In search of their language & history

Nabamita Mitra

Duronto Mann is among the several young members of the Mann tribe who want to preserve the history, culture and tradition of his ancestors who settled in Meghalaya centuries ago. This is the reason why Duronto and other like-minded youths from the tribe have come together to form an association, the All Mann (Tai-speaking) Welfare Association, that will not only help in preserving the tribe’s culture but will also flag its problems, both socio-political and economic.

When Meghalaya Monitor met the tribe elders at Haldibari in Selsella block of West Garo Hills, they expressed one concern – the losing identity of the tribe, which is among the five unrepresented tribes (Hajong, Koch, Rabha and Boro are the others) of Meghalaya. The concern is not unfounded as the language of the Manns is almost extinct.

The history of the Mann migration from Myanmar to India dates back to the early 19th century when the tribesmen came as soldiers to fight in Assam at the request of Bodon Chandra Borphukan against his uncle Purnananda Borgohain in 1817. The Manns also fought against British soldiers but were defeated. Finally, in 1826, Mann king in erstwhile Burma Byagiduwa, the Mann army chief Bandula and the British government signed the Treaty of Yandabo.

While most of the Mann soldiers agreed to leave Assam, some remained loyal soldiers of the British government and helped the latter win over Lushai, Nanga and Garo Hills. In return, the Manns got land in several villages near Goalpara for permanent settlements. In Garo Hills, the Mann tribe members can be found in Bangalkata, Deldella, Shyamnagar, Haldibari, Shankarpara and Ranjanggola villages. The population is about 1,800.

“We are the descendants of the 40 soldiers who stayed back in Assam,” said 63-year-old Jogeshwar Mann, who is also the headman of the village.

As the elders narrated the history of the tribe, they also pointed out how the tribe gradually lost its identity, especially its language. When the Mann soldiers came to Assam, their families were in Burma. With time, the men got married to local women and adopted their culture, language and religion. Of the three components which are integrally associated with a tribe’s identity, religion is the only one that the Manns could revive with the help of a Burmese monk, Urimala. The monk visited Garo Hills and reinstated Buddhism among the tribe members. Two more monks followed and Buddhism spread as the Manns embraced the faith.

Till date, the Manns follow Buddhism. Every village with this tribe’s population has a vihara. “This is the vihara where villagers gather during festivals. Many monks from Assam visit this place. We are building a new vihara and it will be opened soon,” said Duronto, who had undergone monkhood, as he showed around the existing vihara that is located on higher ground from where the expanse of Haldibari and the adjacent areas can be seen.

Every year, the village comes together to celebrate Buddha Purnima and the vernacular new year. “We celebrate in the traditional way. Women and men wear traditional dresses. During the New Year, we have a ritual of water game,” said 61-year-old Giaswar Mann, a former veterinary assistant.

The Manns have a rich tradition of weaving and the home-made dresses are not only worn during festivals but also every day. Marjona Mann, a mother of three, said the riha around her waist was woven by her. The green riha, a narrow piece of clothing that married Mann women wrap around their waists, that Marjona was using has minimal design and looked elegant.

“We have learned to weave from the elders in our family. We weave skirts, riha, lungi for men and even bags,” said Giaswar’s wife Anjana Mann as she brought out a few bags which she had made for her husband. One of the bags had his name woven on it.

Weaving is one tradition that the Manns are continuing to follow and every house has a handloom. However, most of the weaves are for personal use and not many are found in the market.

But the tribe’s main concern is the extinction of the language. The current language spoken by the Manns is a mix of Assamese, Bengali and Garo. “A few among the senior citizens can still speak our language but not that well. Like other tribal languages, our language too never had any written script and that was the reason why it is so difficult to resurrect it. Also, there are not many learned people from the tribe who can do research on the language and revive it. But we will try our best,” said Duronto.

Another concern of the Manns is the state government’s suggestion to the Centre in 2019 to remove the tag of ‘unrepresented tribe’. This would mean that any members of the five tribes would not be able to contest in the district council elections, which would mean that none of the tribes would have political representation.

According to 67-year-old Jotoram Mann, the tribe has a minuscule population and it becomes difficult to get the attention of political leaders of the state. “Vote bank matters and ours is too inconsequential to attract the attention of political parties. This becomes a hindrance to tabling our demands, including for development,” said the former government employee.

The Mann association recently submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma when he visited the village during the election campaign. Duronto was hopeful that the government would work towards bettering the socio-economic condition of the tribe.

“Now, we do not get any benefits that a minority group should get. There is no reservation for us. We don’t even get benefits from the state government. Though we have ST certificates, we do not get good government jobs,” said Jotoram, adding that the plight is the same for the other four unrepresented tribes.

The Rabha population in Meghalaya is big enough to wield political power and gain attention. In fact, the community did send a representative, Monendra Rava, to the Legislative Assembly He won the Tikrikilla seat five times since 1972. Nonetheless, the problems persist.

While Rabhas have managed to keep their identity in Meghalaya, the Manns are struggling to preserve their tradition. The latter’s population size in the state is making this task even more arduous.

“Our forefathers never realised the need for writing down the history or documenting our language. This is why we have not only lost our language but also our culture and history. Some of the youths are trying to revive those,” said Anjana.

The new association is gradually charting its way to expand its welfare and cultural works and Duronto is confident that the goals will gradually be achieved.