Importance of tribal folklores, its conservation in Manipur

Dr Gairiangmei Maringmei *

A scene from the award winning documentary - 'The Zeliangrongs' :: Pix - Haobam Ronel

In 1846, the term "folklore" was first coined by William J. Thoms, the British antiquarian who wanted a simple term to replace various awkward phrases floating around at the time to discuss the same concept; phrases such as "popular antiquities", "the lore of the people", and "the manners, customs, observances, superstitions, ballads, proverbs etc, of the olden times". Folklore has wide range of understanding and connotations – ranging from 'natural' to 'native' to 'traditional' to 'rural'.

Much of folklore has a socio-religious character. Folklores are oral traditions, the lore, traditional knowledge and beliefs of cultures often having no written language and they are transmitted, generally through word of mouth. In other words, it has passed down from one generation to the other by a word of mouth. Like the written literature it contains both prose and verse narratives in addition to myths, dramas, rituals etc. Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, oral history, music, dance, legends, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, sub-culture, or group. Today, folklore has even become a study of knowledge and culture of different groups of people.

Tribal folklore has a wide range of stories and mythological legends, which emerge from all walks of life. The works of the Christian missionaries and the British civil servants, besides the primary purposes for which these were intended had a very strong side effect on tribal people. The conservation of folklore and folktales became under heavy threat during the British rule and traditional societies of tribal people were drastically changed by the teaching of Christian missionaries.

Folklore of Manipur comprises the folklore of the all the communities of the state. There are more than 33 tribes living in Manipur.

The following information list of Scheduled Tribe population of Manipur is based on 2001 Census figures excluding Mao-Maram, Paomata and Purul Sub-Divisions of Senapati District:
1. Aimol: 3,643;
2. Anal: 13,853;
3. Angami: 650;
4. Chiru: 5,487:
5. Chothe: 2,675;
6. Gangte: 15,100;
7. Hmar: 42,690;
8. Kabui, Inpui, and Rongmei: 62,216;
9. Kacha Naga,Liangmai, and Zeme: 20,328;
10. Koirao,Thangal: 1,200;
11. Koireng: 1,056;
12. Kom: 15,467;
13. Lamkang: 4,524;
14. Mao: 38,350;
15. Maram: 10,510;
16. Maring: 17,361;
17. Any Mizo (Lushai) tribes: 10,520;
18. Monsang: 1,635;
19. Moyon: 1,710;
20. Paite: 44,861;
21. Purum: 503;
22. Ralte: 111;
23. Sema: 25;
24. Simte: 7,150;
25. Suhte: 311;
26. Tangkhul: 1,12,944;
27. Thadou: 1,15,045;
28. Vaiphei: 27,791;
29. Zou: 19,112;
30. Poumai: 78,249;
31. Tarao: 600;
32. Kharam: 1,000;
33. Any Kuki tribes…
34. Mate…(Source: TRI, Govt. of Manipur).

As per details from Census 2011, Manipur has population of 28.56 lakhs there the total Scheduled Tribe population returned in 2011 is 9,02, 740 lakhs. From the above list we can see major and smaller or minor tribes living in the state. All these tribes have their own tradition, culture, folklore and folktales.

In the contemporary society, folklore studies may facilitate us to discover the roots of the culture that one is coming from. Folklore has been used as a mechanism to reconstruct ancient beliefs, customs and rituals. One aspect of folklore studies is that it enables to understand the tradition and culture of our ancestors. Despite a rich tradition of our ancestors, oral traditions, particularly the rich and fascinating folk narratives, unfortunately remained untouched.

Due to various factors involved, many youths do not understand about the cultural traditions of their people and this has led to loss of identity and lack of idealism on the part of the youths today. At this juncture, returning to the various cultural traditions of multiple ethnic groups and using these as a basis to lay a solid foundation in the upbringing and education of the youths will go a long way in inculcating the culture of decency, integrity, hard work and creativity and tolerance in the youth of this country. But for the secure world, one means to do is to restore the prime position of the tradition and culture once enjoyed in the past as tools for the instruction and upbringing of the young.

Conservation

Conservation is concerned with documentation regarding folk traditions and its object is, in the event of the non-utilization or evolution' of such traditions, to give researchers and tradition-bearers access to data enabling them to understand the process through which tradition changes. While living folklore, owing to its evolving character, cannot always be directly protected, folklore that has been fixed in a tangible form should be effectively protected. Therefore it is necessary to:

i. establish archives/library where collected folklore can be properly stored and made available;

ii. establish a documentation centre/archive to function for service purposes (central cataloguing, dissemination of information on folklore materials and standards of folklore work including the aspect of safeguarding);

iii. create museums or folklore sections at existing museums where traditional and popular culture can be exhibited;

iv. give precedence to ways of presenting traditional and popular cultures that emphasize the living or past aspects of those cultures (showing their surroundings, ways of life and the works, skills and techniques they have produced);

v. harmonize collecting and archiving methods;

vi. train collectors, archivists, document and other specialists in the conservation of folklore from physical conservation to analytic work; and vii. provide means for making security and working copies of all folklore materials, and copies for regional institutions, thus securing the cultural community an access to the materials.

Preservation

Preservation is concerned with protection of folk traditions and those who are the transmitters, having regard to the fact that each people has a right to its own culture and that its adherence to that culture is often eroded by the impact of the industrialized culture purveyed by the mass media. Measures must be taken to guarantee the status of and economic support for folk traditions both in the communities which produce them beyond.

To this end, it should:

i. design and introduce into both formal and out-of-school curricula the teaching and study of folklore in an appropriate manner laying particular emphasis on respect for folklore in the widest sense of the term, taking into account not only village and other rural cultures but also those created in urban areas by diverse social groups, professions, institutions, etc., and thus promoting a better understanding of cultural diversity and different world views, especially those not reflected in dominant cultures;

ii. guarantee the right of access of various cultural communities to their own folklore by supporting their work in the fields of documentation, archiving, research, etc., as well as in the practice of traditions;

iii. set up on an interdisciplinary, basis a National Folklore Council or similar co-ordinating body in which various interest groups will be represented;

iv. provide moral and economic support for individuals and institutions studying, making known, cultivating or holding items of folklore; and

v. promote scientific research relevant to the preservation of folklore.