RITES AND RITUALS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO DEATH AND DISPOSAL OF DEATH BODIES OF POUMAI NAGA TRIBE BEFORE THE 20THCENTURY

Author Name: Hepuni Liba

Volume: 01 &  Issue:

Country: India

DOI NO.: 08.2020-25662434, DOI Link: http://www.doi-ds.org/doilink/09.2020-77899964/

Affiliation:

1. Nagaland University, Kohima Campus, Meriema,India

ABSTRACT

The Poumai Naga is one of the major tribes inhabiting mainly in the Senapati District of Manipur. Before the advent of Christianity, the Poumai Nagas have a unique belief system in the existence of life and soul after death. The concept of physical death is not considered as the ultimate death but a journey to the land of souls. It is believed that death is not everything that ends but it is a journey to the second life. Death is considered as a particular time period when the souls leave the body. It is also considered as the time the soul finally meet with their ancestors. Therefore, when someone died proper washing of the death body, rites and offerings were made as a farewell for the leaving soul. It is natural course of life. During the death of a member, rites and rituals are performed bringing close relatives, near and dear ones and friends together. A day genna was observed by the whole village on the death of a person, whether it is natural death or unnatural death. Animals were slaughtered on funeral with the belief that the soul of the slaughtered animal will accompany the departed soul as it goes to join those who have gone before. Funeral of death persons depend on how a person lived while he or she is alive. This paper attempts to analyse the nature of rites and rituals and its importance on death and its disposal with special reference to Poumai Naga tribe.

Key words: Rites, rituals, death, disposal of death