Nanu Ngai : Ear-piercing festival of the Zeliangrong

Dr. Budha Kamei *

Nanu Ngai, one of the important ritual festivals of the Zeliangrong inhabitants of Northeast is celebrated for two days in the lunar month of Nanu-bu, which usually falls in March; (Na means child, Nu, ear-piercing and Ngai, festival). It is a sort of the registration of the children born in the preceding year in the Karapei Kaibang/Kengja Kaibang (house of old women) for community recognition.

It is also for the birth of more offspring as well as to have a fruitful cultivation in the village. In March, there is a "festival of three days' continuance, in which the ears of the children born in the previous year are pierced." Festival serves in two ways: it brings social unity and promotes the culture of the community.

Day One:

On the first day, the family who has first baby child (son/daughter) offers a dog to God for wellbeing of the child. This is locally called Jeishanmei (sacrifice of dog). The victim is consumed by the participants. The Lugaan (son-in-laws) of the family will make necessary arrangements for the next day as the last day is the most important day of the festival.

Day Two:

On the second day, at the first cock-crow, an old woman along with male members of the child's family will fetch water in a Joumuh (dry guard) from the Duikhun (village pond) for bathing the child and cooking of ritual offerings. Before fetching the water, they first contact the water with the spear which they brought (in the distant past, Duihkun was generally located far from the village area, so they took spears for safety from wild beasts) as a way of purification.

Iron locally known as Tanchu represents as a symbol of sanctity of God. This water is locally recognized as Karoudui (holy water for sanctification). In view of Frank Byron Jevons, water purification is a means of gaining for the worshipper the protection of water deity against the consequences of pollution. This practice of taking spear is now given up, but it is suggested to contact the water with an iron/hoe before fetching the water.

According to myth, man was created by Dampapui by the orders of Tingkao Ragwang, but the created man was lifeless. The Supreme God gave him life and soul only then the created man became alive. In this faith, they perform Najumgaimei ceremony in honour of the Creator of man.

In this ceremony, an elder having living wife who officiates as priest and will offer Sangdai (a cock) and Sanglou (a hen), ginger, wine, cooked rice etc. to Tingkao Ragwang and Dampapui for blessing the child with a bright future, longevity of life and happiness and prosperity, success in reproduction, victory over the enemies and to overcome all the socio-religious obligations and perform great sacrifices etc. If the priest is a widow, it is believed that the child will become a widow in future.

This is followed by oblation of holy wine to Tingkao Ragwang, Bambu (presiding deities of the village), and Kairao (ancestors of the family) for wellbeing and prosperity of the child. In case of twins' birth, the items of the ceremony are made double.

The victims are cooked separately for the ritual of Kashan Kanmei (ritual for safety and protection). After Kashan Kanmei ritual, all the children (born in the previous year) are brought at the house of the old women for ear-piercing. This ritual act recognizes the existence of the child in the society. The objective of ear- piercing is to insert an ear decoration/ornament. This also indicates that the Zeliangrong people begin to wear ornament from infant stage.

In the morning, Neknanun (children who are not yet enrolled in the boys' dormitory) will perform a ritual procession distributing mud along with a bunch of Thinglouthai to every household of the village for plentiful food grain in the year. Thinglouthai, a kind of fruit is traditionally used as symbol of Nap (paddy). In the ritual procession, they will sing songs for fertility of the village.

At the noon, they will collect like meat, fish, vegetable etc. from every household of the village. This is locally called Nekgong Kakhamei (collection of eatables). The villagers cheerfully give food items as the young boys performed the ritual activities for the prosperity of the village. The collected food items are cooked at the Nek Kaibang (house of children) and consumed.

This is followed by Pang Makumei, (ritual procession) in which the boys of Khangchiu seek the blessing of God for healthy sexual life in the society. The young boys actively take part in the festival: they sing and pray for fertility of the soil as well as for man in the village. Each of the child household will bring Nanu Cha, gifts in the form of vegetable, cooked black rice and curry, local salt plates, etc. at the Kengja Kaibang and the gifts are distributed among the elderly people.

At the Kengja Kaibang, the elders of Pei will sing traditional songs like Rah Lu and Magen Lu. In the evening, Nanu Laam, Nanu dance is performed by old women with relevant songs sung by the elderly men at every household of the child born in the preceding year. At the end of Nanu Laam, fertility song called Konshumei will be sung for the birth of more children in the family.

Traditional sexual songs sung in the festival of Nanu Ngai arouse the boys and girls of the dormitories, and married couple to expand the family circle and to multiply the family members. Some say, it is not good to sing the sexual arouse songs in front of the female members.

However, it may not be wrong to do it at a proper place instead of moving from one end of the village to another. In the evening, the boys and girls of the dormitories perform dances at each house who has first baby child, but this not a compulsory; it is an entertainment.

On the next day of the festival, a complete genna called Nashang Nei is observed in the village. It is a community and individuals prayer to God to avert death at delivery in the village. M McCulloch says, there is "an annual village genna of three days in which the ears of the children born after the last festival of this nature are pierced." Birth is a question of life and death of a woman. This is the main idea of the prayer.

To conclude, Nanu Ngai is one of the important ritual festivals of the Zeliangrong. The songs and dances, ritual actions of the festival express the rich culture of the people. Fertility ritual is inseparable part of the festival to increase the population as well as to have a bountiful harvest in the year.

The villagers (young and old) take part with festival spirit, discipline and love. Ultimately, it brings peace and social solidarity. The community recognizes the existence of the child and the responsibility of the parents to bring up the child. The younger generation also has got a chance to learn the process of the festival to carry on their forefathers' culture and tradition.