Mr. Pfohrehe Xavier,
M.A., M.Phil., M.Lett.

According to the Mao myth, humankind, tiger, and god came into existence through the miraculous union between the already existing first woman and the clouds of the sky. How the first human being, that is, the woman came into existence is not explained but her existence is taken for granted. This is because the earth is already there and the woman represents the reproductive power of nature. That first woman was called Dziiliimosiiro, which approximately means the "purest water" or 'crystal clear water'. One day she was resting under a tree with her legs-apart, at a place called Makriifii or Makhel which is the present Mao Naga country. Suddenly a cluster of clouds came over her and some drops of liquid came down over her private part and she became pregnant. Subsequently, she gave birth to Tiger, God and Man or Human being, when the three children have grown up, they went in their own separate ways; the Tiger to the forest, God to the sky and Man, the youngest one, remained in the place of the mother as the inheritor.

It seems that the Mao Naga myth is quite close to the contemporary scientific findings. According to the modern genetic science, the whole human race descended from one woman or the originating mother from Africa. Further, according to the evolutionary theory, all living beings originating on earth has developed from some primeval life stuff introduced on our planet. So Man and tiger representing the animal kingdom and God, representing the superhuman beings are all related. Life that fell upon the earth from outside was very similar to scientist Fred Holye's theory. So this myth reflects that the Mao ancestors were full of wonders and curiosity about life and their imagination took a path similar to science, which is inherent in common experience. In other words, it is not based in pure superstition. This explains why the British attributed philosophical attitude to Mao Nagas.

When we look at the meaning of the first woman, it is clear that they are suggesting that life evolved in water. This also conforms to the scientific truth, in the sense that life is supposed to have originated in the sea.

There seems to be an apparent contradiction here with the evolutionary theory I mentioned earlier but in fact there is no contradiction. Fred Holye is only suggesting that life drops from outer space but the forms which exists on earth have evolved originally in the sea. Lastly, their way of assigning destinations to the three species produced is most natural. In other words, their conception is not purely superstitious or imaginary.