Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 24, 1913.djvu/478

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The various performers having taken up their positions, the head maiba commenced his long oration, which was the same as he pronounced at Santhong's shrine. This is mostly in obsolete Manipuri, and the Raja told me that he could not understand it. I caught the names of various animals coupled with numbers of months, and was told that the maiba enumerated all the animals and the number of months in which each was formed in its mother's womb by the power of the god. This oration is used on every occasion of sacrifice, without regard to which particular god is being addressed; from which we may infer that the Umanglais are thought only to be different forms of one almighty Creator. When the oration was completed, the Moirang keirungba produced three small models in gold of boats and paddles, and two discs, one of gold and one of silver. The models were placed on a brass tray beside the hangjaba, while the discs were given to the Raja. The Moirang ningthau now took up a position before the offerings, and from a paper read in a whisper a long charm of great power. When he had finished, he