The Naga tribes live in the mountains of north-east India. They believe in an earthquake god who created the earth out of the waters by earthquakes. The sons of this god now watch over mankind and punish those who do wrong. Other deities without name or form live in the mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes, who need placating as they are hostile to men. Omens and dreams are generally believed in.
Witchcraft is practised and some men are thought to be able to turn into tigers.
Some groups sacrifice a dog or pig when making a wood carving, otherwise the carver will become ill or die. Head-hunting was an important practice, for fertile crops depended on a sprinkling of blood from a stranger over the fields. Reincarnation is believed by many Naga tribes, and the dead are buried in the direction from which their ancestors have come. The Bhil are one of the largest tribes of western India, living in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Many Bhil are Hinduised.