The Mizo World: Dances

In Mary Mount School, they taught me Chawnglaizawn. I forgot my partner. But I remember I was one of the lesser co-ordinated children. I have never really been good at synchronized movements. I did aerobics and Hollaback Girls choreography in Lady Shri Ram, the latter of which I hope to erase from memory like I erased all photographic evidences of it a year later. I learned Khuallam in JNU; I glory that I did not misstep but never again. 

That is my entire repertoire in dancing. 

Chawnglaizawn is a dance, I have since learned, that was primarily a Pawi/Lai dance. The most interesting bit about the dance is that it is performed on occasions that are polar opposites – one, to celebrate big game, but the interesting bit is the second occasion where it is a communal mourning rite where a husband dances to grieve his wife’s passing. For the former, male and female dancers stand in rows or in circular formation and use the traditional Mizo drum khuang to set the rhythm. I learned the row one. Us girls wore Hmaram and kawrchei and used a small pawndum shawl; I think the boys went shirtless, wrapped ngotekherh around their waist and used pawndum shawl as well. Chawnglaizawn makes me wonder if when we say “celebrate” big game trophies, we mean “give respect” to the dead animal. I only say that because my grandmother was very fond of saying the Leihang clan shared ancestry with tigers, hence tigers were our kin, hence if a tiger was killed, a Leihang must do right by its corpse and cover it with pawndum to mourn it, as one would a kin. I don’t really know.

The other dance I learned was Khuallam, which as the name suggests, is performed for guests. I don’t really know but going by the easy rhythms, I suppose anyone with half a beat – read, guests – can join in and have fun dancing. I think they performed it during Khuangchawi ceremonies, before the grand feast maybe, hosted by some big shot. This dance features khuang and darbu. And any Mizo attire, I think. When we did it, we wore a set of Pawipuan and the men went shirtless again and maybe wore ngotekherh around their waist. We used regular sized pawndum to wave around, I think. I might be mistaken. I also think we used those attires because they were readily available. I certainly did not wear my own.

I tried to learn Cheraw one time. My father and cousin were on the floor, all ready to clap the bamboos and set the rhythm. They were not good. They clapped my ankle. I have never approached again. Both my sisters are graceful Cheraw dancers though. Two out of three isn’t bad! The most fascinating thing about Cheraw is it is traceable historically, to 1st Cent. AD and possibly derived from agricultural rituals since quite a few of the moves mimic paddy cultivation and harvest. However, what is interesting about it is also that it was performed to ensure a safe passage for the soul of a woman who died during childbirth. Or alternately, the soul of a child; or maybe a stillborn, I am not that sure. Cheraw is the dance version of Puanchei; just as colourful and just as dominant. It is fitting that puanchei is the go-to attire for Cheraw. The men go shirtless again, maybe. They never seem to wear clothes when dressing in cultural attire.

A dance I enjoy watching but ultimately too introverted to try even learning has always been Solakia. AKA Sarlamkai. AKA Rallu Lam. Originally a Mara/Lai dance to celebrate military victories. I don’t know what the right attire for this is. As for music, maybe drums. I think the words mean the same with Solakia and Sarlamkai; the sar would come from sarthi – unnatural death, and lam is lit. dance; I don’t know what kai means other than maybe step/stepping into. A Great Hunter comes home with decapitated enemy head? Bring out the boys and girls, encircle the hero with the machete and the shield and dance, mock the dead, celebrate the hero. Maybe. 

A dance I know I can’t perform because I have no natural rhythm is Chheih Lam. It is the Mizo Tango. A man and woman mimic eagles courting mid-air, gracefully moving with outstretched “wings” and moving together, touching, then separating, coming back together again. Very romantic and shit. This one you can sing for. I believe it is associated with Puma Zai and Tlanglam. The one song I associate most with this dance is German Ral Run Hla which is a mournful tale of a man going off to war to fight the Germans, leaving on a train, bullets raining down everywhere, and his lover left behind to cry, I guess.

A dance I might be able to perform is Par Lam. Flower dance. Older ladies perform it and they wear their brightest clothes – puanchei and kawrchei easily. They wear flowers on their hair and ribbons on their hands or wrists. The movements are simple and a song plays in the background on speakers, so I guess the dance is very modern. The song selected is cheerful and usually Zotui Thiangte which is not about flowers at all, but rivers! 

I also know the choreography to Steps’ 5,6,7,8 and Spice Girls’ Stop. But those are not really Mizo dances at all. I know very little dance!

The Mizo World: Stars

If Orion’s Belt could help me navigate, I would be set. It is about everything I can identify with absolute confidence in the night sky. 

I saw a TV programme one time about stars as the Early Mizo knew them. I found it fascinating and even made a note on my phone to buy their book. When I was posted in Printing & Stationeries, a colleague Pu Muanchhana gifted the book to me. The book is called History of Astronomy of the Mizo People, put together by Lalrinkimi, Lalthakimi Zadeng, and Martin George. If you’re interested. Gem of a book.

Recently I have realized that as little as I know about these astronomical bodies, other people know even less than I do. So I want to blog about the few I do know. I’ll pick my Top Five.

Allow me to educate you.

It’s actually fascinating. We have to start at the beginning of a giant cosmic magic. During Thlanrawkpa Khuangchawi (this dude’s name has always been fascinating to me; does it mean “Grave Robber” or am I gravely mistaken? If I am, I’d love to be educated), an intense Darkness fell on earth. Thim Zing, as we call it. This Darkness, with a capital D, transmuted a shit load of things. One of which was in many parts of Mizoram (or the “known” world, let’s say), people and animals and things got changed into stars.

We’ll start with Orion’s Belt. Chhohreivung in Mizo is part of the constellation Orion where the “Belt” is the opening of the zuhrei hole. A jungle rat. Larger than ordinary rats. So the story is that a man dug a Zuhrei hole. What would be the left leg of Orion would be the “loose soil” dug from the rat-hole. Then he forgot his tinder – his meitalh – inside the hole; this would later form the small cluster that makes up Orion’s face. He returned to get it but was killed by a tiger. This was when the Darkness descended and everyone and everything, including rat hole and tinder, got swept away and changed into stars. I don’t know which stars are which humans because if Orion’s Belt is the opening of the rat-hole, the people must be nearby. And big. But who can tell? The logic of folktales is not the logic of physics.

Another cluster I can identify is Siruk. This is called Pleaides in astronomy. I always called it Siruki-te Unau. But some people know it as just Siruk. This is because there are two stories. 

The sister one is that a group of six brothers from the Sky courted a group of six sisters from the Earth. Courtship went awry with the jealousy of the Earth boys. In the kerfuffle, the sisters got turned into stars. There once was a seventh star – their dad. But he was weak and the wind blew him away, apparently. Logic of folktales, dear reader.

The second story is that there were six clay miners on whom a mine collapsed. Maybe when the Darkness descended. Let’s say it was. For the drama. And so they became stars. For this some people also call it Siruk Bellei Lai – for the clay miners.

Next we shall talk about The Big Dipper aka The Great Bear aka Ursa Major. Brother Bear probably know it as a bear. We know it as Zangkhua. I have no idea what it means; even the book fails to explain this to me. All it says it that a man called Kawlawia was killed and decapitated just as the Darkness fell and of course, his body was swept up and became the Big Dipper or Zangkhua. I know the expression well, though – zangkhua a la bungbu ang. You know, the dipper will flip. As in, the tables will turn. This fascinates me because the Big Dipper does flip. The bowl portion of the ladle does pivot and appear upside down at times. It even rotates in relation to the stationary Polaris. I understand and greatly appreciate the expression. I however don’t understand the connection with the Kawlawia story much. 

Hmar Arsi makes more sense to me. Polaris. This is in Ursa Minor. The Mizo called it Hmar Arsi lit. North Star because it is seen in the north; simple logic. It is also – very cutely, I might add – called Sisil. Polaris is observed as stationary. It does not move. The Mizo noticed this. So they thought it might be maimed, or tired, hence it does not move. It is sil, you know, can’t move because of muscle cramps. Extremely cute logic.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy said that Ford Prefect was from the planet Betelgeuse Five. This made me look up Betelgeuse and it made me inordinately happy to realise I could identify it, because it was part of the Orion constellation. It is a red giant star, so it is easily identifiable. If you remember the forgetful man who forgot his tinder at the rat hole and was killed by the tiger when he went to retrieve it? Betelgeuse is that tiger when it got transmuted into a star during the Darkness. The Early Mizo called it Sikeisen or Sisakei, for its redness that resembles a tiger’s coat. 

Today, a lot of people call Mars Sikeisen as well. Because it is also red. So there is that.

So there! Five stars! Next we shall talk about dances.

Maybe.

Here. I'll even sketch them for you. Go out and look up at the night sky.

Zangkhua and Hmar Arsi (The Big Dipper and Polaris)

Chhohreivung and Sikeisen in Orion with Siruk (Pleiades)