m THE OLD KUKI CLANS 167

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, Bembual, 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 chiefs 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." l
1 Compare the Synteng custom of beh-dieng-Milam.—P. R. G.