By Barnes Mawrie
The recent horrific event at Smit where three persons were hacked to death by the villagers has drawn a lot of media attention. These are unfortunate occurrences which also tarnish the society’s image. However, one cannot deny that such evils are part of the human reality. Punishments for malevolent sorcery were enshrined in the Hammurabi Laws of ancient Egypt and Babylon (1800 years before Christ). Witchcraft, wizardry and human sacrifices are not myths or make-believe stories. They are found in every human culture. Was not European history marred by such evil practices? The “dark woods” or the “black forests” in England or Germany, were believed to be places for evil spirits and demons. In the middle ages even up to the 18th Century, witch- hunting was still practiced in Europe. Let us not forget that even Joan of Arc was burnt at the stakes as a witch by the English in 1431 after being falsely condemned as a sorceress. In India, especially in the rural belt of North India, we often hear of witch hunting and human sacrifices being reported in the media.
The presence of evil is undeniable. Where there is God the devil also exists and where there is goodness, evil co-exists. The existence of witchcraft and wizardry is part of our imperfect human culture. Anthropologically it can be explained that every human culture seeks to connect itself with some ultimate beings which it considers as “all powerful” and from whom it tries to find answers for the unexplainable. These higher beings are also seen as sources for drawing forth power, glory and prosperity. Generally, the natural inclination is to believe in some “good beings” or “good spirits” that cause good things to happen (good health, protection, offspring, peace and happiness etc). However, there are also deviant tendencies in man which prompts him to take recourse to evil forces, generally called “evil spirits”. However, the outcomes from such beings are also vicious in nature (curses, punishment, sickness, deformities, death etc). These are the things associated with witches and wizards.
Among the Khasis since centuries past, there has been this one deviant cult known as “shohnoh” (human sacrifice). When the nongshohnoh (murderer) gets a victim he usually extracts blood from him/her and feeds it to the thlen (devil in the form of a snake). In return the thlen is expected to bring wealth and prosperity to the family. This is purely one form of human sacrifice prevalent in other parts of the world as well. Snake worship for example, is a very ancient form of worship. In the Iberian Peninsula before the advent of Christianity, snake worship was a prominent form of religion. The Romans also performed rituals to the snake god and fed it with milk. Among the Hindus snake worship is common. Lord Shiva wears a cobra around his neck. The Hindus observe the Nag Panchami festival during which they offer milk and incense to the snake god in return for knowledge, wealth and fame.
Strangely enough, Khasi tradition does not speak of nongshohnoh during its golden era (sotti juk) or the age of isolation. During that time every Khasi lived in peace and harmony, in mutual love and respect. There was no threat from wild beasts or evil men and the absence of contact with other cultures helped retain their pristine culture. The phenomenon of nongshohnoh probably started from Jaiñtia Hills during the period when the Jaiñtia kings became Hindus. The Jaiñtia kings adopted Shakti Hinduism as their new religion and they brought in a lot of Brahmin priests to Nartiang – their summer capital in those days. These priests resided in Nartiang and performed the pujas for the people. Even today there is a Durga temple in Nartiang and some priests are still present. Before the arrival of the British, human sacrifices were offered to the Kupli goddess. The Hindu goddess Durga seemed to have incarnated herself as goddess Kupli among the Jaiñtias. This perhaps explains why the Jaiñtia people accepted such practices because they perceived an indigenous character of the goddess Kupli. It was only when the British came and occupied Jaiñtia Hills after the defeat of U Kiang Nangbah in 1835 that human sacrifice to the goddess Kupli was suppressed once and for all.
The influence of Hinduism was felt not only in Jaiñtia Hills but it also came to Khasi Hills from the plains of Bangladesh and Assam, regions which the Khasi chiefs used to raid from time to time. It is not surprising that some Hindu religious practices of the Vaishnavites like snake worship caught the imagination of the Khasi people. Probably the association of this worship with knowledge, wealth and power attracted some to this cult. This, coupled with the practice of human sacrifice from Jaiñtia Hills, gradually got into a malicious combination of offering human blood to the snake god whom the Khasis call u Thlen. The cult of nongshohnoh is basically a vitiated form of this snake worship of Hinduism. It is a universal anthropological phenomenon when people of different cultures live side by side. The Israelites in the olden days lived close to the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Jebusites etc. The cultural influence of their neighbours was felt throughout their history. For example, the Israelites adopted human sacrifice from the Canaanites; sacrifice of the first born child from the Egyptians etc, elements which were absolutely absent in their own religion.
The cult of nongshohnoh among the Khasis is therefore not a myth but a reality and the result of such intercultural influence. I fail to understand how the state authority or some NGOs could term such events as mere superstitions. This cult has a long history and in the earlier days the number of its adherents was bigger. The fact that this cult was seen as a curse for the people and that it should be rid of, is evident in Khasi oral history. The story of the “Daiñ-thlen” is a parable of such a historical event. In the story we are told how the people grew weary of the thlen on account of the human sacrifice they had to make to it and decided to put an end to this curse. They finally succeeded to kill the thlen by wooing it into swallowing a red hot iron ball. To get rid of the thlen once and for all, they consumed its flesh. However, one family kept the piece of meat which eventually transformed into a thlen again.
This is a parable or a figure of speech to indicate that once in history, the Khasis practiced snake worship and used to offer human sacrifice to it. Soon they realized that this was a dangerous cult because it took a toll on the population. So it appeared that they collectively decided to give up such an evil cult. Unfortunately one or two families were attached to this old cult and they kept this a secret. From then on, the cult of nongshohnoh recuperated and began to spread again. With the advent of Christianity in the mid 19th Century, this cult has declined considerably. When most of the Khasis adopted the new religion, those who practiced such cult in their families had to give it up since such practices go against the basic teachings of Christianity. There are many reported cases of nongshohnoh who decided to become Christians and went through a process of liberation and purification. Christian theology teaches that every human culture has its dark spots which should be purified by the Gospel. The nongshohnoh cult is one such dark element in the Khasi culture which Christianity has come to erase. If Europe today has been freed from the past that was so darkened with magic, witchcraft and human sacrifices, it owes this to Christianity. Perhaps when the Khasi people will embrace Christianity en masse then this evil cult may be rid of once and for all.