Karbi/Mikir
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Introduction
The Karbis mentioned as the Mikir in the Constitution Order of the Government of India, are one of the major indigenous ethnic tribe in Northeast India and especially in the hill areas of Assam. They prefer to call themselves Karbi, and sometimes Arleng(literally "man" in the Karbi language).Karbi people are the main tribe of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts of Assam. Besides these two districts, the Karbis inhabited areas including DimaHasao, Kamrup, Marigaon district, Nagaon, Golaghat, Karimganj and Sonitpur districts of Assam.Besides the original Karbi Tribes, there are also a large number of other tribal communities residing in the district. The prominent among them are: Bodo, Dimasa, Garo, Mizo, Khasi, etc.
Early history
The Karbis linguistically belong to the Tibeto-Burman group. The original home of the various people speaking Tibeto-Burman languages was in western China near the Yang-Tee-Kiang and the Howang-ho rivers and from these places they went down the courses of the Brahmaputra, the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy and entered India and Burma. The Karbis, along with others entered Assam from Central Asia in one of the waves of migrations.
The folk-lores of the Karbis, however, indicate that during the long past, once they used to live on the banks of the rivers the Kalang and the Kopili and the entire Kaziranga area, the famous National Park situated in Assam, was within their habitation. During the reigns of the Dimasa Kachari kings, they were driven to the hills and some of them entered into Jaintia hills, the erstwhile Jaintia Kingdom and lived under Jaintia suzerainty.
While a section of the Karbis remained in the Jaintia kingdom, others moved towards north-east by crossing the river Barapani, a tributary of the Kopili and entered into the Rongkhang Ranges. There they established their capital at a place called Socheng. The Karbis who migrated to the Ahom Kingdom had to face the Burmese invasion.
The Burmese who invaded Assam perpetrated inhumane oppression on the people. The Karbis took refuge in the deep jungles and high hills leaving their hearth and home in the sub-mountainous regions. In order to save themselves from the greedy eyes of the Burmese invaders, the young Karbi girls started to use a black line from the forehead to the chin which is known a “Duk” with a view to making them look ugly. While some of the Karbis migrated to Western Assam, some had crossed the Brahmaputra and settled in the north bank.
Ceremonies
Chomangkan ceremony
RITU RAJ KONWAR, May 14, 2023: The Hindu
The Karbi people make up one of the major tribes of Assam, with most of them living in Karbi Anglong district. They are expert weavers and practise jhum (slash and burn) cultivation in the hills. But their most distinctive practice is an elaborate death ceremony, called Chomangkan. While the funeral ceremony is performed at the time of cremation, a unique festival is held at a later date as a remembrance for the departed. Karbis believe in the immortality of the soul, the afterlife and rebirth. It is believed that unless the spirits of the dead are sanctified with the rituals of Chomangkan, they do not get peace.
Among the most elaborate and expensive of ceremonies of the Karbis, Chomangkan lasts for four days and nights. Professional mourners, called lunsepi, render sorrowful songs. Their tunes of lamentation go on for hours, with only short breaks in between. No one is formally invited to the ceremony but all are welcome. In spite of the sad undertones, Chomangkan is an important occasion for families to welcome guests with great warmth.
People come in batches, and everyone carries ceremonial totems. At the top of the main totem, there is a wooden vo-jaru (rackettailed drongo). This extraordinary woodcraft — a symbolical representation of the tribe standing for clan unity — is called jambeli athon.
Elegy in white: Karbi boys and girls in traditional dress perform a ceremonial dance during the Chomangkan ceremony in Borgaon village, Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
Songs of lamentation: Professional mourners called lunsepi sing for the peace and the safe passage of the souls of the departed.
A time for sorrow: The lunsepi can sing for hours on end, taking only short breaks between songs rich with pathos.
Shoulder to shoulder: The Phangcho family carries a symbolic bier as part of the ritual.
Quiet intensity: Members belong to Phangcho family of Karbi community play drams during a ritual in Chomangkan festival.
Birds of a feather: The ceremonial totem of the Karbis features a wooden rackettailed drongo, which symbolises clan unity.
Sacred rites: Karbis believe that unless the spirits of the dead are sanctified with the rituals of Chomangkan, they do not get peace.
Coming together: There are no formal invitations to the rituals for the remembrance of the departed but all guests are welcome to take part.
Established custom: The rituals are performed wearing traditional traditional attire and jewellery.
