T
he day started by 5am hearing chanting which at first we
thought was some kind of prayers but then as it was so monotonous we decided
perhaps there was a funeral and the individual was not Christian. The chanting
continued through our breakfast and 7am and by the time the guide came at 8am
it was over so we didn't have an opportunity for him to hear it. We drove a
little over 2 hours to the village of Chen Maho. We would stop and do some bird
watching on the way as this morning we actually had some good bird chorus. Perhaps it was the heavy rain storm we had
the night before that encouraged them to come out. Today the road was even more rough and muddy
than before, so slow going both up and down to the village. We saw the chief’s house, which was similar
to the ones we have seen in the other 3 villages. We came back to Helsa’s
cottage for lunch and suggested to the guide that we not go in the afternoon to
another village but rather rest up and get some exercise as we were going to be
in the car tomorrow for at least 8 hours.
As he had picked up a cold he was happy to rest for the afternoon.
Late in the afternoon we heard the chanting begin again and
shortly after our driver came knocking on our room door to tell us to come see
the action out in the cottage car park. About
10 men were traditionally garbed and singing, shooting off their guns
(thankfully it seems to be gunpowder shot into the drive way – their form of
fireworks) and quite happy from the liquids they have imbibed or the item they
have smoked. There is an Indian documentary film crew that staying here at the
Cottage that brought these men from the village of Longwa last night, and they
were doing some filming of this Aoling festival. The Aoling festival relates to a fertile
harvest. The chanting we are hearing are poems to the ancestors.
 |
| Making beetle-nut packet for chewing |
We are disappointed
with the Aoling festival as with the conversion of the tribes to Christianity
this is the only original festival but it seems minimally celebrated. The old log drums are played in the Morungs
for only 6 days and then not played again until next year.
 |
| I am so proud of my sash |
The day started by 5am hearing chanting which at first we
thought was some kind of prayers but then as it was so monotonous we decided
perhaps there was a funeral and the individual was not Christian. The chanting
continued through our breakfast and 7am and by the time the guide came at 8am
it was over so we didn't have an opportunity for him to hear it. We drove a
little over 2 hours to the village of Chen Maho. We would stop and do some bird
watching on the way as this morning we actually had some good bird chorus. Perhaps it was the heavy rain storm we had
the night before that encouraged them to come out. Today the road was even more rough and muddy
than before, so slow going both up and down to the village. We saw the chief’s house, which was similar
to the ones we have seen in the other 3 villages. We came back to Helsa’s
cottage for lunch and suggested to the guide that we not go in the afternoon to
another village but rather rest up and get some exercise as we were going to be
in the car tomorrow for at least 8 hours.
As he had picked up a cold he was happy to rest for the afternoon.
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