Unit 2 Assamese Culture and Its Features UNIT 2 : ASSAMESE CULTURE AND ITS FEATURES UNIT STRUCTURE 2.1. Learning Objectives 2.2. Introduction 2.3. Syncretism and Assimilation in Assamese Culture 2.4 Let Us Sum Up 2.5 Answers to Check your Progress 2.6 Further Reading 2.7 Model Questions 2.1. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to- describe the process of syncretism and assimilation in the making of Assamese culture 2.2. INTRODUCTION Dear learners, you have already learnt about Assamese culture in your last unit. The unit will look into the process of assimilation and syncretism in the development of the Assamese socio-cultural heritage. 2.3 CULTURAL SYNCRETISM AND ASSIMILATION The basis of Indian culture is unity in diversity. Indian culture is an amalgamation of cultural integration, acceptance, unification, refinement, elevation, synthesization etc of various social and cultural processes that belonged to the Mongoloids, the Negritos, the Australoids and the Nordics. Assamese culture too is an integrated one consisting of four main ethnic cultures- namely the Australoid, Mongoloid, the Dravidian and the Aryan 24 Cultural History of Assam Assamese Culture and Its Features Unit 2 culture. In simple words, Assamese culture and civilization is the mini version of the greater Indian culture and civilization. The traditional Assamese culture is a product of the ongoing interaction between the tribals and the Indo-Aryans. The Assamese culture marks the cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups over the different period in the history of this region. The migration of the different racial elements along with mixed northern Indians has enriched the aboriginal culture and at the same time, sanskritization and hinduisation have intensified and made the culture more prominent. A sizeable section of the Koch or Rajbangshi is made up by the descendants of tribes. In fact, tribes like the Rabhas, the Tiwa (Lalung) and the Sonowals are no more different than the Hindus. Today the Assamese social fabric comprises a mixture of both the jana (tribal group) and jati (Aryan hindu society). The process of assimilation and syncretism is not yet over and is still on the move. It is believed that the Assamese culture evolved in the pre-Ahom period and took a definite shape with the arrival of the Tai-Shans. The Neo-Vaishnava movement under Srimanta Sankardeva added another dimension to the Assamese culture. It had a huge impact on the lives of the people, affecting the language, literature, fine arts and so on. The cultural pattern was often common and at times different according to places while being infused with local characteristics. The unity and integration of Assamese culture is seen in the population composition, Assamese language, religious belief, social customs, festivals, songs and dances, musical instruments, food, dress etc. Language The Assamese language reveals a mixture of Sanskrit and source is derived from other linguistic communities. Languages differ according to areas and ethnic groups. Most of the ethnic groups have given up their language and speak their own version of Assamese language. Nagamese is an example of the harmonious blend of naga dialect and Assamese. Cultural History of Assam 25 Unit 2 Assamese Culture and Its Features Assamese is being used as a link along with the native tribal dialect for communication. The Tai script of the deodhais and bailungs were replaced by the newly developed lingua franca, Assamese that borrowed its vocabulary from multiple sources including Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and local dialects. Originally the Assamese language sprung from Magadha prakrit in the east which resulted in the rise to apabhramsa dialect. The Assamese language has gone through a long process of integration. Later, Sanskrit, prakrit, non-aryan, tribal and the Arabic-Persian vocabularies did become a part of the language. These words have influenced the phonology, morphology, lexicology and semantics of the Assamese language. The reference to Asamiya language is found in the records of Hiuen Tsang who visited Kamarupa during the time of Bhaskara Varman. According to Golak Chandra Goswami, the Assamese language has developed to such a form with so many influences that now it is not only difficult but it has become impossible to identify the various elements of the language. As a result, though Assamese is originally an Aryan language yet the non-aryan characteristics are more prominent in it, Siro Senehi Mor Bhasa Jononi has acquired an original form with various unique and unusual qualities which cannot be found in Aryan language. Let us take the example of the word Asom (Axom). Some scholar's hold the view that it is a Tai Ahom word, but others negate it by declaring the word Asom as being derived from the Boro words "Ha-sam". Likewise according to the scholars Kamrup orginates from Austric language and the origins of Pragjyotish is a set of a few Aryan words (Pagar-mountain, Jyo/ Ju-Tall, Tik/Tis- Long). Besides the pronounciation of many Assamese words have tribal influence. Some kinship terms such as -Enai, Puyhao, Momai, Aapa, Nicha etc have come from Tai-Ahom language. With the Muslims, many Arabic and Persian words have found a place in the Assamese language. Apart from this, the British Raj has enriched the Assamese vocabulary with many English words. Dialectical variations are found in the use of Assamese language in 26 Cultural History of Assam Assamese Culture and Its Features Unit 2 different regions which can be broadly divided into Eastern, Central and Western Asamiya. LET US KNOW The Assamese language originally belongs to the Indo- European language family. The Charyapadas written in ca 9th to 10th century were the oldest example of Assamese language. Literature The Assamese literature too has developed through the process of integration and assimilation. Literature in published form was non-existent in ancient Assam and it was only a small body of folk or oral genres. Assamese translation of the sacred texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas along with the buranjis and the devotional texts during the neo- Vaishnavite movement constituted the ancient Assamese literature. Among the Puranas the VishnuPurana, the Bhagawata Purana and the Harivamsa contributed the most. Some of the Assamese songs, pada (kind of Assamese metre of 2 lines rhyming at the end), verse drama, religious books were either transcription or literal translation of these Puranas. With regard to style and form, the Assamese language is totally western. Western elements were first published in the Jonaki. Later these elements took various forms and entered into the Assamese literature. In between the folk literature of Assam evolved with the help of indigenous thoughts and ideas. It flourished as the local flavour. Aai-naam, Opesora-sobahor naam, Lakhimi sobahar naam, biya-naam, malita, juna, riddles, maxims, proverbs etc are nourished by various familiar thoughts, ideas and customs. But Bihu geet and Husori geet are contributions of the non-aryans for sure. Haidang geet of the Sonowal tribe, Bishahari geet associated with the Mare gaan of the Pati Rabha community and the Bahurongi geet have enriched Assamese folk literature. Cultural History of Assam 27 Unit 2 Assamese Culture and Its Features Likewise folk tales related to animals is a contribution of the Bodo-Kacharis and the Rabhas. Jikir and Jari songs are created in the line of deh bisaror geet. Ojha utha geet (Aai tuli), kabeera geet or badshahi geet are excellent examples of the cultural synthesization in Assam. The Buranjis or chronological records of the Ahoms are the noteworthy example of rare treasures of Assamese written tradition. Buranji literature and Sakta literature are considered as pleasing ancient literature. The types of literature along with drama and other practical books were written under the patronage of the Ahom rulers. Swargadeo Rudra Simha wrote ShivaPurana and kings like Jayadhvaj Simha and Siva Simha were lyricists. Sukumar Barkath composed "Hastirvidyanama" during this time. With Muslim invasion Islamic culture entered Assam. Following the tradition of Sufi, Islamic verses of the time, Pashupati Dvij wrote "Chandravali Kavya" and Ram Dvij wrote "Mrigawati Charit" The mid-nineteenth century Assamese literary period was marked by the emergence of the Assamese journal "Orunodoi" first edited by Rev. Oliver T Cutter. Other works published in Assamese were a grammar text by Rev. Nathan Brown and the first Assamese dictionary by Rev. Mile Bronson. The Christian influence in the Assamese literature did help in modernizing the language as well as liberalizing the Assamese culture. Towards the later phase in the 20th century, Assamese literature flourished and touched new heights with the works of luminaries like Lakshminath Bezbarua, Chandrakumar Agarwala, Ambikagiri Raichoudhuri, Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Nalinibala Devi to name a few. Religion The religious history of Assam is also a history of integration. The religious aspect of Assamese culture is intermingled with the tribal cultural elements. Especially the concepts and ideas of Shiva Mahadev Burha Gohain carry the tribal elements and their impact is far reaching. Shiva is basically a Dravidian god and Rudra is a Vedic god. The fusion and integration of Shiva and Rudra creates the Shiva of the Puranas. The 28 Cultural History of Assam Assamese Culture and Its Features Unit 2 tribal ethnic groups have assimilated Hindu gods and goddesses in their religious system. Almost all of the tribal communities of Assam such as the Bodos, Kacharis, Rabhas, Dimasas, Lalungs, Sonowals, Deuris, Chutiyas, Karbis worship Shiva. To sum up, the tradition of worshipping Shiva in Assam is a mixture of the pre-Aryan, Aryan, tribal and aesthetical elements. In the same manner, the genesis and development of goddesses like Durga and Parvati too can be traced in the culture of the pre-Aryan, Aryans and the tribal communities.