| caption: |
megaliths and feasts of merit, decline of head hunting |
| text: |
They said that in the old days they used to have feasts of merit. When they lived in Yin-yu-shang they erected megaliths and forked posts and in Kongan too they kept the custom at first. But now no feast of merit had been celebrated for a long time. Then they also used to sacrifice mithan and buffalo, the former however only in Yin-yu-shang. Strangely enough mithan meat is prohibited to five clans while five others eat it. One clan did not use to eat it but does so now. Nowadays however only cows and buffalo are sacrificed in Kongan which they buy in the plains. Today buffalo is only slaughtered for the Monin which is the equivalent to Wakching's Ou-ling-bu and is held during the same month. It lasts for seven days (for details see notebook 7 p. 37 following.) But now they do not dance at it as no head can be captured which used to be essential to the success of the Monin. (70) Anyway today dances only take place at the visit of Namsang and the equivalent return invitation and also at the visit of the Balang morung in Wakching. |
