A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam Kh. Dutta Singh, Ph.D. Scholar =================================================================== Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 Vol. 13:9 September 2013 =================================================================== Kharam male in indigenous Dress Kharam female in indigenous Dress Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:9 September 2013 Kh. Dutta Singh, Ph.D. Scholar A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam 172 Abstract Kharam is one of the Government recognized scheduled tribes of Manipur having its distinct language, custom and ethnic identity. Kharam is the name of the language and the community that speak the language. The term Kharam itself is a compound word kha means ‘south’ and ram means ‘land’ or ‘place’ which literally means ‘Southland’. The Kharam is mainly spoken in Tuisemphai, Laikot Kharam, Laikot Phaijol, Purum Likli, Kharam Thadoi, Tampak Kharam, New Keithel Manbi and Kharam Khullen villages in the Senapati district of Manipur. The total number of Kharam speakers in Manipur is 1000 according to Tribal Research Institute, Manipur (2013). Interestingly, the Kharam is absent in any classification of Tibeto-Burman languages made by Grierson (1903), Benedict (1972), Matisoff (2000, 2003). In fact, the Kharam language is closely related to Purum, Kom, Koireng and Chothe. The present paper is an attempt to explore ‘A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam’. 1.0 Introduction Kharam is the name of the language as well as the community that speak the language. The speakers of Kharam are mainly found in Senapati district of Manipur and their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of the language. The term Kharam itself is a compound word kha means ‘south’ and ram means ‘land’ or ‘place’ which literally means ‘Southland’. The Kharam is mainly spoken in Tuisenphai, Laikot Kharam, Laikot Phaijol, Purum Likli, Kharam Thadoi, Tampak Kharam, New Keithel Manbi and Kharam Khullen villages in the Senapati district of Manipur. Kharam has close affinities with other languages Kom, Purum, Aimol etc. There are more than thirty six indigenous tribal languages in Manipur which includes Aimol, Anal, Angami, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui, Kaka Naga, Kharam, Koirao, Koireng, Kom, Lamkang, Mao, Maram, Mizo (Lushai), Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Paomei, Purum, Ralte, Sema, Simte, Salte, Tangkhul, Tarao, Thadou, Waiphei, Zou. According to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger (2009 edition), there are 196 endangered languages in the Indian sub-continent. Out of 196 Indian languages listed by UNESCO, about 89 languages are located in the North Eastern region. However, UNESCO’s report failed to give a clear picture of endangered languages in Northeast India. If we consider the case of Tarao, Paomei and Kharam in Manipur, UNESCO’ list of endangered Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:9 September 2013 Kh. Dutta Singh, Ph.D. Scholar A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam 173 languages in North Eastern India should be reviewed for the further correction, i.e., these three languages are not listed by the UNESCO in their list of Endangered languages in the region. 1.1 Name and Identity of the People Manipur is one of Border States in the North Eastern part of the country having a beautiful landscape and rich cultural and linguistic heritages. It is bound by Nagaland in the North, Assam in the west and Mizoram in the South. It has a total area of 22,327 sq. Km. It is interesting to know that this small state is not only the abode of many endangered species including birds, animals, flowers, and valuable medicinal plants but also a large number of indigenous languages which are so-called minority or lesser-known or endangered languages in terms of their potentiality, social reputation, numerical strength and socio-economic status. There are more than thirty-six indigenous tribal languages in Manipur. The Kharam tribe is one of the indigenous as well as least populous tribes of Manipur. They are one of the 34 recognised schedule tribes in Manipur. Kharam is the name of the language as well as the community that speaks the language. Kharams are mongoloid people and their language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. Kharam Pallen village is the main and most important among the other Kharam villages. The Pallen suffix stands for ‘earthen wall’ for fortification of the village. Thus, Kharam Pallen stands for ‘a village in the southern highlands fortified by earthen walls’. 1.2 Origin The Kharam is one of the very early inhabitants of Manipur. They came into contact with Zeliangrong tribes and the Meitei rulers of Manipur, especially with king Khagemba of Manipur (1597-1652 A.D.) who gave protection to our people. During the Burmese invasions, of Manipur culminating the Anglo Burmese War (1824-26). Raja Chandrakriti Singh (1850-1886) brought the Kharams together and made them settle in the present village of Kharam Pallen. Both stone and copper inscriptions were issued by the said king declaring the Kharams as the protected subjects of kingdom of Manipur. According to Kharam tradition, they migrated from a mythical cave called Laiyaing you Laiyang –phai which is identified with somewhere in the south West. Ultimately, the Kharams came to western Manipur hills and settled in Koubru Laimaton range in Senapati District. Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:9 September 2013 Kh. Dutta Singh, Ph.D. Scholar A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam 174 1.3 Geographical and Demographical Background The Kharam are found only in the senapati district of Manipur. They live in four villages which are located on hill slopes except one. The names of Kharam villages are: 1. Kharam pallen 2. Tampak kharam 3. Tuisenphai 4. Laikot phaijol. Though they are located in the same district, they live quite far from each other. Tampak Kharam is located in the plains with the least population occupying the smallest area of land. Kharam pallen is the oldest and biggest one. Kharam Pallen is the farthest of all from Imphal with a distance of about 37 kms. It is on the National High Way 53. Now it is called as National High Way 37. Table-1: Distances from village to village SL No. Villages from To Distance in kms 1. Kharam Pallen Tampak Kharam 10 kms 2. Kharam Pallen Tnisenpai via Imphal 51 kms 3. Kharam Pallen Laikot Phaijol via Imphal 59 kms 4. Laikot Phaijol Tuisenphai via Teiyong 16 kms The other languages spoken in the neighbourhood include Naga, Kuki and Manipuri, etc. The population of the Kharam tribe cannot be ascertained from the census report of India. Table-2: Population of 1990 with their respective villages. SL No. Name of village No. of household No. of members Male Female 1. Kharam Pallen 53 306 153 153 2. Tampak Kharam 3 15 9 6 3. Tnisenphai 23 136 64 72 4. Laikot Phaijol 29 168 91 77 5. Others 32 178 92 86 Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:9 September 2013 Kh. Dutta Singh, Ph.D. Scholar A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam 175 Total 140 803 409 394 2.0 Religious Rituals Religious rituals play an important role in the life of the Kharam people. In order to enjoy good health and serene mental and spiritual of life, Kharams perform rituals to appease the evil spirits which are believed to cause physical, mental and spiritual problems to the people individually or the village as a whole. 2.1 Religion The traditional religion of the Kharams is polytheism, where they believe in a supreme being called “Pathen”, lesser gods, goddesses and spirits. Pathen is the creator of the whole universe and the human race. Besides Pathen, there is a village deity called Baongpa who is a kind and benevolent deity. Now-a-days, the majority of the Kharam people have converted into Christianity. However, a small population still follows the traditional religion. The majority of Kharam people are Christians and there is a very small population of non-Christians. Before the advent of Christianity, they worshiped their local deity. On every Sunday, they attend the church. 2.2 Ritual at Birth Elderly women are engaged in the delivery of a child. As soon as a child is born, a name is given to it to assert that the child belongs to the human race and not to the spirits. Otherwise, they believe that the evil spirits are waiting to name the child, who will then have a short span of life. After the birth of a child, the child is not taken outside till a ritual called “Neitolsok” is performed by the maternal grand father. He will call upon the deities and evil spirits that can cause any kind of sickness to the child and commands then to depart. 2.3 Rituals at Death When a person dies, the body is given a final bath and made to wear the traditional costumes. If the family is poor and does not have the costumes, these can be borrowed from the same clan members and should not be from the other clansmen of the deceased. The body is then kept in front of the main door. Songs are sung in honor of the diseased. Items that the family intends to give are all bundled and kept near the body. The body is buried in a common Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:9 September 2013 Kh. Dutta Singh, Ph.D. Scholar A Sociolinguistic Study of Kharam 176 grave yard maintained outside the village gate. After the burial, an animal is killed by the family of the people in the belief that such animal is given to the departed soul. Rice beer is distributed to those who attend the ceremony.