Tribal hand woven fabrics of Manipur
- Part 17 -
By: Mutua Bahadur *
RITUALS CONNECTED TO TRADITION
Most of the tribal communities in Manipur use a separate cloth for the death ritual. The Vaiphei women wear a cloth, the Thanso Phunvek (Fig. 154) particularly while participating in the funeral rites of persons of great valour. Sometimes men also wrap this cloth round their body at the same occasion. But Thanso Phunvek is not allowed to be worn at other times by either of the sexes.
In the hills of Manipur before the advent of Christianity, the dead was wrapped in a specified cloth prior to burial in the grave. Still today, the Purum (Korn) bury their dead after the body is wrapped in a cloth known locally as Jamsil; it is then tied with a thread which is thick enough to last long.
Weaving of Khoinganlu, a cloth of the Maring, is started after performing a ritualistic rite known as Yupanthaba. Every year, the Maring keep Khoinganlu near the main pillar of the house and pray to the Almighty for welfare of their families. When an able Maring man dies, his body is wrapped in Khoinganlu in a crosswise manner and buried.
The tribal people of Manipur bury the dead with cloths. They prefer woollen cloths to cotton cloths for day-to-day use. But for the funeral ceremonies, cotton cloths are generally made and kept ready beforehand.
The Kharam of Kharam Pallel have a belief that, if they have given woollen cloth to the dead, the departed soul will face problems when it reaches the land of the dead, for the animals will claim the cloth to be theirs and forcibly take it away from the man. But animals have no right over the cotton cloth. So, to avoid possible mishap, the Kharam make cotton cloths an essential article in burials.
The Anal offer cloth at the temple of Wangbren at the time of merrymaking of the said Meitei deity. It is because of their belief that an Anal girl was married to Wangbren. So they consider it their duty to gift a cloth at this function in the name of the Anal girl.
See a gallery photo of Tribal hand woven fabrics of Manipur here.
To be continued ....
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* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on May 13, 2013.
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