Speak Your Roots

Tag: um

  • “Ka Um Bad Ki Deiriti Ha Ka Meirisawkun” (Water and Culture In the Environment) (Volume II, 2008)

    Ïa kine la sot na ka lynnong "Ka Um bad Ka Tynrai ki Kyrteng Kur" (Water and Origin Of Clan Names) na ka kot Ka Um bad ki Deiriti ha ka Meirisawkun by Dondor Giri Nongkhlaw (2008):

    Katkum u Spiton Kharakor (1981) ha ka kot jong u "Ki Khun ki Ksiew a Hynñiewtrep" la shem ba don ki kur ba la ïoh kyrteng na ka um, ka wah, ka myn bad ka am.

    Ki kur ba la sdang da ka 'um' na khmat ki don khadlai kur bad kine ki long ka kur Umbah, Umblah, Umdong, Umdoh, Umdor, Umdung, Umyiap, Umladkur, Umlong, Umsong, Umsohbar, Umthlu bad Umwai.

    Ki kur ba la sdang da ka ktien 'wah' ki don khaddar kur bad kine ki long ka kur Wahksi, Wahksing, Wahlang, Wahlang mawleiñ, Wahlang pahsyntiew, Wahlang ryntathiang, Wahrait, Wahrih, Wahrit, Wahshah, Wahshrieh bad Wahspeh.

    Ki kur ba la sang da ka 'am' na khmat ki don shiphew kur bad kine ki long ka kur Amkhlaw, Amkhlow, Amksang, Amkoi, Amded, Amdep, Amora, Amse bad Amwai.

    Nangta sa ki kur ba sang da ka 'myn' ki don jin haduh arphew hynñiew kur bad kine ki long ka kur Mynbah, Mynbon, Mynkseh, Mynieng, Mynjar, Mynnar, Myniar, Mynrap, Mynriang, Mynrieng, Mynriem, Mynring, Mynsang, Mynskut, Mynsni, Mynso, Mynso-shangpung, Mynsong, Myntdu, Mynteng, Mynthang, Mynthliang, Mynthlong, Mynthlu, Mynthong, Mynthui bad Myntlang.

    Ban sngewthuh ïa kane ka jingïasnoh ka kyrteng kur bad ki jnit ka mariang bad ruh bad ki deiriti ngin ïa shim tang kawei ar tylli ki kur kum ka nuksa.Tharai, lada ngi shim da ka kur Amkhlaw, Umyiap, Wahksing bad Mynthlong ka biang ban ïa batai bad pyni nia.

    Kat kum ka tyllong kyntien ka kur Amkhlaw ka long ka kyntien ba la oh na ka 'am' bad 'khlaw'. Kane ka pyni ba ka kur ka don jingïadei bad ka um bad ka khlaw. Baroh ar, ka um ne am bad khlaw, ki dei ki jnit ka meirisawkun, kaba mut, lehse, ba ka kur Amkhlaw ka long ka kur kaba la buhai nyngkong ha ka jaka ba jan ka um bad ka khlaw.

    Ka kur Umyiap, katkum ka tyllong kyntien, ka thew ka um bad u shyiap kiba baroh ar ki long ki jnit ka meirisawkun, ha kaba lah ban long ba kine ki kur ki la buhai nyngkong ha ki jaka ba don ka um bad u shyiap.

    Nangta, ka kur Wahksing, katkum ka tyllong kyntien, ka long ka kur ba la ïoh kyrteng na ka wah bad ka ksing. Hangne, ka wah ka long ka jnit jong ka meirisawkun, katba ksing pat ka dei ka bynta jong ka deiriti. Kumta kane ka kur ka la oh kyrteng kur na ka wah bad ka ksing. Hangne ksing ka thew ïa ka deiriti put deiriti tem.

    Nangta ka kur Mynthlong, ka pyni ba ka kur ka long kaba pyndonkam um, kaba pyndonkam thlong ruh. Hangne thlong ka thew ïa ka deiriti dung kum ka dung kba, dungnei, dungsoh bad ter ter. Namarkata ngi donkam ban nang ïaleh ban wad ban thud ïa ki kyrteng, ïa ki jingmut bad thymmei ki kyrteng kur.

    The following is taken from the chapter entitled "Ka Um bad ka Tynrai Ki Kyrteng Kur" (Water and Origin of Clan Names) from the book Ka Um bad ki Deiriti ha ka Meirisawkun by Donor Giri Nongkhlaw (2008).

    Nongkhlaw cites Spiton Kharakor (1981) from his book Ki Khun Ki Ksiew u Hynñiewtrep where he discusses how some clans received their names from the words "um", "wah", "myn" bad "am".

    The clan names that start with the word "um" are 13 in number and some of them are Umbah, Umsong, Umyiap and Umthlu.

    The clan names that start with the word "wah" are 12 in number and some of them are Wahlang, Wahrait, Wahshrieh and Wahksing.

    The clan names that start with the word "am" are 10 in number and some of them are Amkhlaw, Amkoi, Amdep and Amksang.

    Finally, the clan names that start with the word "myn" are 27 in number and some of them are Mynring, Mynsong, Mynrieng and Mynthlong.

    To understand the connection between the clan name and the elements of nature, Nongkhlaw looks at four clans to discuss this.

    The clan name Amkhlaw comes from the words "am" and "khlaw". This shows that this clan must have settled near "um" or "am" which is water and "khlaw" which is forest.

    The clan name Umyiap refers to "um" that is water and "shyiap" which is sand. This shows that the clan must have settled in a place which has water and sand.

    The clan name Wahksing comes from the words "wah" which means river and "ksing" which means drum. "Wah" is connected to the environment and "ksing" is related to the tradition of music.

    Finally, the clan name Mynthlong comes from the words "myn" which is connected to the use of water and "thlong" which is the traditional mortar for pounding and grinding used by the Khasis. The mortar is a symbol for the traditions of pounding rice, sesame seeds, fruits and others.

    Ka Um Bad Ki Deiriti Ha Ka Meirisawkun (Water and Culture On the Environment)(Volume II, 2008) by Dondor Giri Nongkhlaw is such an interesting book with great information on the intrinsic value of water and the environment to Khasis! 🌅🌅

    🟡 English translation by @speakyourroots

  • Khasi Waterlore by Margaret Lyngdoh

    Water among the Khasis has divine/ordinary forms. In ordinary form, it is called Um, its secret name in ritual is Ñiaring- although this is not the complete name & I cannot reveal it here. In Khasi war cosmology, rivers carry the "seeds" of ancestors, while the megaliths represent the "bones" of the ancestors

    Ha ki Khasi, ka um ka don ka jingkyntang kaba na u Blei bad ka don ruh ka jinglong kum kiwei kiwei ki jingthaw ha ka pyrthei. La khot ïa ka, ka "um" bad la khot ruh ïa ka ha ki jingleh niam kum ka 'Ñiaring”. Ha ki Khasi, ïa ka jingbatai shaphang ka jingpynlong ïa ka pyrthei la ngeit ba ki wah ki dei ki symbai jong ki longshuwa bad ki mawbynna ki dei ki shyieng jong ki longshuwa.

    Among the Nongtrai, Lyngngam, & Muliang Khasi, the divine form of water is Ñiangriang. Among Khynriam Khasi, U Sangriang Um is said to be the father of Thlen. But in northern Khasi hills, in Jhare name magic, water is Ñiaring. The following narrative is recorded from deceased hare practitioner Marcus Lapang.

    "In the olden days, the true name of water was Ñiaring. The older sister of air, Ñiaring was confined to one place by the supreme being. In her place of confinement, her sorrowful cries could be heard.

    The Council of the Supreme Being was convened and there it was decided that Ñiaring should be freed to flow into all the earth. So the Riew Ramhah, or Pantia, appointed by the gods began to clear the earth thereby making channels for Ñiaring to flow into the world. They were created solely for this task. Neither human, nor spirit, the supreme being never made any other use of them and we don't know where they are today. The Khasi lands as we know them today are so hilly & uneven because Ñiaring had to be allowed to flow out into the world. After she was freed, Ñiaring tied a Jutang or a covenant, whereby she agreed to help mankind in any way that she could and she could go where she was needed in Khasi lands.

    Ñiaring made the promise that she would cleanse and purify from illnesses, that may be caused by beings whom she contains & nurtures. In return, mankind agreed not to be cruel or violate her. Water came before Lukhmi, the spirit of paddy (rice grain). When Ñiaring became free, the sounds of her sorrow turned into music & joy as she flowed over the rocks & mountains, which then became her musical instruments. Every water body is the road, the pathway of the Ryngkew (guardian deity of a place in nature) and Basa (the deity of water). We see the water flowing by, but we never see it return. But it returns & it goes back. Ñiaring has 30 kinds of entities, including fish, which live inside her and she offered to cleanse any human being afflicted by any of the entities who live inside her.

    The Puri, or water nymph/ spirit is one of the entities belonging to Ñiaring. Ñiaring also harbours inside her, evil spirits, & other non-human entities (ki ksuid ki khrei). This is the reason why Jhare magical practioners, using Ñiaring to heal illness caught from water. It is necessary to sacrifice to Ñiaring, a female white chicken, or white she-goat in times of necessity. But this sacrifice should never be performed continuously, but only when the Jhare practitioner tells you to do so.

    "Khasi Waterlore" by Dr. Margaret Lyngdoh @lieng_makaw. Thank you so much for sending an in-depth and insightful entry! 🙏🙏😃😃

    This entry is contributed by Dr. Margaret Lyngdoh, University of Tartu. Design and layout has been done by Talilula @thelazyscribbler

    Khasi translation by @speakyourroots

    No part of this material may be reproduced in any form without the consent of the author. All material for this content has been collected through primary fieldwork.