A:bang of the Misings

Abstract

A:bang, pronounced as /aːbaŋ/, are the priestly songs sung by the people of some of the Tani community. They are mostly sung by the Adis, Galos/Gallongs and the Misings. These lyrical rhapsodies give us a description of the evolution and migration of the Tani people. The songs not only focus on migration of the Tanis, but the development of people in general. The aːbangs have their own variations based on the tribe. The Mising aːbangs are mostly sung by the priests, referred to as “Mibu Aːbangs” and these are sung on the occasion of poːrag^[i], domestic puja which are done for the goodwill of the family and other such occasions. The aːbangs are an under-researched area, and coming from the under-developing and endangered communities, it makes the aːbangs more vulnerable to getting extinct. An introduction to the a:bangs of the Tani community is interpreted which includes the explanation of the deities as well as the migration of the Tani community.

Key Wordsː Aːbangs, Mising, Tani, Mibu, Linguistic, Stylistic, Culture

1. Introduction

Mising is a Tibeto-Burman language of North-East India. Branching out from the Sino-Tibetan language family, Mising has six distinct dialects: Pagro, Délu, Moying, Dambuk, Sayang and Oyan. Three other regional dialects include Bangkual, Samuguriya and Tamargoja. The dialects show a range of diversity among themselves. Mising was considered to be an endangered language in 2006. But recently, in 2009, UNESCO reconsidered it to be an under-developing language with an approximate of 6 lakh speakers. Very little research has been done on the language, however, there are a few linguists who have been contributing towards the portrayal of the language. The evolution and migration of the Misings can be traced through the a:bangs.

A:bangs are priestly songs written and sung in proto-tani language. However, an authentic display has been made by the Tani languages where we can trace the individuality of the a:bangs. Mibus are the priestly class of people of the Mising community and the hymns they sing are referred to as “Mibu A:bangs”. These priestly hymns are sung even by mibus of the sister languages of Mising- namely Adi and Galo/Gallong. The Mibus give the description of the advancement of the “tanis”, i.e. humans in Mising, through these hymns. In Adi, it is mostly prominent among the pa:dam, pa:si and pangngi communities. 

Very few tani speakers can understand and explain the meaning  behind the verses. The a:bang is an under-researched area and it needs attention. The main reason behind the plunge is the indifferent attitude towards the traditional system. That is why, a detailed research has to be done to reflect upon the legacy of the tribe which is rich in culture to draw the attention of the people towards these songs before they become extinct. 

2. Statement of the Problem

The main problem behind the shrink of the a:bangs is the decreasing number of people who could interpret these lyrical rhapsodies. Another dominant issue is the declining number of a:bang reciters. Distant stance toward one’s own roots adds to the emergence of the research. Hardly any research has been done on the aːbangs due to which it has not been able to reach the ears of the common people. For this reason, the researcher has tried to evaluate the current scenario of the aːbangs by carrying out a comprehensive linguistic study of the priest songs.

3. Literature review

A qualitative approach has been taken to acknowledge the a:bangs that are prominent to the Mising, Adi and Galo communities. Some of the esteemed singers of the a:bangs are Talom Rukbo, Omad Dai, Madhav Pegu and Birason Bori. Talom Rukbo was the founder of animist spirituality Donyi-Po:lo^[ii] in Arunachal Pradesh. He gained many followers among the Tani community. He condemned the Christians for their implementation of the corrupted conversion policy. 

Many books have been written to keep the history of the community alive and some researchers have devoted their life to understanding the semantics of the lines. Some of the prominent books dedicated to the a:bangs are Mising Ni:tom  by Nahendra Padun (2005), Mibu A:bang by Suren Doley (2007) and Mising Bhasha and Sanskriti by Dipok Kumar Doley (2020). 

4. Research Methodology

Five a:bangs constitute the data of this research. The verses have been taken from Suren Doley’s “Mibu A:bang”, Dipok Doley’s “Mising Bhasha and Sanskriti” and Nahendra Padun’s “Mising Ni:tom”. The purpose behind this study was to trace the evolution and migration of the Misings by understanding the lyrics of the a:bangs. A descriptive approach has been taken while conducting the research. A comprehensive study of the linguistic features have been taken into account, where the researcher has discovered metaphors, repetition and rhyme-scheme which makes the lines more pleasant to the hearers. The a:bangs not only give us a detailed study of the lords and the evolution of the Tanis but also the culture and heritage of the community which are no longer seen physically. Through these pieces, the earliest stage of the community, the valuable things that are symbolic to the community can be traced. If one wants to get to the roots of the community, one should begin the study by understanding the a:bangs. 

5. About the aːbangs

A:bangs can be monotone or ditones. (Padun:2005) Monotone means a continuous sound which remains unchanged even in pitch and portrays no intonation. Ditone is an interval of two tones. 

The a:bangs are sung in different types. Three of the prominent ones are:

1. Short description
2. Tunes
3. Social occasion

The Misings and the Adis perceive that they have been brought to this Earth by Pédong /pədɔŋ/. Pédong, the creator of the humans, as believed by the Tanis comes after Yépé /jəpə/. A chronological order of the expansion of the gods and goddesses of the indigenious community is given belowː

Yumkang<Kéyum<Ka:si<Siyan<Anbo<Bomug<Mukséng<Sédi<Dílíng<Líːtung<Tuːye <Yepo<Pédong 

A short description of each of these deities can be found in the aːbangs. People try to dig into their ancestors’ clan through these aːbangs. In this case, no music or tunes can be found. These are done in a way similar to chanting mantras.

The second type is the one where minimal tunes can be found. In this type, the aːbangs are narrated from top to bottom.  

The third type takes place on social occasions. On social gatherings such as festivals, domestic puja, etc. these aːbangs are chanted by the mibus. The head of the mibu is assisted by írgíng /ɨɾgɨŋ/. The head chants a line, then the followers repeat after him. In this way, the head of the mibus narrate the stories hidden in the aːbangs and the others repeat his words. Bachelors and damsels play a huge role in helping out the mibus on such social occasions.

5.1 Mibu Aːbangs

Another distinctive performance by the Mibus is the Mibu Daknam or Mibu Sumnam. This dance is performed with the help of the youths of the village. In the Mising community, if a person or village is suffering from a disease, this dance is performed. It is believed that ancient gods possess the body of the Mibu which makes him dance and prognosticate the future of the person/village. This kind of prophecy is executed after a conversation with the lords. An excerpt of that is given belowː

(1)

Ato go togo

Togo go togo

Guːmína soyinga

Togo go togo

Lédí meloké

Karsing kartakké

Kari toréːnok

Yumgé namonoé

Símong sído

Boːmong lotuso

Lémiyo umdané

Boggo gulíto

Guːmíne nolum

Poːmin tomgé dung.

(Doleyː2007)

The meaning behind the above verse is that the Mibu is asking the Lord to express His desires. The Mibu unfolds that if the Lord commands His wishes, a pig would be bestowed in His name. 

If the Lord reveals His identity, the above verses would be performed again.

5.2 Interpretation of the Mibu Aːbangs

The aːbangs are also known for their surreal way of depicting the peculiarities of the Lords. Akosinna /akɔsinna/ is the creator of the universe. He is believed to have emerged the Earth into its earlier form of water and water vapour. Lord Dising dried the Earth from the earlier form of water and gases and created Tangké /taŋkə/ (dove) bird to test the Earth. Sédi-Mélo /sədi məlɔ/ shaped the entire flora and fauna but could not give life to it. Karsing-kartak is the one who gave life to the living beings. 

5.3 Instruments 

The instrument used by the priests is sikora da i.e. yoksa /jɔksa/. The a:bangs are not limited to the male counterparts of the community, females play an equal role in the performance of these priestly verses. The instrument which is used by the man is called yoklíng /jɔklɨŋ/ and the one used by the woman is called sai /saj/. Da is basically a backsword but it is not pointed, the tip of the sword slants a little creating a D shape. The blade is straight with minimal curving which can be seen upon careful observation. The blade is connected to a wooden hilt and some circular rings are attached to the blade. The rings make the sounds of an anklet which is played during the narration of the aːbangs. Different types of such swords are used in the community for different purposes. Some of the aforementioned swords are listed belowː

1. Yoklíng /jɔklɨŋ/ ː This instrument or sword is used by the male mibus.
2. Sai /saj/ː This instrument or sword is used by the female mibus.
3. Sargen /saɾgɛn/ ː This sword can be used for any purpose.
4. Saːtum /saːtum/ ː This sword is used for combats.
5. Sarok /saɾɔk/ ː The priests used this sword. 
6. Saːde /saːdɛ/ ː This sword is is used exclusively to keep the bad spirits away. 

Here, we can say the Misings are highly involved with these swords and the importance of them cannot be neglected. The swords play a vital role in maintaining the culture of the community. The following excerpt gives us the glimpse of the creation of the Mibus which can be seen in one of the aːbangs.

(2)

Sirki naːna

Naːné bétta

Regamé naːna

Regamé baːba

Sidé didum sidona

Mising sílong

Mising yumdoy

Abo taniːmé

Rulob gégeːla

Néni tarungém

Kéni nérílo

Írgé gétung

Silo boːmo lotuːso

Néːni gomtagém

Léni bélmsém

Lablen bokuika.

(Doleyː2007)

Meaningː The aːbang says that the great Lord has not only given life to the Mother earth but also created the priestly Mibus. The mibus are grateful to the Lord for this supreme profession. As a result, the mibus execute the mibu dance in sync with the youths of the village. 

6. Linguistic analysis of a:bang

The a:bangs are sung in a rhythmic way. They depict untold stories about the migration and evolution of not only the Tani community but humanity in general. While conducting the research on the a:bangs, the researcher has found numerous stylistic and discourse devices. On probing, it can be seen that almost every a:bang has a rhyme scheme and repetition. A comprehensive study of the linguistic features is studied to carry out this research.

(3)

Pékamai kamdangai

Koloːpi koloːpi

Kamdangai Líːtungai

Koloːpi koloːpi

Délukí gaːnéki

Koloːpi koloːpi

Geːrobé dungkuné

Koloːpi koloːpi

Omum yaːme ngolu

Koloːpi koloːpi

Taniyé taorké

Koloːpi koloːpi

Moːdeiyé sidopé

Koloːpi koloːpi

Dekpíng tokíbong

Koloːpí koloːpí

(Doleyː2007)

Meaningː Pékam /pɛkam/ refers to the bird, little cormorant (pani kauri). Kamdang /kamdaŋ/ is the male cormorant and Lítung /lɨtuŋ/ is the female one. The reciter is asking the bird about its whereabouts and where it is leading. Délu /dɜlu/ is the archaic name in Mising society for the river Lohit. Here, the reciter asks the mighty river where it is flowing to. The reciter questions again that you have woken up and now you are flapping your wings to fly away, but where will it end up. The reciter continues by saying that the youths (omum /ɔmum/-damsel, yaːme /jaːmɛ/ -bachelors) are now leading with everyone out there and the good people have reached their destination, which is the Mother Earth. Omum is a proto-tani form of mímbír /mɨmbɨɾ/ (damsel), the proto-form is still used in the Sayang dialect of Mising.

Analysisː Rhyme scheme ABAB in first four lines. Repetition is seen after each line. Metaphor can also be seen in these verses, as the river is being asked about waking up and flapping wings. Thus, distinguished features in this particular aːbang incluse rhyme scheme, repetition and metaphor.

(4)

Ako sinnang

Ané sanggeya

Poːlo orum so

Doːnyi orum so

Rugji merang sido

Aːla kaːpo molangka

Tatpo molangka

Mising siːlong

Donyi ao ngo

Poːlo orumngo

Poːlo orumso

Sidé léningo

Tombi dungku

Nyusiko tabi

Omum ao ko

Doːnui kangi néko

Poːlo kangé neké

Siloké bélammem

Tani taro ao ngom

Banji oírrém

Érman bokui

Panang oírém

Írman bokui

Ruktag piːrom

Loglíg géla

Sidé nom

Bigé duːnéké

Esar bibila

Lémi seri motakkui

Lakpong seri motakkui

Bumbo sibiyem

Aying reiki mokuibong.

After the completion of the Mibu Aːbang, Mibu dance is performed. The aːbangs are known for their complexity, intricacy and meaningfulness. The tunes to these aːbangs are tranquil and no tempestuous movements should take place during the dance. They are religious songs and the people who partake in those recitations heed to the words with utmost sincerity. Some excerpts from the recitation sthat are performed during the dance are given belowː

{5(i)}

Piːmuglo pingkolo réllé réllé

Nébiro birkolo réllé réllé

Piːpang dokkébo réllé réllé

Ngomang dokkébo réllé réllé

Rukko gélígé réllé réllé

Pominém mingeːla réllé réllé

Meaningː Piːmug /piːmug/ is the name of a plant that has long leaves. The reciter is asking his friends to go the land where these piːmug plants are found so that they can dance along with these leaves as the wind blows. Réllé réllé /ɾɛllɛ/ /ɾɛllɛ/ is a phrase which is used to depict happiness. It can be seen as a repetition in the given verses. 

{5(ii)}

Léréliːlo boggo régamai kouwa

Donyi-Poːloké ruːnamé ríprísígné auwa

Sékkai ngodaːné régamai kouwa

Síːmongoi ngodaːnoi rípoːrísígné auwa

Omum ngodané régamai kouwa

Dírbíké bílípé ríːporísígné auwa

Meaningː Léréli /ləɾəli/ means shore. Donyi-Poːlo is the Sun and the Moon, whom the Misings worship. Here, the reciter is saying that we, the children of Lord (Donyi-Poːlo) are the honest devotees of Donyi-Poːlo. So let us go to the shore and celebrate the cause. 

Analysisː Rhyme scheme is AAA AAA. Repetition after every alternate line. 

7. Results and Conclusion

A detailed analysis of the a:bang has been carried out to represent the current state of the language and the archaic one spoken by the ancestors. It can be deduced after the study that the Sayang dialect of Mising show less deviation from the Proto-tani language than the other dialects of Mising. An example for the English equivalent damsel is given in the Mising dialects.

The bilabial nasal /m/ has retained the sound in the recent form. So, they can be considered as reflex sounds. This research study is focused mainly on the priest songs which are called aːbangs and these songs can help us trace the evolution of the Tanis. It is evident after the study that the aːbangs not only depict the creator of the Tanis- Donyi Poːlo (the Sun and the Moon), but the evolution of Mother Earth and the people in general. Some native instruments like yoksa are used while reciting these hymns. 

Some prominent stylistic features like repetition and rhyme scheme can also be seen in the verses.

However, the decreasing number of a:bang reciters and the lesser empathy towards this particular cultural aspect has led to the decline of the a:bangs. They dwindle in size, however, have not died yet and can be preserved if studied and safeguarded. 

References

Doley, Dipok Kumar. Mising Bhasha and Sanskriti . Hazarika Printing Press, 2020. 

Doley, Suren. Mibu A:bang. 2007. 

Padun, Nahendra. Mising Ni:Tom. 2005. 

^[i]  Every village celebrates their own po:rags after a gap of four years. It is observed for a period of three days. On the first day, the mibus sing mibu a:bangs, foresee the future of the village and pray for the well-being of the villagers. On the second day, the nearby villagers come to celebrate the po:rag with the host village. The third is celebrated for the daughters of the village who have been wedded to distant places. On that day, the daughters of the village come back to celebrate the occasion. 

^[ii] Donyi-Po:lo means the Sun and the Moon. The followers of Donyi-Po:lo pray to the Sun and the Moon. The indigenous communities of Assam and Arunachal pradesh, mainly the people from the Tani community follow this animistic religion.