The sweet sound of love

The wah ya easily fits into an adult’s palm. This musical instrument made from wah (bamboo), is just over four and half inches long, and is “a symbol of romance,” says Ngap Lo as she brings the small strip of bamboo to her lips.

Ngap used to be a farmer in Nagaland’s Mon district. As she’s talking to us, she pulls out the tiny musical instrument she literally has up her sleeve. With her left hand, she grips one end of the bamboo and twine. With the right, she holds the string from the end of which hangs colourful pieces of thread. And then she begins to play.

Sitting next to Ngap are her childhood friends Ying Lih and Nyeli, all in their sixties. The three of them have travelled together for the Aoleang being held in the grounds next to the Baptist church in Mon village.

Aoleang is a six-day festival celebrated by the Konyaks annually in spring where the community gathers to seek blessings from the gods after sowing seeds on new jhum fields and pray for a good harvest. These are societies where jhum (shifting cultivation) is still practiced seriously. “Young people have forgotten the importance of the festival,” Ngap, who belongs to the Konyak community (listed as Scheduled Tribe in the state) says.

“We did not know the date and time, but when the coral tree began to bloom, we knew that Aoleang season had come,” says Ngap and adds that a changing society, especially since the arrival of Christianity to these parts in the 1960s, is the reason for this diminishing importance. “After Christianity, many Aoleang practices were forgotten.”

A marker of changing times, Ngap continues, is the use of mobile phones for communication. “When we were young, we couldn’t talk over the phone, so we used this,” she says.

Nyeli has one too, as does Ying, although she does not bring it out. The next day, the three friends are to perform in front of the crowd at the festival.

Ngap’s instrument was made and gifted to her by her husband. She explains, with a twinkle in her eyes, “men gave it to the girls they liked.” And how many did she get when she was a young girl? Ngap’s response is a hearty laugh and her friends laugh along with her.

PARI would like to thank Athak Konyak C. for his help with this story