kut chibai
A VERY WARM KUT GREETINGS FROM THE TEAM OF ZOKUOMTHAWN AND ITS DOMINANT LINKS
A VERY WARM KUT GREETINGS FROM THE TEAM OF ZOKUOMTHAWN AND ITS DOMINANT LINKS
GREETINGS FROM OTHERS
IMPHAL, Oct 31: On the occasion of Kut festival, MPCC president Gai-khangam has extended his best wishes to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups.
Gaikhangam wished that the Kut festival may bring peace, harmony and prosperity to the State.
IG AR (S) Maj Gen BK Chengapa and all ranks of Assam Rifles greeting the people on the occasion of Kut festival wished joy, happiness and prosperity for the CHIKIMS in particular and all other tribals in the days to come.
The AMSU has also greeted the people of Manipur, particularly the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group on the occasion of Kut.
On the occasion, AMSU prayed that all the hardships and miseries of the land may end with the arrival of Kut festival.
Extending its best wishes to the people, particularly of Chin-Kuki-Mizo group on the occasion of Kut festival, the Thadou Students’ Association (TSA) has appealed to all to shun violence, hatred, enmity and to work together towards peace, unity and development.
The United Committee Manipur has also extended its warmest greetings to the people on the occasion of Chavang Kut.
The United Naga Council (UNC) and Lok Sabha MP from Outer Parliamentary Constituency of Manipur Mani Charenamei have greeted the Chin-Kuki-Zomi community on the auspicious occasion of the Chavang Kut festivals.
UNC while terming the Chavang Kut as one of the greatest festivals of all times, has prayed that the message of love, peace and fraternity shall prevail throughout to ensure the bliss of life amongst all the communities of the state by bringing mutual understanding.
Lok Sabha MP Mani Charenamei while giving his greetings to the people of the Chin-Kuki-Zomi community on the Chavang Kut celebration, has said that let love, peace and prosperity reign among the people.
Mani Charenamei also prayed that happiness and joy should be with the Chin-Kuki-Zomi community with the coming of the Chavang Kut festival of the community.
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Kut fest to fan out to dists from ‘08
IMPHAL, Oct 31 : The Centre Committee of the Kuki Women Union, Manipur has decided that the State level Kut festival will never be celebrated at Imphal from next year due to many inconveniences faced by the Kuki people.
In a statement, Rose Manshi Haokip on behalf of the KWUM said that due to financial constraints, many villagers are deprived of participating in the State level festival and to address this, Chavang Kut shall be celebrated at district levels from next year, adopting the basic principals of custom, culture and tradition of the Kukis.
The KWUM has also extended its warmest gree- tings to all Kutters of Kuki-Chin-Mizos and added that Kut is a secular and liberal festival of Chin-Kuki-Mizo communities. The main significance of Kut is peace, unity, integrity and fraternity among the Kuki-Chin-Mizos.
The KWUM has also appealed to the Government to release the Kukis from custody so that they may take part in the festival as well as not to harass young Kuki boys and girls who come to Imphal from flung areas to participate in the festival.
Special treatment should be extended to the youngsters, said KWUM and added that Kutters should not indulge in anything that harm others and the festival.
The statement further said that despite the various oppositions, the State Level Kut Committee should carry on this year’s programme as scheduled.
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Kut and its people
By: Sominthang Doungel *
There is it group of people who have never been able to find out their nomenclature by which they can collectively identify themselves as an ethnic group.
Prior to 1937 these people lived in Indo-Burma.
However, in 1937 Burma was separated from India and the people living in Chin-hills and upper Chindwin have gone to Burma. Again in 1971 Chittagong Hill Tracts have gone to Bangladesh.
Thus, these people have been scattered into three different Independent countries creating a lot of predicaments for communications and personal contacts from one country to another.
Gradually some of these ethnic groups lost their identity and tend to identify themselves with their neighbouring group who influenced them either politically or through their religious and social activities.
A bulk of their population is found in the Chin State of Burma while other members are dispersing in Manipur, Tripura, Bangladesh, Assam and Mizoram.
The tribes found in some parts of North-East India like Manipur. Tripura were called Kuki by the Enling their cognate tribes found in Burma were called Chin and those found in Mizoram, Assam, Bangladesh and Bengal were called Lushai. So, they became Kuki, Chin and Lushai.
However the different tribes or clans inhabiting the entire perimeter of the present Mizoram have completely succeeded in disowning the term Kuki, Chin and Lushai and have adopted an inborn word Zomi commonly known as Mizo.
These ethnic groups were given various names by the people with whom they are living together by observing their demeanor and way of living.
No common name exist till to-day which can comprise all these Kuki-Chin Tribes, mainly due to lack of centralized authority-an authority that could unify and integrate all the group into a well knit nation. These group of people are not eager in forming a sub-nation.
Instead, they prefer to be identified individually by the name of their specific tribes. These ethnic groups are divided into clans. Most of the tribes are now Christian.
Before they were imbued with Christian faith, they were worshipping various spirits, the spirit dwelling in different places like the precipice, water, woods rocks etc.
About 95% of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo have now professed Christianity. They have therefore discarded many of their customs and tradition. Yet, they still retain the majority of their customs and practices which are not contradictory to their new faith. These Chin-Kuki-Mizo people loved social intercourse and bustles, and accordingly.
Kut is a common feature of their social life but not because of its pomposity, merriment and gaiety of the celebration, but because of its religious aspects. Kut is a festival, primarily to remember the creator God and to give thanks to him for his abundant blessings.
One of their cultural heritages which they eagerly looked forward to is Kuts because all sections of people whether rich or poor enjoyed themselves on such occasions forgetting all their anxieties and worries.
There were three kinds of Kuts, though their exact origin were lost in oblivion. They are, Mim Kut, Pawal Kut, and Chapchar or Chapphou Kut.
Mim Kut : Mim Kut was said to be the oldest of the three. It derived its name form a plant called Mim the grain of which is eaten. This Mim Kut was held in honour of the dead and was also known as "Thitin" meaning "Departure of the dead spirit".
The Chin-Kuki-Mizo people believed that the spirit of the dead frequented its home for 3 Lunar months immediately after death. The origin of Mim Kut is connected with a couple who fell in love and got married.
But soon after the wife died. The husband lacked sufficient emotional, Psychological or spiritual resources for bearing the trauma of the sudden death of his beloved wife and wept and wept.
One day while weeping he fell into a state of trance and said to have visited "Mithikho", where he met his beloved wife but found her famished.
When the husband enquired about the reason she replied that she could not procure enough food to eat, and implored her husband to go back and collect maize, cucumber, vegetable etc., from the Jhum and make offering to her so that she might get foods to eat to her satisfaction.
The husband did everything as told. After some months the husband was again in a state of trance. This time he saw his wife fat and stout. When he asked the reason his wife told him that she became stout and lovely because of the offerings he made for her.
After recovering from his trance, he told his friends all what had happened in his trance. It is said that from that time onwards offerings to the dead became a common practice.
During Mim Kut, fresh vegetables, maize and bread prepared from sticky rice (Changman) were offered to the spirit of the dead persons of their respective families. This kut was also known as "feast of weeping".
Normally it lasted for three days during which "Zu" country made liquor were served and songs were sung. Mim Kut is usually observed at the time of germination of maize, millet, cucumber and other green vegetables so as to celebrate the coming of fresh and vegetables.
Pawl Kut: Pawl means "Straw" hence pawl kut means kut held soon after the harvest. Some people hod the view that it originated with the catching of pawl Zu or Zu pawl (rats) found in heap of straw.
Others connect it to the famine which visited them for three consecutive years.
When they were in the Kabaw Vallley (Myanmar) on the fourth year, when they were relieved of the disaster their chief suggested to his Upas (village elders) that they should prepare a public feast, in which all the people might enjoy meal to their heart's content.
This was agreed and public feast was arranged by killing fowls, pigs and goats. Thus, the pawl kut came into existence.
Chapchar Kut : Chapchar Kut is a festival observed in the intervening period between the felling of trees for Jhum and the burning of Jhum. The Chin-Kuki-Mizo people usually went for hunting to celebrate the occasion.
While the Chief and Upas engaged themselves in preparing Zu to last the feast. Every family of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo also prepared Zu to cover the whole feast which usually lasted for about a week.
The Chapphou or Chapchar Kut was usually held in the jhum field. The felling of trees and bamboos for jhum cultivations were normally carried out during the month of January every year and left for drying to be burnt subsequently in the month of March of the year.
Drinking feasting, dancing etc are usually performed during the short leisure period available to them. The three kuts however today cannot be celebrated in its own due season due to the change of time, belief and style of the social life of the people.
Thus the three kuts had been merged into one called Chavang Kut (Autumn festival) for the sake of convenience, which is celebrated on 1st November every year.
The Chavang Kut is the only traditional institutions which bring together all the different tribes of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo on a single platform in a most harmonious environment. It is one of the festivals identified by the Central Government and it has introduced a new elements of going with the modem times.
Attractive items like Fashion Show. Beauty contests have been added. The Chavang Kut has now assumed not only a regional significance but also an international significance in the sense that its impact is no more confined to the state alone.
Kut is a pride for the Chin-Kuki-Mizo and is a means through which the outside World could identify who they are.
It should also be on the anvil of the organisers to make attempts to bring outside journalists as well as TV, Net Works like Zee TV so that wide publicity is given to Kut and that the rich cultural heritages of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribe could be exposed.
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Sominthang Doungel wrote this article for The Sangai Express . This article was webcasted on November 17th, 2006
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Kut: Its essence and significance
By: Ngamkhohao Haokip *
Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins, it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols. — Thomas Mann
The onset of autumn has once again heralded Kut time. While preparation for Kut-celebration is going on in full swing, it is hope that occasional opinion like this may have its positive significance in celebration of Kut.
Origin: It is not exactly known when and where did the Kukis (in their undivided sense) started celebrating Kut as a post harvesting celebration.
However believes are that they have inherited it from their ancestors, whose progenitors are possibly, as believed by some scholars, the descendants of Manasseh, one of the lost tribes of Israel. The second theory is that they began to celebrate it while reigning in Burma, especially in the Chindwin valley region.
One of the earliest known feastings in record is the one Pu 'Chongja' performed before he left for 'Chunggam' which is rather recorded as 'Chon' a kind of feasting over an accomplishment.
Whatsoever it might have been as to its genesis, it is undoubtedly very clear that Kut is one of the oldest inherited traditional festivities of the Kukis.
Therefore, in its oldness lies its traditional values wherein smear the unexplored side of it which younger generation needs to unearth and harness the intrinsic values that can definitely foster fraternity and unity among the Kut-celebrating-people.
Kut as a traditional celebration: Firstly, Kut is Kut. There are not any names that can befittingly take the place of Kut. It is a word common to all Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups of people.
All this groups of people equally gives importance to Kut. Besides, it being one of the most important Kuts of the Kutte family, it has undoubtedly become the most accommodative festival of our state Manipur.
Moreover, Kut of today has also progressed toward being less inviting in its style and significance to the people who celebrates it, but on the other hand, Kut became a celebration of nothingness for non-celebrators, anti-traditionalists.
In essence, Kut implies nothing less than traditional celebration of joyfulness over the bountiful harvests. Here, the word 'tradition' has connotative intent.
Things of the far past that are handed down to the succeeding generation should bear to us non-simplistic social behaviour that cannot be denied in the course of our struggle for social survival. Sans that characteristic learning, the worthiness of remembering the undying past would prove futile.
Breaking with tradition of Kut in its celebration will do more harm that the celebration itself in the present ways and methods of wrongful glorification.
By inheritance, either the village chief with the lift given by his council of minister - 'Semang-Pachong' or the Priest - 'Thempu' initiates the magnification of year-end collection of the fruitations of labour.
After satisfying himself that harvesting along the village is over and that, there is no epidemic neither in the village nor in the neighbouring villages, which can dwindle the festive mood of the people, the village chief, in consultation and with knowledge of his council of ministers and the Thempu would ask the village 'Crier' to announce the arrival of Kut and that every villagers should prepare for the same.
The interests of the aged, young, widows, widowers, and orphans are not in the least of importance in the celebration. Any quantity of harvest and whatever amounts of contributions are made for the celebration is considered bountiful in the sense of the celebration.
The distinctiveness or singularity of Kut lies in the fact that routine (customary) barriers, but not the kind of customary barriers that we hope to get the license for preventive pronouncements of the village Priest relating to sacrifices and other encumbrances that are believed to have definite expediencies are untroubled on Kut day.
By chanting, the Priest invoked the Supreme God - 'Chung Pathen' for his blessings upon the villagers and for all humankind. The Thempu also chants for all kinds of prowess for the villagers.
Not only these, Kut day is a day that is eagerly waited for by those debtors to the village or to any individuals for on this day their burdens of debts are written-off of their shoulders.
In addition, all kinds of unsettled cases like fights, disputes and the likes are settled for peace. It is indeed a day of peace and harmony in the village that is celebrating Kut.
Traditional Kut is also an annual session of village assembly wherein members of the Chief's Council if necessary, are scrutinised according to their yearlong performances thereby enabling the village council to drop any unaccountable members. In that process, better and honest, say competent, members are put to the council of the chief.
It is in this assembly that programmes, policies and plans concerning the village, including agriculture, water, forestry, health and customs are discussed.
Moreover, sometimes-even matters of inter-village relations are tabled for discussion. Tradition has that the occupations of each individuals is taken into account while featuring the welfare and developmental issues of the village.
Kut tradition v/s modernism: It is needless to repeat saying that Kut is a long-established event of the 'Eimi' society. It's attractiveness and its binding force among the people were so enchanting and peaceful that lobbying for its recognition as a state festival was readily consented to by the State Government.
However, it is sad to observe that the people who have Kut, as their grandest festival could not really use it for promoting the desire goal of bringing back unity and fraternity amongst the one-time united ethnic group.
The convention of Kut celebration, as pointed out above, is bringing together all and sundry at the same level of festivity and equality in the fostering of love, closeness and perhaps, all the social cohesions desirous of any civil society. This is the virtue that our Government, especially in democratic society today, likes to cultivate as a long-term purpose of all efforts.
Unlike the Kukis, conversely, in today's world different ethnic groups seems to have revived their attachment to their traditional ways of life so as to foresee a ray of hope of cementing on a stronger basis their common goals by such a step that is also appearing to be coming into the light of the day.
The Kut-people, in their effort to strengthen their bone of oneness did felt the need to preserve the culture of Kut as far back in 1980s. Those leaders, it is believed, were more or less convinced that socialization of Kut can proved worth doing in view of the then prevailing wave of balkanising the unified Kukis on the theory of divide-and-rule policy.
Later on, it became less local and its celebration became wide spread. But as time passed and when the reign of control of Kut celebration shifted mainly to the so-called politicians and bureaucrats, the custom of it being a social forum was swiftly changed to become more a political forum.
The ideals of the revived initiators for social platform for bringing about social change for good future became marred till today and in its stead comes what not. Now, it has been transmuted as a platform for canvassing and propagation of one's ego and all kinds of social evils.
What Kut should and should not be: It is not apropos unhappiness on its being recognised as a state festival coming together with financial assistance either from the State Government or particularly from tourism department, but the fact remains as to why Kut is a festival for celebration.
Not at any time was it a celebration of English fluency and it were never an observation of half-naked materialistic skins of beauty with an objective view as object of lust.
Kut is also neither a Christian conference despite the fact that it is, to a greater extend, a ritualistic and religious one.
To the taste of subscribers of neo-modernism, if one likes it, Kut can be a celebration of achievements like the recent recognition of Kom dialect as one of the Kut-people's dialect.
Similarly, gold medallist MC Mary Kom, and other such achievements, can be equally fittingly featured as part of Kut celebration. Her achievement can be called up to date or modernism.
In the traditional games of Kut wrestling used to be an exclusive game for the man. This turning is modernism in the little true sense of the term.
Total deviation like the one we do now from traditional to non-traditional and non-modernism is not the modernity we thought to be and therefore that can never bridge between the past and the present. Presentation of a few cultural items cannot be an excuse of non-total deviation from tradition.
There are nobler lessons unexplored on the other face of Kut's coin.
It is good to learn unity, love, morality, sincerity and honesty that Kut of our forefathers left for the posterity and us. It is worthless to observe Kut in the present manner if it's not going to be worthwhile to learn from tradition of our great past.
Are the shows of today's Kut worth implanting in the minds of our youths who we expect to lead us next?
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Ngamkhohao Haokip wrote this article for The Sangai Express . This article was webcasted on October 30th, 2006
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State level Kut Festival 2002
By: Atom Samarendra
Kut - a post harvest festival of Kuki-Chin-Mizo groups of people, was celebrated all over the State on November 1 last. The festival was being celebrated in all the districts of Manipur while the grand state level Kut festival was held at the 1st Manipur Rifles ground with a colorful cultural extravaganza and the most-wanted Miss Kut beauty pageant
Kut is a festival where the Kuki-Chin-Mizo tribes offer prayer after the harvest. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India had already recognized the festival as tourism festival of India. State level festival is being celebrated under the financial assistance from the ministry and State Government. Of late, the festival has broken all ethnic and religious barriers and become one of the most popular festivals of Manipur.
Veteran social worker and politician Paoneikhai Suantak (81) was chosen the “kut pa” (master of the ceremony) for the state level festival. Despite his old age, Suantak came here to meet the young people. He told the crowd, which was mostly comprised of young people, that the need of the hour was peaceful co-existence of all communities.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh opened the festival and was attended by other ministerial colleagues. Cultural troupes belonging to different communities from various corner of the State staged cultural items.
The main attraction of the state level Kut festival at 1st MR was the 'Miss Kut' beauty pageant. Fashion parade and beauty contests which are held as part of the festival has become extremely popular over the years. In fact, Miss Kut has become the medium of popularizing the festival. Altogether 20 young beauties belonging to different communities vied for the prestigious Miss Kut 2002 title. The beauty pageant was held in the evening which was witnessed by hundreds of audience mostly youngsters.
There were three rounds in the contest namely traditional, casual and question-answer rounds. Inter-round break was filled with different musical bands presenting their numbers to entertain the crowd. As the venue of the festival is a high security zone, police personnel and commandos could easily control the crowd. There was not much unruly audience there.
Ten beauties were singled out for the question-answer round (final round). Each contestant was allowed to choose a judge by picking the name from a box.
Based on proficiency of their replies, Chinminchong (Boinu) Haokip was declared Miss Kut 2002 while Miss Uttambal Devi Ningthoujam was adjudged first runners-up. Miss Themboi Kipgen was adjudged the second runner-up.
Miss Chinminchong (vital statistics: 34”-27”-34”) a resident of Langol Spring Villa, Lamphelpat during the question-answer round said that she is most inspired by the life of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale’s dedication towards the cause of the ailing soldiers is an inspiration to her, Chinminchong said. Miss Kut 2000, Santoshini Devi, crowned the title to Miss Chinminchong. With the title, she pocketed a cash prize of Rs 25,000. A sum of Rs 15,000 and 10,000 were awarded to the first runner-up and second runner-up respectively.
A cash prize of Rs 1000 each were awarded to the winners of various subtitles. Winners are: Nengthem (Best Hair), Khamnehoi Kol (Photogenic), Indubala Devi Sagolshem (Radiant Skin, Perfect Ten), Uttambala Devi Ningthoujam (Lovely Smile).
Source: E-Pao
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