Nagas are always ready to give garbled, not to say scandalous, accounts of the customs of their neighbours, and there can be little doubt that Major Butler was misled by his Angami informants. Lhotas, in common with other tribes, believe in a vague sort of way that the taking of a head brings prosperity to the taker’s village, and the boy was probably killed and his body cut up and distributed, as was done more recently in the case of the Nankam slave bought by Akuk. But there is no tradition that it was ever the custom to torture victims before death, and I think the Lhotas must be acquitted of this charge. It would, further, be clean contrary to their customs to put pieces of human flesh in their rice, which would thereby become polluted rather than blessed. [230] The story goes that long, long ago a rich Lhota was very ill. In vain pigs, cattle and mithan were slaughtered. Finally he had one of his slaves sacrificed in cold blood, in the hope that the slave’s life would be accepted in place of his own. The man died, however, in spite of this last sacrifice, and Lhotas, seeing that it was unavailing, have never imitated his example. This tradition and the practice of spearing the opya at the oyantsoa “genna” point to a time when human sacrifice was practised to avert evil fortune, but it would be safe to say that within historical times no such custom has been followed by them. NAGA-ASSAMESE GLOSSARY As far as possible Naga-Assamese words have been avoided. For the following, however, no convenient English equivalents exist. apodia. From the Assamese āpăd (“misfortune”). Certain forms of death by misadventure are spoken of as “apotia” deaths (see p. 160). chunga. A section of bamboo with a node left intact at one end. Used as a drinking vessel or for carrying water. dal. Lentils. dao. A heavy bill used by Nagas both as a weapon and for agriculture. deo-bih. Literally “spirit-poison.” The juice of a certain root formerly used by Nagas for poisoning fish. The practice is now prohibited. genna. A very common Naga-Assamese word and one used in various senses. (1) A Naga ceremony; (2) = “forbidden” (e.g. “It is genna to take the head of a man of your own village”); (3) = “tabued,” as Angami kenna, of which the word is a corruption (e.g. “my house is genna to-day”). jhum. Naga cultivation (see description on p. 45). Also used = a field which has been cultivated in this way. khel. A division of a village (see description on p. 24). lengta. The small apron worn by the men of most Naga tribes. machan. A bamboo platform. madhu. Rice beer. mithan. Bos frontalis (domestic) and bos gaurus (wild). morung. The “bachelors’ hall” in which the boys and unmarried men of a khel sleep. pan. A leaf which is chewed with betel nut and lime. panji. A bamboo spike stuck in the ground to impale enemies or game. NOTES [1] See The Angami Nagas, Pt. V., “The Story of Hunchibili.”