Cane and Bamboo Crafts of Manipur
- Part 1-

By: Mutua Bahadur *

HISTORY

From times immemorial down to the present day, cane and bamboo have been an integral part of the lives of people in this region. The Pena singers and other bards in the Valley sing even today about the varied uses of both cane and bamboo. But one does not come across any specific text devoted to cane and bamboo among the numerous manuscripts written in the archaic Meitei script.

Mentions about the way people used cane and bamboo are however found in such ancient manuscripts as the Panthoibi Khonggul, the Poireiton Khunthokpa, the Thanga Chinggoirol, and the Yumsharol. From these brief references it can be inferred that measuring baskets, other types of baskets and traps were used by the people in this region even in the period before Christ.

Even the Yumsharol which is a sort of treatise on the gradual evolution of the Meitei house structure and its related architecture, is not of much help. It traces the changes, through the centuries, in the types of dwellings till the Meiteis began to live in the Yum Laikhal Taba or a house with foundation.

But it is silent on the exact historical periods in which these changes took place. The Poireiton Khunthokpa gives a clue to the origin of Yum Laikhal Taba. It mentions that houses with foundations were in use by the second century A.D. and that they were constructed with bamboo, covered with thatch and had walls made from a mixture of earth and straw chips.

The Ningthourol Lambuba, a manuscript which chronicles the reign of different Meitei Kings, mentions the use of a carrying basket called Pai by the Meiteis. These baskets were hung either on the right or left shoulder to carry very light things. It is further stated that, from about the 17th century onwards, the Pai was gradually phased out among the Meiteis and replaced by bags made of cloth.

As such, the Meiteis today do not even use the term Pai to describe any particular type of basket. However, tribals living in the hills and people living at places like Andro and Phayeng in the valley still continue to use terms and names of several articles that were used by the Meiteis centuries ago. The Pai is one of them.

As the literary sources are scanty and unhelpful, the study of the material culture of the people offers a method to understand the history of the uses of cane and bamboo.

Here again, a problem arises in the collection of cane and bamboo products. Baskets, for example, can be stored up on Lups i.e. scaffolds suspended over the fire-place, for some time and then preserved to last more than two generations. But people generally make and use only those things that are of need in their everyday life. Cane and bamboo antiques are not thus easily available.

The usual practice is to mend again and again even baskets that had passed through the generations. Such baskets, still in use, provide the answers to several queries, such as, reasons for the different makes, the method of make, the varied uses, the changes that had taken place, and so forth.

Take the case of the conical baskets. The hill tribes use these baskets with straps as they are handy in carrying things up and down the steep hill slopes. At one time, according to the ancient manuscripts, the Meiteis living in the valley also used conical baskets, like the Lengkot Sham, in a similar fashion. There is further evidence to the fact that people living at Andro and Phayeng used conical baskets as recently as some 20 years back.

The shape of the baskets underwent gradual changes when they were used by people in the valley. They became less conical in shape; four legs or stands began to be added to support the base; loops and other projections acting as hand-hold were also added later on.

At present, the Meiteis generally use baskets which are flat-bottomed and they are carried on the head. Such a historical evolution of the basket to suit the changing environs can be understood from physical examination of available baskets at different places in the region.

Another method used to trace the origin of the types of basketry is their nomenclature. For example, the type of traps known as Tekhao-lu originally came in from Assam as Tekhao is the Meitei name for Assam. Similarly, traps coming from Kabo are known as the Kabo-lu.

See a gallery photo of Cane and Bamboo Crafts of Manipur here.

To be continued ....

Mutua Bahadur

* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on July 03, 2011.