From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: About four thousand people from neighbouring hills in Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong on Friday converged on the bank of Joon Beel (a big water body) in Morigaon district in Assam, about 40 kilometers from Guwahati to take part in the annual ‘Joon Beel’ tribal fair that upholds the now defunct tradition of barter system of trade for the first few hours on the opening day of the fair.
It’s a ritualistic fair of the ethnic communities in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya where currency notes and plastic money of today becomes redundant for several hours in the morning of opening day.
This is because the ancient barter system of inter-communities trading comes into force in an attempt to commemorate the now defunct tradition that was driving force of the economy before the advent of money in human civilization.
Joon Beel has once again becomes the centre of attraction for those interested in tribal culture and traditions as the annual three-day tribal fair has got underway early Friday morning.
The bank of this wetland has been the site for a centuries old Joon Beel fair where native people from nearby hills of Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong converge on the third week of every January (at the beginning of the month of Magh as per Assamese calendar) to trade items with their brethren from plain areas of Assam.
The fair came into being in 15th century under the aegis of then Ahom Kings of Assam.
Obviously, at that time the tribals used to do business in barter system which is still in vogue in this age of plastic money.
“Keeping with the tradition, over 4000 tribal people have converged for the this year’s Joon Beel mela (fair) to take part in the barter trading.
“They have come to attend the fair not to get richer through the ritualistic trading, but to take a journey back to the roots. Likewise thousands others have flocked the annual Joon Beel fair along with their family and friends to have a feel of the wonderful tribal tradition. The fair is held for three days from January 20,” said Jursingh Bardoloi, one of organizers of the traditional tribal fair.
The titular king of the erstwhile Gobha kingdom located in the region, presides over the fair and his representatives also collect subscription from the traders taking part in the fair.
The King, Dipsingh Deoraja will come to the fair on Saturday and will hold his court as per tradition.
Natives from the hills have come to the fair with items like lac, indigo, ginger, vegetables, dried meat, hand woven dress materials with symbolic traditional motifs embroidered in those, which they exchanged with traders from the plain areas for traditional food items like sweet rice cakes, roasted rice, grounded rice, dried fish.
With the commodities that procure from Joon Beel fair, the native tribal people residing in the hills used to celebrate the post-harvest festival (Bhogali Bihu) after returning from the fair.
A community fishing was also orgainsed on Friday in the wetland as per the tradition during the fair where all could take part.
As per the history, the erstwhile Ahom kings who used to rule Assam from the 12th century till British rulers came in the 19th Century, facilitated Joonbeel fair as part of its policy to maintain peace among the tribes from the hills and the plains of the region. An effort is being made to revive the tradition.