206 Major Macgregor — Notes on the Alcas. [Dec, 



groom to the bride's father as a dowry. Mithun are killed and eaten at 

 feasts, and sometimes they are killed as a sacrifice. Pigs and fowls are 

 also very largely consumed by the Akas. The chief article of food is, 

 of course, rice ; millet, Indian corn, yams, Job's tears, and a large species 

 of bean (which is very palatable, when smoked over an aromatic wood 

 fire) supplement the rice supply. Chillies are abundant, and largely 

 used as a condiment. Tobacco is also grown extensively. 



The Akas consume a large quantity of fish, which they procure 

 from the large rivers, the Bhoroli, the Phusung, and the Tenga. The 

 manner in which the fishing weirs and nets are constructed is very 

 ingenious. The system of " jhuming " (i. e., clearing and burning the 

 jungle and digging up the ground with a short hoe) obtains in the Aka 

 as well as in all the Sub- Himalayan hills. The Akas do not, like the 

 Angami Nagas, take the trouble to make terrace cultivation, probably 

 owing to the precipitous nature of the hills. The water-supply, which 

 is managed so scientificially by the Nagas, would be difficult to arrange 

 for. The crops are biennial : rice and " makai " (Indian corn) are sown 

 in February and reaped in June. Another sowing takes place in 

 August, and the reaping at the end of December. The same ground 

 is not generally cultivated more than two years running ; but after an 

 interval of ten years they return to the old ground. The Akas only 

 cultivate as much rice as is necessary for their own consumption. 



Near Mehdi's villages there are a few pines (Pinus longifolia), 

 laurels, bays, and other deciduous trees. Between No. 1 Camp (or the 

 Diju River) and Maj-Bhoroli, plantains, orchids and epiphytes of vari- 

 ous kinds abound. Bignonias, rhododendrons, oaks, and chestnuts 

 are found more to the north. Bamboos are rare on the left bank of the 

 Maj Bhoroli River, though they are found in great quantity on the right 

 bank. On the range between the Maj Bhoroli and Tenga rivers, I have 

 noticed canes of enormous length and thickness. These are commonly 

 used by the Akas in constructing their cradle bridges. A creeper 

 (Taderia fcetida), which is common in the Aka hills, is very useful as 

 a tie for hutting purposes ; but when it is used, the unfortunate oocu- 

 pant of the hut has a bad time of it, as it is the most evil smelling plant 

 I have come across. A species of small palm with large, long leaves 

 is found in the hills and used by the Akas for thatching purposes. 

 Mosses and ferns are found in great quantities in the ravines which 

 intersect the country. The rubber tree is found at the foot of the hills, 

 and is the most valuable of all. The Aka hills are singularly destitute 

 of animal life. Elephants (as far as the Maj Bhoroli), monkeys, deer, 

 tigers, and leopards are found, as also are wild pigs, jungle fowl, deo- 

 derrick, and wild pigeons. 



