Ka Jer Ka Thoh

Language, Life, and the Sacred in the Khasi Naming Ceremony

Abstract

This paper examines Ka Jer Ka Thoh, the traditional Khasi naming ceremony, as a deeply embedded cultural, spiritual, and linguistic practice that sanctifies human identity from birth. The ceremony is not merely a formal bestowal of a name but an act of divine and communal recognition that positions the child within the moral, ancestral, and cosmic order of Khasi society. Drawing on ritual prayers, oral tradition, ethnographic detail, and linguistic analysis, the paper explores how the naming ceremony affirms the sacredness of life, the importance of maternal care during pregnancy, and the dynamic use of language in ritual performance. The act of naming is framed as a spiritual duty that involves God, ancestors, parents, and the wider community, where symbolic materials and verbal expressions function together to invoke health, identity, and belonging. The paper highlights the creative role of the intercessor (Nongkñia) and the performative nature of ritual speech as a form of living oral tradition, suggesting that Ka Jer Ka Thoh is not just a cultural ritual but a vital social practice that reinforces the Khasi worldview of interconnectedness, reverence for life, and the power of the spoken word.