ON THE FESTIVALS AND FOLKLORE OF GILGTT. 119 



On the afternoon of the following day each family kills five goats for every house, as a 

 token of their happiness at being free for one more year from the re-arrival of the cruel 

 chief. The meat is dried and kept to be cooked during the following months. It is 

 said that the meat of the goats killed on this day does not turn bad, even if kept for years. 

 This ceremony is called by them " Nisalo." 



A Story of the Katchata family and "Chili" Ceremony. 



Once upon a time there resided at Gilgit a wealthy family of Katchatas. This 

 family lived alone in a separate fort on the site of the fruit orchard in which Mr. Hayward 

 is buried. The family grew so strong that it kept the chief afraid of its power. The 

 Ra, who always used to keep a watchful eye over this clan, was so frightened by their 

 doings that, being unable to fight them openly in the day-time, he thought at last 

 of making a sudden night attack on the sleeping warriors. The proposed attack was so 

 successfully carried out by the Ra that he left none alive in the fort except a pregnant 

 woman, who managed to escape by a small window and took flight up the Kargah 

 Valley, in order to seek a refuge in a secluded village of Darel. There she soon "bore 

 a son. None of the family survived to cultivate their lands, which were lying waste. 

 The Ra, however, took this task upon himself, and wheat was sown over the land by 

 his followers. But he was much vexed when he saw the whole crop turned black 

 and become unfit for food, and that his labour was fruitless. For the five succes- 

 sive years the same state of things continued, and the Ra, being weary of cultivating 

 the lands any longer, at last ordered the Danyals to explain the real cause of this 

 misfortune. According to their usual custom the Danyals worked themselves into a 

 state of frenzy by burning the leaves of the chili, and then, putting their ears for. a short 

 time upon the drums to listen to what these had to say, sung a song to the following 

 effect : — 



' The fertility, prosperity and abundance of Gilgit were due to the happiness and the 

 blessed hands of the Katchata clan, and because they were extremely oppressed and 

 tyrannised over by the Ra, the destruction of the land resulted and will continue until 

 a man of the same family is brought here to plough the lands with his own oxen, and 

 to put in the seed in the Ra's cloak. A few handfuls must be scattered by the Ra 

 himself, while the remainder is sown by the Katchata or his followers in these fields. 

 The other inhabitants must not precede the Katchata in ploughing and cultivating their 

 lands." On this the chief gave orders to the assembly to bring a man of that clan, 

 from any part of the country in which he could be found, and promised that a good 

 reward would be given to the man who succeeded in finding him. A number of the Ra's 

 followers at once started in all directions in the hope of gaining the reward. The man 

 who had set out for Darel and Tangir came to know, to his great delight, that a woman 

 of the family had at the time of the massacre escaped towards Darel, where she had 

 since borne a son. He sought out her dwelling, and promising her safety as well as a 

 good reward, obtained her consent to accompany him to Gilgit. He thus gained the 

 reward, while she was welcomed by all the people. The Ra then assisted in the sowing 

 of the fields according to the advice of the Danyals, and with the returning happiness of 



