By Patricia Mukhim
At a time when Garo (A.chik) society seems to be going on a negative spin, it was fascinating to be part of a workshop on Garo Worldview held at the Omeo Kumar Das Institute, Guwahati. This is part of the Project on Worldview of Tribes of North East India supported by the Indian Council for Philosophical Research (ICPR) New Delhi and led by Prof Sujata Miri and assisted by Dr Prasenjit Biswas of NEHU. It was also very refreshing to meet up with young Garo scholars who are delving into their culture and are trying to understand it through a series of conversations with elders and by recording their narratives and also by looking at available literature. This rich discourse gave us the participants in the workshop not just a glimpse into the culture of our brethren from Garo Hills but also gave us an insight into the reasons why the society is today at the crossroads.
Before going further it would be instructive to understand the term Worldview and its larger ramifications. Murray Moerman says a Worldview is structured around a few basic questions about reality. It begins with interrogating the source and nature of primary reality or the origin of man which for some is God or spirit and for others, matter or energy. Questions of Worldview also include the need to understand who a human being is, the definition of true nature and the meaning and destiny of mankind. Since we talk about the human person we also look at the basis on which we establish our morality and ethics; how we decide what is right or wrong and how we define our codes of conduct. In fact Wordviews are constructed within the self and how we look at the outside world based on our own cultural constructs. It is interesting for instance to ask ourselves as to what is the basis of our beliefs about truth. How do we justify or verify our knowledge and the process of knowing what we think we know.
Today our tribal societies are experiencing a culture war which is nothing but a clash of Worldviews. The young no longer unconditionally respect what their elders say. One scholar said, “How can an educated person listen to an illiterate uncle with archaic ideas whose worldview has not evolved with time? Even if we listen we may not necessarily act on what we hear.” This indeed is an interesting juncture – a clash between traditional worldviews that have refused to change and an evolving, modern worldview based on western philosophical and political thought. But somewhere between the two the twain should meet otherwise society will develop a vertical split and enter into a period of chaos. This is what seems to have afflicted Garo society today, as indeed the Khasi and Jaintia society.
So how are Worldviews formed? They are imbibed and absorbed from parents, family and society, very often unquestioningly because we have tended to put a premium on the wisdom received from elders. Indeed the cultural and spiritual values handed down by our ancestors have stood the test of time and hold good even today. On reading the Garo texts and narratives I came across some value systems which are similar to those of the Khasis such as the one pertaining to “earning righteousness.” This term encompasses so much. A person earns righteousness not by living a secluded life but always in relation to his/her interface with family, clan members, neighbours and the larger society and how the actions of the individual affects others. The Garos believe that if they do good their spirits will live on in some form. In fact they believe in a number of deities and spirits, each one relating to a part of their lives. A presentation by Dr Fameline K Marak says A.chiks strongly believe in gods and goddesses and perform various rituals to protect their land and to take care of their water. They are protected by their gods from enemies and diseases. According to A.chik belief Goera Kalkame the god of strength and power lives in the forest so they clear the jungle where it is believed to reside once or twice every two years. Marak says she collected much of her narratives from the elders in different parts of Garo Hills. The A.chiks are convinced that gods/goddesses are averse to any impurity and profanity in the conduct of humans in their day to day life. Therefore a purification ceremony precedes every important ritual, ceremony or festival so that the villagers are fit to receive the divine deities and intermingle with them. This ritual of purification is known as A.siroka (I apologise for the lack of the dot in the middle on my computer which is a vital part of Garo/A.chik script). They also believe that excess rainfall or droughts are caused by evil spirits but can be corrected by appealing to the good deities.
Dr Barbara Sangma spoke of the sun god and the god of fertility known as Misi Saljong who first gave them paddy seeds. Before that man fed himself only with hairy yam so the gods took pity on man and gave him paddy seeds to plant but extracted a promise that he would remember Misi Saljong at harvest time every year. This is why the Wangala is celebrated to thank Misi Saljong and Rokkime the mother goddess of paddy. A.chiks believe that Rokkime returns to her abode in the oceans after the harvest. To the philosopher Rokkime would seem like an avatar of goddess Durga.
In another paper by Colnat B Marak reference is made to the supreme god called Ba.bra or Tatara Rabuga Stura Pantura who assigns his work to several other deities. Ba.bra is known by different names according to the nature of his functions. What is interesting is the importance given by the A.chiks to the gong which comes in several sizes and is part of their rituals. It is made of bell metal, copper or bronze. This reminds us of the gongs in Buddhist monasteries but that is not surprising considering that the A.chiks trace their descent from Tibet and even claim to have brought their agricultural implements along with them when they decided to settle where they are today.
In the light of these beliefs and value systems attached to right and wrong actions, one wonders how the pantheon of deities and Tatara Rabuga would view the nature of the violence being perpetrated by A.chiks on A.chiks and non-A.chiks. Have these belief systems weakened because of the impact of Christianity which seems to have simplified the very idea of worship. Indeed a question was raised by Prof Sujata Miri as to how the youth today spend their time when all the rituals that were part of the indigenous belief system have been considered as pagan practices after the A.chiks accepted Christianity.
Perhaps there is a call to interrogate what it is that has gone wrong in A.chik society? Was there this level of greed and corruption in the past? If there were such rigorous cleansing rituals for every deviant act committed, can we imagine what it must take to cleanse the A.chik society today of the horrors of violence and extortion that has made life so unsafe and almost unliveable?
The scholars who attended the workshop had to undertake a rigorous journey through the non-existent Nongstoin- Shillong Road to come to Guwahati. They could not take the Tura- Guwahati road because of the violence created by the Rabhas along Goalpara district. It is a sad commentary on our governance system that in so many years our A.chik brethren still need to traverse via Assam to come to a part of their own state. What sort of cleansing rites can we envisage for those who claim to be their leader ?