The Feast Of The Mighty Serpent

The Feast Of The Mighty Serpent dates back to antiquity and celebrates the end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season in the jungles of Diehli.  The tribal peoples here preform annual rituals of hunting and eating large jungle snakes, paying homage to ancient Pembunuh, their greatest tribal leader.

History

Oral legends speak of a time in the ancient past when the Nyoka, The Serpent God Of Floods, brought great rains to the jungle for many years, flooding and drowning the tribal peoples of the Diehli. The giant serpent would hunt them and eat them throughout the flooded lands. That is until one day a great and cunning warrior, Pembunuh turned the tide and hunted and killed the great serpent. He ate its heart and gained incredible powers that allowed him to stop the rains and helped him become the great leader of all the tribes. His descendants still claim to have his powers to this day.

Execution

At daybreak, those participating in the snake hunt enter the jungle to seek out a large snake, hunt it down, kill it, and bring it back for the tribe to eat. The one who delivered the fatal blow is required to eat the heart and gain any powers from the beast for him/her self. With very large snakes it is not uncommon for many adults to work together to bring down a formidable creature. For children wishing to become adult through this trial, they must work alone and kill their own snake. If they cannot accomplish the deed within a week, they must return to the tribe and may try again the next year.
Those who did not venture into the jungle on the snake hunt are regaled with stories by the elders, of Pembunuh and his mighty fight with Nyoka. The lessons learned, and stories of how he acquired his great wisdom and power, and his rise to become leader of all the tribes, are eagerly awaited by both children and adults.
Once the warriors return victorious with their snake, it is butchered and cooked by those who did not go on the hunt. As the snakes are being cooked, each warrior must tell their story of how they hunted, fought and killed the mighty beast. When cooking is finished, the elders are served first, the slayer is given the heart, and the rest follow with eating of the snake. Additional stories are often told after the meal around the dwindling flames of the cooking fire. These stories usually include who got the biggest snakes in the past, most snakes in one day, and historical family legends of snakes and their hunters.

Components and tools

Those going forth to hunt the snakes can only bring the Daga as a weapon.

Participants

Although everyone in the tribe will be celebrating and eating the captured snakes, only a select few are allowed to partake in the hunting and killing of the serpents.  The honor of going out into the jungle to battle the snakes is reserved for the warrior adults and any children wishing to become adults.  Both males and females are allowed to participate.

Observance

The exact date of the feast changes from year to year based on the timing of the rains.  The feast always takes place after the first rains of the fourth month have stopped falling.

Daga:  Is a ceremonial dagger fashioned to look like a serpent with its back and forth motion shaped into a metal dagger with both side of the snake sharpened to a keen point.