Folklore and Folklife of
Athpahariya Rais:
Exploration through Field Research
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Introduction
In the earlier issues of the Newsletter (volume 1 and 2), we had reported our
studies on Gandharva and Gopali folk groups under the Folklore and Folklife
Study Project. In the course of continuing the same project with Finnish support
under Local cooperation, now we have completed several works related to the
study of the third folk group – the Athpahariya Rai. Therefore, the activities
completed in connection with the field research of this folk group are going to
be reported here. The topics that follow will describe the progress of the field
study along with its achievements.
Preparatory Works
For the purpose of data collection from field, the preparatory works needed to
be done included that of purchasing some equipments and preparing the research
tools. Therefore, the equipments necessary for field research were purchased,
including the memory cards, rewritable CDs, DVCs (digital video cassettes) etc.
Moreover, field sheets, questionnaires and schedules were also prepared, prior
to the beginning of the field-based activities.
Pre-Field Work
From February 28 to March 3, 2006, a preliminary survey of Athpahariya Rais’
settlement area was carried out by the project team leader Prof. Tulasi Diwasa
and researcher Mr. Shambhu Khatiwada. They had visited Dadagaun and adjacent
areas of Dhankuta Municipality, whereby feasibility study of the field research
was carried out.
Based on the survey, it was reported that Athpahariya Rais have some distinct
ways of life and social characteristics, which differ from the rest groups of
Kiranti community. As such, with the view to preserve their language, culture
and traditions, the need for a detailed study of their folklore and folklife was
strongly felt.
As mentioned in the survey report, Dhankuta Municipality, Bhirgaun and Belahara
VDCs are the main settlement areas of Athpahariya Rais; and altogether 1442
households of this folk group are living in these localities. Regarding their
population, the report has mentioned that a total number of 7405 people of this
ethnic group are residing in Dhankuta Muniicipality, Belahara VDC and Bhirgaun
VDC respectively.
Prof. Diwasa and Mr. Khatiwada had mentioned 40 names of local informants, who
were willing to assist the field researchers in course of data collection. In
addition, the names of two local organizations working in the Athpahariya Rai
community were also mentioned in the report, which could help the field-based
activities. These are: 1) Athpahariya Rai Samaj Dhankuta; and 2) Triveni
Sanskritik Group.
Four researchers were appointed, and agreement was made with them in the last
week of April 2006. The research team comprises these experts: 1. Mr. Amrit
Yonjan-Tamang (Team Coordinator); 2. Mr. Shambhu Khatiwada; 3. Mr. Bulu Mukarung;
and 4. Mr. Luisang Waiba.
From April 28th to the 4th of May, the researchers learned operating the
essential equipments/ tools needed for data collection (digital camera, video
camera, and audio recorder). They also collected the available literature
related to the folk group, and were involved in the orientation programme,
whereby they were given the necessary guidelines for field research.
Besides, an interaction programme was organized in the project office to share
the experience between them and the earlier field researchers who had already
completed their field work. On behalf of the earlier research teams, Prof. Dr.
C.M. Bandhu (Coordinator, first research group) and Mr. Tej Prakash Shrestha
(Coordinator, second research group) had shared their experience of working in
the field for data collection. The programme was organized in the presence of
the project team leader Prof. Tulasi Diwasa; and he had given the necessary
guidelines for the researchers.
Field Work in Dadagaun and Adjacent Areas
Spending the period of 3 months (from May 5th to August 4th, 2006) in the
settlement areas of the folk group in and around Dhankuta Dadagaun, the field
researchers collected data on Athpahariya Rai folklore and folklife. The work of
data collection was divided into four different areas of Athpahariya folklore
and folklife: 1) folk language and folk communication, 2) material folk culture
and folk heritage, 3) folk literature and performing arts, and 3) socio-cultural
folklife and folkways. Mr. Amrit Yonjan (Team Coordinator), Mr. Shambhu
Khatiwada, Mr. Bulu Mukarung and Mr. Luisang Waiba had taken charge of
collecting the relevant information in the 4 areas respectively.
During their stay in the field, the researchers had sent reports in the interval
of every fortnight, mentioning their activities, collections and achievements,
to the project office, Bhatbhateny, Kathmandu. They had collected the relevant
information by visiting the key informants of the folk group, interviewing them
and audio recording the speech, taking photographs, and video-recording several
aspects of their life, community, culture, language etc. They also used the
field notes and questionnaires for the purpose of data collection. During their
fieldwork, the researchers visited almost each and every corner of the folk
group settlement area from Yakchana (to the South-East of Dhankuta Municipality)
to Akhisalla (to the west of Belahara VDC). The Athpahariya Kirant Rai
Samajhelped them a lot during their field visits and data collection.
The project team leader Prof. Tulasi Diwasa also visited the field work area (Dadagaun
and the surroundings of Dhankuta Municipality) from 30th July to 6th August
2006, with the cameraman Mr. Mohan Bikram Shah, for the purpose of facilitating
the field research activities and for video-recording the relevant aspects of
the folklore and folklife of Athpahariya Rais. On the occasion, he inaugurated a
symposium organized by Athpahariya Kirant Rai Samaj in corporation with the
field researchers, in which the first ever prepared Athpahariya Dictionary,
Athpahariya grammar and the newspaper Phungning were released. The porgramme was
organized to get the feedback on the information collected by the researchers on
the ethnic group’s folklore & folk life. Inspired from the research activities,
the members of this organization were also involved together with the
researchers in making the dictionary.
On the occasion, the Athpahariya Kirant Rai Samaj had given the letters of
honour to the researchers, for their contribution in exploring the cultural and
folkloristic matters of the folk group, as well as for their inspiration in
creating awareness among Athpahariyas towards the preservation and promotion of
their folk cultural heritage. In the symposium, the researchers had presented
the important findings of their field work, which were discussed by the
participants and local experts, and feedback was derived.
Problems and Rapport Building
Some of the community leaders in the folk group narrated their past experience
with some experts who had visit 'Athpahariyas’ settlement areas, consulted them
and collected some materials; but the Athpahariyas had not understood the
purpose of such “studies”, since the experts never informed them about the
research findings. Moreover, they even narrated the events of distrustful acts
done by the experts earlier in the name of research – like taking valuable
documents from the villagers but not returning them back. Mentioning such a
context, several informants raised a doubt in the present research as well and
questioned regarding what could be expected as the outcome of the research for
their own benefit
Realizing the need for raising the informants’ confidence in the field
activities, the researchers convinced them by saying that they will disseminate
the research findings among the people of the folk group. After some discussions
with the members of Athpahariya Kirant Rai Samaj, they were convinced that the
researchers’ field activities will, of course, contribute a lot for the
preservation and promotion of their cultural and folkloristic heritage – which
can be one of the inspiring sources for their community empowerment. Thus, the
researchers were able to build up a good rapport with the informants through the
members of Athpahariya Kirant Rai Samaj, and to seek all sorts of necessary
supports from them in the field.
Post-Field Work
In the 1st week of August 2006, the researchers came back to the project office
after completing the work of data collection from the field, and submitted their
field survey report. The information collected from the fieldwork is documented
in the office, mostly in the form of digital audio/video recordings and
photographs. Besides, some items representing Athpahariya Rai material folk
culture, collected from the field research, are also preserved in the office.
Now the researchers are transcribing, analyzing and interpreting the data, in
order to prepare the detailed research report.
Collections and Achievements
The field researchers have handed some items representing the folklife and
material culture of Athpahariya Rais over to the project office. These items
include: Mekhli (dress item, covering upper part of body), Takombi (shawl),
Murali (musical instrument like flute), Thunche (basket made of bamboo), Mahala
(that covers the mouth of cattle), Khungi (small cage for chicken), Perungo (for
carrying the piglets), Halo-Juwa (the farming instruments), Dhol (folk musical
drum), Khukuri (cutting device), Hasiya (for cutting grass), Dhiki (for beating
rice), Dhanu-Ban (arrow), binayo (musical instrument played using the mouth),
Chhitasim (woman’s dress like sari), Bamboo comb, etc.
The researchers have also made the folk group’s household survey, and brought
the survey record to the project office. The main collection from the field
includes the oral texts recorded from the informants in the form of interviews,
songs, narratives, photos, and video records of the various aspects of
Athpahariya folklife. Altogether, the researchers have video-recorded the
relevant information with the total length of 15 hours. Similarly, 2948 pictures
have been taken and 72.44 hours’ long audio texts have been recorded from the
field. All these are preserved in the project office.
Besides, the office has also got 371 photographs and video record of the
relevant aspects of the folklore and folklife of Athpahariya Rais collected by
Prof. Diwasa and Mr. Mohan Bikram Shah, with the length of 13 hours.
Covering the 4 different research areas mentioned above (cf. ‘Field Work in
Dadagaun and Adjacent Areas’), the work of data collection was divided among the
members of research team. So, the data collected by the individual researchers
are reported below separately.
I. Folk Language and Folk
Communication:
Mr. Amrit Yonjan
Mr. Yonjan has spent 457 hours with the informants in the field, and has taken
291 photos depicting the folklore and folklife of Athpahariya Rais. He has
audio-recorded altogether 66 oral texts having the total length of 7.46
hours.Moreover, he has also video-recorded the relevant information, which is 3
hours in length. This collection includes morphology, communication,
multilingualism, language attitudes, baby talks, sociolinguistic functions of
greeting and leave taking, dialect study, identification of consonants/vowels
and supra-segmental phonemes, analysis of syllable structure, noun phrase, etc.
From his collection, 440 namelores, 130 onomastic words, 7 prayers, 10 folk
riddles, 55 proverbs/proverbial expressions, 140 jargons, 65 nicknames, 1450
special vocabulary items, and 50 curses/taunts have been collected.
II. Material Folk Culture
and Folk Heritage:
Mr. Shambhu Khatiwada
Spending 332 hours with the informants in the field, Mr. Khatiwada has taken
altogether 1130 photos and has audio-recorded 24 oral texts with the total
length of 21.59 hours. The subject matter covered in the collection includes
rites and rituals, folk medicine, dress and ornaments, handloom, folk
architecture, god and goddess, traditional occupations etc. From his collection,
7 folk rituals, 4 folk food items, 39 folk clothes, 3 folk festivals, 7 folk
feasts, 12 folk gods/goddesses, 12 folk arts/crafts, 34 folk architectures, 11
folk medicines, 35 folk weapons, 15 folk furniture items, and 42 different forms
of traditional technology/wisdom have been documented. He has also produced a
video record of 3.55 hours.
III. Folk Literature and
Performing Arts:
Mr. Bulu Mukarung
Mr. Mukarung has taken 1040 pictures, and has audio-recorded 230 different oral
texts, with the length of 26.33 hours in total. He has also produced a video
record, which is 4.30 hours’ long. He has spent altogether 604 hours with the
informants in the field. The collection involves folk songs, folktales,
performing arts, narratives, myths, personal memories, folk music, musical
instruments, etc. He has collected 10 folk narratives, 15 myths, 55 folk tales,
2 legends, 9 personal memories, 23 annotated jokes, 7 folk poems, 73 folk songs,
4 seasonal/festival songs, 5 work songs, 1 ritual song, 3 folk dances, 4
children’s songs, 5 musical instruments and 2 folk games.
IV. Socio-Cultural Folklife
and Folkways:
Mr. Luisang Waiba
Mr. Waiba has spent 420 hours with the
informants in the community of Athpahariya Rais. He has taken 901 photos, and
has audio-recorded 23 different oral texts, with the length of 23.07 hours in
total. He has also video-recorded the relevant information with the total length
of 6.06 hours. The subject matter covered in the collection includes: the clan,
social heroes, day-to-day life activities of people, rites of the passage,
division of labour, gender issues, decision making procedures, kinship,
religious beliefs, etc.
Concluding Remarks
Overall, the researchers had a wonderful experience of working in the field
among Athpahariya Rais. Not only has the field research been successful in
exploring several aspects of the folklore and folklife of this community, but it
has also become a highly encouraging endeavour in increasing the awareness of
the people of this folk group towards the preservation and promotion of several
dimensions of their folklife, culture and language. The people of this folk
group, influenced from our research activities, have become highly enthusiastic
to initiate prorgrammes for the upliftment of their community and for the
promotion of their valuable folk cultural heritage. We have experienced that, if
the awareness of the folk group is maintained in this way, no doubt, any
folkloristic research will not simply remain the matter of expert’s task;instead,
it will also be the part and parcel of the folk group’s life - which, in turn,
will be more meaningful. We have learned this great lesson from our field-based
activities among Athpahariya Rais, in which the people belonging to the folk
group have cooperated with us as if they are themselves the responsible persons
to handle the research activities.