Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/585

Rh eastern border of the Manipur Valley. They are classed linguistically by Sir George Grierson in the Naga-Kuki sub-group, in which he also places the Maram, Mao and Tangkhul languages.

The following description is condensed from an account I received while staying in Phunam, 1913:

The aspirant for fame has first to notify his intention to perform the feast to the village elders, giving them a drink in his house. Before they drink they pour out a libation at the foot of the main post of the house (Shut-lai, a pure Lushai term) to the household spirit, spoken of sometimes as "The Ancestor." A prayer for the well-being of the intending celebrant is offered by the Pibapa, religious head of the village. Zu, that is rice beer, is then prepared in great quantities. (Without Zu nothing can be done in any of these tribes. You cannot be born, married or buried without the consumption of Zu; if you get ill the godlet which is the cause of your illness requires Zu, most of which his representative, the medicine man, drinks; but some he sprinkles around to keep off evil influences.)

The Zu ready, an auspicious day is chosen; then a mithan is killed and the entire village feasts. Eating, drink- ing by all, dancing and singing by the young going on for two nights, the intervening day being spent in collecting firewood for the subsequent distillation of rice spirit, a more ardent form of Zu, which will keep long. Evil spirits are kept away by eight bamboos with cross pieces of Heimang wood being planted round the house. (Heimang throughout the valley and the adjacent hills is noted as a sure guard against evil spirits.) This terminates the preliminary feast, and the celebrant now sets to work to prepare the real festival. Two clever and handy lasses are installed as members of the household, and devote their whole time to brewing Zu.

In February, i.e. at the beginning of the agricultural year, the Parkiyao feast begins; a mithan is killed, and there are