modulations of naga folk songs/social functions

7/25/2019 Modulations of Naga folk songs/Social functions

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3rd Quarterly Research Progress Report.

This document summarizes the proposed process for

conducting Research during the period (1stAugust

2015)through (31th Jan 2015) under the Government

of India, Ministry of Culture, Ne !elhi"##$##%&

Topic : 'ol 'usion to Greater heights

a!e !I*+*IT-. C/0-I*

"ile o. : '&1"#%#23$#4"- and '

"ield : 5unior 'elloship for 3$#3"#1, 'ol Music

('ol2Traditional and Indigenous 0rts)

Address T& hel6honoma illage, 7oer

#!ail atsochasie8yahoo&com

$ontact o 9:# :;;4 #%4:3%

%odulation o& "ol'songs

and its "unctions

in

A(AA*
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Anga!i agas

Table of Contents

I&%odulation o& "ol'songs and its "unctions inagaland (0ngami Nagas)

Introduction*i+erent types o& &ol' songs

,.2.i-o (eg&01) A-oneihu

,.3. ide (eg&04) ie-inyii

,./. ita (eg&0&%) ra!ia,.5. i!a

(eg 0 &


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,,,.Theoretical "ra!e8or',;.$onte!porary $ulture;. ocial &unction o& "ol'songs;,. #


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emphasis on ritten transmission and especially onrecordings& 0t the same time many of the originalfunctions of fol"song have ?een taen over ?y popularmusic of the est& In pre"literate society ?efore theinEuence of esternization Nagas had alays transferredtheir ealth of noledge, sills, tradition and religious?elief to generations after them through oral means&

This for them has served the purpose hich theprevalent society they lived in as esta?lished for andso, fa?les, stories, folsongs, myth and legends ereept alive in the minds of the younger generationthrough telling and rote"learning to enrich the social andmoral life of the people and ensuring the continuity oftheir culture&

The social roles hich fol songs played as not limitedto this alone, it also serves as an eAective means ofepressing and inculcating the ideals, morals and valuesof a society& The progress of this paper is an attempt tostudy the various inds of fol songs sung ?y the 0ngamiNagas& The lyrical meanings and the progress ofmodulation to the present day fol music&

The fol songs of the 0ngami Nagas are ell versed ithpoetic structure& Many songs are also composed duringthe life span of a hole clan or family& It has nine sylla?lesin all the songs folloing the traditional structure andtune, here ne songs can ?e composed and sang iththe traditional tune& 0n eample is given ?elo, here

each nine sylla?les are underlined&

#g A1. Rii'ehulo

Riiehulo anei vari zo F Rii e hu lo a nei va ri zo6ehu nyiirei nie inumia e" 6e hu nyii rei nie i numia e

Thezie loii tsu dziinha rienu F The zie lo ii tsu dzii nha

rie nu


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iese yhushii si"u no ?a hrie" ie se yhu shii si"u no?a hrie0vo yusho echii ?ie riigii F 0 vo yu sho e chii ?ie riigii-o rieesho tzu dziinha rienu" -o rie e sho tzu dziinha rie nu0vo he chii ser puya die " 0 vo h e chii ser puya die

Themie avo engui"u moii F The mie a vo e ngui "umo ii>rii mezii rei avo ze molie " >rii me zii rei a vo zemo lie

Tei iHii nie sieii p@i riaho " Tei i Hii nie sie ii p@iria ho6enonie i riihro yie nholie& F 6e no nie i rii hroyie nho lie&

*i+erent types o& &ol' songs

,.2.i-o

7ivo songs can ?e sung anyhere , there is no restrictionof place or season to perform& oth male and female canparticipate in the singing& /oever 7ivo songs are sungand composed mainly ?y the younger age groups or?achelors&The songs comprises more of lovesongs,admiration and praise of a particular person& 0neample of 7ivo love song is interpreted ?elo&The songis ritten don in the common traditional ay ofcomposing, having nine sylla?les in each line&

(eg&01) A-oneihu 0vo neihu eri nyii chii

Nie inumia yu avo dierhe7iemoi mu so esip@i rha

Nietsii zhii mu luha hasie nu

Nie ethaii chii arie si"o


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(*nglish translation) *ven though e love each other0nd ished to merry one dayMy parents may disapprove

0nd settle for arranged marriageith another lady hom i donJt love as i do to youJ

-till it aches my heart to even thin of youJ as anothermenJs ife

,.3. ide

The songs categorized under 7ideJ are sung ithfull traditional attire at various village festivals or at theMorung sittings&The songs are performed mostly ?y theelderly people&0n eample of 7ideJ song is interpreted?elo&

(eg&04) +ievinyii

0si"u no haHu lhu moliee lu Thizie Hunu lhurii lie-olhi"u no tsiedo nu vor7ievip@imia evio zuze

+uze tuoro puothe puora vo

(*nglish translation) My good friend,you are not from thisland

You roots are from a village called ThizieWhy would a stranger such as you

Come to our village and try luring away ourbeautiful ladiesTo your village

I&4& ita


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The songs under this category are faster in rhythm andperformed or sung at small informal gatherings& 0neample of 7itaJ song is interpreted ?elo&

(eg&0&%) ra!iaKramia e sono rii egei

Tsu pia liesho hiee ?ie phehe/ie hi shiipie hie itie lorie

0nei"ii vaphi ?ie riigii0nei"ii no mia etsu sie nu

>uo he tihru hi dip@i meheMia do rie le nie?i shii theseNie ha Hiiro niege nieze riTie tuololie riiya zenyii o

(*nglish translation)There as a time hen villages ere not in good termsith each otherith the uncertainty of time, people ere apprehensiveof venturing out to the @elds.n such a day I poured a rice ?eer and aited outside atthe veranda ith a vie of the paddy @eldsContemplating my ?eloved lady ould ?e on its ay tothe @elds

ith fe farmers on its ay, -he appeared ith a ?aseton her ?ac, rapped ?eautifully in a shal, proceedingtoards the paddy @eldsI ran toards her, gra??ed her hand and uttered, Lif youdie no

our onderful stature, your ?eauty and everything illither aay so soon&J

I&%& i!a


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The songs are continuous and ?y the end of the @rst songthe other group Hoins in ith diAerent songs& 0n eampleof 7ima song is interpreted ?elo&

7eg A .) %eho-iiiMehovi"ii ze etsu metse7u 6ediHu Moriisie inu

Tie rie pie cii zu rei chiipie rie6e?ie hae hau hrii tele

0vo lhu sie sono i dze chiiTuoii dinu lhurii mo caii

*verytime i too mehovi"ii to the @eldsThat place, home of Moriisie

'easting ith foods and local ?eeras during this time of the year

ith laments, e are not ?orn to ?e lie themJ feastingalone&

I&


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Thezie morei sii puo motenyii&

I&;& hieliThis type of songs are short and poetic in lines only to ?esung at the other side of the river or ?eyond the villagegate&To eamples are given ?elo&

(eg&0&=)a)Tsa zotie yie ho adziigeo

Getting older and olderK romia nicu la yage

Why dont we get young again

?) 6hor tuoro ai pumo dinuWithout informing me that you are comming

6hor asieu nuFrom my bac side

Rishii athuha!iding, with cruel intension

0phirhe lolie"ulled me down

,, . $onte!porary "ol' songs

Three contemporary songs are selected and carefullystudied a?out the structure ,the composers intension andthe contrast ith the old fol songs& Three songs are

interpreted ?elo&


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,,a& Tati song(eg&0:) (A %others song)

This song is a?out a Mothers encouragement to her onlylovely daughter&

( Neinuo is the pet name, here the 0ngami tri?eaddresses to a young lady)

Neinuo rahie, Thenu nie rii?eiWee# not,my only daughter

0zuo edi unuosuoyamuYour mother though in sadness

Thenumia sii chiedoi rii?eiThe only days of a lady

Telhe modi shie vo mia ra lhouWill one day be in a di$erent #lace%married&

/atsa unuo 7atsa miaphou chiiMy daughter, sooner will be a mother

+otatuo mu Knuoruohielo'e ha##y and embraced it #ositively

,, 6. Tati song 7hise!ia) (eg&a#$) Thinuo harei 7hisemia siinuo

The clan of (hisemiaNourhe zoshii lhisemia ?u nu(et there be unity within>eli thehrie ereenie oThe Twelfth age grou#

Thinuo mhouo chiituo"ii di nu"rotectors of the clan

Raelie nhie phichii theHa chaThe faithful day, yearns the fathers blessing

6elie hala riinou hu vuo"ii)n glee with satisfactionTsiedi seshii theHa rueduo

With names inscribed on the MonolithRheicha huluo ereenieo


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"rayed for a long life*

,, c. o hi !o o 78ithout you9no lo-ers)(eg&a##)

'rom the a?ove score, a love song e can see that thearrangement as harmonised in four parts (-0T)contemporary style& It does not follo the traditional ayof composing i&e& four"@ve sylla?les respectively, though it

uses -o hi mo HoJ thoroughly& The mood of the song is


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epressed through various movements& More emphasis isgiven on the harmony rather than the lyrics&

,,,.Theoretical "ra!e8or'

'unctionalism as a theory states that every form oforal tradition ful@ls a variety of functions such aspromotion and enhancement of noledge andaareness of positive customs and immoral actions& Ithinges its argument on the fact that there must ?e areason hy a song has ?een composed or sang at aparticular time&'unctionalism reveals the relevance of every fol songin a community and this function could range fromleisure,physical, spiritual, festive, and philosophical tocommunal reasons&

,;.$onte!porary $ulture theory is one that hinges on

the general cultural ideological perceptions of acommunity in their speech, ha?its, dressing, songs,drama, etc that has pu?lic appeal and motivation& It isoften regarded as the ays of a tri?e of a community orreferred to as inferior culture ?ecause of its popularity&

Though the general concept to this culture may ?ediAerent as a result of illiteracy& 0t all point in time, therehave alays ?een particular songs or stories that are

found common and active ithin the pu?lic& Thepopularity of each folsong or stories is achieved as aresult of the performance or the acceptance ?y thecommunity& .ften time these songs are simple andstraight forard ith day to day themes lie or,play,melancholic,love,ceremonies etc&In olden days folsongs serves numerous purposes to the people&!uringfestivals,mourning, or,invocation,etc until recently the

purpose and practices of diAerent fol songs have ?een


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revieed to a ne season ?y various artists&Theacceptance and understanding of fol music adds to thepositive modulation of fol music to a higher level&

;.ocial &unction o& "ol'songs

-tories and songs are told orally to teach the youngones&It can ?e a ne story in a song a?out the gallantryof a person at ar or the moral life coping sills&

The songs are ?etter understood and easily remem?eredthrough singing&0n eample of this is a idJs song for arithmetic, singingand counting once @ngers called Chiino"7ala?u&

(eg&a#3) Chiino, 7ala?u ,6he?u?a, 6itie?u, 6a"la"li

0nother eample that taught us the importance ofresponsi?ility is given ?elo&ac in the olden Naga villages, on the a sunny day, theelder id is responsi?le for ?a?ysitting or protecting thefamilies property,here the parents usually placed thepaddy cultivation for sun drying& This is the time heree sing the song,Thevii Riichii >esoulieJ& It is a songshouting to the preying eagles on the /ens preying onthe cultivation& 0 shout intimidating the eagle and thenaughty hens to hide aay deeply, that theyJ are nottaen ?y the @erce eagle&The song scares aay ?oth the?irds and also an entertainment to the younger idscrying for their parents&

7eg.a13) The-ii Riichii Pesoulie

Thevii Riichii >esoulie,Chiizhariimu chaho Fhocha"cha

;,. #


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Indigenous peopleJs contri?ution in 'ol music and music

industry ill ?e recognized& etter understanding of ho

indigenous music contri?utes to sustaina?le livelihood

and surely promotes positive attitudes of human life and

ill help the social life of indigenous people in the music

industry hile considering fol music& -uch type of

development ould ?e people"centred ?ased on self"

reliance and preservation of culture and traditions&

esides ell ?eing of the Indigenous musicians, ?usiness

opportunities, cultural echange ill ?e generated ?y

promoting the fol music, instruments and musicians&

This paper also focuses on the contemporary fol fusion

music here contemporary fol music does not ?ecome a

mere entertainment product to the audience, ?ut eeping

intact the important social function of music& In this ay

cultural and indigenous music can ?e successfully

promoted and pacaged to ?ene@t the creative industry

and economy as a hole& This ill result in ?etter

understanding of the opportunities for mainstreaming

cultural activities for economic development&

The overall result ould ena?le the environment to

attract non"indigenous domestic and international

audiences& -uch a positive milieu ill facilitate

preservation and conservation of the indigenous peopleJs

culture& The study ill also sho ho music contri?utes


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to poverty reduction and help marginalized people and

most overlooed groups of fol musicians in Nagaland to

improve their livelihood& Through music, this paper ill

help identify ide range of opportunities and choices that

indigenous people have in order to pursue their livelihood

goals&

;,,.$onclusion

The report @nd out that there is a need to promote

creative entrepreneurship as an important source to

promote and develop fol musicians ( and all artists) of the

future& There are more songs composed for ladies in

harmony, usually in thirds or in sith&Most musicians have

fe @nancial safety nets and @nd themselves living the

creative industries ethos daily& Thus have to ensure that

they connect ith performers and audiences in various

modes ?y using ideas that have cultural relevance& The

necessity to provide platforms and encourage younger

musicians, the importance of cultural roots of fol music&

The older fol songs are simple in tune ith feer changes

in phrases& It solely depends on a main theme hich

proceeds to the end repeating &In other ords more

importance as given on the lyrics and its social function

rather than the harmony of the tune&


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The theme of contemporary fol songs are mostly derived

from the the old fol songs&-ome lightly fused ith

estern instruments or musical ?acground& The system

of pending don lyrics ere lighter ith creative and more

attractive tunes& Importance of harmonizing as also

emphesized& Musicians are also encouraged to promote

the cultural importance and not progress through the

popular culture alone& Creating music that is relevant to

our culture, ?e that from an indigenous theme or one that

is value"added @nely from the outside culture&

B'ol is no longer, if it ever as, a minority music& This

report cele?rates its position as an historic part of our

national heritage, a ho??y, a passion, an industry and

clearly a source of entertainment for thousands of people&

'ol music and fol festivals are ey to the socio"

economic and cultural life of our communitiesD&

Morris /argreaves McIntyre

Resource persons"


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a) Mr&Nieriisie >unyii ?) Therusalie -ophi


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Nungoi Nyeha (M&0 Tenyidie) -azonuo

+hiinyii(M&0 Tenyidie)

Ruouo -uohrie Ruouosie"ii home

References"

a)6hiino 6heda


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?y Mr&Nieriisie >unyii and Mr&Medoerhe alie&

?) Morris /argreaves McIntyre"

Impact of 'ol 'estivalson Cultural Tourism, 5anuary

3$$1

?)0 Ra 6ezievi F >u?lished ?y 6honoma Riiino,6ohima

*nclosed sample audio2mp1 of diAerent types of 0ngami

Naga fol songs for references

#&Traditional fol songs

a& >lantation song(Hune season ) (?)Tati song(autumn

season)

(c)Thie tieso (d) Cultural vi?rant (e) . /o (f)Thevii Riichii

>esoulie

g&Chiino lala?u

3&Contemporary 'ol songs

a) /iyo hi (?) Male voice fusion (c) -o /i Mo 5o

modulations of naga folk songs/social functions

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