he females. In front of these women walks an
old man who scatters along the way leaves of the _dieng-shit_ tree
and grains of rice, and when it is necessary to cross any stream or
river, he ties a thread from one side of the bank to the other, this
is for the spirit of the departed to cross the water. Sometimes _u'nam
tohrih_, a kind of long grass, is used instead of thread for the above
purpose. On arrival at the clan puja-house, the bones of the males
are laid on one bed and those of the females on another, the beds
being bedecked with rich hangings. A cock, _u'iar kradlynti_ (lit.:
"the cock which scratches the way"), is sacrificed, this sacrifice
being considered by the Khasis to be of peculiar significance. A pig,
a cock, and a bull are then sacrificed, and portions of the above are
offered to the spirits of the deceased. These offerings are known by
the name of ai-bam, and are placed in a basket which is hung up in the
house, together with the left thigh of the fowl and the lower jaw-bone
of the bullock. A dance is performed that night, first in the house
by two women, one belonging to the clan and the other an outsider,
and afterwards in a specially prepared place outside the house called
"_lympung_." The _sharati_, or flute, which is played at funerals
is sounded, drums are beaten, and bombs are exploded. This dancing
lasts from one to nine days, the limit being always an uneven number
of days. At Cherra two effigies called _Ka Puron_ and _U Tyngshop_
are prepared and dressed up; the former is intended to represent
_Ka Iawbei_, the first ancestress, and the other _U Suidnia_, the
first maternal uncle of the clan. These effigies are held in the
hands of the dancers. In the meantime two lines of upright stones
consisting of three each, with a table-stone in front of each line,
have been set up. These are called _mawkjat_ or _mawlynti_, and are
intended to serve as resting-places for the spirits of the dead on
their way to the tomb of the clan. These stones are generally not
more than three feet in height, and must not be confounded with the
larger stones or _mawbynna_. On the night before it is proposed to
deposit the bones, a ceremony called "_Beh-tympew_" is performed,
which consists of driving out the devils from the house, so that
they may not interfere with the peace of the spirits of the departed
whilst they rest in the house, and on their journey to the tomb. All
the men after they have performed this ceremo