TAPTA – A Meitei folk tale
(O Bhogeshwor, Meitei Folktales, Imphal, Manipur State Kala Akademi).
Once upon a time in Manipur there lived a couple with a small son. The boy’s father kept horses for a living. On one particular rainy night, Tiger was out hunting for his next meal. He crept into the stable and crouched in the corner waiting his chance to kill a horse. Outside the stable, a Thief prowls about, darting from here to there. He approaches the stable furtively; he is ready to steal a horse. He reaches in and feeling around for the leg of a horse.
While each of the two is planning to steal a horse, Mother is preparing a meal inside the traditional Meitei home. Her son’s cries are growing louder and louder and she tries her best to calm him. Desperately she tells her child, “be quiet, Elephant is coming!” But to no avail. “Be quiet, Lion is coming!” she threatens again, but the little one will not stop howling.
Mother hears the “tap, tap, tap” of the rain drops splashing into the puddle by the door and it gives her an idea: “Listen to that. Now Tapta has come to get you!” - And all of a sudden the frightened child stops crying.
The Thief who was hiding took notice and he started wondering: That child did not stop crying for anything but the Tapta. A Tapta must be a very scary thing indeed and he would be wise to get out of there. He reaches out for the leg of the biggest horse and in the dark he grabs the big leg of the big Tiger instead. Tiger freezes, thinking that the Tapta has got hold of him. He is trembling with fear when all of a sudden the Thief lands on his back, fits him with a harness and starts hitting him into action with a stick! Tiger springs out of the stable and races off into the night with the Thief on his back. Both of them had just one thought on their minds “Tapta!”
After a long run dawn came and in the early light the Thief realized his mistake with horror. Sure that Tiger would devour him soon, he seized his last opportunity by grabbing hold of a low branch, and he is left hanging there as Tiger races off thinking that he was free of Tapta at last.
Tiger was breathing heavily when he ran into Bear, who asks him, “Friend, why are you running like this?” “My friend, I met with the mighty Tapta! I was only saved in the end by good luck. Tapta was on my back and he had a harness on me”, was the reply.
Bear wanted Tiger to take him back to the place where he had been freed. Tiger was still very afraid but he could not show this, and so the two animals went back. Meanwhile the Thief hanging from the branch watched the two approaching and, fearing for his life, he dropped to the ground and hid in the hollow tree trunk. Tiger and Bear arrive on the scene and they decide that Tapta must be hiding in the tree trunk. Cautiously Bear inserts his tail into the hole and the Thief gives it a firm pull. Bear pulls himself free and runs off yelling “Meichingbi!!” (Tail-puller).
Tiger did not agree because he knew for sure that it was Tapta. The two of them were arguing this issue when Elephant appeared. He wanted to go to the spot and he inserted his trunk, probing around in the hollow. The Thief gave a jab at the trunk with the sharp part of the harness. Elephant pulls himself free and runs off saying, “you are both wrong, this is Meithingbi! (the one who jabs).
At last the three animals went to the king Lion to decide the matter. Lion was very sensible. After listening to the argument he commissioned all the animals of the forest to verify it. The animals began to assemble – there was Elephant, Mithun, Bear, Tiger, Fox, Wild Boar, Dog and Cat. Seeing all the animals coming at once, the Thief was certain that he would be killed. He jumped out of the hollow and ran away as fast as he could.
Lion concluded that as neither Bear nor Elephant had seen the mysterious creature, their claims could not be trusted and he then announced once and for all that it must have been Tapta.
The animals dispersed, the Thief was able to reach home safely and everyone lived happily thereafter.
Artuite (The little egg) – a Hmar folktale
(From “Hmar Folk Tales”, by Dr Lal Dena, 1995, New Delhi, Scholar Publishing House).
Once upon a time the hen and the wild cat were good friends and they used to live together peacefully. One day, they passed through under the raised floor of a certain house where chicken was being cooked. As the house-owners were having their meal, they dropped the chicken bones through the hole in the floor. The wild cat picked up the bones and ate them and they were so tasty. From that time onward, the wild cat wanted to kill the hen and eat her.
One night the wild cat said to the hen, “In which coop will you sleep tonight?” The hen replied, “I shall sleep in the oval coop.” The wild cat searched for the hen at the oval coop that night. But he could not find the hen because the latter slept in the round coop. The next night, the hen told the wild-cat that she would sleep in the round coop. At midnight, the wild cat searched for the hen in the round coop. But the hen slept in the oval coop. On the following night, the hen said that she would sleep in the oval coop. The cat now realized the game of the hen and went straight to the round coop. He found her and ate her up.
One night the wild cat said to the hen, “In which coop will you sleep tonight?” The hen replied, “I shall sleep in the oval coop.” The wild cat searched for the hen at the oval coop that night. But he could not find the hen because the latter slept in the round coop. The next night, the hen told the wild-cat that she would sleep in the round coop. At midnight, the wild cat searched for the hen in the round coop. But the hen slept in the oval coop. On the following night, the hen said that she would sleep in the oval coop. The cat now realized the game of the hen and went straight to the round coop. He found her and ate her up.
After sometime Artuite (little egg) came to know the tragic death of his mother. He mastered all his courage and decided to avenge the death of his mother. He started rolling towards the house of the wild cat. On the way, a group of red ants met him and asked, “Artuite, where are you going?” Artuite replied, “To avenge the death of my mother and to destroy the fencing of the wild cat.” The ants then said, “Wait, we are also following you.” Artuite rolled on followed by a group of ants. After sometime, chicken-drop stopped them and asked, “Artuite, where are you going?” “To avenge the death of my mother and to destroy the wild cat’s fencing”, replied Artuite. “Then I shall join you’, said the chicken-drop. Artuite went on rolling, followed by the ants and the chicken-drop. Before they went too far, Tlaihnat (a very sharp bamboo blade) stopped them and asked, “Artuite, where are you going?” “To avenge the death of my mother and to destroy the wild cat’s fencing”, replied Artuite. “I am also joining you”, said Tlaihnat. Soon Artuite and his party met Mankhawng (a trap for animals in which the victim is killed by a falling beam or log). Mankhawng said to them, “I am also joining you”. Lastly a swarm of bees also followed Artuite and his party. Now Artuite commanded a very powerful band of warriors and felt quite confident.
When they reached the house of the wild cat, the cat had gone out to look for food. They lost no time in taking their positions. Artuite was a good strategist. Each of them took positions at strategic places. Artuite hid himself inside the ash in the hearth, the ants at the mouth of bamboo tube, the chicken-drop at the handle of the broom, Tlaihnat on the wall, Makhawng at the exit of the door and the swarm of bees under the blanket on the bed.
Soon the wild cat returned home, weary and tired. As he was so hungry, he began to prepare the evening meal. The moment he scratched the ashes in the hearth to make a fire Artuite exploded all of a sudden and splashed all over the wild cat’s face. Knowing not what to do, the cat went to get water for a wash. Just then a group of red ants at the mouth of the bamboo tube began to attack him. In order to get rid of the ants, he took the broom on the floor and his fingers were stained by the chicken-drop. To remove the smelly chicken-drop, he wiped his hand on the bamboo wall and Tlaihnat on the wall cut his fingers. Out of despair, he went up to the bed to hide himself under the blanket.
Guileng the Nrumana (orphan) – a Zeliangrong folktale
(from “Folklore and Tales of the Nagas” by R. Luikham, 1983,New Delhi, Emmanuel Publishers).
(from “Folklore and Tales of the Nagas” by R. Luikham, 1983,New Delhi, Emmanuel Publishers).
Once upon a time in Rongmei country there lived a young Nrumana (orphan) named Guileng. He lost his mother when he was a child and his father remarried. The woman turned out to be a bad stepmother; she was extremely cruel to him. Very often she would beat him up and punish him in various ways, and yet the boy never protested. The entire village took pity on this boy but his father was so weak that he could not go against the wishes of his second wife. She deliberately made sure that her husband ignorant of the ill treatment meted out to the boy and she often complained to her husband that the Guileng was disobedient and lazy. To the contrary, the boy was always good and obedient and so her complaint was a lie.
Initially the father loved his son Guileng, but as time went on he was influenced by his second wife’s constant complaints and he began to believe the lies. Guileng became increasingly unhappy and sulky as his father also reprimanded him without reason. Guileng’s stepmother constantly insisted that her husband abandon his son in the thick jungle so that he might either be eaten up by wild animals or else die of hunger. Of course Guileng’s father would not dare to do this for fear of the consequences from society, although he had also begun to agree with her. As the years passed Guileng grew into a handsome young man. He became independent and helped his family much more than other young men of his age. He also turned out to be a good trapper and he contributed many delicious jungle fowl for the meals. But his evil stepmother would never give him any of the flesh other than the bony parts, yet he never protested. Whenever he went out to work during the day, Guileng’s stepmother would only pack plain rice with chilli sauce or cooked Phongthai (wild apples). In spite of the ill treatment meted out to him, Guileng never uttered a word against his stepmother, knowing full well that his father would not listen to him anyway. The most tragic aspect of his life was that his own father did not give him a proper place in his home and so he grew up as a stranger in his own house.
In the course of time, handsome Guileng fell in love with a beautiful Zeliang girl. As is customary with the Nagas, the young people formed working groups for cultivation on rotation. Guileng and his girlfriend were included in the same working group and Guileng enjoyed spending time at work. While others withdrew from work very often, Guileng, his lover and another girl went to work regularly throughout the year except for short intervals for community festivals.
It was the practice for Nagas to unpack their lunch and eat after midday. On every such occasion, Guileng excused himself and went off to eat separately for fear of discovery of his meager meal of rice and chilli sauce or Phongthai. He was too ashamed to share his frugal lunch with the two girls. One day however, they decided to find out the secret and while Guileng was busy washing himself in the stream, they opened his packed lunch and realized immediately why he had been ashamed to eat with them. They threw away his lunch pack and shared their lunch with him, and from that day onwards, the two girls brought extra lunch to share with Guileng everyday and Guileng stopped bringing lunch packs from his stepmother.
It was the practice for Nagas to unpack their lunch and eat after midday. On every such occasion, Guileng excused himself and went off to eat separately for fear of discovery of his meager meal of rice and chilli sauce or Phongthai. He was too ashamed to share his frugal lunch with the two girls. One day however, they decided to find out the secret and while Guileng was busy washing himself in the stream, they opened his packed lunch and realized immediately why he had been ashamed to eat with them. They threw away his lunch pack and shared their lunch with him, and from that day onwards, the two girls brought extra lunch to share with Guileng everyday and Guileng stopped bringing lunch packs from his stepmother.
As the ill-treatment of his stepmother worsened, the village council of elders chided Guileng’s, father and stepmother for their cruelty but unfortunately this had just the opposite effect. The fast eroding relations between his parents and himself and the frustration and shame he suffered on account of ill treatment by his step-mother made him sulky and morose. In fact, the extreme dislike and hatred he had for his parents even provoked him to contemplate suicide. At times he wished that he could become a hornbill.
The Nagas always adore the hornbill and in his young mind, Guileng preferred to become a free hornbill rather than continue leading this miserable life. Of course Guileng never disclosed these morbid thoughts to his two companions; nor would he talk about his miserable life. Nonetheless they know all about it, and they pitied him. They also thought that it would be far better for him to marry and lead an independent life, but he was so diffident and unsure of himself that he never proposed to his girlfriend although she ardently expected him to do so. Instead one day, Guileng asked each of them to give him a present, declaring that he would enter in to a new, important phase of his life. Wandering what he meant by it, the two girls out of love and pity each presented him with Langmuiphei Soi (a black and white shawl worn by Rongmei men and women) and a number of gourd containers full of excellent wine. They were expecting that Gileng would propose marriage to his girlfriend and that they would soon be married and settled. However, they did not ask him any questions out of embarrassment.
One afternoon, after the three of them had eaten a good meal, Guileng climbed up into a tree and refused to get down in spite of fervent requests by the girls. This was strange behavior and the girls were bewildered. They returned home without him but on his insistence, they kept it a secret. For a few days he stayed in the tree and surprisingly his parents never once asked of his whereabouts.
Guileng wholeheartedly concentrated on becoming a big hornbill. After six days thin feathers started growing on his body and he began emitting the peculiar noises of a hornbill which astonished the girls. “Was Guileng actually becoming a hornbill?” they wondered. Within twenty days the process of Guileng’s transformation was becoming undeniable; he flapped his wings and flew from tree to tree as an exercise to strengthen his newly formed wings. By now his original human head had become smaller and elongated like a beautiful hornbill head with a long yellow bill. On the thirtieth day, as the two girls returned to the field, Guileng spoke to them lovingly in halting human tongue and demonstrated that he was now able to take a long flight to join the other hornbills on a distant hill. He flew the distance and back five times and the girls watched in wonder and amazement. They could hardly believe that a human being could become a bird and was at last bidding farewell to his former life as a human being!
Guileng wholeheartedly concentrated on becoming a big hornbill. After six days thin feathers started growing on his body and he began emitting the peculiar noises of a hornbill which astonished the girls. “Was Guileng actually becoming a hornbill?” they wondered. Within twenty days the process of Guileng’s transformation was becoming undeniable; he flapped his wings and flew from tree to tree as an exercise to strengthen his newly formed wings. By now his original human head had become smaller and elongated like a beautiful hornbill head with a long yellow bill. On the thirtieth day, as the two girls returned to the field, Guileng spoke to them lovingly in halting human tongue and demonstrated that he was now able to take a long flight to join the other hornbills on a distant hill. He flew the distance and back five times and the girls watched in wonder and amazement. They could hardly believe that a human being could become a bird and was at last bidding farewell to his former life as a human being!
Guileng, now a fully fledged hornbill perched on a branch of a tree and spoke to the girls for the last time. He expressed his conviction that it was useless living as a helpless human being caged in shame and torture, telling them that he much preferred to be a dignified bird, free to fly in the jungles and live independently. He was ready to forget the past and enjoy the life of a hornbill in the company of other hornbills without human interference. On bidding farewell to the two girls, he promised that he would fly over his village during the Matui festival and present them each with a fully grown wing feather to decorate their headgear with when they participated in the community dance. In a way the two girls were satisfied that the youth’s unhappy human existence had become a cheerful, contented one as a bird. Assuring them that he would never regret this decision, he finally flew away in perfect grace to become the king of the free hornbills, never to remember his sad past.
Back in the village, the entire community cursed Guileng’s parents and ostracisized them for the merciless treatment meted out to poor Guileng. Although the villagers felt ashamed of the cruelty of Guileng’s parents they could not do anything to reverse the situation. The entire village went into mourning for three days, neither bathing nor eating to ward off a possible curse of the almighty god for such human depravity.
True to what Guileng had promised, during the Matui festival the following year, a group of hornbills led by the king hornbill flew over the village during the dance. The moment the two girls saw this they remembered Guileng and while others looked up in curiosity, the girls waited anxiously for the presents they had been promised. Sure enough, the king hornbill shed two beautiful feathers for the two girls to the amazement of the entire village. As the great hornbill turned, his shameless stepmother who had tortured him so much also begged for a feather; to the great amazement of the villagers, the king hornbill flew low and released an extra large feather with great force. This went straight into the throat of his stepmother who fell down and died instantly. Apparently even though Guileng had become a hornbill the inhuman treatment meted out to him by his stepmother was indelibly etched on his mind and he took revenge. As the stepmother fell down dead, the king hornbill squawked and joined the other hornbills hovering over the village. Each year during the annual Matui festival the hornbills return to the village and shed feathers in memory of Guileng’s promise.
Moral lesson: Evil never goes unpunished.
The Mischievous Pikhra (Bat) – a Mao folktale
(from “Folklore and Tales of the Nagas” by R. Luikham, 1983,New Delhi, Emmanuel Publishers).
Once upon a time, a great assembly of all the winged creatures was held on an expansive meadow situated on a mountain top. Every winged creature turned up promptly with the exception of the cunning Pikhra. When the roll call was taken, it was found that the mischievous Pikhra had not turned up. When asked why he did not come to the assembly, arrogant Pikhra justified thus, “Look here; I have the face of a wise dog and the fur of a powerful tiger. I have no resemblance to a bird whatsoever. Although I have a pair of wings, they are made of fur unlike yours. Indeed, I can rightfully claim to be a beast.” The calculating Pikhra thus avoided punishment under the collective authority of the winged creatures.
Subsequently, another great assembly of all beasts was held and when the roll was called up, it was discovered that Pikhra had once again remained absent. When asked to explain, he replied ‘You can obviously see that I have two beautiful wings. Unlike those of you who walk on the surface of the earth among the dirt and thistles of the jungles, I can fly from mountain to mountain, tree to tree and pick and choose the choicest food. In your case, you only eat that which I have discarded and dropped on the ground. For all consideration, I am far above the beasts.” Pikhra thus rebuffed the animals who came to get an explanation for his absence in the assembly.
So Pikhra had often boasted, “I am neither a beast nor a bird. I am both combined. God has made me a unique creature. I have the best of both and I must assert my uniqueness. After all, I am God’s special”. He was, therefore, left to himself without being bound down by the disciplines of the two groups of creatures. For a while, he enjoyed absolute freedom and felt he was really a special creature and the most intelligent. Indeed he felt like the uncrowned Chief of the four footed and the winged creatures!
After sometime, however, the biggest assembly of all the animal kingdom was called and every fowl of the air and every beast of the jungle were invited to attend. On arrival, all the beasts were asked to assemble on one side and all the winged creatures on the other. When all the beasts and the fowls had thus assembled separately, the cunning Pikhra was left alone, to the great amusement of all. Unable to bear the shame, he went over to the winged creatures and claimed that he was one of them as he possessed a pair of wings. But he was soon driven away, and he had not attended the great assembly of the winged creatures on the plea that he was a beast, and that he had the head of a wise dog and the fur of a powerful tiger. Pikhra then went over to the other side claiming to be one of them but there too, he was driven away on the ground that he had not attended the assembly of the beasts on the pleas that he was a winged creature. Every eye staring and every accusing finger pointing, Pikhra looked like a fish out of water. His double dealings thus thoroughly exposed, he had to hide his face out of unbearable shame.
So infuriated and disgusted with the mischievous behavior of Pikhra, the great assembly discussed how Pikhra should be punished. After long deliberation, it was unanimously agreed that as a measure of punishment, Pikhra should not be allowed to go out in the day when winged and other creatures were at work. He must not show his face, but remain hidden throughout the day and come out only after sunset when others were asleep. Having thus been severely reprimanded and punished, Pikhra had to hide himself among the bushes, in the day light, when everybody was at work and enjoying life, and come out for food only in the dark when others were at rest.
Till today we find that Pikhra has continued to remain isolated from the rest of the winged creatures as well as the beasts.
Moral lesson: A mischievous and an arrogant one always ends up in shame and alone.The Promise - a Zeliangrong folktale
(From “The Tribal Folktales of Manipur", by N. Robert, Imphal, Manipur 2007)
Once upon a time a Naga youth set out on a journey from his village in the hills to a high mountain range. On the way, he passed through a thick jungle inhabited by demons, devils and dark things that roam in the dead of night. The young Naga was very brave; he knew that such creatures always attacked their victims from behind, as they were afraid of sharp blades. He also knew that they would show no mercy if they caught him, and that they would eat him up without a second thought. On reaching the middle of the jungle it was already quite dark, and one little fellow with large fangs attacked the Naga youth from behind; but the Naga was more than a match for him. In a fraction of a second, the Naga turned around and cut him into pieces with his dao and spear.
The entire jungle was now enveloped in darkness and the young man sensed danger. He would not be able to destroy all his opponents, and he started looking for a safe place to shelter for the night.
He first approached the mountain ebony, a beautiful tree with its strong wood and beautiful white flowers, sure that it would be able to shelter him. He asked the tree to give him a hiding place for the night: “If I do not find a place for the night as soon as possible, the nocturnal creatures will find me and kill me.”
The ebony tree shook its white flowers and glossy leaves and told the youth that he must find somewhere else. “I cannot help you; the devils and demons may shred my flowers and tear my leaves while they are looking for you.”
The young man was quite desperate. He approached the ironwood tree and pleaded for shelter, but this request was also turned down: “I want to help you but I cannot as we ironwood trees do not shelter people. You have to find somewhere else”, replied the tree rattling its sword-like leaves.
Near the ironwood tree stood a huge fig tree with beautiful branches and leaves. The tree was heavily laden with fruit. It had been watching the poor young man going from tree to tree in desperation looking for shelter for the night and the fig tree extended a warm welcome to him: “They will be coming after you as you have killed one of them. When they arrive, you must keep perfectly still and leave the rest to me.” To protect himself the Naga climbed up the tree and slipped in between the branches, making sure that he was well hidden. By now the forest was very dark and the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of insects late into the night. The birds had also gone to roost, for even the nocturnal birds such as owls were afraid of the creatures of the night.
The devils and demons came all of a sudden, and they went from tree to tree determined to find the man who had killed their brother. They searched high and low and they screamed angry threats. They made so much noise that it drowned out the sound of the insects and the wind blowing through the trees. “When we find him we will tear him to shreds and we will not spare even a hair or a tooth.” They repeated.
After asking many trees including the mountain ebony and the ironwood, the red eyed demons at last came to the fig tree where the youth was hiding. In one voice they howled, “Where is this man? Do you know where the wicked man is?” The brave, tolerant fig tree told the angry nocturnal creatures that she did not know the whereabouts of the killer and she advised them to look for the youth in another part of the jungle.
Gnashing their teeth, they howled in rage, but at last they went away screaming with vengeance. Once their shrieking had faded into the distance, peace was restored. Birds began to chirp with the first ray of light that appeared in the eastern sky and everything appeared to be normal. The youth came out from between the branches and he hugged the fig tree. With tears rolling down his cheeks he promised, “I will never forget what you have done for me”.
Upon reaching his village the youth told everyone what had happened and how kind the fig tree had been, and that night a grand feast was held in the village to celebrate his safe return. At the feast, the whole tribe promised to honour his pledge, and because of that promise made long ago, a Naga will not cut down a fig tree to this day, even if it is standing in the middle of his field or property.
The Ruthless Hunter and his Dog – a folktale of the Hmars.(from “The Tribal Folk Tales of Manipur”, by N. Robert, Imphal, Manipur, 2007).
A long time ago there lived a very brave and courageous bachelor; he was the tribal hunter called Ngamtawan. Every day Ngamtawan would go to the jungle with his faithful dog to hunt wild animals.
All the heads of the wild animals killed by the ruthless hunter were put on display trophies on the wall of his house as he felt they would attract visitors.
One day on his usual hunting expedition, he failed to find a single animal and so he went further into the forest until he reached a small village in the hills inhabited by tribal people. These villagers could transform themselves at will either into human beings or into ferocious tigers and they were known by the neighbouring villages as “half tiger, half human”. They would carry out their duties at home in the form of human beings, but on leaving their village, they would transform into tigers and when any of them got angry, they would roar like a tiger. Now in this village there lived a very beautiful girl called Keinu who was the only daughter of the tribal village chief. She was a very hard working girl and one day while Keinu was working her handloom, the brave Ngamtawan saw her. He was so enchanted by her beautiful face and graceful nature and he fell madly in love with her and decided that he wanted her for his wife. He promptly cancelled his hunt that day and returned to his village as quickly as possible. Upon arriving back home he asked his parents to go and meet the tribal village chief and ask for the hand of Keinu for his wife. Ngamtawan had no idea that the beautiful girl whom he loved very much could transform into a tiger! After a series of negotiations between the two village chiefs, Ngamtawan and Keinu were married and Keinu moved into her husband’s home. But the beastly instinct of her tribal village was still with her.
One day Ngamtawan successfully killed seven wild animals on his hunt and he brought them back in triumph to his home. He felt so proud and he decided to host a grand feast in honour of his wife’s family. A large number of guests turned up and they were most surprised when they saw the trophy heads on display on the wall of Ngamtawan’s house. Though the varieties of dishes were very tasty, the guests ate their food little enthusiasm. It was the custom to rest after the meal and during this time some of the guest could be heard whispering. They got up stealthily and approached the wall where the trophy heads were displayed. They began caressing the animal heads and crying. “O my elder brother! O young sisters! O Father-in-law! Your heads are here on display. You were prey at the hands of this ruthless hunter Ngamtawan.”
Ngamtawan was fast asleep after his tiring expedition but his younger sister heard the mourning by the visitors at the dead of night and she knew immediately that the guests were not human beings; she trembled at the thought but she managed to control herself.
While the guests were crying and paying tribute to the heads of their relatives, Ngamtawan was awoken by his sister. She tricked her brother to come outside and keep watch as she answered the call of nature, and she informed him of her observation - that the guests were not human but were in fact animals.
Ngamtawan hesitated but then he resolved to do something.
The next day after the guests had been satisfied by their morning meal, Ngamtawan asked his father-in-law to herd the pigs from their sty so that they could be slaughtered for pork for the evening meal. The father-in-law roared like a tiger and the pigs ran out of the sty. On hearing the roar of the tribal village chief all the other visitors rushed to the sty and roared as well, as this was their natural instinct. Courageous Ngamtawan already had a plan and he used his bow and arrows and he was able to kill them all.
Even though her parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives lost their lives at the hands of her brave husband, Keinu pretended not to care for the dead, but in the core of her heart, she was determined to take revenge on her husband. She waited for the right time, and she pretended to be ill for several days. She then asked her husband to do many tasks which she thought would be impossible but brave Ngamtawan performed the tasks easily and he presented several more trophy heads of animals to his wife as a token of his love. But Keinu was still dreaming of killing her husband. One day, Keinu asked her husband to kill a white bear and bring back its liver. She explained, “To eat the liver of the white bear will lead to a quick recovery.”
Ngamtawan wanted to fulfill his wife’s wish and so he went from place to place, from village to hill to mountain in pursuit of the white bear, and as usual he was accompanied by his devoted dog. At last, he was able to kill a white bear and he took out the liver and started back home. But on his way a large stone tumbled down from the top of a mountain and it trapped Ngamtawan, injuring him grievously. Before losing consciousness he instructed his faithful dog to tell his parents of the sad news. The dog rushed straight to his master’s home and on reaching, he began pulling the broom that was used to clean the house in the direction that Ngamtawan had gone for the bear hunt. Suspecting that something had happened they concluded that Ngamtawan had died on the expedition. Keinu was happy to hear this news as she felt that she had achieved revenge for the death of her relatives. She treated the faithful dog very poorly and would often beat the animal. One day, unable to bear this torture, the dog turned around and bit her on the leg and then disappeared forever from the home. Since then the dog has lived in the jungle and after a few years he became a wolf. The wolf’s offspring killed animals in the jungle and removed their livers putting them to dry near a tree in the sunshine, and the Hmar tribals still believe that this was a dedication to Ngamtawan.
Rongnu and a Squirrel – folktale from Manipur
(from a collection of Maram folktales by H. Kamkhenthang).In olden days there was a woman called Rongnu who had seven married daughters, and all of them had children. All the grandchildren happened to visit their grandmother one day, and it was on one of those days when there were plenty of fruit on the fig trees. Rongnu liked to please her grandchildren by offering them something to eat, and with this in mind, she went out to pluck figs. She carried her basket for carrying the figs with her into the jungle. The jungle was full of figs and Rongnu felt happy at the thought of bringing them back for her grandchildren. She set off to go back home with a large load of figs in her basket. On her way she met a squirrel who pretended that he was lame; he claimed that he was unable to walk and asked Rongnu to carry him in her basket. Rongnu was a virtuous and god fearing old lady; she did not want to offend the squirrel by refusing, and she was unaware of the squirrel’s cunning plan. Rongnu let the squirrel sit in her basket on top of all the fruit. Throughout the journey the squirrel ate the fruit in the basket and when Rongnu reached the periphery of the village the squirrel got down from the basket and went off into the bush. The grandchildren were eagerly waiting for their grandmother and when she reached home the children spread banana leaves out in readiness to empty the basket. Rongnu poured out the fruit - but to everyone’s surprise there were only a few figs left. It was not nearly enough for the host of grandchildren and they quarreled over the handful of figs. Rongnu felt sorry for the children and angry with the squirrel for his wicked deed.
It made Rongnu unhappy to see her grandchildren so dissatisfied and so she went out again to collect more figs the following day. The same squirrel was waiting on the path for Rongnu and this time the squirrel he was in disguise so innocent Rongnu did not recognize him. Once again he pretended to be lame and he managed to convince Rongnu to give him a ride in the basket on top of the fruit. Once again the same thing happened - the squirrel ate most of the figs and disappeared just as Rongnu was approaching the village. Rongnu had to bear the disappointment of her grandchildren for a second time, as there were not enough figs for them all. Rongnu became even more angry with the squirrel and she started to think of killing him for his wickedness. She began to plan how she would do this but feared that she would not be able to recognize the squirrel again. She thought she would ask for some help from the other animals, and the first she one she met was the bear. The bear promised to kill the squirrel and the two carried set off on their mission. Rongnu filled the basket with figs and the squirrel appeared again on the path just as before. The bear however was not able to kill the squirrel and instead the rabbit got into the basket and ate as many figs as he could. Rongnu decided to take revenge, and she set off to find someone else who would be able to kill the squirrel. She met the jackal who assured Rongnu that he would kill the squirrel and off they went together into the jungle. Rongnu collected the figs and again they met the squirrel on the path. Jackal was not able to kill the squirrel and once more Rongnu had to face her disappointed grandchildren. By now she was convinced she had to find someone who could kill the squirrel and at last she met a grasshopper. The grasshopper said that he would be able to kill the squirrel by shooting him with his arrow and he then went on to demonstrate how he would do it – all so quickly that he gave Rongnu the impression that he had many arrows when in fact he had just one. Fully convinced, Rongnu set off to collect figs with the grasshopper and when they were on the path the squirrel appeared again and tried to climb onto the basket. The grasshopper aimed at the squirrel and took a shot at him with his arrow. The arrow pierced the squirrel’s head and he died instantly. Nothing further troubled Rongnu that day. She could bring home a fine quantity of figs and her grandchildren were very happy as they could eat as many as they wanted.
Rongnu also gave plenty of figs to the neighbours and everyone was very happy. But no one was happy with either the bear or the jackal. They all thought that both of them should be punished as they had deceived Rongnu and failed to kill the wicked squirrel. They also felt that they should reward the grasshopper for putting an end to the menace. The bear would be fined and they demanded a buffalo, a cow or a pig as payment. The bear refused to pay his fine and the people got angry and searched his house. At last the mother bear gave a cow in compensation and the bear was also beaten black and blue, so he ran off into the jungle and said that he would no longer be able to live in the midst of people and to this day he still lives there in the jungle. The jackal was also caught and was to be punished for his insincere behavior towards Rongnu. He was also asked to pay a buffalo, a cow or a pig in compensation but he said that this would not be possible as he had none of these animals, and instead he offered to set a trap promising that any animal caught in the trap would be in lieu of the fine of a domestic animal. The villagers agreed to this proposal and the jackal was released to go and trap a wild animal. But the jackal disappeared and was not seen again and so he avoided the fine. Everyone was angry with the jackal and they cursed him and condemned him to live in the jungle and face suffering and hardship. As an expression of their gratitude to the grasshopper, Rongnu threw a feast by killing a sow and offering three big jars of rice beer. The grasshopper was offered the best and the strongest part of the rice beer and meat as a token of their gratitude and he was very satisfied by all of this. The grasshopper blessed the people with a long and enjoyable life and even nowadays whenever a grasshopper is found sitting on a leaf of paddy it is taken as a blessing indicating an abundant harvest.
A Kabui folktale
Related by Meiphunlung Thaimei, Ragallong, Imphal, Manipur
19 December 2011.
There were once two brothers, one wise and the other quite foolish. The wise brother was called Shaa, and the foolish one was called Mitchrung.
One day Shaa descended from the source of the big river Agu and Mitchrung came up from downstream. As soon as they met the fool addressed his brother,”my big brother Shaa!” The other replied, “My younger brother Mitchrung!”
They needed to engage in some work to make their livelihood and so they decided to become blacksmiths. Foolish Mitchrung was instructed to use the blower and cunning Shaa declared that he would hold the iron with tongs in the fire to shape it. When it was red hot, Shaa plunged the molten iron into the lagoon to cool it. At that moment a python emerged saying, “You have disturbed the ear of my big Grandfather who is the owner of this lagoon.” Shaa was so afraid that he ran back to the furnace.
The next time he told his younger brother to go down to the lagoon instead, and when Mitchrung plunged the iron into the water the python again emerged and complained of disturbance. Thoughtless Mitchrung was able to catch the python with his tongs and he threw it right out of the lagoon. The next time the same thing happened, and in this way each of the pythons was killed until it came to the last, which was the biggest, and the king of the lagoon.
Mitchrung grabbed the biggest python by his ear and they fought for a long time until at last Mitchrung defeated the great snake. He declared that he would now kill the python - who then pleaded for his life, offering his opponent three magic daos (machetes) in exchange. One of the daos could produce fire when commanded by the words “come fire”, one would kill any living being with the utterance of the word “Dey” and the third would fill the entire house with wealth at a single command.
Mitchrung accepted the three daos and went back to his brother Shaa. He then offered to share the booty with Shaa before parting ways. The elder brother felt that as he was the eldest he should be entitled to two of the daos but as the younger brother had brought them, he felt that he should have two. Finally the elder brother proposed that Mitchrung should have the first choice offering to take the remaining two daos as his share. Foolish Mitchrung chose “Dey” (the one that would kill anything), and the two brothers went their separate ways, Mitchrung back downstream and Shaa upstream. On the way Shaa hunted some small birds and he commanded his dao to produce fire and he roasted the birds and was satisfied.
Mitchrung was able to kill a tiger and several other large beasts, but he was unable to eat any of them as he had no fire, and he had to go on for many days without any food, until he changed his mind and decided to follow his brother. On the way, he encountered a female monkey washing clothes and he enquired of the whereabouts of his brother. “Did you see my elder brother Shaa?” he asked. The female monkey answered in her own monkey language, giving the impression that she and the elder brother were a couple.
“I asked if you had seen my elder brother Shaa” Mitchrung persisted, but he got the same unintelligible response. The younger brother became impatient and angry and he ordered his dao to kill the monkey. He then proceeded on the path until he spotted his elder brother, who was carrying a baby monkey on his back. “I am very hungry now, please give me something to eat”, declared Mitchrung to his brother. “Let your sister-in-law come” responded Shaa. After a while, Mitchrung again confessed his hunger and this time Shaa asked if he had met anyone on the way. “No, I did not see anyone, only a monkey. She did not respond to me, so I killed her”, replied Mitchrung. The baby monkey overheard this and he ran away to inform his mother’s relatives. The elder brother took notice and he warned Mitchrung that they would now be a target for the monkeys who would probably kill them. As he was the intelligent one, Shaa then conceived a plan and told his brother, “I will pretend to be dead and you lament for me and say, “my brother Shaa is dead and he is stiff and straight. In his honour I must repair the house”.
Sure enough, the monkeys came, but because they respected Shaa they repaired the house and joined the lament of his death.
“Shaa is dead. Before his demise, he instructed me to make a handle for this spade”, Mitchrung told them and as the monkeys really loved Shaa, they made two spade handles. At that moment the elder brother jumped up and both brothers teamed up to beat and kill all the monkeys. They then made a curry of the monkey meat and when it was ready, Shaa said, “How will we eat? Please get some banana leaves for us to use as plates.”
Now the banana tree belonged to a fierce tiger so Mitchrung was advised not to tamper with the tree until there was some wind to deflect the noise. He went off to the field, but there was no wind and soon the foolish one became impatient and he began to cut the leaves, creating a great din in the process. This awoke the tiger who asked, “Who are you and who cut my leaves?” Mitchrung was afraid but he was still able to reply, “Oh Apou (Elder one), my brother invites you to join us for a feast to taste the delicious curry we have prepared.”
“Ok, ok, I will come soon”, replied the tiger, who, true to his word, came and ate everything. There were just a few scraps left and the tiger instructed Mitchrung to deliver these leftovers to his den for his cubs. Mitchrung was very irritated by the situation and when he reached the cave the cubs started scratching at his legs. This was the last straw, and he pulled up one of the three stones of the hearth and he hit the cubs with it and he killed them all. He then went back and narrated the incident to Shaa, who cleverly realized that it would not be long before the tiger sought revenge and he therefore made a plan that they should both hide in the bellows.
The tiger came all too soon and he ransacked the entire house. At that moment foolish Mitchrung wanted to relieve himself! The wise brother hissed “Keep quiet!” But when the younger one could no longer help himself, he relieved himself and he made such a loud noise that the tiger was scared away forever!
