Don Bosco Project to preserve cultural practices of Maram
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 15 2013:
Documentation of traditional, customary and cultural practices of Maram tribe, which is still considered as Primitive Tribal Group (PTG), has been successfully conducted under the initiative of NEC Don Bosco Project, Don Bosco community Information centre, Museum (Shillong) with the active support of Maram Students' Union (MKS).
For the documentation which was carried out for two days, volunteers of MKS, which has keen interests on cultural awakening of Maram tribe, collaborated with the Project Officials in collection of various datas/artefacts from Maram ancestral villages of Maram Khullen and Willong Khullen, which is famed for the historical stone monoliths.
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The series of interviews conducted also dwelled on several aspects of Maram tribe including traditional dress & ornaments and significances; food habits; family and social structure, mythical story of origin; composition of clan/lineages/surnames/titles; customary practices of marriage, death, birth rituals and different stages of life cycle; puberty rites; traditional festivals, songs and dances; relationship with other communities; traditional institute of learning; primary occupation and tools used; landownership system; indigenous religious belief and supreme duty; political set up of village republic besides other hosts of ancestral insights and how they have changed today.
The NEC Don Bosco Project is being implemented through the Deptt.
of Arts and Culture, Meghalaya.
Don Bosco Centre for indigenous culture (DBCIC) is an anthropological and Cultural museum.
The museum based in Shillong was inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi on 5th March 2010 with its mission to preserve, promote people's culture and display different cultural artefacts thereby providing an overview of the whole of Northeast India under one roof.