Exogamous Clans in the Khyrim State
1. Awri 2. Bariang 3. Basa-iew-moit 4. Bhoi 5. Bithai 6. Diengdoh (2) Intermarriage with Masar clan prohibited. 7. 'Dkhar 8. Dumpep 9. Hadem 10. Jasia 11. Khang-shei 12. Khar baino 13. ,, baki 14. ,, bangar Intermarriage with Nong-lwai clan prohibited. 15. Khar bih-khiew Intermarriage prohibited with Khar-umnuid clan 16. Khar bonniud 17. ,, bud 18. ,, buli 19. ,, dint 20. ,, dohling 21. ,, dumpep 22. ,, hi-dint 23. ,, iap 24. ,, Kamni 25. ,, Kongor 26. ,, Kset 27. ,, kynang 28. ,, long 29. ,, luni 30. ,, Malki 31. ,, Masar 32. ,, mawlieh Intermarriage with Khar pomtiah clan prohibited. 33. Khar mihpein 34. ,, mithai 35. ,, mudai 36. ,, mujai 37. ,, mukhi 38. ,, muti 39. ,, mylliem 40. ,, patti 41. ,, pein 42. ,, phan 43. ,, phur 44. ,, pohlong 45. ,, pohshiah 46. ,, pomtiah Intermarriage with Khar mawlieh clan prohibited. 47. Khar pomtih 48. ,, pran 49. ,, ryngi 50. ,, rynta 51. ,, Sati 52. ,, shan 53. ,, shi-ieng 54. ,, shilot 55. ,, shong 56. ,, shrieh 57. ,, sohnoh 58. ,, sugi 59. ,, Umnuid Intermarriage with Khar-bihkhiew clan prohibited. 60. Khar urmut 61. ,, War 62. Khier 63. Khmah 64. Khong-binam 65. ,, blah 66. ,, buh 67. ,, buhphang 68. ,, 'dkhar 69. ,, dup Intermarriage prohibited with Rongsai and Khongree clans. 70. Khong [45] iap 71. ,, iong 72. ,, ji Intermarriage with Pongrup clan prohibited. 73. Khong joh 74. ,, kai 75. ,, khar 76. ,, kiang 77. ,, kib 78. ,, kylla 79. ,, kyndiah 80. ,, lam 81. ,, liam 82. ,, likong 83. ,, litung 84. ,, luni 85. ,, malai 86. ,, mawlow 87. ,, niur 88. ,, noh 89. ,, pdei 90. ,, pnam 91. ,, pnan 92. ,, sdoh 93. ,, siting 94. ,, slit 95. ,, sugi } 96. ,, sni } 97. ,, sti } Intermarriage prohibited also with Lyngdoh clan 98. Khong stia 99. ,, sylla (2) 100. ,, thaw 101. ,, tiang 102. ,, thorem 103. ,, wanduh (2) 104. ,, wet 105. ,, wir 106. Khriam 107. Khynriam 108. Khynriem 109. Khynriem miyat 110. Khynriem mawshorok Intermarriage with Pongrup, Lyndoh and Mawthoh clans prohibited. 111. Khynriem wahksieng 112. Kur Kalang. 113. Lamin 114. Lawai Intermarriage with Lyngdoh clan prohibited. 115. Lawaisawkher 116. Lingshing 117. Liting 118. Lyngbah 119. Lyngdoh Intermarriage with Pongrup and Mawthoh clans prohibited. 120. Lyngiar 121. Mairang 122. Majaid 123. Manar 124. Masar Intermarriage with Diengdoh clan prohibited. 125. Mawiong 126. Mawphlang 127. Mawsharoh 128. Mawthoh Intermarriage with Pongrup and Lyngdoh clans prohibited. 129. Mawwa 130. Morbah 131. Mormein 132. Mukhin 133. Muroh 134. Mylliem 135. Mylliem muthong } 136. ,, Ngap } 137. ,, pdah } Intermarriage between these clans prohibited also with Sohtum clan 138. Mynsong 139. Niengnong 140. Nieng-suh 142. Nongbri Intermarriage with Nong-kynrih clans prohibited. 143. Nongbri Partuh 144. Nonghulew 145. Nong-khlieh 146. Nong-kynrieh Intermarriage with Nongbri clan prohibited. 147. Nong-lwai Intermarriage with Khar-Bangar clan prohibited. 148. Nong-lyer 149. Nong-pinir 150. Nong-pluh 151. Nongrum 152. Nongspung 153. Nongsteng 154. Nongstein 155. Nongtlub 156. Pdei 157. Pohkhla 158. Pohthmi 159. Pongrup Intermarriage with Mawthoh and Lyngdoh clans prohibited. 160. Rumkheng 161. Ruson 162. Rymkheng 163. Ryndong (2) 164. Ryngksai 165. Rynjah Intermarriage with Mawroh clan prohibited. 166. Rynjem 167. Ryntong 168. Ryngngi 169. Shabong 170. Shadap 171. Singting 172. Sohkhleb 173. Sohtum Intermarriage with Mylliemngap, Mylliempdah and Mylliem-muttong clans prohibited. 174. Sonjri 175. Songthiang 176. Sumer 177. Surong 178. Suting 179. Swali 180. Swer 181. Synnah 182. Synteng 183. Synteng-hen 184. Tadong 185. Tangper 186. Tangsang 187. Tarieng 188. Trai-iew 189. Tyngsier 190. Tynsil (2) 191. Tyngsong 192. Umsong 193. Uri-ieng 194. Wallang 195. Warbah Intermarriage with War-shong prohibited. 196. War-Jnem 197. ,, jri 198. ,, khyllew 199. War-malai 200. ,, moi 201. ,, Nongjri 202. Wan-khar 203. War-shong Intermarriage with Warbah prohibited.
Divination by Egg-Breaking
Thedieng shat pylleng, or egg-breaking board, is shaped as indicated in the diagram. Having placed a little heap of red earth on the board at pointp, the egg-breaker sits facing the board in the position shown in the diagram. He first of all makes a little heap of rice in the middle of the board sufficient to support the egg. He places the egg there. He then takes it up and smears it with red earth, muttering incantations the while. Having finished the invocation to the spirits, the egg-breaker sweeps the grains of rice off the board, stands up, and dashes the egg on the board with considerable force. The large portion of the egg-shell is made to fall in the middle of the board, as at X in the diagram. This portion of the shell is calledka lieng, or the boat. The small bits of egg-shell which fall around the boat are either good or evil prognostics, according to the following rules:—
1. The bits of shell which fall on the right of the boat are calledki jinglar, and those on the leftki jingkem. Supposing fragments of shell fall as atb, c, d, e, with their insides downwards, this is a good sign, but if one of the fragments lies with its outside downwards, this is a bad omen, and signifieska sang long kha, or sin on the father's or the children's part. It may also signifyka daw lum, or "cause from the hill," i.e, that the illness or other affliction has been caused by a god of some hill.
2. If the fragments of shell lie on the left side of the boat as atg, k, i, jin the diagram, they are namedki jingkem. If they lie with their insides downwards, they indicate a favourable sign. Ifglies with its outside downwards, this is an evil omen. Ifgandhlie with their insides downwards, this is favourable, even ifilies with its outside downwards. If, however,jlies with its outside downwards, this is not a good sign.
3. If there are a number of pieces of egg-shell lying in a line, as atk, this is an evil prognostic, the line of shell fragments indicating the road to the funeral pyre. Such a line of shell fragments is calledki'leng rah thang. This sign is a harbinger of death.
4. If all the fragments of shell on both sides of the board, excepting the boat, lie with their insides downwards, the question asked by the egg-breaker is not answered. Ifaorlfall with their outsides downwards, this is a bad sign.
5. If the portion of a shell atffalls with the outside downwards, this indicates that some god needs appearing by sacrifice.
6. If there are a number of small fragments lying around the boat, as in the diagram, these mean that there are many reasons for the illness, which cannot be ascertained.
7. If the portion of shell markedsis detsehed from the boat, this indicates that the goddess is very angry.
8. If four fragments lie around the boat so as to form a square, asc, e, h, j, these mean that the patient is at the point of death. These are calledki leng sher thang.
8. If there are no fragments, as atd, e, f, g, h, i, it is a puzzle,ka leng kymtip.
Note.—The above information was obtained from U Sarup Singh, of Mairong; U Them, of Laitlyngkot, and U Bud, of Jowai. Different egg-breakers have somewhat different methods of reading the signs, but the main points are usually the same.
[1] The previous history of the Khasi state of Jaintia, so far as it can be traced will be found related in Mr. E. A. Gait'sHistory of Assam(1906), pp. 253-262.
[3] Vol. iii., p. 168, 177, &c.
[4] These cloths, which Lindsay calls "moongadutties," were really the produce of Assam, and weredhutisor waist-cloths ofmugasilk.
[5] Pp. 218-220., It appears from p. 219 that Mr. Scott's report is responsible for the erroneous statement (often repeated) that the mountaineers "called by us Cossyahs, denominate themselves Khyee." This second name is in fact the pronunciation current in Sylhet of the wordKhasi, hbeing substituted fors, and should be written asKhahi.
[6] In Mr. Scott's time it was usual to speak of such a place as a "Sanatary."
[7] Vol. ix, pp. 833 sqq.
[8] Vol. xiii., pp. 612 sqq.
[9] Pp. 272 sqq.
[10] Called >w|oskop'ia: one of the lost books of the Orphic cycle was entitled t`a >w|oskopik'a.
[11] The figures for Khasi population in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills district will be found under "Habitat."
[12] The average rainfall at the Cherrapunji Police Station during the last twenty years, from figures obtained from the office of the Director of Land Records and Agriculture, has been 118 inches. The greatest rainfall registered in any one year during the period was in 1899, when it amounted to 641 inches.
[13] It is interesting to compare the remarks of M. Aymonier in his volume iii of "Le Cambodge." He writes as follows:—"Mais en Indo-Chine on trouve, partout disseminé, ce que les indigènes, au Cambodge du moins, appellant, comme les peuples les plus éloignés du globe les traits de foudre.' Ce sont ici des haches de l'âge néolithique ou de la pierre polie, dont la plupart appartiennent au type repandu en toute la terre. D'autres de ces celtes, dits épaulés, parcequ'ils possèdent un talon d'une forme particulière, paraissent appartenir en propre à l'Indo-Chine et à la presqu'ile dekkhanique. Its fourniraient donc un premier indice, non négligeable, d'une communauté d'origine des populations primitives des deux péninsules, cis et trans gangétiques."
[14] Mawkhar is a suburb of Shillong, the headquarters station.
[15] The maund is 82 lbs.
[16] See Bulletin No. 5 of the Agricultural Department of Assam, 1898, pp. 4 and 5.
[17] Khasiu sak-riew.
[18] Colocasia osculenta, Beng.Kachu.
[19] About threepence.
[20] For the story in detail see the Folk-lore section of the monograph.
[21] Simsong is the Garo name for the river Someshwari.
[22] Officer.
[23] See page 13, "Ka Niam Khasi" (U Jeebon Roy.)
[24] What follows is a literal translation of the Khasi.
[25] This cave is at Pomdalai, some five miles west of Cherrapunji, close to a great waterfall calledNoh Ka Likai, i.e. the place where Ka Likai jumped down the precipice (for a full account of this story see Section V. of the monograph), where there is a large block of stone, with some cuts over it, known asDain Thlen, i.e. the snake cutting (place).
[26] In another account it is said to have been U Suid-noh himself who did this.
[27] Sir Charles Lyall has pointed out that the Mikirs possess this custom; it is probably borrowed from the Khasis.
[28] Karl Pearson's essay on "mother age civilization."
[29] Lit.: Cut by magic.
[30] In Ahomkái= fowl,chán= beautiful,mung= country. ThereforeKái-chán-mung= fowl of a beautiful country (heaven).
[31] A spirit which is supposed to have the power of causing a disease of the navel of a child.
[32]Iapduhis the regular word used for a clan, and in this case a species dying out.
[33] The Shillong Peak is thought to be the seat of a powerfulbleior god who has his abode in the wood close to the top of the "Peak." Another folk-tale will be found concerning this god.
[34] another version is that it was U Kyrphei, another hill in Nongspung territory, who fought with U Symper.
[35] For further details regarding the Khasi superstition of the "thlen," the reader is referred to the portion of the monograph dealing with human sacrifices. It may be mentioned that the "thlen's" cave is at a place called Pom Doloi in the territory of the Siem of Cherra, where there is also a rock called "Dain Thlen" (the cutting of the "thlen"). Another version of the story explaining why there are still "thlens" in the Khasi Hills is that there was an old woman who lived at a placed called Mawphu, a village in a valley to the west of Cherrapunji. This old woman forgot to eat her share of the "thlen's" flesh, the result being that the species became repropagated.
[36] Both rivers, Umngot and Umiew, or Umiam, have their sources in or close to the Shillong Peak. The word "Rupatylli" signifies in Khasi a solid silver necklace of a peculiar shape. In order to appreciate this pretty tale thoroughly, the reader ought to view the river "Rupatylli" from the heights of the Laitkynsew, or Mahadeo, whence it is to be seen glistening in the sun like a veritable rupatylli or silver necklace.
[37] Those mountains are the high hills which lie to the east of the Jowai Sub-Division, and which form part of the boundary line between the Khasi and Jaintia Hills District and North Cachar.
[38] The word Hadem is possibly a corruption of "Hidimba," the old name for North Cachar.
[39] A Kongngor is one who has married a Khasi princess.
[40] This stone bridge, situated on the Theria road about a mile below Cherra, existed up to the Earthquake of 1897, which demolished it. The large slab of stone which formed the roadway of the bridge, is however, still to be seen lying in the bed of the stream.
[41] The above story is said to have been taken down word for word from the mouth of an old woman of the Malyniang clan who lived at Mawlong.—P.R.G.
[42] Kuhn's "Beiträge zur Sprachenkunde Hinterindiens."
[43] Khasiktin kynnoh.
[44] Assamese loan word, a corruption of "julungá."
[45] The wordkhonghas probably connection with the Synteng wordjongmeaning a clan.