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| Tiwas performing a traditional dance |
Since time immemorial, the Tiwa tribe or Lalungs of Assam have worshipped nature and held life, in all its forms, in high esteem. Members of the tribe had initially led a nomadic life, but they gradually settled down in the fertile areas and took to agriculture. The transition also brought about a more organised type of lifestyle among them. However, as the population increased, some of them migrated to other places to check the pressure on nature.
Whenever they considered a place for settling down, they prayed for the well-being of nature and performed a dance with it to appease the god of nature. This was a manifestation of their concern for the natural components on which they would exist.
When the Tiwas selected a place to settle down, their first job was to prepare a space where they would offer prayers to god. Such a place was known as the mindaaisaal or sacred grove. The first step to the preparation was to collectively clear the forest, which would be followed by prayers during which they offered liquor, hen, goat and pig to god.
In the course of this practice, they planted bamboo saplings of a particular species, traditionally known as bijuli banh, which they later used for construction purposes in their prospective villages. They used earthern lamps and dhuna, a kind of pleasant smelling resin-smoke, while praying.
In keeping with the festivities, saplings of big trees like mango, banyan, neem and specially the gomari tree, which is regarded as the totem of the Tiwas, were also planted. When these plants grew, they formed a kind of sacred grove, which the Tiwas traditionally preserved. The tribe took proper care of these plants until they matured. To keep alive this sense of beauty, the Tiwas hold a festival every year where they offer prayers to the “god of nature”. During the festival, they perform a special dance along with other rituals.
When the bamboo plants grew big enough to be used for building purposes, the people gathered near the grove and offered prayer once again to the nature god. Before using the bamboo for construction, they made langkhoon out of them. The langkhoon prepared out of the bijulee variety of bamboo was decorated with flowers.
The men of the tribe then performed the langkhoon dance by forming a systematic arrangement. They wore traditional and colourful costumes while performing the dance.
The four-day langkhoon worship is usually performed around December-January.
The village elders, along with Chang Doloi, Chang Mazi and Loro Hatari (a special headman), visit the Deuri’s house on a Saturday. The Deuri offers a pot full of liquor and a bota full of betelnut and betel leaves to the headman in the presence of other visitors. With this ritual, the headman’s permission is sought to harvest the bamboo crop.
After this, the men, irrespective of their age and background, go together to cut the bamboo. Once there, they select a healthy bamboo, clean the base, place the apical part of a new plaintain leaf on the ground and make an offering of seven pairs of betelnut and paan leaves. They also offer a little bit of the traditional liquor from the bottle called pe lang and pray to the bamboo tree. They also pray to mother nature and nature god Salsa Bajam, chanting hymns, while seeking permission to take the bamboo.
The hymns go like this:
“Julai kubai fidong o’ba pijuli kathi rao
Mai pandha kubai fidong o’ba Salsa raja
Ne chajo bijuli kunwari go lana
Ne thiso mahari kumwari go langa
Tebo julau munga changdoloi ne
Mai panda jana changmaji ne”
(“O father of princess bijulee, king Salsa, we have come to you with our village elders to ask for your daughter. We are offering betelnut and paan leaves and liquor. Please accept these and give us your daughter.”)
They also plead forgiveness from the god of nature for cutting the bamboo and ask him to keep all evil away from them.
After this, the Tiwas cut down the necessary and selected bamboos and carry them to the place of worship in the sacred grove, called mindaaisaal. After depositing the bamboo there, they perform a dance and return home.
On Sunday, they perform kher-kata (a part of langkhoon worship) after which they pick up the bamboo on their shoulders and carry them to the samadi or deka chang, the place where young boys of the village sleep at night.
They scrape the bamboo with knives, and make cuts on the nodes in the reverse direction and prepare decorative langkhoons, also known as maal-bari. They hang an artificial bird coloured with ashes and turmeric on top of the maal-bari. Then they plant these maal-baris on the northern side of the samadi (youth dormitory) in rows.
Meanwhile, they also prepare the location of the mindaaisaal or deosaal. In the mindaisaal or the sacred grove, they plant saplings of gamari, mango, banyan and other valuable trees.
This is done to stress the importance of replenishing the natural resources. The beauty of the mindaaisaal is enhanced by planting of long, decorative langkhoons.
On Monday evening, men, young and old, together go to the samadi and to the Deuri’s place to ask for the traditional musical instruments. The Deuri offers them liquor, betelnut and paan leaves accompanied by chanting. The men then go to the samadi with the musical instruments and perform the rituals of dancing.
The next day, early in the morning, the men, irrespective of their age, pull out the maal-baris planted in the samadi. Each of them carries a maal-bari in his hand and moves around the village, from house to house, banging on the walls and fences, pretending to chase away spirits. They ultimately dispose off the maal-baris at the other end of the village.
The Tiwas strongly believe that by performing these rituals, they can drive away all evil from the village. On the concluding day of the festival, the village elders move from house to house, collecting from each household a hen or a cock each and a bottle of liquor. They finally assemble at the place of worship.
They chant hymns, which is accompanied by a mild playing of the khram or flute which enhances the feeling of reverence among those assembled. This is followed by dances performed by young men by forming circles. Once the worship is over, the langkhoons are picked up by the elders and passed on to the young men and girls who then perform a variety of dances.
In the course of the langkhoon dance during the langkhoon festival, the Tiwas pray for the wellbeing of the forests, the flora and the fauna.
Once the dance is over, all the men once again go to the Deuri’s house and return the musical instruments. The Deuri offers liquor to the guests before they leave.