Source: Personal collection, Maram women in traditional dress
In Manipur there are as many as twenty tribes such as Romei, Poumei, Mao, Maram etc but among them I will be discussing just the Maram women’s social, economic and educational status. The focus of this article also revolves around questions like what are the rules and regulations adhered by the women as per Maram customs and in what way men support women’s education and economic well being. This article further discusses the pros and cons of certain aspects related to these women with reason. Here and there few solutions are also prescribed for issues related to women. This article comprises ten parts as given below.
1) Women’s gathering in Dormitory or Rhaliiki (in Maram).
2) Women’s role in Domestic labor.
3) Rules to be followed by Men and Women in Agriculture.
4) Important Rituals done by the Women
5) Marriage system
6) Rituals around Mother giving Birth.
7) Naming of the Newborn Child
8) Funeral and Widow’s Life
9) Important festivals for Maram Tribe
10) Conclusion
Part I: Women’s gathering in Dormitory or Rhaliiki (in Maram)
Here I will narrate in detail about women in Maram tribe. These details were gathered by interviewing the elder parents and also from the textbook of Tiba (History and Culture of the Maram Nagas,2013). According to the Maram folktale human population first started with Madungkasie (men in maram) and Samwtingrangpui (women). There was one common place for the women to be together which was called “Rhaliiki” (dormitory) in Maram. Rhaliiki was a good place for the spinsters or un-married women to stay together during night. Rhaliiki was constructed by males with the help of women. All the women who ever have reached their adolescence can be a part of these groups and stay together in Rhaliiki. Women will go for their own work during the day time but when they come back from their work, they will be in the Rhaliiki. In Rhaliiki, women will share their work with each other, sleep under the same roof, sing songs and compete with each other through folk song between the gender (when women sing a song men will not join it and when male sing a song women will not join in singing), or they will sing it together to make a melodious song and discussing among other topic etc. From the dormitory women used to communicate everything such as love story and so on. Bachelor or males will be visiting in their dormitory room at night. But in case among the women’s who made guilty to other person in her group than, she will be out-of the group for some time like one day. She will be back after her friends made her understand the problem of her. This home was the main hall for the women to involve among themselves no other places and not joining in any making decision by the women as the custom of Maram tradition.
Part II: Women work in the domestic labor
Women used to work daily as domestic labour like collecting firewood, dehusking and fetching water etc. Women will be fetching water from 3 or 4km distances far from her home. Some of the women used to fetch water early in the morning before her husband; children wake up from the bed. When she is back from fetching water, she will start making fire to cook. Cooking for the food will depend upon on the family member, if the family member was large than she will cook in a bigger pot which the family member can satisfied. For instance if she is inviting guest or any other people in her home for having common meal then, while she was serving food from the rice pot she should not put the top rice to the guest plate instead of that she should put it aside or the owner of the family member will taste it first later on it can be given the rice to any other plate. She did not give the top rice to other because to show her respect. She will serve food to her husband, guest and their children at the first place before she ate food. Apart from that she will give some extra curry to her husband because of her love. In economic or financial thing will be in the hand of the male person because father was the head of the family and any maintenance or control over anything should be taking permission from father. In Maram tradition it follows the paternal system because it was follow males hierarchy in the societies.
Part III: Rule to be follow by both the gender in agriculture
The main staple food for the Maram tradition was rice. For the living of his/her life it was depend on the agriculture production. Rice was needed in every ritual or any ceremony as the culture. Some of the points which were important to both the gender to follow in agriculture, especially for the women to be remembered:
a. For farmer they will start first by digging the field before anyone dig the field, the male from the family member will dig first in his field. This was done because to harvest a good quality of paddy from the field.
b. While plantation in the field, the male will plant first in the field after that women women can follow it. But on the other hand if there was not male in the family member than the parent will called any males to start the plant during the plantation time because to get a good paddy during the time of harvesting.
c. The drainage in the field to flow the water in each and every field, should be clean and arrange it in proper order from the starting point till the end of the field. The beginning of the drainage should clean or arrange by male not by the women because if women join in starting part they belief that the field of the drainage will destroy.
d. At the time for harvesting there was a particular place for harvesting in Maram we called as “Atai-ki” (small place where paddy was gathered). When he or she was in that particular place he or she should not speak to any other person because it will become poorer.
When the paddy was harvested, the paddy will keep in the granary as the Maram tradition. When the paddy was needed by the family then she will cover her head with any kind of cloth and she should not talk to any other at that moment because if she speaks to other than her richness will lost. Taking out of the paddy from the granary was mostly done early in the morning by women. Most of the time women did not spent her time for wasted but women task was continuous. Women used to make handloom task like weaving in any month accept the three month will not allow to weave by the women that is, Pokjing khii (July), Tarou khii (September) and Kanghi khii (December). Women use to weave for the traditional dress both for the genders. There are different kinds of the dress to wear it example dress for the war, dress for the festival etc. The handloom was mostly making by women, when there is free time from agriculture task.
Part IV: Important of ritual done by the women
Most of the ritual was done by the women in the festival in the months of Tarou khii (September) and Matai khii (October). Each month will have one ritual each. If there was not mother’s in the family, father can take in-charge for the ritual in both the months. During any festival there will be providing non-vest, not allow to have vest. While cooking food in the festival, from the food pot like water or rice should not drop down into the fire place as a Maram tradition. There was the specific ritual called “Mallaa” for both the months. In this Mallaa day, they will kill chicken and do a ritual. The chicken which they are going to use in Malla should select a health hen, pure hen which is not a sick hen (female hen before given chick) and not cock chicken will be used as ritual. The food will cook in the morning. After finish her cook, she will take some rice, curry and put it in the basket with the help of pure gumsang leave (banana leave). In this ritual women will use two bamboo baskets. In one bamboo basket she will put food it into three pieces with food and in another bamboo basket food will kept into two pieces. The bamboo basket was made by hand-make basket and put it on top of the pillar in the right side of the house. This ritual will be done by the women and the basket will be used it against when the time of Mallaa has come again in the next month by the mother. Other festival or the ritual was done in the month of Punghi khii (July). In this festival some of the people will kill only hen and cow (both should be pure, health not the sick animal) because it was going to make a ritual with pure meat in the festival. But it was very rear to fine it, a person who kills an animal on this ritual. In this ritual parent will be searching to a particular home to get some meat from the person who kill an animal. Through this meat mother will do the ritual early in the morning.
Part V: Marriage system
The marriage system for the women was made by the parents’ wishes with the help of the dream. Dream was one of the most important significant in Maram tradition because it gives the way of future like choosing life partner. There was not differentiating between the rich and poor in marriage arrangement, because the same material thing is provided such as food item etc. In Maram tradition the holy marriage will be done in a specific month only that is, Kapok khii (January), Lung’n rou khii (February) and Tingpui khii (April). But there is prohibition to engage the same clan or Siidung (siidung mean clans, we called in maram dialect) because as a Maram custom. Marriage should be done in exogamous system. When there are going to engage with her daughter, there was one person will be involving in the programme that will be any person who has good in speaking with other especially an old lady. The old lady will interact between them (bride and groom parent decision) and finalised it the marriage programme. And in the processing an old lady will do one task secretly that is without announcing to the bride, the old lady will take-off thread or linen wool which was belongs to the bride and she will give it to the boy parent. The old lady who took part in this (taking-off the thread or linen wool from her) should not have any child and she will be the main person involving in the marriage party and also she will carry the blanket of the bride gift when the day of marriage. The old lady will not announce to the bride that she was going to marriage to him. Now the linen wool or thread will be handed over to the groom by his parent. He will tie it linen wool or thread in his one of the finger for a while and he will sleep. Later he may or may not get any dream. But if he got a good dream or no dream then it was a sign to get marriage with her but on the other hand if he got the bad dream then he will no marriage to these woman. In marriage “Dream” was one of the most important subjects in Maram tradition and belief as one of the ritual or in the festival or in agriculture etc as a custom. Later when the engagement was ready by the parents from both the gender, the bridegroom will not know to each other but later their friends will come to know it first for their partnership for the life. When the bride it going to leave from her home to groom home, people used to distribute the chicken curry to the young children. During the marriage party women will not get any property from her parent, comparing to the male. The groom parent will give a shawl and coins as a custom to the bride parent after the engagement was ready. But some of the rich parent will give some gift to her daughter such as necklace/Maram we called as Sapfii-chii, utensil but one basket/in Maram called as Kiirang is compulsory gift from her parents during the marriage. This basket was mainly used in carrying food iteam, fetching water any other material things. On the marriage day it will put the stuffed into Kiirang (basket) which the bride was receive a gift. The property will depend on the rich and the poor parents. If she was from the rich family, parent used to give some of the property to her daughter when she got marriage such as field, land else but in poor parents, they could not able to make her daughter satisfied but all this thing was depend on the wealth of parents. The bride will lead to the groom house but before she enters into the house the bride had to stamp on a piece of iron mental, which was place in the threshold of the house. The bride will enter the groom home with her right leg. The old lady will hold the bride leg and touch it to the iron mental. This was follow by the bride as a sign for the women to bring peace and harmony in the family in her future life.
The next day against it will kill the chicken for husband and he will eat all the chicken curry. The fiancée will not allow eat these curry on the day. The left-over of the chicken pieces will bury it. After she got marriage the bride will not go outside for one day from the home. Later early morning she will be visit to her parent home and from there she will bring some food that we called in Maram as “A’tum Kapung”. The A’tum kapung will be carry with her friends alone with her. In A’tum Kapung she will bring such as wine, rice, curry etc and handed over it to her groom parent. The bridegroom will be live in the one roof of the house and now two become as one as a nature. After he got marriage the groom will be permitted to visit in Rhalii ki (dormitory for the girls) still but he will be back before the bride sleep.
Part VI: Mother giving birth and ritual
For giving birth for a mother there was not limitation number but instead of that it depend upon what ‘God’. There was not restriction between the bridegroom giving birth of the genders due to that most of the family have large children’s in one household. This thing was happening because the parent consider as both the gender are equal in given birth. Mother will deliver birth on top of the mate as a custom from grand-parents. And there was a ritual when she gives a birth the mother will feed to the child after the ritual has done. The child will be crying on the mate before the ritual was done by her mother’s.
Suppose if the mother give birth in the morning then the ritual will be done in the evening. There was not difference between the giving birth of boys and the girl child by the parent. The parent will do some ritual for both the gender (baby). But if the mothers give birth a son, then the father will hold spear and if mother give birth daughter then the father will go for fetching water. The water should be fresh and it will used for every purpose such as food, boiling water for baby bath. The father will fetch water in the morning and evening. Every day they will use fresh water for five days. In case if the mother give birth a boy baby then the parents will kill cock and if it is a girl baby then the parent will kill a hen as a sign of the gender birth. In Maram custom there was a special pot for boiling water for the child to take bath, with that water the mother breast will clean it and take a bath for the child. On this day she will eat only rice bear, ginger, salt, jungle bird and not allow having food such as fish, meat, chilli etc. While she is cooking food, the food should not drop into the fire place from the pot as a custom while she was doing her ritual. If in case the food drop it down into the fire then the cook person should pour some water and salt again it into the pot to use the same food. This way of food cooked was doing in every festival or ritual programme by the parent. Due to that most of the parent did not move around while he/she is cooking.
Part VII: How to give naming of a new born child
If the parent giving a birth for the first born baby then both the parent will do the ritual for ten days but for the second, third and so on baby child will do ritual for five days. The naming of the child will be done after three day. The naming for the child will be given as the parents wish. But for naming the baby there should be a person to name it the child, by selecting by their parents. If baby was a son then the male person will hold the baby son and will give the name. A person who is going to name the child should be the family member who does not late or die the elder child from his family member can name it to the child.
Part VIII: Funeral and widow women life
For instance if the husband death, there is the old men to take in charge for funeral service we called as A’tingba (Priest) in Maram. After the funeral ceremony the family member will be scarify of cattle or any domestic animals such as dogs, chicken etc. The meat will be using only for three days. While they are cooking food, the food pot or any other food cook like water or rice should not drop from the pot as a Maram tradition. Now she will be in the condition of a widow life, in Maram we called as “Kamipuimei”. Widow can be remarriage if she is willing, there was not any restriction for the women to marriage again; even men can remarry it. In the widow or a woman there were not differences about the dresses to wear it. But in case if she remarried to other person than she will not take any properties from the previous husband. On the other hand if the women get pregnant and did not able to found out her real husband then she will be out-of the villages, until she deliver a baby. This was totally prohibited in Maram custom. Later she can come and settles again in the same village without bringing the child. But in case if she bring back with her child as a belief of Maram tradition, it will take an incident in the village. If she came back again then she will follow the restriction of the tradition till her die.
Part IX: Important festival for men and women
Source:https://www.google.co.in/search?q=maram+picture+from+manipur&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9_vvi-YbMAhUDLaYKHSTeDrwQ_AUIBygB&biw=1366&bih=667#imgdii=nblTMJsQ0XuF4M%3A%3BnblTMJsQ0XuF4M%3A%3Bee1MxUBuWF4sGM%3A&imgrc=nblTMJsQ0XuF4M%3A
Another women were prohibited to participate in the festival programme ie, Kanghi-kii (December) because this festival was mainly for the male. In this festival for men there was a specific place like a playground to be settling together by all young and old males for two days. On the first day they will be gathering only their own Siidung or Clan and on the second day they will be together all male’s member in one specific place. On the day, there will be wrestling by pairs and also challenging to other Siidung/clan. But the result is that to won the wrestling and to show his strongest and power among the people. In this particular place women will not allow to enter in that ground because it will take an incident (like fracture, hurting) and also women was consider as un-clean. And women will not allow carry Kiirang during this festival for two days if anyone found it carrying kiirang than it will take sum of rupees as a fine. In this month even the first day of the moon light should not watch by the women because if she looked around the moon light then she will become a prostitute women due to that women refuse to watch the moon. In this month, male will not visit to women dormitory for ten days because the male was going to celebrate a great festival.
Source: Personal collection, Piiha-ki ja (Dance place)
Source: Personal collection, Piiha (dance)
Women festival was done in the month of Tingpui khii (April), on this festival it will kill chicken and made chicken as a curry. Both male and female will have together a food but later in the evening all the women will go for dancing called as “piiha” from one specific place called piiha ki ja (Dance place in Maram). Women will wear the special dress and jewellery to attain in the festival. From this function parents will watch over it a good girl advance for their own son wife.
Part X: Conclusion
In my own understanding women task was one of the most important in the family member as daily done even the Brahmin, women were doing the task in the domestic labour at home example in Calcutta, Brahmin women work in domestic labour (Timothy J. Scrase, 1993). Most of the Hindu culture in any festival, women was involving the main part like the Maram tradition. There was different kind of the labour which will be paid and un-paid labour work. Most of the un-paid labours were done by the women whereas most of the male (Jobs) task is paid labour. In any kind of the task the hard task was done by the male like in Maram the male ploughing the field and handicraft with bamboo craft by men. This type of task was general differentiate between the genders. In the widow condition all the culture or the belief like Hindu, Islam and Christian were in the same rule that widow can be remarry. In Christian belief the Bible said in first Corinthian 7:8-9, “To the unmarried and the windows, I say that it is good for them to stay unmarried…..but if they cannot control themselves they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” But for the Islam belief men is permitted to marry more than one woman but not more than four women. In other Hindu belief that if the husband was death then her wife will also allow to die with him because as their custom if she die with him she will be in the heaven with him. But overall belief of the religious (Hindu, Christian, Islam) widow can be remarry as Maram Tradition follow. If the widows remarried then she will be with her newly husband without bringing any of her property.There was good law for the people in safety in the society such as preventing of the child trafficking of issue and concern for the pregnant women will be prohibited to stay in the village if she did not able to fine it out her real husband in the village. In modern day when this thing has happen by the women then she will give birth the child and keep it in the Juvenile Board. The Juvenile board will take care of the child (Patkar and Patkar, 2003).
But as of now the Maram tradition for the women rule and the regulation was become more and more westernised in the villages and the old ritual was very rear to follow by the women in her living environment. This thing was change because majority Maram people were converted into Christianity. Everything was negotiated by the people and bringing the new way of living such as women got jobs, women scheme, gives education equal by the parents, involving in any kind of the programme bad and good like initiated NGO for the women empowerment etc. And women eat anything she likes the food in modern but in earlier Maram tradition who got married will not allow to eat some food like meat of pork, cat, monkey etc. It was very good to know about the women condition in Maram in earlier because there was a huge change in modern world. Not only the Maram tradition but overall there was changing in the country mostly done by education. Education reduces a financial issue like educating the young children especially for the young girl. By educating women it give more educating to other such as her children, in school or other institutions. This was the perception of the Gandhi the father of our nation. In present women living was totally difference from the earlier. Most of the women were important in involving the domestic work but today it was changes for the women to participate in some parts of the society.
Reference
D’Souza, P. (2005). Woman:Icon of Liberation, Mumbai
Patkar, P. and Patkar, P. (Feb. 2003). Child Trafficking: issues and concerns, CHILDLINE India Foundation, CIF
Pinto, J. (2003). THE INDIAN WINDOW: From Victim to Victor, Mumbai
Tiba, R. Th. (2013). History and Culture of the Maram Nagas: A Reconstruction From Oral and Folklore Tradition, New Delhi
Timothy J. Scrase (Jan.1, 1993), Image, ideology, and inequality: Cultural domination, hegemony, and schooling in India, Sage, New Delhi.
Story shared from the elder parents.
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