By H.H. Mohrmen
All the villages and towns in the Khasi Jañtia hills region of the state would have stories of how the village or town was started; unfortunately, most of these communities have lost their stories. The villages or towns that still have monoliths, stones, or natural phenomena connected with the place, would of course, continue to have those stories. In the West Jaintia Hills, Mustem, Muphlang, Moosakhia are cases in point where villages’ names are linked with stones or monoliths, and the stories still linger. Similarly, there are villages in both the Pnar and the War Jaintia areas which are prefixed with Um or Am, would certainly have a connection to the river or lake nearby. Jowai has always had a strong connection with the river Myntdu, but unfortunately, the river which provides drinking water to the townsfolk and also feeds the two rice bowls of the town called Pynthor wah and Pynthor nein is under threat now.
The Beginning of Jowai and the Meaning
of the Name
Unlike modern towns and cities where we have records of the date when the place was established, Jowai, like any other town or city, is traditionally a village that has existed since time immemorial. The history of the village cannot be established, but oral narratives will, to some extent, complement the missing gap. There is no way one can establish the date or the year when the place was first settled because of the lack of historical records, but fortunately, thanks to the tradition of keeping stories, we know how this place was first peopled. Jowai is perhaps an anglicized name of Jwai because the locals still pronounce it as Jwai. However, there is another interesting dimension to the name of the town as perceived by others or their immediate neighbours. The people of Nangbah village still call Jowai ‘Ïuwai,’ which literally means ‘something to open with/tool to open’ or a key. Jowai, which is the name of the town, is known as ‘Pna’ to the War Jañtia people of Amlarem Subdivision. Similarly, the people who live on the plateau or the Pnar are also called ‘Pna’ by the people on the southern slope.
The Four Guards of Jwai
Jowai has four natural monuments called ‘ki Soo duar soo luti’ or the four doors, four pathways, or corridors. They are called the four doors and the four entry points because the monuments are located in all four wind directions. They are ‘u Mooralong, u Mookhai, u Moosniang, and u Mutong,’ and these are also considered as deities because sacrifices are still being offered to them by the followers of Niamtre. They are believed to be the guardians of the village which protects the place from epidemics and attacks by enemies. It is believed that whenever attackers from other territories approach Jowai, they would sound an alarm to make the residents of the area aware and become alert to the danger that approaches.
The Legend of the Four Divine Progenitors
Jowai may not have a history of how it was started, but like any other old human settlement in the area, there is a story of how people came to first live in the place. Perhaps it is this story which also gives the place a primeval status. According to oral narratives, the first settlers of the area were the four divine sisters, who are believed to be (chiteiñ i bru, chiteiñ i blai) half-human half-divine by the name of ka Bon, ka Teiñ, ka Wet and the Doh. From these four sisters derived the four clans and then the twelve sub-clans, and hence the general name given to this clan is “ki soo kpoh khat ar wyrnai” or the four natal clans and the twelve sub-clans. Other clans which came to immediately settle in the areas were those who entered into matrimony with the four original clans. Subsequently, other clans came to settle in the area, and that is how the place was initially peopled.
Jowaites seize
Iawmusiang
According to oral narrative, Iawmusiang, the premier market of Jaintia hills, was originally located at Nangbah village, and there is evidence to corroborate this narrative. There is a place in Nangbah village which still bears the name Iawmusiang. The story has it that the elders of Nangbah sold the market to the elders of Jowai, and since then Iawmusiang, the main market in Jaintia hills, was shifted to Jowai. The evidence which corroborates the story is at the Iawmusiang locality in Nangbah, where there is a collection of monoliths linked with the market deities. Although Iawmusiang is not physically located at Nangbah, the Daloi of Nangbah still today offers worship to the deities. Now there are two localities in Jaintia hills named Iawmusiang: one in Jowai and another at Nangbah.
The Three Sections
of Jowai
The other unique aspect of Jowai is that the town was traditionally demarcated into two sections, and this happened with the advent of Christianity. The new section of the town is called Pohskur, and the old part of the town is called Pohchnong. “Skur” is a term given to those who have converted to Christianity because Christians are also generally called “ki skur” or school, maybe because they started schools or they were the first people in the area who attended schools. In Jowai, when one is asked about her religion, unlike in other places where the question would be “phi la long Niam ne em?” in Jwai the question is “man skur mo man chnong phi mo?” because “Chnong” is the term given to the followers of Niamtre.
History has it that the new township started when the missionaries converted new followers, and most probably they were ostracized by the community. It could also be that the missionaries wanted them to be secluded from their relatives whom they considered as heathens and uncivilized. The missionaries moved them to the area where they lived, which is now called Pohskur, and immediately provided them with a place of settlement. Now there are three sections of Jowai: the old part of Jowai called Pohchnong, the Pohskur or Christian settlement, and now there are new localities spread across the entire town.
The Aspect of Nature
One of the prominent natural phenomena in Jowai is river Myntdu, which is also called ‘ka tawiar takan’ in local parlance. If we loosely translate the Pnar words ‘Tawiar takan,’ it means that which surrounds and guards the area which is now a township. Myntdu, which flows around Jowai almost in a full circle, is considered a guardian angel of the town, and sacrifices are also still being offered to the deity. If any follower of Niamtre has to cross Myntdu to travel to other places, he/she would offer a silent prayer of protection even when traveling to other territories. The other natural phenomena in Jwai are the sacred forest like the Khloo lyngdoh, Khloo Ram-pyrthai, and Moolikso.
The Plight of River Myntdu
Although river Myntdu is considered to be sacred by the people of Jowai, yet the river is under threat now. It is on the verge of becoming like the Wah Umkhrah, and all thanks to the PWD department which has designed and aligned the road along the banks of the river. The engineers did not take into consideration the impact that construction of the road would have on the river. Roads can be constructed anywhere, but can we make another river? Once the road is constructed, then houses will start coming up along the road, and the river will die a natural death and turn into a drain.
Isn’t it a Case of Violation of Court Order?
A few months back, the CEO of Jowai Municipal Board made public the High Court order which banned any construction within 50 meters from the banks of the river, which was also carried by The Shillong Times. Despite the High Court order, the construction of the road is still being carried out. Is the PWD, or for that matter, even the District Administration not aware of the court order? Can they feign ignorance of the important court order? And what about the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, which is the custodian of rivers as per the Sixth Schedule? If the construction of this road is not stopped, then the MDA government and the local MLA of Jowai will be remembered as people responsible for authorizing the construction of the road which ultimately killed river Myntdu. They are the people who hit the last nail on the coffin of river Myntdu.