The Culture of the Khasi Tribe
By Saihun Phanbuh - Saihun is from the Khasi tribe and culture described in her article. She represents the dynamic young professionals of Shillong and is owner and manager of a 60 acre eco park that just opened for camping.
Shillong has a blend of cultures, as its populace comprises of the three major tribes and other communities too. A large percentage of the population of Shillong belongs to the Khasi tribe.
As a tribe, culturally there is a distinctive difference with other tribes of the world.
As a gesture of friendship, a Khasi would offer you "Kwai" or betel nut. This is eaten by the young and old, rich and poor and can be said to be an equalizer. Culturally, rice beer is served when one visits any family but with the European influence this rice beer has been substituted with tea.
A Khasi woman usually wears a "jainsem" - two pieces of material pinned at the shoulder and a "tapmohkhlieh" or shawl. Earlier men wore dhotis, a half coat and a turban but this attire has taken a change to the English attire - trousers and blazer or shirt.
The Khasi tribe comprises of the various clans comprising of various families sharing the same family name or a group of family names bonded together as a clan. The concept of bonding of clans is to knit families together and to avoid incest. The children take the mother's family name and clan. The father's clan is much respected as they are said to have given life but the children do not take his family's name.
The clan also owns clan land - tracks of land under its management which are given to individuals of the clan for either cultivation or building homes. An interesting point to be noted is the land ownership pattern, which is mainly with the people, be it individual, clan or community.
The Khasi society is also known as a matrilineal and patriarchal society. This is because the lineage of the family is traced through the mother while the eldest brother has a say in most of the family decisions.
After marriage it is the groom who comes and stays at the brides home and after three days they visit the groom's home. Other than the youngest daughter, all other daughters have to build their homes after marriage, though they do get a share of the ancestral property.
The youngest daughter of the family is the keeper and not the inheritor of ancestral property. She has the responsibility to manage the ancestral property and assist any family member who is in need.
At the demise of any family member, the corpse is usually kept unburied for three days during which family and friends come to share the grief. It is at this time where the members of the locality also partake in the cremation or burial of the body. This is the social responsibility of the locality, and they are usually repaid by food and drink. If a man or woman has lived to an old age, there is usually a feast during his/her home going to celebrate a life lived to the fullest.
Local governance lies entirely with the local dorbar or local assembly comprising of male members of the locality. However the trend has been changing lately wherein women also participate depending on the jurisdiction of the locality. It is in this assembly that most decisions of the locality are taken.
A celebration of thanksgiving is common among the tribals of the world. In Shillong there are many thanksgiving festivities celebrated. Among the Khasi tribe is the "Shad Suk Mynsiem" or the harvest dance celebrated for three consecutive days where young girls and men attired in silver and gold ornaments dance in thanksgiving to God for the spring harvest. Among the Jaintia tribe, the "Behdiengkhlam" festival is celebrated to drive away the plague or bad luck from the land. Among the Garos, the "Wangala dance" or the festival of a hundred drums performed by ten contingents of ten drummers each drumming on oval elongated drums as a thanksgiving dance during the autumn harvest is celebrated.
Christmas and New Year is celebrated among the inhabitants and family feasts are a commonality during the winter months over the ages.
Do the Khasi people speak English?
Yes and no.
English is in very common use in Shillong. An outsider would be amazed. Don't be confused and think that Shillong is a tribal village. No, it is a city with excellent colleges and very well educated people. The Khasi languages is the first language of the tribe of one million. It is said that it is similar is some ways to the Vietnamese language.
What religion is practiced?
The traditional tribal religion is practice by about half the Khasis, the other half are Catholic or Protestant Christians. Missionaries have had a big influence in this region starting over 100 years ago.
Is your team Khasi?
Our team is mostly from the Khasi people. Almost all of our team is made up of people from NE India.
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