CHAPTER IV

Religion 61

1. General form of religious beliefs--Pathian the Creator, Other spirits, The world beyond the grave, Re-incarnation. 2. Ancestor worship--Offerings to the dead, Possession by spirit of the dead. 3. Worship of natural forces and deities--Spirits of hill, vale, and stream, The Lashi. 4. Religious rites and ceremonies-- Definitions of terms used, Sacrifices, Epidemics, "Ai" sacrifice. 5. Priesthood. 6. Ceremonies connected with childbirth. 7. Marriage ceremonies. 8. Funerals-- Description, Disposal of corpse of infants, Lukawng, Unnatural deaths. 9. Festivals--Connected with crops, "Thangchhuah feasts," "Buh-ai."