Abyu Kasuang - Session 01, 28 February 2024

OH-008-32-1a Abyu Kasuang recounts the names of his ancestors generation after generation, from the beginning of time till his successors and shares how the Puroik people have lived to the present-day for thousands of years. He shares that one of the earliest Puroik ancestors was Changya, whose son was Mangpi-lo. His son was Sapi-lo, then it was Changya-lo. Then, he says, the successors arrived in (or the descendent’s name was) Donya. In each of these villages, ancestors of the Puroik people lived for one or few generations before moving on to the next settlement. [Archivist’s note: The names of ancestors are used interchangeably with the names of villages they lived in. Likely, both names were the same or derived from each other.] He goes on to say that his ancestors then appeared in Narba village. Not only his ancestors, all people from the entire world were there together in Narba village. The non-tribal people went to the lower elevations. The Chinese people went further North or to higher elevations and the Puroik, settled in these places, referring to their current homelands. He says that their father was Abotani. He married Baji-amui. The Puroik are the children of Baji-amui. Her sons include Do and Sulo, Khyun and Khya – all are Puroik ancestors. Then, they arrived in Chamchu Nive. He says that the earliest mothers of the Puroik people were Nə-amui and Nə-narang. At that time, the spirits and humans were brothers. In Chamchu Nive, they parted ways. The spirits took to the spirit realm and people became more human-like. He names the Puroik forefathers in successive generations: Chhuey, Buey, Naraak, Dungno-Chaado-Yəlo (three brothers). The story has arisen from Dungno-Chaado-Yəlo. At first, there were no Nyishi in these lands. Only the Puroik were there at first. Dungno’s sons are the present-day Kasuang people living in Yakli or Surung Kasuang village. Dungno’s sons Byeng and Sung, both gave rise to the present day Surung and Byale villages. He goes on to list the generations after ancestor Byeng are as follows: ancestor Khyak, ancestor Kaley, ancestor Kraa, ancestor Duey, ancestor Shenya, ancestor Rekhya, ancestor Reidung, ancestor Dəng. Ancestor Dəng was the father of Abyu Kasuang and the genealogy leads up to his daughter Mayang Kasuang, through whom the present generation descends. Abyu Kasuang shares that the father of non-tribals was named Kojam. The ancestors of different groups of people came together, he says. In Puroik, the Chinese are called Topo. He says he has learnt the Oral history from his elders by staying up with them for 4-5 nights. He shares his motivation to learn the Oral history. Events in his early life moved him to seek the truth and knowledge of generations. That is the tale he is reciting. He stores it in his heart, and has memorised it. He keeps encouraging young Puroik children to ask and learn about the oral history of their people. He appreciates the interviewer’s effort to record the Puroik oral history. He shares how when he visits schools, he challenges and encourages the children to not forget their own language. [Archivist’s note: Tungmaing in Puroik is the word for grandfather, or in general a male ancestor] He shares that their mother was Baji-amui, and father was Abotani. Baji-amui went into the Himalayan mountains after giving birth to her children. He draws a parallel between the Puroik oral history and the tale of genesis in the Bible. He moves to food habits that relate to fitness for life in the mountains. He shares some advice for younger people in the modern times to lead purposeful, healthy lives, and reflects on how advice for hard work is different based on occupation and lifestyle for different people. He speaks of a time in the past when salt, being so scarce, was brought from trade with China in the older times. Ash was more commonly used day-to-day. He also shares the tale of Drə-yadə-amui and the importance of the Palm, Tabua (a fern) and Muang (a tree fern) for survival. He illustrates how old the Palms are, thousands of years, in his words. He shares the origin of the Vyeh people, and also the search for habitable land by Do-Sulo, ancestors of the Puroik people in East Kameng. Do-Sulo had six sons, descendants of whom form the present-day clans of the Puroik people. The Puroik people, according to the Oral history, are the youngest sons among all people in India. Abyu Kasuang demands to know why the Puroik don’t have political representation, including no MLA elected from their community or a district assigned for the Puroik. He condemns the oppression that the Puroik have had to face and demands progress for the community. He comments on how the knowledge of extracting sago from vegetatively growing sago palms meant security and higher status for the Puroik in the past, which was eroded over time. He speaks of Meerua, the spirit elder, who spoke a similar language as the people but parted ways from humans, but continue to keep crossing paths with humans in the present. He also shares how different groups of people originated as children to Abotani in the past and over time, languages separated. He then speaks of the importance of speaking a language in order to preserve it. OH-008-32-1b Abyu Kasuang emphasises the importance of knowing one’s language and oral history, and how this knowledge builds character and credibility for young people. They should know the story from thousands of years, of how their ancestors have lived on these lands. He narrates the events when Do-Sulo pursue and find the Vyeh people. Abyu Kasuang shares how understanding the oral history and genealogy of his own tribe translates to an understanding of law in his homeland. He emphasises how people can die any day but the spoken word will never disappear and should be passed on to the next generation. He describes how the Oral history chronicles the origin of many things in Puroik homelands. Meerua, or the spirit elder, had once taken the real Kaiko (sago processing station) that was given by the creator to the Puroik people. He shares the different items that were given to the Puroik people in the beginning, many of which were taken back, except fire. He briefly shares the events that happened when their mother sent Abotani to find his daughter, restricting a few actions on his way. He disobeys her and their mother leaves, feeling disappointed. He shares what happened after that. When asked about the origin of the Palm, Abyu Kasuang shares that when different foods were being distributed to different groups of people, the Puroik people received the Palm – not rice, not Apung etc. He describes a time when there was famine in the world and the Puroik people helped other people also survive with sago. He shares the history of when water filled the entire world. He shares that the Palm, Muang and Tabua were given at the same time as sources of food, and also the tale of how the Palm got fibres in its pith. He comments on Abotani’s neglect of his wife and its consequences for Puroik people. He reiterates the onward journey from Narba, where ancestors of all people were assembled, leading onto the need for separation of different languages. He concludes with a message of not losing one’s own language. [Archivist’s note: The speaker refers to the past with the word ‘future’ sometimes, but in essence meaning the knowledge of the past of his people.] [Archivist’s note: It was unclear in the early period of the research if Do and Sulo were regarded as two separate ancestors or a single ancestor. They are brothers who both married Vyeh-amui and have six sons, who gave rise to several clans of the Puroik at present. They are sometimes collectively referred to as one name, in which case denoted as Do-Sulo, and in other instances referred to separately and denoted as Do and Sulo.] Time-stamped section headings OH-008-32-1a (00:00:49) The sequence of places along the migration routes of Puroik ancestors and names of generations of Puroik people leading up to the speaker’s child. [00:13:30 to 00:13:58 Restricted access. Contact archives@ncbs.res.in] (00:13:59) The speaker’s motivation to seek and memorise the Oral history, invoking his memories from early childhood. The speaker’s emphasis on younger generations valuing the Oral history. [00:22:48 to 00:22:57 Restricted access. Contact archives@ncbs.res.in] (00:23:51) The tale of Abotani and Baji-amui. The speaker’s reflection on Puroik oral history and the story of creation in the Bible. (00:37:36) Scarcity of salt as a commodity, travelling to China to trade for salt, and the use of ash for cooking in the past. The tale of Drə-yadə-amui and the clustering habit and reliability of the Palm. Brief discussion on interviewer learning the Puroik language. (00:46:09) The origin of Vyeh people, Do-Sulo’s search for habitable places. [00:49:14 to 00:50:48 Restricted access. Contact archives@ncbs.res.in] (00:50:49) Political under-representation of the Puroik people in the present day, including lack of MLA from the community and absence of an assigned district. Highlighting limited opportunities and demands for ways to enable progress for the Puroik people. The relationship between the Puroik and the spirit elder, Meerua. [00:51:22 to 00:51:36, 00:52:41 to 00:52:59 Restricted access. Contact archives@ncbs.res.in] (00:56:01) Abotani, the father of all people, who were together in Narba and the segregation of languages subsequently. OH-008-32-1b (00:03:17) Describing how Do-Sulo found the Vyeh people. (00:14:38) A discussion on the breadth of events and origin stories chronicled in the Oral history. (00:29:21) The origin of the Palm, Muang (a tree fern) and Tabua (a fern), and the time when water filled up the entire world in the Oral history. The tale about fibres in the trunk about the Palm, the onward journey from Narba for the Puroik ancestors, and the appearance of distinct languages in the past.