Read the first ever Tani ethnic poem on net in Mishing Tani language

Aro Tani
Adi ara:lo, aying amo:lo
Do:mír taléto,among ara:bo
Aro Taniyé

Ager gertengé, do:ying kítengé
Adi barténgé, lékor korténgé
Du:yaryé lo:dípé

Aíké amigki kasudag, néppangki lusudag
Aíké alagki gersudag,aléki gísudag
Aro Tanibí

Manying ma:namdé,ager gernamdé
Tani légangé mimag monamdé
Aro Taniké

Du:yaryé mé:lod-gíloddé
Lo:dípé ka:begtíyé yalodém
Aro Taniké simangé kamang.

The English version of the above poem is given below:
THE TRUE TANI
In the mountains, on the land of plains
Up above in the heaven, deep inside the earth surface
Everywhere live the True Tani

While he works, while he tell tales
While he climb over the mountains
While hymns are sang
He lives longer

He sees with his own eyes, speak with thine mouth
Works with own hands, stands up on his own leg
The True Tani

The dream he sees the work he does
The struggle he leads
It’s for the Tanis
His ideals and ideas will live longer
He’ll see his own shadow forever
No corpse of his lie anywhere.

Mishing Renaissance is thankful to Mg.Polo Bomi for his contribution of the above Tani poem.

The Man Behind Kaziranga National Park: Mahi Chandra Miri [ Great Mising Personality ]

MAHI CHANDRA MIRI, whose appear-ance in the then dwindling Ka-ziranga game reserve gave it a new lease of life, was born in 1903 at village Alimur of Dhakuakhana in Lakhimpur district. Mahi Miri’s father was Doley Miri, a leading man of his community. He was a disciple of Pitambar Dev Goswami of Garmur Satra of Majuli.

Although he was uneducated, he encouraged his sons to pursue higher education.Mahi Miri was brought up in the midst of scenic beauty of nature that shaped his young mind. Tall and handsome, he loved outdoor sports like snake catching and different types of games that were in vogue in those days. Mahi Miri was admitted in Sivasagar Town Government HE School.

A makeshift thatched cottage was built by his father on a plot of hired land at Sivasagar where Mahi spent his school days along with his younger brother. In 1923, he passed his matriculation exam with flying colours and got admitted in Cotton College, Guwahati.

He stayed at Cotton Hindu Hostel 3rd Mess where he met Dr Hiranya Bhuyan, who went on to become the principal of Cotton College, late Harendra Nath Baruah, an illustrious journalist, Punyeswar Sarmah, former mouzadar of Japihugia of Sibsagar district, and many other illuminaries as his fellow boarders.

Sarmah, now 103 years old, while recollecting his fond memory of his hostel days, told me that his senior hostel mate Mahi Miri possessed a commanding personality. So much so that junior boarders feared to walk beside his room.

He was loved and respected by all the boarders. He was a good athlete and a tennis player. Legendary Prof PC Roy, who was a sportsman par excellence, loved Mahi and sometimes used to play with him in the tennis court between the fourth and the fifth block of the hostel.Besides being a brilliant student Mahi Miri was soft spoken, well disciplined and always regular in his studies.

He passed BSc from Cotton College securing second class 14th position in Physics (honours) in 1927. This was indeed an academic achievement so to speak for Miri, since Calcutta University of those days included a vast geographical area including undivided Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.On January 4, 1929 Simon Commission visited Shillong.

A memorandum was submitted to the commission by a deputation representing the interests of the depressed and the tribal communities of the province. Headed by Rai Saheb Sonadhar Senapati, the eight-member deputation included Nila Kanta Hazarika (father of Dr Bhupen Hazarika) and Mahi Chandra Miri, among others.

Sonadhar Senapati was highly impressed with the personality of Miri who was a promising youth and ultimately became his eldest son-in-law in 1932.In 1929 Mahi Miri along with Madhab Bhattacharjee was selected for Imperial Forest Service and sent to Rangoon for training in the Forest College there.

They were the first Assamese selected for covetous Imperial Forest Service. Of course, an ex-Cottonian Jyotirmoy Banerjee was enrolled in the Imperial Forest Service but he did not belong to Assam. After training at Rangoon, Mahi Miri was posted at Guwahati in 1931 as extra assistant conservator of forest.In 1932, Sonadhar Senapati’s eldest daughter Indira, who was then one of the handful of lady graduates of the depressed classes, was married to Mahi Chandra Miri in the face of serious social persecution.

Such inter-caste marriage was unheard of in those days.Like his farmer father, Mahi Miri too was a great patron of learning and that was why he financially helped the poor and backward but promising Mising students with financial help so that they could pursue their studies in right earnest.Around 1934, Mahi Miri was transferred to Bagari range of the then Kaziranga game sanctuary with headquarter at Golaghat.

Miri was entrusted with the challenging task of surveying and organizing the sanctuary. Immediately after his arrival, Mahi Miri made his temporary camp at Bagari, being a convenient place to look after the game sanctuary. AJ Milroy, a veteran British forester whose contribution for the preservation of Assam forest and its wealth was immense, was instrumental in deputing Miri to Kaziranga. Milroy is credited to have compiled a valuable book named Game Preservation in India: Assam, published by the Bombay Natural History Museum in 1934.

It was Milroy who stopped the indiscriminate poaching of rhinos and elephants in Manas Reserve Forest in the 1930s by placing a platoon of Assam Rifles there. It was also Milroy who opened for the first time Kaziranga to visitors in 1938, when Mahi Miri was very much present in Kaziranga Reserve Forest.

In this connection, I would like to mention the name of Englishman late EP Gee, a great naturalist. A Cambridge graduate, Gee joined Assam Tea Company as a manager in the early 1930s. His famous book Wild Life of India is accepted as a scholarly treatise on the fauna of India. It was Gee who introduced a scientific approach to wild animals.

Both Miri and Gee appreciated each other so far as Kaziranga was concerned and both of them possessed scientific approach to the wild.When Mahi Miri joined Kaziranga it was “all swamp and leeches”. EP Gee wrote that even elephants would not venture there. Gee also mentioned that the sanctuary got a facelift due to the energetic leadership of Milroy and Mahi Miri. When Miri joined at Bagari the sanctuary was virtually inaccessible without any network of roads, etc.

Miri’s presence in Kaziranga was a meteor-burst. He found dozens of empty makeshift thatched shelters of poachers scattered on the banks of the beels inside Kaziranga where poachers reigned supreme. Miri by virtue of his constant vigil and tremendous labour could put a check on poaching. He used to get up at dawn and then kept vigil on the sanctuary on elephant back to check poaching.

He used to sit on top of a nearby hill of Karbi Anglong district equipped with binoculars and no sooner did he see poachers, he rushed on elephant back to catch them and sometimes at the risk of his own life. In the 1970s that hilltop was named after him as ‘Mahi Miri Tower’.

Indira Miri, wife of Mahi Miri, once told me that when he served at Bagari range once his British DFO, who came from Jorhat, rudely behaved Miri for no fault of his. Since Miri was a man of honour and principle, he at once wrote his resignation letter and handed it over to the British DFO. The latter realized his fault and apologized to Miri. Chandra Phukan, the celebrated actor-dramatist and mouzadar of Kuthori mouza, who was also a wildlife lover was a close friend of Miri. Both of them were multifaceted men in their respective fields.

The neighbouring villagers loved Miri for his helping hand in the hour of their need. He also helped the marooned people when the scourge of high flood was the annual feature.In those British days, the officers of the British Imperial Services were allowed to avail Furlough (long leave of absence on half pay).

It was usually availed by those officers who served in inhospitable areas. But Miri refused to avail Furlough for the sake of his dear Kaziranga, come what may.Because of his inhuman labour in the inhospitable place like Kaziranga, he caught the dreaded black water fever and got treatment at Golaghat.

But alas! Miri succumbed to the disease, leaving behind his young wife and three kids in 1939. In Mahi Miri’s death, conservator Makernes Sahab wrote: “We have lost the jewel of the forest department.” EP Gee’s appreciation of Miri was equally eloquent: “The man who put Kaziranga in the world map, I have talked to the forest officer, who was the first to be deputed to survey Kaziranga in the mid-thirties.

He found poachers’ camp at every beel (small lake) and 40 carcasses of rhinos with horn removed... The first two years of Bagari were really tough for Miri. He used to get up at 3 am in morning and go to round the area to check poaching on elephant back... After the illegal shooting was brought under control to some extent, Miri shifted his HQ to Golaghat. For some time, he was posted as DFO at Jorhat. During this time Miri caught the first live rhino in Kaziranga and sent it to the USA.

Towards the end of 1938, he came back to Golaghat and met with the premature death on July 29, 1939...”To quote the words of Sir Surendra Nath Banerjee, Miri was, “a man amongst men, a prince amongst his peers.” His life was a blighted genius, the fruition of which would have enriched the world of fauna. Indeed, a light is extinguished and a great voice is hushed into silence.

Mishing Renaissance is grateful to Ramani Kanta Deka for this valuable work on one of the greatest Mishing personalities!

Christian Terrorism in Northeast India: Stephen Knapp

In our attempt to help promote peace in the world for mutual and social spiritual development, there are nonetheless areas and organizations that are devotedly working against that goal.

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Because of their own allegiance to a particular ideology, usually based on a religion, they threaten the freedom and challenge the well-being of those of other religions.

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And one area where this is taking place is in India’s north eastern states, such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram,Manipur, Sikkim and Tripura.

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Because of wicked terrorist tactics and even “gun point conversions”, some people are being forced to give up their traditions. This is something that much of the world, and even many Indians, are not aware of.

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And since I have personally traveled in this area to give lectures to promote the preservation of the culture there and met many wonderful people, it is a region in which I have a special interest.

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Here on this page you will find several reports and news items on the shocking amount of terrorism caused by the Christian militant groups in Northeast India, how they operate, where they get their funds, and the thousands of people who have already died because of it.

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It is primarily due to those who want to make the whole region into a separate Christian state at the expense of those who would prefer to follow their own indigenous and Hindu cultures.

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1. Christian Terrorists Massacre Eight Hindu Civilians in India
2. Christian Terrorists Kill 44, Wound 118 in Attacks in Northeast India
3. Baptist Church Backs Terrorism in North-East India
4. Terrorists in North-East India get American Support
5. Christ and North-East India
6. Mahatma Gandhi on Conversion
7. Thirteen Years of Killings in Tripura
8. My Northeast India Mission
9. Preaching in India's Northeast for Cultural Preservation
10. Save Your Culture

[ For more articles please visit Stephen Knapp's webiste http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ ]

Abotani -The primal ancestor of the Tani people

Abotani or Abutani('Abo' or 'Abu' means father ,'tani' means man),is considered as the primal ancestor of the Tani group of people -Apatani,Nyishi,Adi,Galo,Mishing,HillMiri,Tagin.Abotani,the mythical folk hero and has occupied an enduring aspects in the socio-cultural life of the Tani people.

As a whole Abotani can be dubbed as the first Adam for the Tani group of people.They followed the Donyi-Polo belief and considered Abotani as one who introduced the technique of rice cultivation.

In the eastern edge of Himalayas in the combined districts of Siang in Arunachal Pradesh,amongst the jagged,forest covered hills and mountains, live the Galo and Adi tribes .Their villages and lands are divided by mighty river that flows from the Tibetan plateaus forming the tributaries of one of the great rivers of the sub-continent ,the Brahmaputra.Through name they can locate the family relationships between themselves and fellow tribesmen(especially in case of Galo tribe)and Abotani .

A man's children will take the second syllable of his name,as the first syllable of their.Dakkar,the son of Kardak,is thirty six generations descended from Abotani.His brothers names starts with'Dak',his chidrens' name will starts with 'Kar'.

Abotani was a man of jungle ,a hunter and gatherer and like most of the tribes of the North East,their worship was outside the Hindu pantheon,untouched by the Mughal Emperor or Buddhist conversion.They were animists,today it is called the religion of Donyi-Polo-ism,the Sun-Moon worship.Abotani roamed in the mountains until he prostrated himself into the vast plains of the Brahmaputra Valley.

Here,he met a goddess, who gave him grains and message of cultivation.He returned to the mountains,where his people resides and spread the grains over the land and waited for germination but it never sprouted out.He returned to the plains once again and enquired for the technique of cultivation from the goddess.With the seed and knowledge of the cultivation,he returned to his place;he brought about an end to his nomadic life,and the art of cultivation was started and began for settlement.

Many other legends are told by Tani people about Abotani and his quest for rice.Once he went to a place called Takar-Taji(Tatar Tafi)wherein the marriage ceremony a gour(mithun) was sacrificed.Due to a trick of Abotani,Takar Tafi could sacrifice only one gour,which was meagre for distribution to the guests.Abotani's dog 'Kiipee' and the deer 'Dumpoo' shared a packet of rotten soya seed(staple food in olden days as the use of rice,millet and maize were not known in those days).

This led to a quarrel between Kiipee and Dumpoo.Dumpoo kicked the soya seed packet and ran away.Angry Kiipee, the dog chased him .Abotani had to follow both of them .After many days ,Dumpoo ,the deer landed in the world of Digo-Ane (''Keeper of Land",Digo means land,Ane means mother)where people were scattering the rice powder set on the sun for drying.

Dumpoo,the deer was caught by the people;Kiipee,the dog followed and was caught too;Abotani followed them and he was also caught by the people of Digo-Ane.

The three were imprisoned.After many days,Abotani played a trick;he put a dead mole rat in his armpit and acted as if he were dying.This worried the Digo-Ane people and they freed Abotani and granted the gift of rice,millet and maize seeds.

It is the addition of rice to the bamboo culture of the Tani people.Cooking the rice in bamboo,wrapped in water tight leaves,roasting over a fire.

It is the complete meal using the jungle and machete.Rice introduced rice-beer(apong).It is not as strong as the distilled clear liquid version that result in permanent hang over.

The Galo drink is semi-sweet,dark in colour and very drinkable.Smoked rice husk are placed over the cooked rice for preparing it,leaving it for a one week fermentation.The result is placed in a cone over which water is slowly poured over the blackened white rice,filtering through a bottle or a can beneath.

Another story says that a woman in Digo-Ane told him how to cultivate rice.Abotani has a lot of success in his rice cultivation due to the help of his wife Aio Diilong Diibong;however he divorced her to marry another woman and this brought a disgrace to his wealth because the new wife was to much fond of leisures;when Abotani realized this,he left the second wife also and continued to cultivate on his own ,but still he had to asked for help of his sister to be safed from the danger of falling from the top of a tall tree where he had climbed.

Even the legendary life of Abotani and in his quest for rice are part of a tradition of the Tani people and are celebrated in different period of the year(following the rice cultivation season).

Abotani is a symbol of struggle of human kind for food and prosperity through difficult situations and of the need for harmony between man and wealth to bring wealth to the family.

The tales of Abotani and belief in Donyi-Poloism binds together the Tani groups of people today in various walks of their life since the ancient past.

[ Mishing Renaissance is thankful to Mg.Nyatum Doke, for the above article ]

The Mishings:Identity and Ethnic Nationalism

The capricious climate of political culture in the present social scenario has pushed forward many ethnic communities,minorities as well as larger groups into a catch-22 situation that has led them to dabble in identity politicking.

The multiple linkages and greater interconnection between nation has not only transformed and affected in the economic and cultural realms at the global level,but it has permeated into –socio-political and cultural apparatuses of many societies of the nations.

The race for defining the term ‘identity’ hasn’t reached a canonical form which can be applicable in both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Nevertheless,’identity’ of any ethnic community or group is construed as inalienable feature essential for survival in the present geo-political scenario and uneasy coexistence between disparate communities or groups under a particular political boundary which emphasized the significance of its necessity.

The struggle for ‘identity’ presence in the socio-political sphere has manifested into a new shape;the dimension is gathering upheaval shape due to number of circumstances ranging from realization of nationality,importance of preserving and promoting their own --------language,culture,religion,traditional and other customary social practices which they think it have unequivocal importance.

The Mishing tribal group of Assam as well as Arunachal Pradesh,whether the reason may be political or apolitical,has felt the importance of right to identity since mid 19th century. The need for re-orientation and presence of identity is reflected since the period of pre-independence of India more prominently.

To speak the identity of Mishing tribe,they are a major branch of Greater Tani Nationality.The Tani Identity is traced through Abotani,the mythical folk hero of Tani groups of people and common belief and faith in Donyi-Polo among the Tani groups such as ---------Nyishi,Galo,Mishing,Adi,Tagin,Hill Miri and Mishmi. Beside,the affinities among Tani people in their language,culture and social practices are enough evidences that a commonality between this groups exists specifically.

The tribes of this nationality can be identify as Tani. However,identity is plural concept since there are number of social heterodoxy present in definite sovereign country,where identity of any ethnic group or community has its own relevance and distinctiveness conceived with its own basic elements.

Thus,the constraint of defining an identity is juxtapose while choosing a common identity. The attachment with a group or community is a relative discovery based on communitarian philosophy. Identity invokes disparate concepts implicitly, it cannot be a mere inclusive and all-accepted view.

Mishing Identity: A sub-identity of Greater Tani Nationality

The root of Tani Nationality is primarily entrenched in the folktale,folklore,religious customs & beliefs,traditional festivals and fairs,rites and rituals observed by the Tani groups of people. The name of Abotani,the mythical folk hero of the Tanis,is common to a Nyishi of Papumpare or a Galo of Along. It is same and familiar to a Mishing of Majuli or an Apatani of Ziro or an Adi of East Siang or to a Mishmi of Dibang Valley.

The religious identity and faith in Donyi-Polo is nonetheless in peculiar to any Tani groups of people in the same way. Whether Apatanis or Mishings,the actual belief is attached with faith in Donyi-Polo fundamentally in social practices. The similarities in languages of these groups of people is another milestone in identifying themselves as Tani Nationality.

Adi and Mishing language is almost similar;Galo language too is not unintelligible to an Adi or a Mishing Tani.Abotani,Donyi-Polo,Pedong Nane are not just basic similarities,a conceptuality of defined nationality is also collectively endowed thus. Therefore, Mishings,who considered themselves sons of Abotani and descent of Donyi-Polo,are within the manifold of Tani Identity. The identity of Mishing is casts as a sub-identity of Greater Tani Nationality in a broader perspective.

The Beginning of Ethnic Nationalism

The emergence of welfare polity among nation-states has failed to radiate the nationalist ideologies. The sense of identity and ethnic nationalism in many tribal groups, although they subscribed to nationalist ideas to some extent,simultaneously culminate itself outwardly unto a political consciousness among those people.

The idea of merging with a nation-state’s mainstream is obliterated for fear of losing their identity,culture,language and other genuine identical aspects relevance to their unity and identity. Thus,the superiority dilemma over their cultural elements and identity, is conspicuously deal with with the show of ethnic nationalism.

The Mishing Tanis history of ethnic nationalism,whether it is for sense of identity in the interest of preserving their land ,language,culture etc. or based on political aspirations can be traced back that was raised before India attained independence from the Britishers.

The North East Frontier Miri-Abor Sanmilan(NEFMAS) led by Padmeswar Doley,the then Secretary of the NEFMAS with the amalgamation of Adi and Mishing Tanis cohesively demanded for the creation of separate autonomy for Mishings and Adis;and other allied Tani groups.

On 20th May,1947,a total number of seven resolutions were adopted under the Chair of Mr.Howard William,the then political officer of Sadiya at Murkongselek,wherein the Mishings(Miris),Adis(Abors),Nyishis(Dafla) and Hill Miris(Charaks) firmly and unitedly moved to create an Autonomous Unit as per properly defined boundary on the grounds that these tribes had affinities in their language,culture,religion and manners.

As per the adopted resolutions,the boundaries of the Autonomous Units were-to the North and South its boundaries were Tibet and Brahmaputra river;while to the East and West,the resolution took Sadiya and Suvansiri river towards Baginodi in a straight-line to meet the Aka Hills respectively.

After the birth of Mising Agom Kebang(Mishing Literary Association)in 1972,the wave of ethnic nationalism was revived in the aim for recognition, preservation and development of Mishing language.

The first organization of the Mishing Tanis formed in the post-independence period succeeded in its attempts for securing the goals of the tribe in the language field,it secured right of Roman script for their language despite a government constituted committee reported strongly in favour of adopting Assamese or Devanagiri script accompanied with partial justification.

Thus,the strong sense of aversion towards the Assamese was reacted by forming a Roman Lipi Parishad by the Mishing Tanis in the aftermath of the report. The Takam Mising Porin Kebang(TMPK) in its memorandum on 25th April,1986 presented to the then Chief Minister of Assam mentioned that ‘‘to speak realistically,the Mishings are not Assamese from the linguistic point of view’’.

These was an emerging sense of identity pride and worth realization,where Mishings reflected the need of an independent and ethnically more acceptable script which was essential for the language’s pronunciation and further development.

Today,the elite Mishing littérateur has slightly modified the previously used alphabets according to International Phonetics Association model ,keeping in mind the world standard and using of technically acceptable alphabets.

The Mishing language movement is considered as a significant ethnic nationalism of Mishing Tani nationality that has brought about the importance and development of one’s language and literature. It must be mentioned that despite the trivial maturation of Mishing language movement by the efforts of our conscious individuals,the pathway to Mishing language development in the future must go in ascendancy.

The Mishing language is not enough with the introduction of single textbook upto Class IV. Our sense of nationalism lacks the spirit of unity and struggle that jerks our whole people backward educationally,economically,politically and socially,needless to say that without people’s involvement no goals can be achieved and conquered.

The ascendancy to emancipation and development for the Mishing Tanis lies in the fact when our people acquired the worth of united struggle for the protection of land,development of language,literature and culture which will eventually leads to preservation of identity and neo-ethnical nationalism.

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[ By Mg.Bhaskar Pegu TDC 3rd Year(Political Science ),this is the first part of two series article written by the author on Mishing Identity and Etnical Nationalism.The full-texts of the two articles will be available soon on Mishing Renaissance ]

Mishing Impossible

Films in Karbi, Bodo and Monpa. Films on witch-hunts and polyandry among yak shepherds Militant diktats against Hindi cinema are ushering in a revolution, says TERESA REHMAN

RAJEEV DOLEY laughs as he says, “What Amitabh Bachchan is to Bollywood, I am for tribal cinema in the Northeast.” Doley is the handsome star of Migan, the first film to be made in the Mishing dialect of Assam. Based on a Mishing novel by Indreswar Pegu, the film is about a young man who goes to Tibet in search of a Yoksa, a famed and powerful sword. Doley also stars in Ayang Ago, a commercial film with a love triangle involving a village boy and a city girl. After the films’ release Doley was so popular that political parties were ready to offer him a ticket for the assembly polls.

The Mishing community, which had grown used to watching Hindi and Assamese cinema, has longed to watch films in their own language. “Women, children and even village elders come to see me. They found it incredible that there was a film in their own dialect. People walk miles to the mini-video halls to watch my hits,” Doley says.

Amongst tribes in northeast India, literature and culture is passed on primarily through oral traditions, but films in tribal dialects that reflect their social and cultural ethos are also becoming an important tool. Doley believes his films are also helping to conserve the tribal culture for future generations.

Gautam Bora’s film Wosobipo (Cuckoo’s Call), a film made in Karbi, was probably one of the first few of its kind. It explores the lives of tribal farmers in Karbi Anglong, and their alienation from a new market economy. Bora says, “I did a lot of research and my film reflects unknown aspects of the Karbi tribe. The film serves as a document as Karbi language and literature is still in a nascent stage.”

Since the closure of cinema halls in the region, partly due to militant diktats against Hindi films and partly because of the emergent VCD culture, the film industry in Manipur has been doing brisk business in the VCD format — in cinema halls, on cable networks and in video parlours. In Assam too, video films have opened a window into a new world, where the box-office no longer dictates terms.

These films weave together folk tales and modern themes in a way that has caught the imagination of the tribal population. Enlivened with tribal costumes, dance and music, they also offer an exotic package that is making a mark worldwide. Sonam, a film on polyandry among yak shepherds was a big-budget 35 mm cinemascope production. The first feature film made in Monpa, a dialect of the Indo-Tibetan language of Arunachal Pradesh, it was in competition at the 37th International Film Festival of India in 2006, and was telecast on National Geographic

However, with only one cinema hall in Arunachal Pradesh, screenings are hard to organise.

Some of these films enter into a unique dialogue with the audience. Women in remote corners of Tripura would start crying while watching Mathia, a 2004 film about witch-hunting, made in the Kokborok language. Villagers even started shouting “Witch!” whenever they saw its lead actor Meena Debbarma. The 132-minute long Mathia is one of the first full-length digital feature films in the country and the first one set in northeast India. The film has won much acclaim and Debbarma was a jury member for the 53rd National film festival.

The newfound glory has not come without its share of difficulties. The crew of Sonam had to hike up to a height of 15,000 feet. And Joseph Pulinthanath, director of Mathia, undertook a three-hour trek through a river with six tonnes of filmmaking equipment, loaded on eight buffalo carts. Pulinthanath says, “We had to break the first shooting session due to incessant rains and an inundated river. In fact, one crew member succumbed to malaria during the shoot.”

FILM CRITIC Arun Lochan Das too feels that films made in tribal dialects are important tools that aid the understanding of tribal culture and community issues. “The government should grant subsidies for the making of such films and help promote them,” he says.

Yet, it is also important to recover the money invested by financiers and filmmakers have been trying to do so in innovative ways. During the Puja season, Pulinthanath lends out CDs of Mathia to be screened in remote villages. Audiences too have not disappointed them. Residents of the Bodo dominated areas of Assam throng the touring halls whenever a film in their language is screened. In fact, fired by the challenge, Jwngdao Bodosa had made the first Bodo film, Ala Yaron, which was a big hit in 1986. He is currently working on an English-Bodo film titled Golden Cocoon. “I wanted to showcase the silkworm-rearing tradition of the Bodos,” he says, adding that 70 percent of the film will be in English and 30 percent in Bodo.

Tribal cinema, however, remains a largely unchartered area. “There is a lot of originality here and hundreds of ways to tap into it, instead of turning the film into a mere commercial product,” says Bora. Fortunately, there are several enthusiastic filmmakers in the northeast now who are more than willing to rise to the challenge.

[ From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 22, Dated June 07, 2008 ]

The Missing case: Diminishing trends in contemporary Mishing language

In a world order where globalisation is much christened as blessings for transformation and considered as medicine for fulfillment of human needs across trans-national border,the security and survival of many smaller ethnic groups has reasoned the very viability of much hyped global-isa-tion,in which the identity,language,culture is seemingly threatening to a much sensational level.

Language of any particular ethnic group or community,even of a nation,is considered as the chief vehicle of culture. As such,the survival and longevity of any ethnic minority group stands much important when such group do not have their own language script and more often if the language is unrecognized Mishing language,which is major branch of Tani language,spoken widely among the Mishing tribes of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh of NE India is arguably facing immense impediments in term of survivability in its authentic linguistic form and threat of existence if one comes to account the contemporary trends of Mishing language.

This Tibeto- Burman speech family of higher Sino-Tibetan ethnology has been witnessing a shocking trends in recent decades. The number of speakers of Mishing language is surprisingly diminishing instead of increasing in terms of population due to affliction from various quarters.

While the preponderance of dominant culture over smaller culture in a particular political boundary are upping their head high,at the same time it is a major cause of concern for many ethnic linguist-cultural scholars,experts,researchers and raising consciousness among a few ethnic leaders too. The Mishing language which is branch of Tibeto-Burman speech family of higher Sino-Tibetan ethnology group has another form of missing case.

This language has its kinship to Tani groups of people of Arunachal Pradesh which includes Adi,Galo,Nyishi,Apatani,Tagin,Hill Miri,Hrusso languages that are blended with rich oral literature but still remaining in lagging manner.

If there is a symmetric approach on the parts of all Tani groups of people,there is much scope to develop a common language as well as higher literature out of combined and co-operative efforts. According to a study,the Mishings while making oral expression in the language,on an average,they use 35% Assamese words,7% English words and 1.5% from Hindi or other languages. This percentage is increasingly steep in case of educated city/town dwellers which is 57%,18% and 3% respectively.

The percentage of ethnic Mishing language used among urban dwellers is left with just 22%,which constitute 13% of Mishing's total populace figure stands little more than 78% who use ethnic Mishing language among rural dwellers on an average.

Thus the study shows that the urban Mishings mixed up with 85% of other language element in the oral expression. Such trends if continues will leads nowhere the Mishing language,with no scope for further development among increasing urban dwellers.

The skills with multi-lingual ability but with lesser command over own mother tongue by middle classes Mishing is a matter of concern. As per 1991 census,out of total 4,67,790 population of Mishings only 3,81,562 persons speak their ethnic language,which clearly indicates that 18% of the populace no longer speak the language.

According to 2001 census,the number of persons who returned their mother tongue as Mishing language are 551,224 persons as against the total population of 600,901.(587,310 persons in Assam and 13591persons in Arunachal Pradesh).This mean that there are as many as 49,677 Mishing persons who does not speak their own mother tongue. The decadal growth of speakers between 1991and 2001 is 41.13%.The literacy rate of the Mishing Tani tribe is 60.1%;the male literacy rate stands at 71.4% while the female literacy rate has a dismal 48.3%.

The year 1972 is a significant date for the Mishing as well Tani language because it was in this year the leading Mishing literary organisation Mishing Agom Kebang(Mishing Literary Association)came into being with the efforts of Guwahati Mishing Kebang along with the association of a few conscious Mishing individuals. Prof.Tabu Taid,the eminent educationist is a forerunner in the development of Mishing language.

During the 17th Silapathar session of Mishing Agom Kebang, Prof.Taid has been given the title''Agom Migang''(Literary Scholar)by the Kebang in recognition to his pioneering contribution towards the growth and development of Mishing language. The Association today has 125 literary units spread across all Mishing inhabited areas.

The Mishing intelligentsia,the educated middle and upper classes in some way,seemed to have penchant for preserving and promoting language. These classes are selflessly in their own way as well as in association with Mishing social organization are contributing to the pace of growth by means like donations,sponsorships,publications for the cause of promoting the ethnic language.

At same time, the majority of the people who are highly qualified are compounding another threat to the survival of Mishing language from the other ends. There is no denying the fact that most of the children of educated Mishings of today's generation or simply the Gen Y discards speaking the language instead hesitatingly are embracing other developed language while they obtain the Schedule Tribes certificate with pride to get their children into IITs,medical and engineering colleges.

There is no bar in learning as many as languages for an individual rather it is benefiting if someone hone skills of number of language. These developments are unwelcome gesture since it is a total loss for the emerging generation where the number of speakers is downsizing cumulatively. The increasing tendency on the part of the parents to make their children learned the dominant language used in their locality is a pure blunder and unexpected attribute from the educated Mishings.

The problem is seen more in towns and cities at a much faster rate in compare to tinsel towns and villages as the growing Indian economy is opens up of options for job opportunities in urban areas than the rural counterpart.

This same premise is not applicable in case of mixed-speaking Mishing sub-groups such as Bihiyas,Samugurias,Tamar Goyas,Bongkuals since these sub-groups has historical reason behind why they do not speak the language in it's original phonemes and in mixed nature. From this perspective,one can asserts that the more the richer people among Mishings and who move to urban settlements,the more is the level of threat to Mishing language.

Is the vertical mobility has been instrumental in making more and more people to accept the language of universal applicability while keeping its own mother tongue endangered?Can we solely blame globalisation for the downward trends?Are these 'threats' on rise due to the emergence and multiple-linkages of globalisation?Are these happening because of one and only 'aggression' of globalisation?

The dimensions of this deficiency is all the more striking in case of ethno-linguist minority like Mishings as well as other groups since the present conditional trends is inclining unto disappointing mark. The literary organizations of the Mishings needs more people's involvement who can work harder and dedicate for the cause of the promotion of the language.

The other side of the picture is opposite if one strike to reality,the fact that Mishing language is a medium of instruction in most educational institutions of Mishing inhabited areas albeit unrecognized prevalently in lower primary and middle schools,while the subject for learning Mishing is limited to only single textbook up to class IV.

There are inadequate teachers and problems of incentives offer by the government especially to the appointed language teachers. Despite the burgeoning clamor for manpower towards the necessity of mother tongue medium textbooks the children has to learned their first lesson in school life in a language that is completely unfamiliar to them.

This retards indirectly the growth of human resources if we think in broad sense of the term while the entire nation is in upsurge of scrapping the reservation policy which is constitutionally granted to socially backward classes.

This is one such paramount problem where the government look their eye through in conspicuously and dealt with proper planning and steady implementation. The Constitution of India under Article 350-A mentioned that it is the duty state that the children of linguistic minority should be given the opportunity for learning in their own mother tongue at the primary stage. But in practice,there prevails a partial motive behind on the part of the government in clicking to this provision.

Under Article 30,minorities are granted the independence to open educational institution with the medium of instruction of their choice provided it is for the preservation and development of their language;the same is impossible to open institution of learning for the backward ethnic groups as the economic problem is stands predominant.

The diminishing trends of Mishing language as well as other ethno-linguistic minorities are already compounded by lingering crisis, the future of these languages ahead is bleak unless there prevails a whole-hearted measure from every quarters concerned. It will be meaningless down after a decade or more even someone take initiatives to preserve the ailing languages as the age would dipped into murkier situation marshaled with much problems of neo-identity crisis.

[ Mishing Renaissance wishes to thank Bhaskar Pegu for the above article.]

The Mishing ( Miri ) Tribe and their land

[ THIS SECTION IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, PLEASE VISIT AGAIN ]

Remembering Sanjoy Ghose

[ Mishing Renaissance dedicates this section to Sanjoy Ghose, who worked selflessly for Majuli & its people but was ultimately eliminated by useless bunch of "contractors" who made money out of the annual floods & people's misery.

The "freedom fighters" of ULFA too wanted Sanjoy's exit to pursue their hawkish goals of sabotaging the common people in the name of their hollow "freedom". Sanjoy's exit has left a big void in the lives of Majuli & its people.

This vacuum is now gradually being filled by Bible thumping Christian evangelists from Nagaland ( and Kerala ) and land grabbing illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who are now making inroads gradually to areas of Upper Assam marginalizing the indigenous people, with rigorous political backing. The elimination of Sanjoy Ghose is not mere "removal" of a person but a larger conspiracy to eliminate all those who want to uplift the masses and question those in power. ]

Sanjoy Ghose is a person who has lived and worked for the poor all his life, especially for the rural poor. Well known in the development and voluntary sector across the country, Sanjoy Ghose made a mark with his pioneering work in the villages of Western Rajasthan (India). With a background in rural management (IRMA, Gujarat) and agricultural economics (Oxford), he set up a voluntary agency called URMUL TRUST and began work in six villages of rural Bikaner.Later, Sanjoy moved to North East India.

He strongly believed that the only cure to the ills of the Northeast are the people themselves. If young people could be helped to see an alternative path, a path of constructive work and development, much of the problems would be finished.

In order to demonstrate his idea and vision, Sanjoy Ghose, heading a small team of professionals, and under the banner of AVARD NE, moved to Majuli, the largest riverine island in the world, in April, 1996. Much neglected, on the brink of survival, and faced with a serious erosion problem, Majuli epitomised much of the situation in the Northeast.

A major problem that the people of Majuli face every year is the flooding of their island by the Bramhaputra. Sanjoy and his team dealt with this problem by involving the people in evolving low-cost, community -managed solutions that dealt with both flood control and soil erosion. Over 20,000 people took part in these community initiatives.

In the process, Sanjoy and his team made enemies of the contractors who till then were the people who benefited the most from the annual ritual of flood controls works. And he also became a threat to ULFA: Sanjoy's effectiveness with the people offered an unpalatable comparison to ULFA's achievements.

For ULFA, it was simpler to abduct Sanjoy, then to introspect on their relationship with the people. In doing so, the ULFA stressed their impotence in the face of people-led initiatives. They also paid him their best compliment: they have helped Sanjoy Ghose highlight his belief that a path of constructive work and development is a better path for people to follow.

[ This section will be updated as & when required ]

For further reading:

Sanjoy's Assam; Diaries and Writings of Sanjoy Ghose
http://www.amazon.com/Sanjoys-Assam-Diaries-Writings-Sanjoy/dp/0140278559

Activist Sanjoy Ghose dead,confirms ULFA
http://in.rediff.com/news/aug/07ghose.htm

Death in a time of freedom
http://in.rediff.com/news/aug/12dilip.htm

The Man who saw Tomorrow
http://tehelka.com/story_main10.asp?filename=Cr012905the_man_who.asp

Christian conversions & North East India

[ This section deals with the issue of Christian conversions in North East India and gradual destruction of indegenious culture of the region. Readers are requested to post their comments specifying the Article number they want to give their feedback on ]

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Article 1: Conversions will distort the Mishing tribe

Sir,

It is sad to note that taking the advantage of the poverty of the Mishing community in Majuli, Dhemaji and Jonai, numerous Mishing families are beenconverted to Christianity by opportunistic Christian missionaries. I am an ordinary citizen and can do nothing. As such I thought of writing this letterto your newspaper so that I might create an awareness among the Mishing tribe of Assam.

I would request my community members to learn from the mistake of ourneighbouring states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram where inspite of havingseperate states, the tribes have lost their identity.

Our own traditions are no way inferior to the rich Vatican City or Pope. Thepoverty in Mishing councils is because of the corrupt politicians among us like Bharat Narah, Bhuban Pegu etc., not our customs, beliefs and rituals.

Missionaries can give us money and English education, but cannot return ouridentity when it will be lost by following Christian rituals and alientraditions in our day-to-day lives.

If religion is lost, heritage is lost. When heritage is lost, identity is lost.It is time influential socio-cultural organizations of the Mishings, ourstudents' union and Mahila samitis launch rigorous awareness drive among thegullible Mishings or the Mishings will go 'missing' from the cultural map ofAssam.

Yours sincerely,

Rongmon Pegu
Dikhoumukh
Sivasagar
Assam
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Article 2: Role of the Church and Insurgency

Author: JP Rajkhowa
Publication: The Sentinel
Date: May 12, 2008

Pseudo-secularists would not swallow any revelation that the Church in the Northeast represented by its different factions - Baptist, Presbyterian and Catholic - has been promoting, aiding and abetting insurgency in the region in a clandestine manner, though in the garb of various welfare measures for the uplift of the tribal population.

Nagaland can very well claim the position of 'pride' as the mother of insurgency in the Northeast, with late AZ Phizo spearheading the Naga Rebellion by launching a fully armed organization called the Naga National Council (NNC). Its goal was to form a sovereign Nagaland by seceding from the Union of India. Interestingly, the same Phizo, who hailed from Khonoma village, assisted the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji in the battle at Kohima during the Second World War in order to defeat the British imperialists. Rani Gaidinliu, then a girl aged 16, led the movement called Zeliangrong Heraka Movement to protect the sovereignty of the country and defend indigenous Hindu faith.

Even after this resistance, the British could establish their rule over Naga Hills area and pushed American and British Christian missionaries into Nagaland. The forced conversion to Christianity and expansion of British rule continued together. After the grand success in dividing the country by creating East and West Pakistan, the British picked up Phizo (since converted to Christianity) and NNC cohorts to create a Christian state in Northeast India.

Missionaries acted as informers against army (Indian) movements and against those who did not support NNC uprising and Christian inquisition jointly operated by NNC and the Church. British missionary Rev Michael Scott became the friend, philosopher and guide of Phizo and NNC rebellion. The British reverend supplied lethal weapons packed in Red Cross boxes to NNC militants. This politically motivated Reverend was later expelled from the country because of his anti-India activities by then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru.

The Church formed several NGOs which acted as host to NNC guerillas and Christian crusade. Naga Club and Naga Hoho were two such NGOs which were master campaigners and expert educators of NNC and Church agenda amongst the Naga public. When the Government of India wanted to arrest Phizo for his anti-national activities, he silently escaped to London where he spent a royal life till his death in 1990 hosted by a British Church organization under the supervision of Rev Michael Scott and Billy Graham.

As of now, the NNC stands divided into four camps - NSCN (IM), NSCN ( Unification), NNC (Adino) and NNC (Yanthan), which has led to fratricidal killings in their race for supremacy even after conciliatory role played by so many NGOs, including the Nagaland Baptist Council of Churches. Several masked NGOs are reportedly registered under the country's law with the declared objective of serving the society in the field of economic uplift, hygiene, medical care, education, AIDS etc, and are receiving unaccountable money from their foreign masters. In return, they are reportedly funding rebel outfits for acquiring lethal weapons.

These NGOs reportedly maintain a close strategic link with the Church as well, whose aggressive religious expansionism agenda get field support through them. The local and international Church organization and local and international non-governmental organizations are now very thick with NSCN (IM) and they are helping it in all respects.

With a view to internationalizing the domestic problem pertaining to Naga society, one American Goodwill Mission toured Nagaland during May 16-27, 2007 and tried their level best to establish Christian solidarity with US Christians. Nagaland Church has also reportedly come forward in establishing this solidarity by declaring the State as 'Nagaland for Christ', where only Christianity is a recognized religion (in spite of our secular Constitution!).

Nagalim is the proposed Naga Country advanced by NSCN(IM), which is almost nine times bigger than existing Nagaland including almost three-fourth of Manipur and large portions of Arunachal Pradesh and Asom. With the help of international Church organizations and foreign NGOs, NSCN (IM) has several support centres in the Netherlands, Thailand, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, South Korea, Australia, England, Philippines, Sweden, Belgium and US. The source of the above information is The Morung Express (December 10, 2006).

Security analysts strongly believe that America has a reason to help NSCN (IM). There is no Christian country in the Third World. Right from Israel up to Japan including countries like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, India and other smaller countries, there is no Christian country and nearly 375 crore people live here. This is the main nexus of USA, UK and the Vatican. They want to create a Christian country and Greater Nagaland which NSCN (IM) now refers to as Nagalim which, if carved out, will be the proposed Christian country in the subcontinent. This strategy of America is an echo of the Pope's declaration: '' Europe was won over in the first millennium, Africa and America in the second millennium. Now in the third millennium, Asia must be won over.''

In Asia, Communist and Islamic countries have banned the preaching of Christianity. And that is why India is at the top of the hit list of targets, thanks to Hindu tolerance. And the means are forced conversion; destruction of youth power by preaching the 'principle' of hedonistic consumerism, liquor addiction and carnal pleasure; and bullet (the way NSCN-IM is operating in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland for forced conversion).

The source of the above information is again The Morung Express (December 10, 2006). Should the proposed Nagalim become a reality, it would only be a matter of time for the US to make its military presence established in the Northeast with the help of Church solidarity, which would act as a bulwark against China and a source of constant pressure against India.

I have dealt in considerable length with the Naga insurgency for the simple reason that there are a number of terror groups operating both in Asom and outside, some on ceasefire agreement too, which are primarily Christian-dominated and are known to be terrorizing non-Christian organizations.

In this context, we may make a reference to some shocking detailsof nexus between the Church and terrorism, published in the North East Quarterly, Vol 1, No 2, January 2008 - a publication of the North Eastern Forum, New Delhi. For instance, imposition of the Roman script to reduce the language of a tribe has been one of the modus operandi of the Church so that the tribes could read the Bible. ''From 1970 onwards, the Church openly championed the use of the Roman script for the language of the tribals of Tripura and Boros of Asom.

This even prompted two Marxist ministers in the Tripura government, Dasrath Deb and Ranjit Deb Burman, to characterize the demand of Roman script for the Kokborok region of Tripura as communal politics. The imposition of the Roman script has on occasion been at gunpoint. On August 21, 2000, terrorists of the Church-backed NDFB gunned down Bineswar Brahma, president of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha. His only crime was that he favoured the use of Devanagari script for the Bodo language.''

Extortion is another method used by the NSCN factions which are headed by Christians and ''get financial support from the World Council of Churches, a missionary organization. The NSCN has its offices in New York, Geneva and Hague which display boards with... People's Republic of Nagaland. It has twice raised its demand for an independent nation in the United Nations. The NSCN has its own government which collects money from local people: one third of the salaries of government servants is taken away as Nagaland tax before disbursement. Most of the banks in Nagaland have closed down because of the huge sums extracted by this outfit. The letterheads and stamps of this unofficial government read 'Nagaland for Christ'. Most of the terrorist organizations in the region follow this pattern...''

In this context, it is observed that the Church and some key functionaries of the Government of Nagaland have joined hands to foment communal trouble in Asom by their recent, senseless venture in the historic Majuli island - the seat of Vaishnavite culture in Asom - where a parliamentary secretary of Nagaland, accompanied by church functionaries, inaugurated a church for converting some poor and illiterate Mishing tribals to Christianity. Do the pseudo-secularists expect us to look the other way?

(The writer was Chief Secretary, Assam)
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Mishing Renaissance : An Introduction

A wave of renaissance is touching the hearts & minds of Mishing ( Miri ) Tani tribe inhabiting the states of Assam & Arunachal Pradesh. Since time immemorial Mishings have been striving towards better survival & replenishing for greater acquaintances with the other cultures of the world.

The Mishings are in truest conviction, the descent of Donyi Polo which is also their religious faith & identity which can be traced from Abotani, which in turn confirms affinity with the other Tani people. The Tani people are variedly known as Mishing ( Miri ),Adi,Galo,Nyishi,Mishmi,Apatani & Tagin.

The tales & traits of origin, language,culture,tradition & other social aspects of all Tani people have similar root. The Mishings too like other Tani people had their abode in the upper course of Yangtze - Kiang & the Hwang - Ho river valleys of China. The Tani people have since time immemorial contributed to evolution of a vibrant culture now flourishing in the regions they inhabit.

The Mishing as well the Tani language as a whole falls into the Tibeto – Burmese branch of SinoTibetan ethnologue family. The Mishings inhabit the riparian tracts along the river banks of Subansiri, Siang, Dihing, Dibang, Dhansiri, Jia Bharali & fertile plains of Brahmaputra valley of Upper Assam.

At present the Mishings are under surge of reawakening not necessarily mere ethnic-centrist but its in tune with the global perspective where cultural separatism, ethnicity & identity consciousness are expressed with pride!

The pathway to Mishing neo-renaissance is nothing but its a comprehensive & collective effort by a few Mishing Tani's keeping in mind the context of global crossroads where hundreds of minor ethnic groups identity,language,culture & other significant traits are in recurrent threat of extinction & imminent danger of being lost forever.

This Blog ( Mishing Renaissance ) is an attempt keeping in view of this global transitional upsurge the Mishing tribe which is one of the prime constituent of Greater Tani identity wish to express themselves at the global level.

http://mishingrenaissance.blogspot.com/ fulfills the long standing desire/demand of Mishing Tanis for expression in this global village. Mishing Renaissance in its broadest sense covers the identity, language,culture and other socio-cultural development trends and challenges faced by the Mishing people.

Today's Mishing youth stand for qualitative ( and quantitative ) uplift of our people and in turn also wish the closer integration with our Tani brothers of Arunachal Pradesh.

Mishing Renaissance holds plausible the spirit of Tani nationality and wish it exerts itself in a more bold manner in the coming years.

[ Mishing Renaissance is thankful to Mr.Bhaskar Pegu for contribution of the introductory page of this Blog ]

The Mishings (Miris) of Assam: Development of A New Lifestyle

About the book:

The main focus of this study is to analyze the process and impact of contact between a tribe with features of primitive organizations (Micro Level), regional Assamese culture with distinct language, policy and productive system (middle range or regional) and the great tradition and high culture (the macro level), the Indian traditional and culture represented through Hinduism mythology, beliefs, rituals and social organization.

For the analysis of the influence of Hinduism among the Mishings, various aspects such as religious practices and social institutions have been considered. Moreover, the influence of the regional Assamese culture on their housing pattern, food habit, dress, language and in tools and implements are also considered for the discussion of acculturation among the Mishings in Assam.
The aim of including all these aspects is to see the total process of culture change among the Mishings. As they came in contact with the Hinduism through regional culture, the other dominant group tried to apply the notions of purity and pollution (the caste system).

They picked up the beliefs and myths and social organization of the great tradition of Hinduism. While keeping in mind the above, it is tried in this study to highlight the interrelationship between the three variable-acculturation, communication and development-in the contexts of the Mishings, a tribe in Assam.

It is an attempt to see how two independent variables acculturation and communication have influenced the dependent variable development. Both the independent variables acculturation and communication are correlated with each other, without communication, acculturation is impossible and the continuity of the process of acculturation means the presence of communication in between two societies with different cultures.

The development cannot be a reality in a society without the former variables.

The author through the present study wants to fill up the gap of inadequacy by probing into the process of acculturation, communication and development among the Mishings,a major tribe of Assam.

About the author:

Dr. Jatin Mipun, who belongs to the Mishing tribe, did his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Dibrugarh University. Dr. Mipun has joined the Indian Police Service in 1983 and presently serving in Assam-Meghalaya Cadre. Earlier Dr. Mipun had served as a Lecturer District Research Officer under Government of Assam and as Extra Assistant Commissioner in Assam Civil Service. He writes poems and short stories in Assamese languages, besides research papers for learned journals.

Read the book online:

http://www.themishingsassam.com/

The Mishings : An Introduction

The Mishings are an ethnic group inhabiting the districts of Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat of Assam. A few live in and around Pasighat of East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

They were earlier called Miris, to which they take offence now. However the Constitution of India still refers them as Miris. The Mishings are closely associated with the Adi people of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Mishings belong to the Tibeto-Burman clan of the Mongoloid race. It's not known exactly where they migrated from, but it is believed that they were dwellers of the hills of present day Arunachal Pradesh. This explains the cultural and linguistic similarities they have with the people of the Adi (erstwhile Abor) tribe, and to some extent of the Hill Miri and Nyishi tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.

Somewhere around the 13th century, they started migrating towards the plains of Assam, most probably in search of fertile land. This exodus continued for at least 2-3 centuries. As fate would have it, they found one of the most fertile river-beds (that of the mighty Brahmaputra) and settled on both banks along the length of the river, starting right from Sadiya in the east, to Jorhat in the west. They continued their practice of living in thatched houses raised on bamboo stilts, known as 'Chang-ghar'.

It was a protection against flood waters during the rainy season, although the original logic behind raised houses was protection from wild beasts.Agriculture being their main occupation, floods affect them in more ways than one. Moreover, due to their affinity towards living close to river banks brings about Malaria and water-borne diseases. But 90% of them still continue to live along the banks of Brahmaputra and its tributaries, unfazed by the disasters striking them.

Their chief festival is Ali-Aye-Ligang, in the month of February, which celebrates the agricultural harvest. Most Mishings follow both the Donyi-Polo and Hindu religions, and there are a few Christians ( mainly in Majuli ) who follow the Catholic or Baptist faith.

The language of the Mishing people is also known as Mishing language.Mishing surnames reflects the clan (o:pc)they belong to. They can be divided into three main clans: Pegu, Doley and Morang. This is a social setup. Marriage take place outside the group i.e between Pegu-Doley, Pegu-Morang, Morang-Doley. This depends on where the society is located i.e. Dagdoong (North) or Daktok (South).

[ The above description has been borrowed from Wikipedia, is temporary and will be edited soon. Intrested readers are welcome to shre their ideas in making this section better ]