Sakhua

Did You Know?

• Various scholars offer differing interpretations of Sakhua: Vanlaltlani defines it as worship of a benevolent unseen God, Pathian, while Saiaithanga states it focuses on Khuavang rather than Pathian or Ramhuai.
• The term Khuarel holds the equivalent usage of God's will in the Christian context of Mizo society.

Stories

Khuazingnu, a benevolent deity, was believed to have created the earth and everything on it, including the surrounding environment. When greenery began to dwindle, she opened skylights and flung water from them onto the dry soil. Many Mizos still shout that the goddess of the heavens is dousing them with water. Khuazingnu also placed a representative couple from each human tribe and animal species into a cave, sealing it with a massive boulder called Chhinlung. After generations were born inside, she lifted the rock, believing enough people had emerged to repopulate the earth. When the loud and boisterous Ralte clan emerged, she repositioned the boulder, thinking their noise had drawn out sufficient people. The Ralte clan is still known as Ralte bengchheng, meaning noisy or rowdy Ralte.

Spirits

Khuavang are benevolent spirits that have never harmed people but instead help in difficulties. They are seen as glittering fairies living in high places such as mountains or hills, symbolizing kindness and abundance. It is believed that Khuavang bestow many children and long married lives on humans. Lasi is a hunting spirit, described as a naked fairy of all jungle life, whose blessings were needed for successful hunting expeditions; her main inhabiting location is the Vanlaiphai ranges.

Khaltu is the guardian spirit associated with people's lives and well-being. Every living creature is thought to have a thla (soul), and as long as the soul remained in the body, the person was alive. If a person had a terrifying experience, a sacrifice was required to restore relations with the khaltu; for intensified experiences, a goat was sacrificed, its tail severed and tied around the neck with a string. Breaking this string was a serious offense for the Mizos.

Ramhuai were believed to be of queer varying shapes, sometimes resembling humans or grotesque representations much larger than human size, with features such as curly hair, vertical eyes, massive bosoms, or one leg. They were omniscient and could take any shape. Traditionally, no Mizo claimed to have witnessed a ramhuai, as it would lead to social ostracization, though contact could occur in dreams. Ramhuai were typically found in natural locations such as high mountains, caves, under water, cracks in rocks, large rocks, holes in the earth, water springs, waterfalls, and large trees.

Phung is a spirit described as a large, dark creature of colossal size that frequented roads and paths, causing humans to suffer from insanity and epilepsy; convulsions in children were also attributed to the phung's displeasure.

Priesthood

An individual who carried out religious activity was known as a puithiam, with three types. A sadâwt was a village priest belonging to the chief. Each Mizo clan had its own sadâwt, but they were not as influential as the lal sadâwt, who handled all ceremonies and rituals conducted by the chief. The priesthood of sadâwt was hereditary with some elements of selection and discretion of appointment; the village chief could place confidence in a sadâwt or remove him.

For their service, a sadawt could claim taxation for rituals with the left foreleg of an animal. Most sadâwt were descended from the Hauhnar clan of the Lusei tribe. A tlahpawi was a helper or assistant of the sadâwt, holding equal hierarchy and able to take over if the sadâwt could not carry out rituals. A tlahpawi was essentially compulsory for a lal sadâwt, carrying out prayers related to divination and acting as a fortune teller or soothsayer.

They were appointed by the chief and removed if confidence was lost; only the Lusei claim of the Mizos had a tlahpawi. A bawlpu was a priest who officiated rituals for common people, with a notably lower status. When an individual was sick, a bawlpu would be summoned as a physician or sage to assess the cause of illnesses by checking the pulse and prescribing a sacrificial ceremony. The family was obligated to follow the bawlpu's orders, and the sacrifice occurred on the village outskirts at a place called Bawlhmun or Bawlmual.

The profession of bawlpu was hereditary, with incantations kept secret and passed down through generations; a son took over when the father became too old. Bawlpu were entitled to collect tax of rice paddies from villagers, with a whole basket of rice (fawng) as common remuneration, and for each ritual the person undergoing it paid a half basket of rice paddy (faidam).

Rituals

In Mizo tradition, Sabiak is the term for worship, and each clan had its own distinct Sakhua, overseen by a priest called a sadâwt. This practice was meant to guide a person through spiritual growth, ultimately aiming to become a Thangchhuah. A key ritual within this system is Sakung, a religious duty for someone who has recently married and moved into a separate home from their parents. For this ceremony, a family would raise the first male pig born, called vawkpa sutnghak.

The sadâwt would lead the worship, declaring that the pig was offered to the same deity their ancestors had worshipped. After three days, the Sabiak ceremony freed the man from his father's Sakhua, establishing his own family's religious identity. The ritual took place in the house during the evening, involving sacred chants and the sacrifice of the pig. The animal was killed by piercing a sharp bamboo rod into the area opposite its heart.

This bamboo weapon was then hung on the outermost post of the house, tied with a bamboo split pointing downward. The sadâwt would also tie the rod, the pig's head, and some meat in a back corner of the house. This process was repeated, and the remaining meat was cooked and eaten. The Sakung ceremony lasted three days, during which the family could not receive guests, work, visit public places, eat sour fruit, or attend funerals.

On the third day, the sadâwt performed a rite called thian, which ended the restrictions and allowed the family to return to normal life. The next stage, Chawng or Chawngfang, required a man to host a community feast with two male pigs, one female pig, and forty ngans of Zû. The sadâwt killed the pigs in a ritual identical to Sakung. The priest's assistant, the tlahpawi, then performed divination for each family member using bamboo splits.

A smooth break in the split was seen as a bad omen, while an uneven break was preferred for good fortune. Completing the Chawng ceremony earned the man the title Chawngpa and his wife the title Chawngnu. The third stage, Dawi no chhui, involved holding multiple feasts, though the ability to do so depended on the Chawngpa's wealth.