ABSTRACT
This chapter examines certain features of the animist cosmology of the Katu people living in the upland forests of central Vietnam. The Katu explicitly compares the spirit hierarchy to the army and the state administration. As in animist societies, rituals form an essential part of the Katu 'technology' of survival and, the animal sacrifice is supreme; it is the paradigm for all religious acts in Katu society. Komorbarr is the female guardian of forest animals, and looks after the game animals, say the Katu, 'as women look after their herds of pigs'. Komorbarr is closely associated with the male spirit being known as Avua, portrayed as an old, hairy man with a huge penis compared to a log. The hunting ritual re-enacts the mythical alliance between men and animals, village and forest. Finally, the chapter presents people with a dilemma which the author have referred to as the 'hunter's dilemma', the specter of counter-predation.
