146 THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS CHAP. .

boil over towards the person consulting the omen the site is
rejected as unlucky.

The This is a small clan which, after various vicissitudes, has

aBgte' 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 Eangte. 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