from the collections of Mizoram State Museum,
Aizawl and an evening of dance & music from Mizoram as a
part of Uttarpurvi sanskriti samaroha at the Indian Museum
Auditorium & Exhibition hall on Monday,
November 20, 2000 at 5.30 p.m.
Prof. Satyasadhan Chakraborty
-- Hon'ble Minister, in-charge, Higher Education, Govt. of West
Bengal has kindly consented to inaugurate Sri
Aichhinga --Hon'ble Minister, in-charge of Art & Culture,
Govt. of Mizoram will grace the occasion as Guest-in-chief and
Dr. R.V. Vaidyanatha Ayyar-- Secretary,
Culture, Govt. of India will preside over the function.
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Coordinated by: Smt. L. Tochhawng -- Commissioner,
Art & Culture, Govt. of Mizoram and Dr. S. Chakraborty --
Director-Secretary, Indian Museum, Calcutta. |
The
exhibition will continue till 30th November 2000, from 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
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Mizoram, once the land of hunting hillmen occupies an area of
significant strategic importance in the north-eastern corner
of India chequered with the blue mountains, immense natural beauty,
variegated terrain, endless variety of landscape and rich flora
and fauna. The state of Mizoram spun with a colourful fabric
of social life has undergone significant changes over the years.
The Mizos are a close-knit society with no class distinction.
The social unit is village around which revolves the life of
a Mizo. Significant community feeling is reflected in every event
of their social institutions, be it the birth of a child, marriage
in the family, community feast, or even rituals connected with
disposal of the dead. The Mizo code of ethics tlawmngaihna stands
for a compelling moral force which finds expression in
self sacrifice for the service of others. The old belief pathian
is still in vogue to signify their traditional god although the
western religion has changed their sense of value to a great
extent. |
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The material culture of the Mizos represented here
by traditional fabric art, weaponry, hunting implements, distinctive
musical instruments, objects of personal adornments, domestic
utensils etc. demonstrates the everyday life of this hill people.
The textiles include tawlhloh puan 'a never turning back'
lengthy stripped cloth worn by a person who is supposed to fight
with enemies till death. Made of bark of flowering tree
Hibiscus maerophyllus the hnawkhal and siapsuap, are the ancient
garments of Mizo men and women. The puandum is a cloth with dark
black background marked by multicolour bands. It is worn by a
girl who carries it to her father-in-law's house just after marriage
only to get it used ultimately for covering the deadbody of her
husband or nearest one of his family. |
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A good number of ornaments such as thi-hna, the costliest necklace
of Mizo girls arranged with amber or precious beads, hniar decorated
metal headgear used by the wife of the chief; vakulchang, a headgear
decorated with tail feather of vakul bird (Dissemurus paradisens),vakiria
a fascinating headdress for ladies, the cane band of which is
inserted with long feathers of parrot; thimkual, metal hair clips,
tangkathi necklace of silver coins used by well-to-do family
enrich the show. |
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The sound and music of the cheerful Mizoland are echoed
through big gong made of brass named darkhuang and set of three
brass gongs darbu which produce three different notes of tonal
variation.
Mizo violin is called tingtang and the wooden xylophone-like
instrument made of young tree played by the women is known as
bengbung. The rawchhem, a bagpiper-like mouth organ, is an instrument
made of gourd into which hollow reeds are arranged. The khuang
is again a name of a Mizo drum of hollow wood. |
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In war against wild animals and arch enemies the different
branches of Mizo communities use fei kibar an arrow headed spear,
phaw, a shield made of the hide of mithun and decorated with
hair of goat dyed in red. The display also includes fungki a
gunpowder case made of horn of wild mithun, lulak chem, a dao
with the sheath of canework design used for chopping the enemy's
head and a set of traps to catch birds and animals.
The receptacles for food and drinks of the traditional Mizo
people vary in shape and size as also in availability of materials
in which these are executed. Dawnkawn, an interesting metal bent
pipe for sucking rice-beer is surmounted by a figure of presiding
spirit of death who rides a stag to cross over the other world
attended by two hornbills looking after his convenience. The
earthen pot for rice wine is known as zubel and the drinking
cup made of mithun horn is called seki. The gourd water pot tuithawl
used during jhum cultivation; paih per, a container for sowing
seeds and herawt, cotton ginning machine speak of agricultural
activities of the Mizos.
The smoking habit of the traditional Mizos is demonstrated
by tuibur and vaibel bamboo made smoking pipes used by women
and men respectively. The tuibur um is a small gourd container
used for nicotine water. Bamboo and cane were used mainly to
prepare household keepsakes such as thul, the treasure box or
basket, to keep valuable belongings |
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On the occasion of the World Heritage Week the exposition of
select ethnological specimens from Mizoram State Museum highlights
a rare glimpse of Mizo heritage covering about five hundred years. |
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