AMKOI, Nongbareh

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The place name -Amkoi- indicated near (±1 km) N25°13'10”: E092°00'50” (WGS84) on the 1959 edition of the AMS sheet NG46-10 Shillong (U502 series) possibly is -- but this is mere guesswork -- a good place to look for the unidentified whereabouts of the Amkoi cave or Ka Krem Pubon Amkoi which both BAZELY, P J (1992, 2: 73) and LALOO, S S (1995a: 4, 1995b: 4) count as the fourth (4th) of their eleven Syndai Caves -- apparently a cult spot where sacrifices and oaths of pagan religious importance are performed. ETYMOLOGY: The Amwi and Synteng Khasi -ka amkoi- or standard Khasi -ka umkoi- is a ceremonial purificatory tank (note 1), a sacred pool of water (GURDON, P R T 1906: 162) or well where sacrifices and oaths are performed (SINGH, N 1906: 242), or simply a tank (note 2) in the sense of water reservoir, cistern, basin (note 3). On the other hand, the Khasi -ka koi- (noun) is the word for a kind of fish trap; a fence in the bed of a stream to catch fish; a weir (SINGH, N 1906: 44). STUATION: The village of Amkoi (N25°13': E092°00'30”) in the Nongbareh circle lies above the north-west (orographically right) bank of the Umkrem (note 4) and at linear distances of about 14 km approximately ENE from Syndai (N25°10': E092°08'30” WGS84), about 2 km north from Shnongpdeng (N25°12'37”: E092°00'42”), and about 1.5 km SSE from Nongbareh (N25°13'35”: E092°00'42” WGS84).The place name -Amkoi- indicated near (±1 km) N25°13'10”: E092°00'50” (WGS84) on the 1959 edition of the AMS sheet NG46-10 Shillong (U502 series) possibly is -- but this is mere guesswork -- a good place to look for the unidentified whereabouts of the Amkoi cave or Ka Krem Pubon Amkoi which both BAZELY, P J (1992, 2: 73) and LALOO, S S (1995a: 4, 1995b: 4) count as the fourth (4th) of their eleven Syndai Caves -- apparently a cult spot where sacrifices and oaths of pagan religious importance are performed. ETYMOLOGY: The Amwi and Synteng Khasi -ka amkoi- or standard Khasi -ka umkoi- is a ceremonial purificatory tank (note 1), a sacred pool of water (GURDON, P R T 1906: 162) or well where sacrifices and oaths are performed (SINGH, N 1906: 242), or simply a tank (note 2) in the sense of water reservoir, cistern, basin (note 3). On the other hand, the Khasi -ka koi- (noun) is the word for a kind of fish trap; a fence in the bed of a stream to catch fish; a weir (SINGH, N 1906: 44). STUATION: The village of Amkoi (N25°13': E092°00'30”) in the Nongbareh circle lies above the north-west (orographically right) bank of the Umkrem (note 4) and at linear distances of about 14 km approximately ENE from Syndai (N25°10': E092°08'30” WGS84), about 2 km north from Shnongpdeng (N25°12'37”: E092°00'42”), and about 1.5 km SSE from Nongbareh (N25°13'35”: E092°00'42” WGS84).