Social Folk customs of the Sonowal and Thengal Kacharis

by Suravi Gohain Duwarah | 2022 | 50,902 words

This essay studies the customs and folk traditions of the Sonowal and Thengal Kacharis of Assam—both of Mongoloid origin and part of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family. These tribes possess rich customs, traditions, and oral histories. This study explores the similarities and differences between the Sonowal and Thengal Kachari tribes by emphasizin...

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Part 2.4 - Death rituals (of the Sonowal Kacharis of Assam)

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[Full title: Customs reflected in Life Cycle Rites (4) Death rituals]

The rituals observed at the death of a person are more or less same among the Hindus. There are some unique customs which are practiced among the tribes. The study reveals these unique custom and belief among one of the largest plain tribe of Assam i.e. the Sonowal Kacharis.

When a person dies in a family, they have the custom of taking out the dead body to the courtyard of the house. They take out the dead body from the backdoor of the house and lay down the corpse is a ‘dhari’ and light an earthen lamp near the deceased person. The relatives and the family members give honey, milk, water for the last time and the dead body is wrapped with a white cloth.

Before taking the body to the cremation ground they bathe the person and put a new dress in the body. An informant^[1] informed that as soon as the nearby people comes to known about the demise of a person, they immediately come to the house of the dead and the villagers make all the arrangements to carry the deceased. They make a ‘changi’ to take the dead body. Before the taking away they have some other custom. Those who have a bharal in their houses they do this. They take three bunch of rice from the bharal and pass through the fist of the deceased person. While doing so the small amount of lakhimi left is then again kept in the bharal. This custom is known as ‘Lakhimi era’. They also hang a white piece of cloth at the entrance of the bharal before the dead body is carried away. The Sonowal Kacharis believe that if they follow this custom then the Lakhimi will not go away along with the dead because Lakhimi seems to be auspicious or lucky for each family. Then the dead body is kept in the changi and is carried to the place of cremation. The family members and relatives bow down and take the blessings before the corpse is taken for cremation.

The bamboo used for making the changi should be of the same plant. The changi is turned upside down and the body is placed there. Preferably the eldest son take a ‘kheror Jumuthi’, a da and the relatives and the family members carry the changi of the deceased body follows him to the place of cremation.^[2] He is known as ‘Jolot lua’.

Regarding the rituals of the dead bodies among the Sonowal Kacharis it has been said that earlier they had the system of burying the bodies. As stated by Gagan Chandra Sonowal, ‘In the past, instead of cremation of the corpse there was the system of ‘Pera diya’. In this system the body is laid is a pera and then buried. The cremation of the dead bodies has come into practice from the last part of the seventeenth century.^[3]

The Sonowal Kachari have the custom of burying the corpse of a person who die in snake bites, one who gets drowned, and suicidal death. They also bury the dead body of young ones and one who has not-taken ‘Xarana’.^[4] These are some of the special cases in which they do the burial. Otherwise the dead body is cremated by the Sonowal Kacharis now-a-days.

While cremating the dead they have many customs. They have the custom of digging a hole in the earth in east-west direction of the place in the shape of ‘+’ sign. The funeral pyre is made ready by putting four poles in the four corners and then two ‘gors’ are laid above the pit. Then they lay bamboo and then wood. After each pile of wood ‘kukur xuta’ is laid down. In this way seven to nine pile of wood are placed. When the funeral pyre is ready, they the person who is said to be the Jolot lua move round the funeral pyre for seven times. Then the dead body is undressed and placed in the pyre. The custom differs with regards to the gender of the corpse. If the dead one is a male then the body is placed upside down and if the dead one is a female just the opposite is done. Above the dead body a pile of wood is again placed and at last the people who are present there also give a wood in the pyre.

The person who takes the ‘Jolot diya’ who carries a jur goes to the eastern side of the pyre. He then turns his back and the ‘jur’ is moved forward and backward for seven times and throw that into the pyre. Then the people present there give fire to the funeral pyre. They wait till the body burns completely. The family members pour water and carry the ‘asthi’ in a bamboo tube or in an earthen pot. There is another custom of giving ‘Jui pani’ those who return from the cremation ground. The informant Numal Sonowal of No. 1 Holokhoni village informed that ‘Xanti Jol’ is prepared by dipping tulsi, dubori bon and gubor pani and they give this to the people who return from the cremation ground. He also informed that the persons who carry the changi stay at the deceased person’s house and on the third day after having ‘Xanti jol’ they can return. After the ‘tilani’ finishes at night they give a feast to the village people with fish.

The death rites are performed into two systems by the Sonowal Kacharis. One is Behari and the other is Henduriya. The followers of the Behari system do everything by a ‘gyati’. On the other hand the Henduriyas perform these rituals with the help of a Brahmin and some do it in the presence of a Medhi.

Tilani:

On the third day, they have the custom of ‘tilani’ in both the Henduriya and Behari system. The family members and the relatives remain in fasting till the third day. On the day of ‘tilani’ the purification takes place by washing of clothes and cleaning the house. They have ‘Xanti jol’ on this day in order to sanctify themselves and they have pithaguri along with milk and break the fast.

The Beharis perform the ‘tilani’ in the presence of some elderly people. The ‘Xanti jol’ is prepared by using mod with tongloti paat and they sanctify themselves.

Earlier the Sonowal Kacharis did not perform ‘doha’ or the tenth day.

They did that according to their convenience. Sometimes in a month and sometimes after six months they performed the death rituals. But after the influence of Vaishnavism a change has been noticed in their rites and rituals.

During the field study an informant^[5] informed that the Henduriyas have a custom known as ‘kol kata’ and ‘kereha dhora’. They have a custom of cutting bananas for the ‘doha’. The day from which they cut the banana the family is again considered to have ‘sua’. If anybody visits their house then they have to sanctify themselves. Another ceremony known as ‘kereha dhora’ is also prevalent among them. He said that three bhakats come and one of the sons of the deceased person’s family is given new clothes to wear. In his head a cotton cloth is wrapped and he has to remain in fasting till the ‘doha’. He has to do this for four days and or the fifth day his hair is shaved off.

Behari Doha:

On the tenth day of the death of the person, the rituals of doha is conducted by the Sonowal Kacharis. On the previous day the village people gather and make the arrangements for doha. Several items are required for this ceremony Ten garlands, ten bundles of nine koupat in each, twenty bahor sunga, pieces of ‘outenga’ tied with a ‘tora’ rope. The items which used to be the favourite of the deceased person is tied together and offered for ‘Pinda’. The Beharis offer a red hen and a feast is given to the relatives and the village people.^[6]

They have the custom of offering oblation near a river or any such source of water to the deceased soul. They make a ‘robha’ near the river by using three poles of ‘nol’ inserted into the earth and the ‘maroli’ is given by ‘nol’ itself. The leaves of nol serve as a roof. The Sonowal Kacharis have the custom of purifying the place under the robha by sprinkling pithaguri and akhoi. Then they offer the articles meant for the pinda in betu paat and tongloti paat are spread in rows. Plantain leaves are placed over the tongloti leaves and they offer nine shares to Napurukh, one share to Basumati and the other to the ghatuyoi. They offer water and wine in each share in a bamboo tube. They have the custom of giving a garland in each part and the person who offers the pinda sits in a dhari made of nol. The people who are present there give blessings to him. The act of offering pinda finishes by drifting away the shares in the water.

The doha is done by the followers of the Behari system in a different way than the Henduriyas. The Beharis offer sixteen articles which were used by the deceased person during his/her lifetime. The articles are a dhoti, khoram, dhari, lakhuti, sati, ghoti, kerahi, heta, kahi, bati, kotari, khundona, saki, gosa, garu, gamusa etc. If the deceased person is a male then they offer a japi instead of a sati, and in case of female offer a mekhela or ekhetiya instead of a dhoti. These are the customs of Behari system of doha among the Sonowal Kacharis.

Henduriya Doha:

The Henduriyas conduct doha on the tenth day and kaaj in a month. But changes are observed in the celebration of the kaaj. Now-a-days some of them prefer to do on the eleventh day or immediately after the doha. They have the custom of offering pinda near a river like the Beharis do. But the entire process of giving pinda is done either by a Brahmin or by a Medhi. The goods used for giving pinda are ghot, xendur, maah, til, moujul, ghiu, seni, gur, gakhir, doi, aam paat, belpaat, mola, borpaat, aahot paat, joripaat, tulsi, joha chawal, phul, mung, kuhiar, tamul-paan, kesharu, sesur, xilikha, aam khori, koldung, pura kol. Besides all these xandoh, ghila pitha, tel pitha, kesa pitha, sewa pitha, chawal, nimokh, maach, piyaj etc. They have a custom of giving a ‘bhar’ by the relatives and family members in the doha-kaaj. They have a special way of making a ‘tiphai’ in the eastern side of the ‘robha’. Four poles are inserted in the raised mound of earth in the middle of the robha and the tiphai is made in the north-south direction of the robha. In the four corners of the raised earth four small banana plants and sugarcane is tied with bamboo pieces. Around the tiphai or thapona they offer bhujoni in the name of naam, deo, guru, bhakat and gajai. The person who performs the rituals of the doha-kaaj sits at the middle. He is known as a ‘Bhagoti’. They follow some strict rules regarding the sitting place of the people who carry on the entire ceremony. Another person known as ‘Akhirbodiya’ sits at the right side of the ‘Bhagoti’.

The ‘Bhagoti’ reads the ‘Kirtan’ or Bhagavat and perform the rituals. The family members bow down before the bhakats and take the blessings. They also have the tradition of inviting gayon-bayon for performance on the day of dohakaaj. At the end of the gayon-bayon all the family members have their blessings. The Sonowal Kacharis believe that hanging of a piece of clothe at the entrance of the bharal will stop lakhimi to leave their place. So they have the custom of hanging the cloth. There is a custom of spreading a seleng chadar at the entrance of their house among the Sonowal Kacharis, so that the guests would step on the chadar. The footsteps of the guests are considered to be a symbol of luck for them. Then they keep that chadar very safely with them. At night they have the custom of giving a feast to the relatives and the village people. This is known as ‘Udhanor bhuj’ by the Sonowal Kacharis. With this function the death rituals of the Sonowal Kacharis come to an end.^[7]