&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>,
-&ldquo;name-giving&rdquo;&mdash;takes place almost immediately. Two
-cocks or hens, according to the sex of the infant, are killed by the
-thempu, and their blood smeared on the infant&rsquo;s forehead and
-navel, some of the feathers being tied in its hair. The Kolhen pierce
-the child&rsquo;s ears and give the name on the tenth day, the ceremony
-being the same as among the Chiru on that day. The maternal grandfather
-is expected to give the child a pair of brass earrings, <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb162" href="#pb162" name=
-"pb162">162</a>]</span>bracelets, leg ornaments, and a string of glass
-beads, and it is generally named after him&mdash;a custom also followed
-by the Koms, who combine the name-giving and ear-piercing, giving a
-feast for the purpose, on the expiration of the five days&rsquo; sherh.
-The ear-piercing is done by the paternal aunt. The Lamgang ceremonies
-are the same as those of the Anal, but the father is prohibited from
-eating the flesh of fowls during the sherh period, while the mother is
-under no restriction as regards diet. No other animal may be sacrificed
-during that time, and cohabitation is not allowed for one month. The
-Purum customs are severely simple. The thempu comes and mutters charms
-on the day of the birth, and returns on the third day and makes a
-libation of zu. No sacrifices are allowed. The name is given on the
-second day by the midwife, and the ears are pierced on the seventh day,
-but in neither case is there any ceremony. The Tikhup give the name at
-a feast, to which the elders of the community are invited; a cock is
-killed and zu dispensed freely. In case of the parents being poor, this
-feast may be postponed till the child is two years old.</p>
-<p class="par">The custom of summoning the child&rsquo;s soul reminds
-one of the Lushai prohibition of labour on the part of the parents for
-seven days after the child&rsquo;s birth, lest its soul, which hovers
-around them during that period, be injured.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Ceremonies connected with
-marriage.</span> Where marriage is by service, it is only natural that
-the actual ceremony should be of little importance, for the couple have
-been living as man and wife during the whole time; but there are
-exceptions.</p>
-<p class="par">At an Aimol wedding two thempus are necessary&mdash;one
-of the bridegroom&rsquo;s, and one of the bride&rsquo;s family. Each
-kills a cock, the feathers of which are tied round the necks of the
-happy pair, after which there is the usual orgy. The Chiru and Tikhup
-custom is almost identical, but the village thempu officiates alone.
-Among the Kolhen, the young man&rsquo;s mother makes six visits to the
-parents of her future daughter-in-law, taking an offering of zu, and
-being accompanied by her eldest son-in-law or other male relative, and
-on the last occasion by two or three women. Two days after the last
-visit, the price is fixed, and the day for the ceremony chosen by the
-bridegroom&rsquo;s father and the village officials. The bridegroom, on
-the day before <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb163" href="#pb163" name=
-"pb163">163</a>]</span>that fixed for the marriage, goes to the
-girl&rsquo;s house, accompanied by several male friends, and makes a
-present of three pots of zu to her parents. The next morning the bride,
-accompanied by the unmarried girls of the village, goes to her future
-home, taking with her two jars of zu, a hen, a piece of ginger, a dog,
-a strap for carrying loads, a new cloth, and a bracelet. She parts from
-her friends, with many tears, on the doorstep of her new home. The
-khulpu decapitates a fowl and throws it down; if the right leg falls
-over the left a happy married life is assured. The night is spent in
-singing and dancing, and the following night in the same way, but in
-the house of the bride, who on the next morning quits her
-father&rsquo;s house for good. On the day of the marriage the bride and
-bridegroom must not leave the village. This taking of omens by killing
-a cock is practised by the Lamgang and Kom. Where marriage is not by
-service the preliminaries in all clans resemble much those among the
-Kolhen. Among the Vaiphei, and, I think, in some other clans, the young
-man has to give a feast to the young men frequenting the same
-dormitory. A similar custom is described in Fielding Hall&rsquo;s
-&ldquo;The Inward Light,&rdquo; page 104, as existing in Burma.
-&ldquo;It is an old custom for the village boys to band themselves
-together in a company.... But when one marries he ceases to belong to
-the company, for he is about to enter into another and a wider life. He
-is a deserter and a traitor to his fellows. Therefore they lay in wait
-for him and caught him as he went home at night, and, taking him
-without the village gate, they tried him and found him guilty. With
-mock ceremony he was condemned to be turned out from their ranks, and
-to pay a fine wherewith his comrades might drown their sorrow at his
-desertion. Then with laughter and song, to the light of torches, they
-took him home in long procession.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">Widows are allowed to remarry, but as a rule the
-brothers of the deceased husband have a prior claim, and if the woman
-marries anyone else before the annual feast in honour of the dead she
-has to pay a fine, which in some clans is as much as Rs. 120/-, to her
-brother-in-law. Until this annual feast has come round she must remain
-in her late husband&rsquo;s house, but when that has been performed she
-may return to her father&rsquo;s house <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb164" href="#pb164" name="pb164">164</a>]</span>if she wishes to, but
-in that case the brother-in-law will take the dead man&rsquo;s property
-and children.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Ceremonies connected with
-death.</span> All these clans bury their dead in special cemeteries
-outside the village, and unnatural deaths or deaths in childbirth are
-universally considered signs that the deceased has failed in some way,
-and the corpses of such unfortunates are buried outside the cemetery
-and with scant ceremony.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Aimol, the corpse of the khul-lakpa is carried
-round the village before being taken to the grave. The corpse of one
-who has gained honours equivalent to Thangchhuah among the Lushais is
-enclosed in a rough log coffin and kept for two days amid much drinking
-and feasting, which recalls the funeral ceremonies of a Lushei chief.
-With a rich man many cloths are buried and with a poor man at least
-one. In addition some cooked rice, zu, a dao, some meat, and a bow and
-arrow are deposited in the grave. The bow and arrow are a survival, for
-such weapons have been long obsolete. Over the grave a small house is
-built in which some meat and zu are placed to attract the
-&ldquo;Khawhring.&rdquo; Spears are then thrust through the house,
-which is then thrown away. I am not quite clear whether the
-&ldquo;Khawhring&rdquo; in this case is supposed, as among the Lushais,
-to have inhabited the body of the deceased, or whether it is believed
-to be a disembodied spirit which is on the lookout for the soul of the
-deceased.</p>
-<p class="par">Three days after the burial a wild animal is killed and
-zu and rice are offered, and the spirit of the deceased is asked to go
-away and not to trouble the living who have sacrificed and made an
-offering of zu and rice. The Anal make a distinction between deaths in
-childbirth and deaths by accident or in war. In the former case the
-body is buried in the cemetery, the grave being dug by those of her
-household, and food and drink and domestic utensils are deposited
-therein. The husband has to sacrifice a pig and feast the village
-before the burial, and the village is &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; for that day.
-The first stones and earth are placed in the grave by aged men, and the
-filling then completed by young men. The thempu having muttered some
-charms, the young men and women sing and dance for the deliverance of
-the soul. In cases of ordinary death the grave is dug by men not of the
-household, but in case of unnatural death only old <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb165" href="#pb165" name=
-"pb165">165</a>]</span>grey-headed men may perform the task, and the
-grave is dug in the jungle and no dance or song terminates the funeral,
-but the village is not &ldquo;sherh.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The Chawte make their cemetery some distance from the
-village. The dead are buried on the day of death. Over each grave a
-mound is raised and fenced round with a bamboo trellis-work. A small
-post carved faintly to resemble the human form is placed over the grave
-of a man, while a hoe, axe, and winnowing fan denote the grave of a
-woman. On each grave rests a flat basket containing some flowers and a
-small jar of water. Behind each grave is a rough representation of a
-house raised some four feet from the ground, which is also ornamented
-with flowers, and some of the deceased&rsquo;s clothes hang from it,
-while inside are placed a bamboo full of zu and a small cup, which is
-filled with clean water, and a handful of raw rice. These are changed
-every third or fourth day till the Thi-duh ceremony comes round in May,
-when there is a feast, and portions of meat and some zu are placed on
-each fresh grave.</p>
-<p class="par">On the death of a Chiru, guns are fired and gongs
-beaten, and a fowl, pig, and goat are killed at once. There is the
-usual funeral feast, and food and personal effects, including his comb,
-are buried with him. The house is &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; for three days,
-during which rice is placed in a small basket in the house and then
-thrown on to the grave. On the third day the house is purified by the
-thempu sacrificing a cock. In nearly every clan the house has to be
-purified by the thempu besprinkling it with either consecrated water or
-zu, and in many cases the funeral party are similarly purified. The
-Kolhen bury the bodies of those who die natural deaths in front of
-their houses, as do the Lushais, and the funeral feast closely
-resembles that held by the Lushais. The body of a khul-lakpa is carried
-three times round his memorial stone, from left to right. A bow and
-arrow are placed in the grave. The village is &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; for
-three days for any death. The Lamgang follow the same customs as the
-Anal, but the bodies of women who die in childbirth are not buried in
-the graveyard. The Kom and the Purum have the curious custom that the
-duty of digging the grave in case of an unnatural death falls on the
-son-in-law of the deceased. They say that the spirit of the dead cries
-out at the place where he <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb166" href=
-"#pb166" name="pb166">166</a>]</span>met his death until appeased by an
-offering of tobacco leaves and rice. The Tikhup funeral is exactly the
-same as that of an ordinary Lushai. The Vaiphei dress up the corpse and
-strap it on to a bamboo frame, as do the Lushais, and feast around it
-for three days if food and drink suffice for so long. At the end of the
-feast the thempu pours some zu down the throat of the corpse and bids
-the spirit go in peace, and the body is carried to the grave, but if
-the deceased has attained Thangchhuah honours, it is first earned round
-the village. The household of the deceased abstain from washing or
-dressing the hair till some wild animal has been killed. The custom of
-giving something to the maternal grandfather or uncle on the occasion
-of a death, known among the Lushais as &ldquo;lukawng,&rdquo; is found
-among several clans. Among the Tikhup and Kolhen, for instance, he
-receives the neck of the animal killed on the occasion of the funeral,
-and in the last-named clan he also receives a pipe or Rs. 2/-. The
-custom known among the Kabui and other allied tribes in Manipur as
-&ldquo;mandu,&rdquo; which ordains that a widower shall pay his
-deceased wife&rsquo;s father a certain sum as the price of her bones,
-is only found among the Kolhen, with whom it is usual to pay Rs. 5/- or
-6/-. Among the Kolhen a child dying within ten days of its birth is
-buried under the eaves of the house, and is called
-&ldquo;thichhiat&rdquo; equivalent to the &ldquo;hlamzuih&rdquo; among
-the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Festivals.</span> 1.
-<i>Connected with Crops.</i>&mdash;The Tikhup, the only monotheistic
-clan in the hills, have no ceremonies connected with the crops, but
-allow no dancing, singing, or music in the village between the sowing
-and the reaping.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the other Old Kuki clans there is a great
-resemblance between the festivals, and their connection with the Lushai
-&ldquo;Kuts&rdquo; can be easily traced&mdash;in some cases, as among
-the Kom, the name being actually the same.</p>
-<p class="par">A festival which is common to several clans and
-generally takes place in the spring, though sometimes later, and is
-supposed to ensure good crops and good luck generally, is known by
-various similar names, all meaning &ldquo;Pulling the
-Creeper.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Kolhen &ldquo;Keidun&rdquo; Festival.</i>&mdash;This
-occurs in April. The first day, called &ldquo;Karamindai,&rdquo; or
-&ldquo;Changritakhoi,&rdquo; is occupied <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb167" href="#pb167" name="pb167">167</a>]</span>by the young men
-going off to bring in two long creepers. A fowl and a pig are
-sacrificed and the creepers are hung over a post. On the next day the
-creepers are brought to the khul-lakpa&rsquo;s stone, and he, saying
-certain charms, pours out a libation of rice beer, and then a tug of
-war takes place between two parties selected as follows:&mdash;On one
-side are all the young men of the khul-lakpa&rsquo;s family&mdash;viz.,
-the Chongthu&mdash;and on the other those of the Jete, to which the
-lup-lakpa belongs. With the Chongthu pull the young men of the
-following families&mdash;viz., Tulthung, Maite, Tiante, Laishel,
-Songchungnung, while with the Jete are associated the young men of the
-Lunglai, Rembual, Mirem Tumtin, and Vanbie. The girls of each family
-pull on the opposite side to the young men of their family. While the
-pull is in progress the khul-lakpa sings a song, and when he reaches a
-certain point the rope is cut in two by a man who stands waiting with a
-dao. The pull is repeated with the second creeper, and each party
-carries off the ends it has retained. Marriages are only allowed
-between the young people who pull on the same side, with the exception
-of the Chongthu, who, being of the chief&rsquo;s family, may marry a
-girl of any family except their own. During the festival no work of any
-sort must be done, but otherwise there are no restrictions as regards
-villagers or strangers, but the khul-lakpa must abstain from work and
-from cohabitation for two or three days before. Should a death occur a
-day or two before the date fixed for the festival, the fact will not be
-recognised till the completion of the feast, when the funeral
-ceremonies will take place as if the death had occurred on that day,
-the corpse being kept outside the village during the interval.</p>
-<p class="par">The Anal and Lamgang, as usual, observe the festival in
-a similar manner. The creeper having been brought to the gate of the
-village, the headmen and the thempu receive it, and the latter,
-muttering prayers, pours over it a libation of rice beer, and then ties
-a piece of it to the gate. The remainder is cut up and a piece is tied
-to each house in the village. The thempu goes round at night throwing a
-piece of turmeric into each house and calling out as he throws each
-piece, &ldquo;From to-day may all evil and misfortune run away from
-this house.&rdquo;<a class="noteref" id="xd24e6455src" href=
-"#xd24e6455" name="xd24e6455src">1</a> <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb168" href="#pb168" name="pb168">168</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The Purum celebrate the festival in August, and the
-unmarried girls take a prominent part in the ceremony. A raised
-platform is made before the house of the eldest unmarried girl in the
-village. (In a community where there is no dearth of husbands, and
-every girl is sure of being married in due course, the prominence given
-to the eldest spinster is not objected to as it might be in an English
-village.) On this platform the girls assemble, and the creeper after
-the usual ceremonies is tied to the platform, and there is a great
-feast with much dancing between the young folk.</p>
-<p class="par">The similarity between these festivals and the
-&ldquo;Koi-hrui-an-chat,&rdquo; mentioned under the Ngente, bears out
-the truth of the tradition that these clans long ago were near
-neighbours.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chiru at the time of cutting the jhums go in
-procession with drums and gongs to the place chosen and on their return
-drink much rice beer. In March or April, before the sowing, a festival
-called &ldquo;Arem&rdquo; is celebrated. On the first day a dog is
-killed at a stone to the west of the village, and a pig to the north in
-the direction of the hill Kobru. All the men attend, but no women. The
-animals are killed by the thempu. The flesh is eaten there by the whole
-party, and the &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; are left at the place of sacrifice.
-There is then a drinking party in the house of the thempu. On the
-second day all the young men go and catch fish, and on their return
-they are entertained with two pots of rice beer by the unmarried girls.
-On the third day the lup-lakpa gives a feast of meat and rice, washed
-down by much rice beer, to the men only, and later all dance in front
-of the &ldquo;chhirbuk&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, Lushai zawlbuk.</p>
-<p class="par">The fourth day is spent in visiting each other, drinking
-and singing at each other&rsquo;s houses. As soon as it is dark men and
-women meet before the chhirbuk and dance round the stone drinking; then
-they go to the lup-lakpa&rsquo;s house and drink again, and then to a
-house where all the unmarried girls are collected and drink again, and
-then bring the girls to the chhirbuk and dance round the stone again,
-drinking as they go. This is a pretty heavy day&rsquo;s work, and it
-speaks well for the young folk if many of them have the energy to
-complete the programme by drinking and dancing together on the fifth
-day. During the festival the village is &ldquo;sherh.&rdquo;
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb169" href="#pb169" name=
-"pb169">169</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The Chawte, before cutting their jhums, sacrifice a pig
-and go down to the stream and sharpen their daos&mdash;&ldquo;Trust in
-God, but keep your powder dry.&rdquo; The above festivals correspond to
-the &ldquo;Chap-ch&#257;r-kut&rdquo; of the Lushais, and the following
-resemble the &ldquo;Mim-kut.&rdquo; The Purum in September observe
-&ldquo;Chulkut&rdquo; for five days, making and exchanging rice cakes
-and drinking rice beer, but not sacrificing any animals. The Kolhen
-observe &ldquo;Chamershi&rdquo; for two days in the middle of the
-rains&mdash;viz., in July or August. A pig and a cock are sacrificed in
-the khul-lakpa&rsquo;s house and eaten there by men only. Old men
-dance, and rice beer is drunk. This feast is supposed to expel evil
-spirits. The Chiru in July sacrifice a pig on behalf of the village to
-Pathian, while each household offers him a fowl. This feast is called
-the &ldquo;feast of the hot season rest&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the
-few days of leisure after the second weeding of the crops.</p>
-<p class="par">The Aimol, after burning the jhums, celebrate a feast
-they call &ldquo;Lo-an-dai.&rdquo; Three fowls are killed and eaten in
-the khulpu&rsquo;s house, and rice beer is drunk, but no gong-beating
-or singing is allowed.</p>
-<p class="par">After the harvest, feasts corresponding to the Lushai
-&ldquo;Polkut&rdquo; are held, but among the Purum a feast called
-&ldquo;Shanghong&rdquo; has to be celebrated in October, just when the
-grain is filling in the ear. Every householder has to bring a small
-sheaf of the green rice, which is presented to the village god, and
-feasting and drinking goes on for three days, during which time the
-village is &ldquo;sherh.&rdquo; The Kolhen, before reaping the crop,
-carry the khul-lakpa or lup-lakpa out of the village towards the fields
-with beating of drums, and later drink at his expense.</p>
-<p class="par">The Kom call the harvest festival &ldquo;Lam-kut.&rdquo;
-It lasts three days. No sacrifice is performed, but the young men and
-girls dance and drink together.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Chawte the custom is practically the same as
-among the Purum, save that the feast only lasts one day.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lamgang and Anal harvest festival is practically the
-same. In each case the best crop in the village is reaped by the whole
-community going to the field with dance and song, and subsequently the
-lucky owner of the crop has to entertain the village for three days. It
-would appear that all good Lamgangs and Anals must pray to have the
-second best crop. On the second <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb170"
-href="#pb170" name="pb170">170</a>]</span>day of the feast the
-consumption of meat and tobacco, the carrying of water and wood, and
-working with axes or hoes are tabu. The feast closely resembles the
-&ldquo;Buh-Ai&rdquo; of other clans. The Aimol custom is very different
-from that of the other clans. All the men go out in search of game, the
-flesh of which is eaten in the evening, and drums are beaten and songs
-sung while the rice beer circulates freely, in contrast to the feast at
-the sowing time. Dancing is, however, tabu. The harvest feast is called
-&ldquo;Sherh an long.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The Lamgang have an extra feast, or rather period of
-rest, when the grain is all garnered, when for ten days no one may
-enter or leave the village, and no work can be done, the whole energies
-of the community being concentrated on eating and drinking well.</p>
-<p class="par">2. <i>Feasts Corresponding with the Thangchhuah Feasts
-of the Lushai.</i>&mdash;The idea of &ldquo;Thangchhuah&rdquo; is found
-in some form or other in all clans. Even in those clans who have no
-very clear conception of a special abode for the spirits of those who
-have earned good fortune in the world beyond the grave by feasts and
-killing men and animals here below, we find feasts the giving of which
-confers on the giver special consideration among his fellow-villagers
-and entitles his corpse to special funeral honours. All these feasts
-seem more or less connected with the erection of some form of
-memorial&mdash;either a post, such as the Lushai
-&ldquo;she-lu-pun,&rdquo; which finds its counterpart among several Old
-Kuki clans, but among them the erection of the memorial is the
-important part of the ceremony, whereas among the Lushais the killing
-of the animal is the more important and the feast is named after that,
-not after the planting of the post; or a stone or a heap of stones, or
-a paved platform. All these are erected during a man&rsquo;s life and
-are quite distinct from the memorials erected in memory of the
-deceased, and thus connect the Lushai-Kuki race with the Nagas, among
-whom the erection of stones is a very important function.</p>
-<p class="par">The &ldquo;Mi-thi-rawp-l&#257;m&rdquo; is not included
-in the Thangchhuah series by any of these clans&mdash;in fact, it seems
-to be omitted by all clans not living under Lushei chiefs. These all
-have a special annual ceremony to lay the ghosts of those who have
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb171" href="#pb171" name=
-"pb171">171</a>]</span>died during the preceding year. The explanation
-of this seems to be that among the Lushais the clans have all been
-broken up and are scattered in different villages, and therefore an
-annual clan ceremony is not possible, and it has become a virtuous act
-for some wealthy member of the clan to celebrate the feast in honour of
-the dead of the clan. Among the clans which have retained their
-corporate existence the annual ceremony is natural, and therefore it is
-excluded from the Thangchhuah series.</p>
-<p class="par">The Tikhup can earn consideration after death by giving
-a single feast. The young men and maidens collect a big heap of stones
-and arrange a seat of honour near it for the giver of the feast, who is
-carried down on a litter. The young folk dance and sing and drink
-before him, and then he is carried back to the village and has to
-present a mithan to the young men, who feast on it for a day and a
-night at the house of their leader. A song is composed in honour of the
-giver of the feast, which is sung at all subsequent feasts.</p>
-<p class="par">The Lamgang, Kom, Kolhen, and Anal put up wooden posts,
-the Chawte erect a post and pave a piece of ground in front of it,
-while the Aimol put up a stone and make a pavement. Mithan and pigs are
-killed, and a feast given which lasts several days, the cost being met
-by the person ambitious of fame.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chiru alone seem to have no idea of Thangchhuah,
-and, as noted before, have no idea of a special abode for good
-spirits.</p>
-<p class="par">The Vaiphei have to give two feasts, at the first of
-which one, and at the second two or more, mithan are killed. The
-Kolhen, on occasion of putting up the post, sacrifice a mithan
-thus:&mdash;The thempu first throws an egg at the forehead of the
-mithan, muttering a charm to drive away all evil; the animal is then
-speared until blood is drawn, after which it may be shot. They also
-give the following feasts as part of the Thangchhuah
-ceremonies:&mdash;&ldquo;Khuang-that&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>,
-&ldquo;making a drum.&rdquo; The first day is occupied in bringing the
-log which is to be hollowed into the drum; on the second there is a
-dance outside the house of the giver of the feast; on the third the
-mithan is killed after a thempu has broken the egg on its <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb172" href="#pb172" name=
-"pb172">172</a>]</span>forehead, and then another thempu invokes its
-spirit, blowing rice-beer over the body, as at the Fanai festival, p.
-138. The fourth and fifth days are occupied with feasting.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Lungainai&rdquo;&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>,
-&ldquo;collection of stones&rdquo;&mdash;this is very similar to the
-Tikhup festival, with the carrying of the giver omitted; a mithan is
-killed as above described. The Aimol have also the drum-making feast,
-and another in which the giver is carried on a litter, but no heap of
-stones is made. On each occasion much rice-beer and flesh has to be
-consumed.</p>
-<p class="par">3. <i>Other Feasts.</i>&mdash;Mostly annual, if
-necessary provisions are forthcoming. Some of these probably have
-reference to the crops.</p>
-<p class="par">The Purum celebrate &ldquo;Yarr&rdquo; in February for
-seven days. Dancing begins each evening at sundown, and is kept up all
-night with feasting and drinking. In March they keep
-&ldquo;Kumyai&rdquo; for three days, the young men and maidens dancing
-and drinking together, but no animals are killed. This seems probably
-equivalent to the &ldquo;Chap-ch&#257;r-kut&rdquo; of the Lushais, but
-both it and the Yarr are said to be to please the village god, without
-any special reference to the crops. The Lamgang have a peculiar feast
-early in May, when the young men plant a very tall bamboo, from the end
-of which hangs a wooden representation of a bird, at which every man in
-turn, commencing with the thempu and the khul-lakpa, shoot with bows
-and arrows. Mithan are killed and eaten. No woman is allowed to join
-this festival.</p>
-<p class="par">The Chiru and Kolhen celebrate a somewhat similar
-festival called &ldquo;Ratek&rdquo; in the middle of August. A pig and
-a dog are sacrificed by the thempu outside the village, on the side
-towards Kobru, and then two or three days later an offering of zu is
-placed in a small bamboo tube beside the water supply, and the drum is
-beaten for some time; the party then return to the khul-lakpa&rsquo;s
-house and are treated to a drink. The following day a tall bamboo is
-planted in the village with a wonderfully ornamented basket hanging
-from it, and much zu drunk. The following year the bamboo is taken up
-and thrown away, the festival being named &ldquo;Ratek poiyi&rdquo;
-(<i>cf.</i> Lushai &ldquo;pai,&rdquo; to throw away). Before the feast
-young men go <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb173" href="#pb173" name=
-"pb173">173</a>]</span>hunting, and if they are successful good luck is
-sure to follow. The first day of the feast a pig and a dog are
-sacrificed, and zu drunk; on the second, the bamboo is thrown away and
-more zu drunk in the house of the khul-lakpa. On the third day the
-unmarried girls of the village give a drinking feast to the young men,
-and both dance together. Should the zu suffice this portion of the
-festival may be prolonged for several days.</p>
-<p class="par">It is believed that unless these two festivals are
-carried out every year in their proper rotation, there will be serious
-mortality among the elders of the village.</p>
-<p class="par">Since writing the above, I have found two more small
-clans, which evidently belong to the Old Kuki group&mdash;Lonte or
-Ronte, of whom there are only nine households, living alongside of the
-Burma road, close to the Chawte hamlet, with whom they are classed by
-the Manipuris; and Tarau, eighteen households living slightly to the
-south of the Burma road.</p>
-<p class="par">The Ronte clan is divided into two families, called Lanu
-and Changom. Marriages can only be made with members of the other
-family of the clan. They say that they came from the Ngente hill far to
-the south (<i>v.</i> Ngente clan), and claim some connection with the
-Chiru and Aimol.</p>
-<p class="par">The Tarau clan is divided into four families, and
-marriages are restricted as among the Chawte, Chiru, and Kolhen.</p>
-<p class="par">A youth of the Pachana family must marry a girl of the
-Tlangsha family.</p>
-<p class="par">A youth of the Tlangsha family must marry a girl of the
-Thimasha family.</p>
-<p class="par">A youth of the Thimasha family must marry a girl of the
-Khulpu-in family.</p>
-<p class="par">A youth of the Khulpu-in family must marry a girl of the
-Pachana family.</p>
-<p class="par">In both clans the young men sleep in any house, except
-their parents&rsquo;, in which there are unmarried girls. The Ronte say
-that formerly they built zawlbuks like the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">The price of a Tarau girl is a gong or Rs. 30/-, or five
-years <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb174" href="#pb174" name=
-"pb174">174</a>]</span>service in the girl&rsquo;s father&rsquo;s
-house. The Ronte maiden&rsquo;s price is two gongs, and her proper
-husband is her maternal first cousin. In both clans a fowl has to be
-killed by the khulpu at the time of the marriage, and the Ronte tie
-some of its feathers round the necks of the couple. Should a Tarau
-maiden be led astray both parties are fined a pot of rice-beer, which
-the villagers share, and the seducer pays the girl&rsquo;s father one
-pig. The child, when old enough to leave the mother, becomes the
-property of the father. A Ronte mother must not leave her house till
-five days after the birth of a daughter and seven after that of a son.
-On the day of the birth there is a feast, and on the fifth or seventh
-day, according to the sex of the child, a fowl is killed by the khulpu,
-and the child&rsquo;s hair is cut, its ears pierced, and its name
-decided on, the choice being made from the names of its forefathers.
-The house is purified by being sprinkled with zu by the khulpu.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Tarau, the period during which the mother may
-not leave her house is prolonged to ten days, at the expiry of which
-the khulpu kills a cock for male child and a hen for girl, and then
-purifies the house.</p>
-<p class="par">In both clans the dead are buried in a cemetery situated
-to the west of the village, while the corpses of those who have died
-unnatural deaths are buried elsewhere with no ceremony. Women dying in
-childbirth among the Tarau are buried by old men, who have no further
-hope of becoming fathers, far from the village, while persons being
-killed by wild animals, or by some accident, such as a fall from a
-tree, are buried where they die. Persons who are drowned are buried on
-the bank of the river where the body is found, the grave being dug at
-the spot where some water thrown up by hand from the river happens to
-fall. This custom also exists among the Shans of the Upper Chindwin,
-which lends some colour to the tradition that the Tarau sojourned in
-Burma before entering Manipur. Among the Ronte, women dying in
-childbirth, and all children dying under a year of age, are buried to
-the east of the village, while accidental deaths necessitate the burial
-being made to the south. The funeral takes place on the day of death
-except <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb175" href="#pb175" name=
-"pb175">175</a>]</span>in the case of old men, whose corpses are kept
-for a day while their friends eat, drink, and dance before them.
-Whatever animals can be spared are killed in the honour of the
-deceased, and their sherh are buried with him, together with some rice.
-Every day till the &ldquo;Papek&rdquo; feast, in honour of those who
-have died within the year, rice and zu are placed on the grave. At
-Papek a platform of bamboo is constructed near the cemetery, and on it
-are placed such offering of flesh as the family can afford; much zu is
-drunk and all dance. The Ronte Sakhua sacrifice consists of a goat,
-dogs and mithan being prohibited.</p>
-<p class="par">Although the Tarau, from their language, are evidently
-closely allied to the Lushais, they are the only Old Kuki clan I have
-met which does not worship Pathian. They denied all knowledge of that
-name, affirming the name of their god was &ldquo;R&#257;pu,&rdquo; to
-whom the Manipuri name of &ldquo;Sankhulairenma&rdquo; has been given.
-R&#257;pu has a shrine just above the Burma road near to Tegnopal,
-where every year fish, rice, and zu are offered to him. When the rice
-begins to fill in the ear there is a five days&rsquo; feast in the
-village, during which time the young people dance and drink. A pig is
-killed, and the liver, ears, feet, and snout are offered to R&#257;pu.
-These are called &ldquo;sar&rdquo; (<i>cf.</i> Lushai
-&ldquo;sherh&rdquo;). Before the cutting of jhums commences a small pig
-or a fowl is sacrificed to R&#257;pu so that no one may be cut with a
-dao during the clearing of the jhums. Dogs are not eaten or sacrificed
-by the Tarau or the Ronte; the latter also consider the mithan unfit
-for a sacrifice. In these particulars they form an exception to the
-general custom of Kuki clans.</p>
-<p class="par">The Ronte have a feast called &ldquo;Va-en-la,&rdquo;
-which is given with the idea of enhancing the giver&rsquo;s importance
-in this world and assuring him comfort in the next. A pig is killed and
-thirty pots of zu are prepared, and the whole village makes merry. A
-long bamboo is planted in front of the house of the giver of the feast.
-Throughout its length this bamboo is transfixed with crosspieces of
-bamboo about 18 inches long; from its end depends a bamboo
-representation of a bird, whence the name of the
-feast&mdash;&ldquo;va,&rdquo; in Ronte, as in Lushai, meaning &ldquo;a
-bird,&rdquo; and &ldquo;en,&rdquo; &ldquo;to see.&rdquo; <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb176" href="#pb176" name="pb176">176</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">To show the similarity between the Tarau and the Lushai
-language I give a few words of each.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<thead>
-<tr class="label">
-<td class="cellHeadLeft cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">English.</td>
-<td class="cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">Lushai.</td>
-<td class="cellHeadRight cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">Tarau.</td>
-</tr>
-</thead>
-<tbody>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">One</td>
-<td>Pa-khat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khat.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Two</td>
-<td>Pa-hnih</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ni.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Three</td>
-<td>Pa-thum</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thum.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Four</td>
-<td>Pa-li</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ma-li.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Five</td>
-<td>Pa-nga</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ranga.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Six</td>
-<td>Pa-ruk</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kuruk.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Seven</td>
-<td>Pa-sari</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Siri.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Eight</td>
-<td>Pa-riat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tirit.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nine</td>
-<td>Pa-kua</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ku.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ten</td>
-<td>Shom</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Shom.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Father</td>
-<td>Pa</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pa.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mother</td>
-<td>Nu</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nu.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Son</td>
-<td>Fa-pa</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sha-pa. (Thado, &ldquo;chapa.&rdquo;)</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Daughter</td>
-<td>Fa-nu</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sha-nu.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">House</td>
-<td>In</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Im.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sun</td>
-<td>Ni</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ni.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Moon</td>
-<td>Thla</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thla.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Water</td>
-<td>Tui</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tui. To carry water, &ldquo;tui choi,&rdquo; in
-both dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Dog</td>
-<td>Ui</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Uh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mithan</td>
-<td>Shial</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Shil.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tree</td>
-<td>Thing</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thing.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom">Jhum</td>
-<td class="cellBottom">Lo</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Lou.</td>
-</tr>
-</tbody>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The east and west in Tarau are called
-&ldquo;ni-chhuak-lam&rdquo; and &ldquo;ni-thlak-lam,&rdquo; which are
-pure Lushai for &ldquo;the direction of sun rising and sun
-setting.&rdquo;</p>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Folklore.</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">1. <i>Legends.</i>&mdash;A large number of tales
-have been collected by Babu Nithor Nath Banerji, of the Manipur State
-Office, from which I select the following. They have all to a certain
-extent suffered by being told to the Babu in Manipuri instead of in the
-vernacular of the relaters. This accounts for Manipuri names being used
-in some cases.</p>
-<p class="par">The following is a tale told by the
-Anals:&mdash;&ldquo;Once upon a time the whole world was flooded. All
-were drowned except one man and one woman, who ran to the highest peak
-of the Leng hill [this is interesting, as Leng is the name of one of
-the highest hills in the present Lushai Hills], where they climbed up a
-high tree and hid themselves among its branches. The tree grew near a
-large pond, which was as clear as the eye of a crow. They made
-themselves as comfortable as they could, <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb177" href="#pb177" name="pb177">177</a>]</span>being determined to
-spend the night there. They passed the night, sometimes exchanging
-whispers, and in the morning they were astonished to find that they had
-become a tiger and a tigress. [This changing of human beings into
-animals reminds one of the Lushai Thimzing legend.] Pathian, seeing the
-sad state of the world, sent a man and a woman from a cave, which was
-on the hill, to re-people it. The man and the woman emerging from the
-cave were terrified at seeing the two huge animals, and addressed
-Pathian thus: &lsquo;O Father, you have sent us to re-people the world,
-but we do not think that we shall be able to carry out your intention,
-as the whole world is under water, and the only spot on which we could
-make a resting place is occupied by two ferocious beasts which are
-waiting to devour us; give us strength to slay these animals.&rsquo;
-After which they killed the tigers and lived happily and begat many
-sons and daughters, and from them the world was
-re-populated.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The following tale told by the Kolhen resembles in many
-particulars the story of Kungori told by Colonel Lewin, which is given
-below:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="div3 section">
-<div class="divHead">
-<h4 class="main"><i>The Story of Fachirang and Rangchar.</i></h4>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;Once upon a time there lived a widow; she
-had a daughter whose beauty attracted many young men of the village.
-One day a tiger came in the shape of a man and asked to marry the girl.
-She was much frightened and kept silence. The tiger-man was angry at
-her behaviour, and recited a charm which made her ugly. Her mother
-said, &lsquo;Look! my daughter who was the most beautiful girl in the
-village has become ugly; if a man can restore her beauty he may marry
-her, and if a woman can do it she shall be my friend.&rsquo; On hearing
-this, the tiger-man came to the old woman and said, &lsquo;Oh! Granny,
-I am a stranger, and have come from a distant village; let me put up in
-your house.<span class="corr" id="xd24e6767" title=
-"Not in source">&rsquo;</span> The old lady agreed, and after a few
-days he said, &lsquo;Oh! Granny, why are you so sad? Tell me the cause
-of your sorrow. Perhaps I can remove it.&rsquo; &lsquo;Alas, my boy, it
-is beyond your power to do so,&rsquo; she replied. The tiger-man,
-however, pressed her to tell him, and at last she did so, whereupon he
-replied, &lsquo;All right, if I cure her you will give her to
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb178" href="#pb178" name=
-"pb178">178</a>]</span>me,&rsquo; and in a few days he had restored her
-beauty, and they were married and lived together in her mother&rsquo;s
-house for many years. At length he asked permission to take his wife to
-his own home, and they started, but no sooner had they passed the
-village gate than he was changed into the shape of a tiger, and his
-wife wept much at seeing him thus. An old woman of the village saw them
-and came and told the people that a tiger was carrying off the girl, so
-the villagers assembled to consult, but no one would volunteer for the
-task of rescuing the girl. At last Fachirang and Rangchar, two
-brothers, set off with a dao and a spear to kill the animal, but after
-going a very little way Fachirang, the elder brother, said, &lsquo;Oh!
-Rangchar, I don&rsquo;t know what is the matter, but my heart beats so
-fast that I must remain here; you go and see if you can kill the beast
-alone.&rsquo; So the younger brother went on alone till he came to the
-place where the tiger and the girl were living happily. Rangchar thrust
-his spear into the breast of the tiger, and it died at once, and
-Rangchar carried off the girl and returned to where his brother was
-waiting, and they all three set out for home together. The elder
-brother married the girl, and they all lived happily
-together.&rdquo;</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div3 section">
-<div class="divHead">
-<h4 class="main"><span class="sc">The Story of
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri.</span></h4>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">(From &ldquo;Progressive Colloquial Exercises in
-the Lushai Dialect&rdquo; by Captain H. Lewin, 1874.)</p>
-<p class="par">Her father, who was unmarried, was splitting cane to
-make a winnowing basket when he ran a splinter into his hand: the
-splinter grew into a little child; (after a time) the child was brought
-forth motherless and they called her K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri. They fed
-her with single grains of millet and rice, and so little by little she
-grew big. Two or three years passed by and she attained puberty; she
-was very pretty, and all the young-men of the village wanted to marry
-her, but her father refused them all. Then the young tiger-man, Keimi,
-took up the impression of her foot and wrapped it up and placed it on
-the bamboo grating over the house fire to dry. Then
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri became ill.</p>
-<p class="par">K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father said, &ldquo;If
-there be anyone that can cure her, he shall have my daughter.&rdquo;
-All the villagers tried, but not <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb179"
-href="#pb179" name="pb179">179</a>]</span>one of them could do any
-good. Then the young tiger-man came. &ldquo;I will cure her, and I will
-marry her afterwards,&rdquo; said he. Her father said, &ldquo;Cure the
-girl first and you may then have her.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">So he cured her; the footprint which he had placed to
-dry on the fire-shelf he opened out and threw away.
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri became well and Keimi married her. &ldquo;Come,
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;will you go to my
-house?&rdquo; So they went; on the road Keimi turned himself into a
-tiger, K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri caught hold of his tail, and they ran like
-the wind. Some women of the village were gathering wood and they saw
-this, so they went back home and said to K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s
-father, &ldquo;Your daughter has got a tiger for a husband.&rdquo;
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father said, &ldquo;Whoever can go and
-take K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri may have her,&rdquo; but no one dared to
-take her. However, Hpohtir and Hrangchal, two friends, said, &ldquo;We
-will take her.&rdquo; K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father said,
-&ldquo;If you are able to take her you may have her,&rdquo; so Hpohtir
-and Hrangchal set off. Going on they came to Keimi&rsquo;s village. The
-young tiger-man, Keimi, had gone out hunting; before he reached his
-house Hpohtir and Hrangchal went to K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri.
-&ldquo;K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri,&rdquo; said they, &ldquo;where is your
-husband?&rdquo; &ldquo;He is gone out hunting,&rdquo; she said,
-&ldquo;but will be home directly.&rdquo; On this they became afraid,
-and Hpohtir and Hrangchal climbed up on to the top of the high
-fire-shelf. K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s husband arrived. &ldquo;There
-is the smell of a human being,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;It must be my
-smell,&rdquo; said K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri. Night fell; everyone ate
-their dinners and lay down to rest. In the morning
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s husband again went out to hunt. A widow
-said (to the two friends), &ldquo;If you are going to run away with
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri take fire-seed, thorn-seed, and water-seed (with
-you).&rdquo; So they took fire-seed, thorn-seed, and water-seed, and
-they took K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri also and carried her off.</p>
-<p class="par">K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s husband returned home. He
-looked and found K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri was gone, so he followed after
-them in hot haste. A little bird called to Hrangchal. &ldquo;Run! run!
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s husband will catch you,&rdquo; said the
-bird. So (the friends) scattered the fire-seed, and the jungle and
-undergrowth burnt furiously, so that K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s
-husband could not come any further. When the fire subsided he again
-resumed the pursuit. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb180" href="#pb180"
-name="pb180">180</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">The little bird cried to Hrangchal, &ldquo;He is
-catching you up.&rdquo; So they scattered the water-seed, and a great
-river rose. However, K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s husband waited for
-the water to go down, and when the water went down he followed after
-them as before.</p>
-<p class="par">The bird said to Hrangchal, &ldquo;He is after you
-again&mdash;he is fast gaining on you; sprinkle the thorn-seed,&rdquo;
-and thorns sprouted in thickets, so that K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s
-husband could not get on. By biting and tearing the thorns he at length
-made a way. and again he followed after them.
-Hrangchal&rsquo;s<a class="noteref" id="n232.1src" href="#n232.1" name=
-"n232.1src">2</a> party became bewildered and hid in a clump of reeds.
-Hpohtir cut the tiger down dead with a blow of his dao. &ldquo;I am
-Hpohtir,&rdquo;<a class="pseudonoteref" href="#n232.1">2</a> said he.
-So the tiger died.</p>
-<p class="par">Hrangchal and the others went on again until they came
-to the three cross-roads of Khuavang, and there they stopped. Hpohtir
-and Hrangchal were to keep guard turn about. Hrangchala went to sleep
-first while Hpohtir kept watch.</p>
-<p class="par">At night Khuavang came. &ldquo;Who is staying at my
-cross-roads?&rdquo; he said. Hpohtira (spoke out boldly).
-&ldquo;Hpohtira and Hrangchala (are here),&rdquo; said he,
-&ldquo;crouching under the reeds. We cut off the tiger&rsquo;s head
-without much ado.&rdquo; Khuavang, hearing and becoming afraid, ran
-off. So Hpohtira (woke up Hrangchal, saying), &ldquo;Hrangchal, get up;
-you stay awake now. I am very sleepy; I will lie down. If Khuavang
-comes you must not be afraid.&rdquo; Having said this he slept.
-Hrangchala watched; presently Khuavang returned. &ldquo;Who is this
-staying at my cross-roads?&rdquo; he said. Hrangchala was frightened;
-(however), he replied, &ldquo;Hpohtira and Hrangchala (are here); they
-killed the tiger that followed them among the reed-roots.&rdquo; But
-Khuavang was not to be frightened by this, so he took
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri. K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri marked the road, trailing
-behind her a line of cotton thread. They entered into a hole in the
-earth, and so arrived at Khuavang&rsquo;s village. The hole in the
-earth was stopped up by a great stone. In the morning Hpohtir and
-Hrangchala began to abuse each other. Said Hpohtira to Hrangchal,
-&ldquo;Fool man!&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;where has K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri
-gone to? On account of your faintheartedness Khuavang has carried her
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb181" href="#pb181" name=
-"pb181">181</a>]</span>off. Away! you will have to go to
-Khuavang&rsquo;s village.&rdquo; So they followed
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s line of white thread and found that the
-thread entered (the earth) under a big rock. They moved away the rock
-and saw Khuavang&rsquo;s village below them. Hpohtira called out,
-&ldquo;Hoy! give me back my K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri!&rdquo; Khuavang
-replied, &ldquo;We know nothing about your K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri, whom
-you were taking away.&rdquo; &ldquo;If you do not (immediately) give me
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri I will use my dao,&rdquo; said Hpohtir.
-&ldquo;Hit away,&rdquo; answered Khuavang. With one cut of the dao a
-quarter of the village died right off. Again Hpohtir cried, &ldquo;Give
-me my K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri,&rdquo; Khuavang said, &ldquo;Your
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri is not here.&rdquo; On this Hpohtir and Hrangchal
-said, &ldquo;We will come in.&rdquo; &ldquo;Come along,&rdquo; said
-Khuavang, so they went in and came to Khuavang&rsquo;s house.
-Khuavang&rsquo;s daughter was a very pretty girl. &ldquo;Here is
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri,&rdquo; said they. &ldquo;This is not she,&rdquo;
-said Hpohtir; &ldquo;give me K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri herself.&rdquo; So
-(at last) they gave her to him.</p>
-<p class="par">They took her away. K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri said, &ldquo;I
-have forgotten my comb.&rdquo; &ldquo;Go, Hrangchal, and fetch
-it,&rdquo; said Hpohtir; but Hrangchala&mdash;&ldquo;I dare not. I am
-afraid,&rdquo; said he. So Hpohtir went (himself) to fetch (the comb).
-While he was gone Hrangchal took K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri out and closed
-the hole with the great stone. After this they arrived at the house of
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father. &ldquo;You have been able to
-release my daughter,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;so take her.&rdquo;
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri, however, did not agree. Said
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father, &ldquo;Hrangchal is here, but
-where is Hpohtira?&rdquo; &ldquo;We do not know Hpohtira&rsquo;s
-dwelling-place,&rdquo; he said. So Hrangchala and K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri
-were united. Though K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri did not wish it, he just
-married her.</p>
-<p class="par">Hpohtira was married to Khuavang&rsquo;s daughter.
-Beside the house he sowed a koi-seed. It sprouted and a creeper sprang
-(upwards like a ladder). Hpohtira, when he was at Khuavang&rsquo;s, had
-a child (born to him), and he cooked some small stones, and when his
-wife was absent he gave the stones which he had cooked to the child,
-saying, &ldquo;Eat.&rdquo; While it was eating Hpohtir climbed up the
-stalks of the koi creeper and got out. He went on and arrived at the
-house of K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father. They had killed a
-mithan, and were celebrating the Khuangchoi and dancing. With one blow
-Hpohtira cut off the head of Hrangchal! <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb182" href="#pb182" name="pb182">182</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s father cried, &ldquo;Why,
-Hpohtira, do you cut off Hrangchala&rsquo;s head?&rdquo; &ldquo;I was
-obliged to decapitate him,&rdquo; said Hpohtir. &ldquo;It was I who
-released K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri from Keimi&rsquo;s
-village&mdash;Hrangchala dared not do it. When Khuavang carried off
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri also Hrangchala dared not say him nay&mdash;he
-was afraid. Afterwards we followed K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri&rsquo;s line
-of cotton thread, which led us to Khuavang&rsquo;s village.
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri (after we had released her from there) forgot her
-comb; we told Hrangchal to go and fetch it, but he dared not. &lsquo;I
-am afraid,&rsquo; said he, so I went to get it. He then took
-K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri and left me behind, shutting the hole in the
-earth with a great stone. They went away. I married Khuavang&rsquo;s
-daughter, and while she was absent I climbed up the stalks of the
-creeper and came here.&rdquo; On this, &ldquo;Is it so?&rdquo; said
-they. &ldquo;Then you shall be united.&rdquo; So Hrangchala died, and
-Hpohtira and K&uacute;ng&oacute;ri were married. They were very
-comfortable together, and killed many mithan; they possessed many
-villages, and lived happy ever after. Thus the story is concluded.</p>
-<p class="par">I condense the following tale told by the Kolhen from
-the obviously embellished version supplied to the Babu:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">A widow had seven sons and one daughter, called
-Ringchanghoi, who was very beautiful, and much beloved by her brothers.
-To prove the truth of their professions of love she sent them off to
-catch the sun and the moon, that she might wear them as her necklace.
-Before their departure they built her a fortified house, and told her
-to remain within it until their return. They also left with her some
-unhusked rice, which had magical properties, turning red whenever the
-brothers were in danger. Ringchanghoi one day was sitting in the
-verandah cleaning her hair when she was seen by the king, who quickly
-added her to the number of his wives. The youngest brother, returning
-alone, found the house empty, and at once rejoining the others in the
-sky, where they were still hunting the sun and moon, told them of the
-disappearance of their sister. They all returned home, and on entering
-the house the youngest brother was changed into a parrot, while the
-others fell down dead. The youngest brother finds his sister and is
-captured and presented to her, and tells her what has happened,
-whereupon she sends off her husband, who by a powerful charm restores
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb183" href="#pb183" name=
-"pb183">183</a>]</span>the dead to life and the youngest brother to his
-original form, and all ends happily.</p>
-<p class="par">In this tale there is some slight resemblance to the
-Lushai tale of Rimenhoi, as also there is to the tales told by many
-clans to account for eclipses of the sun and moon. The Kom, for
-instance, say that the god Awk-pa was drying his rice when the sun and
-the moon came riding by and scattered it; this vexed Awk-pa, who lay in
-ambush in a cave, and the next time they came he swallowed them. The
-resemblance between this tale and the Lushai explanation of an eclipse
-is very marked. The name &ldquo;Awk&rdquo; is the same, and the idea of
-swallowing is preserved. The Purum, while using the same word for an
-eclipse, have quite a different story:&mdash;&ldquo;Once upon a time
-there were seven brothers who went into the forest to cut wood, and
-shot a deer, and ordered the youngest brother to cook it while they
-went on with their work. The youngest brother, having cooked the meat,
-put it on some leaves till his brothers should return. Some leaves from
-a tree fell on the meat, whereupon the deer came to life again and ran
-away. The brothers returning got angry and, not believing the tale told
-by the youngest, killed him and put his body under the tree. Some
-leaves falling on the corpse, it came to life, and the brothers were
-much astonished and went home, taking some of the leaves, roots, and
-bark of the tree with them.&rdquo; On their way they saw the body of a
-dog floating in a river which they had to cross, and put some bark on
-it and the animal revived. When they reached home they put the bark,
-leaves, and pieces of root to dry in the sunshine, leaving their dog to
-watch them. The sun and the moon, perceiving the usefulness of the
-things, stole them all and were chased by the dog. When the dog gets
-too near, the sun and the moon hide, thus causing eclipses. The Kolhen
-have the same name for an eclipse, and their explanation of the
-phenomenon is much the same. The god Rikumpu left his dog to watch his
-garden, and the sun and the moon came to steal, and are still being
-chased by the faithful hound. The Lamgang say that eclipses are caused
-by their god catching the sun and the moon, who once stole his tobacco
-as it was drying. The Anal have much the same idea. The story is worthy
-of being given at length:&mdash;&ldquo;Once upon a time a very pious
-man who devoted <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb184" href="#pb184"
-name="pb184">184</a>]</span>much time to worshipping God had a pet
-bitch. The sun and the moon, being envious, tried to take his virtue
-from the man. To accomplish their wicked purpose they promised to give
-him their virtue if only he would first entrust them with his. The
-saint fell into the trap and the celestial rascals ran off with his
-virtue. The holy man, finding himself defrauded, ordered his dog to
-catch the thieves. The dog brought a long pole and climbed up it to
-reach the fugitives, being followed by her master. She reached the sky
-and still chases the sun and moon, and sometimes catches them.
-Therefore, when an eclipse occurs the Anal call out, &lsquo;Release!
-Release!&rsquo; The poor pious man took so long ascending the pole that
-before he accomplished the journey the white ants had eaten up the
-lower end and the saint fell to the earth and was killed.&rdquo;
-Thunder and lightning are accounted for by some clans thus:&mdash;Wulai
-the lizard climbs a tall tree and shouts defiance, whereupon God from
-the sky hurls his axe at him and he runs down, but the tree is burnt
-up. The Anal and Kom have also a more poetic explanation of
-lightning&mdash;viz., that it is the glitter of God&rsquo;s sword as he
-plays with it in heaven, while the Purum also say that it is the
-glitter of his robes.</p>
-<p class="par">Earthquakes are accounted for by assuming the existence
-of another world below the surface of the earth. The Purum and Kom say
-that Yangmal the earth worm took a present of a piece of earth to the
-king of these lower regions. On the way the earth was changed into gold
-and silver, much to the delight of the monarch, who sent Yangmal back
-to fetch more, but the worm made excuse that the upper world had been
-destroyed. To test the truth of this statement the king shakes the
-world. The Anal and Lamgang say that the people of the lower world
-shake the upper one to find out if anyone is still alive up there, and
-so on, an earthquake occurring the Anal and Lamgang villages resound
-with shouts of &ldquo;Alive! Alive!&rdquo; Rainbows are accounted for
-as the lips of God spread in the act of drinking, or simply his
-glory.</p>
-<p class="par smallNote"><span class="sc">Note.</span>&mdash;I must
-acknowledge the assistance I have received in preparing the account of
-these Old Kuki tribes from Babu Nithor Nath Banerji, head clerk of the
-Manipur State Hill Office. My information regarding the Anal, Kom,
-Purum, and Lamgang was chiefly from his notes, and in a lesser degree I
-am indebted to him for details regarding the Kolhen and Chiru.</p>
-<p id="p184" class="par"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6832width"><img src="images/p184-1.jpg" alt=
-"Heads of Kuki Clans." width="608" height="456">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Heads of Kuki Clans.</span></p>
-<p class="par first"><span class="sc">Purum.</span> <span class=
-"sc">Purum.</span> <span class="sc">Khawtlang.</span></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Lamgang Man and Woman.</span>
-<span class="sc">Aimol.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e6854width"><img src="images/p184-2.jpg" alt=
-"Heads of Kuki Clans." width="634" height="485">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Heads of Kuki Clans.</span></p>
-<p class="par first"><span class="sc">Chiru. Nautch Helmet of
-Hide.</span> <span class="sc">Chiru.</span> <span class=
-"sc">Chiru.</span></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="sc">Rangte.</span> <span class=
-"sc">Anal.</span> <span class="sc">Anal.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb185" href="#pb185" name=
-"pb185">185</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Old Kuki Clans&mdash;Khawtlang and
-Khawchhak</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The Old Kukis who appeared in Cachar about 1780
-are described by Lieutenant Stewart as being divided into three clans
-called Rhangkol, Khelma, and Beteh. The first and last are known in the
-Lushai Hills as Hrangchal and Biate respectively, but the Khelma, whom
-Dr. Grierson identifies as the Hallam, seem to have emigrated entirely.
-The Hrangchal and Biate are two of many clans collectively known to the
-Lushais as Hmar&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, North&mdash;from the position of
-their villages with reference to those of the Lushais, and among
-themselves as Khawtlang and Khawchhak&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, Western and
-Eastern Villages I have found representatives of 16 clans in the Lushai
-Hills and adjoining portions of Manipur. The most important are
-Loitlang, subdivided into six families; Hrangchal, with four families;
-Thiak, with five families; and Biate, with the same number. The old
-village sites of many of these clans are still called by their names.
-The Hrangchal are said to have had a large village at Vanlaiphai, in
-the centre of which valley is a large memorial stone with many carvings
-on it, which is said to have been erected in memory of Chonluma, a
-famous Hrangchal chief of bygone days. The Biate assert that when they
-lived on the hill of that name they were attacked by huge eagles, and
-had to build stone shelters in which to hide their small children.
-These erections are still to be seen, and consist of three rough slabs
-of stone with a fourth as a roof, the whole structure being only about
-2 to 3 feet high. It was the Biate, also, who fed Rulpui, as has been
-described in <a href="#ch1.5.3">Part I., Chapter V, 3</a>. The
-Lungthau, a minor family, attribute their downfall to an attack by
-Chuckmahs, which led to their seeking refuge with the Sailo chief
-Lalsavunga, and forming a village at Kelsi, near Aijal, where they were
-under his protection.</p>
-<p class="par">When the aggressions of the Thangur chiefs disturbed the
-Khawtlang and Khawchhak one section fled through the country of the
-Thados into Cachar, another took refuge among the Chhinchhuan, a Thado
-family in the southern portion of the Manipur Hills, to whom they paid
-tribute, and a certain number joined the Thangur villages. Between
-those who fled to the Chhinchhuan and the Lushais hostilities were
-carried on until <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb186" href="#pb186"
-name="pb186">186</a>]</span>our arrival in 1890, and, as in the case of
-the Vuite, we found many of them living in a state of semi-slavery in
-the Sailo villages, whence they have mostly rejoined their relatives,
-and there are now 296 households of these people in the south-west of
-the Manipur Hills and more in the adjoining parts of the Lushai Hills.
-Lieutenant Stewart, in his description of the &ldquo;Old Kukis,&rdquo;
-states that ordinarily the dead are cremated, warriors only being
-buried. I have never heard of any clan in these hills which cremates
-its dead. The custom may well have died out owing to the natural wish
-of the relatives to do honour to the deceased by according him the
-honours of a warrior. Lieutenant Stewart describes a regular marriage
-ceremony conducted by the headman of the village, at the foot of a
-large stone erected in the middle of the village. As far as my
-enquiries go, the marriage ceremonies differ very little from those of
-the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">The dress of the men is the same as among the Lushais,
-but the women wear a petticoat with a broad white line between two
-narrower blue ones, and dress their hair in a long plait wound round
-the head. Zawlbuks are not maintained, but in other respects their
-villages resemble those of the Lushais. The village organisation is
-more democratic, the chief being replaced by a headman. The honours of
-&ldquo;Thangchhuah&rdquo; and admission to Pial-ral are obtained by
-three times celebrating the Buh-ai festival. There is no restriction as
-to having windows.</p>
-<p class="par">When a young man wishes to marry he sends messengers
-bearing a blue and a white cloth, a hoe, and a pot of liquor to the
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e6903" title=
-"Source: girls&rsquo;">girl&rsquo;s</span> parents. This is called
-&ldquo;In hawn.&rdquo; If the articles are accepted the marriage takes
-place as soon as the necessary amount of zu can be prepared. The
-bride&rsquo;s parents kill a pig and the two families feast together.
-The girl is conveyed to her husband&rsquo;s house by the men who
-arranged the marriage, the party being pelted with dirt as among the
-Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">In case of adultery, it is the seducer, not the
-woman&rsquo;s relatives, who have to compensate the injured husband.
-This is the common rule among non-Lushei clans.</p>
-<p class="par">A boy is named seven days and a girl five days after
-birth, a red cock being killed and zu drunk. The maternal uncle gives
-the name. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb187" href="#pb187" name=
-"pb187">187</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">In common with many Old Kuki clans, the dead are buried
-in a special cemetery outside the village. The corpse of a
-&ldquo;Thangchhuah,&rdquo; dressed in fine cloths and the head adorned
-with a chaplet of the tail feathers of the hornbill, is carried round
-the village on a bier by all the old people of both sexes, encircled by
-a ring of dancers singing a dirge to the accompaniment of drums, and
-followed by the widow dressed in the scantiest rags and raising loud
-lamentations. A halt is called opposite the house of every person of
-importance, and the inmate is expected to regale the party with zu. The
-circuit of the village completed, the corpse is carried to the grave
-and buried with rice and other eatables and a flagon of zu. A rough
-representation of a house is built over the grave and food and drink
-are placed in it for a year. The grave is fenced round and the heads of
-any animals which have been killed in the deceased&rsquo;s honour are
-placed on posts. At the close of a year a cane is stretched between
-poles over the grave, and from it are suspended pieces of cloth, small
-baskets containing tobacco and linseed, and the bodies of small animals
-and birds. This is the final ceremony, and the spirit is supposed to
-have no further concern with this world.</p>
-<p class="par">The Biate in the Lushai Hills worship the images in the
-Bhuban caves, but I am told that those in the North Cachar Hills differ
-in this respect. The three images are called Bolawng Raia, Chhinga
-Raia, and Maituki Raia, Raia being a corruption of Rajah. A fowl, a
-pig, two eggs, and two kinds of jungle vegetable called
-&ldquo;chinghrut&rdquo; and &ldquo;hruitung&rdquo; are offered to these
-deities outside the village once a year. The following tale is told to
-account for this worship of images, which is so opposed to general
-custom:&mdash;Long ago Zatea stole a mithan belonging to two Biate
-chiefs, Chonlut and Manlal, and on their trying to recover their
-property they were severely wounded. On their way home they noticed
-that the leaves of the &ldquo;bung&rdquo; tree, a species of
-<i>Ficus</i>, attached themselves to their clothes, and at night they
-dreamt that the leaves spoke, saying, &ldquo;Do not throw us away; we
-are sent by the gods of the Bhuban caves to heal you.&rdquo; They
-applied the leaves to their wounds and were soon healed, and then set
-off in search of these new gods.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e6918src"
-href="#xd24e6918" name="xd24e6918src">3</a> It <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb188" href="#pb188" name="pb188">188</a>]</span>is
-probable that in the course of their wanderings the Biate at one time
-lived near the Bhuban, and in that case their adopting the figures as
-local deities is quite in keeping with what has happened in other
-clans. Thus the Chiru worship the god of Kobru, though their settlement
-near that hill is of recent date. The Zote, a clan very closely allied
-to the Biate, after sacrificing a mithan, place bung leaves in a basket
-at the foot of the memorial post and throw them away with the
-&ldquo;sherh&rdquo; after three days. This clan pays special honour to
-Chhura, and after a mithan sacrifice a knotched pole called
-Chhura&rsquo;s ladder is placed against the gable of the house, and the
-skull, tail, and entrails are placed over it for three days. The
-jawbones are hung on a branch specially left for this purpose when the
-memorial post is being trimmed; a rough fence is made round the posts,
-on which matting representations of pythons and a bow with an arrow
-adjusted are hung. The latter is said to drive off the Huai, and
-reminds one of the similar custom of the Manipuris on the occasion of
-erecting the first post of a house. <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb189" href="#pb189" name="pb189">189</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e6455" href="#xd24e6455src" name="xd24e6455">1</a></span> Compare
-the Synteng custom of <i>beh-dieng-khlam</i>.&mdash;P. R.
-G.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href="#xd24e6455src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"n232.1" href="#n232.1src" name="n232.1">2</a></span> <i>a</i> is
-merely the masculine termination. Hrangchal-a is a man&rsquo;s name,
-Hrangchal-i a woman&rsquo;s. The terminations are often omitted when it
-is known who is meant.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href=
-"#n232.1src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e6918" href="#xd24e6918src" name="xd24e6918">3</a></span>
-<i>Cf.</i> the Purum tale of the eclipse given on p.
-183.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href="#xd24e6918src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch2.4" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e512">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER IV</h2>
-<h2 class="main">THE THADO CLAN</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The term New Kukis, which appears so often in the
-records of Cachar and Sylhet in the middle of the last century, and
-which has been adopted by Dr. Grierson in the &ldquo;Linguistic Survey
-of India,&rdquo; may be taken as synonymous with the Thado clan. The
-clan is a very large one; Dr. Grierson in the &ldquo;Linguistic
-Survey&rdquo; estimates the numbers as follows:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">In Manipur</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellRight cellTop">20,000.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">In Naga Hills</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellRight">5,500.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">In Cachar Plains</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellRight">5,403.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">In Sylhet</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellRight">534.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="xd24e6957 cellLeft cellBottom">Total</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellRight cellBottom"><span class=
-"sum">31,437.</span></td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">This estimate omits the members of the clan in North
-Cachar Hills and in the unadministered tracts between the Naga Hills
-and Manipur on the west and the Upper Chindwin district of Burma on the
-east. Allowing for these, we may safely conclude that the clan now
-numbers about 37,000 souls.</p>
-<p class="par">The clan is divided in a manner exactly similar to the
-Lushei. There are four main families, all named after their
-progenitors, and these are further sub-divided into many eponymous
-branches. The whole clan traces its genealogy back to Thado and his
-elder brother Dongel, and beyond them to mythical heroes who lived
-below the surface of the ground. The late Colonel McCulloch, in his
-most interesting &ldquo;Account of the Valley of Manipur,&rdquo; says,
-&ldquo;About the names of those previous to Thado there may be some
-doubt, but from this great chief, from whom <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb190" href="#pb190" name="pb190">190</a>]</span>the
-whole race takes the appellation of Thado, I don&rsquo;t think that
-there is any.&rdquo; After many enquiries I am quite of the same
-opinion and have found pedigrees collected from various sources differ
-but slightly from that recorded by Colonel McCulloch fifty years ago.
-The original habitation of this clan is said to have been Kochuk,
-situated very far to the south of Manipur. Here I must differ from
-Colonel McCulloch, who says the traditional home of the Thados was in
-the north. There are other reasons besides tradition for believing that
-the Thados have come from the south, the many resemblances between them
-and other clans, which either still live in the centre of the Hills or
-did so till quite recently, and the connection between their language
-and those of the Sokte, Siyin, Vuite, and Ralte, so clearly established
-by Dr. Grierson, amply proves the southern origin of this clan. It
-appears almost certain that the Kamhaus, Soktes, and Siyins were the
-first to disturb the Thados, many of whom entered Manipur territory to
-escape from these active foes, while others probably moved westward and
-settled in the hills to the south of the Cachar district, whence in
-1848&ndash;50 they were driven into Cachar by the triumphant Lushais,
-as described in <a href="#ch1.1.3">Part I., Chapter I, para. 3</a>. In
-the Manipuri chronicle there is mention of an expedition against the
-Khongjais, as the Manipuris call the Thados, as early as 1787, and
-though the chronicle cannot be accepted as infallible, I think we may
-conclude that the Thados entered the Manipur Hills about the middle of
-the 18th century. The different families seem very soon to have
-separated and, just as among the Lusheis, to have fought among
-themselves, for tradition speaks of a great battle between the
-Shit-hloh and the Chhinchhuan, on the Sawnchal hill, some 60 miles in
-an air-line south-east of Imphal, the capital of Manipur.</p>
-<p class="par">The four main families are the Dongel, Shit-hloh,
-Haukip, and Kipgen. The Dongel are descended from Thado&rsquo;s elder
-brother, and therefore are considered as rather superior to the rest of
-the families. The reason why the clan has not been known by the name of
-Dongel is said to be that Thado was a far greater warrior and killed
-more men. His name is derived, by the people themselves, from
-&ldquo;th&#257;t,&rdquo; &ldquo;to kill,&rdquo; and &ldquo;doh,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;to war.&rdquo; It <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb191" href=
-"#pb191" name="pb191">191</a>]</span>is curious that the direct
-descendants of Thado are known as Shit-hloh. This Shit-hloh was the
-seventh in the direct line from Thado, and it is said that up till his
-time the followers of the direct line had been fewer than those of the
-Kipgen and Haukip, but Shit-hloh was great in council and war, and
-retrieved the fortunes of his family, and hence his name has been
-adopted by them. Thus Thado remains as the true clan name, while
-Shit-hloh, Kipgen, and Haukip are the names of the families, which are
-further subdivided, as among the Lushais, into many branches, mostly
-named eponymously. The Kipgen and Haukip have always differed slightly
-from the Shit-hloh. The reason given for this is that Thalun, the son
-of Thado, was one day sitting outside his house with his wife, and,
-being alone together, the lady was somewhat careless as to her
-garments. Hearing some people approaching, Thalun told her to adjust
-her dress, and as she did not at once comply he threw a piece of wood
-at her and killed her on the spot. Being overcome with grief and shame,
-he fled to another part of the country and married again, the second
-wife being the mother of Kipgen and Haukip, whereas Elmun, from whom
-the Shit-hloh claim descent, was the son of the ill-fated first
-wife.</p>
-<p class="par">The number of branches into which these three families
-have divided is very great, and the connection of all of them with the
-parent stem is not very well established. Most of them are now of but
-little importance, the members being much scattered, but the
-Chhinchhuan, a branch of the Shit-hloh, and Chongput and Hawlthang,
-both branches of the Haukip family, still are of some importance. The
-Chhinchhuan chiefs rule over eleven villages, containing 952 houses, in
-the southern portion of the Manipur Hills, where they have been
-established certainly over 150 years. The Chongput and Hawlthang chiefs
-occupy sites in the hills to the west of the Manipur valley, which were
-assigned to them by Colonel McCulloch about 1850, and rule over some
-190 houses.</p>
-<p class="par">With the exception of the three branches just mentioned,
-the Thados have broken up very much, and are found in small hamlets
-scattered about the territory of totally different clans, without any
-reference to locality or ethnographical considerations. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb192" href="#pb192" name="pb192">192</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">All members of these families, however, admit the claims
-of the head chief to their allegiance, and in token thereof give him,
-or his nearest representative, a hind leg of every wild animal
-killed.</p>
-<p class="par">The Thados generally are very truculent; in Manipur they
-have settled themselves among the more peaceable Nagas, and until the
-British Government assumed control of the State they lived largely on
-the labour of these unfortunate people, whom they had virtually reduced
-to slaves. The Manipuris found it easier to acquiesce in this
-oppression by the Thados than to coerce them, and the Thados were used
-on many occasions to punish Naga tribes whom the Manipuris were unable
-to reduce to submission. The superior cunning of the Manipuris enabled
-them to maintain their influence over the Thados by skilfully playing
-off one family against another. On one occasion three of the most
-powerful chiefs were enticed inside the royal enclosure in Imphal and
-treacherously murdered. At present large numbers of Thados are moving
-eastward in unadministered country, carrying on the same bullying
-tactics, reducing the inhabitants, who as yet have no firearms, to the
-condition of slaves.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Thados are found the remnants of many other
-clans, which have been practically absorbed, having adopted Thado
-customs and language. It is asserted that at the time of the Thimzing
-(<i>v.</i> <a href="#ch1.5.1">Part I., Chap. V, para. 1</a>) Lianthang
-and his brother Thlangom, and Lunkim and his brother Changsan, had such
-large supplies of skulls of animals killed by them that they were
-enabled to live through that trying time by using the trophies of their
-skill in the chase as fuel, and from them the present Lianthang,
-Thlangom, Lunkim, and Changsan clans claim descent. The Changsan are
-sub-divided into eight families and are considered a clan of some
-standing, as is shown by the fact that the Shit-hloh will only take
-wives from Shit-hloh, Changsan, and Mangyel households.</p>
-<p class="par">The following clans are said not to be descended from
-Thado, but to have emerged from the earth after the
-Thimzing:&mdash;Kulho, Shongte, Kullon, Th&#257;ngneo, H&#257;nngeng,
-Henng&#257;r, and Thanchhing. They are now to all intents and purposes
-Thados, most of them having even adopted the Sakhua, or domestic
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb193" href="#pb193" name=
-"pb193">193</a>]</span>sacrificial rites, of whichever family of the
-Thado clan they have attached themselves to. Shongte and his younger
-brother Kullon emerged from the Khulpi, which is the Thado equivalent
-of the Lushai Chhinglung. Kulho, Th&#257;ngneo, and H&#257;nngeng were
-sons of Shongte, the two latter being by a different mother to the
-first. Henng&#257;r was Kulho&rsquo;s son. Kulho celebrated the Chong
-festival, and invited his half-brothers, but Th&#257;ngneo refused to
-come, so Kulho disowned him, which angered Th&#257;ngneo, so that he
-proposed to H&#257;nngeng that they should kill Kulho, but
-H&#257;nngeng refused, saying that the removal of Kulho would make
-Th&#257;ngneo head of the family, but would in no way benefit him. This
-ancient quarrel is sometimes revived even now, and blows are exchanged
-when representatives of Kulho and Th&#257;ngneo meet round the
-zu-pot.</p>
-<p class="par">The houses of the Thados generally resemble those of the
-Lushais, but are less regular in their interior arrangements, a big
-house sometimes having two or three hearths irregularly placed.
-Zawlbuks are not built, the young men sleeping in the houses of
-well-to-do people. The houses of the chiefs are surrounded by
-palisading enclosing a courtyard, along one side of which there is
-often a platform, which reminds one very much of the Chin houses, and
-is one of the many trifles tending to confirm the tradition of the
-southern origin of the clan. The following extracts from Lieut.
-Stewart&rsquo;s notes on Northern Cachar, written in 1855, show us the
-Thados as he knew them:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Each of the four clans is divided into separate
-and independent Rajahlics, of greater or less power and numbers,
-consisting of one or more villages, each of which is presided over by a
-hereditary chief or Rajah, whose power is supreme, and who has a civil
-list as long, in proportion to the means of his subjects, as that
-possessed by any other despot in the world. All these Rajahs are
-supposed to have sprung from the same stock, which it is believed
-originally had connection with the gods themselves. Their persons are,
-therefore, looked upon with the greatest respect and almost
-superstitious veneration, and their commands are in every case law.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The revenue exacted by these chieftains is paid
-in kind and labour. In the former each able-bodied man pays annually
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb194" href="#pb194" name=
-"pb194">194</a>]</span>a basket of rice containing about two maunds;
-out of each brood of pigs or fowls reared in the village, one of the
-young becomes the property of the Rajah, and he is further entitled to
-one quarter of every animal killed in the chase, and, in addition, to
-one of the tusks of each elephant so slain. In labour his entire
-population are bound to devote four days in each year, in a body, for
-the purpose of cultivating his private fields. On the first day they
-cut down the jungle, on the second day, the fuel being dry, they fire
-it and prepare the ground, on the third they sow and harrow, and on the
-fourth cut and bring in the harvest. Besides the labour of these four
-days in which the entire effective population, men, women, and
-children, work for him, small parties are told off during the whole
-season to assist his own domestic slaves in tending the crop, repairing
-his house (which edifice is always built afresh by the subjects when a
-new site is repaired to), and in supplying wood and water for the
-family. On the occasion of the days of general labour, a great feast is
-given by the Rajah to all his people; so also, on the occasion of an
-elephant being killed, to the successful hunters, but this is the only
-remuneration ever received by them, and calls can be made on them for
-further supplies and labour, whenever it may be required.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The Rajah is the sole and supreme authority in
-the village or villages under him, no one else being competent to give
-orders or inflict punishment except through him.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;To assist him in carrying on the affairs of
-government the Rajah has a minister, and more frequently several,
-called &lsquo;th&#363;shois&rsquo; or &lsquo;muntries,&rsquo; who have
-the privilege of being exempt from labour and taxation at his hands.
-This office is not, strictly speaking, hereditary&mdash;although in
-most cases, except when thoroughly incompetent, the son succeeds the
-father&mdash;but is given to those qualified for it, as being men of
-property and influence as well as of ability, and good spokesmen. The
-Rajah himself is, on the contrary, invariably succeeded by his eldest
-son, for whom, should he be a minor, the kingdom is managed by a
-council of muntries. In default of sons, the Rajah&rsquo;s brother
-succeeds, and failing him the nearest male relative takes the guddee,
-the Salique law being in full force.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Should the Rajah die without any heir to the
-throne, the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb195" href="#pb195" name=
-"pb195">195</a>]</span>chief muntry, if he be an influential man, takes
-his place, or some neighbouring Rajah of the same clan is called upon
-to take the government or usurps it. Each of the clans have one great
-Rajah, supposed to be the main branch of the original stock, to whom,
-although those immediately beyond his own villages owe him no
-allegiance, great respect is shown by all, and acknowledgment of the
-superior title given, although in power and wealth he may be much
-poorer than others of the tribe.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;No regular courts are held among the Kookis, but
-complaints are always heard before the Rajah, assisted by his muntries,
-whenever they may be made. Heinous crimes are very infrequent among
-these people. Theft is almost unknown, and they chiefly offend in
-slight quarrels and disputes among themselves, which are settled by
-their Rajah, a fine being exacted from the guilty party, according to
-his means and the extent of his guilt, either in wine, fowls, pigs,
-goats, cows, or methins. When cases of theft, burglary, or arson occur,
-the criminal loses his independence and becomes a bondman to the Rajah
-for the term of his life. Cases of murder and manslaughter are of
-course taken up by our authorities and punished by our laws. But the
-punishment awarded for murder among the Kookis was confiscation of all
-goods and property and perpetual bondage for the murderer, his wife,
-and family, who thenceforth became slaves of the Rajah and did his
-work. The only crime punishable by death among the Kookis was high
-treason, or an attempt at violence on the person of the king, and
-treacherous commerce with an enemy of the clan: the victim in these
-cases was cut to pieces with dhaos, but of course no such extreme
-measures can be resorted to by them in the present day. In cases of
-adultery and seduction the punishment is left in the hands of the
-aggrieved husband or father. In the former case, death might be
-inflicted on the adulterer by any means with impunity, but more
-generally it was, and now invariably is, the custom to compound with
-him for a large sum of money, something over and above the original
-price of the wife. The adulteress then becomes the property of her
-lover.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;In cases of seduction every effort is made, and
-in most cases <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb196" href="#pb196" name=
-"pb196">196</a>]</span>successfully, to have the guilty couple married
-forthwith, a penal price being put upon the bride. All the women in the
-village, married or single, are perfectly at the pleasure of the Rajah,
-and no voice would be lifted against him for cohabiting with any of
-them, the only prevention being a sense of immorality and an
-understanding among the royal families of the whole tribe generally
-that such conduct is <i>infra dig.</i>; indeed, there is little
-temptation, for the Rajah may have as many wives as he likes or can
-keep, both polygamy and concubinage being in common practice, female
-slaves living generally in the latter condition with respect to their
-masters.&rdquo;&mdash;Stewart&rsquo;s &ldquo;Notes on Northern
-Cachar,&rdquo; pp. 45&ndash;48.</p>
-<p class="par">This description is still fairly accurate, but the
-gradual breaking up of villages, coupled with the increased control by
-Government and State officers, has lessened the power of the chiefs and
-modified custom to a considerable extent. Lieutenant Stewart gives the
-following account of how the people hunted before guns were common
-among them:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The Kookis are great hunters, and are
-passionately fond of the sport, looking upon it, next to war, as the
-noblest exercise for man. They kill tigers, deer, and smaller game by
-means of poisoned arrows. The bow is a small one made of bamboo, and
-very slightly bent, the string being manufactured of bark. The arrow,
-the head of which has a barbed iron point, is about 18 inches long,
-being drawn to the chest and not the ear, and therefore delivered with
-no great force, the destructive effect lying chiefly in the poison.
-With such an instrument the great art in hunting lies in stealthily
-approaching the animal near enough to deliver the arrow with effect,
-and in following it up after being wounded to the spot where it is
-found lying dead. In this the Kookis excel, being able to prowl about
-the jungle as noiselessly as tiger-cats, and being equal to North
-American Indians in distinguishing tracks. Tigers are also killed by
-spring bows with poisoned arrows set in the jungles and by poisoned
-panjies planted in their paths.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Elephants are slain in great numbers by the
-Kookis wherever they are to be had, not only the tusks but the flesh
-being highly prized. Parties of 20 and upwards go out in pursuit of
-them at a time<span class="corr" id="xd24e7029" title=
-"Not in source">.</span> When some recent elephant track is discovered
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb197" href="#pb197" name=
-"pb197">197</a>]</span>in the forest, two or three of the party ascend
-some convenient tree, whose branches overhang the track, the remainder
-follow it up, and having got on the other side of the herd scare it
-towards the ambush by shouting, beating gongs, and discharging
-firearms. Here, while passing, the animals are assailed from above with
-long spears having huge iron barbs covered with deadly poison; every
-wound inflicted results in the death of the animal at not more than
-half a mile from the spot on which he was hit. So wary are the
-elephants, however, that it is seldom that more than two out of a herd
-are killed. At the place where their game is found dead, they commence
-cutting him up, and extract his tusks; laden with these and as much of
-the flesh as they can carry, they return home, and other parties go out
-and encamp in the neighbourhood of the carcase until they have entirely
-consumed it, or are driven away by the effluvia of decomposition.
-Portions of the flesh that they cannot immediately eat are dried and
-smoked to be kept for future consumption. The Kookis also hunt the
-methin or wild cow, which they have likewise succeeded in
-domesticating, having introduced the breed to Northern Cachar.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The deadly poison used by the Kookis is, they
-say, extracted from a tree which does not grow in these parts, but the
-article is brought to them for sale by tribes inhabiting the borders of
-Manipur. The substance is of a dark blue or black colour and of about
-the consistency of common resin. To make it serviceable it is ground
-down with capsicum seeds and tobacco juice, so as to form a pulp, with
-which the weapons are smeared, cotton soaked in the mixture being also
-tied to the iron under the barb. I had once the cruelty to try the
-effect of this poison on two domestic fowls. To one I administered
-internally a dose equal to about two common-sized pills, and I
-punctured one of the legs of the other, so as merely to draw blood,
-with the pointed bamboo about the size of a toothpick which had been
-dipped into the mixture. The latter died in twenty minutes without much
-apparent pain, and in the former no effects whatever could be
-perceived, and it may be crowing to the present day. Another poison,
-called &lsquo;deo-bi,&rsquo; is used by the Kookis to kill fish, and
-has an intoxicating effect upon them <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb198" href="#pb198" name="pb198">198</a>]</span>forcing them to the
-surface, when it is thrown into the water. The Kookis also spear fish,
-but have not much idea of catching them by the hook or
-net.&rdquo;&mdash;Stewart&rsquo;s &ldquo;Notes on Northern
-Cachar,&rdquo; pp. 62, 63.</p>
-<p class="par">When the track of a tiger is found the
-&ldquo;thempu&rdquo; lifts the earth on which the footprint is and lays
-it on a leaf of the &ldquo;ai&rdquo; plant. He pours some zu on it and
-then, muttering charms, he wraps it up in the leaf and drops it into a
-pot, which he places to his ear and professes to be able to hear
-whether the pursuit of the animal will be crowned with success. The
-customs as regards &ldquo;boi&rdquo; approximate to those of the
-Lushais, and where they differ it is always to the disadvantage of the
-boi; thus a criminal seeking refuge in the chief&rsquo;s house has to
-pay a mithan before he can be accepted. On a chief&rsquo;s death each
-boi has to kill a pig at his funeral. Slavery by purchase is recognised
-and is not restricted to the chiefs&mdash;another point of resemblance
-between the Thados and the Chins.</p>
-<p class="par">The village organisation is much the same as among the
-Lushais, but the minor chiefs, while collecting all dues from the
-people of their villages, pay certain dues to the head of their family.
-The crier is known as &ldquo;tl&#257;ngsam,&rdquo; but he receives no
-remuneration. The &ldquo;thirdeng,&rdquo; or blacksmith, is known as
-&ldquo;thirshu,&rdquo; and receives a day&rsquo;s labour from every
-householder in the village as his pay.</p>
-<p class="par">The thempu only receives zu, and this only from those he
-cures&mdash;a system tending to increase the skill of the
-practitioners.</p>
-<p class="par">As regards marriage the rules are not very clearly
-defined, but young men of the families which sacrifice a sow to their
-Sakhua will not generally take girls from the families which sacrifice
-a mithan. Strange to say, the sow-sacrificers have no objection to
-providing brides for the mithan-slayers, the cause probably being that
-in certain cases the wife&rsquo;s Sakhua has to be propitiated and the
-cautious sons of sow-killing families object to the extra expense
-involved by marrying a wife whose Sakhua demands a mithan. Lieutenant
-Stewart states that strict rules existed prohibiting the intermarriage
-of cousins, however remote, but my enquiries tend to show that at
-present the prohibition only extends to paternal cousins to the third
-generation. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb199" href="#pb199" name=
-"pb199">199</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Marriage is by purchase, the sums to be paid
-being:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Manpi&rdquo; (Lushai
-&ldquo;manpui&rdquo;)&mdash;three to 30 mithan, according to the family
-of the bride, to the father of the girl or his representative.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Golha&rdquo; (Lushai
-&ldquo;palal&rdquo;)&mdash;Rs. 4/- or 5/-.</p>
-<p class="par">The bride&rsquo;s elder sister, one cloth of dark
-blue.</p>
-<p class="par">The father&rsquo;s younger brother, one mithan, called
-&ldquo;mankang,&rdquo; but if he is living in the same house as the
-father then the nearest male relative who is living separately receives
-this.</p>
-<p class="par">Although a man has paid the full price for his wife, yet
-he has, on her death and the death of each of her sons, to pay a
-further sum called &ldquo;longman&rdquo; to her nearest male relative.
-Supposing Pathong marries Thonghlu&rsquo;s daughter and has by her two
-sons, one of whom dies, it is Thonghlu&rsquo;s duty to kill a pig in
-honour of the deceased and to take the skull and all the flesh except
-that of the head and the entrails to Pathong. The skull is placed over
-the grave and the flesh eaten by the family. Pathong now has to pay
-Thonghlu the price of the pig and Rs. 9/-, but if he prefers he may,
-instead of these two sums, give one mithan, however small, Rs. 1/-, and
-a hoe. It is often found cheaper to give the mithan. Suppose Thonghlu
-is now gathered to his fathers, leaving a son, Kanpu, and
-Pathong&rsquo;s wife also dies, then Kanpu must kill the pig and will
-receive the mithan. Pathong departs this life and his son marries and
-begets a son, Komyang, and Kanpu also dies leaving a son, Nelet. Now on
-the death of Pathong&rsquo;s remaining son, Nelet must kill the pig and
-will receive the mithan from the dead man&rsquo;s son, Komyang, and as
-this extinguishes the liability on account of Thonghlu&rsquo;s
-daughter, Komyang, in token thereof, will also give to Nelet one spear
-and one tinder-box. These payments, unfortunately, are seldom made on
-the spot, and claims on account of great-aunts or even more distant
-female relatives are frequently brought up for decision. In case of
-women who die in childbed or in any unnatural manner her
-&ldquo;longman,&rdquo; as this payment is called, has not to be paid.
-&ldquo;Longman&rdquo; reminds one of the Lushai &ldquo;lukawng,&rdquo;
-and very similar customs are found among the Old Kuki and some Naga
-clans.</p>
-<p class="par">In common with nearly all non-Lushei clans, a Thado
-co-respondent, and not his victim&rsquo;s relatives, has to pay the
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb200" href="#pb200" name=
-"pb200">200</a>]</span>injured husband all the expenses he had incurred
-in the marriage and also a fine of one mithan. The same rule applies to
-the seducer of a widow living in her late husband&rsquo;s house. On a
-man&rsquo;s death his eldest brother can insist on marrying the widow
-and taking all the children. &ldquo;Sawnman&rdquo; is enforced as among
-the Lushais, but should the father refuse to take the child when it is
-old enough to leave its mother, he is called on to pay a second mithan,
-and he forfeits the right to receive the marriage price in case of a
-girl. The eldest son inherits and, failing a son, the nearest male
-relative. Adoption is practised as among the Lushais, the ceremony
-being known as &ldquo;Phunkai&rdquo; (Lushai
-&ldquo;S&#257;-phun&rdquo;).</p>
-<p class="par">In case of accidental homicide the offender has to kill
-a pig at his victim&rsquo;s funeral and provide a blue cloth to wrap
-the body in. Should the death have been caused by a gunshot wound the
-gun is forfeited to the heir of the deceased. The Thados claim that
-rape and sodomy are unknown among them.</p>
-<p class="par">There is no doubt that head-hunting was indulged in in
-olden days, and on the death of a powerful chief at least one freshly
-taken head had to adorn his grave.</p>
-<p class="par">Lieutenant Stewart, in the book already quoted from,
-gives a good deal of information about the religious beliefs of the
-Thados. He says they recognise one all-powerful god, whom they call
-Pathen (Lushai Pathian), who has a wife, Nongjai. I have enquired about
-Pathen&rsquo;s wife, but though all my informants say that it is usual
-to speak of Pathen Nongjai together, none could say whether Nongjai was
-Pathen&rsquo;s wife&mdash;an equally powerful being, sharing power with
-Pathen&mdash;or simply another name for Pathen. Stewart also provides
-Pathen with a son, Thihla, but my informants all agree that the Thihla
-are demons of the hills, rivers, and forests&mdash;in other words
-exactly the same as the Huais of the Lushais. Ghumoishe, mentioned by
-Stewart, is the king of all these Thihla, and he has a wife, Imungshe.
-They are supposed to inhabit the densest forests on the highest
-mountain tops, and when passing through such their dread names are
-never mentioned. About this demon Stewart says: &ldquo;By some he is
-said to be the illegitimate son of Pathen, but others deny the
-relationship, and say that he has no connection with the god
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb201" href="#pb201" name=
-"pb201">201</a>]</span>whatever. The idea of making the origin of evil
-proceed thus from an illegitimate source is exceedingly clever.&rdquo;
-None of my informants would venture a guess even at Ghumoishe&rsquo;s
-parentage. Kuchom, whom Stewart gives as Ghumoishe&rsquo;s wife, is
-nowadays, as far as I can find out, unknown, as also is Hilo, said by
-Stewart to be the daughter of the last-named couple and to be the
-goddess of poisons. The Thihla are divided into Thingbulnga, the Thihla
-of the big trees; Shongbulnga, of the rocks and stones; Tuikhumnga, the
-demons of the water, of whom Tuikhumlen is the king. These water
-spirits are said to be far more powerful than those of the woods or
-rocks, and therefore are often spoken of as Tui-pathen. They also
-receive a fourfold sacrifice, of a white fowl or an egg, a pig, a dog,
-which must not be entirely black, and a he-goat, whereas cocks or hens
-are considered quite good enough for the Thingbulgna or
-Shongbulgna.</p>
-<p class="par">Zomi is a female spectre, a sight of which is a sure
-forerunner of some dire misfortune, which can only be averted by the
-immediate sacrifice of a dog. Pheizam correspond to the L&#257;shi.
-Nuaijingmang is an evil spirit which lives underground.</p>
-<p class="par">After death the spirits of men and women, great and
-small, all go to Mi-thi-khua. The only advantage which the spirits of
-those who have slain men and beasts and given feasts obtain is that
-Kulsamnu does not dare to detain them, whereas she, sitting by the
-roadside, seizes all other poor wandering souls, and troubles them
-sorely unless their relatives who have gone on before come to their
-rescue.</p>
-<p class="par">I have been unable to find any traces of ancestor
-worship, nor is it mentioned either by Stewart or McCulloch. This is
-extremely curious, as the Thados attach the highest possible importance
-to a long pedigree and, as has been seen, nearly every other clan
-practise some rites to appease the dead.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Religious Rites and Sacrifices.</i>&mdash;The Daibawl
-sacrifices are made as among the Lushais, but not the Kh&#257;l. The
-Dongel and Shit-hloh families sacrifice a sow to Sakhua, but the Haukip
-and Kipgen kill a mithan. This difference is said to date back to the
-time when the Haukip lived on the banks of the Run or Manipur river,
-near to Tiddim, and sacrificed a mithan to Rulpui<span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e7082" title="Source: .">,</span> <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb202" href="#pb202" name="pb202">202</a>]</span>or the great snake.
-The Chhinchhuan are said to have recently adopted the Vaiphei method of
-propitiating Sakhua, and in consequence the Shit-hloh have ceased
-intermarrying with them.</p>
-<p class="par">Besides the sacrifice to Sakhua the Thado have a special
-sacrifice known as &ldquo;Pathen biak na&rdquo; (&ldquo;speaking to
-Pathen&rdquo;). This consists of killing a small pig in the closet at
-the end of the house and a white cock in front of the house. The crop,
-entrails, and bones are &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; and are placed on an oaken
-post in front of the house, and a thirty days&rsquo;
-&ldquo;hrilh&rdquo; is observed.</p>
-<p class="par">The Ai ceremonies are much the same as among the
-Lushais, but in that of the tiger the carrying of the porcupine is
-unknown. Directly a tiger is shot a bamboo skewer is hammered into its
-ear hole, to make sure that it is dead, and when the body is brought up
-to the village an egg is placed in the mouth by some female relative of
-the lucky hunter, who addresses the dead animal thus: &ldquo;Oh! Ho!
-You stole that, did you? And so a peg has been driven into your
-ear.&rdquo; She then jumps across the body from side to side and from
-head to tail. After this the skin may be removed. In connection with
-cultivation, a ceremony called &ldquo;Daibun&rdquo; is performed after
-the burning of the jhums. Seven bamboos adorned with cotton wool are
-placed round the jhum as an offering to the &ldquo;Thihla&rdquo; of the
-locality, who are further propitiated later on by an offering of an egg
-and some leaves placed on a bamboo in the middle of the jhum. This is
-called &ldquo;Daikam.&rdquo; Wanolnaunu died because she was so lazy
-that it was too much trouble to live, so if any of her signs are found
-in a new jhum, a sacrifice has to be performed to avoid a failure of
-the crops. A tree which has two trunks which unite some feet above the
-ground is said to represent her fingers, and a red fowl must be
-sacrificed and the tree dug up by the roots. A spring is said to be her
-tears, and a goat must be sacrificed. If a wallow is found a pig must
-be offered. If a woman is not blessed with offspring within the usual
-time of the marriage there are three methods of procedure:&mdash;The
-woman may go to her father&rsquo;s house, and he will kill a cock and
-they will drink zu together, after which he ties a string round her
-neck. If this is not successful she may go to her husband&rsquo;s
-eldest brother or cousin, and he will repeat the <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb203" href="#pb203" name=
-"pb203">203</a>]</span>performance. If there is still no result the
-thempu is called in and kills a black hen inside the house, and its
-flesh, mixed with stones and other ingredients, is compounded by him
-into a medicine which the poor woman desirous of offspring has to eat.
-On the occasion of the birth of a child the mother may not leave her
-house for five days in case of a son and three in case of a daughter.
-When these periods have expired she goes to her father&rsquo;s house
-and takes a fowl or a pig, according to her means. This is called
-&ldquo;Nau-bil-vu.&rdquo; The mother also gives her father or sometimes
-her mother a cloth on the occasion of the birth of a child, and the
-recipient kills a pig in honour of the occasion. In case of a child
-getting sick the thempu sacrifices a fowl, called
-&ldquo;Ar-kang-tha.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The marriage ceremonies of the Thados are described by
-both McCulloch and Stewart, and do not seem to have changed at all
-during the 55 years that have elapsed since their accounts were
-written. Neither account, however, is quite complete. The bridegroom,
-accompanied by his friends, taking with them at any rate a portion of
-the sum to be paid for the bride, go to the village where the girl
-lives, and for three days the young men of the village wrestle with
-them. On arrival they are met with showers of filth from the children
-of the village. The girl&rsquo;s parents have to give a pig or a mithan
-and much zu to celebrate the occasion. At the conclusion of the feast
-the bride sets out for her future home dressed in her best and wearing
-a gong on her head. The actual marriage ceremony takes place in the
-house of the father of the bridegroom and consists of the thempu
-killing a fowl, feathers from the right wing being placed in the hair
-of the young couple. They then drink out of the same cup of zu, and the
-thempu, muttering charms, binds a cotton thread round their necks,
-which must be worn till it falls off from old age.</p>
-<p class="par">The thempu then presents each with a comb. Only very
-near relatives may use the same comb. Stewart says husband and wife may
-share a comb, but my information is that uterine brothers and sisters
-may do so. A Lushai correspondent writes that among them the use of
-another man&rsquo;s comb may cause a headache, and that a person of a
-higher clan would be contaminated if he used the comb of a member
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb204" href="#pb204" name=
-"pb204">204</a>]</span>of a lower one. To see whether the union will
-prove harmonious the thempu takes a hair from the head of each and
-moistens them in zu and then twists them together. If the hairs remain
-twisted all will go smoothly, but should they fly apart many bickerings
-and disputes are to be expected. The parents of the bridegroom give a
-feast to all concerned, and this completes the ceremony, but the young
-couple do not at once commence sleeping together. If they have not been
-previously acquainted they often sleep apart for a month, and for
-lesser periods according to the degree of their acquaintance.</p>
-<p class="par">Eligible brides are even now carried off and married
-against the wishes of their parents, by ardent lovers belonging to
-powerful families.</p>
-<p class="par">Immediately a death occurs guns are fired and a special
-funeral chant called &ldquo;L&#257; pi&rdquo; (Lushai
-&ldquo;Hl&#257;&rdquo;) is sung three times. The funeral ceremonies of
-ordinary people are practically the same as among the Lushais, but in
-the case of those who have performed the &ldquo;Chong&rdquo; the
-ceremonies last seven days, and each day the corpse is carried in and
-out of the house seven times with much shouting, and a mithan has to be
-killed on each day. Every relative and slave has to attend and bring
-some animal to be killed. The skulls of all these adorn the great
-man&rsquo;s grave, and, in former days, at least one fresh human skull
-taken specially for the occasion from some other clan had to be added
-to the other trophies over a chief&rsquo;s grave. Sometimes the body of
-a great chief may be placed in a small house at a short distance from
-the village and partially dried over a slow fire; and a curious
-survival of the times of war is found in the practice, now dying out,
-of severing the head and burying it in an earthen pot in a separate
-place. This was done to prevent the heads being found and removed as
-trophies, should the village be raided. The entrails of the first
-animal killed in honour of the deceased are placed on leaves at the
-foot of the post against which the corpse rested during the funeral
-feast, and are left there for several days, even up to one month, and
-at every meal a handful of rice is taken out of the pot and placed on
-the leaves, before anyone is allowed to eat. This portion for the dead
-is called &ldquo;thi an chhe.&rdquo; As among the Rangte, efforts are
-made to obtain some wild animal or bird, <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb205" href="#pb205" name="pb205">205</a>]</span>and if the hunters
-are successful the entrails of the animal, or the whole animal if it be
-not edible, are buried with the &ldquo;thi an chhe&rdquo; in the grave,
-without waiting for the expiry of the month.</p>
-<p class="par">Unnatural deaths (&ldquo;thichhia&rdquo;) are considered
-unlucky, and the custom regarding the disposal of the corpse in such
-cases is the same as among the Lushais. Memorial stones are not
-generally put up by the Thados, but are occasionally found among the
-Chhinchhuan, perhaps from their proximity to the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">A man who has performed the Ai of a tiger is honoured
-with a special memorial. Two posts, one some four feet long and the
-other about three, carefully squared and with the four sides ornamented
-with transverse notches, are placed in the ground some five or six feet
-apart. The longer post terminates in a spike, on which are impaled
-several oval-shaped pieces of wood, which indicate the number of
-animals killed by the deceased. Between the posts and to one side a
-long pole is planted leaning over between the posts, and from this
-hangs half a dried gourd shell, convex side uppermost, from the rim of
-which hang tassels of rough wooden beads, and from the centre hangs a
-piece of wood 7 or 8 inches long, of which one end is forked and the
-other a knob. This represents &ldquo;thotche,&rdquo; a sort of rat
-found in the jungle and said to be the master of the jungle. If this
-animal is burnt in the jungle the &ldquo;Thihla&rdquo; of the place
-will be angry and punish the persons responsible. Children eat the
-flesh of the thotche. The posts are called &ldquo;thingel&rdquo; and
-remind one of the memorial posts of the Chins, and the be-tasselled
-gourd is a sign among those people that the owner of the house before
-which it is displayed has killed a man.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e7110width" id="p206-1"><img src=
-"images/p206-1.png" alt=
-"Memorial to a Man who has performed the Ai of a Tiger." width="512"
-height="583">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Memorial to a Man who has
-performed the Ai of a Tiger.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e7115width" id="p206-2"><img src=
-"images/p206-2.png" alt=
-"Memorial to a Woman who has performed the Buh Ai." width="459" height=
-"584">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Memorial to a Woman who has
-performed the Buh Ai.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">A woman who has performed the Buh Ai is also honoured
-with a special memorial, consisting of an upright stone some three feet
-high, in front of which are placed three others supporting a flat
-stone. A space of about four square yards in front is enclosed by a
-line of stones set on edge, the whole of the interior being planted
-with small stones, which are supposed to show the number of baskets of
-rice reaped on the occasion of the Ai. The feasts connected with the
-cultivation known by the Lushais as &ldquo;Kut&rdquo; are not
-practised, but when the rice is <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb207"
-href="#pb207" name="pb207">207</a>]</span>well up the whole community
-goes to the jhums, dancing and singing, and beating drums and gongs. In
-the jhums they work vigorously in perfect silence for a considerable
-time and then burst forth into song and dance, and eat their fill of
-rice washed down with zu. There is another feast connected with the
-crops called &ldquo;Hun,&rdquo; which takes place when the rice is
-about a foot high. Each household prepares two pots of zu, one for the
-husband and one for the wife, and a post called &ldquo;shekhon&rdquo;
-is planted before each house. This post has two horizontal arms
-projecting, one near the top and one near the ground, the upper one
-being the longer. These are perforated, and three reeds are passed
-through the holes. Each household kills a white cock at the foot of the
-shekhon. The flesh is cooked in the house and eaten by the householder
-alone. The &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; and bones are hung on the shekhon. The
-zu in the householder&rsquo;s pot may only be drunk by other
-householders, but that in the wife&rsquo;s pot is dispensed to all
-comers. For five days after this feast no one but members of the
-household may enter the house. Nothing out of the house may be given
-away, and the householder must do no work, nor may he attend a
-funeral.</p>
-<p class="par">The series of feasts performed by the Lushais to attain
-the honours of &ldquo;Thangchhuah&rdquo; is not customary among the
-Thados, though some informants say that in olden days some such custom
-prevailed, and the &ldquo;Chong&rdquo; feast, at which seven mithan and
-two of every other sort of domestic animal had to be killed, is not
-performed now only because none can afford the expense. It will be
-remembered that &ldquo;Chong&rdquo; is the name of the first feast in
-the Thangchhuah series. Among the Haukip I am told that a position
-equivalent to Thangchhuah is attained by thrice celebrating the Ai of
-one of the following&mdash;tiger, bear, elephant, or hornbill.</p>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Thado Folk Tales.</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">Benglama is the equivalent of the Lushai Chhura,
-and there are many tales about him which are common to both clans and
-in fact seem to be known to almost all representatives of the
-Kuki-Lushai race. The following is a translation of a portion of a tale
-written down in Lushai for me, but told by a <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb208" href="#pb208" name=
-"pb208">208</a>]</span>Thado. Benglama had visited a village and got
-himself much disliked, and everyone was trying to catch
-him:&mdash;&ldquo;Once they made a ladder and cut the lower side partly
-through and made a great quagmire underneath. Benglama climbed up it,
-it broke, and he fell down into the mud. Then a tiger came up.
-&lsquo;My friend, if you help me out you may eat me,&rsquo; said
-Benglama. Then the tiger pulled him out. Then the tiger&mdash;&lsquo;I
-will eat you up,&rsquo; he said. Benglama&mdash;&lsquo;I will just go
-and wash myself clean,&rsquo; he said. &lsquo;Presently I will eat you
-up,&rsquo; he said again. Benglama&mdash;&lsquo;I will go and ease
-myself,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;otherwise you will dislike my
-dung,&rsquo; he said. Where he went to ease himself he cut a cane. The
-tiger&mdash;&lsquo;Why do you do that?&rsquo; he asked. Then
-Benglama&mdash;&lsquo;It is going to blow and rain like anything,
-therefore I am going to tie myself to the stump of a tree,&rsquo; he
-said. Then the tiger&mdash;&lsquo;If that is so, tie me up
-first,&rsquo; he said. He tied him up. Then he (Benglama) also put a
-mallet, that all who passed by might beat the tiger. Benglama went
-away. Then the wild-cat came along. The tiger&mdash;&lsquo;My friend,
-you and I are just alike; we two are friends, we are
-brothers&mdash;undo me,&rsquo; he said. He undid him. Then the wild-cat
-left him, going into a pangolin&rsquo;s hole. Then just as he was going
-in, the tiger caught him by the foot. &lsquo;What you have got hold of,
-that is not me, it is a tree root,&rsquo; he said. The tiger let him
-go, but remained watching for him, but the wild-cat always slipped out
-at the other side, and was always eating fowls by Benglama&rsquo;s
-house. The tiger&mdash;&lsquo;My friend, what is it you are
-eating?&rsquo; he said. Then the wild-cat&mdash;&lsquo;Oh, I am only
-just eating the bones of my hand,&rsquo; he said. The tiger was always
-eating his paw, and it hurt very, very much indeed. Presently the
-wild-cat went to the tiger and said to him, &lsquo;If you were to take
-a torch and go near to Benglama&rsquo;s house you would be able to
-catch some fowls,&rsquo; he said. So the tiger went up, but Benglama
-saw him, and heated some water. When it was very hot indeed, he poured
-it into a tui-um (bamboo tube for holding water) and threw it over the
-tiger. The tiger said, &lsquo;My friend! My friend! I am dying, I am
-all burnt up,&rsquo; he said. The wild-cat&mdash;&lsquo;There is a
-waterfall some way down stream; if you roll down that you will be
-well,&rsquo; he said. He rolled down and so he died.&rdquo;
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb209" href="#pb209" name=
-"pb209">209</a>]</span></p>
-<div class="div3 section">
-<div class="divHead">
-<h4 class="main"><span class="sc">How Benglama Tried to Climb to the
-Top of the Big &ldquo;Bung&rdquo; Tree.</span></h4>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;This Benglama&mdash;his wife was going to
-start for the jhum, and she spoke thus to him. To her husband his wife
-said, &lsquo;Benglam, when the sun shines through our doorway, cook the
-rice, do,&rsquo; she said. &lsquo;When the sun shines on the top of the
-bung tree in front of our house, then clean the rice and tie up the
-goat,&rsquo; she said, and she also left her child with him. His wife
-then left him to go to the jhum. Then he, according to his wife&rsquo;s
-orders, when the sun shone in the doorway prepared to cook the rice. As
-often as he put the pot on the fire it fell off again. Presently the
-sun shone on the top of the bung tree. &lsquo;Did my wife say cook the
-food on the top of the bung tree?&rsquo; he said. Then saying, &lsquo;I
-will clean the rice,&rsquo; he prepared to climb to the top of the bung
-tree with the rice, mortar, and pounder, with the goat and the basket
-of fowls; but he could not climb up, he kept on falling down again.
-Just then his child, being hungry, began to cry and cry. Then Benglama,
-saying, &lsquo;Is his <span class="corr" id="xd24e7141" title=
-"Source: frontanel">fontanel</span> hurting?&rsquo; pricked it with his
-hairpin. Then the child died. Benglama, saying, &lsquo;Has it gone to
-sleep?&rsquo; laid it down on the sleeping machan; he did not know that
-it was dead. Then his wife came back from the jhum, and Benglama just
-before had fallen from the bung tree and was nearly dead, and lay on
-the sleeping platform groaning terribly. His wife said, &lsquo;Are you
-ill?&rsquo; and he&mdash;&lsquo;Speak! Why, I can hardly speak, I have
-fallen from the top of the bung tree and am nearly dead, don&rsquo;t
-you know?&rsquo; he said to her. Then she looked at her child; and his
-wife&mdash;&lsquo;Our child here is dead; how has it happened?&rsquo;
-she said. <span class="corr" id="xd24e7144" title=
-"Source: The">Then</span> Benglama&mdash;&lsquo;Go on! it&rsquo;s not
-dead, its head was hurting and I pricked it; it is just asleep,&rsquo;
-he said to her. Then his wife&mdash;&lsquo;It is dead indeed; go and
-bury it,&rsquo; she said. Then Benglama wrapped it up in a mat and
-carried it over his shoulder, and the body dropped out behind him, and
-he placed the mat only in a cave, and on his way back he saw his
-child&rsquo;s body. &lsquo;Whose child is this?&rsquo; he said, and
-kicked it about with his feet.&rdquo;</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div3 section">
-<div class="divHead">
-<h4 class="main"><span class="sc">The Story of Ngamboma and
-Khuptingi.</span></h4>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">&ldquo;Formerly Ngamboma and Khuptingi, before
-they were <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb210" href="#pb210" name=
-"pb210">210</a>]</span>born, while in their mothers&rsquo; wombs, they
-loved each other. When the time for them to be born came near their
-mothers&rsquo; bellies pained them. Then if their mothers put their
-bellies near to each other they got well. Then the children were born.
-In the jhums when they were placed apart in the jhum house while their
-mothers were at work they always got together. When they grew bigger
-they loved each other, and Ngamboma wanted to marry Khuptingi, but
-their fathers and mothers did not think it wise. Then Ngamboma made an
-image of Khuptingi in beeswax and tied it to a stump of a tree on the
-bank of the stream, and whenever the water rose Khuptingi got ill and
-when it went down she got better. Thus it went on for one year. One day
-the stream rose and carried away Khuptingi&rsquo;s image, then
-Khuptingi died. They placed her body in a dead-house. From the decaying
-matter which fell from her body flowers sprang up, and Ngamboma watched
-them always. One day a wild cat was going to take away those flowers,
-but Ngamboma caught it and said, &lsquo;Why did you think to steal my
-flowers&mdash;I&rsquo;ll just kill you?&rsquo; he said. Then the wild
-cat&mdash;&lsquo;Protector! Do not kill me; I am sent by
-Khuptingi,&rsquo; he said. Then Ngamboma&mdash;&lsquo;Where is
-Khuptingi, then?&rsquo; he said. Then the wild cat&mdash;&lsquo;If you
-catch hold of my tail we will both go (to her),&rsquo; he said. Then
-the wild cat towed him to the village in which Khuptingi was in the
-sky, in Mi-thi-khua (the dead-people&rsquo;s-village), and they arrived
-at Khuptingi&rsquo;s house and they slept there, and they ate rice also
-together. When they slept together Khuptingi was only bare bones, and
-Ngamboma said, &lsquo;What bones are these?<span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e7155" title="Not in source">&rsquo;</span> and he threw them to
-the top of the wall and to the bottom of the wall (<i>i.e.</i>, all
-about the room). Then the next day Khuptingi&mdash;&lsquo;I am not
-well,&rsquo; she said. Ngamboma&mdash;&lsquo;What is the reason?&rsquo;
-he said. The Khuptingi&mdash;&lsquo;Last night when I was sleeping near
-you you threw me to the top of the wall and to the bottom of the wall;
-for that reason I am in pain,&rsquo; she said. Then their villagers
-said, &lsquo;Let us go and fish,&rsquo; they said. They went. The place
-where they caught fish&mdash;indeed it was not a stream, it was a patch
-of bamboo. The dead called the bamboo leaves fish, and they filled
-their baskets cram-full, but Ngamboma said to <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb211" href="#pb211" name=
-"pb211">211</a>]</span>himself, &lsquo;They will stop the holes in the
-baskets with the leaves when they come to the stream so that the fish
-may not fall out by accident,&rsquo; he said, and he stopped the holes
-(in his basket) with leaves. Then they all returned to the village.
-Ngamboma, by diverting a stream, caught a few fish and returned. When
-they reached their houses the dead roasted the leaves which they called
-fish, but when Ngamboma tried to roast them the leaves all burnt up.
-Then Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, &lsquo;The others have caught so many
-fish; why have you caught so few?&rsquo; Ngamboma roasted the real fish
-which he had caught, but they burnt up just like the bamboo leaves.
-Then one day the people again went out to hunt. In the place where they
-went hunting they saw a huge black caterpillar; the dead called it a
-bear. Ngamboma did not see it, and by accident trod on it and killed
-it. Then the dead said to Ngamboma, &lsquo;That bear which ran towards
-you, have you seen it?&rsquo; they said. Ngamboma&mdash;&lsquo;I have
-not seen it,&rsquo; he said. Presently they saw the caterpillar which
-he had trodden on, &lsquo;Hei-le! Why, you have shot it!&rsquo; they
-said. They carried it up to the village and all the dead ate up its
-flesh entirely. Ngamboma, however, did not care to eat any of it. Then
-Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, &lsquo;Living people and dead people, we
-shall not be able to live together comfortably; therefore, if you now
-build yourself a house here and then return to your home, when you die
-you will be able to live in it?&rsquo;&mdash;thus Khuptingi said. So he
-set to work to build a house. The dead called the arum trees, and they
-split them with axes and built (with them), but Ngamboma just split
-those arums with his nail very quickly. &lsquo;Can one build houses
-with such stuff?&rsquo; he said. Then, splitting real trees into
-planks, he built his house. Then Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, &lsquo;If
-you go to your house and call all the villagers together and sacrifice
-a mithan, and when you have finished eating its flesh you put on very
-good cloths and wear round your neck the sacrificial rope (the rope the
-mithan was bound with), and call on my name, then you will die and will
-be able to come to our village,&rsquo; she said. Just as Khuptingi said
-it came to pass; he died as he was lying on his bed, then they were
-able to live together <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb212" href=
-"#pb212" name="pb212">212</a>]</span>with comfort. When he saw the
-house that he had built in Mi-thi-khua, he said, &lsquo;Who built that
-house?&rsquo; The dead said to him, &lsquo;You built it while you were
-alive.&rsquo; Then they married in Mi-thi-khua, it is said.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;It is because of this story of Ngamboma and
-Khuptingi that we say nowadays people are in Mi-thi-khua.&rdquo;
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb213" href="#pb213" name=
-"pb213">213</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch2.5" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e522">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER V</h2>
-<h2 class="main">THE LAKHER OR MARA CLAN</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">This clan emigrated from the neighbourhood of
-Thlan-tlang (called by the Chin Hills officers Klang-klang) in
-comparatively recent times. They are closely allied to the Southern
-Chins, and a description of them belongs more properly to the Chin
-Monograph. Much of the information in Messrs Carey and Tuck&rsquo;s
-Gazetteer regarding the Southern Chins applies to the Lakhers. I
-therefore propose to give only a brief description here.</p>
-<p class="par">The clan calls itself Mara, Lakher being the name used
-by the Lushais. The Chins, I believe, call them Zo, and the Arracan
-name for them is Klongshai. The following extract from my diary, dated
-10th February, 1891, gives a brief account of the advent of this
-clan:&mdash;&ldquo;In the evening I had a long talk with the chiefs and
-found out the origin, according to them, of the feud with the Mrungs
-(in the Chittagong Hill tracts). In the lifetime of Thonglien&rsquo;s
-father, the Bohmong of that time sent to ask the Mara clan to come and
-make friends. A deputation went, taking with them two large elephant
-tusks as a peace offering. The Bohmong had two of the party
-treacherously killed, and hence the feud which has led to so much
-bloodshed. I am told that the first Mara to come here (Saiha) were a
-colony under one of Thonglien&rsquo;s ancestors. They came from
-Thlan-tlang to where Vongthu now is, and then moved further east till
-they settled somewhere on the Blue Mountain. Finding themselves too
-small a colony to hold their own, they sent for the rest of the clan,
-who, under Lianchi, Hmunklinga&rsquo;s great-grandfather, came and
-settled where Ramri now is. After <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb214"
-href="#pb214" name="pb214">214</a>]</span>a few years a few of the
-Chinja tribe arrived and were received into the village. These were
-followed by more and more until eventually the Mara left the Chinja in
-possession of Ramri and moved across the Blue Mountain, where they have
-remained ever since.&rdquo; There are other Lakher villages besides
-those referred to in the above extract, and the clan is found in
-considerable strength to the south of the Lushai Hills boundary, in
-territory which is at present unadministered. Members of the clan are
-also found in the Lushai and Chin villages adjoining the real Lakher
-country, which lies in the loop of the Koladyne or Kaladan river, south
-of latitude 22&deg;3&acute;.</p>
-<p class="par">Their villages are more permanent than those of the
-Lushais though the houses are built of the same materials, the
-proximity of large supplies of bamboos having led the immigrants to
-abandon the substantial timber buildings of the land of their origin
-for more flimsy structures. The sites are, however, levelled and the
-villages are seldom moved. Before the reign of peace which has followed
-our occupation of the Hills, each village was surrounded by a triple
-line of stockading or by an impenetrable belt of thorny jungle, through
-which a narrow pathway, defended by three gates, led to the village.
-Inside the houses the sleeping platforms of the Lushais are absent and
-the hearth is in the middle of the floor. If the owner has slaves or a
-married son, the interior is divided into compartments by partitions
-which extend three-quarters of the way across the house.</p>
-<p class="par">The men smoke but little, but much relish the nicotine
-water from the women&rsquo;s pipes, which differ slightly in shape from
-those used by their Lushai cousins.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Dress.</i>&mdash;I have been unable to detect any
-difference in dress between the Lakhers and the Southern Chins. The men
-wear a narrow loin-cloth twisted round the waist, one end being passed
-between the legs and slipped under the waist-band, the only other
-garment being a cloth about 7 feet by 5, worn as the Lushais wear
-theirs, and made either of cotton or silk. Blue and white check cloths
-are very much fancied, but are imported from Burma, whence also comes a
-very rough cotton <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb215" href="#pb215"
-name="pb215">215</a>]</span>cloth with large brown checks. The silk
-cloths are made by the women and are fine pieces of work, taking an
-industrious woman as much as a year to weave.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e7189width" id="p215"><img src="images/p215.jpg"
-alt="LAKHER CHIEF AND FAMILY" width="510" height="720">
-<p class="figureHead">LAKHER CHIEF AND FAMILY</p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The dress of the women is more elaborate&mdash;several
-petticoats reaching almost to the ground and held up by a massive brass
-girdle, made after the pattern of the chain of a cog-wheel. These
-petticoats are generally of dark blue cotton, but sometimes the outer
-one is a very elaborately worked piece of silk, similar in pattern to
-the man&rsquo;s cloth. Each petticoat is merely a strip of cloth wide
-enough to go one and a half times or even twice round the body.</p>
-<p class="par">While clothing her nether extremities thus decently, the
-Lakher woman wears a jacket which consists really of little more than
-two very short sleeves joined at the back and tied loosely together in
-front. This absurd little garment does not by several inches reach to
-her petticoat. The jacket is generally of home-made cloth or silk of a
-pattern similar to the men&rsquo;s cloths. A loose cloth of the
-favourite blue and white check is wrapped round the body for warmth,
-but discarded when any work is being done.</p>
-<p class="par">The men wear the hair tied in a knot above the forehead.
-A very narrow turban is often worn, being passed round the back of the
-head low down and the ends twisted round the knot of hair. Chiefs
-affect the high turban of the Thlan-tlangs.</p>
-<p class="par">Women wear nothing on their heads, except in wet
-weather, when both sexes wear hats like the Lushais. The raincoat of
-the Chins is also used. Special cloths and plumes are worn by those who
-have killed men or given certain feasts, as among the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par"><i>Ornaments.</i>&mdash;The amber necklaces so dear to
-the Lushais do not find much favour with this clan, who value
-especially necklaces of a stuff known as &ldquo;pumtek,&rdquo; but as
-this is very rare, necklaces of glass-beads, cornelians, buttons,
-coins, etc., are generally all that commoners can obtain. The women are
-particularly fond of necklaces; the men wear but few, which is in
-marked contrast to the custom of the Lushais.</p>
-<p class="par">The men ornament their top-knots with combs, the backs
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb216" href="#pb216" name=
-"pb216">216</a>]</span>of which are sometimes of ivory, sometimes of
-wood lacquered in various patterns. A long pin of iron or bone is
-always worn in the top-knot, and is used for scratching the head as
-well as for cleaning out the pipe.</p>
-<p class="par">The women wear their hair rolled round a very heavy
-two-pronged brass skewer, the weight of which, sometimes as much as 3
-lbs., keeps the hair low down on the nape of the neck.</p>
-<div class="div2 section"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h3 class="main"><span class="sc">Constitution of Society.</span></h3>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The Lakhers, in common with the Chins, are less
-democratic than the Lushais and their cognates. The power of the chiefs
-is greater, and the chiefs&rsquo; relatives and other wealthy people
-form a kind of peerage and lord it over the lesser fry, being seldom
-interfered with unless their doings endanger the interests of the
-chief. Slaves with the Lakhers are real slaves, not merely unpaid
-servants as among the Lushais. A slave is the absolute property of his
-master, and may be sold like any other possession. Female slaves are
-not allowed to marry, but are encouraged to become mothers, as their
-children are the property of their owners. Male slaves who win their
-master&rsquo;s favour are sometimes married at their owner&rsquo;s
-expense, but they and their children remain slaves. Parents and other
-relations sell children when they are in pecuniary difficulties, and
-captives taken in war are naturally the slaves of their captors.</p>
-<p class="par">In the matter of marriage the Lakher&rsquo;s choice is
-as little limited as that of the Lushai but, owing to the power of the
-upper class, there is great competition to secure a bride of good
-birth, and this leads to girls being married before they attain
-puberty. After her marriage such a child-wife helps in the household of
-her husband&rsquo;s mother, but sleeps with her own parents. The
-following extract from a report on the Lakhers sent me by Mr. Whalley,
-of the E. Bengal and Assam Police, cannot be improved
-on:&mdash;&ldquo;The advanced age, as regards males, at which marriage
-takes place is due to the recognised obligation on the part of every
-male to marry the daughter of a house of higher standing than his own,
-with the consequently disproportionate advance in the amount of the
-marriage price. Too frequently a male on coming into his inheritance is
-occupied <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb217" href="#pb217" name=
-"pb217">217</a>]</span>during his years of vigour in paying off the
-debt of his mother&rsquo;s marriage price, and can only afford to take
-a wife of a higher station than his own when he is no longer capable of
-becoming a father. In the interval he takes a concubine, generally of a
-lower class than his own. On the other hand, the marriage or betrothal
-of children by their parents is common. Such marriages are on two
-scales. In both from the date of betrothal the bridegroom commences to
-pay the marriage price in irregular instalments; in one, however, he
-contracts, if he becomes a father by his bride, to pay the whole
-marriage price, and can claim the return of all payments made if the
-decease of his bride precedes such an event; in the other he pays only
-a proportion of the whole fixed beforehand, which is not recoverable,
-even if marriage is never consummated. The first is in more general
-favour with parents, as even in the case of the death of the
-prospective bride it is by no means certain that, in view of the
-disparity in position of the families, the bridegroom will be able to
-compel disgorgement of the instalments paid.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;The above description of customs refers
-<i>mutatis mutandis</i> to all classes of society except slaves. The
-desirability of an unmarried girl varies directly with the social
-position of the parents; appearance, industry, and chastity are
-entirely subordinate factors, and exercise very little influence on the
-marriage price demanded. There is a strange custom by which a husband
-who finds his wife incompatible may exchange her for any of her sisters
-still unmarried. A younger brother, again, whose parents are dead, even
-though already married, takes over as a rule the wife as well as the
-liability of an elder brother who has predeceased him. The precedence
-of such wives should be regulated solely by the position of their
-parents, and breaches of this rule, owing to the partiality of the
-husband, lead frequently to bitter feuds.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The following valuable note on the marriage price of a
-Lakher girl, and on the dues payable at death, by Mr. R. A. Lorrain, is
-inserted just as received:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">The important position occupied by the bride&rsquo;s
-eldest brother and her maternal uncle are noticeable. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb218" href="#pb218" name="pb218">218</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">PARTICULARS OF MARRIAGE PRICE PAID BY A MARA FOR HIS
-BRIDE.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e7235src" href="#xd24e7235" name=
-"xd24e7235src">1</a></p>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="verticalBorderInside xd24e7282">
-<thead>
-<tr class="label">
-<td colspan="3" rowspan="2" class=
-"rowspan colspan xd24e7290 xd24e7283 cellHeadLeft cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">
-<span class="sc">Name of Price.</span></td>
-<td colspan="2" class=
-"borderBottom colspan xd24e7290 xd24e7286 cellHeadTop"><span class=
-"sc">Amount of Price.</span><a class="noteref" id="xd24e7298src" href=
-"#xd24e7298" name="xd24e7298src">2</a></td>
-<td rowspan="2" class=
-"rowspan xd24e7290 xd24e3457 cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">No.</td>
-<td rowspan="2" class=
-"rowspan xd24e7290 xd24e7289 cellHeadRight cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">
-<span class="sc">To whom price is paid and other particulars in regard
-to the Marriage Customs of the Mara Tribes.</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr class="label">
-<td class="xd24e7290 xd24e7286 cellHeadBottom">Common People.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7290 xd24e7286 cellHeadBottom">Ruling Clan.</td>
-</tr>
-</thead>
-<tbody>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">O-Kia</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 20/-<br>
-Gong (7 spans).<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 150/-<br>
-One slave.<br>
-Two Mithan.</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">1</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"><i>When the whole family live in the
-same house</i>, none of the sons having their own houses, then the
-Prices Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and Nos. 9, 10, 11, have all to be paid
-to the father of the bride.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Sei-pi-hra</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 20/-<br>
-Gong (7 spans).<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 50/-<br>
-One Mithan<br>
-(female).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">2</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"><i>If the family is divided</i> and the
-eldest son has a house of his own, then the father has price No. 11 and
-the eldest son must have price No 1, while the prices Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5,
-6, and Nos. 9, 10, are at the eldest son&rsquo;s disposal and he may or
-may not share with the youngest son as he pleases.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Chaw chyu</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 20/-<br>
-Gong (7 spans).<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 50/-<br>
-One Mithan.<br>
-Gun (syul&ocirc;).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">3</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Sei-chei-hra</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs 20/-<br>
-Gong (7 spans).<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs 50/-<br>
-One Mithan.<br>
-Gun (syul&ocirc;).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">4</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">N&ocirc;-hla</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 10/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">5</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Saw-hla</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 1/-<br>
-Full grown hen</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">6</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Kei-ma</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">7</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight">No. 7 has to be paid to the friend of
-the father of the bride if the sons and father live in the same house.
-But if the family is divided, the eldest son having his own house, then
-this must be paid to his friend instead of the father&rsquo;s.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Lao-khyu</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/<span class="corr" id="xd24e7454" title=
-"Source: .">-</span><br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">8</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight">No. 8 has to be paid to the
-bride&rsquo;s mother&rsquo;s brother (bride&rsquo;s uncle).</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Rai-pi-hra</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 10/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Rai-pi).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">9</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Aw-rua-baw-na</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 50/-<br>
-One Mithan.<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">10</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb219"
-href="#pb219" name="pb219">219</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td rowspan="3" class="noBorderRight rowspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">
-Si-sa-zi or chhi-sa-zi.</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="noBorderLeft noBorderRight rowspan"><img src=
-"images/lbrace8.png" alt="" width="16" height="136"></td>
-<td class="noBorderLeft xd24e7283">a U-thei-pa</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 10/-<br>
-A &ldquo;Sisa&rdquo; bead.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 20/-<br>
-A &ldquo;Sisa&rdquo; bead.</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e3457">11</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e7289 cellRight">
-<i>Note.</i>&mdash;No. 11, divided into three sums, has to be given on
-engagement before marriage, and is kept by the father of the
-bride.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="noBorderLeft xd24e7283">a Lia-pa</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(5 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 10/<span class="corr" id="xd24e7534" title=
-"Source: .">-</span><br>
-A &ldquo;Sisa&rdquo; bead.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="noBorderLeft xd24e7283">a Sei-hnai-pa</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/<span class="corr" id="xd24e7550" title=
-"Source: .">-</span><br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="7" class="xd24e7559 colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft cellRight">
-PU-MA.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e7561src" href="#xd24e7561" name=
-"xd24e7561src">3</a></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">A-ma-pi</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 20/-<br>
-Gong (7 spans).<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 150/-<br>
-One slave.<br>
-Two Mithan.</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">12</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight">Pu-ma has to be paid by the bridegroom
-to the bride&rsquo;s &ldquo;Pu-pa,&rdquo; that is, the bride&rsquo;s
-mother&rsquo;s brother (uncle). He therefore receives the prices Nos.
-12, 13, 14, 15 and 18.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Aw-rua-baw-na</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 50/<span class="corr" id="xd24e7596" title=
-"Source: .">-</span><br>
-One Mithan.<br>
-Gun.</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">13</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">N&ocirc;-hla</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 10/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">14</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Saw-hla</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 1/-<br>
-Full grown hen.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">15</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Kei-ma</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/-<br>
-Beer pot<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">16</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight">No. 16 has to be paid to the friend of
-the &ldquo;Pu-pa&rdquo; (bride&rsquo;s uncle).</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">Lao-khyu</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 5/-<br>
-Beer pot.<br>
-(Ra-cha).</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457">17</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight">No. 17 has to be paid to the
-bride&rsquo;s grandmother&rsquo;s brother on her mother&rsquo;s side
-(bride&rsquo;s great uncle), or it is sometimes paid the
-&ldquo;Pu-pa&rsquo;s&rdquo; (bride&rsquo;s uncles) wife&rsquo;s father
-(father of aunt by marriage on the mother&rsquo;s side).</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td rowspan="3" class="noBorderRight rowspan xd24e7283 cellLeft">
-Pha-vaw.</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="noBorderLeft noBorderRight rowspan"><img src=
-"images/lbrace8.png" alt="" width="16" height="136"></td>
-<td class="noBorderLeft xd24e7283">a U-thei-pa</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 7/-<br>
-A &ldquo;Sisa&rdquo; bead.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 20/-<br>
-A &ldquo;Sisa&rdquo; bead.</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e3457">18</td>
-<td rowspan="3" class="rowspan xd24e7289 cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="noBorderLeft xd24e7283">a Lia-pa</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans).</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 10/-<br>
-A &ldquo;Sisa&rdquo; bead.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="noBorderLeft xd24e7283">a Sei-hnai-pa</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 1/-<br>
-A large fowl.</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286">Rs. 2/-<br>
-Brass pot<br>
-(4 spans). <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb220" href="#pb220" name=
-"pb220">220</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="7" class="xd24e7559 colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft cellRight">
-DEATH DUE.<a class="noteref" id="xd24e7726src" href="#xd24e7726" name=
-"xd24e7726src">4</a></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td colspan="3" class="colspan xd24e7283 cellLeft cellBottom">Ru</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286 cellBottom">
-<p class="par first">Rs. 10/- or more.<br>
-Gong.</p>
-<p class="par">This price is often nearly as heavy as the
-&ldquo;O-kia.&rdquo;</p>
-</td>
-<td class="xd24e7286 cellBottom">
-<p class="par first">Rs. 80/- or more.<br>
-One Mithan (large).</p>
-<p class="par">This price is often nearly as heavy as the
-&ldquo;O-kia.&rdquo;</p>
-</td>
-<td class="xd24e3457 cellBottom">19</td>
-<td class="xd24e7289 cellRight cellBottom">
-<p class="par first">At the <i>death of a wife</i> this price has to be
-paid as a death due by the husband to the dead wife&rsquo;s father or
-eldest brother as the case may be.</p>
-<p class="par">At the <i>death of a husband</i> the eldest son of the
-dead man has to pay the price to his father&rsquo;s mother&rsquo;s
-brother (the dead man&rsquo;s uncle).</p>
-<p class="par">If there is no son, the dead man&rsquo;s brother will
-pay, and then the dead man&rsquo;s daughters, when they marry, their
-marriage prices will go to this brother of the dead man (his
-nieces&rsquo; marriage prices).</p>
-<p class="par">If there are no daughters then he has his dead
-brother&rsquo;s possessions as a recompense, and he will also care for
-the widow unless she prefers to go to her own family once again.</p>
-</td>
-</tr>
-</tbody>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">One out of each of the above prices has to be paid by
-the bridegroom before he is out of debt for his bride, and it will be
-found that:&mdash;</p>
-<ul>
-<li>(1) An <i>ordinary person</i> has to give for his bride about Rs.
-153/-, or &pound;10 4s.</li>
-<li>(2) One of the <i>ruling clan</i> has to give for his bride about
-Rs. 671/-, or &pound;44 14s. 8d.</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">Then at death the death-due must be
-met,</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">for No. 1, from Rs. 10/- to 20/-, or 13/4
-to &pound;1 6s. 8d.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom"></td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">for No. 2, from Rs. 80/- to 150/-, or
-&pound;5 6s. 8d. to &pound;10.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Needless to say, many of these prices are kept on
-credit, and often have to be met after death by the son or the
-son&rsquo;s son, making it a terribly complicated matter on the
-whole.</p>
-<p class="par signed"><span class="sc">Reginald A. Lorrain</span>,</p>
-<p class="par signed"><i>Pioneer Missionary to the Lakhers&rsquo; or
-Maras&rsquo;</i>.</p>
-<p class="par dateline"><i>May 4th, 1911.</i></p>
-<p class="tb"></p>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">Offences against property and person can generally be
-settled by payment of a fine, but the Lakhers have no fixed custom in
-such matters, and a person of quality generally takes the law into his
-own hands if he considers himself aggrieved.</p>
-<p class="par">Head-hunting used to be indulged in and is still
-practised by the Lakhers in unadministered tracks. In case of a
-chief&rsquo;s death it was proper to kill someone of a distant village
-before drums or gongs were beaten, but it was thought
-&ldquo;thianglo&rdquo; to bring back the head on such an occasion. As
-regards their religious beliefs, the Lakher equivalent of Pathian is
-Khazang. Mr. Whalley writes:&mdash;&ldquo;All spirits, with one
-doubtful exception to be noted later, whether malignant or benign, are
-slaves of the great spirit Khazang or Loitha. Whereas the <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb221" href="#pb221" name=
-"pb221">221</a>]</span>attributes and the names of the lesser spirits
-vary from village to village and individual to individual, this great
-spirit has a firmer outline and permits of some attempt at description.
-The picture they draw is primitive, almost touching in its
-childishness. The Khazang or Loitha is small and brown and almost
-hairless. He is capable of sexual love and has children. He is material
-in his essence, but superior to natural laws such as those of time,
-space, and gravity. He is immortal, and has an immaterial wife and
-immaterial children. For his continuance the world exists with its
-revenue. In their own phrase he &lsquo;eats&rsquo; the domains of the
-lesser spirits through all nature as a chief &lsquo;eats&rsquo;
-villages (<i>i.e.</i>, receives tribute in supplies from villages). He
-regards individual men much as these same men regard individual ants.
-Nearer to the heart and farther from the intelligence of the Lakhers is
-the mysterious Pi-leh-pu, the all-mother and all-father (strictly
-translated &lsquo;grandmother&rsquo; and &lsquo;grandfather,&rsquo; the
-term is generally used for ancestors)&mdash;a being not
-anthropomorphised or materialised, partaking in some shadowy way of the
-functions both of guardian angel and of originator of the human
-race.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">In the course of my enquiries I did not come across any
-references to Pi-leh-pu, but there seems good reason to think that the
-term is applied to the mythical ancestor of the clan. In the Lushai
-Mi-thi-rawp-lam, it will be remembered that in the centre of the frame
-round which the effigies of the ancestors of the celebrants are
-fastened there is a white effigy to represent the mythical ancestor of
-the whole clan. In some respects Pi-leh-pu seems to resemble the Lushai
-Sakhua.</p>
-<p class="par">The Ram-huai of the Lushais are known as
-&ldquo;Hri-pa&rdquo; and the L&#257;shi as &ldquo;Sakhia.&rdquo; After
-death the spirits pass to Mi-thi-khua, the road to which is by the
-village of Lunchoi and passes up a precipice. It is so narrow that
-women with child have to widen it as they go, for which purpose a hoe
-is buried with them, or at least laid beside the corpse during the
-funeral feast. Pial-ral is called &ldquo;Pe-ra&rsquo;,&rdquo; and to
-reach it all sorts of animals must be killed and the Ai ceremony
-performed for each. The Khuangchoi feast is also considered, if not
-absolutely necessary, at least very useful. Triumphs in the courts of
-Venus will not help the spirit to pass to Pe-ra&rsquo;. Women can only
-reach that <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb222" href="#pb222" name=
-"pb222">222</a>]</span>happy place if their husbands take them. A
-series of feasts or sacrifices closely resembling the Thangchhuah feast
-of the Lushais is performed, but I was assured that the
-performer&rsquo;s state in the next world was not in any way affected
-thereby, the feasts being equivalent to the Lushai Sakhua sacrifice.
-The series consists of&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">Vok-rial.&mdash;A very small pig which has been brought
-up in the house is killed and eaten.</p>
-<p class="par">Vok-pa.&mdash;A boar of five fists&rsquo; height which
-has been brought up in the house is killed, a black hen being also
-sacrificed at the same time.</p>
-<p class="par">The &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; are kept inside the house for
-three days, during which time none of the household may do any work,
-but the house is not closed and anyone may share in the feast. The
-Vok-rial is performed three times and the Vok-pa twice, and then a
-mithan is killed and all share in the feast. The performer of the
-She-shun may not cross a big stream or enter another village till he
-has sacrificed a hen. Subsequently he again performs Vok-rial, which is
-said to conclude the sacrifices to Sakhua. A feast in which two mithan
-are killed is called &ldquo;Bawi.&rdquo; It is followed by Khuangchoi,
-in which at least five mithan must be slain.</p>
-<p class="par">The spirits of the dead are supposed to become mist
-after having lived two or three lives in the other world.</p>
-<p class="par">Ten days after the birth of a child the mother goes to
-the water supply and washes herself. She then takes the child to her
-father&rsquo;s house, where she receives some rice and a fowl, which
-she takes home and eats. Sacrifices are not done at this time.
-Children&rsquo;s heads are shaved at three months, and the hair is
-allowed to grow at nine years with girls and at eleven with boys. The
-bodies of stillborn children are buried outside the village without any
-ceremony, but no purification, either of the house or village, is
-considered necessary.</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="marginnote">Death.</span> The usual funeral
-feast, which in the case of wealthy persons may last three to five
-days, precedes the burial. Some time afterwards a second feast is given
-and a portion is put aside for the spirit of the deceased. At the
-funeral feast the corpse is laid out with fine cloths and ornaments and
-a dance is performed by two women and one man. In other respects the
-Lakher <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb223" href="#pb223" name=
-"pb223">223</a>]</span>and Lushai customs are very much alike. There is
-an annual feast in honour of those who have died during the year. It is
-called &ldquo;Lachhia.&rdquo; A pig is killed and the young men and
-maidens dance attired in their best clothes, and the usual large
-quantities of zu are consumed.</p>
-<div class="figure xd24e7840width" id="p223"><img src="images/p223.jpg"
-alt="Lakher Baskets." width="720" height="527">
-<p class="figureHead"><span class="sc">Lakher Baskets.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">In cases of unnatural death no one may leave the village
-till the sixth day. On the fourth day a hen is sacrificed outside the
-village. The corpse is buried beyond the village boundary fence. Deaths
-in childbirth are considered unnatural deaths. If the firstborn in a
-family dies within a few days of its birth the corpse is buried
-anywhere, without ceremony, and the household abstain from work for one
-day. Such a death is called &ldquo;naw-dawng&rdquo; (Lushai
-&ldquo;hlamzuih&rdquo;).</p>
-<p class="par">Many of the Lushai sacrifices are performed. The
-Kh&#257;l takes the following form:&mdash;A fowl is killed at the head
-of the bed in the name of the father, a month later one is killed in
-the name of the mother, and in successive months one is killed for each
-child. The flesh of these fowls can only be eaten by the parents. The
-Uihring sacrifice is known as &ldquo;An-hmu&rdquo;; a dog is killed
-outside the house, the hills inhabited by their ancestors being named.
-The &ldquo;sherh&rdquo; are hung on a tree or a bamboo. The husbands of
-women who are enceinte may not enter the house on such occasions. The
-following sacrifices of the Lushais are not
-performed&mdash;Hring-ai-tan, Khuavanghring, Tui-leh-ram, Bawlpui. In
-the Thla-ko a cock is killed outside the village and the spirit is
-summoned. Khawhring is unknown, and they maintain that there are no
-wizards or witches among them.</p>
-<p class="par">There are three festivals connected with the
-crops&mdash;(1) &ldquo;Kicheo&rdquo; or &ldquo;Kutsa-zawng,&rdquo;
-which takes place in January; feasting and drinking are the main
-features of this festival, which is preceded by a general hunt, as the
-flesh of wild animals, birds, or land crabs is absolutely necessary.
-(2) &ldquo;Paku,&rdquo; which comes just before the sowing of the rice,
-closely resembles the Lushai Chap-ch&#257;r-kut. (3)
-&ldquo;Lalia&rdquo;&mdash;this corresponds to the Lushai Mimkut; the
-children are fed with maize cakes, and if any member of the family has
-died within the previous year some cakes are put aside for his
-spirit.</p>
-<p class="par">The superstitions of the Lakhers resemble those of the
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb224" href="#pb224" name=
-"pb224">224</a>]</span>Lushais. To kill a python is sure to result in
-the death of the killer. Even to see a loris is unlucky and to kill one
-is fatal. The sight of two snakes copulating will also be followed by
-serious illness, if not by death. The Lushai Chawifa is known as
-&ldquo;Thla-shi-pu,&rdquo; and if it falls in the jungle that is the
-place to cut your jhum, for then you are sure of a good crop. It seems
-that Thla-shi-pu is merely a meteor; the Lakhers have not surrounded
-this natural phenomenon with the myths which the more imaginative
-Lushais delight in. In choosing the site for a village a cock is taken,
-and if it does not crow the site will not be selected, but if one of
-the party dream of dead persons or bad things this is also sufficient
-cause for rejecting the site.</p>
-<p class="par">Among the Lakhers there are no priests of any sort;
-every man is his own priest. At the marriage ceremony the fowl is
-killed by the man who has arranged the match. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb225" href="#pb225" name="pb225">225</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e7235" href="#xd24e7235src" name="xd24e7235">1</a></span> At the
-wedding the bridegroom has to kill half the number of pigs that are
-killed by the bride&rsquo;s family, thus:&mdash;</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">Bride&rsquo;s family,</td>
-<td class="cellTop">5</td>
-<td class="cellTop">pigs killed; the bridegroom kills</td>
-<td class="cellTop">3</td>
-<td class="cellTop">pigs</td>
-<td class="cellTop">=</td>
-<td class="cellTop">8</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">pigs.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">Bride&rsquo;s</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">family,</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span></td>
-<td class="cellBottom">10</td>
-<td class="cellBottom"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">pigs</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">killed;</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">the</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">bridegroom</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">kills</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span></td>
-<td class="cellBottom">5</td>
-<td class="cellBottom"><span class="ditto"><span class=
-"s">pigs</span><span class="d"><span class=
-"i">,,</span></span></span></td>
-<td class="cellBottom">=</td>
-<td class="cellBottom">15</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">pigs.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href="#xd24e7235src">&uarr;</a>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e7298" href="#xd24e7298src" name="xd24e7298">2</a></span> The
-amount of price in these columns are all equal to one another in value
-and the bridegroom chooses only one out of each price according to what
-he has.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow" href="#xd24e7298src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e7561" href="#xd24e7561src" name="xd24e7561">3</a></span> If the
-&ldquo;Pupa&rdquo; wishes for these prices to be paid he has to go to
-the bridegroom&rsquo;s house after the marriage (some other day) and
-kill a big pig. Then the prices have to be met quickly, or at least
-some of them, and the bridegroom also has to go to the
-&ldquo;Pupa&rsquo;s&rdquo; house and kill a pig in exchange for the pig
-that was killed for him. If the &ldquo;Pupa&rdquo; is dead (or when
-dead) his children can claim the prices in his stead<span class="corr"
-id="xd24e7563" title="Not in source">.</span>&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow"
-href="#xd24e7561src">&uarr;</a></p>
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e7726" href="#xd24e7726src" name="xd24e7726">4</a></span> The
-death-due upon a woman is heavier than that upon a man. The death-due
-upon a prosperous man is more than that upon a poor man.&nbsp;<a class=
-"fnarrow" href="#xd24e7726src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div id="ch2.6" class="div1 appendix"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#xd24e533">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="label">CHAPTER VI</h2>
-<h2 class="main">LANGUAGE</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">The languages of all the clans dealt with in this
-monograph, except the Lakher, are very similar, and also bear a strong
-resemblance to those of their neighbours.</p>
-<p class="par">Dr. Grierson, in the &ldquo;Linguistic Survey of
-India,&rdquo; uses the term &ldquo;Kuki-Chin&rdquo; to describe all the
-languages spoken by the clans I have dealt with and their cognates, but
-he adds:&mdash;&ldquo;Meithei-Chin would be a better appellation, as
-the whole group can be sub-divided into two sub-groups, the Meitheis
-(Manipuris) and the various tribes which are known to us under the
-names of Kuki and Chin.&rdquo; Dr. Grierson considers that all the
-Kuki-Chin languages belong to the Burmese branch of the Tibeto-Burman
-family, and he subdivides them as follows:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">I. Meithei,*<a class="noteref" id="xd24e7869src" href=
-"#xd24e7869" name="xd24e7869src">1</a> or Manipuri.</p>
-<p class="par">II. Chin languages&mdash;</p>
-<ul>
-<li>1. Northern group: Thado, Sokte,* Siyin,* Ralte, and Paite or
-Vuite.</li>
-<li>2. Central group: Tashon,* Lai,* Lakher, Lushai, Banjogi,* and
-Pankhu.*</li>
-<li>3. Old Kuki group: Rhangkhol, Bete (Biate), Hallam, Langrong,
-Aimol, Anal, Chiru, Lamgang, Kolren (Kolhen), Kom, Purum, Mhar (Hmar or
-Khawtlang), and Cha.*</li>
-<li>4. Southern group: Chinme,* Welaung,* Chinbok,* Yindu,* Chinbon,*
-Khyang or Sho,* Khami.*</li>
-</ul>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">With reference to the connection between the different
-clans, Dr. Grierson writes:&mdash;&ldquo;The terms Old Kuki and New
-Kuki are apt to convey the idea that the tribes so denoted are closely
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb226" href="#pb226" name=
-"pb226">226</a>]</span>related to each other. But that is not the case.
-Not only do their customs and institutions differ considerably, but
-their languages are separated by a large group of dialects in the
-Lushai and Chin Hills, and the so-called New Kukis (Thados) are, so far
-as we can see, a Chin tribe, most closely connected to the inhabitants
-of the northern Chin Hills, while the Old Kukis are related to tribes
-more to the south.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">The account of the causes of the Old and New Kuki
-incursions into Cachar, given in Part I, Chap. I, Section 3, which was
-written before I had read Dr. Grierson&rsquo;s book, agrees entirely
-with his conclusions.</p>
-<p class="par">A detailed account has been given in Part I of the
-Lushai language, and, considering the full manner in which the dialects
-of all these tribes have been dealt with by Dr. Grierson in the
-&ldquo;Linguistic Survey of India,&rdquo; it seems superfluous to
-attempt to give outlines of them, and therefore I propose only to draw
-attention to the many points of similarity between them. The works I
-have consulted are:&mdash;&ldquo;The Linguistic Survey of India,&rdquo;
-Vol. II, Part III, Lorrain and Savidge&rsquo;s &ldquo;Grammar and
-Dictionary of the Lushai Language,&rdquo; Mr. T. C. Hodson&rsquo;s
-&ldquo;Grammar and Small Vocabulary of Thado,&rdquo; and the appendix
-to Lieutenant Stewart&rsquo;s &ldquo;Notes on Northern Cachar,&rdquo;
-1855.</p>
-<p class="par">In going through Mr. Hodson&rsquo;s vocabulary of the
-Thado language, the first thing that struck me was the absence of the
-letter R. Further examination showed that where R is used in Lushai and
-certain other languages G or Gh is substituted in Thado. Many instances
-of this will be found in the following comparative vocabulary.</p>
-<p class="par">In many cases F in Lushai, Rhangkhol, and Langrong is
-replaced by Ch, sometimes softened into S in Thado, Manipuri, and some
-Old Kuki dialects. I have so far only found the following examples, but
-the material at my disposal is very insufficient, and I have no doubt
-that, given complete vocabularies, many more would be found:&mdash;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Fa&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;cha&rdquo; in
-Manipuri and Thado, meaning &ldquo;child.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;F&#257;r-nu&rdquo; in Lushai and Langrong,
-&ldquo;ch&#257;r-nu&rdquo; in Aimol, Kolhen and Lamgang,
-&ldquo;s&#257;r-nu&rdquo; in Chiru, Kom, and Hallam, meaning
-&ldquo;sister.&rdquo; <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb227" href=
-"#pb227" name="pb227">227</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;F&#257;k&rdquo; in Langrong,
-&ldquo;ch&#257;k&rdquo; in Manipuri, &ldquo;cha&rdquo; in Aimol, Anal,
-Kolhen, Lamgang, &ldquo;sh&#257;k&rdquo; in Chiru, meaning &ldquo;to
-eat.&rdquo; In Lushai we have &ldquo;chaw-f&#257;k-hun,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;rice-eat-time.&rdquo; Until I found that &ldquo;f&#257;k&rdquo;
-meant &ldquo;to eat&rdquo; in Langrong, the Lushai equivalent for
-dinner-time had always puzzled me, as the Lushai word for &ldquo;to
-eat&rdquo; is &ldquo;ei.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Fawp&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;chop&rdquo; in
-Thado, &ldquo;chup&rdquo; in Purum, meaning &ldquo;to kiss.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;F&#257;ng&rdquo; in Bete,
-&ldquo;ch&#257;ng&rdquo; in Thado, meaning &ldquo;paddy,&rdquo; while
-&ldquo;f&#257;ng&rdquo; in Lushai means &ldquo;a grain.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Fep&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;chep&rdquo; in
-Thado, meaning &ldquo;to suck,&rdquo; as sugar-cane.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Feh&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;to go to the
-jhums,&rdquo; &ldquo;feh&rdquo; in Rhangkhol, &ldquo;to go&rdquo;;
-&ldquo;che&rdquo; in Thado, Aimol, and Anal, and &ldquo;chatpa&rdquo;
-in Manipuri have the same meaning.</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Fing&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;ching&rdquo; in
-Thado, &ldquo;singba&rdquo; in Manipuri, mean &ldquo;wise.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Fu&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;chu&rdquo; in Thado
-mean &ldquo;sugar-cane.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Fang-hma&rdquo; in Lushai, &ldquo;fung-mat&rdquo;
-in Bete, &ldquo;chung-mai&rdquo; in Thado, mean &ldquo;a
-pumpkin.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">N in Lushai sometimes becomes &ldquo;shi&rdquo; in Lai
-or Haka dialect, as &ldquo;ni&rdquo; in Lushai and &ldquo;shi&rdquo; in
-Lai, meaning both &ldquo;to be&rdquo; and &ldquo;aunt.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">G and K are often interchanged and also R, L, and N.</p>
-<p class="par">In Lushai we have &ldquo;lung&rdquo; meaning both
-&ldquo;stone&rdquo; and &ldquo;heart,&rdquo; while in Manipuri we have
-&ldquo;nung&rdquo; meaning &ldquo;stone,&rdquo; and though
-&ldquo;heart&rdquo; is translated by &ldquo;puk,&rdquo; we have
-&ldquo;nung-siba&rdquo; &ldquo;to be sad,&rdquo; evidently composed of
-&ldquo;nung&rdquo; and &ldquo;siba,&rdquo; &ldquo;to die,&rdquo; and
-also &ldquo;nung-ngaiba,&rdquo; meaning &ldquo;happy,&rdquo; showing
-that &ldquo;nung&rdquo; once meant heart.</p>
-<p class="par">In many of these languages, similar words are used but
-have slightly different meanings. For instance, &ldquo;shang&rdquo; in
-Lushai means &ldquo;tall,&rdquo; while in Thado and Manipuri we have
-&ldquo;sang&rdquo; meaning &ldquo;long.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Leng&rdquo; in Lushai means &ldquo;to
-stroll,&rdquo; and &ldquo;lengba&rdquo; in Manipuri means &ldquo;to
-walk,&rdquo; but is only used of important personages who would be
-likely to move slowly and in a dignified manner.</p>
-<p class="par">In Lushai &ldquo;sh&#257;t&rdquo; means &ldquo;to
-cut,&rdquo; but as a Lushai&rsquo;s house <span class="pagenum">[<a id=
-"pb228" href="#pb228" name="pb228">228</a>]</span>consists of timber
-and bamboos, he always uses &ldquo;sh&#257;t&rdquo; when he speaks of
-building a house, and we find &ldquo;sha&rdquo; in Thado and
-&ldquo;s&#257;ba&rdquo; in Manipuri mean &ldquo;to make,&rdquo;
-&ldquo;to build.&rdquo;</p>
-<p class="par">In Lushai the verb &ldquo;ni,&rdquo; &ldquo;to
-be,&rdquo; is conjugated completely, but in Manipuri &ldquo;ni&rdquo;
-means &ldquo;is&rdquo; and has no other tenses.</p>
-<div class="table">
-<table>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellTop">Manipuri:</td>
-<td class="cellTop">Ma</td>
-<td class="cellTop">ai-gi</td>
-<td class="cellTop">i nau</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellTop">ni.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lushai:</td>
-<td>Ama</td>
-<td>ka</td>
-<td>nau</td>
-<td class="cellRight">a ni.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom">English:</td>
-<td class="cellBottom">He</td>
-<td class="cellBottom">my</td>
-<td class="cellBottom">younger</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">brother he is.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-<p class="par">The following comparative vocabulary gives in the first
-two columns the Thado and English words as given by Mr. Hodson. The
-first word in the column of remarks is always Lushai, and where it has
-not exactly the same meaning as the Thado word the correct meaning is
-given; then follow, where necessary, the equivalents in other
-dialects.</p>
-<p class="par">About one word in every three given in Mr.
-Hodson&rsquo;s vocabulary has been found to resemble closely the Lushai
-word having the same or a similar meaning. Mr. Hodson&rsquo;s
-vocabulary has no pretensions to be a complete dictionary of the Thado
-language. Were such available I believe the number of similar words in
-the two dialects would be found to be even greater. As regards the Old
-Kuki dialects the information available is not sufficient to make a
-thorough comparison. It is clear that they are very closely allied to
-Lushai and Thado and to each other. The connection between Manipuri and
-what Dr. Grierson calls the Chin languages will, I believe, be found on
-further enquiry to be closer than at first appears. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb229" href="#pb229" name="pb229">229</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-<div class="footnotes">
-<hr class="fnsep">
-<div class="footnote-body">
-<p class="par footnote"><span class="label"><a class="noteref" id=
-"xd24e7869" href="#xd24e7869src" name="xd24e7869">1</a></span> Clans
-marked * are not dealt with in this monograph.&nbsp;<a class="fnarrow"
-href="#xd24e7869src">&uarr;</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="back">
-<div class="div1 vocabulary"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY OF THADO AND LUSHAI LANGUAGES,
-WITH NOTES ON THE OTHER CHIN LANGUAGES AND MANIPURI OR MEITHEI.</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<div class="table">
-<table class="xd24e5621">
-<thead>
-<tr class="label">
-<td class="cellHeadLeft cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">Thado.</td>
-<td class="cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">English.</td>
-<td class="cellHeadRight cellHeadTop cellHeadBottom">Lushai and
-Remarks.</td>
-</tr>
-</thead>
-<tbody>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">&#256;</td>
-<td>Fowl</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ar. Old Kuki dialects, Ar.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">&#256;-eng or A-yeng</td>
-<td>Turmeric</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ai-eng. Beteh, Aishel.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">&#256;i</td>
-<td>Crab</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ai. Beteh, Iae.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">&#256;-le</td>
-<td>True, right</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Awle, all right.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ashi</td>
-<td>Star</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Arshi. Old Kuki dialects the same.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">B&#257;n</td>
-<td>Arm</td>
-<td class="cellRight">B&#257;n.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Bat</td>
-<td>To owe</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Bat.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Be</td>
-<td>To beat a drum</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Beng.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Be</td>
-<td>Pulse</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Be, all sorts of peas and beans.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Bon</td>
-<td>To wrestle</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Buan.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Bong</td>
-<td>Cow</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Se-bong.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Bong-hlo</td>
-<td>Mud</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Bol-hlawh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Bu</td>
-<td>Paddy</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Buh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Chem</td>
-<td>Dao</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Chem. Same in Old Kuki dialect.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Chep</td>
-<td>To suck</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Fep.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Chi</td>
-<td>Salt</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Chi; and in Old Kuki dialects also.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Chok</td>
-<td>To buy</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Chawk. In most Old Kuki dialects, Chok or Chak,
-and Purum has Lei, which is the commoner word in Lushai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Da</td>
-<td>To spread</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Da, to put.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Chol</td>
-<td>Tired</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Chawl, to rest when tired.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Cham</td>
-<td>Level</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Cham.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Dang</td>
-<td>Other</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Dang.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Dai-tui</td>
-<td>Dew</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Dai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">D&#257;ngka</td>
-<td>Silver</td>
-<td class="cellRight">T&#257;ngka.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Deng</td>
-<td>To beat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Deng, to pound, to hammer.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ding</td>
-<td>To stand</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ding.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Di</td>
-<td>Correct</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Dik.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Doi</td>
-<td>Magic</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Doi; and in Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Doi</td>
-<td>Weak</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Doih, cowardly.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Dui</td>
-<td>To love</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Duh, to like, to desire.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Dum</td>
-<td>Tobacco</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Dum-ei, Dum-bawm, tobacco box; but the usual word
-is Vai-hlo.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Eng</td>
-<td>Yellow</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Eng.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ga</td>
-<td>Fruit</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ra; also Beteh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Gam-la</td>
-<td>Distant</td>
-<td class="cellRight">R&#257;m, country; Hla, distant. In Old Kuki
-dialects, La, Hla, and Lak.<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb230" href=
-"#pb230" name="pb230">230</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Gam-mang</td>
-<td>Forest</td>
-<td class="cellRight">R&#257;m. The Lushai Hills being covered with
-forest, Ram means both country and forest. Mang appears in the
-Manipuri, U-Mang.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ge</td>
-<td>To pass the night</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ria(k). <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri. Lek.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Gel</td>
-<td>Hail</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rial. Manipuri, Lel.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghai</td>
-<td>Pregnant</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Gh&#257;l</td>
-<td>Enemy</td>
-<td class="cellRight">R&#257;l. Manipuri, L&#257;l; Beteh,
-R&#257;l.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghi</td>
-<td>Heavy</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rit. Beteh, Rik.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghin</td>
-<td>Sound</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ring, loud.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghop</td>
-<td>Lean</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rawp, to become thin, to waste away.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghu</td>
-<td>A bone</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ru; also in Manipuri and Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghu</td>
-<td>A thief, to steal</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ru; also in Beteh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ghul</td>
-<td>A snake</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rul; also in Old Kuki dialects. Manipuri,
-Lil.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Gim</td>
-<td>To worry</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rim, tired, toilworn.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Go</td>
-<td>A bamboo</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ro, a particular sort of bamboo.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Go</td>
-<td>To cremate</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Rawh, to heat, to roast.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ha</td>
-<td>Tooth</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ha, and in all Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">H&#257;l</td>
-<td>To set fire to</td>
-<td class="cellRight">H&#257;l; also in Beteh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">H&#257;m</td>
-<td>Blow through</td>
-<td class="cellRight">H&#257;m, to play a wind instrument.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hao</td>
-<td>Rich</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hao-sak; the k is nearly silent.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">He</td>
-<td>To know</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thei to be able; Hre or Hriat, to know. Manipuri,
-Heiba, to know how to do.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hem</td>
-<td>Sharp</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hriam.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hem</td>
-<td>To soothe</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thlem, to pacify.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hla</td>
-<td>Month, the moon</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thla; and Manipuri and Old Kuki dialects, Tha or
-Thla.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hla</td>
-<td>Wing</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thla.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hla</td>
-<td>Song</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hla.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hling</td>
-<td>To suffice</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tling-tlak, to complete.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hlut</td>
-<td>To enter</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lut<span class="corr" id="xd24e8411" title=
-"Source: ,">.</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hon</td>
-<td>Garden</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Huan.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hot</td>
-<td>To shake</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hot, to stir with spoon.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Hui</td>
-<td>A dog</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ui. Hui or Ui in Manipuri and all Old Kuki
-dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">In</td>
-<td>House</td>
-<td class="cellRight">In; and in all Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">K&#257;l</td>
-<td>To climb</td>
-<td class="cellRight">K&#257;l, to go; also in Langrong.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kalson</td>
-<td>To walk</td>
-<td class="cellRight"></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kan</td>
-<td>Dry</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kang, to dry up. Manipuri, Kangba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">K&#257;p</td>
-<td>To shoot</td>
-<td class="cellRight">K&#257;p.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kel</td>
-<td>Goat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kel; and in all Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ket</td>
-<td>To be broken</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Keh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kha</td>
-<td>Bitter</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kha.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kha</td>
-<td>Chin</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kha, the lower jaw.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khel buk</td>
-<td>Thigh</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khel, side of upper part of thigh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khoi</td>
-<td>Bee</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khoi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khom</td>
-<td>To collect</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khon. Manipuri, Khom-silba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khong</td>
-<td>Drum</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khuang.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kho-shi</td>
-<td>To feel cold</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khua a shik.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khu</td>
-<td>Cough</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khuh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khubu</td>
-<td>Knee</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khup. Manipuri, Khuk-u; Beteh, Rakhuk<span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e8547" title="Source: ,">.</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khut</td>
-<td>Hand</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kut. Rhangkhol, Gut; all other Old Kuki dialects
-and Manipuri, either Khut or Kut.<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb231"
-href="#pb231" name="pb231">231</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Keng</td>
-<td>Leg</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ke.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Keng bai</td>
-<td>Lame</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ke bai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ki</td>
-<td>Horn</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ki. Manipuri, Chi or Ji; Beteh, Raki.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ko</td>
-<td>To call</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ko; and the same in Manipuri. In most Old Kuki
-dialects, Ko, Koi, or Kai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kol a phe</td>
-<td>To lighten</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kawl a phe; and the same in Beteh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kong</td>
-<td>The waist</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kawng, the loins.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Korka</td>
-<td>A door</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kongkhar.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ku</td>
-<td>Village</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khua. Manipuri, Khul. Variations of this are
-found in all dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ku</td>
-<td>To cover</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khum. Manipuri, Khumba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Khul</td>
-<td>A hole</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Khur; and in Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Kum</td>
-<td>Year</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Kum. Manipuri, Kumsi, this year. All Old Kuki
-dialects have Kum.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">La</td>
-<td>To take</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lak, with almost silent k. In all Old Kuki
-dialects the word is very nearly the same. It also has the meaning to
-bring, and so may be compared with the Manipuri Lak pa, to come.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lai</td>
-<td>Middle, navel</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lai; and in Beteh also.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lai</td>
-<td>To dig</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lai, to dig, to hoe.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Laili</td>
-<td>Writing, the art of reading and writing</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lai-shuih, paper, reading and writing. <i>Cf.</i>
-Manipuri, Lairik laishuih, writing materials, and Kachcha Naga,
-Laishi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lam</td>
-<td>Direction</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lam. <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Lom or Rom.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lambi</td>
-<td>Road</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lam-lian, though Kong, or K&#257;l-kong is the
-general word, Lam-lian being generally used for a made road as compared
-with a path. In Manipuri, Lambi; and in most Chin and Old Kuki
-dialects, either Lam or Lampi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Le</td>
-<td>Tongue</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lei. This word with very slight variations is
-found in Manipuri, Old Kuki, and all Chin dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Le</td>
-<td>Earth</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lei. <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Leipak, earth,
-country.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lei-chung</td>
-<td>Bridge</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lei, Lei-lawn.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lei-ka</td>
-<td>White ant</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lei-kha. Manipuri, Leisau.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Len</td>
-<td>Net</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Len.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Len</td>
-<td>Big</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lian, contracted into Len. Beteh, Lien.
-<i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Turel or Turen&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, Tui, water, and
-Len, big, though water in Manipuri is Ising.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Leng</td>
-<td>To fly</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Leng, to stroll or float in the air. In Manipuri
-the word means to walk, but is only used of the Rajah or very important
-persons.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lim</td>
-<td>Form, shape</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hlim, shadow, shape, picture.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lo</td>
-<td>Jhum, cultivation</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lo. This is another word which is found in nearly
-every dialect.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lo</td>
-<td>Medicine, drug</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hlo.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lo</td>
-<td>Suffix of negation</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lo, not.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft"><span class="corr" id="xd24e8772" title=
-"Source: oi">Loi</span></td>
-<td>Buffalo</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Loi, <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Iroi; Beteh,
-Siloi.<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb232" href="#pb232" name=
-"pb232">232</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lu</td>
-<td>Head</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lu. Common to all Chin and Old Kuki dialects.
-<i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Luchingba, principal.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lui</td>
-<td>Old</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hlui; also in Beteh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lum</td>
-<td>Hot, as water</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lum.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Lung</td>
-<td>Heart disposition</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Lung; also in most Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mai</td>
-<td>Face</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmai. Manipuri, Mai, and Beteh, Hmai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Maiche</td>
-<td>Vegetables</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mai, a pumpkin.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Man</td>
-<td>Price</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Man. Common to Manipuri, Chin, and Old Kuki
-dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">M&#257;ng</td>
-<td>Dream</td>
-<td class="cellRight">M&#257;ng; also in Manipuri.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">M&#257;ng</td>
-<td>To lose, to be spoilt</td>
-<td class="cellRight">M&#257;ng, to die out; Mang ang, to be upset in
-mind. Manipuri, Mangba, to lose; Mangh&#257;lba, to spoil.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mao</td>
-<td>Woman</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mo, a bride, daughter-in-law.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Me</td>
-<td>Fire</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mei, another universal word.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Me</td>
-<td>Tail</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mei; also in Manipuri.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Me</td>
-<td>Cloud</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ro-mei, haze.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Me-hol</td>
-<td>Charcoal</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mei-hol.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Me-khu</td>
-<td>Smoke</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Me-khu.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Me-tai</td>
-<td>Widow</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmei-thai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mel</td>
-<td>Appearance</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmel, face, appearance.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Min</td>
-<td>Name</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hming. Manipuri, Ming.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Min</td>
-<td>Ripe</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmin.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mi</td>
-<td>Person</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mi. This word is found in all the dialects under
-consideration.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mit</td>
-<td>Eye</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mit, which with very slight variations is found
-in all dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mol</td>
-<td>Hill</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mual, a hill, a spur of a hill.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mom</td>
-<td>To chew</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmom, to put into the mouth whole.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mu</td>
-<td>Hawk</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mu.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mu</td>
-<td>Beak</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmui, beak, upper lip. In most Old Kuki dialects,
-Mur.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mu</td>
-<td>To see</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmu. Similar word used in all Old Kuki dialects
-except Anal, Purum, and Lamgang.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mul</td>
-<td>Feather, hair, fur</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmul.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mu mul</td>
-<td>Moustache</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hmui hmul.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Mut</td>
-<td>To sleep</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Mut, lie down, sleep.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Na</td>
-<td>Leaf</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hna. In Manipuri and Beteh, Na.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Na</td>
-<td>Nose</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hnar. Manipuri, Chin, and Old Kuki very
-similar.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Na</td>
-<td>Ill</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Na, pain. Manipuri, Na.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nai</td>
-<td>Near</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hnai. Manipuri, Nakpa; Chin and Old Kuki
-dialects, Nai or similar words.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">N&#257;l</td>
-<td>Slippery</td>
-<td class="cellRight">N&#257;l. Manipuri, N&#257;lba, slippery,
-smooth.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nam</td>
-<td>To smell</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nam. Manipuri, Namba; Beteh Num.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">N&#257;m</td>
-<td>A strap for carrying loads</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Hn&#257;m.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nau</td>
-<td>Younger brother or sister</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nau. Found in Manipuri and in many Old Kuki
-dialects, sometimes Nai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nem</td>
-<td>Soft</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nem, also in Beteh.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nga</td>
-<td>Five and Fish</td>
-<td class="cellRight">In all Chin and Old Kuki dialects,
-Manipuri.<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb233" href="#pb233" name=
-"pb233">233</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ngai</td>
-<td>To be customary</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ngai; has many meanings.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ngoi</td>
-<td>Fishing weir</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ngoi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ngol</td>
-<td>Mad, foolish</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ngol-tawt, obstinate, uncontrollable. Manipuri,
-Ngaoba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ni</td>
-<td>Sun, day</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ni. In all Chin and Old Kuki dialects and in
-Manipuri, we have.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ni</td>
-<td>Aunt</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ni; also in most Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Noi</td>
-<td>To laugh</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nui. Manipuri, Nokpa; Beteh, Inui.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nom</td>
-<td>To wish</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nuam, contracted into Nom.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nau-shen</td>
-<td>Baby</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nau-shen.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nu</td>
-<td>Mother, female suffix.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nu, in nearly all these dialects. Appears in
-Manipuri in Nupi, woman, and &ldquo;I cha nupi,&rdquo; my child
-female&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, daughter. Nupi is especially interesting
-because it combines both the Lushai female suffixes Nu and Pui.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nunga</td>
-<td>After, behind</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nunga. Most dialects very similar. <i>Cf.</i>
-Manipuri, Back, Namgan.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Nunga</td>
-<td>Girl</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Nula.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ole</td>
-<td>Alligator</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Awle. Beteh, Ove.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pa</td>
-<td>Father, and male suffix</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pa, in all these dialects and Manipuri.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pa-gong</td>
-<td>A widower</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Parol; note the change of g into r.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pasal</td>
-<td>A male</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pasal, a husband; Pasal-tha (man good), a brave
-man, hero. The word is used for man in several Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Paten</td>
-<td>The creator</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pathian. With very slight variations common to
-all these clans except Manipuris.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pe</td>
-<td>To give</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pe. Very similar terms in all these dialects.
-Manipuri, Piba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pengpulep</td>
-<td>Butterfly</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Phengphehlep; Beteh Phelep. The Lushai may be
-Pheng, flat; Phe-phe, to move; Hlep, a slice.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Phai</td>
-<td>Level</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Phei.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pho</td>
-<td>To dry in the sun</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pho. In Manipuri the word has the same meaning
-and also means paddy.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Phung</td>
-<td>Clan</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Phung-chang, fellow-clansman.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Phut</td>
-<td>To place upright in the ground</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Phun.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pi</td>
-<td>Grandmother</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pi</td>
-<td>Feminine suffix for animals.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pui. Found in many Old Kuki dialects. In
-Manipuri, &ldquo;bi&rdquo; is the feminine termination of
-adjectives.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pi</td>
-<td>Suffix denoting great.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pui. Common in one form or other to nearly all
-these dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Po</td>
-<td>To carry</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Paw, to carry on the back.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pol</td>
-<td>Straw</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pawl.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pon</td>
-<td>Cloth</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Puan. The word in Chin and nearly all Old Kuki
-dialects is either the same or very similar.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pu</td>
-<td>Grandfather</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pu; and in Manipuri and all Chin and Old Kuki
-dialects. The word has also other meanings, such as maternal
-uncle.<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb234" href="#pb234" name=
-"pb234">234</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pu</td>
-<td>To carry on the shoulder.</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Puak, to carry on the back. Manipuri, Puba, to
-carry.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pum</td>
-<td>Body</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pum, belly. Manipuri Puk. There is a curious
-dissimilarity here in most Old Kuki dialects, in which Won or some such
-word is used for belly.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Pum</td>
-<td>Raft</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Pum.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sa</td>
-<td>Animal</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sa. The word is used generally for wild animals.
-In Lushai it is prefixed to the names of wild animals and to those of
-such domestic animals as are not indigenous. Thus, Sa-kor, a horse;
-Sa-kei, a tiger; while Kel, a goat, Shial, a mithan, Ui, a dog, have no
-prefix. Sa is used in the same manner in Manipuri&mdash;Sagol, a horse;
-Sangamba, an otter; Saji, a barking deer, &amp;c. The word is found in
-Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sam</td>
-<td>Hair</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sam. In Manipuri, Chin, and Old Kuki.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">S&#257;ng</td>
-<td>Tall</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sh&#257;ng. Manipuri, Sangba, long.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">S&#257;ng</td>
-<td>Thousand</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sh&#257;ng. Beteh, Shang.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sa-ku</td>
-<td>Porcupine</td>
-<td class="cellRight">S&#257;-kuh. Manipuri, Sa-bu.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sanga</td>
-<td>Wild cat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sa-nghar.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">S&#257;t</td>
-<td>To cut</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sh&#257;t, to chop.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">S&#257;t</td>
-<td>Hot, of weather</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sha. Manipuri, Saba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sha</td>
-<td>To build</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sh&#257;t, to cut. As all buildings and bridges
-were originally of timber, building meant cutting, and a Lushai always
-says, &ldquo;In ka sh&#257;t,&rdquo; &ldquo;I build a house.&rdquo; In
-Manipuri, S&#257;ba means to make or build.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Shai</td>
-<td>Elephant</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sai.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">She</td>
-<td>To say</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Shoi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Shelda</td>
-<td>Mithan</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Shiel, but in conjunction She; Shepui, full-grown
-cow, mithan.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Shem</td>
-<td>To make</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Shiam. Manipuri, Semba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Shi</td>
-<td>To be cold</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Shik.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Shil</td>
-<td>To wash the body</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sil, to wash.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Soi, with &ldquo;tu&rdquo;</td>
-<td>To converse</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thu, word; Shoi, to say.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Shok</td>
-<td>A slave</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sal is the Lushai for a slave; but Suak, found in
-so many names, evidently means slave (<i>v.</i> Part I, Ch. IV, p. 6).
-All Old Kuki dialects have very similar words for slave or
-servant.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sum</td>
-<td>Goods</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sum. This word seems only to be found in Langrong
-among Old Kuki dialects. In the other dialects we find Nenun, Nei,
-Neina, which correspond to the Lushai Nei, to own; or Lal or Ral. Lal
-in Lushai means chief&mdash;<i>i.e.</i>, the rich man; <i>Cf.</i>
-Hausa&mdash;in Lushai, rich, and in Thado, a chief.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Sunga</td>
-<td>Within</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Chhunga.<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb235"
-href="#pb235" name="pb235">235</a>]</span></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tam</td>
-<td>Many</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tam. In Aimol, Chiru, Kolhen, Kom, and Purum, Tam
-is a plural suffix.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tangka</td>
-<td>Rupee, silver</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tangka.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tangval</td>
-<td>A young man</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tl&#257;ngval.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">T&#257;t</td>
-<td>To kill</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Th&#257;t. Manipuri, Hatpa.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Te</td>
-<td>To be permitted; to be able</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thei, to be able.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tha</td>
-<td>New</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Th&#257;r. Beteh, Thur.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Thal</td>
-<td>Arrow</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thal. Manipuri, Tel; Beteh, Thul.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">The</td>
-<td>Edible fruit</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thei. Manipuri, Hei.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Thi</td>
-<td>Blood</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thi. Beteh, Thi; Manipuri, I.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Thi</td>
-<td>Iron</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thir.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Thing</td>
-<td>Tree</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thing. <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Sing, firewood.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Thou</td>
-<td>Fat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thao. <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Mahau, fat, grease,
-and Thau, oil.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ti</td>
-<td>To die</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Thi. <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Si-ba.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ti</td>
-<td>To say</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Ti. In most Old Kuki dialects, The.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tin</td>
-<td>Finger nail, claw</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tin.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tou</td>
-<td>A fly</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tho-shi, a mosquito.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tui</td>
-<td>Water</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tui. Ti, Tui, or Dui in all Chin and Old Kuki
-dialects. <i>Cf.</i> Manipuri, Tu-ren (Tui-len), a river.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tunge</td>
-<td>Nowadays</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tuna, now.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Tu</td>
-<td>Grandchild</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Tu. is found in this sense through all these
-dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ve</td>
-<td>Left (direction)</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Vei. Manipuri, Woi.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Vo</td>
-<td>To beat</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Vuak, or Vel. Aimol, Ve; Kolhen, Wel; Kom, Wuk;
-Purum, Wel; Lai (Haka), Vel; Siyin, Vat.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Vok</td>
-<td>Pig</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Vok. Manipuri, Ok. Vok or Wok are found in all
-Chin and Old Kuki dialects.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">W&#257;n</td>
-<td>The sky</td>
-<td class="cellRight">V&#257;n.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Wa-phol</td>
-<td>The pied hornbill</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Va-pual. Va is a prefix denoting bird, employed
-as Sa is with animals. Wa is used in the same way in Thado.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Wat</td>
-<td>Leech</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Vang-vat.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Wompi</td>
-<td>Bear</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Sa-vom. Manipuri, Sa-wom.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Wu</td>
-<td>To stink</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Uih.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Wun</td>
-<td>Skin</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Vun. Manipuri, Un.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Wut</td>
-<td>Ashes</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Vut. Manipuri, Ut.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ya-cha</td>
-<td>To be ashamed</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Zah-thlak, shameful.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Yan</td>
-<td>Night</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Zan.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Yeng</td>
-<td>Yellow</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Eng.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Ying</td>
-<td>Dense, as jungle</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Zim.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Yao</td>
-<td>To complete</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Zaw.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft">Yu</td>
-<td>To sell</td>
-<td class="cellRight">Zuar.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="cellLeft cellBottom">Yu</td>
-<td class="cellBottom">Rice beer</td>
-<td class="cellRight cellBottom">Zu, a word found in one form or other
-throughout the Hills.</td>
-</tr>
-</tbody>
-</table>
-</div>
-<p class="par"></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 map"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<div class="figure xd24e9714width" id="map"><a href=
-"images/maph.jpg"><img src="images/map.jpg" alt="The Lushai Clans"
-width="720" height="669"></a>
-<p class="figureHead">The Lushai Clans</p>
-<p class="par first">SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE LOCALITIES INHABITED BY THE
-DIFFERENT CLANS</p>
-<p class="par figBottomRight">John Bartholomew &amp; Co.,
-Edin<sup>r</sup><span class="corr" id="xd24e9723" title=
-"Not in source">.</span></p>
-</div>
-<p class="par"><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb238" href="#pb238" name=
-"pb238">238</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 index"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">INDEX</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first"><i>For words not explained, but having Roman
-numerals set against them, see</i> <span class="sc"><a href=
-"#gloss">Glossary</a></span>.</p>
-<p class="par">Abortion, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a></p>
-<p class="par">Adoption, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>,
-<a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Agriculture, <a href="#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>,
-<a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, <a href="#pb32" class=
-"pageref">32</a>, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>. <i>See
-under</i> Jhum</p>
-<p class="par">Ai, xix, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>;<br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>, <a href="#pb207"
-class="pageref">207</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aichhana, a Thado, <a href="#pb142" class=
-"pageref">142</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aijal (Ai-zawl), <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>,
-<a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, <a href=
-"#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>, <a href="#pb108" class=
-"pageref">108</a>, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>, <a href=
-"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>, <a href=
-"#pb185" class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aijal-Champhai road, <a href="#pb108" class=
-"pageref">108</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aijal-Falam road, <a href="#pb62" class=
-"pageref">62</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aijal-Lungleh road, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aimol, Old Kuki clan, xv, xix, <a href="#pb8" class=
-"pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href=
-"#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb160" class=
-"pageref">160</a>&ndash;1, <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>
-<i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Ai-mual village, <a href="#pb151" class=
-"pageref">151</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ai-zawl, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>,
-<a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a></p>
-<p class="par">Allan, B. C., xviii</p>
-<p class="par">A-ma-pi, a Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb219"
-class="pageref">219</a></p>
-<p class="par">Amber, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ambush and pitfalls, <a href="#pb60" class=
-"pageref">60</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a></p>
-<p class="par">Anal, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb161" class=
-"pageref">161</a>, <a href="#pb165" class="pageref">165</a>, <a href=
-"#pb167" class="pageref">167</a>, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb171" class="pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ancestor-worship, <a href="#pb65" class=
-"pageref">65</a>, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href=
-"#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">An-hmu, Lakher equivalent of Uihring sacrifice, <a href=
-"#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Animals, domestic, <a href="#pb32" class=
-"pageref">32</a></p>
-<p class="par">Anthropological Institute, The, <a href="#pb2" class=
-"pageref">2</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aohmun, branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Arem, a Chiru festival, <a href="#pb168" class=
-"pageref">168</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ar-kang-tha, a Thado birth sacrifice, <a href="#pb203"
-class="pageref">203</a></p>
-<p class="par">Arke-ziak, Lushei head-dress, <a href="#pb11" class=
-"pageref">11</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ar-Kh&#257;l sacrifice, <a href="#pb72" class=
-"pageref">72</a>, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a></p>
-<p class="par">Arracan, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href=
-"#pb67" class="pageref">67</a></p>
-<p class="par">Arte-hring-ban (<i>or</i> khaw-hring-tir) sacrifice,
-<a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a></p>
-<p class="par">Arte-luilam sacrifice, <a href="#pb81" class=
-"pageref">81</a></p>
-<p class="par">Arte-pum-phelna sacrifice, <a href="#pb81" class=
-"pageref">81</a></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Asiatic Dissertations</i>, xix, <a href="#pb108"
-class="pageref">108</a></p>
-<p class="par">Awk, legend of the, <a href="#pb92" class=
-"pageref">92</a>, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a></p>
-<p class="par">Awk-pa, Kom legend, <a href="#pb183" class=
-"pageref">183</a></p>
-<p class="par">Aw-rua-baw-na, a Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb218"
-class="pageref">218</a>&ndash;19</p>
-<p class="par">Bailchi, branch of Hualbang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Banerji, <i>Babu</i> Nithor Nath, <a href="#pb176"
-class="pageref">176</a>, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>,
-<a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Barak (<span class="corr" id="xd24e10078" title=
-"Source: Tualruang">Tuiruang</span>) river, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Barkhul, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Basilisk, myth of, <a href="#pb105" class=
-"pageref">105</a></p>
-<p class="par">Basket work, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>,
-<a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bawl, a Lakher sacrifice, <a href="#pb222" class=
-"pageref">222</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bawl-pui sacrifice, <a href="#pb74" class=
-"pageref">74</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bawlte village, <a href="#pb136" class=
-"pageref">136</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bear, superstition about the, <a href="#pb102" class=
-"pageref">102</a></p>
-<p class="par">Beh-dieng-khlam, a Synteng (Khasi) custom, <a href=
-"#pb167" class="pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bengalis, king of the, <a href="#pb96" class=
-"pageref">96</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bengkhawia, tale of, <a href="#pb79" class=
-"pageref">79</a></p>
-<p class="par">Benglama, equivalent of Lushai Chhura, <a href="#pb207"
-class="pageref">207</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Bete clan, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a></p>
-<p class="par">Betlu village, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bhuban caves, the, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a>, <a href="#pb188" class="pageref">188</a></p>
-<p class="par">Biate (Beteh) tribe, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>, <a href=
-"#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>, <a href=
-"#pb187" class="pageref">187</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Biate tribe, <a href="#pb136" class=
-"pageref">136</a></p>
-<p class="par">Birds entering houses, superstition, <a href="#pb102"
-class="pageref">102</a></p>
-<p class="par">Birth. <i>See under</i> Child</p>
-<p class="par">Blacksmiths, <a href="#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>,
-<a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Blackwood, <i>Captain</i>, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Blue Mountain, the, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a>, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a></p>
-<p class="par">Boar, devil possessed, <a href="#pb112" class=
-"pageref">112</a><br>
-Sacrificed, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a><br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a><br>
-Khelte and Siakeng, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a> <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb239" href="#pb239" name="pb239">239</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Bochung, branch of Hualngo clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bohmong tribe, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Boi, xix, <a href="#pb46" class=
-"pageref">46</a>&ndash;50<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Boklua, illegitimate son of <span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e10291" title="Source: Ngehuka">Ngehguka</span>, <a href="#pb3"
-class="pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bolawng Raia image, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Borh, an Aimol she-demon, <a href="#pb158" class=
-"pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bouchesiche, <i>Mons.</i>, xix</p>
-<p class="par">Brass-work, <a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a></p>
-<p class="par">British Government, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb41"
-class="pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>,
-<a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Browne, <i>Sir</i> Thomas, <a href="#pb106" class=
-"pageref">106</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e10351" title=
-"Source: Bualchuan">Bualchuam</span> hill, <a href="#pb71" class=
-"pageref">71</a>&ndash;2</p>
-<p class="par">Bualte (&ldquo;Dipwell&rdquo;) village, <a href="#pb140"
-class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Buh-ai feast, xix, <a href="#pb90" class=
-"pageref">90</a>&ndash;1, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a><br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e10392" title=
-"Source: Buhm&#257;n">Buhm&#257;m</span> hill, <a href="#pb71" class=
-"pageref">71</a>, <a href="#pb72" class="pageref">72</a></p>
-<p class="par">Buh-za-ai, xix</p>
-<p class="par">Buh-za-zu feast, <a href="#pb91" class=
-"pageref">91</a><br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bulropa, Old Kuki <span class="corr" id="xd24e10416"
-title="Source: puitham">puithiam</span>, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bung tree, <a href="#pb187" class="pageref">187</a>,
-<a href="#pb208" class="pageref">208</a></p>
-<p class="par">Bunkhua, a Chin village, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a></p>
-<p class="par">Burkhal, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a></p>
-<p class="par">Burma (<i>Kawl</i>), <a href="#pb14" class=
-"pageref">14</a>, <a href="#pb15" class="pageref">15</a>, <a href=
-"#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>&ndash;9, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a>, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>, <a href=
-"#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb163" class=
-"pageref">163</a>, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>, <a href=
-"#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>, <a href="#pb175" class=
-"pageref">175</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, <a href=
-"#pb214" class="pageref">214</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cachar, xiii, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>,
-<a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb148" class=
-"pageref">148</a>, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>, <a href=
-"#pb187" class="pageref">187</a>, <a href="#pb189" class=
-"pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href=
-"#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>, <a href="#pb197" class=
-"pageref">197</a>, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a></p>
-<p class="par">Carey, B. S., xiv, xvii, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cattle, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chai dance, <a href="#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>,
-<a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chaichim, the mouse, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chaita, a branch of Aimol clan, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chalbuk, branch of Hualbang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chalthleng, branch of Hualngo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chamershi, a Kolhen festival, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a></p>
-<p class="par">Champhai, xviii, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>,
-<a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>, <a href=
-"#pb140" class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chang-do-ni, last day of feast, <a href="#pb88" class=
-"pageref">88</a></p>
-<p class="par">Changom, branch of Ronte clan, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Changsan, brother of Thlangom, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Changte clan, <a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>,
-<a href="#pb127" class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e10607" title=
-"Source: Chansan">Changsan</span>, a branch of Thado clan, <a href=
-"#pb192" class="pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ch&#257;p-ch&#257;r-kut festival, <a href="#pb86" class=
-"pageref">86</a>&ndash;7, <a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>,
-<a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb172" class=
-"pageref">172</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chapui-chol-lai, holiday, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chaw <span class="corr" id="xd24e10638" title=
-"Source: Chyn">Chyu</span>, a Lakher marriage price, <span class="corr"
-id="xd24e10641" title="Source: 215">218</span></p>
-<p class="par">Chawifa, a portent, <a href="#pb104" class=
-"pageref">104</a>&ndash;5, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chawngthu family, <a href="#pb13" class=
-"pageref">13</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chawn, a Vuite Thangchhuah sacrifice, <a href="#pb145"
-class="pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chawntinleri, a spirit maiden, <a href="#pb68" class=
-"pageref">68</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chawte, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb130" class=
-"pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href=
-"#pb149" class="pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb165"
-class="pageref">165</a>, <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>,
-<a href="#pb170" class="pageref">170</a>, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chemhler, branch of Tochong clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chemhler, branch of Vanchong clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chemsen boi, <a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>,
-<a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>, <a href="#pb49" class=
-"pageref">49</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chengpui village, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chengrel, branch of Vanchong clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chengri river, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chengtea, Zawngte chief, <a href="#pb135" class=
-"pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chenkhual, branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chenkhuala, ancestor of Chenkual clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cherlal, branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cherlalla, illegitimate son of Z&#257;denga, <a href=
-"#pb125" class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cherra, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cherput, branch of Hualbang family, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chertluang, branch of Hualbang family, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhak-chhuak (&ldquo;Come out of the East&rdquo;)
-family, <a href="#pb127" class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhakom, branch of Tochong family, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhawng-chili, tale of, <a href="#pb107" class=
-"pageref">107</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Chhawndawl, Lushei head-dress, <a href="#pb11" class=
-"pageref">11</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhawthliak, branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhim sacrifice, <a href="#pb76" class=
-"pageref">76</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chimnuai village, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e10808" title=
-"Source: Chhinchhuuan">Chhinchhuan</span>, a Thado family, <a href=
-"#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a>, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhinga Raia image, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhinglung, hole in the earth whence the world was
-peopled, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>, <a href="#pb139"
-class="pageref">139</a><br>
-Known to Old Kukis as Khurpui, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a><br>
-Chawte account, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a><br>
-Known to Thados as Khulpi, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhirbuk, Chiru zawlbuk, <a href="#pb168" class=
-"pageref">168</a></p>
-<p class="par">Childbirth customs&mdash;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a><br>
-Lushei, <a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>&ndash;2<br>
-Old <span class="corr" id="xd24e10875" title=
-"Source: Kuku">Kuki</span>, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>
-<i>et seq.</i><br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a><br>
-Ronte and Tarau, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a><br>
-Khelte and Siakeng, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>&ndash;5<br>
-Deaths in, <a href="#pb164" class="pageref">164</a>, <a href="#pb166"
-class="pageref">166</a> <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb240" href=
-"#pb240" name="pb240">240</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Children&mdash;<br>
-Posthumous killed, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a><br>
-Still-born, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a><br>
-Tobacco smoking, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chindwin (Upper) river, <a href="#pb174" class=
-"pageref">174</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chinese superstition about birds, <a href="#pb102"
-class="pageref">102</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chin Hills, xiii, xiv, xviii, <a href="#pb14" class=
-"pageref">14</a>, <a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href=
-"#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a>, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href=
-"#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a>, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a></p>
-<p class="par"><i>Chin Hills Gazetteer</i>, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chin Languages, classification of, <a href="#pb225"
-class="pageref">225</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chinghrut, a vegetable, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chins, the, xiii, xviii, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb8"
-class="pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>, <a href=
-"#pb20" class="pageref">20</a>, <a href="#pb24" class="pageref">24</a>,
-<a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>, <a href="#pb56" class=
-"pageref">56</a>&ndash;60, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>,
-<a href="#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href=
-"#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>, <a href=
-"#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb136" class=
-"pageref">136</a>, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>, <a href=
-"#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb193" class=
-"pageref">193</a>, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>, <a href=
-"#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a>, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>, <a href=
-"#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, <a href="#pb226" class=
-"pageref">226</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chiru, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb8" class=
-"pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>, <a href="#pb22"
-class="pageref">22</a>, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>,
-<a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href=
-"#pb162" class="pageref">162</a>, <a href="#pb165" class=
-"pageref">165</a>, <a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>, <a href=
-"#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb171" class=
-"pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chittagong, xiii, xviii, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb75"
-class="pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>,
-<a href="#pb96" class="pageref">96</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chittagong Hill Tracts, xiii, <a href="#pb1" class=
-"pageref">1</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb6"
-class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhoalak, branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhungte, dependants living in house, <a href="#pb46"
-class="pageref">46</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chhura, the shaper of the world, <a href="#pb92" class=
-"pageref">92</a>, <a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>, <a href=
-"#pb188" class="pageref">188</a>, <a href="#pb207" class=
-"pageref">207</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11168" title=
-"Source: Chinza">Chinja</span>, tribe, <a href="#pb214" class=
-"pageref">214</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonchhon, branch of Chuachang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonchir, branch of Chuachang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chong, Thangur-chhuah feast, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a>&ndash;8, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a><br>
-Fanai substitute for, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a><br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>, <a href="#pb207"
-class="pageref">207</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chongdur, a Chiru family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonghoiyi village, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonglal, branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonluma, a Hrangchal chief, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonglun, branch of the Changte clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chongom, a branch of Aimol clan, <a href="#pb152" class=
-"pageref">152</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Chongpuithanga, a demon, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chongte, Lushei clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chongthleng, stone at, <a href="#pb100" class=
-"pageref">100</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chongthu, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb93" class=
-"pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>&ndash;1,
-<a href="#pb167" class="pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chongthu, nickname of <span class="corr" id="xd24e11278"
-title="Source: Lersia">Lershia</span>, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href=
-"#pb154" class="pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonlut, a Biate chief, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chonuma, a <span class="corr" id="xd24e11297" title=
-"Source: Huamte">Hnamte</span> chief, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Christ&rsquo;s Village, <a href="#pb62" class=
-"pageref">62</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chuachang, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chuango, Lushei family, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chuaongo, Lushei clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chuckmah tribe, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>,
-<a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11339" title=
-"Source: Chultuk">Chulkut</span>, a Purum festival, <a href="#pb169"
-class="pageref">169</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chumkal, branch of Hualbang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Chumthluk, branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cloth, <a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>&ndash;1,
-<a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a><br>
-Legendary origin of, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cock, sacrificed, <a href="#pb72" class=
-"pageref">72</a>, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>, <a href=
-"#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>,
-<a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb90"
-class="pageref">90</a>, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>,
-<a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb162" class=
-"pageref">162</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>,
-<a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a></p>
-<p class="par">Cockatrice, Myth of, <a href="#pb105" class=
-"pageref">105</a></p>
-<p class="par">Combs, <a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>, <a href=
-"#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>, <a href="#pb215" class=
-"pageref">215</a>&ndash;16</p>
-<p class="par">Creeper,<br>
-Pulling the, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a><br>
-Tug of war with, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a><br>
-Use of, for sick children, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a></p>
-<p class="par">Crow, <a href="#pb104" class="pageref">104</a>, <a href=
-"#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dai-bawl, sacrifice, xix, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a> <i>et
-seq<span class="corr" id="xd24e11461" title=
-"Not in source">.</span></i><br>
-Aimol and Chiru, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>&ndash;9<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Daibun, a Thado Jhum sacrifice, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a></p>
-<p class="par">Daikam, a Thado sacrifice, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dailova, Tale of, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a>&ndash;7</p>
-<p class="par">Dallesari river, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dances, <a href="#pb38" class="pageref">38</a>, <a href=
-"#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb170" class="pageref">170</a><br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a></p>
-<p class="par">Danla, a Chiru family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11529" title=
-"Source: Dap&#257;">D&#257;p&#257;</span>, R&#257;ngte legends of,
-<a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a></p>
-<p class="par">Darchao, branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11541" title=
-"Source: Darchawa">Darchaova</span>, illegitimate son of Zadenga,
-<a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Darchun, branch of Changte clan, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Darlung peak, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Davis, A. W., xviii</p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11561" title=
-"Source: Dwangbul">Dawngbul</span>, Ralte marriage price to male and
-female paternal first-cousins, <a href="#pb141" class=
-"pageref">141</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dawngler, do, <a href="#pb141" class=
-"pageref">141</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dead, Burial of, see under Funerals, Memorial<br>
-Spirits of, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>, <a href="#pb78"
-class="pageref">78</a><br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>&ndash;8, <a href=
-"#pb170" class="pageref">170</a></p>
-<p class="par">Deer, Barking, <a href="#pb64" class=
-"pageref">64</a></p>
-<p class="par">Demagri, xv, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>,
-<a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a></p>
-<p class="par">Demons. <i>See under</i> Spirits</p>
-<p class="par">Deo-bi, Thado poison, <a href="#pb197" class=
-"pageref">197</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dil lake, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dingthoi, a Chiru family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dipwell Village, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Divorce<br>
-Lushei, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>, <a href="#pb144" class=
-"pageref">144</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a> <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb241" href="#pb241" name="pb241">241</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Dogs, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>,<br>
-eaten, <a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a><br>
-sacrificed, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb77"
-class="pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>,
-<a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb168" class=
-"pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>&ndash;3,
-<a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dongel, Thado&rsquo;s elder brother, <a href="#pb142"
-class="pageref">142</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb189" class=
-"pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href=
-"#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Drake-Brockman, C. B., <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dreams, <a href="#pb104" class="pageref">104</a>,
-<a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dress, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a> <i>et
-seq.</i><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb14" class="pageref">14</a></p>
-<p class="par">Drinking feasts, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Drum-making festivals, <a href="#pb171" class=
-"pageref">171</a>&ndash;2</p>
-<p class="par">Dulian, the Lushei language, xiv, <span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e11756" title="Source: 114">113</span></p>
-<p class="par">Dungtlang river, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Dzo, xvii</p>
-<p class="par">Earrings, <a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>,
-<a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb161" class="pageref">161</a><br>
-Vuite or Paihte, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ear-piercing, <a href="#pb161" class=
-"pageref">161</a>&ndash;2, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a></p>
-<p class="par">Earthquakes, Old Kuki idea about, <a href="#pb184"
-class="pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Eclipses, Legends and superstitions concerning, <a href=
-"#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>, <a href="#pb123" class=
-"pageref">123</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a> <i>et seq.</i>,
-<a href="#pb187" class="pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Effigies, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>,
-<a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, <a href="#pb88" class=
-"pageref">88</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href=
-"#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>, <a href="#pb111" class=
-"pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>, <a href=
-"#pb188" class="pageref">188</a></p>
-<p class="par">Elephants, <a href="#pb35" class="pageref">35</a>,
-<a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>, <a href="#pb45" class=
-"pageref">45</a>, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href=
-"#pb196" class="pageref">196</a></p>
-<p class="par">Elmun, Ancestor of Shit-hloh clan, <a href="#pb191"
-class="pageref">191</a></p>
-<p class="par">Endogamy, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>,
-<a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a>, <a href="#pb167" class="pageref">167</a>, <a href=
-"#pb173" class="pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11887" title=
-"Source: Enlawk">En-lawk</span>, Opening of coffin, <a href="#pb85"
-class="pageref">85</a></p>
-<p class="par">Epidemics, <a href="#pb74" class=
-"pageref">74</a>&ndash;6</p>
-<p class="par">Exogamy, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>,
-<a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a>, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Exorcism, <a href="#pb111" class=
-"pageref">111</a>&ndash;12</p>
-<p class="par">Fachirang, Tale of, <a href="#pb177" class=
-"pageref">177</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Falam, tribe, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>,
-<a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a></p>
-<p class="par">Fanai, a Non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb8" class=
-"pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href=
-"#pb136" class="pageref">136</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Fangtet, branch of Hualbang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e11960" title=
-"Source: Fanodawi">F&#257;nodawi</span> sacrifice, <a href="#pb80"
-class="pageref">80</a></p>
-<p class="par">Feasts, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>, <a href=
-"#pb86" class="pageref">86</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a> <i>et seq.</i>
-<i>See under</i> Kut</p>
-<p class="par">Fielding Hall, <i>Mr.</i>, <a href="#pb163" class=
-"pageref">163</a></p>
-<p class="par">Firminger, W. K., note by, xviii&ndash;xix</p>
-<p class="par">Fishing, <a href="#pb35" class=
-"pageref">35</a>&ndash;6<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Flood, Legends of, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a>, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a></p>
-<p class="par">Folk-lore, Lushei, <a href="#pb92" class=
-"pageref">92</a>&ndash;112<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a>&ndash;184<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>&ndash;212</p>
-<p class="par">Foster, Wm., xviii</p>
-<p class="par">Fowls, Kinds of, <a href="#pb32" class=
-"pageref">32</a><br>
-Legendary origin of, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a><br>
-Sacrificed, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, <a href="#pb81"
-class="pageref">81</a>, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>,
-<a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>, <a href="#pb147" class=
-"pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, <a href=
-"#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb161" class=
-"pageref">161</a>, <a href="#pb167" class="pageref">167</a>, <a href=
-"#pb169" class="pageref">169</a><br>
-Superstitions concerning, <a href="#pb103" class="pageref">103</a></p>
-<p class="par">French Customs Department, <a href="#pb15" class=
-"pageref">15</a></p>
-<p class="par">Frog, tale of, xiv</p>
-<p class="par">Funeral ceremonies<br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a><br>
-Khelte and Siakeng, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a><br>
-Lushei, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>&ndash;6<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a> <i>et seq<span class=
-"corr" id="xd24e12118" title="Not in source">.</span></i><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb164" class="pageref">164</a>&ndash;6, <a href=
-"#pb187" class="pageref">187</a><br>
-Ronte and Tarau, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a><br>
-Zawngte, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a></p>
-<p class="par">Games&mdash;<br>
-Kang-Sanaba, <a href="#pb39" class="pageref">39</a><br>
-Koi, <a href="#pb39" class="pageref">39</a><br>
-Vai-lung-thlan, <a href="#pb39" class="pageref">39</a></p>
-<p class="par">Gaonbura, Ghalim transformed into, <a href="#pb149"
-class="pageref">149</a></p>
-<p class="par">Garos, The, xiv, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a></p>
-<p class="par">Genna, xix, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ghalim, Old Kuki elected headman and priest, <a href=
-"#pb149" class="pageref">149</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ghumoishe, Thado demon king, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Gibbon, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, <a href=
-"#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>;<br>
-legendary origin of, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>;<br>
-superstitions concerning, <a href="#pb103" class="pageref">103</a></p>
-<p class="par">Gnura (Mullah), <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Goat, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>, <a href=
-"#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>;<br>
-sacrificed, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>, <a href="#pb130"
-class="pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">Golha, Thado &ldquo;palal,&rdquo; <a href="#pb199"
-class="pageref">199</a></p>
-<p class="par">Grierson, <i>Dr.</i>, <a href="#pb134" class=
-"pageref">134</a>, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href=
-"#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, <a href=
-"#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Gurdon, <i>Colonel</i> P. R., <a href="#pb69" class=
-"pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, <a href=
-"#pb167" class="pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Gurkhas, the, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a></p>
-<p class="par">Gwite, son of Dongel, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hair, method of wearing, etc., <a href="#pb2" class=
-"pageref">2</a>, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, <a href=
-"#pb82" class="pageref">82</a> f.;<br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>;<br>
-Ronte, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>, <a href="#pb166"
-class="pageref">166</a>, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, <a href="#pb222"
-class="pageref">222</a><br>
-use in witchcraft, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Haka village, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>,
-<a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a><br>
-tribe, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>&ndash;2</p>
-<p class="par">Hall, <i>Captain</i>, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hallam (Khelma), an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb185"
-class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hanngeng, a Thado, <a href="#pb193" class=
-"pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hanngeng, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb192"
-class="pageref">192</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb225" class=
-"pageref">225</a></p>
-<p class="par">Haobul, a branch of Haonar clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e12390" title=
-"Source: Haobuk">Haohuk</span> feast, <a href="#pb80" class=
-"pageref">80</a></p>
-<p class="par">Haonar Lushei clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Haothul, a branch of Haonar clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hats, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>, <a href=
-"#pb215" class="pageref">215</a></p>
-<p class="par">Haubi peak, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Haukip, a Thado clan, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a>, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb242" href="#pb242" name=
-"pb242">242</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Hauhul, chief who swallowed the moon, <a href="#pb92"
-class="pageref">92</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e12441" title=
-"Source: Hausata">Haus&#257;ta</span>, Chin chief, <a href="#pb4"
-class="pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hawlthang, a branch of Haukip family, <a href="#pb191"
-class="pageref">191</a></p>
-<p class="par">Head-hunting, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>,
-<a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a>, <a href="#pb220" class="pageref">220</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hearth superstition, <a href="#pb104" class=
-"pageref">104</a></p>
-<p class="par">Heawood, E., xix.</p>
-<p class="par">Hehua, co-ancestor of the R&#257;lte clan, <a href=
-"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hen, sacrificed, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>,
-<a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a></p>
-<p class="par">Henng&#257;r, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb193"
-class="pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e12492" title=
-"Source: Henngar">Henng&#257;r</span>, son of Kulho, <a href="#pb193"
-class="pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hilo, a Thado she-demon, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hlamzuih (first-born dying shortly after birth), xix,
-<a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb86" class=
-"pageref">86</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hlengel, a branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a> <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hmar (&ldquo;North&rdquo;), Old Kuki clans, <a href=
-"#pb185" class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hmarchung sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hmarkhat sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hmar-phir sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a>; Siakeng, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hminga, a Lushei, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e12552" title=
-"Source: Hmnapel">Hmunpel</span>, branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hmongphunga&rsquo;s village, <a href="#pb35" class=
-"pageref">35</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hmunklinga, a Lakher chief, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hnuaipui (&ldquo;great beneath&rdquo;), Fanai Sakhua
-sacrifice, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hnuaite (&ldquo;lesser beneath&rdquo;), Fanai Sakhua
-sacrifice, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hodson, T. C, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>,
-<a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb226" class=
-"pageref">226</a>, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a></p>
-<p class="par">Homicide, Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class=
-"pageref">157</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">Hornbill, <a href="#pb104" class="pageref">104</a></p>
-<p class="par">Houses,<br>
-Manipuri fashion, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a><br>
-Method of building<br>
-Lushei, <a href="#pb22" class="pageref">22</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a><br>
-Superstitions connected with, <a href="#pb104" class=
-"pageref">104</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">Howlong tribe, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hpohtir, a Kuki, <a href="#pb179" class=
-"pageref">179</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hrangchal, a Kuki man, <a href="#pb179" class=
-"pageref">179</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Hrangchali, a Kuki woman, <a href="#pb178" class=
-"pageref">178</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Hrangchul, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hrangkunga, a Lushei, <a href="#pb35" class=
-"pageref">35</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hranglal hill, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hrang-sai-puia, a magician, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">Hrangzova, Lushei <span class="corr" id="xd24e12709"
-title="Source: chaprassi">chaprassie</span>, <a href="#pb106" class=
-"pageref">106</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hrasel, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hrilh, xix, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>,
-<a href="#pb72" class="pageref">72</a>, <a href="#pb73" class=
-"pageref">73</a>, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>, <a href=
-"#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>,
-<a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb111" class=
-"pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href=
-"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hring-ai-tan sacrifice, <a href="#pb75" class=
-"pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hringfa hill, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hringlang hill, <a href="#pb63" class=
-"pageref">63</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hri-pa, Lakher equivalent for Ram-huai, <a href="#pb221"
-class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hruitung, a jungle vegetable, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Huai, xix, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>,
-<a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb95"
-class="pageref">95</a>, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>,
-<a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb188" class="pageref">188</a>, <a href=
-"#pb200" class="pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hualbang, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hualgno, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e12829" title=
-"Source: Huante">Hnamte</span>, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb131"
-class="pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hun, a Thado feast, <a href="#pb207" class=
-"pageref">207</a></p>
-<p class="par">Hunting, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>&ndash;5,
-<a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a><br>
-Sacrifices connected with, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a> <i>et
-seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Hweltu village, <a href="#pb59" class=
-"pageref">59</a></p>
-<p class="par">Illegitimacy, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>,
-<a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Images worshipped by the Biate, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a>. <i>See under</i> Effigies</p>
-<p class="par">Imphal, capital of Manipur, xv, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Impuichhung (slaves), <a href="#pb46" class=
-"pageref">46</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Imungshe, wife of demon <span class="corr" id=
-"xd24e12899" title="Source: Ghumeishe">Ghumoishe</span>, <a href=
-"#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>&ndash;1</p>
-<p class="par">Incest, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>,
-<a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a></p>
-<p class="par">In-chhia-shem-ni (house-repairing day), <a href="#pb87"
-class="pageref">87</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Infanticide,<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e12926" title=
-"Source: Inhawn">In hawn</span> custom, <a href="#pb186" class=
-"pageref">186</a></p>
-<p class="par">Inheritance, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>,
-<a href="#pb155" class="pageref">155</a>, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">In-thian (Thi-thin), funeral feast, <a href="#pb86"
-class="pageref">86</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a></p>
-<p class="par">Iron-work, <a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a></p>
-<p class="par">Irung, a Chawte family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Jete family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Jewels, <a href="#pb14" class="pageref">14</a></p>
-<p class="par">Jhum, xix, <a href="#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>,
-<a href="#pb18" class="pageref">18</a>, <a href="#pb44" class=
-"pageref">44</a>, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href=
-"#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, <a href="#pb129" class=
-"pageref">129</a><br>
-Festivals connected with, <a href="#pb86" class="pageref">86</a> <i>et
-seq.</i><br>
-Chiru, <a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a><br>
-Sacrifices connected with, <a href="#pb80" class=
-"pageref">80</a>&ndash;1, <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>,
-<a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a><br>
-Superstitions connected with, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>
-<i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Job&rsquo;s tears, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a></p>
-<p class="par">Justice, decisions how administered, <a href="#pb55"
-class="pageref">55</a>, <a href="#pb56" class="pageref">56</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb195" class="pageref">195</a><br>
-Offences, Personal, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>&ndash;5,
-<a href="#pb220" class="pageref">220</a><br>
-Offences, Property, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, <a href=
-"#pb220" class="pageref">220</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kabui, a Naga tribe, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kairuma, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb49" class=
-"pageref">49</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kaithum, a branch of Vanchong clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kamhau clan, <a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>,
-<a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kamzakhoi, Old Kuki village officer, <a href="#pb153"
-class="pageref">153</a> <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb243" href=
-"#pb243" name="pb243">243</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Kanghmun village, <a href="#pb35" class=
-"pageref">35</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kangjupkhul village, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kangmang hill, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kangpuizam sacrifice, <a href="#pb74" class=
-"pageref">74</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kang Sanaba, Manipuri game, <a href="#pb39" class=
-"pageref">39</a></p>
-<p class="par">Karmindai, first day of Keidun festival, <a href=
-"#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>&ndash;7</p>
-<p class="par">Kassalong river, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kawl Burma, <i>q.v.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Kawlchi, a branch of Changte clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kawlhring (Burma-born), <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href=
-"#pb135" class="pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kawlnam, copy of Burmese dah, <a href="#pb15" class=
-"pageref">15</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kawlni, a Non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Keichala, a sorcerer, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Keidun, Kolhen festival in April, <a href="#pb166"
-class="pageref">166</a>&ndash;7</p>
-<p class="par">Keimi, a tiger-man, <a href="#pb177" class=
-"pageref">177</a><a id="xd24e13198" name="xd24e13198"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Kei-ma, a Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb218" class=
-"pageref">218</a>&ndash;9</p>
-<p class="par">Kela, a Lushei, <a href="#pb102" class=
-"pageref">102</a><a id="xd24e13209" name="xd24e13209"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Kel-kh&#257;l sacrifice, <a href="#pb73" class=
-"pageref">73</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kelsi village, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Keng-puna, name-giving, <a href="#pb161" class=
-"pageref">161</a><a id="xd24e13225" name="xd24e13225"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Kh&#257;l Sacrifices, xix, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb72" class="pageref">72</a> <i>et
-seq.</i><br>
-Not practised by the Lakher, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a><br>
-nor by R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a><br>
-nor by Thado, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a><br>
-Vuite practise Uihring only, <a href="#pb145" class=
-"pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kh&#257;l-chuang sacrifice, <a href="#pb73" class=
-"pageref">73</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khalkhama, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khasi people, The, <a href="#pb69" class=
-"pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a> (Synteng),
-<a href="#pb167" class="pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kawchhak, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a> <i>et
-seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Khawkawk hill, <a href="#pb71" class=
-"pageref">71</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khawhring, xix, <a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>,
-<a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>&ndash;12, <a href="#pb164"
-class="pageref">164</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khawhring-hring-tir, a charm, <a href="#pb81" class=
-"pageref">81</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khawpui creeper, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khawtlang tribe, xiii, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb40"
-class="pageref">40</a>, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>,
-<a href="#pb96" class="pageref">96</a>, <a href="#pb100" class=
-"pageref">100</a>, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, <a href=
-"#pb149" class="pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khawzahuala, Z&#257;deng chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khazang (Loitha), <a href="#pb220" class=
-"pageref">220</a>&ndash;1</p>
-<p class="par">Khelma, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khelte clan, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a>&ndash;1</p>
-<p class="par">Kheltea, a R&#257;lte chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kherpui. <i>See under</i> Chhinglung<a id="xd24e13387"
-name="xd24e13387"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Khongzia clan, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khonza = Thado, <i>q.v.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Khuangchoi feast, <a href="#pb89" class=
-"pageref">89</a>, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>;<br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>;<br>
-Siakeng, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>;<br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a><a id="xd24e13428"
-name="xd24e13428"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Khuang-that, a Vaiphai Thangchhuah ceremony, <a href=
-"#pb171" class="pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khuavang, xix, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>,
-<a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>&ndash;8, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a>, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>, <a href=
-"#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb180" class=
-"pageref">180</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Khuavang-hring sacrifice, <a href="#pb75" class=
-"pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khuavang-zawl, hypnotism, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>&ndash;11</p>
-<p class="par">Khuazim, hill, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khul-lakpa, Old Kuki village officer, <a href="#pb153"
-class="pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb154" class="pageref">154</a>,
-<a href="#pb164" class="pageref">164</a>, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a>, <a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>, <a href=
-"#pb173" class="pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khulpi, Thado equivalent of Lushai Chhinglung, <a href=
-"#pb193" class="pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khupno, a branch of Hualbang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khupno, a branch of Hualngo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khulpu, Old Kuki puithiam, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>, <a href=
-"#pb161" class="pageref">161</a>, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khulpu-in, a Ronte family, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Khuptingi, tale of, <a href="#pb209" class=
-"pageref">209</a>&ndash;11</p>
-<p class="par">Khyoung-tha, sons of the river <a href="#pb105" class=
-"pageref">105</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kiang, a Chawte family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kiangte, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kicheo (Kutsa-zawng), Lakher festival, <a href="#pb223"
-class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kipgen, a Thado clan, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Klangklang. <i>See under</i> Thlangtlang</p>
-<p class="par">Klongshai, Chin name for Lakher clan, <a href="#pb213"
-class="pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kobru hill, <a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>,
-<a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb172" class=
-"pageref">172</a>, <a href="#pb188" class="pageref">188</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kochuk, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Koichung (Leivon), a branch of Aimol clan, <a href=
-"#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Koihrui-an-chat, a Ngente festival, <a href="#pb132"
-class="pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>,
-<a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a></p>
-<p class="par">Koku hill, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a></p>
-<p class="par">Koladyne river, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>,
-<a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb135" class=
-"pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>, <a href=
-"#pb214" class="pageref">214</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kolhen, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb162" class=
-"pageref">162</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb165" class="pageref">165</a>,
-<a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb171" class="pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kom, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb8" class=
-"pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>, <a href="#pb165"
-class="pageref">165</a>, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>,
-<a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb171" class=
-"pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Konglung village, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>,
-<a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kongpuishiam sacrifice, <a href="#pb35" class=
-"pageref">35</a>, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kuchom, Thado she-demon, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a><a id="xd24e13711" name="xd24e13711"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Kuki, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>&ndash;2,
-<a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>;<br>
-meaning of term, xiii<a id="xd24e13731" name="xd24e13731"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Kukis, the old, xiii, xvii, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>&ndash;134,
-<a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb148" class=
-"pageref">148</a>&ndash;188</p>
-<p class="par">Kukis, the new, xiii, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, <a href=
-"#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>; <i>see under</i> Thado</p>
-<p class="par">Kuki language, xvii</p>
-<p class="par">Kulho, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Kullon, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Kul-lo-nu (<i>cf.</i> Thado Kulsamnu), R&#257;ngte
-belief about, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kulsamnu, troubles of thangchhuah, dead, <a href=
-"#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kumpinu, the &ldquo;Company&rsquo;s mother,&rdquo;
-<a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kumpui, xix</p>
-<p class="par">Kungori, Legend of, <a href="#pb177" class=
-"pageref">177</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Kurnaphili river, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>,
-<a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kut, xix, <a href="#pb86" class="pageref">86</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kutsa-zawng, Lakher festival, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Kwe-Hring village, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>&ndash;132 <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb244" href=
-"#pb244" name="pb244">244</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Lackhia, a Lakher festival, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lai-haranba, Manipuri &ldquo;god-pleasing&rdquo;
-ceremony, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a></p>
-<p class="par">Laishel family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">L&#257;ita (Mangte), a branch of Aimol clan, <a href=
-"#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lakher (Mara), a non-Lushei clan, xiii, xviii, <a href=
-"#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb129" class=
-"pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a>&ndash;224</p>
-<p class="par">Lal, xix, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>,
-<a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalbawn, a branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalbuta&rsquo;s village, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalchheva, a Thangluah chief, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalchhung, dependents in chief&rsquo;s house, <a href=
-"#pb46" class="pageref">46</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalia, a Lakher festival, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Laller, a branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lallianvunga, a Sailo chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lallula, a Lushai chief, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalmanga, a Ngente chief, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalmichinga, a Kawlhring chief, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalmanga, a Lushai hero, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalsavunga, a Sailo chief, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalsukta (Lalchakla), a Pallian chief, <a href="#pb4"
-class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lalul, a Sailo chief, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lamgang, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb162" class=
-"pageref">162</a>, <a href="#pb165" class="pageref">165</a>, <a href=
-"#pb167" class="pageref">167</a>, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb171" class="pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lamkut, a Kava feast, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lamleia, egg-hatched chief, <a href="#pb142" class=
-"pageref">142</a></p>
-<p class="par">Language, Lushei, xiii, xviii, <a href="#pb113" class=
-"pageref">113</a>&ndash;124<br>
-Non-Lushei, <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>&ndash;235</p>
-<p class="par">Lashi, xix, <a href="#pb68" class=
-"pageref">68</a>&ndash;9, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lanu, a branch of Aimol clan, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lanu, a branch of Ronte clan, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">La-pi, Thado funeral chant, <a href="#pb204" class=
-"pageref">204</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lathang, a branch of Chuachang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">L&#257;v&#257;r river, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Leiven (Koichung), a branch of Aimol clan, <a href=
-"#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lemba&rsquo;s wife, a Fanai queen, <a href="#pb137"
-class="pageref">137</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Leng hill, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a></p>
-<p class="par">Leng village, <a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lentlang river, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Leplupi, co-ancestor of the R&#257;lte, <a href="#pb139"
-class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lershia, a Chongthu chief, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lewin, <i>Lt.-Col.</i> T. H. (&ldquo;Thangliana&rdquo;),
-vi, xiii, xiv. xvii, xviii, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>,
-<a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb45" class=
-"pageref">45</a>, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>, <a href=
-"#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a>, <a href="#pb177" class="pageref">177</a>, <a href=
-"#pb178" class="pageref">178</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lianchi, a Lakher chief, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lianglunga, tale of, <a href="#pb68" class=
-"pageref">68</a></p>
-<p class="par">Liankhama, a Lushai chief, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lianphunga, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb55" class=
-"pageref">55</a></p>
-<p class="par">Liangthang, a Thado chief, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Liangthang, a Thado clan, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Liangthangi, a hypnotic medium, <a href="#pb111" class=
-"pageref">111</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lianthawgna, a huai (spirit), <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a>&ndash;7</p>
-<p class="par">Lianthung, a branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Liantlura, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lianughor, a branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lingvum village, <a href="#pb99" class=
-"pageref">99</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lister, <i>Colonel</i>, <a href="#pb21" class=
-"pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lizard, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>,
-<a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lo-an-dai, an Aimol feast, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lohman sacrifice, <a href="#pb80" class=
-"pageref">80</a></p>
-<p class="par">Loi, a marriage ceremony, <a href="#pb83" class=
-"pageref">83</a></p>
-<p class="par">Loilang, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Loitha, Lakher equivalent for Pathian, <a href="#pb220"
-class="pageref">220</a></p>
-<p class="par">Longnam, a Thado funeral price, <a href="#pb199" class=
-"pageref">199</a></p>
-<p class="par">Longteroi hill, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lonte (Ronte), an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lorrain, H. J., xviii, <a href="#pb113" class=
-"pageref">113</a>, <a href="#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>, <a href=
-"#pb220" class="pageref">220</a>, <a href="#pb226" class=
-"pageref">226</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lukawng, a fine paid on death, <a href="#pb82" class=
-"pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb86" class="pageref">86</a>, <a href=
-"#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>, <a href="#pb199" class=
-"pageref">199</a>;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>;<br>
-Rangte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lunganai, ceremony, <a href="#pb172" class=
-"pageref">172</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lungdawh, platforms to commemorate the dead, <a href=
-"#pb85" class="pageref">85</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lungdup hill, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Lungkhera, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb127" class=
-"pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lunglai family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lungleh, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href=
-"#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>,
-<a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href=
-"#pb136" class="pageref">136</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lunglo river, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lungthau, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lungte, a branch of Chongte clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lunkim, a Thado chief, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lunkim, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lup-lakpa, an Old Kuki village officer, <a href="#pb153"
-class="pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb167" class="pageref">167</a>,
-<a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lur precipice, <a href="#pb68" class=
-"pageref">68</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lushai, derivations of the name, <a href="#pb42" class=
-"pageref">42</a>, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a><br>
-Distinguished from Lushei, xiii, xiv<br>
-Expedition, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a><br>
-Nomadic habits of, <a href="#pb23" class="pageref">23</a>, <a href=
-"#pb27" class="pageref">27</a><br>
-<i>See</i> Contents</p>
-<p class="par">Lushei affinities&mdash;<br>
-Habitat, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a><br>
-History, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Language, <a href="#pb113" class="pageref">113</a>&ndash;124<br>
-Racial characteristics, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lutu, a Lushai householder, <a href="#pb171" class=
-"pageref">171</a></p>
-<p class="par">Lyall, <i>Sir</i> Charles, xiv</p>
-<p class="par">Mackenzie &mdash;, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Maibi tribe, <a href="#pb111" class=
-"pageref">111</a></p>
-<p class="par">Maite family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mait-thuk-kai, R&#257;ngte Thangchhuah feast, <a href=
-"#pb147" class="pageref">147</a></p>
-<p class="par">Maituki Raia image, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Maize, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href=
-"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Makan, a Chawte family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Makong hill, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a></p>
-<p class="par">Malun clan, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb245" href="#pb245" name=
-"pb245">245</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Mancala Bao, a game, <a href="#pb39" class=
-"pageref">39</a></p>
-<p class="par">Manchester goods, <a href="#pb17" class=
-"pageref">17</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mandu, price of bones of dead, <a href="#pb166" class=
-"pageref">166</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mangami, a Lushei woman, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mangkhaia, a R&#257;lte chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mangpura, a Sailo chief, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mangte (Laita) branch of Aimol clan, <a href="#pb153"
-class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mangthawnga, a R&#257;lte chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mangyel, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Manipur, xiii, xv, xvii, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb5"
-class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>, <a href=
-"#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>,
-<a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb21" class=
-"pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb39" class="pageref">39</a>, <a href=
-"#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>,
-<a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb106" class=
-"pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb130" class=
-"pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href=
-"#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href=
-"#pb148" class="pageref">148</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb166"
-class="pageref">166</a>, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>,
-<a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>, <a href="#pb175" class=
-"pageref">175</a>, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a>, <a href=
-"#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb188" class="pageref">188</a>, <a href=
-"#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a>, <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a> <i>et
-seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Manipuri Chronicle, <a href="#pb134" class=
-"pageref">134</a>, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a>, <a href=
-"#pb191" class="pageref">191</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mankang, marriage price to bride&rsquo;s paternal uncle,
-<a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb199" class=
-"pageref">199</a></p>
-<p class="par">Manlal, a Biate chief, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Manpui, marriage price paid to nearest relation on
-bride&rsquo;s father&rsquo;s side, <a href="#pb51" class=
-"pageref">51</a>;<br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a></p>
-<p class="par">Manufactures, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mara. <i>See under</i> Lakher.</p>
-<p class="par">Marem, a Chawte family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Marriage, <a href="#pb50" class=
-"pageref">50</a>&ndash;53, <a href="#pb82" class=
-"pageref">82</a>&ndash;3<br>
-by servitude, <a href="#pb155" class="pageref">155</a>, <a href=
-"#pb163" class="pageref">163</a><br>
-prices, among Lusheis, <a href="#pb51" class=
-"pageref">51</a>&ndash;52<br>
-Lakher or Mara, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>, <a href=
-"#pb220" class="pageref">220</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb224"
-class="pageref">224</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a> <i>et seq.</i>,
-<a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a>, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a><br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a><br>
-Ronte, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>&ndash;4;<br>
-Tarau, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>&ndash;4;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>&ndash;9, <a href=
-"#pb203" class="pageref">203</a><br>
-Vuite or Paihte, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>&ndash;4</p>
-<p class="par">Mat river, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a></p>
-<p class="par">Maung Myat San, a Burmese chief, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">McCabe &mdash;, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">McCrea, <i>Surgeon</i>, xix<a id="xd24e14799" name=
-"xd24e14799"></a></p>
-<p class="par">McCulloch, <i>Colonel</i> W., xvii, <a href="#pb13"
-class="pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>,
-<a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb189" class=
-"pageref">189</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a>, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a></p>
-<p class="par">Measures and weights, <a href="#pb19" class=
-"pageref">19</a>&ndash;20</p>
-<p class="par">Mei-awr-lo sacrifice, <a href="#pb73" class=
-"pageref">73</a></p>
-<p class="par">Meitheis, the, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>,
-<a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href=
-"#pb224" class="pageref">224</a>, <a href="#pb225" class=
-"pageref">225</a></p>
-<p class="par">Memorial posts, Feasts, <a href="#pb88" class=
-"pageref">88</a>, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>;<br>
-funerals, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>, <a href="#pb165"
-class="pageref">165</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb170" class="pageref">170</a><br>
-Khelte and Siakeng, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Methei lumbu, Old Kuki village official, <a href=
-"#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mikhirs, the, xiv</p>
-<p class="par">Mikhir hills, xv</p>
-<p class="par">Mim-kut festival, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>, <a href=
-"#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ming-puna, name-giving, <a href="#pb161" class=
-"pageref">161</a></p>
-<p class="par">Minpui hill, <a href="#pb135" class=
-"pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mirem family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mission, The London Baptist, <a href="#pb113" class=
-"pageref">113</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mist, spirits of the dead changed into, <a href="#pb222"
-class="pageref">222</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mithan, <a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>, <a href=
-"#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>;<br>
-legendary origin of, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a><br>
-sacrificed, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb135"
-class="pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>;<br>
-Khelte and Siakeng, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>;<br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>;<br>
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e14974" title="Source: Viute">Vuite</span>,
-<a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>;<br>
-Ronte and Turau (prohibit), <a href="#pb175" class=
-"pageref">175</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mivengtu, &ldquo;watchers of men,&rdquo; spirits,
-<a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mi-thi-chhiah, offering to cultivators parents, <a href=
-"#pb65" class="pageref">65</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mi-thi-khua, xix, <a href="#pb19" class=
-"pageref">19</a>, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb84"
-class="pageref">84</a>&ndash;5, <a href="#pb210" class=
-"pageref">210</a>&ndash;211;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>&ndash;8;<br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mi-thi-rawp-lam, a Thangchhuah feast, xix, <a href=
-"#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>&ndash;9, <a href="#pb221" class=
-"pageref">221</a>;<br>
-prohibited among Fanai, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>;<br>
-not practised by Siakeng and Khelte, <a href="#pb141" class=
-"pageref">141</a>;<br>
-nor by Old Kukis, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, <a href=
-"#pb170" class="pageref">170</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mizo, hill-folk, xiv, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mongolian type, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a></p>
-<p class="par">Monkey, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>,
-<a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a></p>
-<p class="par">Monogamy, Vuite or Paihte, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a></p>
-<p class="par">Moth, the Atlas, superstition, <a href="#pb103" class=
-"pageref">103</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mouse, legend of the, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mrung clan, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mualsavata, mythological hero, <a href="#pb100" class=
-"pageref">100</a></p>
-<p class="par">Muchhip hill, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>,
-<a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Muchhip-chhuak, a branch of the Chongthu clan, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Muchhip-chhuak, a branch of the Tochong clan, <a href=
-"#pb127" class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mullah, Sailo chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Musical instruments, <a href="#pb28" class=
-"pageref">28</a>, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a></p>
-<p class="par">Mu-v&#257;n-l&#257;i, a spirit who attacks the departed,
-<a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a></p>
-<p class="par">Naga hills, xiv, <a href="#pb189" class=
-"pageref">189</a></p>
-<p class="par">Naga people, The, xiii, xix, <a href="#pb11" class=
-"pageref">11</a>, <a href="#pb20" class="pageref">20</a>, <a href=
-"#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>,
-<a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb86" class=
-"pageref">86</a>, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, <a href=
-"#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb170" class=
-"pageref">170</a>, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>, <a href=
-"#pb199" class="pageref">199</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nairung, ancestor of Kolhens, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nao-hri sacrifice, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, <a href=
-"#pb130" class="pageref">130</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nao-l&#257;m-kut, Ngente substitute for, <a href=
-"#pb133" class="pageref">133</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nau-bil-vu, a Thado birth sacrifice, <a href="#pb203"
-class="pageref">203</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nau-puan-puak-man, marriage fee received by a sister
-from husband of her younger sister, <a href="#pb52" class=
-"pageref">52</a>, <a href="#pb154" class="pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Naw-clawng, Lakher equivalent for
-&ldquo;hlamzuih,&rdquo; <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Necklaces, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb246" href="#pb246" name=
-"pb246">246</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Nepal, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngaia, a Ngente chief, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngai-ti, legend of, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngakchi, a branch of the Changte clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngalchi, a branch of the Lungkhua clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngalchung, a branch of the Lungkhua clan, <a href=
-"#pb127" class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngamboma, tale of, <a href="#pb209" class=
-"pageref">209</a>&ndash;11</p>
-<p class="par">Ngaphawl, a branch of Lungkhua clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngehguka, a Paihte chief, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngente, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>,
-<a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ngente hill, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Niman, marriage price paid to bride&rsquo;s aunt on
-father&rsquo;s side, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href=
-"#pb154" class="pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nimkut feast, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a></p>
-<p class="par">No-hla, a Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb218" class=
-"pageref">218</a>&ndash;9</p>
-<p class="par">Nomadic habits, <a href="#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>,
-<a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nuengi, legend of, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a>&ndash;6</p>
-<p class="par">Nongjai, supposed wife of Pathen, <a href="#pb200"
-class="pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nu-hrih sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nuaijingmang, Thado evil spirit, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Numeina, Aimol she-demon, <a href="#pb158" class=
-"pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nungchomba, a Manipuri god, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a></p>
-<p class="par">Nungshaba, a Chawte god, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a></p>
-<p class="par">Oaths, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a></p>
-<p class="par">O-kia, a Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb218" class=
-"pageref">218</a>&ndash;9</p>
-<p class="par">Omens, <a href="#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>,
-<a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb163" class=
-"pageref">163</a>, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ornaments, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a></p>
-<p class="par">Owl, legend of, <a href="#pb94" class=
-"pageref">94</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pachana, a Ronte family, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pachuao, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a>, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Padaratu, a branch of Changte clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Paihte (Vuite), a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb41"
-class="pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>,
-<a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb142" class=
-"pageref">142</a>&ndash;4</p>
-<p class="par">Paihtea, sons of egg-hatched Lamleia, <a href="#pb142"
-class="pageref">142</a></p>
-<p class="par"><span class="corr" id="xd24e15461" title=
-"Source: Pakanglahpa">Pakanglakpa</span>, Old Kuki village officer,
-<a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pakh&#257;ngba, Manipuri snake-god, <a href="#pb106"
-class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>,
-<a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Paku, a Lakher festival, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Palal, Guardian, xix, <a href="#pb82" class=
-"pageref">82</a>&ndash;4<br>
-Marriage price paid to, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pallian, a branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb5"
-class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>, <a href=
-"#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a>&ndash;6</p>
-<p class="par">Pamte, a branch of Changte clan, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Paotu, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb134" class=
-"pageref">134</a>&ndash;5</p>
-<p class="par">Papek, a Ronte and Tarau festival, <a href="#pb175"
-class="pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">Patel, Anal, and Kolhen name for Pathian, <a href=
-"#pb157" class="pageref">157</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pathen, Thado name for Pathian, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Patheng, Kom name for Pathian, <a href="#pb157" class=
-"pageref">157</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pathen-biak-na, a Thado sacrifice, <a href="#pb202"
-class="pageref">202</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pathian, xix, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>
-<i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb94"
-class="pageref">94</a>, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>,
-<a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>, <a href="#pb103" class=
-"pageref">103</a>, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>, <a href=
-"#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>, <a href="#pb220" class=
-"pageref">220</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>&ndash;8, <a href=
-"#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>, <a href="#pb177" class=
-"pageref">177</a><br>
-Tarau do not worship, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pawl-kut festival, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a><br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pe-ra, Lakher equivalent for Pial-ral, <a href="#pb221"
-class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Phaileng village, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Phaizang hill, <a href="#pb146" class=
-"pageref">146</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pheizaim, Thado L&#257;shi, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Phun-lu-buk hill, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a></p>
-<p class="par">Phungchi, a branch of Lungkhua clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Phunkai, Thado adoption, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pial-ral, xx, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>,
-<a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb186" class=
-"pageref">186</a>, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pial river, <a href="#pb62" class=
-"pageref">62</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Pig, <a href="#pb18" class="pageref">18</a>, <a href=
-"#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>;<br>
-legendary origin of, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>;<br>
-sacrificed, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb72"
-class="pageref">72</a>, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>,
-<a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb80" class=
-"pageref">80</a>, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>, <a href=
-"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>, <a href="#pb145" class=
-"pageref">145</a>, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, <a href=
-"#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, <a href="#pb164" class=
-"pageref">164</a>, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>,
-<span class="corr" id="xd24e15730" title="Source: 168, 168"><a href=
-"#pb168" class="pageref">168</a></span>, <a href="#pb172" class=
-"pageref">172</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>,
-<a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pi-leh-pu, Lakher &ldquo;All-Father&rdquo; or
-&ldquo;All-Mother,&rdquo; <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Piler hill, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Poi people, the, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>,
-<a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Poiboi, a Sailo chief, <a href="#pb146" class=
-"pageref">146</a></p>
-<p class="par">Poison, Thado methods, <a href="#pb197" class=
-"pageref">197</a></p>
-<p class="par">Polygamy, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>,
-<a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb196" class=
-"pageref">196</a></p>
-<p class="par">Polkut, a Lushai festival, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a></p>
-<p class="par">Portents, <a href="#pb104" class=
-"pageref">104</a>&ndash;5</p>
-<p class="par">Pottery, <a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a></p>
-<p class="par">Priests, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>. <i>See
-under</i> Pui-thiam<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a></p>
-<p class="par">Property in land, ideas of, <a href="#pb156" class=
-"pageref">156</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pu, xx</p>
-<p class="par">Pu river, xx</p>
-<p class="par">Puanpui, a Lushei quilt, <a href="#pb31" class=
-"pageref">31</a></p>
-<p class="par">Puggris, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pui-thiam, xx, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>,
-<a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>, <a href="#pb75" class=
-"pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, <a href=
-"#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>&ndash;1, <a href="#pb83" class=
-"pageref">83</a>, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, <a href=
-"#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>, <a href="#pb130" class=
-"pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a><br>
-Rangte, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a><br>
-Vuite, <span class="corr" id="xd24e15888" title="Source: 14">147</span>
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb247" href="#pb247" name=
-"pb247">247</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Pupawla, tale of, <a href="#pb62" class=
-"pageref">62</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>,
-<a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pumtek, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a></p>
-<p class="par">Purbura, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Purum, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb162" class=
-"pageref">162</a>, <a href="#pb165" class="pageref">165</a>, <a href=
-"#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb169" class=
-"pageref">169</a></p>
-<p class="par">Pushum, Marriage price to bride&rsquo;s nearest relation
-on mother&rsquo;s side, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a></p>
-<p class="par">Python, superstition about, <a href="#pb224" class=
-"pageref">224</a></p>
-<p class="par">Quail, <a href="#pb97" class=
-"pageref">97</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Raia, corruption of Rajah, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Raids, <a href="#pb56" class="pageref">56</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rainbow, Old Kuki idea about, <a href="#pb184" class=
-"pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rai-pi-hra, Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb218"
-class="pageref">218</a>&ndash;9</p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;l, funeral feast, <a href="#pb84" class=
-"pageref">84</a></p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;lte, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>, <a href=
-"#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ramcharipu, Aimol name for Pupawla, <a href="#pb158"
-class="pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;m-chawm, clay figures used in sacrifices,
-<a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ram-huai, spirits, <a href="#pb65" class=
-"pageref">65</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb80" class=
-"pageref">80</a>, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ramhual, advisers as to jhumming, <a href="#pb44" class=
-"pageref">44</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rampus, Chiru demons, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ramri, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a>,
-<a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rangthai, tale of, <a href="#pb177" class=
-"pageref">177</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;ngte, ancestor of R&#257;ngte clan, <a href=
-"#pb146" class="pageref">146</a></p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;ngte, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb146" class=
-"pageref">146</a>&ndash;7, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rao-chhiak, food placed aside for spirits of the dead,
-<a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rape, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, <a href=
-"#pb200" class="pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">R&#257;pu, Tanau substitute for Pathian, <a href=
-"#pb175" class="pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rat, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>;<br>
-eaten, <a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a>;<br>
-Legend and superstition, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>,
-<a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ratek, a Chiru and Kolhen festival, <a href="#pb172"
-class="pageref">172</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rawi-ni, day in the Chong feast, <a href="#pb88" class=
-"pageref">88</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rawlins, John, xix<a id="xd24e16124" name=
-"xd24e16124"></a></p>
-<p class="par">Red-dao-boi, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>,
-<a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>, <a href="#pb50" class=
-"pageref">50</a></p>
-<p class="par">Religious beliefs, <a href="#pb61" class=
-"pageref">61</a> <i>et seq.</i> <i>See under</i> Festivals, Funerals,
-Omens, Sacrifices, Superstitions, Worship<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rem-ar, xx, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rembual family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rennel (Rennell)<span class="corr" id="xd24e16191"
-title="Not in source">,</span> <i>Major</i> James, xviii&ndash;xix,
-<a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rengpui, a chief of Tipperah, <a href="#pb98" class=
-"pageref">98</a></p>
-<p class="par">Renthlei, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb13" class=
-"pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rezar, a Chiru family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rezar, son of Chongthu, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rhangkol (Hrangchul) clan, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, <a href=
-"#pb185" class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rhinoceros, superstition, <a href="#pb103" class=
-"pageref">103</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rice, not cultivated in Zahao country, <a href="#pb139"
-class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rih lake, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>,
-<a href="#pb72" class="pageref">72</a>, <a href="#pb94" class=
-"pageref">94</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rikampu, Old Kuki legend of, <a href="#pb183" class=
-"pageref">183</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rimenhoiyi, tale of, <a href="#pb98" class=
-"pageref">98</a>, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ringchanghoi, tale of, <a href="#pb182" class=
-"pageref">182</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rivang, a branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb6"
-class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rivers, poisoning of, <a href="#pb36" class=
-"pageref">36</a>, <a href="#pb197" class="pageref">197</a></p>
-<p class="par">Roite, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb135" class=
-"pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rokum, a branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>, <a href=
-"#pb125" class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rolura, a branch of Sailo clan, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rongthlang hills, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ronte (Lonte), an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Roreiluova, ancestor of Fanai chiefs, <a href="#pb136"
-class="pageref">136</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rotchem, xx, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>,
-<a href="#pb97" class="pageref">97</a>, <a href="#pb152" class=
-"pageref">152</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rothangpuia (Ruttonpoia), <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ru, a Lakher marriage price, <a href="#pb220" class=
-"pageref">220</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rulngan, a kind of snake, <a href="#pb64" class=
-"pageref">64</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rulpui, the big snake, <a href="#pb105" class=
-"pageref">105</a> <i>et seq.</i><span class="corr" id="xd24e16369"
-title="Not in source">,</span> <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Rulpui-thlen, snake deity, <a href="#pb106" class=
-"pageref">106</a></p>
-<p class="par">Run river, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sacrifices, Lushei, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>&ndash;60, <a href=
-"#pb168" class="pageref">168</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a> <i>et seq.</i><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sa-huai, spirits, <a href="#pb94" class=
-"pageref">94</a></p>
-<p class="par">Saiha village, <a href="#pb213" class=
-"pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sailo, a branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6"
-class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href=
-"#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb42" class=
-"pageref">42</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb56" class=
-"pageref">56</a>&ndash;7, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a>&ndash;6, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>,
-<a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>, <a href="#pb142" class=
-"pageref">142</a>, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href=
-"#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb186" class=
-"pageref">186</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sailova, ancestor of Sailo clan, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>, <a href=
-"#pb125" class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sakei-Ai, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sakhia, Lakher equivalent of Lashi, <a href="#pb221"
-class="pageref">221</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sakhua, xx, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a><br>
-Chant, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a><br>
-Sacrifices to, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, <a href="#pb62"
-class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>&ndash;7,
-<a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a> <i>et seq</i><span class="corr"
-id="xd24e16532" title="Not in source">,</span> <a href="#pb81" class=
-"pageref">81</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href=
-"#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>, <a href="#pb130" class=
-"pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href=
-"#pb138" class="pageref">138</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>&ndash;9, <a href=
-"#pb161" class="pageref">161</a><br>
-Khelte, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>, <a href="#pb158"
-class="pageref">158</a><br>
-Ronte and Tarau, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>, <a href="#pb198"
-class="pageref">198</a>, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sakripung hill, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">S&#257;l, captives, <a href="#pb49" class=
-"pageref">49</a>, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sa-lu-an-chhuang ceremony, <a href="#pb78" class=
-"pageref">78</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sambhur, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sangao, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb248" href="#pb248" name=
-"pb248">248</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Sangaisel, Manipuri portent, <a href="#pb105" class=
-"pageref">105</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sangvunga, descendant of Lalul, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb38" class="pageref">38</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sankhulairenma, a Manipuri deity, <a href="#pb175"
-class="pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">Saphun. <i>See under</i> Adoption</p>
-<p class="par">Sar<span class="corr" id="xd24e16654" title=
-"Not in source">,</span> Tarau equivalent for
-&ldquo;Sherh&rdquo;<span class="corr" id="xd24e16657" title=
-"Not in source">,</span> <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">S&#257;r-thi, death by accident or wild beasts, <a href=
-"#pb86" class="pageref">86</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sa-ru-che-u-ni, third day of She-doi feast, <a href=
-"#pb88" class="pageref">88</a></p>
-<p class="par">Satan (Seitana)<span class="corr" id="xd24e16676" title=
-"Not in source">,</span> <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sa-thing-zar, collection of wood for feast, <a href=
-"#pb88" class="pageref">88</a></p>
-<p class="par">Savidge, F. W., xviii, <a href="#pb13" class=
-"pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a></p>
-<p class="par">Savung, descendant of Lalul, <a href="#pb5" class=
-"pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sawnchal hill, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sawnman, xx, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sazah, a branch of Hrasel clan, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Seduction<br>
-Tarau, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a><br>
-Ronte, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href="#pb186"
-class="pageref">186</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shaithatpal, ancestor of Kolhen clan, <a href="#pb15"
-class="pageref">15</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shanghong, a Purum feast, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shangpa, a Chiru family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shans, The, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a></p>
-<p class="par">She-cha-chun, spearing of mithan feast, <a href="#pb137"
-class="pageref">137</a></p>
-<p class="par">She-doi feast, <a href="#pb88" class=
-"pageref">88</a>&ndash;9, <a href="#pb137" class=
-"pageref">137</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">She-lu-pum, a Memorial post, <a href="#pb170" class=
-"pageref">170</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shendu people, The, xiii, xvii</p>
-<p class="par">Shenlai, a branch of Haenar clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">She-shu-ni, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>nd day
-of She-doi feast, <a href="#pb88" class="pageref">88</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shentlang village, <a href="#pb21" class=
-"pageref">21</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shepuia, a branch of Hrasel clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shepui rocks, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sherh, xx, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <i>et
-passim</i></p>
-<p class="par">Sherh-an-long, Lamgang feast, <a href="#pb170" class=
-"pageref">170</a></p>
-<p class="par">She-shun, a Vuite Thangchhuah feast, <a href="#pb145"
-class="pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shithloh clan, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>
-<i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Shongte, a branch <span class="corr" id="xd24e16857"
-title="Not in source">of</span> Thado clan, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Siakeng, a branch of <span class="corr" id="xd24e16865"
-title="Source: Ralte">R&#257;lte</span> clan, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a>&ndash;2</p>
-<p class="par">Siakenga, ancestor of the Siakengs, <a href="#pb140"
-class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sialchung, a branch of Hualbung clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sialchung, a branch of Lungkhua clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sickness and Epidemics, Sacrifices, <a href="#pb74"
-class="pageref">74</a>&ndash;6, <a href="#pb158" class=
-"pageref">158</a>&ndash;9, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sibuta (Sheeboot), a Pallian chief, <a href="#pb4"
-class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a></p>
-<p class="par">Silchar, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>, <a href=
-"#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a></p>
-<p class="par">Silk, manufactured by Lakher women, <a href="#pb215"
-class="pageref">215</a></p>
-<p class="par">Singaia, brother of Chongthu, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Siyin clan, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Slaves, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, <a href=
-"#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>, <a href="#pb193" class=
-"pageref">193</a>, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>, <a href=
-"#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>&ndash;17</p>
-<p class="par">Sleeping arrangements, <a href="#pb24" class=
-"pageref">24</a>&ndash;5<br>
-R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a><br>
-Ronte, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>, <a href="#pb155"
-class="pageref">155</a><br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a><br>
-<i>See under</i> Zaulbuk</p>
-<p class="par">Sleep-walking, Beliefs about, <a href="#pb112" class=
-"pageref">112</a></p>
-<p class="par">Snake, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a><a id=
-"xd24e17002" name="xd24e17002"></a><br>
-worship, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>&ndash;8<br>
-Superstitions about, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sneyd-Hutchinson, R., xviii</p>
-<p class="par">Sodomy, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a><br>
-Not known to Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Nor to R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a><br>
-Scarcely known among Old Kukis, <a href="#pb157" class=
-"pageref">157</a>;<br>
-or Thados, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sokte clan, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>,
-<a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb225" class=
-"pageref">225</a></p>
-<p class="par">Soldeng river, <a href="#pb59" class=
-"pageref">59</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sonai river, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a></p>
-<p class="par">Songchungnung, a Chongthu family, <a href="#pb167"
-class="pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Songs, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href=
-"#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb204" class=
-"pageref">204</a></p>
-<p class="par">Soutlunk, a branch of Hrasel clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Soppitt, C. A., xviii</p>
-<p class="par">Spirits, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>&ndash;8</p>
-<p class="par">Stars, Names given to, <a href="#pb20" class=
-"pageref">20</a><br>
-Omens, <a href="#pb108" class="pageref">108</a></p>
-<p class="par">Stewart, <i>Lieut.</i> R., xvii, <a href="#pb1" class=
-"pageref">1</a>, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>, <a href="#pb6"
-class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>,
-<a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb186" class=
-"pageref">186</a>, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a></p>
-<p class="par">Stone-hauling, Naga custom, <a href="#pb86" class=
-"pageref">86</a></p>
-<p class="par">Stone Memorial, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>,
-<a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>;<br>
-Chonluma&rsquo;s in the Vanlaiphai, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a><br>
-near Chongthleng, <a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a><br>
-near Leng, <a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a><br>
-Mangkhaia&rsquo;s, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a><br>
-Old Kuki Memorial, <a href="#pb170" class="pageref">170</a><br>
-Thado Memorial of Buh-ai performed by a woman, <a href="#pb205" class=
-"pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Stone platforms, Biate account of, <a href="#pb185"
-class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Suaka, sub-inspector of police, <a href="#pb130" class=
-"pageref">130</a></p>
-<p class="par">Suakhnuna, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a>, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a></p>
-<p class="par">Suicide, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sukpuilala, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb47" class=
-"pageref">47</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sukte clan, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sumk&#257;m, a Vuite chief, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sum-kmun, verandah, <a href="#pb24" class=
-"pageref">24</a> <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb249" href="#pb249"
-name="pb249">249</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Sumklum, a branch of Vanchong<a id="xd24e17235" name=
-"xd24e17235"></a> clan, x, <a href="#pb127" class=
-"pageref">127</a>;<br>
-a branch of Hrasel clan, <a href="#pb127" class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sutmanga, a Thado chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Superstitions, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>
-<i>et seq.</i><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>&ndash;4;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Sylhet, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>, <a href=
-"#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>,
-<a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a></p>
-<p class="par">Symons, <i>General</i>, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a></p>
-<p class="par">Taihhlum, a branch of Hualbang clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Talching village, <a href="#pb150" class=
-"pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tamu, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tangkhul Nagas, <a href="#pb90" class=
-"pageref">90</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tan, precipice, <a href="#pb68" class=
-"pageref">68</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tao hill, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tarau, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Tatooing, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tegnopal village, <a href="#pb175" class=
-"pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">Teknonymy, <a href="#pb19" class="pageref">19</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thado, ancestor of Thado clan, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, <i>et
-seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Thado, New Kuki clan, xiii, xvii, xviii, <a href="#pb2"
-class="pageref">2</a>, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>, <a href=
-"#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>,
-<a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb46" class=
-"pageref">46</a>, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>, <a href=
-"#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>,
-<a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb129" class=
-"pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>, <a href=
-"#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>, <a href="#pb142" class=
-"pageref">142</a>, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href=
-"#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb147" class=
-"pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, <a href=
-"#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, <i>et
-seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Thalun, son of Thado, <a href="#pb191" class=
-"pageref">191</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangbawgna, tale of, <a href="#pb79" class=
-"pageref">79</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangchhuah, xx, <a href="#pb11" class="pageref">11</a>,
-<a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>&ndash;5, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>;<br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangchhuah feasts, <a href="#pb69" class=
-"pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a> <i>et
-seq.</i><br>
-Khelte and Siakeng, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a><br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a><br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, <a href="#pb166"
-class="pageref">166</a>, <a href="#pb170" class="pageref">170</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>&ndash;7<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a><br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangkua village, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thanghlum, a R&#257;ngte chief, <a href="#pb146" class=
-"pageref">146</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thanglian Borh, Aimol she-demon, <a href="#pb158" class=
-"pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangluah, branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb42"
-class="pageref">42</a>, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thang-tei-nu, a prophetess, <a href="#pb111" class=
-"pageref">111</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangur, a Lushei clan, xiii, xiv, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a><a id="xd24e17547" name="xd24e17547"></a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb41" class=
-"pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangura (Thangul), ancestor of all Lushei chiefs,
-<a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>, <a href="#pb3" class=
-"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6"
-class="pageref">6</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thao, a Chawte family, <a href="#pb154" class=
-"pageref">154</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thlanropa (Dap&#257;), legends of, <a href="#pb147"
-class="pageref">147</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thaurang, Sailo chief&rsquo;s village, <a href="#pb56"
-class="pageref">56</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thawnglura, a Ralte chief, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thefts, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, <a href=
-"#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>&ndash;7</p>
-<p class="par">Thempu, Old Kuki puithiam, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>, <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb171"
-class="pageref">171</a>, <a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>,
-<a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thenzawal village, <a href="#pb76" class=
-"pageref">76</a>, <a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>, <a href=
-"#pb106" class="pageref">106</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thiak, an Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb183" class=
-"pageref">183</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thian, xx, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thi-an-chhe, portion for the dead, <a href="#pb204"
-class="pageref">204</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thiang-lo, unlucky, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href=
-"#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>, <a href="#pb101" class=
-"pageref">101</a>, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb108"
-class="pageref">108</a>, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>,
-<a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>, <a href="#pb220" class=
-"pageref">220</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thichhia, unnatural deaths (Thado), <a href="#pb205"
-class="pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thi-duh ceremony, <a href="#pb165" class=
-"pageref">165</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thihla, Thado demons, <a href="#pb200" class=
-"pageref">200</a>, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>, <a href=
-"#pb205" class="pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thimasha, a Ronte family, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thimzing, Legendary epoch of eclipse and metamorphosis
-of beings, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb103"
-class="pageref">103</a>, <a href="#pb123" class=
-"pageref">123</a>&ndash;4;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb177" class="pageref">177</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Thingbulgna, Thado tree-spirits, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thingel, Thado posts, <a href="#pb205" class=
-"pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thir-deng, xx, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>,
-<a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thirsu, Thado Thir-deng, <a href="#pb198" class=
-"pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thi-thin, death offering, <a href="#pb86" class=
-"pageref">86</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thlahzang, sleep-walking, <a href="#pb112" class=
-"pageref">112</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thlako sacrifice, <a href="#pb76" class=
-"pageref">76</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thl&#257;ndropa, Mythical hero, <a href="#pb94" class=
-"pageref">94</a>&ndash;5</p>
-<p class="par">Thla-sui-pu, Lakher, equivalent for Chawifa, <a href=
-"#pb224" class="pageref">224</a></p>
-<p class="par">Th&#257;ngneo, a Thado chief, <a href="#pb192" class=
-"pageref">192</a>&ndash;3</p>
-<p class="par">Thlangom, a branch of Thado clan, <a href="#pb110"
-class="pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thangsang, Siakeng name for Hm&#257;r-phir sacrifice,
-<a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thichhiat, Old Kuki equivalent for Lushai Heamzuih,
-<a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thla-ko, a sacrificial cock, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thlang-tlang (Klang-klang) chiefs, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a>, <a href=
-"#pb215" class="pageref">215</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thlan-thang, village, <a href="#pb139" class=
-"pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thlen, Khasi snake-demon, <a href="#pb69" class=
-"pageref">69</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thompa, Aimol chief, <a href="#pb152" class=
-"pageref">152</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thonglien, a Lakher chief, <a href="#pb12" class=
-"pageref">12</a>, <a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thotche, jungle rat, <a href="#pb205" class=
-"pageref">205</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thunder and Lighting, Old Kuki idea about, <a href=
-"#pb184" class="pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Thumvor, Method of interrogating hypnotised, <a href=
-"#pb111" class="pageref">111</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tiangsha, a Ronte family, <a href="#pb173" class=
-"pageref">173</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tiante, a Chongthu family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tiddim village, <a href="#pb143" class=
-"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tiger, <a href="#pb14" class="pageref">14</a>, <a href=
-"#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, <a href="#pb34" class="pageref">34</a>,
-<a href="#pb35" class="pageref">35</a>, <a href="#pb56" class=
-"pageref">56</a>, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href=
-"#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>,
-<a href="#pb86" class="pageref">86</a>, <a href="#pb93" class=
-"pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb97" class="pageref">97</a>, <a href=
-"#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>, <a href=
-"#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb153" class=
-"pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb177" class="pageref">177</a> <i>et
-seq.</i>, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>, <a href="#pb202"
-class="pageref">202</a>, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>,
-<a href="#pb208" class="pageref">208</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tikhup, Old Kuki clan, <a href="#pb89" class=
-"pageref">89</a>, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a> <i>et
-seq.</i><span class="corr" id="xd24e17975" title=
-"Not in source">,</span> <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>,
-<a href="#pb170" class="pageref">170</a>, <a href="#pb172" class=
-"pageref">172</a>;<br>
-do not sacrifice dogs or acknowledge devils, <a href="#pb159" class=
-"pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tilin, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tipperah, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>, <a href=
-"#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>,
-<a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6" class=
-"pageref">6</a>, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href=
-"#pb98" class="pageref">98</a>&ndash;9, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tlangkua village, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tlangau, xx, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tl&#257;ngsam, Thado crier, <a href="#pb198" class=
-"pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tlip feast, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tlong river, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tlungbuta, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb55" class=
-"pageref">55</a> <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb250" href="#pb250"
-name="pb250">250</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">Tobacco, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>&ndash;11,
-<a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, <a href="#pb31" class=
-"pageref">31</a>, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tobul, a branch of Tochong clan, <a href="#pb127" class=
-"pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tochong, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb127" class=
-"pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tonring, co-ancestor of Purum clan, <a href="#pb150"
-class="pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tonshu, co-ancestor of Purum clan, <a href="#pb150"
-class="pageref">150</a></p>
-<p class="par">Topui, a branch of Tochong clan, <a href="#pb127" class=
-"pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Toung-tha, sons of the hill (Lewin), <a href="#pb105"
-class="pageref">105</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuai, prostitutes, <a href="#pb55" class=
-"pageref">55</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tualbung village, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuali, a Lushei girl, <a href="#pb11" class=
-"pageref">11</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tualsumu, a portent, <a href="#pb104" class=
-"pageref">104</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuazol, a branch of Hualngo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuck, H. M., xiv, xvii, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuibual (Dipwell) village, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuibur, part of tobacco-pipe, <a href="#pb11" class=
-"pageref">11</a>, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tui-chong river, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tui-chongi, a girl, <a href="#pb95" class=
-"pageref">95</a>&ndash;6</p>
-<p class="par">Tuichhung, a branch of Chongte clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tui-huai, spirits, <a href="#pb65" class=
-"pageref">65</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb158" class=
-"pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuikhumnga, Thado water-spirits, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuikhumlen, king of water-spirits, <a href="#pb201"
-class="pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuikuachoi (Tui-huai)<span class="corr" id="xd24e18189"
-title="Not in source">,</span> Aimol name of demons, <a href="#pb158"
-class="pageref">158</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tui-leh-ram. Water and land sacrifice, <a href="#pb73"
-class="pageref">73</a>&ndash;4, <a href="#pb223" class=
-"pageref">223</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuilrampui river, <a href="#pb1" class=
-"pageref">1</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tui-pathen, Thado spirits, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuiruang (Barak) river, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuithang, a branch of Haonar clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tuitlin precipice, <a href="#pb66" class=
-"pageref">66</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tukutboi, persons becoming slaves by desertion to
-conquerors, <a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>, <a href="#pb49"
-class="pageref">49</a>, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tulthung, a Chongthu family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tumpha, a branch of Changte clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tumtin family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Tyao river, <a href="#pb1" class="pageref">1</a>,
-<a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb62" class=
-"pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb131" class=
-"pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href=
-"#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>, <a href="#pb148" class=
-"pageref">148</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ui-ha-awr sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a>;<br>
-Chawte, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>;<br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>;<br>
-Khelte, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a></p>
-<p class="par">Uihovi, son of Rimenhoiyi, <a href="#pb99" class=
-"pageref">99</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ui-hring sacrifice, <a href="#pb75" class=
-"pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ui-te-luilam sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a></p>
-<p class="par">Umbrellas, <a href="#pb13" class="pageref">13</a></p>
-<p class="par">Upa, xx, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>,
-<a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a></p>
-<p class="par">Va-en-la, a Rante feast, <a href="#pb175" class=
-"pageref">175</a></p>
-<p class="par">V&#257;hlit hill, <a href="#pb71" class=
-"pageref">71</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vahluk, a mythical bird, <a href="#pb64" class=
-"pageref">64</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vahrika, tale of, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vai River, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vai-tui-chhun village, <a href="#pb149" class=
-"pageref">149</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vaiphei, an Old Kuki clan, xix, <a href="#pb22" class=
-"pageref">22</a>, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href=
-"#pb149" class="pageref">149</a> <i>et seq.</i>, <a href="#pb163"
-class="pageref">163</a>, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>,
-<a href="#pb171" class="pageref">171</a>, <a href="#pb202" class=
-"pageref">202</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vaki village, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vambio family, <a href="#pb167" class=
-"pageref">167</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanchong, a Lushei clan, <a href="#pb127" class=
-"pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">V&#257;n-chung-kh&#257;l sacrifice, <a href="#pb73"
-class="pageref">73</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vandula, a Lushai head-chief, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vangchhia, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb93" class=
-"pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb127" class="pageref">127</a>, <a href=
-"#pb135" class="pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanhnnai-Thanga village, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a></p>
-<p class="par">Van-lai-phai valley, <a href="#pb93" class=
-"pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb97" class="pageref">97</a>, <a href=
-"#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb185" class=
-"pageref">185</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanlung, a branch of Vanchong clan, <a href="#pb127"
-class="pageref">127</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanpuia, ancestor of Vanpuia-hrin, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a>, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanpuia, ancestor of Vanpuia-thla, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanpuia-hrin, a branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vanpuia-thla, a branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Varchuao, branch of Pachuao clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vawk-te-luilam sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a>; Siakeng, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a></p>
-<p class="par">Victoria, H.M. Queen, <a href="#pb99" class=
-"pageref">99</a></p>
-<p class="par">Villages, <a href="#pb20" class=
-"pageref">20</a>&ndash;4, <a href="#pb44" class=
-"pageref">44</a>&ndash;5;<br>
-organisation of, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>&ndash;4;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>, <a href="#pb186"
-class="pageref">186</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>, <a href="#pb198"
-class="pageref">198</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vizan village, <a href="#pb132" class=
-"pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vokngak, a branch of Changte clan, <a href="#pb125"
-class="pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vok-pa, Fanai sacrifice, <a href="#pb139" class=
-"pageref">139</a>;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vok-rial, Fanai sacrifice, <a href="#pb139" class=
-"pageref">139</a>;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vok-te-kh&#257;l sacrifice, <a href="#pb72" class=
-"pageref">72</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vonghtu, <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vonodel, descendant of Lalul, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vuite, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb41" class=
-"pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href=
-"#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>,
-<a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb142" class=
-"pageref">142</a>&ndash;4, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>,
-<a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>, <a href="#pb190" class=
-"pageref">190</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vuite, a son of egg-hatched Lamleia, <a href="#pb142"
-class="pageref">142</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vuta, a Lushei chief, <a href="#pb58" class=
-"pageref">58</a></p>
-<p class="par">Vutaia, a Sailo chief, <a href="#pb4" class=
-"pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a></p>
-<p class="par">War, <a href="#pb56" class="pageref">56</a>&ndash;60</p>
-<p class="par">War of the North and South, <a href="#pb7" class=
-"pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a></p>
-<p class="par">Warri, a game, <a href="#pb39" class=
-"pageref">39</a></p>
-<p class="par">Weapons, <a href="#pb14" class=
-"pageref">14</a>&ndash;16</p>
-<p class="par">Weights and measures, <a href="#pb19" class=
-"pageref">19</a>&ndash;20</p>
-<p class="par">Whalley, <i>Mr.</i>, <a href="#pb216" class=
-"pageref">216</a>, <a href="#pb220" class="pageref">220</a>
-<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb251" href="#pb251" name=
-"pb251">251</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">&ldquo;Whenoh,&rdquo; a chief, <a href="#pb126" class=
-"pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Witchcraft, <a href="#pb109" class=
-"pageref">109</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a></p>
-<p class="par">Widowers and widows, <a href="#pb52" class=
-"pageref">52</a>&ndash;3, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a></p>
-<p class="par">Windows, token of householder&rsquo;s rank, <a href=
-"#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>, <a href="#pb186" class=
-"pageref">186</a></p>
-<p class="par">Women, barrenness, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>;<br>
-Thado, <a href="#pb202" class="pageref">202</a><br>
-Chastity, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a><br>
-Confinement, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>, <a href="#pb70"
-class="pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb81" class=
-"pageref">81</a>&ndash;2;<br>
-Fanai, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>&ndash;9;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>;<br>
-Ronte and Tarau, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>;<br>
-Ngente, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a><br>
-Dress, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, <a href="#pb31" class=
-"pageref">31</a>;<br>
-Lakher, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>;<br>
-Vuite, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>;<br>
-Old Kuki, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>, <a href="#pb186"
-class="pageref">186</a><br>
-Occupations, <a href="#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>&ndash;18<br>
-Ornaments, <a href="#pb14" class="pageref">14</a>, <a href="#pb143"
-class="pageref">143</a><br>
-Possessed by spirits, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a> <i>et
-seq.</i><br>
-Tobacco smoking, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, <a href=
-"#pb31" class="pageref">31</a></p>
-<p class="par">Woodthorpe, <i>Colonel</i>, xviii</p>
-<p class="par">Worship, Ancestor, <a href="#pb65" class=
-"pageref">65</a>, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href=
-"#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a><br>
-Natural forces, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a><br>
-Snakes, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>&ndash;8<br>
-Spirits, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a> <i>et seq.</i></p>
-<p class="par">Walai, the lizard, <a href="#pb184" class=
-"pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Yangmal, the earth-worm, <a href="#pb184" class=
-"pageref">184</a></p>
-<p class="par">Yau, a Purum Festival, <a href="#pb172" class=
-"pageref">172</a></p>
-<p class="par">Z&#257;deng, a branch of Thangur clan, <a href="#pb3"
-class="pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href=
-"#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>,
-<a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb42" class=
-"pageref">42</a>, <a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>, <a href=
-"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a></p>
-<p class="par">Z&#257;denga, Thangur chief, <a href="#pb125" class=
-"pageref">125</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zahao tribe, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>,
-<a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zakachhunga, Old Kuki village officer, <a href="#pb153"
-class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zanghaki, courted by Labuanga, <a href="#pb69" class=
-"pageref">69</a></p>
-<p class="par">Z&#257;nkhu&#257;n, four days&rsquo; feast, <a href=
-"#pb89" class="pageref">89</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zawl, hypnotised state<span class="corr" id="xd24e18934"
-title="Source: .">,</span> <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>&ndash;11</p>
-<p class="par">Zawlbuk, xx, <a href="#pb18" class="pageref">18</a>,
-<a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb22" class=
-"pageref">22</a>, <a href="#pb103" class="pageref">103</a>, <a href=
-"#pb168" class="pageref">168</a><br>
-Chiru, Kom, Thikup, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a><br>
-Not built by the R&#257;lte, <a href="#pb140" class=
-"pageref">140</a><br>
-Nor by R&#257;ngte, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a><br>
-Old Kuki substitutes, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>,
-<a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb186" class=
-"pageref">186</a><br>
-Ronte, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a><br>
-Vuite substitute, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a><br>
-Not built by Thados, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zatea, an Old Kuki man, <a href="#pb187" class=
-"pageref">187</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zawlnei, a hypnotic medium, <a href="#pb110" class=
-"pageref">110</a>&ndash;11</p>
-<p class="par">Zawlthlia, a Thangchhuah, <a href="#pb98" class=
-"pageref">98</a>&ndash;9</p>
-<p class="par">Zawngte, a non-Lushei clan, <a href="#pb135" class=
-"pageref">135</a></p>
-<p class="par">Ziki, a girl, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>,
-<a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zinhawn sacrifice, <a href="#pb77" class=
-"pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zin-thiang sacrifice, <a href="#pb70" class=
-"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href=
-"#pb132" class="pageref">132</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zo, Chin name for Lakher or Mara clan, <a href="#pb215"
-class="pageref">215</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zomi, a Thado female spectre, <a href="#pb201" class=
-"pageref">201</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zong-pam, a branch of Chuaongo clan, <a href="#pb126"
-class="pageref">126</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zote clan, <a href="#pb188" class="pageref">188</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zu, a fermented drink made from rice, <a href="#pb36"
-class="pageref">36</a><br>
-Method of distilling, <a href="#pb37" class="pageref">37</a><br>
-Use in Sacrifices, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>, <a href=
-"#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>,
-<a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb91" class=
-"pageref">91</a>, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zuhrei, the big rat, <a href="#pb94" class=
-"pageref">94</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zupalba, Old Kuki village officer, <a href="#pb153"
-class="pageref">153</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zu-pui-ni feast day, <a href="#pb88" class=
-"pageref">88</a></p>
-<p class="par">Zuting-ni, fourth-day, <a href="#pb87" class=
-"pageref">87</a></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 imprint"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first xd24e19122">RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LTD., BRUNSWICK
-STREET, S.E., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb252"
-href="#pb252" name="pb252">252</a>]</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="div1 ads"><span class="pagenum">[<a href=
-"#toc">Contents</a>]</span>
-<div class="divHead">
-<h2 class="main">WORKS ON ANTHROPOLOGY.</h2>
-</div>
-<div class="divBody">
-<p class="par first">THE KACHARIS.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By the Rev. <span class="sc">Sidney
-Endle</span>. With an Introduction by <span class="sc">J. D.
-Anderson</span>, I.C.S. Illustrated. 8vo. 8<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>
-net.</p>
-<p class="par">THE N&#256;GA TRIBES OF MANIPUR.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">T. C. Hodson</span>.
-Illustrated. 8vo. 8<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> net.</p>
-<p class="par">THE TODAS.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">W. H. R. Rivers</span>.
-Illustrated. 8vo. <b>21s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">ANCIENT HUNTERS AND THEIR MODERN REPRESENTATIVES.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By Prof. <span class="sc">W. J.
-Sollas</span>, D.Sc., F.R.S. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>12s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">THE MAFULU MOUNTAIN PEOPLE OF BRITISH NEW GUINEA.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">Robert W.
-Williamson</span>. With an Introduction by <span class="sc">A. C.
-Haddon</span>, F.R.S. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>14s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">MELANESIANS AND POLYNESIANS. Their Life-Histories
-Described and Compared.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">George Brown</span>,
-D.D. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>12s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">NATIVE TRIBES OF SOUTH-EAST AUSTRALIA.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">A. W. Howitt</span>,
-D.Sc. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>21s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">THE NORTHERN TRIBES OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By Prof. <span class="sc">Baldwin
-Spencer</span> and <span class="sc">F. J. Gillen</span>. Illustrated.
-8vo. <b>21s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">THE OLD NORTH TRAIL: or, Life, Legends, and Religion of
-the Blackfeet Indians.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">Walter
-McClintock</span>. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>15s.</b> net. <span class=
-"pagenum">[<a id="pb253" href="#pb253" name="pb253">253</a>]</span></p>
-<p class="par">THE BAGANDA. An Account of their Native Customs and
-Beliefs.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By Rev. <span class="sc">John Roscoe</span>,
-M.A. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>15s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">MAN AND BEAST IN EASTERN ETHIOPIA.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">J. Bland-Sutton</span>,
-F.R.C.S. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>12s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">AT THE BACK OF THE BLACK MAN&rsquo;S MIND; or, Notes on
-the Kingly Office in West Africa.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">R. E. Dennett</span>.
-Illustrated. 8vo. <b>10s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">NIGERIAN STUDIES; or, the Religious and Political System
-of the Yoruba.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">R. E. Dennett</span>.
-Illustrated. 8vo. <b>8s. 6d.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">NOTES ON WEST AFRICAN CATEGORIES.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">R. E. Dennett</span>.
-8vo. Sewed. <b>1s.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">THE LOWER NIGER AND ITS TRIBES.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By Major <span class="sc">Arthur Glyn
-Leonard</span>. With Map. 8vo. <b>12s. 6d.</b> net.</p>
-<p class="par">TRAVELS IN WEST AFRICA.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">Mary H. Kingsley</span>.
-Abridged Edition. Extra Crown 8vo. <b>7s. 6d.</b></p>
-<p class="par">WEST AFRICAN STUDIES.</p>
-<p class="par bookDetails">By <span class="sc">Mary H. Kingsley</span>.
-With an Appendix on the Niger Delta by the <span class="sc">Vicomte de
-Cardi</span>. Illustrated. 8vo. <b>21s.</b> net. Cheaper Edition with
-additional chapters, but excluding de Cardi&rsquo;s appendix. Extra
-Crown 8vo. <b>7s. 6d.</b></p>
-<p class="par xd24e119"><span class="sc">London</span>: MACMILLAN &amp;
-CO., <span class="sc">Ltd.</span></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class="transcribernote">
-<h2 class="main">Colophon</h2>
-<h3 class="main">Availability</h3>
-<p class="par first">This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no
-cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give
-it away or re-use it under the terms of the <a class="seclink xd24e43"
-title="External link" href="https://www.gutenberg.org/license" rel=
-"license">Project Gutenberg License</a> included with this eBook or
-online at <a class="seclink xd24e43" title="External link" href=
-"https://www.gutenberg.org/" rel="home">www.gutenberg.org</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">This eBook is produced by the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at <a class="exlink xd24e43" title="External link"
-href="http://www.pgdp.net/">www.pgdp.net</a>.</p>
-<p class="par">Scans of this book are available from the Internet
-Archive (copy <a class="seclink xd24e43" title="External link" href=
-"https://archive.org/details/lusheikukiclans00shak">1</a>).</p>
-<h3 class="main">Metadata</h3>
-<table class="colophonMetadata">
-<tr>
-<td><b>Title:</b></td>
-<td>The Lushei Kuki Clans</td>
-<td></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td><b>Author:</b></td>
-<td>John Shakespear (1861&ndash;1942)</td>
-<td><a href="https://viaf.org/viaf/122194712/" class=
-"seclink">Info</a></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td><b>Language:</b></td>
-<td>English</td>
-<td></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td><b>Original publication date:</b></td>
-<td>1912</td>
-<td></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td><b>Keywords:</b></td>
-<td>Kuki (Indic people)</td>
-<td></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td></td>
-<td>Lushai (Asian people)</td>
-<td></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td></td>
-<td>Lushai language.</td>
-<td></td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-<h3>Catalog entries</h3>
-<table class="catalogEntries">
-<tr>
-<td>Related Library of Congress catalog page:</td>
-<td><a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/14000139" class=
-"seclink">14000139</a></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td>Related WorldCat catalog page:</td>
-<td><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/972098" class=
-"seclink">972098</a></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td>Related Open Library catalog page (for source):</td>
-<td><a href="https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6563643M" class=
-"seclink">OL6563643M</a></td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td>Related Open Library catalog page (for work):</td>
-<td><a href="https://openlibrary.org/works/OL6788937W" class=
-"seclink">OL6788937W</a></td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-<h3 class="main">Encoding</h3>
-<p class="par first"></p>
-<h3 class="main">Revision History</h3>
-<ul>
-<li>2016-08-30 Started.</li>
-</ul>
-<h3 class="main">External References</h3>
-<p>This Project Gutenberg eBook contains external references. These
-links may not work for you.</p>
-<h3 class="main">Corrections</h3>
-<p>The following corrections have been applied to the text:</p>
-<table class="correctiontable" summary=
-"Overview of corrections applied to the text.">
-<tr>
-<th>Page</th>
-<th>Source</th>
-<th>Correction</th>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e333">VII</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">1.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e836">XVII</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e890">XVIII</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&rdquo;</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1033">1</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1678">49</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e1776">52</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1850">56</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2073">71</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e2520">88</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2819">109</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e3130">115</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e3742">117</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6044">136</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6271">152</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e7029">196</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7563">219</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e9723">N.A.</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e11461">240</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e12118">241</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1054">2</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&lsquo;</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Deleted</i>]</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1060">4</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">occured</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">occurred</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1070">4</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Zadeng</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Z&#257;deng</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1082">5</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">greatgrandson</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">great-grandson</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1104">7</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&rsquo;</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&rdquo;</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1142">11</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e4508">120</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e16191">247</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e16369">247</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e16532">247</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e16654">248</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e16657">248</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e16676">248</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e17975">249</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e18189">250</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">,</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1581">43</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&lsquo;</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&ldquo;</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1641">46</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">(1)</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">(i.)</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1686">49</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">seldon</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">seldom</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e1817">54</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">chief s</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">chief&rsquo;s</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2407">81</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">12</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">5</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2581">92</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">fla</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">flat</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2588">92</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">an</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">and</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2646">97</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2652">97</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">rotchhem</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">rotchem</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2744">104</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&ldquo;</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&lsquo;</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2788">107</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chawng-chili</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chhawng-chili</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e2796">108</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">ralpui</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">rulpui</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e4821">122</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">=</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e5715">125</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7082">201</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e18934">251</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">.</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">,</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e5802">126</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e5805">126</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hualhang</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hualbang</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e5910">130</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">sacrified</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">sacrificed</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6147">142</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">of of</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">of</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6194">147</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Rangte</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">R&#257;ngte</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6367">158</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e8411">230</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e8547">230</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">,</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6767">177</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7155">210</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">&rsquo;</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e6903">186</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">girls&rsquo;</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">girl&rsquo;s</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7141">209</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">frontanel</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">fontanel</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7144">209</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">The</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Then</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7454">218</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7534">219</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e7550">219</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e7596">219</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">.</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">-</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e8772">231</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">oi</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Loi</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10078">238</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Tualruang</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Tuiruang</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10291">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Ngehuka</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Ngehguka</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10351">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Bualchuan</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Bualchuam</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10392">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Buhm&#257;n</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Buhm&#257;m</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10416">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">puitham</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">puithiam</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10607">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chansan</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Changsan</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10638">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chyn</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chyu</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10641">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">215</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">218</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10808">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chhinchhuuan</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chhinchhuan</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e10875">239</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Kuku</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Kuki</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11168">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chinza</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chinja</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11278">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Lersia</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Lershia</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11297">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Huamte</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hnamte</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11339">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chultuk</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Chulkut</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11529">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Dap&#257;</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">D&#257;p&#257;</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11541">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Darchawa</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Darchaova</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11561">240</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Dwangbul</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Dawngbul</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11756">241</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">114</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">113</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11887">241</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Enlawk</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">En-lawk</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e11960">241</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Fanodawi</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">F&#257;nodawi</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12390">241</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Haobuk</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Haohuk</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12441">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hausata</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Haus&#257;ta</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12492">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Henngar</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Henng&#257;r</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12552">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hmnapel</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hmunpel</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12709">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">chaprassi</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">chaprassie</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12829">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Huante</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Hnamte</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12899">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Ghumeishe</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Ghumoishe</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e12926">242</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Inhawn</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">In hawn</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e13198">243</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e13209">243</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e13225">243</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e13387">243</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e13428">243</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e13711">243</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd24e13731">243</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e14799">245</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e16124">247</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">.</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Deleted</i>]</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e14974">245</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Viute</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Vuite</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e15461">246</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Pakanglahpa</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Pakanglakpa</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e15730">246</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">168, 168</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">168</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e15888">246</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">14</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">147</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e16857">248</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">of</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e16865">248</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">Ralte</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">R&#257;lte</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd24e17002">248</a>,
-<a class="pageref" href="#xd24e17235">249</a>, <a class="pageref" href=
-"#xd24e17547">249</a></td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">,</td>
-<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Deleted</i>]</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
-
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