A Brief Insight Into Life, Culture And People Of Meghalaya

Meghalaya, which means abode of clouds is a northeastern state of amazing and breathtaking views of shapeshifting diaphanous dense and light giant cotton balls of clouds that came into existence in 21st January, 1972.

The endowed natural beauty of the state owned it the accolade of “Scotland of East”, its awesome weather, the exquisite culture, and traditions of the ethnic tribes of Meghalaya make the state distinctly stand-out from the other states of India.

The main tribes of Meghalaya are the Khasis, the Garos and the Pnars or Jaintias.

The Khasis are the largest tribe with numerous subtribes such as the Bhois, the Khynriams, and the Wars. The Khasis are rather scattered across the state unlike the Garos and the Jaintias. The Garos or the Achik-Mande are the descendants of Bodo family of Tibeto-Burman race and can be found in the Garo hills. The Tibetan culture is still clearly reflected in their lifestyle. The Jaintias are considered to be a part of the Khasi community but have descended from the Mongoloids, unlike the Khasis who are a descendant of the Mon-khem.

Different tribes of Meghalaya put on different kinds of clothing.

Colorful is India and colorful is the attire of its inhabitants. The Khasis wear “Jymphong”, it is a sleeveless coat without a collar and tightened by thongs. The Khasi women are clad in pieces of clothes which as a whole appears cylindrical in shape.

The costume of the Garo tribes varies considerably depending upon the location of the tribes. The women in the densely swarmed regions wear long dresses woven out of cotton fabric paired with a blouse called the Dakmanda while those in remote areas simply wear a garment around their waist called eking. The most famous clothing is the Endi shawl that is woven from silk. The male and female members of tribes put on accessories including gold and silver jewelries and a pendant called as Kynjri Ksiar. During ceremonial occasions they also adorn a crown with spikes on the back of the crown representing feathers of birds (basically hornbill).

Their staple and diet.

The Anthropological records denote that the Khasis were short-statured but well-built and were served food in iron vessels which were later replaced with aluminum. The cuisine of Meghalaya is quite distinct from the other northeast sister states. The staple dietary intake of the tribes mainly consists of rice.

The Garos mainly consume rice with capsicum, onion, salt thrice a day. They also relish on alcohol which they ferment themselves by permeating food grains.

In a similar fashion, the Khasis mainly feed on rice along with fish and meat and ferment rice to consume it as alcohol. The consumption of rice-beer called Kyat is a must among the tribes in religious ceremonies.

Jadoh is a special dish of Meghalaya. It is red rice cooked with pork meat. Then there is Doh-Khileh which is a salad cooked with pork especially pig brain, onions and chilies. Doh-Neiiong is said to be the most delicious popular dish in which fried pork is served with thick gravy flavored with chilies, pepper, black sesame, onions and local spices. The Nakhom is the name of the dish made of dried fish, rice flavored with coriander, onions, red chili, garlic and powdered ash of wood. Irrespective of the garnishing, the pungent smell of the dish is simply unavoidable.

The Matriarchal lineage.

Now the peculiarity of the tribes of Meghalaya is that they follow a matriarchal/matrilineal lineage. The family history is traced through the women in the tribe. The property is also transferred to the women mainly the younger daughter and as per the norm, the husband of the young daughter has to stay at her residence. Children often bear the surname of the mother. The system being old and dilapidated now is often challenged by the Khasi men who often feel deserted and insecure as the power and property remain under the custody of women in the family. Both the women and the men are free to earn their livelihood.

The Bachelor dormitory of the tribes of the Meghalaya.

Each tribe has its own distinct dormitory for the unmarried males and females of the community though it is a vanishing trend now. The Iing Khynraw of the Khasi is the dormitory of unmarried young males exclusively not for the women. In the dormitory, the divorced or single adult males teach the young men numerous civil tasks. The Nokpante is the dormitory of the young unmarried males in the Garos community.

Another noteworthy factor is that of the marriages in Meghalaya.

Marriage in the same clan is forbidden and the couple must get a prior approval of their parents. There is no dowry system, in fact, the couple exchange rings or bags of betel nuts in the wedding ceremony.

The Garos follow two types of marriage system i.e. the Nokrom marriage and the Agate marriage. In the Nokrom marriage, the male ties knot with the heiress of the family and reside with her in her natal home.

The agate marriage system is slightly different, the husband and wife for a year or two reside in the natal home of the wife who is a non-heiress daughter followed by which the husband lives with his wife in a separate new house in the village of his father in law.

Even the Khasis men and women enjoy considerable freedom when it comes to marriage as they are allowed to choose their partners followed by approval of the parents of the brides’ and grooms’.

However, the couples are not subjected to the obligation of living with each other right from the day of marriage to their death. Even in earlier days, the marriages in Meghalaya were flexible and couples were free to announce their separation and could go right back to live with their respective families. There are many single parents who independently and successfully raise their kids. On the other hand, the male goes back to his parents after the death of his spouse.

The socio-economic status.

Under the pretext of the salubrious beauty of Meghalaya, the pitiable condition of the tribes who are intrigued by the modern lifestyle and quickly drawn towards it unmindful of the pros and cons of it cannot be ignored. The unmindful lack of participation of the people against the global issues or issues that tend to pester the harmony of the people at a communal level such as rapes, murders, traffic is a matter of concern.

In addition, it is imperative that the local inhabitants of Meghalaya protect their ancient cultures and traditions and prevent the dirt of the modern world interfere with their uniqueness that constitutes the very essence of the spell-bounding beauty of Meghalaya.