1855.] Notes on Northern Caoliar. 607 



Feasts before and after the funeral are the only obsequies, the 

 bodies of the dead being burned, and their ashes buried. 



The number of Meekirs in N. Cachar is difficult to be ascertained, 

 as it cannot be correctly calculated from the number of houses. It 

 is supposed to be, however, about 4000 souls. 



3rd, Nagas. — There are about a dozen different tribes, each pos- 

 sessing some marked peculiarity and speaking distinct languages, to 

 whom this common appellation is given. Indeed, the natives of 

 the plains apply it promiscuously to all the hill tribes on the frontier, 

 and as the word is their own, and unused among the hill people 

 themselves, they have every right to do so ; Naga, it would appear , 

 being a corruption of " Nunga," naked, and very properly applied to 

 those who go about with such scant clothing. Some say, however, 

 that it is derived from the Sanskrit word "nag," a snake, having 

 reference to the subtle and treacherous character of the people. 

 In N. Cachar, there is, however, only one tribe, who call themselves 

 Aroong Nagas. These number throughout the district about 7500 

 souls, and build their villages, which consist generally of from between 

 twenty to one hundred houses, on the tops of hills and on the crests 

 of ridges running out from the Burrail on much higher levels than 

 those occupied by any of the other inhabitants of the country. They 

 seem also more attached to the sites of their habitations than the 

 rest of the tribes in those parts. Cacharies and Meekirs flit to 

 other locations on slight pretexts ; the fear of an attack, or a quar- 

 rel with a neighbouring village will make them change their sites ; 

 and on the exhaustion of all the soil in their immediate vicinity, 

 it is their custom to remove nearer to the new jungles which it 

 is their intention to clear : the Kookie also is a migratory animal, 

 and never remains more than three or four years at the same place. 

 But nothing short of the direst necessity will force the Nagas of 

 these hills to relinquish their native spot of ground. Sometimes 

 indeed they are obliged to do so, when placed in exposed situations, 

 and constantly subject to attacks from parties at enmity with them, 

 whom they cannot resist; at the present moment I kuow of a 

 village site, in the neighbourhood of the Angami frontier which has 

 been abandoned owing to the repeated attacks which had been made 

 on the villagers while there resident. The Nagas who occupied 



4 L 



