Dangma Kasuang - Session 02, 13 January 2024

Dangma Kasuang, a little over fifty years old, is from Byale village. She was raised in Hanche village, which is a few hundred metres across Byale. She remembers several lesser-known varieties of the Palm and is known for her melodious singing. She shares many old Puroik songs about the Palm and life of Puroik people in the past. She spends her time occupied in daily chores like raising the Palm, rearing livestock, foraging and farming. She also shared her knowledge of indigenous varieties of rice, millet and other vegetables in the farm.

Padue Kasuang, aged over forty years, is from Byale village, currently settled in Sawa with his family. He is a Chrisitian leader and pastor, as well as an Assistant Load Carrier (ALC) with the Sawa administration. He has a strong motivation to document the oral history of the Puroik people and preserve it for the future generations. He keeps himself busy farming, maintaining his Palms, and creating handcrafted items for sale in the town, like Kadaak-saak (a cane backpack) and Zak (a bamboo storage vessel). He takes a lot of interest in caring for his Palms and believes they are necessary for food security for the Puroik people. As mentor and research liaison, he guides and helps interpret this work on Puroik oral literature and the Eastern Himalayan sago palm.