The goat sacrifice to Sajigor,
the Kafir god of power, wealth and fertility
at the start of Uchau (feast) of the Kalasha,
August 1998
Pictureframes from a videofilm by Athanasios Lerounis, a member of The Greek Teachers` Association
who finances the Kalasha school in Krakal, The Rumbur Valley, Chitral.
Kindly donated to The National Library of Norway by Polyxeni Tsorbatzoglou
edited and commented by Wlodek Witek
This site contains 33 on-line images and links to a number of videos in QuickTime format.
About the feast:
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"Uc¥au a smaller festival celebrated in Rumbur 1929 at the approach of the grape ripening on/from (?) August 10th (or 20th?), in Birir from August 23rd. 500-800 loaves, one for each participant, are baked, and the men bring them, together with cheese from the hill-pastures to Sajigor¥s sanctuary where it all is eaten. They make a fire, but do not sacrifice a goat. Also converted Katis (jadi:di:) may take part. Women eat the bread at home. According to S. the Uc¥au, was celebrated at "the time of moving the cattle (to?) the pastures", but August would be a very late date for this. Cf. W. (Dag. b.) Utchal (Kh. ucal 'midsummer dance'. Cf. T1642/4 uccalaya- 'to go up'; ucca:la 'lifting, removing'." -G. Morgenstierne, The Kalasha Language, IIFL IV, Oslo 1973 (revised edition), p.174-5. |
About Sajigor:
| According to Morgenstierne The Kalasha Language,
IIFL IV, Oslo 1973 (revised edition), p.158: "(...) Sajig¥or; B
Sucig¥or; S Sajiigor; Sch. (p.53) Sajjigor the son of Jeshtak. A
higher god than Mahandeu, but possessing many of the same characteristics.=Kt.
Bagisht (v. U Bayisht). His altars are placed near rivers, like the one above
Rumbur, ´hidden in a grove of holly oaks, hung with horns of sacrificed
animalsª and containing a square, closed building, Sajigor-dur" (S)- also
Kt. Bagisht is connected with the waters-Cf. Skt. sajji:-kr- "to prepare,
equip, arm"?..."
According to Halfdan Siiger, (Ethnological Field-Research in Chitral, Sikkim and Assam, a preliminary repport, K¯benhavn 1956) the sanctuary can be dated not earlier than ca 1500 AD when it was established on the present site after a successful military raid to the enemy territory inhabited by the Kati tribe in Bashghal valley. It is locally believed that a most sacred object, an old dagger, representing the power of the shrine, is burried here- the worship of it is still symbolised by the tripple circumambulation of the shrine during the sacrificial ceremonies performed there. Sacrifices to Sajigor are to bring fine weather and ensure fertility for cattle and men. |
Some identify Sajigor with the Kati god of warfare, Gish:
Sajigor, (according to Jettmar) known by the Kati as Gish and the Prasun as Giwish, is the Kafir god of warfare, a successful killer and a hero. According to a myth (Morgenstierne, 1951) his mother was Utr (Wutr?- a female demon). According to another repport (Robertson, 1896) Gish killed another Kafir god, Sanu who was supposed to be a Muslim and tried to convert Kafirs to Islam. Having killed him Sajigor (Gish) played polo with his head. It is believed that Sajigor is closer to the Vedic god Indra than the latter¥s direct descendant Indr, who is deliberately mistreated by him. Sajigor¥s only known place of worship is to be found in The Rumbur Valley, near Grom (Brumotul). According to Karl Jettmar (Jettmar, 1986) his only shrine had been in Bashgal. During one of the Kalash Chief Raja Wai¥s raids into Bashgal (in the old Kafiristan), he made it known that as Bashgal was soon to succumb to Islam, Raja Wai should take it to Kalashgum (Bumboret) and set up his shrine in that valley.
Celebrations to Sajigor¥s honour should not involve a melodic instrument, although whistling and drums were accepted. Sacrifices, demanding preferably a male animal, were typically performed before a military raid.
| 1.
Kalasha returning from the pastures up in the higher mountains to their sacred shrine of the god Sajigor. This is the last crossing of the river before arrival in the oak forest near the village where sacrifice and the following feast is going to take place. Neither women nor Muslims are allowed to participate. Men from the village are going to meet the shephards who return after a two-month period in the higher mountains. |
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| 2.
Young Kalasha boys sitting on the benches at the site and awaiting the celebrations. The totem-like carved posts have been observed on July the 10th, 1929 as can be seen on the badly focused photographs of Morgenstierne: Picture 1, Picture 2. The pictures illustrate a state of neglect. A revival of the Kalasha practice of religion occurred in the middle 1970s. |
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| 3.
The posts were raised in memory of great donors of lavish feasts. This damaged sacred pole is possibly one of the oldest in the area of the sacred shrine. |
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| 4.
This richly carved post is possibly of a more recent date. Geometric designs are typical for the Kalasha. Figurative depictions of deities are almost unknown - only a figure of the fertility goddess Nirmali, was discovered in the Prasun area of Nuristan in 1960s. |
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| 5.
Cheeses made of goat milk are being collected on the ground. Males of each family make sure that their cheese is being represented. Only men are involved in the production of dairy products as the activity is locally considered to require a level of "purity" that women do not possess. In the old days when the religion was at an earlier stage of decline the uta, the sacrificial priest, was the only person with a sufficient degree of "purity" to conduct a sacrifice. |
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| 6.
The fire is already kindled. The importance of the fire is stressed in the ancient Vedic rituals. It is the fire ( Agni- as the Indo-Aryans called the god of fire from the second millenium BC) that would serve as a priest and bring the gods to the sacrifice. |
Rig Veda begins with this hymn, I prey to Agni, I.I.: "I pray to Agni, the household priest who is the god of the sacrifice, the one who chants and invokes and brings most treasure. Agni earned the prayers of the ancient sages, and of those of the present, too; he will bring the gods here. Through Agni one may win wealth, and growth from day to day, glorious and most abounding in heroic sons. "(...) |
| 7.
The sacrificer is placing a bunch of grapes by the fire. The meaning of it is not explained but it is believed that Kumr”i, a female spirit, is connected with rain and the ripening of grapes and fruits. It was not uncommon to place smaller offerings first to other gods so that they would not be jelous. |
Rig Veda, Agni and the Gods, I.26.5: "You who were the first to invoke, rejoice in our friendship and hear only these songs." (...) |
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Dry, thorny ilex (Quercus ilex) branches from the former decoration of the Sajigor-dur are being used to keep up the fire. The altar is a typical construction of stones and roughly carved wooden poles. Both this one and the altar of Mahandeo bear resemblance to chariots with protruding necks of horses. Sajigor-dur, the altar itself was unfortunately not recorded by Morgenstierne who visited the site briefly in 1929. |
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| 9.
The fire in front of the altar is burning with the purifying smoke of juniper. Twigs of juniper had been collected in the higher mountains and brought down by the shepherds returning from pastures. The green of the fresh twigs and the smoke make a visual effect. Boys from the age of 7 holding bread cakes in their bared lifted arms circle the altar and the fire forming a ring. Only boys who never had a sexual contact with women can join the ring. The purity of their washed forearms is also strictly observed. |
(Video 1,3 Mb) , preparation of the fire in a movie (Video 675 Kb) Rig Veda , Agni and the Gods, I.26: "Now get dressed in your robes, lord of power and master of the sacrificial food and offer this sacrifice for us." (...) Rig Veda , The Sacrifice of the Horse, I.162.4: "When, as the ritual law ordains, the men circle three times, leading the horse that is to be the oblation on the path to the gods, the goat who is the share for Pusan goes first, announcing the sacrifice to the gods" |
| 10
The boys sacrifice bread by alternately throwing pieces of each bread cake into the fire and to the altar. The man in the front (seen from behind) is the sacrificer holdig a knife ready for the goat. |
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| 11.
One of the older boys is adding juniper twigs into the fire. The others are still holding their bread cakes up. |
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| 12.
View of the fire just in front of the Sajigor-dur. The decoration consists of fresh branches of ilex tree. |
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| 13.
The goat is brought forward and will soon be sacrificed. It is not going to endure exceeding suffering. The Kalasha live very close to their livestock and treat animals with respect. |
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| 14.
The elder of the congregation is standing in the front row of the about 100 participants. The Kalasha wearing glasses is later going to hold a speech to his people. A flower and probably a feather is sticking out of his traditional cap (pakol). Such an ornament is used by the men only during feasts. |
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| 15.
Everyone seems to be ready for the sacrifice of the goat. In the more prosperous years cows were the prefered animals to be sacrificed on greater occasions. The Vedic religion required the sacrifice of a horse preceded by a goat sacrifice to please all the gods prior to the real event. |
Rig Veda , The Sacrifice of the Horse, I.162.3: "This goat for all the gods is led forward with the racehorse as the share for Pusan. When they lead forth the welcome offering with the charger, Tvastr urges him on to great fame." |
| 16.
The sacrificer who is here substituting the uta sticks fresh juniper twigs into the altar. |
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| 17.
The sacrificer picking up a burning juniper twig which he is going to fumigate the altar with. Behind him another Kalasha is crouching with his arms up, prepared to take hold of the goat¥s legs. |
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| 18.
The goat is swiftly lifted by the legs and held upside-down. |
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19. The goat¥s neck is exposed to be cut. |
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| 20.
The Kalasha cuts through the animals¥ throat opening the aorta. |
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21. He reaches out his hand to collect fresh blood from the open wound. |
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| 22.
The blood is thrown in the fire and on Sajigors altar. |
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23. The procedure is repeated. |
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24. Some minor parts (ears?) of the goat¥s head are cut off. This detail (earmarking?) is not mentioned in the earlier descriptions. |
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25. The throat is being cut through to detach the animal¥s head. Note that the blood of the sacrificed animal is not allowed to be polluted. A flat stone is lying in the place where the sacrificial blood could be polluted by spilling directly on the ground. |
the blood stained stone after the sacrifice Video (503 Kb) |
| 26.
The goat¥s head is removed. The rest of the corps will be cooked for a common meal and eaten during the Utsau. |
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| 27.
The goat¥s head is stuck briefly into the fire, probably just to symbolicaly singe a part of it. It is important to note that it is not burnt, yet offered. It has been mentioned (Parkes) that at this moment the spirit of the goat (ru) is offered to the god. Another explanation (Siiger) points that it is done to stop the head from bleeding in order to avoid polluting the sacrificial blood. Although not much clearer, the same procedure can be observed in the archival film by Morgenstierne. The uta places the goat¥s head next to the fire leaving it alone for a while. The removal of the head from the fire was not recorded. According to Peter Parkes, 1975 page 65: "The singing of the head is said to offer the spirit (ru) of the goat to the god and this act effectively "desacrilizes" the animal, which was previously holy (onjesta) and could therefore only be touched by the onjesta muc (=ritually pure)" |
Rig Veda, The funeral Fire, 10.16: "Do not burn him entirely, Agni, or engulf him in your flames. Do not consume his skin or his flesh. When you have cooked him perfectly, O knower of creatures, only then send him to the fathers. (...)" |
| 28.
The goat¥s head is removed from the fire. The main part of the sacrifice is over. |
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| 29.
The goat¥s head laid on the ground. The participating Kalash will cook and eat it (sacramentaly?) later. In the old days the horns of sacrificed animals were hung on the holly oaks around. The horns were observed and photographed by Morgenstierne in 1929. |
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| 30.
The rest of the goat will also be shared by the community during the following feast. |
Rig Veda , The Sacrifice of the Horse, I.162.5: "The Invoker, the officiating priest, the atoner, the fire kindler, the holder of the pressing stones, the reciter, the priest who prays- fill your bellies with this well-prepared, well-sacrificed sacrifice" |
| 31.
Cheeses are divided for the distribution among the participants. |
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| 32.
Boys and men sharing a meal at the beginning of the long feast that will be continued with dances in the village. This time women in their colourful dresses are going to take part. |
the boys Video (1,1 Mb) the meal Video (1,3 Mb) |
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33. The women form chains as they move to the rhythm of the drums. Dancing takes place in gri, the dancing ground in the "high village" Grom. It had, in 1986, been provided with a concrete floor and a roof. At a later stage the women dance a solemn solo or in swirl in threes. |
dancing and singing women in Grom Video (2 Mb) and Video (2 Mb) and in Krakal video (2,6 MB). |
