Nanu-Ngai
- An ear-piercing festival of the Zeliangrongs -

By Dr Budha Kamei *

Nanu-Ngai is an ear-piercing festival of the Zeliangrong people.

This festival is concerned with the community recognition of the children born in the preceding year. It is a sort of the registration of these children in the house of the old women called Kengjapui-kaibang (Kangjapui = old women, Kaibang = house). R Brown writes, "In February there is a festival of three days' continuance, in which the ears of the children born in the previous year are pierced". (R. Brown: Statistical Account of Manipur, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 2001, p.29).

It is celebrated for two days in the month of February or March. It is also a fertility festival for the birth of more offspring as well as to have a fruitful cultivation in the village (Gangmumei Kamei, History of the Zeliangrong Nagas from Makhel to Rani Gaidinlu, Spectrum Publications, Guwahati/Delhi, 2004, p.309; Chamdin Then: Changbi, vol:I, Imphal, 1973, Pp2-3).

In the evening of the first day, a dog is killed and offered to god. This is called Shi Theimei. It is performed only for the first born baby of the family. The victim is consumed by the participants. The son-in-laws called Lugans of the family of the child will make necessary arrangements for the next day because the last day is the most important day of the Nanu-Ngai.

After evening feast, some boys of males' dormitory will go around the village singing songs in praise of the might and courage of the people of the village. This is called Kairong Lonmei (defense of the village). Those who participated are entertained with drinks by the individual families.

In the early morning of the last day, an elderly woman or father of the child fetches water from the village pond called Duikhun for washing the baby and cooking for ritual offerings. Then, Najum Gaimei ritual is performed in the household where a child was in the preceding year.

In this ritual, an elder (having living wife) of Pei who acts as priest called Mhu will offer a cock and a hen called Sangdai and Sanglou invoking to the Supreme God for blessing the child with a bright future, long life and happiness and prosperity, success in reproduction, victory over the enemies and to overcome all the socio-religious obligations and throws merit feast etc. The legs of the fowls are carefully observed in search of good sign.

The omen is read as: If the right leg crosses over the left, it is assumed as a good sign. This position is locally known as Jat Danbam. If the left is over the right but in a normal position, it is also good. And this condition is called Chagan Longdai. However, both the legs stop down lifelessly, it is considered as a bad omen.

This is followed by oblation of holy wine to the Supreme God (Tingkao Ragwang) and village deity (Bambu) including the ancestors of the family for wellbeing and prosperity of the child. In case of twins' birth, the items of the ritual are made double. The victims are cooked separately for ritual offering. This ritual offering is locally recognised as Kashan Kanmei.

It is carried out by the same priest for wellbeing and prosperity of the child. After this ritual, the child is brought at the house of the old women for ear-piercing and it is bored with needle or bamboo piece. This is called Nanu-Roumei. (Khum-Ngai Lon Akhatni Kasoi Kadam published by Thalon Nam, Imphal, 2003, Pp.5-6). Since pre-historic times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of earring. (New Illustrated Colombia Encyclopaedia, vol.-vii, New York, p. 2063)

In the morning of this particular day, the children called Nek­Nanun will perform a ritual procession distributing mud along with a bunch of Thinglouthai to every household of the village for plentiful foodgrain in the year. In the ritual procession, they will sing songs for fertility.

Those children who are not yet initiated to the males' dormitory (Khangchu) are called Nek Nanun. In the evening, they will collect meat, fish and vegetable etc from every household of the village. This is called Nekgong-Kakhamei. The collected food items are cooked at the house of the children locally known as Nek-Kaibang and consumed.

In the afternoon, Pang Makumei ritual is performed in which the male members of males' dormitory (Khangchu) take part seeking the blessing from God for healthy sexual life in the society.

Each of the child will bring gifts such as vegetable, cook rice (Tamti), cook curry and salt plates, etc called Nanu-Cha to the house of the old women (Kengjapui-Kaibang) and the gifts are eaten or distributed among the elderly people. At the house of the old women, the elders of Pei will sing songs like Rah-Luh and Magen-Luh with the instrument called Rah made of the intestine of dog.

In the evening, Nanu Lam, Nanu dance is performed by the old women with relevant songs sung by the elderly men. It is being performed at every household of the child born in the previous year. Konshumei ritual is also performed for the birth of more children in the family. Thus, Nanu­Ngai is an important ritual festival of the Zeliangrong people and it lasts for two days.

On the next day of the festival, a complete genna called Nashang­Nei is observed in the village. 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 (T.C. Hodson: The Naga Tribe of Manipur, Low price Publications, Delhi, 1996, p.175). The anthropologists have described Neihmei as genna which simply means forbidden or prohibited.

During the Neihmei, everybody has to abstain from any work; weaving and sewing by womenfolk, cultivation, wood cutting and house making by menfolk and any going out of the village. McCulloch remarks of the Zeliangrong that, "A whole village or individual members of it are often Neina or under prohibition. Sometimes this state of things lasts a day, sometimes several.

The 'Neina' may be, against the entrance of strangers, or the exit of members or of both, or, allowing the entrance of strangers, disallow their going into houses, etc." (M. McCulloch, The Valley of Manipur, Delhi, 1980, p.53).

According to Gangmumei Kamei, Neihmei is a spiritual form of worship and prayer of the community and individuals to Tingkao Ragwang by abstaining from any work of the village. (Gangmumei Kamei: The Zeliangrong Primordial Religion, Imphal, 2005, p.19).

Thus, Nashang-Nei is a spiritual worship and prayer of the community and individuals to the Supreme god to avert death at delivery in the village. (Chaoba Kamson: Ra Pari, Imphal, 2009, Pp.239-241).