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HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA : M. M. NINAN MEGHALAYA Meghalaya or 'abode of the clouds', is a source of inspiration to any poet, a dramatic canvas for an artist's dream perched on the mountains covered with clouds, and the rainiest inhabited place on earth. The traditional Khasi male dress is 'Jymphong' or a longish sleeveless coat without collar, fastened by thongs in front. Now, the Khasis have adopted the western dress. On ceremonial occasions, they appear in 'Jymphong' and dhoti with an ornamental waist-band. The Khasi traditional female dress is rather elaborate with several pieces of cloth, giving the body a cylindrical shape. On ceremonial occasions, they wear a crown of silver or gold on the head. A spike or peak is fixed to the back of the crown, corresponding to the feathers worn by the menfolk http://www.everyculture.com/South-Asia/Khasi-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html "The Khasi believe in a creator god (U Blei Nong-thaw) who is considered feminine in gender (Ka lei Synshar). She is invoked when sacrifices are offered and during times of trouble. The propitiation of good 222
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA : M. M. NINAN and evil spirits is also part of this system, as is the worship of ancestors. The following major spirits are 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 sacerdotal functions), the ka soh-blei, also called ka-soh-sla or kalyngdoh (female priests who must be present at the offering of all sacrifices), and the nongkhan (diviners). The lyngdoh—who is always appointed from a special priestly clan, who holds his office for life, and who may be one of several within a state—is the chief functionary of the communal cults. He also has certain duties in conjunction with marital laws and household exorcism. In some states, the lyngdoh subsumes the responsibilities of siem (chief) and rules with the assistance of a council of elders. The duty of performing family ceremonies is the sole responsibility of the head of the family or clan who usually fulfills them through the agency of the kni (maternal uncle). Female priests must assist at all sacrifices and, in fact, are the only functionaries in possession of full sacerdotal authority. The lyngdoh exercises his duties as appointed agent of the ka soh-blei (female priest). It is believed that this system is an archaic survival from a period in Khasi history when the female priest acted as her own agent in the offering of sacrifice. In some states (e.g., Nongkrem), there is a high priestess who functions sacerdotally and as head of state. She delegates temporal responsibilities to a son or nephew who then exercises them as a siem. The adoption of <strong>Christianity</strong> by a large segment of Khasi society has resulted in important changes. The sacerdotal function of the youngest daughter (responsible, in traditional Khasi culture, for conducting burial services on behalf of her parents and for acting as chief practitioner of the family cult) has been threatened by Christian teaching and practice (i.e., the youngest daughter, if a Christian, is less likely to fulfill her priestly responsibilities to her family). It was these that the new missionaries were facing. The Foreign Missions enterprise of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church (later known as the Presbyterian Church of Wales) began at Liverpool in 1840. Thomas Jones, the son of a carpenter from Wales, was ordained a Methodist minister and left with his wife, Anne to India as a missionary. The Jones' then climbed the hills up from present-day Bangladesh to reach Cherrapunji, where they set up their base. He put himself to study the language of the country - Khasi - which was only an oral language without script. By 1942, just a year after Jones had reached Sohra, he had already brought out the first ever works of modern Khasi literature - a Khasi reader and 223
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PREFACE This book is the result of
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Kolla Varsham (Malayalam Era) HISTO
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1321 Friar Odoric of Pordenone HIST
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