Skip to main content

Every name has a song in Meghalaya’s singing village Kongthong

By: Himsiringdao Hapila




Meghalaya’s Kongthong has been in the limelight all for musical reasons – known to visitors as the singing village, where everyone has a song to their name, where people communicate in tunes — a traditional extraordinaire that is said to be on the gradual decrescendo.

In Meghalaya’s Kongthong, one from the valley called Khadar Shnong of 12 villages — people address each other in the most delightful way, by singing a song. People sing their names. People have the concept of a tune for every person, a peculiar musical tradition of identifying a person. This tradition extraordinaire has been known as Jingrwai Iawbei.

Every mother devises a tune for the child. Khasi is a matricidal society where they honour the woman who started the clan. When a woman is pregnant, she also conceives a particular tune, sometimes a birdcall, water droplets, streams, psithurism or any sound of nature, which then becomes the name of the newborn. After the birth of the child, adults around it constantly hum that tune so that it identifies with the sound.

Every time a mother dedicates a song for her son or daughter, it comes from depth of her heart. When a mother carries a baby in her womb for 9 months, she goes through so much pain. When the baby is born, the attachment that she has and the love born out of it gives out a song.

Every person in the village has a tune. So they have a short and a long tune, Short tunes are used in daily life, and long tunes used in forests to ward off evil spirits. It is believed that evil spirits can't interpret longer tunes and keeps away from causing any harm. This is an old-age tradition, the origin of which is as distant as the region itself. It is particularly useful during hunting expedition. When a group goes hunting, they use these sounds to alert fellow members without arousing the curiosity of another group that may be after the same prey.

For the people of Kongthong village, it is a mark of their identity. They don’t call each other by names but by that particular tune, and the pitch determines whether it is a distress call or just a greeting.

Their tradition also has a ceremony in which every unmarried young man sings his own tune. The one who performs the best is announced as the most popular one and is automatically chosen by the most beautiful woman as her groom. This folk cult has kept the tradition alive.

However, Jingrwai Iawbei is losing out the essence of its tradition. Locals are moving out of their villages and men are marrying women of other tribes, who are either strangers to the Jingrwai Iawbei tradition or face awkwardness in coping with it. The number of people carrying these traditions is decreasing day by day. Lesser and lesser people are now known to have musical names.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hajong Lake: The abode of Hill Terrapin tortoises; Cradle of Nature and Mystic Beliefs

By: Himsiringdao Hapila The legend of how villagers turned into tortoises mystifies visitors to this day   Deep into the virgin forests of Assam’s remote Dima Hasao district, lies the secrets of the existence of century old tortoises, mired in legends, mysteries and supernatural beliefs. The Hajong lake, situated in the Langting-Mupa reserve forest of the has been the attraction of biologists, zoologists and nature loving tourists since the last few years, the big mystery being the existence of hundreds of Hill Terrapin tortoises, that seem to have made this lake their home. It is the only natural tortoise habitat in Assam.   There are many superstitious myths associated with the origin and existence of the lake and its tortoises that it bewilders the listener to disbelief about such absurd myths passed on from generations to this modern day. As a matter of fact, these legends have added curiosity among the visitors, propelling the local authorities to declare a day as tortois...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dzukou Valley Trekking

Dzukou Valley Trekking Dzukou Valley The word Dzukou is originally derived from the Viswema dialect of the Angamis  which means "Soulless and Dull" referring to when some ancestors of Viswema who moved out to establish a new village in Dzukou, due to the unfavourable weather conditions  they were unable to harvest crops which led them to say  " The valley is very Beautiful but is dull and soulless ". The Dzukou Valley is situated at an altitude of more than 2200 m above sea level, behind the Japfu Peak,Nagaland; the valley shares the border of the states of Nagaland and Manipur. This valley is well known for its natural environment, seasonal flowers and flora & fauna. Miss Rajashree Khersa & Mr. Arjun Jahari There are two routes to ascend the mountain from different areas, Jakhama Village being one of the starting point and the other is a beautiful village Viswema, who gave the name to the valley. The shared sumo service...
Post a Comment
Read more

Artisan Entrepreneur: Vekuvolu Dozo brings change with weaving

By: Himsiringdao Hapila   Vekuvolu Dozo is a young loin loom weaver from Nagaland.  Vekuvolu learned weaving from her aunt at the age of 18. She says, “It is important in our culture to know how to weave on a loin loom as a ritual in our tribe involves gifting a shawl to the groom by the bride.” Lion loom is one of the most primitive forms of weaving. Each strand of yarn is handpicked to form beautiful geometric patterns, using designs that are rooted in tradition, culture and mythology.   ·        Who’s the first person to introduce you with a handloom?   My mother’s sister taught me how to weave at the age of 18, right after which I got married. It is important in our culture to know how to weave on a loin loom as a ritual in our tribe involves gifting a shawl to the groom by the bride.    ·        How long have you been weaving? OR How old were you when you were  introduced to weaving? I ha...
Post a Comment
Read more