Ka Niam Khasi

The Khasi people are an ethnic group of Meghalaya in north-eastern India with a significant population in the bordering state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh. The Khasi tribe is one of the few remaining tribes that have a matrilineal society. Niam Khasi, the pre-Christian Khasi religion, is monotheistic in nature. There are no fixed places of worship. Instead, each element of nature is holy because it has god in it. No particular part can be regarded as being holier than another part. Khasi people believe human beings should not desecrate mother nature by their actions. There are no fixed days of worship. Khasi can worship either indoors or outdoors because god dwells within every element of nature. The introduction of Christianity has influenced every level of Khasi culture, but the core of traditional Khasi religious beliefs remains intact. The Khasi believe in a creator god, U Blei Nong-thaw, who is considered feminine in gender and worshiped as Ka lei Synshar. She is invoked when sacrifices are offered and during times of trouble. The propitiation of good and evil spirits is also part of this system, as is the worship of ancestors. The following major spirits are also worshiped: Ulei Muluk (god of the state), Ulei Umtang (god of drinking water and cooking water), Ulei Longspah (god of wealth), and O Ryngkew or U Basa Shnong (tutelary deity of the village). The propitiation of the spirits is carried out by the lyngdoh (priest) or by old men knowledgeable in the art of necromancy. Other practitioners include the soh-blei and soh-blah (male functionaries with limited religious duties), the ka soh-blei (aka ka-soh-sla or kalyngdoh; female priests who must be present at the offering of all sacrifices), and the nongkhan, who are diviners. Dancing and music are important parts of Khasi ritual, and the Nongkrem Dance (part of the pom-blang or goat-killing ceremony) is the major festival on the Khasi calendar. It is dedicated to Ka lei Synshar to ensure the wellbeing of the Khasi, a substantial crop yield, and good fortune for the state. It is held in late spring (usually in May). A number of state and communal rituals are also performed, in addition to thr many ceremonies associated with the human life cycle (birth, marriage, death, etc.). From the mid 16th century to the British annexation in the mid 19th century, the Khasi continued to control a few dozen small kingdoms. The British commenced an effort to take over the region after three British subjects were seized by the Khasi for human sacrifices. In his book The Khasis, Philip Richard Thornhagh Gurdon wrote: “There is a superstition among the Khasis concerning U thlen, a gigantic snake which requires to be appeased by the sacrifice of human victims, and for whose sake murders have even in fairly recent times been committed."