Kuki (Indic people); Lushai (Asian people); Lushai language
"When Hmongphunga's village was at Kanghmun, they intended to go out
shooting. They performed the Kongpuishiam ceremony; they placed the
ashes in the middle of the road. Early next day they went and looked at
them, and in the ashes they saw the footmarks of a tiger, an elephant,
and a man. They started on the hunting expedition, carrying plenty
of rice with them. They certainly found the elephants and fired a
volley at one of them. One of the party was called Hrangkunga. The
elephant ran away. They found it in a narrow ravine. Hrangkunga was
about to shoot at it from above when the earth gave way and he rolled
down close to the elephant, which picked him up and carried him to
a level place close by, and threw him down and trampled on him and
broke up his gun and powder horn. His friends fired at the animal,
and it went off; they could not kill it. When the elephant had gone
they took up Hrankunga and buried him close by in the jungle, and
set out for their village, near which they shot a tiger. When the
people in the village heard of their approach they came out to meet
them with 'zu.' The hunters wrapped up grass and leaves in a cloth
to represent the corpse of their friend. Outside the village they
fired guns and put down the effigy, which was buried by the elders
of the village. Shortly after this they went out shooting again,
and after going some way they saw Hrangkunga's ghost on the branch
of a tree and were very frightened, and went home."
Fishing is carried on with the ordinary casting net, and fish are
sometimes killed with spears or daos by torchlight, but most reliance
is placed on the "ngoi." This is a weir built of timber and bamboos
reinforced with stones, which stretches from side to side of the
river. At one side an opening is left through which the water rushes
with great force into a long bamboo shoot, which curves slightly
upwards and ends in a deep receptacle, also of bamboo. The fish are
carried into this by the force of the water which escapes between
the bamboos, and are unable to leap out. Close by is placed a hut,
well raised off the ground, in which the fishermen live for several
days at a time and smoke the catch. Any chance openings in the weir
are closed with conical baskets which detain small fish, prawns,
&c. These weirs are constructed by the united labour of the whole
village, and any villager can make use of them, but he has to pay a
toll in kind to the chief. Certain spots are peculiarly adapted for
these weirs, and each is by prescriptive right the property of the
village occupying a certain site in the vicinity, any infringement
of which will lead to a serious quarrel.
Deep pools in the smaller streams are sometimes poisoned by having a
decoction of a certain herb called "kokur" or of a bark called "ru"
poured into them. This stupefies the fish, which float to the surface
and are easily captured. The mixture is said to be harmless to human
beings or cattle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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