By H H Mohrmen
When our kids were young we consulted our family physician about the need to administer our kids, local medicines particularly ‘dawai khniang sohpet’ (medication related to the umbilical cord) which is popular among the Khasi Pnar community. The doctor questioned us on the need to administer the medicine and also said that he had studied medical science and had not found anything like ‘khniang sohpet’ throughout his medical studies. He also asked us as to why would God be so cruel as to curse us with a disease which is not found elsewhere.
It was Dr Glenn Kharkongor the Chancellor of Martin Luther University who during my research told me that such ailments are classified under ‘Cultural Syndrome,’ because it is unique only to the specific culture. Therefore ‘khniang sohpet, u Thlen and other disorders fall under such categories. We have heard about U Thlen and the story of how the demon came to live with humans, but there are other health disorders particularly those which affect the mental wellbeing of the individual in the society. Some of those are ‘ka Taro,’ ‘ka sabuit’, ‘ka bih, ka kymbat’ etc.
Unlike u Thlen, in the case of ‘ka Taro’ which is prevalent amongst the Pnars, it is believed that humans are possessed by spirits, but it is mostly the female victim would be in delirium. In such cases it is believed that the victim takes on the personality of the Taro keeper, speaks in her voice and behaves like the keeper too. The Shaman using his charm and magic would try to extract as much information from the victim this possessed by the Taro. The spirit would reluctantly identify herself and reveal the keeper’s identity and would also cite reasons as to why she came to possess the victim. The victim throughout the ordeal will not only take on the personality of the keeper but she would replicate the keeper’s traits and even speak in her voice. The victim who is possessed becomes just the body in which the spirit of the Taro keeper temporarily lives.
I guess this is called split personality or Schizophrenia but the victim would only heal if and when the keeper accepts that the Taro belongs to him/her and welcomes the spirit back. The moment the Taro keeper accepts the spirit and welcomes it back the spirit leaves the body of the victim and he/she is released of the possession and falls. This is a sign that the spirit has left the victim. ‘Shah bat Taro’ or being possessed by the Taro used to be one of the health problem prevalent in the society. It also became a social problem which affects the relationship between the family of the victim and the keepers.
Then another tradition which has some psychological element to it is; “Ka lai blai or ka hiar blai.” Lai blai or hiar blai literarily means when the Gods visit. Ka blai is a person who is believed to possess special powers to communicate with the gods. It is believed that the women (ka blai) can also act as an intermediary between those in the physical world and those in the world of the spirit. The women who can ‘hiar blai’ or become possessed by the spirit can transcend from the material to the spiritual world to help the people who come to seek her help.
People would visit the woman when they have problems such as a sickness or family problem. She would get into a trance and communicate with the spirit and then reveal the causes of the problem. She would even suggests remedial measures to cure the sickness or to get rid of the problem from the victim, but she is not a Shaman although she prescribes medicines.
‘Sabuit’ or what they call ‘ka Ske’ in Pnar is a kind of a curse that is cast on others by those with an evil spell. Sometimes it is unintended may be because person who has the spell casts an evil eye on someone. One would see a plates erected by farmers in their garden with words ‘phuit ka sabuit’ in Khasi hills or ‘phui ske’ in Jaintia hills inscribed in them. These are not scarecrows meant to scare birds from infesting the garden, but are meant to protect the plants from the evil spell cast by those with an evil eye. These were erected to drive away evil spells which could also fall on the fruits and vegetables in the garden and not on humans only.
People with the power to cast a spell (chong ske) can badly affect plants in the garden. If they cast their spell on a person he/she can fall ill. Only some people have the power to cast the spell (em ske), while some people have a lighter version of the spell which is not harmful and it is called ‘ka ske-khmat’. Ske mostly cause sicknesses which are related to food or stomach ailments. It is believed that it can also cause the plants in the garden to wither and die instead before they can flower or fruit.
‘Ai Ksuid or leh/e stad’ in Pnar means casting evil spirits on a person that one hates or one’s enemy and unlike in the case of ‘Sabuit/ske’ when the evil spirits is called on a victim, he/she suffers and in some cases can even die. When two or more people are in a dire and uncompromising relationship, they would visit the Shaman and pay him to cast an evil spirit on their enemy. Similarly people would visit the Shaman if they feel that something is not right and the Shaman will call on his patron to find if somebody has cast an evil spell on them. The evil spell will cause ill health and ill fortune and the affected person or family will have to rid itself of the evil spell and hence has to engage a shaman to do the job.
There are places which are considered to be bad and evil and people avoid visiting or would even refrain from passing through the place (i thaw wa sang). People avoid the places because it is believed that evil spirits or ghosts dwell in the area and if anybody happens to pass through the area, then the evil spirit would cast its spell on the person (rap ka ksuid) and he/she would fall sick. The ghost or the evil spirit can only be cast away by the Shaman who can summon a spirit much more powerful than of the one that caused the illness.
Apart from places which people consider as cursed or as dwelling places of the dark spirits there are also places which only some clans are forbidden to walk on or visit. Different clans have different places which are considered to be a taboo for the member of the clan to visit or even pass through the area. It could be a water body, a place or any natural phenomena and the evil spirit will be upon those members of the clan who violate the taboo. In some cases even sacred groves can cast evil spirits on those who oppose and violate the conventions maintained by the community.
‘Ka Bih’ or what is known as ‘ka Kymbad’ in Jaintia hills is another evil phenomenon which is caused by people who keep this kind of evil spirit. Like Taro and Thlen, it is believed that certain family keep the Kymbad or the Bih. It is believed that those who keep ka Bih or Kympad can lay evil their spell on the food that a person eats and make those who consume the food to suffer and sometimes even die. Therefore people avoid eating from people they suspect of keeping the Kymbad for fear of getting affected by the food they are served. Amongst the Pnar there is an ordinary Kymbad and there is a very potent one known as ‘Kymbad Khangtleiñ’ and Cancer is now considered as Kymbad Khangtlein.
‘U Symphut or u Suid Tynjang’ is a good spirit which only plays trick with its victims. The power of its spirit is only temporary and it seldom causes any harm or injury to its victims. These are some of the health issues that people face and medical science has no cure if one suffers from the spell because it is unique only to the culture of the Khasi Pnars only.