zeme folktales

There was once a slave-girl named Reile in Hangrum, and one feast-day one of the dekachangs made a song on her name, as if she were a mithan for sacrifice. Having made the song, they killed her or she died, I do not know which, and they buried her. In

There was once in the village of Niem a man called Dimansareng, who had a son named Haiguing but no other kinsmen at all. The warriors of Nke constantly asked Niem to give Dimansareng up to them, when they would leave the rest of Niem alone; and eventually Niem agreed

There were once eight brothers whose parents had died, and having nothing to eat they went to the jhums and searched for tubers which the villagers had thrown away. A heramepai came, and said: "Grandchildren, what are you doing?" They said: "Grandmother, we have nothing to eat, and our parents

The pheasant and the jungle-cat were friends. The cat called the pheasant to see his house. The pheasant went, and the cat said: "Now you  must show me your house." The pheasant did not want to show his house,  because he thought: "The cat will eat me". He showed the

A woman went to the fields, taking zao kasang. It was a cloudy day and she did not feel thirsty. Next day she said: "It will be like yesterday, there will be no sun," so she did not take zu with her. It was very hot and she felt very

The quail and the squirrel were going to make a boundary between their lands. The squirrel hit the quail, and the quail wept. The barking deer asked why he wept. "The squirrel took my land and hit me, that is why I am weeping." The deer said: "I will see

Once  upon a time there was a rich couple who had only one child, a boy named  Akhangsuong. Every time they went to the fields the child ran after  them and cried and wanted to be taken too. Every time this happened they  called the young men to catch him