I found this new & interesting article on Magar culture, and hence publishing in my blog.
Source: Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology
Author: Prasad Prakash Sapkota
Abstract
Human- plant relation is
tightly attached on life of human beings. From
the beginning of civilization, people used many plants and their products for different purpose
to adopt with their environment. The essential and valuable
materials including plant species are
gathered, used, saved and always remain hunger for knowledge yet now. They developed different kinds of ceremonies and rituals and include valuable materials
and plants within it to protect and remains as indigenous knowledge
in particular communities and groups. In this context, I
wants to raise the issue of material
culture to search why people used plants in their rituals with reference to a plant species the
Jhakro the Magars inhabitant of Baglung
district, western Nepal.
The research was carried out by
using descriptive and exploratory research design. Observation, interview and group discussion were used
in the field for primary data
collection. The Magars are rich in their rituals among them death and kul pujane rituals
are significant for cohesive and solidarity
of the group; within these rituals a shrub plant species with special type of smell remains in central position for
purity and soul. They believed that in death ritual all the polluted
activities are purified and
in kul pujane Jhakro acts as purity as well as help to join their ancestors with them. Unfortunately, they are
unknown of the materialistic meaning
of it due to lack of transferring knowledge. In etic aspect, this plant has important medicinal
properties and the Magar preserved by keeping it in important rituals
within their community.
1.
Introduction
This paper is based on field research, which was carried out in September
2010 to January 2011 within Magar community
in Langaouan of Baglung
District, western Nepal.
The word community is derived from two Latin words com means together and munis means
serving. It means that the group of people
living within a limited geographic area, share whole set of interests with we feeling, having
complexity of relations as well as feeling more or less same sentiments and attitudes and possesses the basic institutions by means of which
a common life is made possible. “A
human community is a functionally related aggregate of people who live in a particular geographic locality at a
particular time, share a common
culture are arranged
in a social structure, and exhibit and awareness of their uniqueness and separate identity as a group”(Bhusan et
al., 1999).
In each community, they have their own rituals
which are continuously going on in their practice.
They celebrate different rites and rituals
which binds them in their own identity, cohesive nature and solidarity. They celebrate their rituals by different
ways. In each system they use different kinds of materials, with
giving the importance of different
plant species. Rituals
activities are transfer to their descendent but the
knowledge and importance of such materials
is going to be vanished
continuously. In this context, this research paper is concerned
with the study and searching
of the answers, why some plants specie
are important and required for rituals which remain in central position
in different communities.
Turner opposed Levi-strauss and Durkheim’s concept of the social structure. He argued that in passing from
structure to structure many rituals
passes through communitas- is a fact
of everyone’s experience. Communitas is almost always thought of
or portrayed by actors as a timeless
condition, an eternal now, as “a moment in and out of time”, or as a state to which the structural view of time is
not applicable. Turner’s strategy is to approach society not only as social structure it is the combination
of social structure and communitas. He further said that preliterate societies, out of the
need for mere survival, provide little scope for leisure. Thus it is only by ritual flat, acting through the
legitimate authority vested in those
who operate the ritual cycle that opportunities can be created to put men and women outside their
everyday structural potions in family,
lineage, clan and chieftainship. In such situations as the liminal
periods of major rites de passage the “passengers and crew” are free, under ritual exigency,
to complete for a while the mysteries that confront all men, the difficulties
that peculiarly best their own
society, their personal problems and the ways in which their own wisest predecessors have sought to order, explain,
explain away, cloak or mask (cloak-conceal, mask-is to impose the features
of a standardized interpretation) these mysteries and difficulties (Turner 1980).
The society has social structure which forms strong and cohesive solidarity between the peoples and
communities. The social system is promoted,
operated and regulated
within the society.
People always search and
hunger of knowledge. What type of knowledge he gather is old and on the base of it, wants to search new always to go forward continuously from its
evolution. Knowledge helps to promote
the social structure by increasing cohesive solidarity to adjust within their environment in each community
and time. Norms and values are developed in time,
space context by the people within
their environment and refine continuously. For this they apply everyone’s experience and knowledge to operate the community for the better adjustment. In
each society, newly born child begins
to socialize s/he becomes aware about the norms and values what they could do or not for the survival within their circumstance. S/he learned, practiced
and transferred the knowledge for each activities of the member within their communities
for better adaptation at that time and context. The norms and values are in practice in the form of rites and
rituals in legitimate form in each community. Member of the people in communities
practice each their rites and rituals glorified as well as in the name of God and identities. Each
rites and rituals of every society
have their own meaning from 'etic' and 'emic' perspective; which advance and solidarity to cope with the environment.
1.1
The Magar
The Magar is one of the largest ethnic groups of Nepal. Census has reported that the population of the Magar
is 1622421, which is 7.14 percentage
of the total population of the country (CBS, 2001).The Magars are found mostly in hilly region of Nepal but they are widely spread all over the country. Majority of Magar community is concentrated in western and mid-western hills like Rukum, Rolpa, Baglung,
Myagdi, Puthan,Salyan, Mugu, Palpa, Dang on the basis of their population. Nepal
living standard survey (2004) states
that 34.4% of the Magars are below the poverty line (Thapa Magar 2010).
The Magars are simple having co-operative nature. The people having normal height,
Mangolian face with wheat-white complexion. The face of Chiple Magar is
flat and purple wheat- white in color
but Salami and Serwai has slightly elongated face, which may be indicate the inter-breeding between the Magar and other clan
(Sapkota,2008).
There are no written documents
that could provide
factual information about the origin of Magar (Buda Magar, 2061). According to oral history they are the
indigenous inhabitants of Magaranth. Magaranth
covers large area ranging from the watersheds of Gandaki River to the west up to Karnali
River. Magaranth was divided into two regional
groups known as 12 Magaranth and 18 Magaranth
(Magar and Roka, 2003). Respondents Dil Bahadur Thapa Magar argued
that their ancestors were migrated
from Humla and settle down in Longaoun
of Baglung District. In the
question of migration from Palpa District, they
surprised with word and said we hearing from you, we don’t know. They commonly refused it and explain
that our ancestors help to bring
statue of Devi from Palpa to Baglung in turn. At that time, the people who take Khadga and walk ahead the statue are now called Khadka of Baglung bazaar. From
this time Khadka perform the role of
priest in Bhagabati temple of Baglung district. They respect us and since, at the time for worship Devi by Pancha bali
(he-goat, he-buffalo, a couple of chicken or pigeon) we paid a minimum charge i. e. five paisa and one mana (half kilogram) rice. Priest returned all parts of sacrifices animals
before the contract rule established in Bhagabati
temple. On the basis of material culture
that is Plow R. B. Thapa Magar
of seventy years old said-
I left here many years ago and settle in Mahakali
Zone of Nepal.My other family members’ i. e
brothers and other relatives are
living here. Once a day when I was engaged to prepare a plow for the plowing of land in my home Mahakali, a neighbor friend came in my house and watched the structure
of plow and said that you are Humli ?
He added that he had visited Humla and watched
the similar structure’s of plow used by Humli people for the plowing
of land.
Magars have their own language known as Magarkura, but less than half
of them can speak it. Magars in some parts of western Nepal also speak the Kham, Kaike and Dhut as their mother language
(Thapa Magar, 2010). In the study area all the Magars speak Nepali language
and are unable to speak their own language.
In each community, some plant species are used in their rituals activities according to believes
norms and values.
In Brahmin community, in death rituals Viringiraj a small herbaceous plant is necessary to complete their polluted
ritual. In 'emic' prospective, they believed
that this plant joined pretatama (soul) to their ancestors. In Magar communities they used
22 kinds of different plant species
for their rituals
and ceremonies like as Kharsu(Quercus semicarpifolia) used in bartabanda and birth rites and Baans(Bambus spp.),Jhakro, Shreekhanda, Lalupate are used in death rituals. They believe that these
plant species purified the polluted situation
and save from the evil eyes
(Sapkota,2008).
The Magars celebrate different rituals and ceremonies which make them unified, cohesive
within the society.
It also acts as the demonstrating
social, political and cultural resistance. Within many rituals the word Jhakro plays
central role in Magar community especially
among the Chiple and Salami Magar of the study area. It is noted that “any formal action which is set apart from
profanes action and which expresses
sacred and religious
meaning”, the Jhakro has its own meaning in set formal action as death and kulpuja ritual for purity and soul within
the Magar community.
1.1
The Jhakro
Jhakro is a name of a plant species. In the study area, there is a single plant of this species. It remains
in the forest half an hour far on
walking distance from the village. Whether it is cultivated by their ancestor or germinated itself,
they do not know. It lies in difficult steep rock where people are
unable to visit easily. When I observed
the plant following with a respondent morphologically, the plant species
is perennial shrub. The roots are tap and branched. The stem is erect, branched,
solid and creamy in color. The leaves
are arranged in whorl on the stem like as node. From this node small branches are developed. The leaves are
petiolate, simple, whorl as well as
alternate, entire, acute, exstipulate with unicostate reticulate venation. The leaves are shiny, thick with special type of smell. It is difficult to describe this species botanically because Magar cut the main
stem of this plant with branches at the time of their rituals, so the plant has not any flowers
and fruits.
2. Rituals and Jhakro
Life-cycle rituals continue to have significance in both simple and complex societies. In each society ritual action has their own
meanings which are culturally transmitted through custom and tradition. Ritual action is seen in all areas of social life and is one of the key means. The individual and groups solve their problems
in both the sacred and profane aspects of social existence. Customs and traditions remain alive from
generation to generation with the cohesive attachment with their religion.
In light of religion Durkheim
argued that, religions
are collective representations which express collective realities; the rites are a manner of
acting which take rise in the midst
of the assembled groups and which are destined to excite, maintain
or recreate certain
mental states in these
groups. So if the categories are of religious origin, they ought to participate in this nature common to
all religious facts, they too should be social affairs
and the product of collective thought (Durkheim,1950 copy in High Points of Anthropology,1980).
In Magar society purity and profane of soul are
deeply connected with the Jhakro at the time of death. In the life-cycle ritual, death is one of the
most important unpleasant, painful and distressing rituals
within the Magar community. When a member of the family dies, the other members of the family are to lament with tear. The neighboring members of the village assemble and the older member consoles
them. The other member prepared death
bed of green bamboo. The dead body is kept on the death bed and covered by shroud (a white thin cloth called kora) and yellow-red thick cloth called the pat. They
think pat is a special and pure cloth use to remove pollution.
Most favored food of dead people when
he was alive, wine, kapur, shrikhanda, rice, flower etc. are put on the mouth of dead
body and is taken to Kaligandaki
river with spreading la (the mixture
of fried rice, abir, coins and flowers) on the cross road. All
the mourners offer jal (river water) in the mouth of dead
body at last to pay homage to dead soul. Then, finally
dagbatti (firing on mouth)
is given by elder
son and buried on the bank of the river and return to home. Next day, son engage in polluted
activities called kiriya garne, at that
time, they prepare small hut of tite
pati (Artemisia valgaris) and vorlako
leaf. Son and his wife and others who are participate in dead pollution remains untouchable, who
eat rice without salt and worship their ancestors. They believe that the purity
of Jhakro helps to reach soul in their heaven.
The dead pollution is completed on eleventh day. On eleventh day early morning at three, son baths on the
tap or well and prepare 22 pinda (rounded stricture of rice and
ghee) and keeps on the small branches
of Jhakro near the ladder of Jhakro itself, symbol of soul and believes that the ladder help to join
death body soul to their ancestors. The ladder, pinda are
worships and he prays according
to the advice of their priest-bhanja.
Then again bathing activities occurs
by son and becomes purified. All the polluted materials are buried by bhanja (sister’s son) and spread the mixture
of cow urine, ghee, milk with dubo
(Cynodon dactylon L.) for
purifying of the family member as
well as the house. The son receives tika from
their bhanja and gives tika to his respective sisters,
daughters and other relatives by
arranging party including local wine. On the day the polluted ritual is over.
2.1 Kul pujane
In Magar community, Kul pujne (remembrance of their ancestors) is another important
ritual. According to respondents, their ancestral god must be Chandi Baraha because He accepts pig scarifice.
There is not clear cut demarcation of the years for Kul puja. In the study
area, there is variation in the years of Kul
puja between the Magar clans.
Generally, they arrange Kul puja at
the alternate of seven years. They arrange this ritual at the last of December or January’s bright half of a
lunar month on Wednesday or Friday.
The small branch of Jhakro is kept on
the tap on bath in the morning on
that day. The house is purified and smeared by the oil of sesame's
seeds.
The already prepared pure Jaman
(unpurified local wine-jad), pure rice
and ginger are eaten in the late morning. In the mid noon at twelve o’clock, all the members are
gathered in the place of kul puja. There is not any temple or fixed
place for kul puja. The clans are assemblage in an area and elder member
fix the place in every ritual time. The older and knowledgeable members of Magar prepare
a hut of titepati. The side of the
hut is covered by the broad leaves
of bhorlo. The hut has two steps,
upper and lower. The ladder of Jhakro kept against the hut to join two
steeps. Hens or cocks are also hung
oppositely near the ladder. In the corner of the hut, hung a chindo (a dry cover of the gourd
used as pot). Inside
the chindo pot they put barley and sesamum’s seeds. Near the ladder, the effigy of kul debata is prepared by the mixture of rice, barley, sesames seeds, ghee etc. When the
hens shake their feathers clearly, the people of Magars feel that the god is happy and accepted the gift, then after he starts the puja.
The old and knowledgable member of the Magar worship
their kul debata (ancestral god) with acheta, pati, cooked rice, pure wine and flowers. At the end of worship, alive
heart of black pigs is offered by
priest to the god. The ritual rule is that, if pig is female, the chicken must be male or vice-versa. From
each family at least a chicken and a
black pig must be sacrificed in that ritual. At the nearly end of worship, the priest or other older people catch
the branch of Jhakro and tremble with speaking their past, present as well as occurring
future events of their family members. This situation
is more terrible for all the members of the family because they believe that god is speaking, who has
occult powers. After the end of
worship, the priest put tika to all
the members. According to their respected level within their
clan, they divide
the different parts of the main sacrifices pig and
chickens. Then they went to their
home. They eat meat, rice, wine and celebrate happiness to all the members.
2.2 Cultural importance of Jhakro
Man is highly developed living beings than other organisms due to capacity of building culture and to adopt
easily according to their environment.
According to Tylor, culture is that complex whole, which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and
any other capabilities acquired by
man as a member of society. The people
acquired those culture which helps to adopt them easily. In Magar community, they acquired the
importance of Jhakro from their ancestors. The two above described ritual’s
activities are rounds around the plant species Jhakro. They believe that, it is a such type of plant which make purity of
their polluted situation of life.
They thought that, Jhakro helps to
join their ancestors with them.
Death and Kulpija rituals
make the Magar community cohesive as well
as solidarity. The rules of purity
help for the good health of the members.
The essential of black pig and chicken
sacrifices in different rituals
indicate the necessities of the development of animal husbandry
and supplement of meet for nutrition. The Jhakro has many medicinal properties and
remains in the central place of death
and kul puja rituals of
the Magar.
2.3 Symbiotic association between
culture and Jhakro
To begin with, each society
must cope with the problem
of production-behaviorally satisfying minimal requirements for subsistence; hence there must be an etic behavioral mode of production. The technology and the practice
of expanding or limiting
the modes of reproduction. The mode of production and reproduction forms the structure. At that time behavioral superstructure is formed. Mental and 'emic' superstructure, meaning
the conscious and unconscious cognitive
goals, categories, rules, plans, values,
philosophies and beliefs
about behavior elicited
from the participants (Harris,1980).
Marvin Harris is more interested in deciphering the development of specific cultural traits within one
society through the use of an etic as well as 'emic' approach and the application of cultural materialism. He argues that we should
give materialist’s reasons
for the phenomenon. As mention Harris, Jhakro should have own special
meaning in Magar community and the ancestors of Magar introduced it in central value within most important rituals-
death and kulpujane. Unfortunately, the important indigenous knowledge of this plant is not known by the Magars
of the study area now. Though, the
importance of this plant species has been vanishing among them but practice in their culture
is continuously going on.
The cultural traits such as death and kul pujane rituals in Magar community
show the symbiotic relations with the plant Jhakro. Though, the Jhakro remains in a single plant in the study area. It is protected due to cultivate or self
germinated in difficult steep rocky area in the forest where normally people are unable to destroy it.
On the other hand it is only used in ritual purpose now a day. The Jhakro
plant helps to save the cultural rituals of Magars, and their belief and values within the societies. It seems that cultural values and the Jhakro are remains as two
sides of same coin within the Magar communities.
3. Conclusion
In any society of the world, cultural traits are developed by the human beings for their better adaptation
within their environment. Environment
is changeable. Within this situation human should adjust in changing ecosystem in their society. Food, shelter,
cloth and good health are essential to adjust there. For good health people search different
plant species, their character and importance.
The most of the medically important plant species are saved when they are interlinked with their important cultural
traits. In Magar community, the Jhakro and cultural traits death and kulpujne rituals are tightly connected. It makes the Magar community cohesive, solidarity and share
we feeling. Symbiotic association between
culture and Jhakro is found in Magar community but as Marvin Harris argues,
there is materialistic meaning of each cultural trait, but it is vanish within the
Magar of the study area about the Jhakro. They only express that Jhakro is pure and essential plant species which is
necessary to make happy for our
ancestral god as well as to save our dead soul and complete the polluted rituals. In the analysis of
'etic' prospective, the plant Jhakro is one of the most important
medicinal plants. It has special smell
which can be used as pesticide and other medicinal propose locally, though chemical analysis has not
been carried out till now. In the
name of modernization, most of
the people ignore their cultural values and materials
and increase dependency on allopathic medicine
day by day. Increasing dependency will not save
communities in terrible change in ecosystem of any corner of the world.
