THE YAKHA: CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN ...

of these sorts of spirits were pokta cyBg (pokta being the hanging shelf
in the kitchen!, talB cyB0 (after the Nepali word for 'loft'), atani
cy80, lahare cya~ and harama~sir. These were said to be different in
character from the spirits normally found in a Yakha house and to demand
more in offerings.
Lahare cytik, for instance (could the name have come from lahuri,
'retired serviceman'?) was said to be a Limbu spirit brought by in-
marrying women. Sacrifice to it was said to involve killing a buffalo,
a sheep and sixteen chickens once every three to six years. The pokta
cyB~ needed to be worshipped twice a year, and was said to require the
sacrifice of a cock and a hen, as well as grains and cuha. Only those
with a pokta cyB~ of their own were said to be able to watch the
household pi6- to this spirit, and meat cooked from the could not
be shared with those who were not present at it. Those with baramagsir
in their house faced food prohibitions, since they were not supposed to
eat goat meat or pig's intestines. Because of the potential problems
posed by introducing these spirits into the house, some unmarried Yakha
men said they might attempt to find out whether a prospective wife had
any spirits in her family which might be likely to accompany her on
marriage. One young woman we knew had a pokta cyB0 in her house, and
for some reason it was considered she was most likely to transport it
with her on marriage, Because of this, it was predicted she might have
difficulty finding a marriage partner,
Local Spirits
One spirit, Tenbe'na, was associated specifically with Tamaphok, and
another, LinkhBsam, with a particular Yakha clan, the Linkha. The story