Kaikhamang Daimai

Site Selection

Establishment of a new village under Liangmai customary tradition is one of the most sacred ritualistic acts. One just cannot go and set up a village as he wishes. If a person or group of people wish to establish a new village, he or the leader of the group is required to be ritually clean and has to undergo a series of ritual observance. It was not as easy as one thought. There were series of rites to be strictly observed in order. Establishment of a village was the foundation of all cultural and socio-economic activities. The one who intended to set up a village was, therefore, required to be careful and adhere to the prescribed ritual practices. He had to fast and pray to God to direct him to the suitable location for his village. Before he set out, he had to keep a cow/ mithun (buichang) ready. The cattle should be without a spot on its body. It has to be perfect and worthy to be used as sacrificial animal. The cow (mithun) is required to be sanctified in a particular sacrificial way locally called Marintaibo. The leader of the group has to commission the animal with a prayer- “Chaw, kabui nangdi chahiu kariu nah-e, nang tadjiu anam bamleng pabam kawibo phiu kailo”. Simple translation: “Oh! Cow, you are also a ten-month born, go and find a suitable and fertile location for my village site”.

It was believed that human being and mithun (buichang) were of same age, born of ten months. Among other animals, mithun/ buichang was considered as one of the nearest animals to man. So they depute it to find a place for their village location. A fine stone slab would be tied on the back of the cattle. The cattle would be set free to move around. The leader of the group has to follow after the mithun. The place where it stopped and lay down to rest was considered as God chosen site for their village location. However, even though the cow stopped and lies down, if the stone slab tied on the back of the mithun does not fall, the place was not taken for village site. Until the stone slab was fallen, they had to wait. Then the mithun might rise up and go to another area of the region and the people had to follow after it again. The place where the mithun stopped and the stone slab fell down was the one God had chosen for the village site. The present Kuilong Village was one such village sites selected following the above mentioned procedures. The stone slab is still being kept sacred by its founder family. In the present generation, Mr. Mathiuchunbou Pamai is the Khunbu / Nampou of Kuilong Village.

Entry to the selected site

Even after the selection of village site, people did not enter into the site directly. There were still some more procedures to be followed. A temporary shed known as Manemky/ Kasiky was constructed near the chosen site from where the preparation for inouguration or entry to the site was made. Brewing of rice beer, animals and other materials required for use in the sanctification of the site were prepared and kept ready for the event. While staying in the Kasiky, the leader has to take portent/omen through dream. It was believed that the God of the site would show its positive answer through dream. Till he dreamed a positive signal, he had to stay there waiting for the signal. The leader or the would-be chief of the village, then, had to take a cock and listen to its crow. At the dawn, when the cock crows and if it ends with the sound “wanglo”, it was considered as good signal. Then the contingent of the people would start moving towards the site. In case there arose a contest for chieftainship or ownership of the village, the matter had to be resolved by means of cock crowing. Each contestant had to hold one cock each and wait for its crow. The one whose cock crowed first would be the Chief (Nampou) of the village. The person who performed the ritual act of village establishment was locally known as Makiwpou. Later on, Makiwpou would become the Chief/ Khunbu (Nampou). Every Liangmai village in particular and Naga village in general had Makiwpou ans he was the Village Chief.

The Makiwpou had to provide all the required materials for use in village establishment. After all the materials were ready, they had to erect two gate posts at the entry point. The gate had to face the direction from which they came. Every Liangmai village had two village gates, one entry gate and the other was exit. The entry gate speaks of the direction from where they came. If they come from eastern side, the entry gate faces the eastern side. If north, the gate faces the northern side, and so on. The following were the materials used in ritual act of village establishment.

1. Kabuichi (male/ he-cow): Liangmai considered he-cow, locally called buichang, as ritually clean animal. So buichang was sacredly used for sacrifice. The sacrificial he-cow must be clean and without any spot nor infirmity. The body of the animal (he-cow) must be completely black in colour. The said animal may also be called mithun. Mithun alone is used for any village sacrifice. As mentioned earlier, Liangmai considered Mithun as an animal born of the same gestation period as that of human being. Whenever a baby mithun is born, it had to be sanctified as done to a newly born human baby in the olden times of Liangmai cultural practise. The ritual act of sanctification of baby mithun is known as “Kabui marintaibo”. As a part of the sanctification, a cock would be killed and enjoyed by the owner family. The baby mithun was notionally fed with the meat of the cock. The selected mithun for village establishment would be sacrificed at the central spot of the new village. The spot was called Sangbam and became village shrine for subsequent sacrifices. The sacrificed mithun was called “Karengtei Bui”. The excreta of the mithun had to be thrown or spread around the homestead area of the village. The meat of the animal was enjoyed by every household.

2. Cock: A cock was used in ritual performance of a new village installation. By listening to the crow of the cock, final portent was taken for entry to the new village site. Cock was used in most of the sacrificial act of healing from sickness, sanctification rites etc. It was also used for sacrificial offering to the gods and goddesses of wealth and natural calamities.

3. Tiuchang Tiu (Talui tiu): Tiuchang or Talui tiu was considered as precious ornament by Liangmai. It symbolized riches. It is a necklace worn by a well-to-do housewife. This necklace is a must in a new village installation ceremony.

4. Biuking: Biuking is a kind of bamboo. It is very strong and very expansive. Bamboos are essential to human. It is used in every aspects and chores of economic and commercial activities. It symbolizes strength and multiplication of population in the village.

5. Kabiu tam: Kabiu means ginger. The crop is considered as a very essential grain in the lives of Liangmai. It serves in many ways of socio-religious life. In every religious sacrifices, ginger is a must. In some occasions, it represents a living being. Ginger is, therefore, a must item for village establishment rituals.

6. Jau-ngu: It is rice beer. Jau-ngu is one of the daily consumption food items. It is used in every sacred sacrificial religious rites. In village establishment ritual, a hole is dug at foot of the gate post and the Makiwpou has to paur Jau-ngu after every pronouncement of prayer along with the grounded ginger. It symbolizes abundance of food and drinks.

7. Gainiam: It is the smallest kind of reed plant used in making thatched roof but very expansive in growth. It is used to imply multiplication of population of the village like that of the plant.

8. Nkangbuan: It is a kind of herb which is bitter in taste. Unlike other fruits, which sometimes tends to wilt and droop, and fall off from its stalk before reaching its maturity, the fruit of this herb is known to attain its full maturity and never gets spoiled. Likewise, the fruit of this plant is used as a sign to favour upon the people with its apparent exceptional quality i.e. to provide health and to protect from immature death.

9. Marangbang: Every Liangmai village was earlier fenced with a thorny plant called Marangbang. This plant is used at the time of village establishment to notify the existence of a village and also as a defence of the village.

10. Phuapbang: Liangmai considers Phuapbang as the oldest plant in the world. This plant was found in every old village. If this plant is not found, then the village is not considered as an indigenous or primordial village, rather as a newly set up village. There are some sacrificial occasions in which the leaves of this plant is essentially used.

11. Shingsu: It is a kind of weed. Its grass seldom withers. Most of the season, it remains green. The use of Shingsu is to let its population live long and to remain healthy and wealthy.

12. Kuangniw: There is a kind of tree called Kuangsing. The leaves of this tree is used in some sacrifices particularly when a sacrifice is made to the god of paddy and other food grain.

13. Chukh: Chukh is a kind of rhizome root. It has a special purpose in its usage. It is not often used as other materials. It is used only in certain cases like- new village establishment, new house construction or any other important event. Whenever there is controversial matter or murder, this chukh is used to compromise or reconcile the case. “Chukh thoibo” is the highest customary oath Liangmai take.

After the above mentioned materials are arranged and kept ready, a hole shall be dug at the foot on the right side of the gate post. Makiwpou, the would-be chief has to appease all the living beings and non-living beings and many other known and unknown creation in and around the vicinity of the area. There would be someone who has to hand over the materials to Makiwpou. He is called Wangpen whereas the Makiwpou is Chawang (Khunbu), Chief of the village.

Then the Makiwpou will take up the act of sanctification rites of the chosen village site. He has to utter words of dedication as below:

(a) Oh mother earth and father in heaven, I have to wed and make friendship with this piece of land (drops the grounded ginger and pours in the rice beer into the hole).

(b) From today onward, we are wedded and have become friends (drops grounded ginger and pours in rice beer into the hole).

(c) Oh rain and thunder, wind and storm, from today onward, we are wedded and have become friends (drops grounded ginger and pours in rice beer into the hole).

(d) Oh all the beasts, insects with or without poison from today, we are wedded and have become friends (the same process as above).

In this way, all the creations living and non-living including wind and storm, rain and thunder and all kinds of creation are appeased before entering into the site. Then Makiwpou has to take a perfect mithun (he-cow) without any infirmity and spot and a cock to perform the act of Maliangbo (sanctification). he has to utter the prayer of sanctification as below-

(INVOKING THE BLESSING OF GOD)

“Oh my lord and my god, I will set up my village here on this piece of land which thou had created from this day, with installation of my village, bless my people to grow in number with sufficient food grain, bless the cattle to multiply, secure living, health, free from diseases and calamity, wealth and riches, and peace and harmony be in my village”.

After the dedication/ invocation prayer, the whole population of the village will enter into the new site. Before the mass, the Makiwpou will enter first. He has to ask some pertinent question to the people from inside the gate. To answer the questions, on behalf of the villagers, some young men who are supposed to be ritually clean will be selected. They have to take mithun and will respond to the query made by Makiwpou. The queries and the responses are as below:

Makiwpou: - Which village do you belong to?

Young men (in unison): - We are the villagers of so and so (by giving the name of their village)

Makiwpou: - What do you bring with you?

Young men (in unison): - We bring a blameless mithun, we bring treasures, etc.

Makiwpou: - If so, get in…

The Makiwpou has to be satisfied with the response given by the group as he accepts the sacrificial mithun. Then they would enter the gate followed by the rest. While entering and passing through the gate, everyone was to touch a necklace suspended on the right side of the gate post. That ritual necklace is called Talui-Tiuriang or Tiuchang. It is a special and ritually valuable item or article. It should not be damaged but should be kept in tact so long as the village exist. Liangmai villages preserve their ritual necklace and keep in custody of their Chief (Nampou). On the other hand, the necklace is the property of the Nampou. The custodian of the necklace is the founder of the village. Loss of necklace by theft, fire or by any couse is believed to bring calamity to the village and its people.

The first thing they have to act after entering the village site is to proclaim victory over the land and evil spirits in the vicinity of the area by howling (magubo). In Liangmai tradition, howling is one of the main integral part of socio-cultural activities.

The first sacrifice in the village is made at a particular place somewhere in the central part of the village. That place becomes the village shrine where subsequent offerings are made. The spot was locally called sangbam. A stone slab was erected at that place and a small hole was also dug at the foot of the erected stone slab. Morsels of cooked beef of the sacrificed mithun mixed with grounded ginger and rice beer were buried in the hole after performing the rites. This act of performing rites was officiated summarily by the would-be chief of the new village. Therefore, the one who performed this ritual act of village establishment and his offspring is the chief or in common parlance, the Khunbu of the village.

Fire Making for New Village

Fire making is done soon after the people entered the village. Fire is indispensable for human existence. No fire from outside should be brought in and used before a new fire is made. The leader of the group who would be the Chief of the village would make fire by rubbing a dry bamboo piece against a particular piece of wood locally called Magang. The fire thus produced is then distributed to every unit of household of the village. Fire making for a new village is the exclusive privilege and right of the family of the Chief. Nobody can trespass into this privilege. Ineligible person who ventures to make fire for the newly established village is supposed to face consequences of violating the ritual practice even to the extent of death. His life is supposedly shortened for violating the traditional regulations. The ritual of making a new fire is locally known as Malapbo.

On the eighth day, the Chief offered a bull- mithun to feed the villagers. The intestine contents of the slain mithun is smeared in the whole village area and water pond to make known to the people and all evil spirit that he is the Chief ruling over the village and people. This act is known as Buiza Phebo.

Every Liangmai village had a gate which was used as a defense post. The gate faced the direction from which the people came. The village had two gates- one for entry and the other for exit. The village gate was one of the important locations in the village. War sacrifices was made at the entry gate. Whenever a hunted head was brought, the same would be received at the gate. Anyone who brought a hunted head should not cross the gate before the same is ritually sanctified and ceremoniously received. The one who had to take over the admired hunted head must be worthy of doing so. He would also be of the same status, morally upright and ritually clean person. All those important customary and ritualistic works were performed at the entry point of the village gate.

Courtesy: ANP 2019 Vol. 1