Ka Niam Khasi Summary

In the book “Ka Niam Khasi”, Dr. H. Lyngdoh wrote that in course of time, man felt the need to get some more help from God. So, the forebears of the Khasis devised a means by which man could beg for a sanction from God, designated as “Ka Blei ka Nonghukum” in this instance, to allow him to harness the power of “Ka Iawbei”, the first ancestress of the clan, “u Suitnia”, the first uncle of the clan and “u Thawlang”, the first ancestors of the clan to also assist God in maintaining and promoting the well-being of the living members of the clan in all aspects of their life. When God had so consented, they expressed their thanks to Him by sacrificing a fowl and a goat. Then, they sacrificed a pig in thanksgiving to the first ancestress and the first

In some part of the Khasi land particularly in Ri Bhoi district, when a child is inflicted from an unknown sickness, the khasi believed that the deceased relative caused the sickness, as a sign to express his/her wish to become the guardian or protector of the child, locally known as “Wan Kyrteiñ”, literally meaning ‘name coming’, the embodiment of the deceased relative into the child. The deceased relatives can be a grandfather, grandmother, aunty or uncle and this is usually happen with a new born baby. When a child is sick, the parents or family member took the child to a doctor or a traditional medical practitioner, but even after visiting many healers and after trying various means to cure the child, the child sickness in not perishing, instead it become worse. The parents of the child is at their wits, but the older member of the family who have more knowledge (through their experience of life) suggest that the child should be taken to “U Jha” or any person who have the knowledge of divination. The diviner then (mostly uses rice as a tool for divination) by perception and interpretation of sign finds the causes of the child sickness. When he found out that the child’s deceased grandparent or uncle or aunty want to be a “kyrteiñ” (guardian angel) of the child, the parents pray to the want-to-be guardian that they are happy for his/her intention and want his/her blessing for the child, that the child will get well once again and healthy. Then the parents of the child and the representative of the guardian angel (in this case it can be the wife of the guardian’s wife/husband, children or mother/father) exchange new cloths (the cloths should be white and made of cotton). After this process, the sick child is well