The religion of the Deng

In spite of his scarce population the Deng they have a proper religion that they differs clearly from the nearby peoples.

For them all the things that exist in the world have their own spirit, even the dead persons. These spirits are throughout and can affect the man of diverse forms, especially provoking illnesses to him.

His most important deity is a goddess who lives on top of the mountains. Other minorities become related linguistically to them also produce cult to creative goddesses, trace of course of his primitive matriarchy. Although she is not in charge on other gods, all the Deng her have the maximum respect, since they think that of not doing it misfortunes can come to them.

When a person dies there stays his spirit, which leaves the dead body. They think that if the spirit remains between the alive ones, it can hurt to them, therefore they realize different ceremonies destined to take the spirit to the world of the spirits as soon as possible, since these spirits have their own needs, and to satisfy them it is not important to hurt the men. It is for it that after the death of a person it talks each other that the spirit goes away as soon as possible, and to forget him as soon as possible. Earlier burial was done in ground, with coffin but without headstone or anything, later it was replaced with the incineration. The ashes then are buried or scatter for the wind.

There are big and small spirits, of different sizes. The Deng think that the spirits eat meat, and realize gifts as his size. Chickens for the children, gluttons for the big ones, and cows for the biggest. All these gifts must be directed by a priest.

The ceremony called Deya is the most important between so called Darang. It is taken several years in preparing it. In her there sacrifice several cows, in addition to pigs, chickens, wild animals, dry rats. One looks for a propitious date and notifies the relatives to him by means of knotted ropes. Every day a knot comes untied and when they do not remain nude it is the date of the celebration. The guests must come one day before the sacrifice of the cows. The guest gives then to the guests meat to eat and to take back to house. In these ceremonies there wears out big part of the scarce wealth of the Darang.

When a man dies his relatives do not work for 11 days, if she is a woman, stop working only 1 day.

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