202 THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS CHAR

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 offer-
ing 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