The Kui Dharma of Orissa has the supreme creator, Tana Penu. In the eastern area, Tana Penu or Earth God is believed to be the creator of all physical things. On the western side, Piteri Penu is the great creator god whose name is always called first in any sacrificial prayer. However, the smaller gods that demand worship and sacrifice are the village Dharmi Penu (village protector), Dondo Penu (grove god) and other deities. The most important ritual is Meriah, originally a human sacrifice for crop fertility. The victim was stolen from other villages, fed well for months or even years, and then at the ritual, with elaborate ritual and merry making, was killed, cooked, and eaten by the devotees. The use of humans for the sacrifice was forcibly stopped sixty years ago by the British government, and was replaced by monkeys, and later buffaloes.