Philosophy behind ancestral worship amongst the Tai Ahoms

Dr. B K Gohain

(Dr. Birendra Kumar Gohain can be reached at dr.gohain@gmail.com)

(Occasion of Me Dam Me Phi on 31st January)

Ancestor-worship is the foundation of the religion of the Tai Ahoms and is the compulsory practice of the Priestly clans. The occasional obligations to the ancestors made by the households of the Priestly clans are compulsory and they look forward to the blessings of the immediate ancestors in all events of the household and family like marriage, start of a new business or enterprise, going on a long journey etc. Earlier, it was the practice of all the families of the Tai Ahoms to observe the occasional obligations to their immediate ancestors and the ancestors up to fourteen generations.

The practice has been noted in Tai historical manuscript regarding the worship of the spirits (daam) of the parents and grandparents and great grandparents of Chaolung Siukapha, the first Tai Ahom king of Assam who worshipped the daam of his family in his royal home asking his nobles and companions to offer oblations to their ancestors. “King saluted by kneeling, bowing down. He worshipped the daam of mother, father, and grandmother, grandfather, the other daam of the house” He performed it in a big way. The other daam of the house were those of his great grandparents (Chi ren daam in Tai) and those of the parents of the great grandparents (Kha dai chi ren daam). Kha dai chiren daam used to stay at the foot of the staircase in those days when the Tais were living on raised house (chang-ghaar).

The collective Ancestors worship was introduced by Chaolung Siukapha in Assam and this royal celebration was converted to a public ceremony by the Tai Ahoms after the rule of the Ahom dynasty was over.

Nowadays, when a household of a Tai Ahom priestly clan worships the spirits of the dead, the family does it on various occasions with the new spirits (na daam), the principal spirits (ghai daam), ancient spirits (Chi Ren daam) , inside the kitchen in the main house, while the more ancient spirits (Kha dai chi Ren dam/jakhalamukhia) are worshipped outside the gate of the house instead of the earlier practice of worshiping at the foot of the staircase as the Ahoms gave up living in chaang Ghar.

We note with curiosity the way Chaolung Siukapha knelt down and bowed before the daam of the house. This must have been the way of salutations to the gods and the spirits of the dead during his time. The present way of salutations by raising the hands above the forehead must have been, in my considered view, introduced during the days of the Khora Raja whose Tai Queen came with new Tais (1000 as per one account) from Mungkwang, her father’s kingdom Mungkwang (Mogoung) who had already been Buddhist and who brought in the Jataka stories like Nemimangphura and others.

What were the original religious practices of the Tais of the Thirteenth Century as practiced by the two renowned priests namely, Senkaluk of Mohung (Mohan) clan and Changbun of Deodhai clan? It is written in the Tai manuscripts that Chaolung Siukapha worshipped his ancestors, observed the Re-Vitalization ceremony (Rikkhwan), worshipped the Gods of wilderness, and worshipped the spirit (Phi) of the river Burii Dihing. worshipped the most ancient God Langkuri, held Me-mong Me-ban, that is, worship of the country and of own habitats etc.

It is noteworthy that no Bailung priest accompanied Chaolung Siukapha during his sojourn to Assam. Associating godhood to the elements of nature is the principal tenet of the Tai Ahom religion. Hence we get so many gods as listed below. Associating phi to the elements of nature is called animism. But the existence of God Almighty (Pha Tu Ching Phrong Hum) and associating godhood to the qualities like learning and knowledge etc make it polytheism with a difference.

The Ancestor-worship which is the basis of the Proto Tai religion has its origin in Taoism. China, which was the abode of the Chinese as well as Tais as major groups in ancient period, has been the land of the Naturalists who had devised the way (Tao) of life confirming to Nature. The Tais also believe in Nature and follow the natural path. The basic issue is their adherence to the wet rice cultivation and their culture veers round the various stages of the rice cultivation. “Where there is water, there are Tais” is the old adage. So the Tais, under the leadership of the elite groups and group leaders who were generally called Chao by them and to glorify them they link Chao to the heaven (Pha) and called them as Chaopha created the concept of heaven. In Taoism also, there is concept of heaven and Earth and there is linkage between the two. The Tais who came with Chaolung Siukapha also had the concept of the middle space which they call Mungklang, the heaven being Pha and the Earth being Mungteo. There had been a Heaven-Earth continual or linkage which was symbolized by the ladder linking the sky and the earth when the first batch of Heavenly Tais headed by two grandsons of the Lord of Lengdon (Linglawn to Shans) came down the ladder. Now the divine Kings found out fertile river valleys and cultivated rice.

According to the Tao philosophical thoughts, river is dark, mysterious, fertile and feminine while the Earth is solid, strong and full of potentialities and straight and masculine. When masculinity is demonstrated by the planting of crops etc in earth, it got to be made soft by water which is feminine in nature. When the plough or the hoe cuts into the earth, it must be softened like a female species by water from the river. The seeds of rice get germinated with the earth sheared and with water, new life in the shape of the seedlings (kothiaa) takes form in multiple measures. This is the natural way (Tao) and new plants of rice grow. Now the rice seedlings are planted on the soil which is already softened with water of the river. During the process, utmost care is taken so that the plants do not suffer in growth. Now the plants gradually carry soft seeds. This is now a stage which is very critical as well as creative. It is to be noted that each and every stage of cultivation of wet rice is characterized by offering oblations to the ancestors. In addition, the collection of new rice from the field is an important and auspicious occasion for the family. It is interesting to note that the Tais believe that the Goddess of Prosperity (Lakhimi /Nang Thao) reside in the ocean and the villagers especially the ladies go to a river and the priests take bamboo scoops and catch fish or any living creature from water and treat the same as the Goddess. The God of waters Khaokham is to be propitiated. Moreover, the occasions of Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox are celebrated as Dam Phi in the kitchen in the main house and are called Bohag Bihu and Magh Bihu. Oblations are offered to the spirits of the dead by the family with great reverence. Taking of new rice is accompanied by oblations to the spirits of the dead.

It is interesting to note that for the Tais, the gods and goddess of heaven are their forefathers as the Tais are heaven born. Propitiating the spirits of the ancestors means worshipping the gods and goddess of heaven. As the Tai Kings trace their lineage from the Lord of Heaven Lengdon, while the descendants of the Sun God and the Moon God were the ministers, after their death they ultimately go to heaven. This is possible if they get obligations from their kin for their ultimate departure to heaven; there is no concept of hell for Tai Ahoms and no rebirth. So is the case of the Priestly clans who descended from the Heavenly Priests Laokhri , Pujakji and Pophiso called Deodhai, Mohan and Bailung respectively. The other Tais are the descendants of eight lakh Tais who were sent by Lord of Heaven along with the two heavenly princes Khunlung and Khunlai, the first Tai Kings of the Earth. This Heaven-Earth connection as enunciated by Taoism is still there.

The Bihu festivals which are closely associated with Nature have their resemblance with the growth of a girl. The development of the body and mind of a girl may be compared to the seedlings of rice, which grow up and just as the seedling gets impregnated with soft rice, the girl after marriage gets impregnated. At every step, the female has to be taken care of as rice is so taken care. There is rejoicing in the family as the family of the farmer rejoices. When there is a birth of a child, the family rejoices as the family of the farmer rejoices harvesting the rice. Now new rice is taken with funfair accompanied by the observance of the Ancestors worship just as the new arrival of a child is celebrated by the family by worship and ceremonial sun-showing to the child and mother. The cycle continues and together with the change of season, rejoicing and holding of harvesting festival and spring festival come and the people get ready for toil for the next cultivation.

The worship of ancestors strengthens the ties of kinship and binds together those families and group. The families build the family tree by holding the rituals associated with the spirits together and this is the justification for recording genealogy of the group.

Another aspect of Taoism is the existence of Ying and Yang. While Ying is masculine, strong, bright and direct, Yang is feminine, soft, mysterious, and dark. In Tai philosophy also, there are two aspects called Pu and Phu or Han On the tenth day of burial, the part of the spirit of the dead called Pu comes to take its position in the main post called Daam khutaa (Pho’kam) meaning the post for the spirits of the immediate ancestors like of parents, grandparents, great grandparents.

The dead body carries the Phu or Han which is buried in a coffin called Rungdaam in Tai; the Phu portion being flesh and blood disappears in time. But the Pu spirits of various categories remain in the daam post. The household spirits which remain in the daam post ranging from the spirits of the parents, grandparents, great grandparents bearing na daam (new spirits), ghaai daam (principal spirits),Chi Ren daam (ancient spirits) are worshipped in the household. The next higher ancient spirits called Khadai chiren daam are worshipped outside the gate. The transition from one stage to the next higher stage consecutively is accomplished by the rituals of the moraa log logua, that is, joining of the spirits of the dead and consequent up gradation from one stage to the next higher stage of the dead spirits. Beyond the Kha dai Chiren daam, lies the space reserved for Kao Chiren daam, that is the nine generations of the spirits in Mungklang, what we term as jungles. The last of the spirits of the dead, on being satisfied by oblations from the offspring through the process of joining leaves for Heaven.

It is a fact that the Tai Ahom rituals are distinguished by blood sacrifices. But the observance of the ritual of Phuralong is devoid of the blood sacrifices. In order to strike a balance, the later day Tai Ahoms made it a custom to perform Phuralong after the tenth day ritual of the worship of the spirit of the dead which is characterized by the blood sacrifices. While Phuralong is a pure vegetarian ritual in which are soaked gram, fruits etc, the ritual of the worship of the dead on the tenth day is characterized by offering of chickens which is a blood sacrifice.

The collective and public me daam me phi was started in early fifties of the twentieth century at the behest of some of the members of the royal line with the active assistance of some of the members of the Priestly clans of the localities of Charaideo. This was the beginning of the celebration of the public me dam me phi in post-Independence area so much strongly that 31st January which was the common date for celebration of this important ceremony was given recognition by the Government of Assam as a public holiday.

Nowadays, the festival is celebrated by worshiping the gods and goddess of India. They are Khaokham, the God of waters, Ai Lengdin, the God of earth, Janchaihung, the Guru of the gods, Lengdon,Lord of Heaven . Mutkumtaikum (the Gods of the Sun and the Moon), Chitlamcham (seven sons of the Lord of Heaven and Jachingpha(Goddess of learning) are also worshipped. Next to this platform, the Spirits of the dead of all the people called Chaodamphi are worshipped in raised platform. The fowls, chicken are sacrificed by hitting on the heads. Only things of nature are used. The liquor is offered in the containers made of the sheath of the plantain tree.

To express the importance of the Ancestors’ worship, we give the English translation of the hymn chanted in prayer:

“You were men and women

Now you have become Gods

After crossing the river of life

You did not recognize anyone.

You left bodies and become gods.

You left many sons, daughters and grandchildren

Daughters-in-law and offspring.

We offer you the yearly oblations.

On the occasion of the New Year

New rice, new vegetables, new home made liquor.

Wherever there is a son

There is your worship.

Please protect us from enemies

Protect us from all ills.

Make the sharp weapons blunt.” etc.

At the home front, when the household dam phi is observed, the hymn is chanted, the meaning of which is as follows:

“Neither the walls nor the roof nor the gods protect us if not protected by the household spirits of the dead.”