Culture & Festivals of Meghalaya

Meghalaya is dominated by three major tribes namely the Garo who reside in the Garo hills, the Khasi who reside in the East and West Khasi hills and the Jaintia who predominantly reside in the Jaintia hills. The unique feature of all these tribes is that they have a matrilineal society where descent is traced through the mother.

Meghalaya is the homeland of India’s ancient hill communities. Dance, music and sports reflect their way of life. Festive sounds of merry making echo from hill to hill revealing the pulsating life of the tribal people. Mindful of their cultural heritage, these simple folks are jovial and hospitable. There are about twentyfour communities in the state amongst which fifteen are scheduled tribes that have migrated from other states. The non-tribal communities are twelve in number who have migrated to Meghalaya for trading and business purposes. Majority of the population of the state belongs to the Indo-Chinese linguistic Community of which the two important sub-families are ‘ Monkhmer’ and Tibeto-Burman. The ‘Monkhmes’ families include the Khasis and Jaintias whereas the Garos belongs to the ‘Tibeto-Burman’ groups. All the Hinduized Communities of Meghalaya – Rabha, Kuch, Hajong, Barai belongs to the Bodo groups of Assamese Burman family. One of the characteristics features of the tribes of Meghalaya is that they could preserve their independence and ancestral institutions for many centuries inspite of the distractions provided by the neo-cultures around them. In fact their social organizations provide the most perfect examples of the still surviving matriarchal institutions.

The Khasis in Meghalaya belong to the Monkhmer group. The Khasi tribes includes-Boi, War, Khynriams and Lyngans. The Boi’s reside in the North West part of Khasi hills, War in the hill and valley of the southern part, Khynrians in the central and highest part of Meghalaya, the Lygans occupy the western part of Meghalaya. 9 The history of the Khasi people before the advent of the British is not well documented. Their folklore and oral traditions tell about their supernatural origin. It is generally believed that Khasis have migrated from south east to the Brahmaputra valley where they resided before entering the hills. In course of time, their language and customs changed. They were believed to have named from Jaintia hills to Khasi hills in the practice of shifting cultivation and in search of iron-ore.

The Khasis are divided into a number of clans, which trace their descent from ancestrasses or Kiaws. The descendants of one Common ancestress are called Shi Kur. A sub-clan is called Shi-Kpoh. The smallest division of the clan is the family (iing). The clans are bound together by strict ties of religion, ancestor worship and funeral rites for those who continue their traditional tribal religion. The rule of succession is strictly matrilineal. Women have important status assigned to them ; And women, and not the men, inherit the property. The rule amongst the Khasis is that the youngest daughter ‘holds’ the religion. The members of the household witness her performance in the family ceremonies. Hence, she gets the lion share of the family property. Residence is matriarchal. Although, amongst the children, both the sexes get share of the family property, but the youngest daughter gets the largest share and she lives in the ancestral home along with her husband, children and her parents. The brothers’ after marriage live in their wives home. A man married to the ‘heiress’ lives with his inlaws but his status is weak. The management of the property is done by the maternal uncle and the groom of the heiress has to work under the supervision of the maternal uncle. Marriages to non-heiress are more stable and successful. Religion is one aspect, which had been misinterpreted by the colonials in trying to achieve mass proselytization.

The Khasis worship a formless god and refer to their religion as Niamtre. The three basic values of Niamtre are : one must earn by one’s own effort, one can know god when he knows his fellow men and one must know the paternal and maternal 10 relations meaning marriage within the clan is forbidden. Converts to Christianity, naturally, do not observe the Khasi religion Niamtre but fear leads them to believe in Khasi sorcery. In the olden days, khasi men wore a dhoti, jacket and turban but today their traditional attire is used on ceremonial occasions only. The dress largely is westernized. Women still wear the traditional dress consisting of the undercloth, and two pieces of clothes above it. The jewellery is made of gold and silver artistically crafted by local smiths. Khasi houses are clean. They are cottages with thach roof, with plank or stone walls raised or a plinth at a height of 2-3 feet from the ground. The windows allow light to enter the houses. There is always a fire burning on earthen or stove hearth in the centre. Khasi house is oval shaped, divided into three rooms- a porch, a centre room and a retiring room. Like all tribal communities, the Khasis love to feast, sing, dance and enjoy life to the hilt. Festivals are invariably celebrated with pomp and gaity, cutting across the petty differences of caste, creed, colour or religion.

Jaintia is the term used for ‘Synteng’ or ‘Pnar’ belonging to the land of twelve Doloi. As to the origin of Jaintias, there are two schools of thought: One says that Jaintia Kingdom got its name from ‘Jaintiapur’ because of the famous shrine of Jaintia Devi (an incarnation of goddess Durga) mentioned in the Puranic and tantric literature, the other says, the Jaintias derived its name from ‘Synteng’ or ‘Pnar’. Like the Khasi and Garos, they too lack recorded history . We find a little information on the Jaintias from the history of Assam. In the recent past, a more detailed history could be found since the time of the advent of the British. The Jaintias use the Khasi script and language The Khasis and Jaintias can not be treated separately as they have many things in common.

As per the history of migration, the Jaintia were supposed to have come from Southeast Asia, with the probability that they have started their migration westward from Mongolia and along 11 the Foot hills of the Himalayas to Southeast Asia, and ultimately to their present habitat through Myanmar. One opinion is that the Jaintias entered the hills in batches under different names-Amwi, Changpung, Jowai, Nartia, Raliana, Sutuga etc. The Jaintia do not have a script of their own. They speak their own language and dialects. In case of dress, the Jaintia and Khasi men wear the same dress, but for women, dress is some what different from the Khasi. She wears a cloth around her body above the chest and another thrown over the shoulders and crossed in front. Women put on earnings and other ornaments of gold and silver.

On the festive ocasions the women wear a large beads of lac and silver with ornamental headgear. Mother’s clan is adopted by children. Mother has important duties of performing family rites and ceremonies, though in actual practices, her brother performs the ceremonies and sacrifices of the house. The mother, father and maternal uncle have their own place in the Jaintia family. Property law is matrilineal . The inheritance passes from mother to the youngest daughter. If the youngest daughter dies, the property then is inherited by the next youngest daughter. The heiress has no right to handle the property matters, the actual control is in the hands of the mother and maternal uncle. Ancestral property can not be alienated without the consent of the whole family. As far as the self-acquired property is concerned, it can be disposed off according to the will of the beholder.

Women are property holders, keepers of the family purse and other movable and immovable properties. In traditional system, except in politics, they are treated equally with men but are not allowed to behave as superior to men. In matters of traditional religions belief , the Jaintias feel that their religion is god given and not founded by men. Their religious value system have the three common beliefs : God is omni present, omni patent and omniscient. They have no temples or churches. They are Maothistic. But they evoke God by different names according to their needs. The Jaintias have a very rich art and cultural heritage. Carving engraving are the most popular art . The people have their own indegeneous way of maintaining their artistic pursuits. Weaving though has lost the importance and can hardly be termed as a sustained activity but is still continued in certain parts of the hills The handicrafts of Jaintias include the beautiful pottery industry, craft work of cane, bamboo and wood in multifarious designs which attract the customers .

The Garo hills are predominently inhabitated by the Garos. The Garo society also divides themselves mainly into two clans (chatchi) – : Marak and Sangma . But now a days, we find other divisions of clans such as Momin, Shira, Arengh added to the Garo clans. Garo Society or community is divided into 12 (twelve) sub-dialectical groups who inhabit in different locations of Garo hills. Garo society is a matrilineal society and its descent is traced through the mother . The residence is also matriarchal. As such, the title is taken from the side of the mother which is known as “Machong” and never from the father. The village administration and its organisation is democratic in character. Garos were originally ruled by the traditional chieftains known as “Nokmas”. In the ancient days, Garos settled all civil and criminal cases by the indegeneous tribal chiefs like Nokmas and his council. Garo marriages are arranged between the two localized lineage groups. It is a symmetrical cross cousin marriage arranged on the basis of localized lineage group.

Both mother’s brother’s daughter and the father’s sister’s daughter stands as the category of a potential wife . 13 Although decent, inheritence, succession as well as residence are on female line, yet women donot seem to enjoy more power than the patrilineal people. Effective power is exercised by a group of matrilineally related males. The Garos strongly believe in the existence of a supernatural being . They use a general term ‘mite’ for a supernatural being . All the beings are supposed to be endowed with living spirits. They believe ‘mite’s are responsible for creation of world and man. They try to keep a good relation with the mites and try to appease them by making sacrifices. The religions beliefs of the different groups of non-christian Garos appear relatively uniform, but the ceremonies performed are varied. Christianisation of the Garo began only after the British occupied the Garo hills in the mid-nineteenth century . The Garo Christians have given up the practice of traditional religious rites and supplication of the spirits or gods totally and have adopted Christianity in its pristine form. Christianity is one of the major causes of change in the life and culture of the Garos. The christian Garos have practically abandoned all aspects of the Garo culture and religion related traditional practices, ceremonies, dance and music .

Khasi

The Khasis are the predominant tribe inhabiting Eastern Meghalaya. They are a sub tribe of a group called Hynniew trep meaning ‘The seven Huts’ in Khasi. The other sub tribes in this group include Pnar, Bhoi , War and Lyngngnam. They are known to be one of the earliest settlers in the Indian sub-continent. But with the approach of the missionaries most of the people have converted to Christianity with very few people following their tribal religion, called variously, Ka Niam Khasi, Ka Niam Tre, or Chnong.

The Khasi men traditionally wore a jymphong or a longish sleeveless coat without collar, fastened by thongs in front, while the women wore what is called the jainsem or dhara. On ceremonial occasions, the men folk appear in jymphong and dhoti with an ornamental waist-band occasionally donning a turban.

Music and dance are an integral part of the Khasi culture , playing a central role in all their ceremonies and festivals. One of the basic forms of Khasi music is the ‘phawar’, which is more of a “chant” than a song, and are often composed on the spot, impromptu, to suit the occasion. Their most important festival is Ka Pom-Blang Nongkrem which goes on for five days . This festival gives thanks to the Lord Almighty for a good harvest along with which the participants pray for peace and prosperity of the community. The festival is celebrated in the month of October or November in the village of Smit.

Jaintia

The Jaintias who reside in the Jaintia hills draw the same lineage as those from the Khasi. The central region of Jaintia Hills are inhabited by a tribe called “Pnars” while the southern and northern regions and inhabited by “Wars” and “Bhois” respectively. Over a period of time all three tribes have been collectively labelled by the generic name Jaintias. Despite some similarities with the Khasi they have their own unique customs and traditions. Even today many people still maintain their unique religion called Niamtre.

The dress of the various Jaintia tribes is very similar to that worn by the Khasi people. The Jaintias being close to nature emphasis the link between man, his culture and the natural environment in their various festivals. Behdienkhlam is the most important festival of the Jaintias focusing on praying for the property and good health of the people as also invoking divine blessings for a bountiful harvest.

Garo

The Garos are the indigenous tribe residing in the Garo hills region of Meghalaya. They originally migrated from Tibet thus belonging to the Tibeto-Burman race. They call themselves Achik Mande, literally meaning the hill people. They were an animist tribe believing in their traditionl religion of Songsarek. But with the advent of the American Baptist and Christian missionaries in the later part of the 19th century most of them converted to Christianity. Like the Khasis they too are a matrilineal tribe tracing their descent from the mother’s side.

The Garo dress used to be very simple with the men wearing a loin cloth and the women wearing a piece of cloth around their waist with a blouse or vest on the top. On all festive occasions, the Garos, irrespective of sex, wear head dresses with rows of beads stuck with feathers of hornbill. Rice forms the staple diet of the people but being a tribal community they eat everything from chicken and fish to pigs and wild animals. They are very fond of drinking and mainly consume liquor brewed from rice.

Since farming plays a very important role in the lives of the Garo tribe, most of their festivals are centred around agriculture. Their most important festival Wangala is a post harvest festival, in which Saljong, the god who provides mankind with Nature’s bounties and ensures their prosperity, is honored.

Fairs and Festivals Meghalaya

THE MAJOR FESTIVALS OF KHASIS ARE :

Ka Pom-Blang Nongkrem

Held in October/November for 5 days, the Nongkrem Dance is one of the most important festivals of the Khasi tribe.

Nongkrem Dance is a religious festival in thanksgiving to God Almighty for good harvest, peace and prosperity of the community. It is held annually during October/ November, at Smit, the capital of the Khyrim Syiemship near Shillong.

The dance is performed in the open by young virgins and men, both bachelors and married. The women dressed in expensive silk costumes with heavy gold, silver and coral ornaments dance in the inner circle of the arena. The men form an outer circle and dance to the accompaniment of music of flutes and drums. An important feature of the festival is the ‘Pomblang’ or goat sacrifice offered by the subjects to the Syiem of Khyrim, the administrative head of the Hima (Khasi State). Ka Syiem Sad, the eldest sister of the king is the chief priest and caretaker of all ceremonies. The festival is conducted alongwith the Myntries (Ministers), priests and high priest where offerings are made to ancestors of the ruling clan and the deity of Shillong.

Pom-blang Nongkrem popularly known as the Nongkrem dance is one of the most important festivals of the Khasis. It is a five day religious festival held annually at Smith about 11Km from Shillong, the Headquarters of the chief (Syiem) of Khyrim. The festival is celebrated as a thanks giving to god almighty for the good harvest and to pray for peace and prosperity. The Syiem who is the administrative head of the Hima (Khasi state), Ka Syiem Sad (literally the Syiem Priestess) who is the caretaker of all religion ceremonies of the Hima, the Myutri (council of Ministers), the priest and high priest 15 and the people in general all join in this festival, which is a rhythmic form of prayer for the well-being of all. Nongkrem is amongst the most prominent of ancestral cultural revivals .

Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem

Usually held in April, the 3-day festival of Shad Sukmynsiem is a joyous celebration of thanksgiving. During the days of the festivities, people dress in their lavish traditional costumes.

One of the most important festivals of the Khasis is Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem or Dance of the joyful heart. It is an annual thanksgiving dance held in Shillong in April. Men and women, dressed in traditional fineries dance to the accompaniment of drums and the flute. The festival lasts for three days.

This annual spring dance performed in April every year in Shillong is to celebrate harvesting and sowing. One of the most important festivals of the Khasis, ‘Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem’ (Dance of the joyful hearth) is ritualistic and symbolic of timeless fertility cult . The analogy is drawn to a women as reseptacle of seeds and bearer of fruits and men as cultivators , who provide the seeds and protect and nurse them till the crop is harvested . the dance takes place at Raid and Hima levels usually celebrated by maidens dressed in traditional fineries and menfolk in colourful costumes in accompaniment of drums and flute .

Ka-Shad -Shyngwiang - Thangiap

A ceremonial dance to express sorrow . performed on the occasion of a death in the family . Male musicians play music on the flute , drum and bamboo pole . The dance begins on the day of death at a place next to the kitchen of the house and continues till the last rites are performed on the cremation grounds

Ka-Shad-Kynjoh Khaskain A dance to commemorate “house warming “ or when a family moves into a new built home . Once the ritual ceremonies are over , the dance is performed in three stages Ka -Shad Kyuntui , Ka Shad Khalai Miaw and Ka Shad Brap and lasts through out the night till dawn of the next day.

Ka-Bam Khana Shnong Nobody knows when this ‘ village community Feasting festival ’ began but it is an event that everyone -men ,women and children, look forward to . It is a social get together , but at the back of it all , it is a time to thank the lord for the old year past and seek his blessing for the new year which is to come . The entire village would participate with each home contributing cash or kind .

BEH DEINKHLAM

One of the most colourful religious festivals, Beh Deinkhlam is celebrated by the Jaintia community in the month of July. The people invoke the gods for a good harvest after sowing has been done, and rituals are also conducted to avert evil.

WANGALA DANCE

Held in November, the great harvest festival of the Garos is the Wangala Dance. It is a time for thanksgiving and celebration. Colourful costumes, dance and music are the highlights of all the festivities.

Wangala or the Hundred Drum Festival is the most important festival celebrated by the Garos in the villages of Meghalaya. The festival is named so because 100 drums are beaten together during the celebration. This harvest festival is celebrated in November to mark the end of hard work which naturally brings a good harvest. The celebration features beating of drums, blowing horns and traditional dancing. The dance during the festival has two parallel lines – one of men and the other of women, clad in their festive costumes. While the men beat the drums, the lines move forward together in a rhythmic manner.

Umsan Nongkharai

The five day festival is held in spring ( April or May ) , commencing on Sugi Lyngka with a ceremonial sacrifice of a goat and two cocks before the supreme deity of the KhasisLei Shyllong . It ends on Sugi-Shillong , with a prayers offered at midnight to establish person- toperson contact between the finite and the infinite .

Umsan Nongkharai

THE MAJOR FESTIVALS & MUSIC OF THE JAINTIAS ARE :

The Jaintia music and dance is very rich in many respects. Their music and dances are accompanied by different musical instruments. Popular among these are the bhuri (a clarionet like flute), bom (big drum) . These instruments are used , mainly for community dances. The music produced is very exciting and vigorously rhythmic. There is Ka Chowiang , a home made bamboo flute, which is used in expressing the intricate Jaintia melody. Festivals of the Jaintia hills , like others contribute significantly to maintaining a balance between man , his culture and his natural enviroment or eco- system . At the same time it seeks to revive the spirit of cohesiveness and solidarity among the people .

Behdeinkhlam festival Behdeinkhlam festival is one of Meghalaya’s most colourful religious festivals. It is celebrated for three days during July at Jowai by the Jaintias, the festival focusses on praying for the property and good health of people and on invoking divine blessings for a bountiful harvest . The word literally means driving away of evil (plague) by wooden sticks. It is very popular and colourful festival where only men, young and old, take part in the dancing to the pulsating beat of drums and tune of flutes. Women do not take part in the dancing. In the afternoon, ‘Datlawakor’ – a kind of football game with wooden ball – is played between two teams ; one representing the upper valley and the other the lower valley of the Myntdu river.

The Laho dance This a festival devoted to entertainment . Both men and women participate in the dancing dressed in their colourful best . Usually, two young men on either side of a girl , linking arms together , dance in rhythmic steps . The other festivals of the Jaintias are Tiger festival , Bam Phalar , Rong Belyngkan , Durga Puja and Seng Kut Snem .

THE MAJOR FESTIVALS & MUSIC OF THE GAROS ARE :

Music and dance form an integral part of the life of the Garos. They perform different kinds of folkdances on festive occasions. Styles and forms of dance vary according to the nature of the festival. They have a variety of wind and percussion based musical instruments like drums, trumpets & flutes.

The major festivals of the Garos are :

Wangala Wangala is celebrated during October, after the harvest season. The ritual continues for 4 days and nights , accompanied by dancing and merriment. It culminates in the warrior’s dance – the dance of a hundred drums , on the final day, which is a spectacular and delightful sight.

Dore Rata dance festival This dance is exciting and interesting to watch . In this dance, the women try to knock off the turbans of their male partners.

Mangona Mangona is a post-funeral ceremony of the Garos . A small hut with a bamboo structure is erected on the courtyard of the house that is known as ‘Delang’. During the performance of the last rites for the “spirit” of the dead , dancing and singing continue throughout the night with the chanting of the funeral dirge known as ‘Mangtata or Kalee ’ .

Festivals of Garos that are related to “ Jhumming ” are — AA-O-Pata , Den Bilsia or Gitchipong Roka , Mi- Amua , Rongchu Gala , Ja Megapa , Sa Sat Ra Chaka , Anaoea , Pomelo dance , Do Kru Sua . The festivals like Saram Cha A and A Se Mania of the Attong sub-tribe are also festvals related to Jhoomimg .