Ahom Religion
Ahoms follow a monotheist form of Tai religion based on ancestral worship and belief in creator God. Despite their association with Indian Brahmins, no traces of Hinduism or Buddhism can be found in the native Ahom religion (M'Cosh 1837:20)
The Ahoms religion is centered around belief in Khwan and Phis. The khwan refers to one's spiritual health and can be compared to Chinese concept of qi. If one's khwan is disturbed then there are elaborate rituals like rik-khwan to bring back the spiritual life-force and vitality of the person
The second concept phi refers to spirits, as per Ahom belief, living and even non-living beings have spirits that guide or astray them. There are forest spirits, river spirits, mountain spirits, heavenly spirits and all kinds of spirits. But the most important and most powerful spirits are the ancestral spirits known as dam. They are also called as house gods that protect the family from all harm and such is the belief in them that even after losing their language and most of their culture, the belief in ancestors have remained intact as seen in the following saying in Assamese
saal'a narakhe, ber'a narakhe; narakhe idokho'r deo ;
ghoror dam deo narakhile, rakhuta nai keo
neither the roof, nor the walls nor the great Gods can protect the family
if not protected by or the god of the house (i.e. the spirit of the ancestors)
Máe Dām Máe Phi
The most important ritual in Ahom religion is the Máe Dām Máe Phi, where Ahom people pay offering to their ancestral spirits to guide and protect them from all evil.
The word Máe Dām Máe Phi, can be broken into Máe (𑜉𑜦𑜧:) meaning offering, Dām ( 𑜓𑜪; ) meaning the dead and Phi ( 𑜇𑜣 ) meaning spirit or an offering to the tutelary dead spirits. During this ritual all kinds of meat like beef, fowls, pork, etc is offered to the ancestral spirits to please them along with traditional Ahom rice-beer.
Ahom Philosophy
Why do Ahoms hold their ancestors in such high regard? The Ahom believes in a divine purpose and a legacy to uphold. This makes Ahom philosophy closer to Nietzsche and further from Hinduism or Buddhism that sees life as either suffering or accident. Unlike indic philosophy, Ahom philosophy sees life as a means to the end and not the end itself.
There is no proof that God exists, almost certainly he doesn't but your ancestors did exist and you are the proof of it, their blood is in you. You will find faith in yourself, after finding faith in your ancestors. You will find strength you need once you recount the strength they possessed in life. They will always fight along with you; they have a vested interest in you as their genetic heir.
You are the wealth your ancestors left in this world. Each one of you has a legacy to uphold, to take pride in your ancestors and to further make your own descendants proud of you.
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