Once upon a time a man named Topa was going to his jhum fields to protect his millet crop from the wild birds. That day he met with a hunting party and the men of the party were supernatural beings. The hunters had travelled far and wide and when they came upon Topa, they asked him whether he had seen any animals passing that way. He replied, “No, I have not seen any animals other than a cobra (pujam) and a flock of quail (omook) birds.” “That is exactly what we are looking for!” replied the hunters loudly and enthusiastically and they advanced on. The hunters were certainly not an ordinary party: they used the birds to hunt snakes just as we use dogs today when we hunt in the forest.
The sound of their celebratory hunting cry was heard from afar by Topa. From where he was hidden behind a bush he overheard the hunting party’s discussion of how to divide the meat: the first hunter to strike the animal would get the right thigh; the second one would get the foreleg and the third would get the lower waist portion; the left thigh and a portion of the heart was to be given to the Chief; the head would go to the Geam family and what was left of the heart would be shared by all as a ritual to ensure successful hunting in the future. This is how the Wancho people learnt to divide and distribute the meat correctly between them according to our custom. I should explain that there are two prominent clans in Kamhua Noknu village, the Geam and the Hasu-am. The senior people from these two clans are regularly appointed as advisors to the chief for the administration of the village. These two family clans have a role in leading the rituals whenever a wild animal is hunted collectively by the villagers (community hunting). There are two different ways that we do community hunting: the first method is called Changmai, and by this method, the animals are chased by dogs. The second way is called Hum-mai, by which the forest area is encircled by forming a human chain.
Generally large wild animals like the tiger, bear and leopard are hunted this way; the Changmai method is employed for harmless animals such as deer and other smaller animals. Once, the two clans were asked by the village chief to choose of the hunting rituals they would perform after the hunt. The Geam clan chose to lead the rituals for the Changmai method of hunting the prey. From that day onwards, Geam is awarded the head of a hunted deer or of other smaller animals whenever community hunting has taken place with the help of dogs. However, if a wild animal is hunted by an individual, no part of the meat is given to either Geam or Hasu-am clans.
Topa also overheard the discussion about which direction they would take to return to their village: Some in the party suggested going south; others suggested east and still others suggested going west. At that point, Topa emerged from his hiding place, stood in front of the group and demanded his share of the meat: this was the meat that he was entitled to because they were crossing his land. No one paid any attention to him except for the last person in the group, who told Topa to bring an arum leaf. Topa found a leaf and he handed it to the last person. The men in the hunting party spat on the arum leaf one by one, and it was given back to Topa. “This is no ordinary arum leaf,” they told him. “Plant it in front of your field hut.”
Topa was a sensible man and he listened to the divine beings. He followed the instructions that were given to him and he buried the folded arum leaf in the earth near his field hut. The next time he went to his jhum fields for his agricultural work, he saw that there was now a small gourd plant growing in front of his field hut. In no time at all the plant was fully grown, and it bore two gourds: one was big, and the other one was small.
Topa went about his daily work of chopping wood, weeding and tilling the land. Whatever noise he made was imitated by the first, larger gourd: when Topa shouted, the gourd also shouted; when Topa sang, so did the gourd. This was becoming extremely irritating for Topa and finally, he took up his dao in his hand and with one swipe, he split the insolent gourd into two. Inside the four,d there was a head adorned with a necklace of the valuable jiknu beads which we consider as treasures. However, as Topa’s dao had split the head, the being that was found within the gourd was dead.
The second smaller gourd then called out, “You have killed my elder brother!” Topa turned around and he saw that it was the gourd speaking. He then raised his dao and he split the second gourd open: inside it, there was another head. “Don’t worry,” said Topa. “You will be recognised and accepted as the Wangham [Chief].” From that day onwards, the human that emerged from the second smaller gourd was accepted as the first chief. In our village Kamhua Noknu, we also believe that the younger royal brother will outlive the elder brother in the chief’s family.
Excerpted with permission from ‘The Story of the Two Gourds’ in Myth, Memory and Folktale of the Wancho Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, Tara Douglas and Jatwang Wangsa, Niyogi Books.
