My Visit to Kahawaibhuruka, a Flood-Affected Mising Village in Assam

This is a celebration in my life, the visit to the village of Kahawai-bhuruka, a Mising village in Nowboicha, Assam, on Aug 29, 2024, spending hours of pride and happiness with women who weave dreams on their Country Looms for generations in an isolated tribal village afflicted with recurring floods, with frequent water bodies leaving scare buildable land surfaces for housings.

Kahawai means a species of fish (climbing Perch, biological name Anabus Testudineus), and bhuruka means muddy soil, which means a fish found in muddy soil.?

There are 218 households, of which 35 belong to Nepali and Bengali, and the rest are all Mising tribes, with a population of around 1200. The village has produced 20 graduates and 5 Government employees. One has to commute 15 km to reach a small college at Nowboicha either by walking or by bicycle, only when there is no flood. The Mising community practices the Donyi Polo (Sun-Moon), an Indigenous religion, started in the 1970s in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. This community has a fair degree of symmetry with the Adi community in the East Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The women wear their traditional dress called Gero (upper garment), a piece of cloth body warp) in a specific manner to convey their marital status; if the warp they tie just above their chest, it indicates that they are married. Gero is designed with narrow stripes of various bright colours and black or green borders. Gero is tied around the waist and the chest on top of Ege or mekhela. Gero contains a design woven in the Centre with red and black colours on a white background with traditional motifs. The weavers brilliantly select colours for backgrounds and patterns, showcasing their creativity on looms. The community maintains an inherent connection with nature that is reflected in their creations. Ali-Aye-Ligang is their most vivid festival; they dance proudly with the elegance of their traditional wear.

They have outstanding features in traditional Mising handloom weaving, and the women spend most of their earnings from weaving on children's education. They live in a highly disciplined culture with great esteem for women folk.?????

All 183 Mising families are traditionally weavers. 32 weavers from the village were taken to a Handloom Cluster Development Project (SFURTI) of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India, initiated in 2019. The project has yet to take off. Thus, it has not brought about the expected change in the livelihood patterns of these women. Mrs. Nilima Noro (65) was narrating the stories of her village's ups and downs, hopes and despairs while welcoming me for a gossip sitting in Chang Ghar or Chang Ukum. The tribe maintains their tradition and culture in the construction of their houses. The Chang Ukum is built on top of a raised platform supported by bamboo slits; this is their large-spaced kitchen, fuel used for cooking is wood. We all sat encircling the fireplace at the Centre of the floor. Nilima’s daughter-in-law and other women offered me the traditional Apo drink, a variety of wines they brew. It is also called Ethnobotany of Poro Apang (wine) or Chai (ash from husk) Mod (wine) or rice beer and burnt (on a wood fire) Kahawai fish with salt and green chilli plucked from the backyard garden.

Their major livelihoods are weaving, fishing and livestock rearing. Among all the odds and challenges of life, creativity and laughter echo through the village of Kahawaibhuruka. Amiya Mili, wife of Mithun Chintey, weaves the ancient weaving techniques learnt from her grandma and mom, forging a bond between generations. Their connection grows with every thread and yarn, preserving traditional crafts and empowering the young girl’s future. This sanctuary of creativity, art, and love entwines, nurturing a heritage that will bloom for years. Through shared stories with weaving, the artisans' village becomes Amiya's playground, where she discovers her creative voice. Guided by skilled hands, she blossoms into a confident young artist, carrying forward the community’s legacy. Together, they weave a tapestry of love, trust, and mutual respect with their looms. Amidst the mist of Kahawaibhuruka village, a skilled weaver, Amiya, revived the languishing crafts with motifs and designs of the Mising community in the village. She brings forgotten patterns to life on her country loom. With each thread, she weaves stories of her ancestors and the near-extinct traditions of her tribe. Her intricate designs hold the secrets of a lost culture, reviving memories and connecting the past to the present.

The village does not have proper toilets or a drinking water supply. The flood, which has been recurring and common, appears to be a major challenge in their everyday lives. While walking the lanes of muddy trails, I could see a few blocks of raised hand pumps for drinking water and raised toilet blocks under construction to mitigate the crushing problem. I was told that a Spain-based donor agency, Manos Unidas International, donated 6 units of Raised Hand Pump and 3 Community Toilet blocks (https://www.manosunidasinternational) and was implemented by WDC under the WASH program. ?

Ms Bhagyabati Bhuyan, the Women Development Centre (WDC) Project Director, Guwahati, and her team, Sanju Singh, Mahananda Bora, and Probin Nath, accompanied the visit, which was immensely helpful. WDC is an NGO working towards creating awareness, especially among women and young girls, to improve their situation to enable people to bring out their potential for their productive development, to promote education to girl children, to provide training, to impart skills, to assist and collaborate with Government and other organisations to promote the development of humanitarian services.

We had discussions and storytelling, all sitting under the open sky below the trees in the front yard of Nilima’s house. A huge stock of colourful textiles that around 45 weavers carried with them was displayed on the ground to show me. The beauty of the work is matchless; colour conveys their thousands of dreams; among the waves of so-called modernity, they live in social cohesion, and together, they win the challenges despite the awful disconnects that afflict them every day. The trace of development is not seen much here. Reaching out to the roots of our remote villages, we start believing that most of our claims on inclusive development we achieved are partial and misnomers. Yet, their sense of hospitality, accepting a fellow human being as their most beloved, is adorable. Their love and affection were so magnetic that you can’t forget them once you meet them.??????

(Part - I, this research is a part of Anant National University’s mandate on Documentation of Indigenous Crafts, by Dr Sukamal Deb on 29.08.2024)

Photographs, titles -The researcher interacts with the weavers At Kahawai-bhuruka village. My meeting with artisans, The artisans eagerly participate in the discussion, Group photo with villagers, primarily weavers, We are in an assembly discussing the purpose, Missing Textiles, weaved elegantly – I, Missing Textiles, weaved elegantly – II, Handloom products on display at the village, Women wear these ornaments to dance during, Ali-Aye-Ligang made out of handloom waste, Missing Textiles weaved elegantly – III, Missing Textiles, weaved elegantly – IV, Missing Textiles, weaved on Fly shuttle Loom incomplete, In Chang Ukum listening to Nilima’s Storytelling, Traditional cooking challah at Chang Ukum, Fish fried traditionally offered with Chai mod. The researcher interacts with the weavers At Kahawai-bhuruka village, My meeting with artisans; the artisans eagerly participate in the discussion, Group photo with villagers, primarily weavers, We are in an assembly discussing the purpose, Missing Textiles, weaved elegantly – I, Missing Textiles, weaved elegantly – II, Handloom products on display at the village, Women wear these ornaments to dance during, Ali-Aye-Ligang made out of handloom waste, Missing Textiles weaved elegantly – III, Missing Textiles, weaved elegantly – IV, Missing Textiles, weaved on Fly shuttle Loom incomplete, In Chang Ukum listening to Nilima’s Storytelling, Traditional cooking chullah at Chang Ukum, Fish fried traditionally offered with Chai mod

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