By H H Mohrmen
Rivers no matter how big or small they are, have their own charm which fascinates people and that that is why some describe rivers as majestic, magnificent, gorgeous and what have you. In the tribal culture rivers are not just rivers; they are held in high esteem and they are even worshipped as deities. But the other features of rivers which is unique only amongst the Khasi Pnar is that they have stories. The stories are not inert but people continue to make stories about their connections with the river. In every river that flows from the hills to the plains, it is not only water that flows in the river but stories too flow seamlessly along the river.
One of the very important rivers in Jaintia Hills is the river Myntdu It starts from a village in the suburbs of Jowai town and even the name of the village is derived from the river. The place where the source of the rivers is located is considered sacred by the followers of Niamtre in the village known as Mihmyntdu or the source of the river Myntdu. From Mihmyntdu the river flows around Jowai almost encircling Jowai town. It is also worshipped as a deity by the people who live in Jowai town. Because it flows around Jowai almost encircling the town, it is also called ‘ka tawiar ka takan’ or that which encircles and protects the town. In many cases the river is being meta-physicised or considered as human by the people who live on the banks. Stories were woven around the river’s personality.
There are many more stories which have a connection specific to the locals of the area along which the river flows, but these are only few that were collected by the writer. As the river flows south, a very prominent segment of the river near the bridge over the Jowai-Shillong road called Ka Lamenchi. A few hundred meters down the Chah-tngit and Ka Lamenchi is a popular site where followers of Niamtre perform various sacrifices.
Chka Jwai the confluence of the river Myntdu and the river Myngkrem which is the first major tributary of the river Myntdu is another important part of the river. People who follow the indigenous faith avoid frequenting the river Myngkrem and it is a taboo to even go fishing in the river. This perhaps is because the upstream of the tributaries there is a part of the river which is called ‘ka Riang Khangnoh’ which according to folk stories is a place where ‘ka Beipun Rangkit’ died of suicide.
The segment of the river where the first bridge on the Jowai-Dawki is located is called Tre-ïong riang. This perhaps also has connection with the story of the Beipung Rangki. Whether Riang Khangnoh or Tre-ïong riang has any connection with the famous lady from the Sookpoh clan ka weipun Rangkit is still a question. Few meters down the river is another segment of the river known as Thwai u Diren. Recently the Jaintia Fishing and Environment Protection Association constructed a check dam on this portion of the river and called it ‘ka dam ser’ now because of an image of a deer was made near the dam.
As the river flows, the next part of the river is called Mupiah. It is a very important part of the river because till today, it is the only source of drinking water for the residents of the entire Jowai town. The next important part of the river Myntdu is ‘ka Ram pyrthai’ where one of the four important deities of ‘ki soo dwar sooluti’ known as Mutong is located. Mutong also has its own unique story as one of the deities which guards and protects Jowai.
This write-up stresses more on the stretches of the river Myntdu which are connected with two very important stories in Jowai. The part of the river where the fish sanctuary is located comprises of two important sections of the river, ‘ka Syntu Ksiar’ and ‘ka Madiah kmai Blai’ and these two parts have their own stories. Ka Syntu Ksiar or the Golden flower is a heart wrenching story of a mother whose name is ka Syntu Laloo from the Ïawchibidi clan who lost her son in the misfortune that happened in this place a long time ago. It is said that while the mother was busy in the paddy field near the river, her son who was playing nearby disappeared. She was engrossed with her work so she completely forgot about her son. After sometimes when she looked towards the direction where she had left him, the boy had disappeared.
She left her tools and ran towards the place where she last saw him but her son was nowhere to be seen. He had drowned in the river. She was shocked beyond words. The grief- stricken mother was inconsolable at her loss. Heartbroken, a few days later the mother too jumped into the river and died and it is said that after a few days a beautiful golden coloured flower appeared in the middle of the river. Since then the place is called Golden flower from the unfortunate incident which had happened in this particular portion of the river. This story is told by Lammatoo Laloo one of the kñi (uncle) of the Laloo clan in Jowai.
The other part of the river is ka Madiah Kmai Blai and this is connected to the story of the great freedom fighter of the Pnars of Jaintia hills whose name is u Kiang Nangbah. U Kiang Nangbah was from the Soo Kpoh clan and led the rebellion against the British which ended in 1862. The story has it that in the beginning when the Pnars were under the dominion of the British rule they were fed up with the high-handedness of the British officers and the imposition of the illegal tax on the commoners. They finally decided to rebel against the British government but they were without a leader then, so the people from the twelve elekas or regions decided to meet on the banks of this river to choose a leader to lead the rebellion.
U Kiang Nangbah a young man from Jowai who is from the Sookpoh clan was unanimously elected to be the leader, but before he could be accepted to lead the fight, he needed to come up with evidence that he has the blessing of the gods and the ancestors to be that leader. So to prove that he was divinely ordained, U Kiang Nangbah dived into the river and stayed there for quite some time and then came out with a twig with three branches.
U Kiang Nangbah explained that the twig and the three branches have their own unique messages. The main stem which supports the three branches stands for the land of the 12 dalois (the other name of the hilly part of the Jaiñtia kingdom), the first branch stands for ‘unity’ of the land, the second branch for the love for one’s country, the third branch symbolised the trust that the people need to help one another. His fellow leaders believed that it was an indication that he had the blessings of the gods to lead the rebellion. Unfortunately, the British were able to suppress the rebellion and u Kiang Nangbah was hanged to death on the December 30, 1862 at Ïawmusiang market.
After ka Madiah kmai blai there are other names by which the segment of the same river is known and these names also have stories of their own like ‘ka Lynter’ and others. The portion of the river near Ïalong which is known as ‘ka Kaikso’ is connected with the Dhar clan and it is also considered as the deity of the clan. ‘Sahksaw, Sahpseñ and ka kchaid Rynji’ are important sections of the river Myntdu which is located in the raid Tuber area. The famous Lechka hydro electric project is also on the river Myntdu. Downstream before it enters Bangladesh the river is known as Ka Tisang by the people on the India-Bangladesh border. Myntdu has a special connection with the people who live downstream as they lovingly call the river ka ‘beipun’ or grandmother.
Myntdu and other rivers in the Khasi Jaintia regions as they flow down to the plain also take their stories with them. Not only the water but the stories too flow along with the rivers.