OLAC Record: Thakna – About the Sahwi Shai (Wihu song)

OLAC Record
oai:www.mpi.nl:tla_1839_238e5c26_3db8_4a3c_b290_be7a1f8c011f

Metadata

Title: Thakna – About the Sahwi Shai (Wihu song)

Contributor (compiler): Stephen Morey

Contributor (consultant): Thakna Joglei

Coverage: India

Date Created: 2012-11-12

Description: Three recordings in which Mr Thakna Joglei talks about the Sahwi Shai (Wihu song) This consists of one video file and 2 sound files: nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_JVC_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai nst-jog_20121112_02_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai The details of these recordings are as follows: nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_JVC_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai_Duration 6’05”, About magic; also recorded as nst-jog_20121112_02_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai.wav, the second part of a long discussion of the background of the Sahwi Shai nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai_Duration 14’52”, About various things relating to the Sahwi Shai. He was asked originally about why in the recording of Sahwi Shai from Kantang the thread (raiban) was standing up. In this and the next recording there were three important things 1) Sahwi Shai and Shamma 2) Headhunting. The head which is gained will be hung above the steps. That place is called wurang 3) How we poison the enemy spiritually or through magic. This was the demonstration on the video The detailed description of the contents of this recording is as follows. First of all Thakna Taikam GB was asked about the standing up of the raiban in the Kantang Wihu song. he answered that you have to make the raiban thread on his leg – if he has nephews (children of his sister) who are 5 in number then 5 have to be made to be tied in the wrist to bless them. 0’43” He said that in the Sahwi singing, earlier people would dream, like a vision, and the words of the song would come in a dream, and whatever he or she had dreamed it would be sung. 1’05” This is a spiritual teaching, this is why he knows. 1’16” For the performance of the song, for this spiritual work, it would necessary to drink a little wine (chhol). 1’39” chingchoi pong, the red flower, should be put on the nge ‘cane basket’ 2’00” This song is sung generally in the Sahwi Kauk (festival) only, and the chingchoi pong is addressed along the lines of ‘you are very much beautiful, you have having a beautiful red (shang) colour, everybody likes it.’ 2’30” When the season comes, your colour is giving a very beautiful red colour and nam ‘sesame’ is also dried when the weather is not rainy, likewise you are very beautiful. This is addressed to the chingchoi pong. 2’55” The one who is singing Sahwi song is God gifted and selected. Not everyone is selected. He gave the example that in each clan only one Sahwi / Wihau singer would be there. In Joglei there will be only one, in Mossang only one, only the selected person will be gifted. 3’08” He says that God has gifted in our Joglei clan, to my brother, but my brother refused to do it. 3’35” In other tribes also they have their own singers, gifted in that way. Sahwi-Wihau and Sammah are God gifted. If in the Sammah song rice is asked for, rice will surely be given, if tobacco is asked for, it will surely be given. 4’02” In Shammah, if one person is sick, then the Shammah will cure the sick person by sucking on the part of his body that is in pain, and he was suck out something like mud or stone. 4’35” The stone or whatever was sucked out, will be taken out and put onto a piece of broken plate, called tikah, and together put on the charcoal and burned on the fire. 4’42” If he got the sickness from the jungle or from mud, then a plant called khok rim will be put on the back of the sick person and shaken and the poisons or black charcoal will come out. 4’57” He said that he has seen this, he saw this done and it was really amazing. 5’26” Sahwi is the God of rice (cham koutai), literally ‘owner of rice’ 5’36” Sahwi is the mediator between people and rice, and Shammah is the mediator for thang ‘evil spirit’, ‘spirit’. 5’46” Sahwi is used to tell the origins of cham ‘rice’ but when Sahwi used to say that, then there was a disturber (shanra), that used to disturb the Sahwi when he sang this. 6’00” When Sahwi tries to say something good, then Shanra used to deny these things and complain in a negative way. 6’16” When they made a mat of cane, then Shanra used to disturb, saying that he is trying to make cane not in a proper way. He said “I am Shanra, I am a lazy person, I am a carnivore, very much like to eat meat, I am like a crow (Wokha).” 6’49” The crow in song is called khala “You crows you are the hungry creatures, you Shanra you are the laziest persons”. This is said at 7’11” 7’17” While making cane, Sahwi understood that Shanra always used to disturb him, so silently he prepared and completed a cane basket (nge) and Sahwi will say that “Oh let us go” to some other place, and Shanra, without getting any information is not well prepared and he was not able to make that cane and couldn’t complete it. 7’50” Sahwi thinks that Shanra should not follow him when he goes. If he goes along then again Shanra will disturb. 8’05” When spiritual power was given to Sahwi, he will act as a tiger, and act like a wupoi, one of the birds in the hilly places. 8’41” We will act like a tiger, and make a sound like the tiger or wupoi. [Thakjung added: “In our Tangsa society with tiger the old person or maybe judges or village would become a tiger (kvphai), when the elder gets in a trap he may jump or roll like a tiger”] 8’46” kvphai is difficult to translate into English, it means that a spirit, perhaps evil, will possess a person 8’56” He said that he himself had got possessed by such a spirit, but when I got converted, this thing has been left behind. dung wa det wa ‘leader in society’. 9’16” It is a fact that really this thing had happened. And this person will know what the tiger is doing, he will know when the tiger is biting a wild boar, he becomes totally a tiger. But the person will also know. 9’35” If the tiger kills a buffalo, the possessed person will also know that I have killed that buffalo. 9’46” If the tiger eats a buffalo and vomits it, then the person will also vomit; if he eats a full stomach up to the next he will vomit it. If the tiger ate a wild pig then the man will vomit out wild pig in reality. 10’10” About headhunting and gathering of slaves. Headhunting is done for the achievement of prosperity and health. Sacrifice is needed for healing and health. 10’41” For the sacrifice blood is needed, that is why headhunting was done in the society. 11’28” Flesh is also needed. If I don’t get a slave to sacrifice this year, then I have to purchase it from other persons. They might sell just a small portion, like a small piece of human flesh. The meat was a lower price than fingers. 11’53” And this meat, after performing the ritual, the meat will be put it on lung lang, at the outskirts of a the village, there is a stone and on that stone the meat is buried down there. 12’07” About bulshung which is magically killing others. 12’26” In reality ginger would be used and put into water, in order to curse the enemy. [In his demonstration he was using charcoal for the example] 13’40” That bulshung, the person who is to be cursed. He knows that in that village the enemy has two or three family members. The members are also counted and that number of pieces of ginger are cut. 14’03” If there are five persons they will cut five pieces of ginger (tsing keng). 14’25” Contains the words that would be said while putting the ginger in the water, he would say some words about the enemy “He has done this wrong thing in this way, he blames me” and so on. This is a curse. 14’32” Repetition of the curse. nst-jog_20121112_02_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai_Duration 7’21”, Continuation of the previous; and related video recording – this is about magic. The details of the contents of this recording are as follows: 0’15” He said “If my nephew said some bad things to me, or maybe other persons, or my relatives or behaved badly in some way, then that particular person’s name will be called up in this ritual and cursed in this way. 0’39” Examples of bulshung curse. The cup of ginger will be put on the soltu, on a ritual wooden post that would be put nearby the house. At the foot of the soltu the soil will be dug up and the ginger buried by one or two leaves. 1’00” More examples of the curse, which are given using the person’s name, and after saying their names will bury the ginger. And the whole family will be cursed. If there are five members, the ginger will be cut into five pieces, if six then six pieces and so on. 2’01” If a person has not done any wrong, then the ginger will float, but if he has done wrong, the ginger will sink inside the cup. If it floats they would try to sink it with a stick, called wilau, a pointed stick, like a needle, very sharp. 2’24” Those who are guilty, the ginger will sink directly. But those who have not done wrong, it will flood. 2’35” After testing that, he will name the people while putting the ginger.’ 2’56” He will name every member of the family, this is the father, this is the son, this is the sister &c. 3’11” They will wrap the ginger in three leaves and bury beneath the soltu post. 3’35” This thing will be buried while everyone is sleeping in the middle of the night silently, and he will pour the ginger water. 4’05” There are two kinds of tree that are used. The keroi is used for other rituals, but for bulchung the kapkoi tree would be used for that soltu post, whereas generally the keroi is used. So if people see the kapkoi, they know that someone has been cursed, that something has been done in this family. 4’35” This is repeating some of what was already said. 6’01” After performing these things, then silently or quietly they will go back into the house and will not speak to anyone. It is done before the sunrise. Then follows a summary 6’32” Some speaking by SM – tape accidentally left on.

Format: video/mp4

audio/x-wav

Identifier (URI): https://hdl.handle.net/1839/238e5c26-3db8-4a3c-b290-be7a1f8c011f

Is Part Of: DoBeS archive : Tangsa, Tai, Singpho in North East India

Language: Tase Naga; Tangsa - Joglei variety (general name Jugly)

Language (ISO639): nst

Publisher: The Language Archive, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

Subject: Tase Naga language

Tangsa - Joglei variety (general name Jugly)

Subject (ISO639): nst

Type (DCMI): MovingImage

Sound

OLAC Info

Archive: The Language Archive

Description: http://www.language-archives.org/archive/www.mpi.nl

GetRecord: OAI-PMH request for OLAC format

GetRecord: Pre-generated XML file

OAI Info

OaiIdentifier: oai:www.mpi.nl:tla_1839_238e5c26_3db8_4a3c_b290_be7a1f8c011f

DateStamp: 2022-09-12

GetRecord: OAI-PMH request for simple DC format

Search Info
Citation: Thakna Joglei (consultant); Stephen Morey (compiler). 2012-11-12. DoBeS archive : Tangsa, Tai, Singpho in North East India.
Terms: area_Asia country_MM dcmi_MovingImage dcmi_Sound iso639_nst

Inferred Metadata
Country: Myanmar
Area: Asia

http://www.language-archives.org/item.php/oai:www.mpi.nl:tla_1839_238e5c26_3db8_4a3c_b290_be7a1f8c011f
Up-to-date as of: Tue Sep 13 8:36:38 EDT 2022

Metadata
Title:		Thakna – About the Sahwi Shai (Wihu song)
Contributor (compiler):		Stephen Morey
Contributor (consultant):		Thakna Joglei
Coverage:		India
Date Created:		2012-11-12
Description:		Three recordings in which Mr Thakna Joglei talks about the Sahwi Shai (Wihu song) This consists of one video file and 2 sound files: nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_JVC_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai nst-jog_20121112_02_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai The details of these recordings are as follows: nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_JVC_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai_Duration 6’05”, About magic; also recorded as nst-jog_20121112_02_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai.wav, the second part of a long discussion of the background of the Sahwi Shai nst-jog_20121112_01_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai_Duration 14’52”, About various things relating to the Sahwi Shai. He was asked originally about why in the recording of Sahwi Shai from Kantang the thread (raiban) was standing up. In this and the next recording there were three important things 1) Sahwi Shai and Shamma 2) Headhunting. The head which is gained will be hung above the steps. That place is called wurang 3) How we poison the enemy spiritually or through magic. This was the demonstration on the video The detailed description of the contents of this recording is as follows. First of all Thakna Taikam GB was asked about the standing up of the raiban in the Kantang Wihu song. he answered that you have to make the raiban thread on his leg – if he has nephews (children of his sister) who are 5 in number then 5 have to be made to be tied in the wrist to bless them. 0’43” He said that in the Sahwi singing, earlier people would dream, like a vision, and the words of the song would come in a dream, and whatever he or she had dreamed it would be sung. 1’05” This is a spiritual teaching, this is why he knows. 1’16” For the performance of the song, for this spiritual work, it would necessary to drink a little wine (chhol). 1’39” chingchoi pong, the red flower, should be put on the nge ‘cane basket’ 2’00” This song is sung generally in the Sahwi Kauk (festival) only, and the chingchoi pong is addressed along the lines of ‘you are very much beautiful, you have having a beautiful red (shang) colour, everybody likes it.’ 2’30” When the season comes, your colour is giving a very beautiful red colour and nam ‘sesame’ is also dried when the weather is not rainy, likewise you are very beautiful. This is addressed to the chingchoi pong. 2’55” The one who is singing Sahwi song is God gifted and selected. Not everyone is selected. He gave the example that in each clan only one Sahwi / Wihau singer would be there. In Joglei there will be only one, in Mossang only one, only the selected person will be gifted. 3’08” He says that God has gifted in our Joglei clan, to my brother, but my brother refused to do it. 3’35” In other tribes also they have their own singers, gifted in that way. Sahwi-Wihau and Sammah are God gifted. If in the Sammah song rice is asked for, rice will surely be given, if tobacco is asked for, it will surely be given. 4’02” In Shammah, if one person is sick, then the Shammah will cure the sick person by sucking on the part of his body that is in pain, and he was suck out something like mud or stone. 4’35” The stone or whatever was sucked out, will be taken out and put onto a piece of broken plate, called tikah, and together put on the charcoal and burned on the fire. 4’42” If he got the sickness from the jungle or from mud, then a plant called khok rim will be put on the back of the sick person and shaken and the poisons or black charcoal will come out. 4’57” He said that he has seen this, he saw this done and it was really amazing. 5’26” Sahwi is the God of rice (cham koutai), literally ‘owner of rice’ 5’36” Sahwi is the mediator between people and rice, and Shammah is the mediator for thang ‘evil spirit’, ‘spirit’. 5’46” Sahwi is used to tell the origins of cham ‘rice’ but when Sahwi used to say that, then there was a disturber (shanra), that used to disturb the Sahwi when he sang this. 6’00” When Sahwi tries to say something good, then Shanra used to deny these things and complain in a negative way. 6’16” When they made a mat of cane, then Shanra used to disturb, saying that he is trying to make cane not in a proper way. He said “I am Shanra, I am a lazy person, I am a carnivore, very much like to eat meat, I am like a crow (Wokha).” 6’49” The crow in song is called khala “You crows you are the hungry creatures, you Shanra you are the laziest persons”. This is said at 7’11” 7’17” While making cane, Sahwi understood that Shanra always used to disturb him, so silently he prepared and completed a cane basket (nge) and Sahwi will say that “Oh let us go” to some other place, and Shanra, without getting any information is not well prepared and he was not able to make that cane and couldn’t complete it. 7’50” Sahwi thinks that Shanra should not follow him when he goes. If he goes along then again Shanra will disturb. 8’05” When spiritual power was given to Sahwi, he will act as a tiger, and act like a wupoi, one of the birds in the hilly places. 8’41” We will act like a tiger, and make a sound like the tiger or wupoi. [Thakjung added: “In our Tangsa society with tiger the old person or maybe judges or village would become a tiger (kvphai), when the elder gets in a trap he may jump or roll like a tiger”] 8’46” kvphai is difficult to translate into English, it means that a spirit, perhaps evil, will possess a person 8’56” He said that he himself had got possessed by such a spirit, but when I got converted, this thing has been left behind. dung wa det wa ‘leader in society’. 9’16” It is a fact that really this thing had happened. And this person will know what the tiger is doing, he will know when the tiger is biting a wild boar, he becomes totally a tiger. But the person will also know. 9’35” If the tiger kills a buffalo, the possessed person will also know that I have killed that buffalo. 9’46” If the tiger eats a buffalo and vomits it, then the person will also vomit; if he eats a full stomach up to the next he will vomit it. If the tiger ate a wild pig then the man will vomit out wild pig in reality. 10’10” About headhunting and gathering of slaves. Headhunting is done for the achievement of prosperity and health. Sacrifice is needed for healing and health. 10’41” For the sacrifice blood is needed, that is why headhunting was done in the society. 11’28” Flesh is also needed. If I don’t get a slave to sacrifice this year, then I have to purchase it from other persons. They might sell just a small portion, like a small piece of human flesh. The meat was a lower price than fingers. 11’53” And this meat, after performing the ritual, the meat will be put it on lung lang, at the outskirts of a the village, there is a stone and on that stone the meat is buried down there. 12’07” About bulshung which is magically killing others. 12’26” In reality ginger would be used and put into water, in order to curse the enemy. [In his demonstration he was using charcoal for the example] 13’40” That bulshung, the person who is to be cursed. He knows that in that village the enemy has two or three family members. The members are also counted and that number of pieces of ginger are cut. 14’03” If there are five persons they will cut five pieces of ginger (tsing keng). 14’25” Contains the words that would be said while putting the ginger in the water, he would say some words about the enemy “He has done this wrong thing in this way, he blames me” and so on. This is a curse. 14’32” Repetition of the curse. nst-jog_20121112_02_SM_T_Thakna_AboutSahwiShai_Duration 7’21”, Continuation of the previous; and related video recording – this is about magic. The details of the contents of this recording are as follows: 0’15” He said “If my nephew said some bad things to me, or maybe other persons, or my relatives or behaved badly in some way, then that particular person’s name will be called up in this ritual and cursed in this way. 0’39” Examples of bulshung curse. The cup of ginger will be put on the soltu, on a ritual wooden post that would be put nearby the house. At the foot of the soltu the soil will be dug up and the ginger buried by one or two leaves. 1’00” More examples of the curse, which are given using the person’s name, and after saying their names will bury the ginger. And the whole family will be cursed. If there are five members, the ginger will be cut into five pieces, if six then six pieces and so on. 2’01” If a person has not done any wrong, then the ginger will float, but if he has done wrong, the ginger will sink inside the cup. If it floats they would try to sink it with a stick, called wilau, a pointed stick, like a needle, very sharp. 2’24” Those who are guilty, the ginger will sink directly. But those who have not done wrong, it will flood. 2’35” After testing that, he will name the people while putting the ginger.’ 2’56” He will name every member of the family, this is the father, this is the son, this is the sister &c. 3’11” They will wrap the ginger in three leaves and bury beneath the soltu post. 3’35” This thing will be buried while everyone is sleeping in the middle of the night silently, and he will pour the ginger water. 4’05” There are two kinds of tree that are used. The keroi is used for other rituals, but for bulchung the kapkoi tree would be used for that soltu post, whereas generally the keroi is used. So if people see the kapkoi, they know that someone has been cursed, that something has been done in this family. 4’35” This is repeating some of what was already said. 6’01” After performing these things, then silently or quietly they will go back into the house and will not speak to anyone. It is done before the sunrise. Then follows a summary 6’32” Some speaking by SM – tape accidentally left on.
Format:		video/mp4
Format:		audio/x-wav
Identifier (URI):		https://hdl.handle.net/1839/238e5c26-3db8-4a3c-b290-be7a1f8c011f
Is Part Of:		DoBeS archive : Tangsa, Tai, Singpho in North East India
Language:		Tase Naga; Tangsa - Joglei variety (general name Jugly)
Language (ISO639):		nst
Publisher:		The Language Archive, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
Subject:		Tase Naga language
Subject:		Tangsa - Joglei variety (general name Jugly)
Subject (ISO639):		nst
Type (DCMI):		MovingImage
Type (DCMI):		Sound
OLAC Info
Archive:		The Language Archive
Description:		http://www.language-archives.org/archive/www.mpi.nl
GetRecord:		OAI-PMH request for OLAC format
GetRecord:		Pre-generated XML file
OAI Info
OaiIdentifier:		oai:www.mpi.nl:tla_1839_238e5c26_3db8_4a3c_b290_be7a1f8c011f
DateStamp:		2022-09-12
GetRecord:		OAI-PMH request for simple DC format
Search Info
Citation:		Thakna Joglei (consultant); Stephen Morey (compiler). 2012-11-12. DoBeS archive : Tangsa, Tai, Singpho in North East India.
Terms:		area_Asia country_MM dcmi_MovingImage dcmi_Sound iso639_nst
Inferred Metadata
Country:		Myanmar
Area:		Asia