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.
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