Local deities are considered kings over their territories, and the relationship that links them to their subjects is a combination of care and control. Virtually all personal or collective events must be brought before the village god’s palanquin to be provided with meaning. Such events range from physical illness to unusual individual behaviours, emotional distress, household disagreements, subsistence practices, disputes between neighbours or relatives over land tenure, natural catastrophes, and sudden deaths. Aside from offering directions for action, territorial deities perform healing rituals that are often referred to as rakhvalr, which literally means ‘protection’ or the act of taking care of someone.’