Note of Melancholy and Nostalgia: Situating Nature and Culture in Inpui Society. A Brief Analysis

Introduction
The Inpui tribe is one of the recognized tribes of Manipur1 and was the first Naga tribe to be recorded in history where King Meidingu Nongda Lairen Pakhangba of Manipur mentioned Haochong village around 33 to 154 A.D.2 This evidence, without doubt, tells us that Inpui has been in existence for thousands of years. The tribe once nomadic has settled down in the present territory and has evolved itself with contact with the outside world.3 In course of its journey leading to the final settlement in the present territory, the Inpui tribe have evolved and enriched themselves with unique culture and traditions.

Nature and its influence on Inpui culture
Culture plays an important role in binding social groups together, and those who do not share crucial aspects of culture are regarded as outsiders. Culture is transmitted through generations, and among members of a social group, and many of its features may be deeply rooted as to be simply assumed by members to be the way things are.4 The changing perception and attitude towards nature due to the advent of modernity through Christianity have immensely impacted our society today. The lives of the Inpui Naga are intricately bound with nature and the symbiotic relations between nature and the people has given birth to a culture whose social, religious and economic lives revolved around nature itself. What follows may be a limited exercise to understand the context of a society living in close proximity to nature and its influence on culture.  Nature “Bahoubasa” according to common understanding refers to the physical world or things which are not man-made and that include plants and animals. But in Inpui context it refers to the physical world or things which were there since the beginning of time.

Here is a brief analysis to show how nature influences culture and its linkages with the society.
1.      Language/Communication: Inpui, is a Tibeto-Burman language of the Naga-Bodo subgroup5. Some form of communication has a symbolic meaning attached to it. Communication through plants as a symbol that communicates relationship is common and is interpreted by a person or group according to which it is placed. And knowledge is formulated based on the meaning attached to it.  a) Namnaak  badan nu, placing a bunch of leaves on the road indicating someone has went ahead. b) Louna thiatnu or placing leaves above the door which means no entry. c) Thingbom napnu or placing a tree branches or bunches of leaves at the village gate signaling calamities like an epidemic and restricting the entry of outsider to the village. d) Tampaang taannu or a cross place on a tree as a marker of ownership.  
     The blooming of “Banglai-ai” (flower) was read as a sign for harvest-ready paddies. UNESCO notes if nothing is done on unwritten and undocumented language humanity will lose not only cultural wealth but also important ancestral knowledge embedded in indigenous language.7 Inpui language is also vulnerable and highly susceptible to extinction.

2.      Dance, Song and Music: Every Inpui villages has different songs and dance moves, imitating animals and birds. Songs and dance are part of conserving history and storytelling process and are the best means of communication in the absence of written literature.8  Every song and dance is unique and depends on time, season and occasion. Singing comes naturally as they live in close relationship with nature. Traditional knowledge of values, self-governance, social organization, love, respect for life and other aspects of life are embedded in the songs.9 Songs like Lengla mangna kitai (plant) phunta or Khwakung lamang khwa (rain) bri ongrwe are some examples where nature is included in singing. Musical instruments are made of bamboo, plant leaves, and wood. E.g.  tarou (bamboo flute),  khwang (log drum), Sentaki (horn of buffalo or mithun).

3.      Flora and Fauna: Traditional knowledge on the use of plants and animals for medicinal purposes was not limited to the tribal healer alone. Almost every elder and head of the family know the medicinal properties of certain plants and animals which supplement the needs of modern medicine. Eg. Kajaklou (touch me not), ta-aanna ai (type of ginger), kabom bathi (bear gall blader), etc. And this art is handed over to the next generation. Plants with medicinal properties are planted close to the settlement. Animals and plants are also associated with the traditional life of the people. E.g. tiger, bear, porcupine, horse, goat, insects, peacocks, hornbill and varieties of seasonal and migratory birds.10

4.      Dress:  Male and female dress are designed based on animal, insects and birds prints. Some designs and patterns are banphi mik (pigeon eye), taket nga (moth or beetle larvae teeth), taki  kamei kasui (stitch of monitor lizard tail), tampaan ket etc.

5.       Architecture: Hudson wrote, “The houses of the Kowpoees (Inpui) are well adapted to the climate, in the more flourishing villages they are large and substantially built.”11 The houses are decorated with “Houses-Heroes” (carvings) of ancestors made from the wooden planks. Wood carving is also used to design the walls and posts of the houses and also village gates12 with human sculptures, animals, birds, weapon, and tools.13   Like oral tradition, wood carving is one of the fast dying cultural heritage today.

6.      Festivals:  Inpui’s are fond of merrymaking where the whole community actively participates in festivities and it is through such events, socialization and a sense of belongingness is cultivated.  Festivals are celebrated according to agriculture activities, change of time and seasons. Agriculture is the mainstay occupation every care is taken from choosing of land for annual cultivation, slashing of forest till harvest and follows natural patterns like full moon, 1st monsoon rain etc. Festival like Kutchat bangei (rest hands) is associated with seed showing.

7.      Gods and Taboos: The concept of god itself has a close affinity with natural phenomenon. Gods like Basaangri (god of the sky), Inthweiri (god of the forest) or Sangkouri (god of harvest and wealth) plays an important role. Basaangri is associated with certain illness and Sangkouri as a harbinger of wealth.  Forefathers also invoke nature in their blessings. E.g.  Banit, a ritual performed to during 1st rain or thunder of the year, khwa kounu where elders (Thampei) undressed in the playground and called for rain, khwakanu and tampha kwang kainu etc, were common rituals that were performed in the past. Inpui’s like any other tribal society believe in the existences of spirit in places like rock cliff, earth holes, caves, moat, deep rivers and certain water sources. Practices like locking the mouth of a chameleon with a stick in order to bring rain, hanging of a frog in the open or turning the leech inside out by inserting a stick to stop rain etc were also practiced. Clan taboos are also associated with birds and animals. E.g. Nka-Baanzaan (type of bird), Bariam- ka-uh (frog). Khumba-Ba-aak (Crow).14

8.        Oral history: Inpui oral history is replete with stories which tell of man’s relationship with nature sometimes having a direct communication and even living together. E.g. the story of seven brothers where the brothers used different birds to convey the death of their brother to their father.15 Modern education can never replaced the art and the knowledge of oral history. And a discourse on society will be incomplete without the inclusion of indigenous knowledge.

Modernization: Continuity and Change 
“The change in the terms of thought from God-centered to a human-centered world is the most dramatic testament to the victory of secularization in modern world”.16 Traditional values and norms, particularly the emphasis on the fate and supernatural, are today undermined and replaced by the doctrine of scientific cause-and-effect and most importantly through the coming of western education and mass media. Modernity and Christianity are taken to be synonymous in a tribal context. The socio-cultural change brought by the western missionaries has impacted the society more than any other forces. Acculturation has also brought social and psychological change that results from meeting culture leading to the transformation of culture, customs and social institutions. And due to continuous contact and cultural exchange the society has blended food, music, song, dance, clothing, tools and technologies. Culture is dynamic and is self-sustaining but the role of society is vital in order to transcend it. Inpui tribe has celebrated a hundred years (1914-2014) of God’s faithfulness in Manipur. The question of whether Christianity has eroded culture or has Christianity enriched culture is an ongoing debate which needs critical and pragmatic analysis. The western imperialist brought with them a modern system of administration (sword) and Christianity (Bible). The current administration systems in Inpui villages are blending of both traditional (customary) practices and modern mode of administration but in religious life, Christianity has completely taken over our rich cultural heritage. Kapangai Inka rightly noted “Christianity spread to the whole Inpui like a wildfire”.17  Like in every known society, religion has played an important role in every aspect of Inpui social life. But the failures to differentiate between culture and religion and this in a way have created a society which looks at rich native culture and history as nothing worth preserving. Now the cultural revivalist movement is slow and cumbersome. M.Horam writes “In their quest for identity, the Tangkhuls are in the process of questioning, revaluing, re-adapting, and if need be disregarding the age-old ways of life”.18This perhaps is also true even to Inpui society today. And Verrier Elwin cautions the rapid advancement of modernity among the Nagas by saying “But whatever religion they observe, it is essential that the spiritual values of life are not forgotten in the excitement of material advance”.19 Preservation of cultural heritage is the challenge of the present times. A culturally vibrant society will live in peace and sustained. If Karingei festival is successful then there must be a need to revive other festivals without hurting the modern ethos. The practices of sacrificing one’s own cultural heritage to the western notion and ideas of culture and religion which do not reflect one's real identity will further deteriorate Inpui culture. Though some of the cultural practices like Tataaknu (ritual perform for the departed every year) and Milu lounu (headhunting) have lost its relevance due to changing times. It is high time to include Inpui history and culture in Christian songs (lyrics) and other practices so as to relate the history without any religious connotations. Culture per se is not religion. The dances performed during Christmas and other festivals are influenced by Kuki-Chin/Mizo traditional dance moves. Dr. Hutton opined that deacons and pastors be encouraged to wear hornbill feathers, cowries to denote their office and encouraging unquestionable artistic sense by adorning church with carvings as they have done their morung (katang-in/ rangaak-in) and long drums in the past.20  Traditional culture needs to be preserved at all cost. Reverence for nature cannot be wholly associated with belief in a supernatural being. And this in no way contrasted Christian belief and ethics. The western missionaries in Inpui context did not impose their culture but have dictated and imposed it themselves due to perceived superiority and political relevance. Ignorance, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, and availability of Inpui secular literature are some of the causal factors for this friction and imbalances. And above all due to a narrow interpretation of the scripture, the concept of sin itself faces an even greater conundrum. To put the fact bluntly the God who created the Jews/Semitic culture also created Inpui culture. Needless to say, it is an existential crisis. The basic rights and duties now are to preserve, enrich and promote culture (dances, song, values, language, social structure) which is one’s identity.
Natural resources like land and forest are limited. There is a dire need to conserve forest and preserved the rich biodiversity (flora & fauna) including land, streams and rivers, forest, wild animals. Here the role of an enlightened society is immense and paramount in protecting and conserving the ever depleting resources.  Tree felling for whatever purpose near the water source needs to be restricted. The clean and accessible water source will be of immense importance with new development projects coming in Inpui area. Excessive fishing, hunting, trapping etc, need to be regulated. The rising population has also constraint the environment that has sustained the people for generations. And in doing so these past two to three decades has done more irreparable harm to the culture than forefathers would have done in hundred years. As Christianity is here to stay it is time to redraw the line between culture and religion. The present is tense and critical on how we shape and re-structure our culture in acceptance with modernity less it produces a counter-culture which can be detrimental to the growth and existence of our society. At this crucial juncture when the new generation is about to take on the rein of leadership in the society cultural demonstration or hosting the cultural show once a year or two will finally render our culture as a relic of the past.
Recommendations:
1.    Inter village co-operation, cultural exchange and pooling of cultural resources.
2.   Conserving of flora and fauna is the need of the hour. Traditional practices like katang ramraak, tuikhun kwannu, etc should be encouraged.
3.   Development program should be mindful of the needs of the people.
4.  Cultural heritage museum which is run by a youth club in co-operation with the village authority. And if possible a model village can be established.
5.  An urgent need to coordinate with government agencies like the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and other cultural agencies.
6.      NGOs, churches, and conservationist enthusiasts should work hand in hand.
7.  Educational awareness about our history and culture should be imparted with a sense of urgency through seminars, talks, discussion,s etc. An educational tour to Inpui villages should also be encouraged.

References:
1. The Gazette of India. New Delhi, January 09, 2012.
 2. Yoronso Ngalung, Integration of Naga Areas: A pre-requisite to Indo-Naga Political Solution.  New Delhi 2010. New Delhi. P3
3. Rangya Gachui, Development perspective of Inpui (A Critical Study on Development Perspective) 2012
4. Hillary Rodrigues and John S. Harding. Introduction to the Study of Religion. Routledge. 2009
5. Grierson Linguistic Survey of India, vol. III part II, 1903
6. Rangya. op.cit
8. K.Kapangai, Tribe Recognition Celebration of Inpui Naga in Manipur and Nagaland. Haochong 2012
9. ibid.
10. Rangya. op.cit
11. TC Hudson. The Naga tribes of Manipur. 1911
12.Rangya. op.cit
13. K. Andrew Bariampaan, Origin of Inpui Tribe and their Culture. Manipur Press. 2010.
14. Souvenir Golden Jubilee Celebration (1959-2009) Haochong Baptist Church 2009,
15. Nk.Greenson Kaiphunga. Inpui Naga Folktales.Thouchiak Thoucha Kama Pupi Meiri. 2013
16.Kenneth D.Wald. Religion and Politics in the United States, Second edition. 1992.
17. Kapangai. Op.cit 
18. M.Horam, Social and cultural life of Nagas (The Tangkhul Nagas). B.R.Publishing Corporation, New Delhi 1977.
19. Verrier Elwin, Nagaland. Shillong. 1961
20.  Quoted in Rev.Ramkhun Pamei in The Zeliangrong Nagas (A study of Tribal Christianity) , Uppal Publishing House, New Delhi 1996.

NB: This article was published in Haochong Students’ Organization (HSO) Silver Jubilee (1990-2014) Souvenir. Published by Souvenir Committee, Silver jubilee Celebration (HSO). pp 22-27. Dec 17, 2014



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