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Chi - the Traditional Drink of the Lepchas : a Case Study

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Chi - the Traditional Drink of the Lepchas : a Case Study IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 22, Issue 11, Ver. 4 (November. 2017) PP 11-17 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org Chi - The Traditional Drink of the Lepchas : A Case Study. Dr. Shera Pandi Molommu Assistant Professor,Department of History, Kurseong College, Kurseong 734203, ABSTRACT: The Lepchas like all indigenous found all over India, were in isolation and devoid of all social contact with the outside world. They were hunters and gatherers and devised a way to ferment millet grains into a sweet beer popularly known as Chi, this mild beer was so popular that it has imbibed itself into every social and cultural life of the Lepchas. We shall with this study try to bring forth how this mild beer became the drink of the gods and how every ceremony is rendered useless without it. We will delve into its origin, its preparation, the method to drink it and effects on Lepcha society. Keywords: Lepcha, Indigenous, Brew, Beer, Ceremonies, Social, Religious. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Date of Submission: 30-10-2017 Date of acceptance: 10-11-2017 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- I. INTRODUCTION The Lepchas are indigenous tribals of mongoloid origin living in the basin of Mt. Kanchenjunga. With regards to the Lepchas and their land, the Lepcha inhabit the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, a land located in Sikkim and Darjeeling, India, lying between 27° and 28° N and 88° and 89° E. They are nature worshippers and follow the old animist religion commonly known as Monism, in this religious practice we find the use of an alcoholic beverage brewed from millet called „Chi‟. According to ancient Lepcha tradition1 „Chi‟ is said to be of divine origin, the recipe for which is said to have been brought from a sorceress in the netherworld by a cockroach. Chi or the fermented beverage is as symbolical as the blood that flows through the body in Lepcha culture; Chi in a sense makes the Lepcha culture a whole. It is extremely difficult to fathom the Lepcha culture and Lepcha society without Chi. According to K.P. Tamsang, “Chi is the national drink of the Lepchas.”2 Foning writes, “Our tribal drink Chi is such that without it we cannot please our gods, and cannot appease the dreaded devils and the demons; so much so that without it, we cannot even get wives. Life cannot be imagined without it.”3 According to P. B. Chakrabarty “The drink has deleterious effect on snakes and demons, but for the gods it is a refreshing drink. It is said through its sacrifice their rage is calmed.”4 Through the Chi sacrifice, i.e. through the enjoyment of the intoxicating drink, they become softened and quiet. “Chi has been a part of Lepcha life, culture and religion. Chi has to be considered as holy as „Dagras‟ or „Somras‟. Boongthings and Muns have to be served Chi when they come to perform any religious ritual. Even now in the villages it is difficult to find workers to work in the farms on payment of wages, if at one time during the lunch break Chi is not served to them. On all occasions, being social, religious, marriage, or any type of festival, Chi is invariably used.”5 This Chi is an intoxicating drink and Gorer has found it “mellowing, soothing, and pleasant, rather than stimulating and exciting.” He also states that “The Lepchas believe that Chi has medicinal qualities, and especially that it is a protection against chills: it is always given to invalids.”6 For the same reason, a woman who has given birth to a child is also given daily dose of Chi. P.B. Chakrabarty states that “The Chi sacrifice has an entirely original and individual character and is closely bound up with the life and rituals of the Lepchas.”7 Chi has been said to be a medicine for light heartedness as it help the Lepchas in confronting the Lepchas in their day to day struggles to make ends meet and hardships of living in difficult terrain in the forests. II. ORIGIN OF CHI The Lepcha stories states that their supreme creator Itboo Deboo Rum on seeing the plight of the Lepchas created Tamsangthing from the pure virgin snow of Mount Kanchenjunga and blessed him with supernatural powers to save the Lepchas from the clutches of the evil Laso Mung Pano. When Tamsangthing arrived in Dzongu to deliver the Lepchas from the clutches of Laso Mung Pano, he found that the morale of Lepcha people was too low and sunken to fight against the devil, Laso Mung Pano. To remove fear from the mind of the Lepchas, Tamsangthing consecrated a young Nyolik-Nyosong as the first „Mun‟, a Lepcha priestess, to rejuvenate the lost morale of the Lepchas. He gave Nyolik Nyosong Mun supernatural powers by offering her three young shoots of „Pashyaor‟, the elephant grass Nyolik Nyosong Mun tired her best to revive the lost morale of the Lepchas and prepare them for the battle with Laso Mung Pano but even her supernatural powers DOI: 10.9790/0837-2211041117 www.iosrjournals.org 11 | Page Chi - The Traditional Drink of the Lepchas : A Case Study. were letting her down. In her search for a remedy Nyolik Nyosong Mun found that a recipe for a strong brew was in the possession of a spirit „Matlimanyoo‟ a sorceress in the netherworld that would be able to restore the lost morale of the Lepchas. She looked for a volunteer to go to the netherworld and bring back the power potion; a cockroach „Tungdyer Palyung‟ came forward and volunteered for this arduous adventure. In due course of time the cockroach was able to trick the sorceress and steal the valuable item which was hidden in the back of her neck. On his journey back the cockroach got tired and rested for a while, seeing the cockroach resting a black cobra „Pamaol Bu‟ took his chance and stole some of the brew, on tasting it the snake became mad and extremely poisonous. Next in line came the honey bee „Hu‟ as soon as it tasted the brew it grew a sharp needle like sting. Next in line were birds, the birds that tasted the brew became carnivorous, even the fig tree „Kantek‟ tasted some and developed a sour taste, last to taste this brew was the plantain tree „Kundong koong‟ which developed sweet fruits. After all these trees and animals had the brew it was purified from all its poisonous elements. The cockroach then handed over this precious brew to the Mun, she cooked some millet and mixed the power potion known to the Lepchas as „Bhut‟ and was able to prepare „Chi‟. She then handed over the Chi to all the Lepchas which lifted the morale of the Lepchas, the Lepchas fought gallantly alongside Tamsangthing and was able to defeat the demon Laso Mung Pano. Thus goes the myth on the origin of Chi. The sorceress on coming to know of the robbery of her prized possession put a curse on Chi „Chi thong ya gong ney maon, thong ma ya na gong ney nyung‟, meaning it is a good medicine if drunk properly, but a poison if taken in excess.8 The Lepchas believe that it is due to this curse that if taken in excess it makes a man fight, quarrel, lose respect, health and wealth. H.G. Joshi has written, “This intoxicating drink according to the tradition of Rong is of heavenly origin. Tradition has it that at the very outset the ferment used in the manufacture of the intoxicant was brought to mankind from the other side of the world in a cunning manner by a special messenger. Immortality, too, is linked up with this drink. Birds have a special part to play with the drinks.”9 III. PREPARATION OF CHI Usually made of black millet, as it is a hardy plant and easily grown without much tending along the Himalayas. It is first husked, cleaned and after a simple wash normally cooked in large quantity in an earthen or metal container ( preferably copper ) the cereal is cooked until all the water has been absorbed, it is continually stirred by a bamboo paddle specially made for the purpose. Sometimes millet is replaced by rice or wheat depending on availability, after it is cooked properly the hot millet is spread on a large bamboo mats (nowadays polythene sheets) then powdered yeast (a concoction of roots) is vigorously mixed with the millet while it is semi hot. Then the grain is transferred to large wicker baskets made of bamboo (nowadays huge plastic buckets) lined with banana leaves or plastic in an airtight manner. The top is also covered in an airtight manner and left untouched in a corner usually covered by something heavy, the fermentation process normally takes a few days depending on the weather. The Chi is ready in three days in summer and takes nearly seven days in winter, the drink which is ready is a pleasantly smooth and sweet which has low alcohol content which grows stronger with each passing day if left untouched. IV. DRINKING OF CHI To prepare the drink; grains of fermented millet is put in a bamboo container, „patyoot‟, hot boiling water is then put into the container to the brim and left aside for some time, the hot water incites the fermented soft millet grains to burst and give out its juices. The juice is then drunk through a narrow bamboo pipe, „pahip‟, at one end of which small holes are made so as to let the juice in but not the grains, a rudimentary filter of sorts.
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