Chapter 8

Divination by Egg-Breaking

The _dieng 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 point _p_, 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 called _ka 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 called _ki jinglar_, and those on the left _ki jingkem_. Supposing fragments of shell fall as at _b, 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 signifies _ka sang long kha_, or sin on the father's or the children's part. It may also signify _ka 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 at _g, k, i, j_ in the diagram, they are named _ki jingkem_. If they lie with their insides downwards, they indicate a favourable sign. If _g_ lies with its outside downwards, this is an evil omen. If _g_ and _h_ lie with their insides downwards, this is favourable, even if _i_ lies with its outside downwards. If, however, _j_ lies 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 at _k_, this is an evil prognostic, the line of shell fragments indicating the road to the funeral pyre. Such a line of shell fragments is called _ki'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. If _a_ or _l_ fall with their outsides downwards, this is a bad sign.

5. If the portion of a shell at _f_ falls 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 marked _s_ is 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, as _c, e, h, j_, these mean that the patient is at the point of death. These are called _ki leng sher thang_.

8. If there are no fragments, as at _d, 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.

NOTES

[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's _History of Assam_ (1906), pp. 253-262.

[2] P. 211.

[3] Vol. iii., p. 168, 177, &c.

[4] These cloths, which Lindsay calls "_moongadutties_," were really the produce of Assam, and were _dhutis_ or waist-cloths of _muga_ silk.

[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 word _Khasi, h_ being substituted for _s_, and should be written as _Khahi_.

[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