Songs of Raengdailu| Book Review

The Songs of Raengdailu, a collection of poems by Dr. Achingliu Kamei are powerful stories of experiences and protests of the tribal womenfolk told through the form of verse.

 As aptly dedicated to her foremothers of the past, present, and future, the poems collectively carry the voices of these women whose “tongues have been cut off by tradition and culture”. (from Unable To Tell Her Story)

The themes mainly focus on their lives and the experiences they had to go through the ages; to survive changes and also the struggles and injustices they face that have been overlooked for too long in the name of preserving this tradition-rich society.

Part 1 of the book takes us back to the geography and nostalgia of growing up in our lofty rolling hilly hometowns of the Zeliangrong Inpui tribal hills. She describes the fauna, the flowers, and birds that we were accustomed to in our childhood and still to this day.

It brings us closer to home as we read about the familiar daily activities, the familiar names of the food and fruits we ate, and even the mentions of traditional customs and practices that we, as a tribe, are so proud of.

The times has thrown us out of our rich green hills and planted us in the busy city in search of better education, work, and other opportunities but as the author writes in Song Of The Soul-

“I never farmed, but it's as if I had

My soul is like a farmer, it understands the wind

It can feel the rain in the air, it can read the clouds

It can feel and live the seasons

It can hear Nature...”

We are still linked heavily to our roots and always carry a sentimental connection to the lifestyles our forefathers and foremothers are used to and the poems do a great job at providing the intimate materials for us to relive those connections to the places we call home.

But amidst all the flowering exotic wildflowers on the jungle pathways, the blue clouds, the golden rice sheaves in the fields, and stretching bamboos, the author brings our attention to one undeniable ugly stain in our rich and beautiful society and that is of our neglect and mistreatment of the women whose “wistful hearts has been filling up with songs of forgotten memories”.

“...Dreaming of horizons forbidden

Baring their hearts skyward

Their songs and dreams never weary

Never put to rest.” (From An Eyeful Of Blue Sky)

She writes about the lives of women in these hills and we can see personal glimpses in Digging Potato on Grandma’s Field and Mother’s Corn Cobs etc.

These women are hardworking, kind, and diligent. They are expected to be as delicate as well as strong; to appear graceful as well as capable enough to handle whatever the household needs and any challenges that may befall all while still bearing the injustices done to them silently as anything uttered out of line is marked as a disgrace and unwomanly.

A woman who tries to do anything differently is often told that she won't be desired by anyone as a wife or daughter-in-law. It is as if her only worth is to be a respectable asset to a man and to her future household and nothing to define herself or her own values.

While a man, when asked the same question on why his actions are dishonorable is easily excused on the response that, “ He is still young. Give him time. A stick was meant to poke in holes.”, “..We are doing this as our fathers and grandfathers did it like this” etc. (from The Woman Who Lived By The Stream)

 

In Part 2, the voice of the author gets louder in expressing these injustices. She rejoices in the strength and beauty of being a woman and the power that resides in all of us within that have been dampened by years of patriarchal suppression. 

A woman has been through so much in all these different ages,

“She is lashed by the patriarchal tide

She is pounced upon by the wild beast

She is judged by society

She is caged by her circumstances

She is scarred by fate

She is stalked by the shadows of ignorance...”

But she is also so much more than just a victim,

“... She has the mind to understand

She has the capacity to feel

She has the power to forgive

She has the heart to love

She has the peace to forget

She has the calmness to nurture,

 …

She is strong

She is worthy

She is beautiful

She is resilient

She is compassionate

She is perfect.” ( from To Women)

The author, through powerful verses and diction, uses her poems almost as a slogan to empower these women to step up, to take control of her life and rediscover her own worth and fight back against all the wrong that is made against her.

She addresses domestic violence (Walk Away Walk Away) and prejudicial treatment in the upbringing of the male and female child (What Happened To Your Voice?), the ugly crimes that women have to constantly fear in the form of rape, murder and lurking vindictive men who cannot accept her freedom or success (The Resilient Woman, I Write For You) and the horrifying truth that even in death, the two genders are not treated on the same pedestal in terms of customary practices.(Death An Equalizer?)

The author wants to lay strong emphasis that we should not stray far from our roots and culture, (Turn Back Not On Your Roots, Trees Of My Ancestors, Concrete Savage)

“Turn back not on your roots

Turn back not your foot from the old path

Heed the wisdom of old

Heed the wise sayings of old

Refrain from following your whims

Refrain from rejecting yourself…

Your branch will know where your strength comes from

Your roots will be strengthened..” (Turn Back Not On Your Roots) but also that it is wise to sieve these rich traditions and customs appropriately and leave behind what we can when it comes to these prejudices and moves forward and embrace modern equalities and the celebration of women empowerment.

The poems in this book are emotional as it is powerful and this copy is a must not only for the modern educated woman or man to read and ponder over but also to share with our aged mothers and grandmothers and women we know who, unfortunately, in most cases are not even aware that they are getting the shorter hand of the stick to their male counterparts.

The amends that we need to make to these women is long overdue and it is only our responsibility now to spread the knowledge so that our women may no longer be silenced through the veils of customs and tradition but celebrated instead in the present now and in the future to come.

The book contains 52 poems with a preface by an award-winning Naga novelist Dr.Easterine Kire. The book is available on Amazon. 

Songs of Raengdailu

Dr.Achingliu Kamei

ISBN: 978-93-5529-012-0

Publisher: Author’s press

Year: October 2021

Pages: 147

Reviewed by Lucinda Inpui