Summary: of purification, all the inhabitants of the village, carrying with them firebrands, proceed in a body to the plenta- tion where the deceased met his death, and purify the spot by walking over it and burning the brands there. On their return to the village, all the houses are thoroughly cleansed, and the furniture is rearranged in order that no portion may be left untidy. The villagers then assemble in a large open space in the village, where a small enclosure has been made by driving four strong posts into the ground about eight feet high and enclosing the space with a mat fashioned of bamboo. Within this enclosure the articles of the deceased, such as betel-nut, tobacco, a few choice dishes, and a change of clothes, are placed. The village priest takes the articles, touches each one with a leaf of certain plants, and passes them to another priest, who throws them towards the east, saying, “Receive these things, O fleet horse, and carry them to him for whom they are intended.” After this ceremony, bamboos are set up at the four corners of the enclosure, and the people disperse to their homes. Each family then takes a jar of water, a packet of dried fish, a piece of meat, and earthen vessels, and proceeds to the deceased’s house. On their arrival, they set down the provisions, cover them with cloths, and place them in order, after which they retire to their own houses. The provisions are ostensibly to supply the wants of the deceased on his long journey, but are in reality consumed by the family of the deceased. A pig is slain at midnight near the burial enclosure, the blood being allowed to trickle
into the grave. The flesh is shared among the villagers, but the head of the pig is placed in the mawpun, or public reception-hall, and receives special veneration. At dawn the men return to the plantation where the deceased met his death, cleanse it once more, and retire to their homes, after which they are allowed to shave and cut their hair. The martial character of the Nongtæ Nongsleia Khasis is shown by the fact that if a Nongtæ Nongsleia man is killed by an enemy, his relations will not rest until they have killed a member of the enemy’s clan in retaliation. This blood-feud continues for generations. The Nongtæ Nongsleia runtong is usually a mound of earth about five feet high, covered with a thick layer of bamboo-matting, on which large stones or notched rice-stalks are placed. Timber is sometimes used. The lynngams also observe a death-ceremony similar to that of the Mikirs, and indeed to that of the Khasis. Death-divining by means of egg-breaking is also resorted to by the Lynngam diviners when sickness occurs in the people of a village. Drug-making and the curing of injuries also form important functions of the Lynngam village diviner, who is termed laipong-khang. APPROVED.