at central upright monolith of the _mawbynna_,
or memorial stones, is erected in his honour. The influence of the
_kni_, or mother's elder brother, in the Khasi family is very great,
for it is he who is the manager on behalf of the mother, his position
in the Khasi family being very similar to that of the _karta_ in the
Hindu joint family. It is on this account that he is so much revered,
and is honoured with a stone which is larger than the other up-right
memorial stones after death. It will be seen in the article dealing
with "the disposal of the dead," that at Cherra, on the occasion of
the bestowal of the ashes in the cinerarium of the clan, a part of
the attendant ceremonies consists of the preparation of two effigies
called _Ka Puron_ and _U Tyngshop_, intended to represent _Ka Iawbei_
(the first mother) and U Suid-Nia (the first maternal uncle). The
Wars of Nongjri have a custom peculiar to themselves. They erect
small thatched houses in their compounds, which they call _iing
ksuid_. When they worship their ancestors they deposit offerings of
food in these houses, the idea being that the ancestors will feed on
the offerings. These Wars do not erect memorial stones, nor do they
collect the ashes of the clan in a common sepulchre; they deposit
the ashes in circular cineraria, each family, or _iing_, possessing
one. It should further be noted with reference to the Khasi custom of
_ai bam_, or giving food to the spirits of deceased ancestors, that
Dr. Frazer, in his "Golden Bough," has mentioned numerous instances
of firstfruits being offered to the spirits of deceased ancestors
by the tribes inhabiting the Malay Archipelago. (See pages 462-463
of the "Golden Bough.") Some other points of similarity in customs
have already been noticed between the Khasis and certain Malay tribes.

Worship of Natural Forces and of Deities.

In the Khasi Hills, especially on the southern side, there are numerous
rivers, sometimes of considerable size, which find their way to the
Sylhet plains through very deep valleys, the rivers flowing through
narrow channels flanked by beetling cliffs which rise to considerable
altitudes. The scenery in the neighbourhood of these beautiful rivers
is of the most romantic description, and the traveller might imagine
himself in Switzerland were it not for the absence of the snowy
ranges. Of such a description is the scenery on the banks of the
river Kenchiyong, the Jadukata [29] or Punatit of the