U A Shimray
Recent water crisis in Ukhrul town, Manipur is one new news items. “Water is sold at Rs 8 per tin,” report one of the local papers. The speculated reasons for the crisis is late arrival of monsoon and incompetence of state’s PHED. Monsoon, in common terminology means, rainy season. Indian monsoon is the principality climatic element as well as regulate agricultural system. Rain abundant region like North East always shower with good monsoon. However, this time, the region witnesses scanty rain. The meteorological statistics indicates the region experienced 5 per cent less from the normal average rainfall.
Due to the insufficient spell of rain many parts of Manipur state gone dry. The drought like situation in Ukhrul, Chandel, Thoubal et al failed to tend the agriculture activities on time and left many sedentary terraced paddy fields unused. Woe of the villagers became more clear and worrisome. The prevailing situation is really heading for the inevitable food crisis. As the village economy is largely depends on local paddy products and other seasonal crops. Now, the despair of dry soil, drying streams, less volume of water in the rivers…and shortage of drinking water is a crucial issue of concern.
We can simply blame this unnatural behaviour of monsoon as a maneuver Tsunami, El Nino, naughty Jet Stream or just normal unpredictable monsoon. Till now the scientist is yet to understand the strange mechanic of monsoon. In the other hand, we can innocently situate as “ecological warning” in the region. At certain extend, the facets of local ecology and environment play important role in the regional monsoon. To this, micro-level understanding of flora and physiology is essential. Here, I would like to point certain local belief systems, which are intrinsically related to the sustenance of local ecology and environment.
“Rain Maker”
Let us take case of Hopi Indians of north-eastern Arizona. The Hopi Indian’s social life, cultural values- all of which form the ground of deeper religious thought and action. Hopis smoke for rain, dance for it, sing for it and offer many other forms of prayer for it. So prayers for rain are not abstract; they call the clouds to replenish the waters of the earth so that all life- forms will benefit and “be happy”. Hopis have to speak, both a moral ecology and an ecological morality. They pray for rain so that all the animals, birds, insects and other life-forms will have enough to drink too. The prolific complexity of Hopi ritual attends to springs specifically and in general, as sources of blessing and vehicles of prayer.
Indeed, indigenous cultures around the world maintain a special relationship to water and natural resources. Naga social system is endowed with immense cultural traditions and belief system. In the traditional belief system, superstitious and rituality bears important cultural phenomena. Such phenomenal relationship is entrenched in rituality and belief system. We illustrate such rituality that endowed in the Mountain Matha of Chingjui (or Chingjaroi) village in Ukhrul district.
Chingjui Matha is one of the highest mountains in Manipur state. The height of the Matha peak is about 2422 metres. The Matha is a triplet-peak and it looks like the Nagas’ traditional hearth. In local language, the hearth is called Matha that is why the mountain came to be known as Matha. The Matha is a tall Mountain, tall enough to be seen from all angles, even from afar. Surrounding villages admire the majestic giant Naga hearth (Matha). The villagers as well as the neighbouring villagers watch this giant hearth to forecast weather. It is believed that though the sky is blue and clear in the region, if a patch of cloud hovers around the giant hearth, rain is expected soon. But even if the sky is covered with dark and thick clouds within the visible distance away from the giant hearth (above), the rain will shy away. This is believed to be the handiwork of Aru Lani, the weather spirit who lives in the mountain.
In olden days, when the rain fails to show up on the onset of paddy cultivation, the villagers contact local priest who perform ritual function also known as Sharva in Tangkhul Nagas to appease the spirit Aru Lani. For this, the villagers contribute rice to the Sharva as a token of his service. The Sharva then take a pot of water from the village spring pond along with Nanpho (a kind of Naga rain-coat woven together with palm leaves to keep oneself dry from the rain) and goes up to the top of the Langdang-Shung (the highest peak among the three peaks of Matha) and invoke the name of Aru Lani- “Oh goddess of rain kindly send some rain”. He shouts and dances round and round. On his way down, the Sharva spray the water he carries from the village upward shouting “Oh! Arun Lani, your rain drops are quite chilling”. This activity continues till he reaches the village. It is belief that such rituals never fail.
For indigenous people- mountains, hills, forests, stones have a peculiar evocative nature. The deep forested areas or megalith stone often presents a mystic symbol of superstitious phenomena. The beauty is also endowed with the eerie clouds and mist that frequently veil a mountain and forest, enshroud it in an aura of mystery. Indeed, rain clouds that form around the summits and the rivers that well out of their slopes maintain as divine sources of water and life. The mountains or megalith also serve as a natural fortress and point of reference, giving people a sense of security and orientation, with physical and spiritual. The fact is that such belief system sustains the use of natural resources without affecting the natural web of eco-system.
No Water in the Spring Pond!
Today, villagers are seen fighting over a meter of GI water pipe. We like the water pipe to runs through the kitchen. We complain when water tap run low. We even complain when there is no water at the main water source. But we never bother to ask why water is low and why the water sources are drying.
In this so-called modern time, we hardly acknowledge the existing of traditional community spring ponds. In the village or Headquarters, the spring ponds are neglected and most of them just vanished in the dirt. In olden days, village spring pond supply water the whole year round to the village. Water shortage is seldom experience. The fact is that traditional village spring pond is as old as the village itself. And the spring is nurtured with care and sustains the whole seasons.
The recent water crisis in Ukhrul town is expected. In the region, there is systematic de-forestation going on. The canopy of rainforest is slowing wilting, on other hand; human activities and encroachment are tremendous. Naturally, mountains never fail to provide water and it does not just dry out. And the ongoing human activities that are ecological sensitive threaten the local ecology. The recent water crisis in the region is a man make. We are not capitalising our forefathers’ ecological friendly spring pond system. As now, this system is left unattended making a pond for the pigs and buffaloes.
Remarks
Today, means of communication is improve considerably; livelihood is more or less comfortable and better economic outlook. With the growth of education and expansion of urbanisation and market forces, there are inevitable changes in social and economic aspects. At the same time, many traditions and practices are abandoned and lost in the midst of “mistaken” development. We simply rely too much state’s developmental schemes and intervention. Now, the indigenous innovative is drying out like a pond in the village. Traditionally, indigenous peoples’ livelihood is basically based on self-sustain and innovativeness.
Our approach towards nature has taken a different turn. It is rather ‘destructive’ in the form of aggressive mindset. So much ecological damage is done in the form of logging, commercial land use, sporadic deforestation (hunting of edible insects/larvae) and intense grazing. As mentioned, land and forest are the main source of livelihood also; the evocation of local ecology emphasizes basic cultural, spiritual values and belief system. The need here is to emphasis and link to ancestors’ spiritual and cultural past for the future growth. Any knowledge system and socio-economic development that is not built on the collective wisdom of the past is bound to fail. In a world that is now turning to the indigenous people for inspiration and knowledge to preserve land and forest, it has more than ever become important to urgently draw upon the past and old wisdom.
