Rih Ngai festival of the Zeliangrong
A Comparison with Mayasvi festival of Tsou tribe of Taiwan
- Part 2 -

Budha Kamei *

There are rites of purification and cleansing by means of fire, water (Maithan Duithan Lamei) or expulsion of some sort of evil and negative out of the community. The rites of safeguard include various forms of benediction and procession (Hoigammei) around the village in order to renew the magical defenses of the village community against natural and supernatural enemies.

Traditional foods are one of the frequent and typical features of festival, since they are a very eloquent way to represent and enjoy abundance, fertility, and prosperity. Ritual food is also a means to communicate with gods and ancestors.

Only male members of the village perform the activities of the festival and female members are mere spectators. On the eve of the festival every male member of the Khangchiu, male's dormitory observes Lumthengmei, fasting for the purification of one's body, soul and mind, thereby making oneself fortunate and for every challenges of life say ready for war, hunting, fishing, cultivation etc.

In the festival, men do not touch women and also fetch water separately. "The reason for the males and females bringing water separately during this festival is to begin with this ceremony the making of liquor; and the separate eating and cooking of the sexes to be a mark of respect to their gods." The men kill pigs, take a portion for them and give a portion to women. They cooked them separately with new fire and eat separately.

It is similar to the first day of Gaan Ngai festival, but there is no feasting at the dormitory. In the afternoon of the festival, all male members of the dormitory who are armed with spear and dao will walk in procession (Hoigammei) from one end of the village to the another chanting Ho-hoi in chorus. It is an invocation to God for safety and wellbeing of the village. It starts from the Khangchiu after libation of holy wine to God and presiding deities of the village.

Usually, festival includes rites of competition, which often constitute in the form of games. After the Hoi procession, competitions like long jump (Daan Chammei), stone throwing (Tao Phaimei), wrestling (Naokhemmei) etc. are held at the village jumping ground (Daanshanpung). In these competitions, young men of the dormitory fully take part.

The winners are not given prizes, but they are required to pay Shon (fees) for declaring and acknowledging their power and ability. Before the competition, they will perform the Chong Kapmei (shooting of or spearing of the human effigies made of the plantain tree) at the Raang (village gate). It is believed that one who hits the head of the effigy will be successful in war and hitting on the chest of the effigy is a good luck in hunting.

He who strikes at the belly of the effigy will be blessed with bountiful harvest in the year. R. Brown writes, "An effigy of a man made of plaintain is hung on a tree, and at it they throw pointed bamboos or sticks. Should the javelin strike it on the head, the thrower, it is said, will kill an enemy, but if it lodges in the belly, the thrower is to be blessed with plenty of good."

If any woman, who by mistake, eats or drinks which is meant only for male in this festival, she must joint the Chong Kapmei for forgiveness of what she has committed. In the festival, the elderly men of different clans perform Kabaomei (warrior talks), Ritak Phaimei (throwing of rice, and pork meat at the village gate with war hymns), etc. Unlike the Tsou, no song and dance is performed in the festival.

At the close of the festival, all the young men of the village will march to the Northern village gate with bamboo cups which they used for drinking purpose. And the cup will be split in the middle at one stroke with dao and taken the omen.

If one half of the cup turns open and other half turns closed the omen is taken as good. If both the halves turn open or closed simultaneously, the omen is taken as bad. This rite marks the end of the festive activities and the return to the normal spatial and temporal dimensions of daily life.

On the first day of Mayasvi, the warriors of the tribe will rise early, and don their best traditional attire in the Kuba. The tribe chief will lead the warriors downstairs to transfer the sacred fire that burns under the Kuba to a prepared open square located not far from the Kuba, where the fire will burn for two days before extinguish; they gather near the Yono trees, a flora sacred to the Tsous.

Then, a boar will be brought in front of the trees, and with an order from the elders, the male members/warriors will use knives to stab. Then, they will lift their knives stained with boar blood towards the tree leaves, and wipe the blood onto the sacred trees as a sacrifice for the god of war and the god of life. A few warriors will then climb up the sacred trees and repair the foliage.

The sacred trees serve as a stairway for the Tsou god of war and the Tsou god of life during the welcoming ceremony, so after cutting down the branches, three will be left, pointing towards the Kuba and the chief's home symbolizing a road cleared for the gods. The gods will eventually be led to the festival in the Kuba, where they will bless the village. Under the leadership of the elders, the crowd will hold hands into a semi-circle formation, singing a solemn welcoming god tune.

After singing, the men will go onto the Kuba, and the other members will run back to their houses and bring back other offerings like wine, sticky rice cake and boar meat.

To be continued...