Dying Children's Indigenous Games

By Moirangthem Prakesh & Soibam Haripriya *

One of the most vital ways to uphold the culture of any ethnic group is to pass on traditions and beliefs to children. Young people are looked as inheritors and transmitters of cultural practices. Indigenous traditional games have a contextual reality which is preserved and passed on from one generation to the other amongst a particular group.

Manipur a land, populated with various ethnic groups of the valley and the hills has huge treasure of such games and rhymes accompanying the games which carry symbolic messages and were passed on through the process of socialisation. Such practices have cultural legacy and reflect the prevailing circumstances of those days. In this sense, traditional games communicate localised ethnic and socio-cultural identity of earlier times.

Childhood is a time full of joy with children incessantly trying to have fun playing all kinds of games. Nowadays, however, we seldom see them playing the traditional games. Gone are the days when children would play

• Uraobi,
• Se Se Seboti,
• Kwak Kwak Kari Kwakno,
• Norn Norn Sagaitong,
• Cheitek Kotpi etc.

In our fondest memories of childhood we used to play many such indoor as well as outdoor games associated with rhymes. Games are still aplenty but they are of a different kind. They are mechanical, electrical or electronic.

More children are playing chess, carom, video or computer games. What a great waste of it would be, if this trend continues and these traditional games eventually become a faded memory?

The reasons for the fast disappearing of such indigenous games are many and varied ranging from mainstream educational practices to growing influence of other cultures which beseech for a solution far beyond facilitating a renewed interest amongst children. Some of the important factors are as discussed.

Children's indigenous games are dying out due to changing mores and an attempt at modern education, which being centrally manufactured negates cultural identity of smaller ethnic realities and teaches of a mainstream whole.

Indigenous communities also in thrust toward a competitive education in schools and a preparation for a rigorous admission process has geared from teaching children indigenous games and replaced by teaching them essentials for entry into schools leading to de-culturation.

Once a child is initiated into school, the education system is such that in - school activities revolved around academic curriculum. The system also pervades outside school and leaves little time for any activity beyond those related to academic with prescribed home-works and coaching that forfeits leisure time which children might have spent on playing games.

Added to this is the changing way of life with growing urban culture that alters forms of leisure time activity. Shrinking spaces due to increase pressure on land, prevailing law and order situation have also impacted the way children play games and the choices of games itself with more and more parents wanting their children to play in the vicinity where they could be easily observed.

There is also a value based judgement where being involved in sport is seen as more beneficial, appropriate and upmarket. The advent of different sports, like cricket, football and athletics, via various media has also exposed children to different games which are seen as more interesting and fascinating. This may be due to the fact that we have not been able to transmit our own indigenous games profoundly and reduced it as simplistic pastimes.

Traditional games provide opportunity to learn about, appreciate and experience aspects of indigenous culture. There are numerous games played in the various ethnic communities, and thus there are variations in the games although the basic structure remains the same. There are also local variations in the game played in the same community.

Games may be of different types—indoor, outdoor, with and without rhymes associated with it. The games have prescribed possible number of players, norms, and timing of play.

Indoor games like

• marum konbi,
• khullokpi,
• uchi chi chi khangmeitat,
• trong trong trongdrumbi etc

are mostly played during the day. Games played in the evenings involve physical activity and thus are played outdoor, mention may be made of

• uraobi,
• kwak kwak kari kwakno,
• se se seboti,
• nom nom sagaitong etc.

Traditional games offer many benefits which include exercise and improving physical coordination (chagai chongbi, uraobi etc). These games enhance their physical skills, knowledge, listening and observation skills. Some games involve thinking process while others may concern eye and hand coordination (Cheitek Kotpi) yet other games help children develop their memory and perceptual skills especially those with lengthy rhymes associated with it.

An example can be kwak kwak kari kwakno which involves a long winded question and answer. The game involves question and answer between a player (who acts as intruder) and a team of players (who try to protect the youngest, macha khomdonbi).

The game ends with the supposed abduction of khomdonbi. This inculcates skills of question and answer and improves memory. The game can also have many multi-layered meanings. One interpretation is intrusion by an outsider which cannot be prevented even with much effort and the intruder's preying on the most vulnerable which we have witnessed in the State.

Games with rhymes consist of words, tune and action. The words, in verse, express ideas contained in customs not now in vogue, and they may, be traced back to events taking place in the community. The tunes are simple, and the same tune is frequently used for different games.

The actions are illustrative of the ideas to be expressed. A potent example of this could be 'Trong trong trongdrumbi Chakrik nakrik chawaibi...' The rhyme as - elders transmit through oral tradition predicts the future of the society. It explains that a day would come where the population would become so huge that there will be pressure on land and one would build up congested houses on whatever elevated land is available.

The rhyme also explains that the society would degenerate and women would be forced to sell themselves to earn their livelihood, and the under-privileged would beg from the well-off to survive. It is indeed startling that the present society has been foreseen by the elders.

Indigenous games are inexpensive and not resource intensive as compared to modern games. The former, however, is beneficial physically and mentally exercising one's stamina, strength and alertness. The games also provide essential training in social interaction. Intermingling with peer members essential ideas of team spirit gets inculcated and one learns to cooperate and work in a team.

The games also transmit values, traditions and preserve a culture, an indigeneity, ethnicity and a way of life. Tradition and skill goes into making the game pieces, learning the rules and practicing the skills. Life skills, survival and social and physical development are also being handed down through games one learns.

One needs to view, indigenous games not as childish pastimes but as something with wider social implications, a dying out of which should be rued. All possible efforts should be made to document, revive and popularise it amongst children through Government measures involving education, incorporating it in texts and academic curriculum.

Media has a huge role to play in promoting it at par with other organised sports. It is unfortunate that the Government has not taken any measures to promote children's indigenous games though there has been little effort to promote indigenous sports like Kang, Mukna and Sagol Kangjei (Polo).

In the family too, parents can proudly transmit such treasures of indigenous games to revive interest and popularise them among children of this era. All of us together can enlighten at least our own children or grand children about these games and their usefulness.

Given the depleting health, condition of our youth, these games can be realjy useful in their physical development. Instead of watching TV or computer screens, playing the violence-laden video and computer games we must motivate our children to take to healthier outdoor games. It will promote both physical and mental health. Good moral values will accrue by way of bonus.

Our legacy of rich culture must be nurtured and perhaps a day would come that one would observe everyday life is still richly embedded with such practices.

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* Moirangthem Prakash is a researcher at Indian Social Institute, New Delhi and Soibam Haripriya is a research scholar at Delhi School of Economics, Department of Sociology, Delhi University
This article was written for The Sangai Express and was webcasted at e-pao.net on 05th May 2009.

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