| caption: |
Chapter Four. Religious Beliefs and Practices |
| caption: |
a world of spirits and godlings |
| text: |
The Konyaks' view of the world of supernatural forces resembled the religious ideas of most other Tibeto-Burman speaking tribes of the hills of northeast India in the sense that they saw their environment as populated by innumerable spirits, partly friendly and partly hostile to man, but controllable by the performance of the appropriate rites. While the many spirits and godlings whom the Konyak propitiated when their help was desired or their unwelcome attentions warded off cannot be dealt with here in detail, it will be rewarding to discuss in some detail the cult of the one deity who stood above all the others and may well be described as dominating the Konyaks' religious ideas. |
