In its original incarnation, Wanna, Wangala, or Drua Wanbola, as it was traditionally called, was a time for Garos to take a break from the hardships of daily life and rejoice in the prosperity of a new harvest. The abundance of the season was inspiration to wear new clothes and parade in village processions, dance to the beat of drums and sing thanks to the gods. It was an occasion for youth to choose their partners, for elders to preside over rituals and for everyone to dance, drink and be merry.

Up until two years ago, however, there was little evidence of such celebration. The

systematic breakup of Garo traditions through religious conversion, land grabbing, and the pressures of modern life fractured the community and threatened to render extinct the most important festival of the Garos. The few communities that remained intact had become too impoverished over the years to organise a harvest festival with the pomp and magnitude of its pre-20th century heyday.

Realising the loss, a group of modern Garos took the matter into their own hands and in December of 2003, revived the tradition in their hometown Askipara district of Mymensingh after a 100-year

hiatus that began with the mass conversion of Garos to Christianity.

The second Wangala celebrated this past December was a testament to the steady progress and the growing strength of the Garo community.

A Modern Celebration

On the morning of December 28th , a large crowd gathered around a stage raised in front of tribal activist Sanjib Drong's house, eagerly awaiting the 2-year anniversary of the Garo Wangala festival. Among them were hundreds of Garos and guests who came from as far as

Dhaka and Chittagong, as well as neighbours from the Askipara district.

The Wangala festival, or Wanna 2004, as it was called, opened with a welcome to guests delivered by a Garo leader. A procession of children hailing from 7 different villages, as well as drum players, and a live pig followed, converging on the stage (sans the pig). The ceremony began with the burning of incense to show respect and pray for the return of the Mother Goddess, whose grace is believed to bring a good yield.

As the event was designed to educate the next generation of

Garos, a group of young children displayed the indigenous agricultural process of jhum cultivation. Symbolic dance movements depicted the slash and burn method of clearing forest land and then the planting of seeds. Young boys came out on stage yielding makeshift swords and shields in a vigourous dance to frighten the evil spirits and protect their growing crops. These performances, which are part of the Sangshareq religion, aim to appease spirits through oblations and to ward off ghosts and demons by frightening them away. At the end of the dance, the dancers, both girls and boys depicted the picking and gathering of crops, making way for festivities to begin.

A main element in traditional festivities is flirtation among the youth. In a special performance, inviting humour from the audience, children depicted young men and women selecting their partners. Through dance, each boy struggled to get past a stubborn dancing drummer in a 'battle of drums' to 'gain access' to the group of young women. (In the matriarchal Garo society, the husband goes to the wife's house after marriage, but these days many Garos have assimilated to the mainstream Bengali tradition of practicing the reverse custom.)

Following the children's performance, the main ceremony began.

Rugala: An elder, acting as a Nokma or village leader, opened the Rugala or the main thanksgiving service. Thereafter, vegetables, representing 'newly harvested crops', and agricultural implements were laid across the stage. The Khamal, or priest, sprinkled rice wine over the 'harvest' while chanting incantations offering gratitude to the sun

god, Misi Saljong and Goddess Meenma Kiri Rokime, the mother of crops and monsoon. After the Rugala, a group of traditional elders played Garo music with traditional instruments gongs, flutes, and horns, inviting a public dance on stage. The rice wine, unique to the Garo community, was shared by all and many Garos sang to the music, which still feature in wedding, funeral and birthday ceremonies.

The inclusive spirit of the event was clearly visible among the audience, who represented a wide array of religious communities. Many guests joined in during the public dance perhaps inspired by the rice wine - and were welcomed by the Garos who placed hand prints with rice paint on their guests' faces and clothing in fraternal gesture.

A spectacular feast followed featuring several dishes of pork, rice, fish and wine.

Modern History of the Wangala Festival

Sanjib Drong is credited for bringing the modern Wangala festival out of the Church, opening it to Garos of all religious denominations.

In the early 70's, when Garo ways slowly began to emerge in Christian celebrations, an awareness of a common identity began to awaken among them, including Drong, who witnessed his first Wangala in a Catholic Church. After several years of preparation and research, Drong held his own Wangala in an open field in the front yard of his village home, celebrating it as a cultural festival rather than a religious one. It was a Wangala that all Garos, historically transformed through religion and occupational livelihood, could appreciate.

"Most Garos are Christians of

different sects, but we did not want to segregate or exclude anyone. We have a special identity as Garos and hosting a Wangala is a way to recognize and honour that," says Sanjib Drong.

While planning the festival, Drong consulted many elder members of the community to recall the rites and rituals of past festivals. Despite the modernisation of the Garo community, many of the elders still speak only their mother tongue - a testament to the enduring strength of their cultural identity.

In a way, this Wangala characterised the very traditional act of the passing down of wisdom from elders in the community to the youth.

Conclusion

The past two Wangala festivals have become an important and growing tool for the modern Garo community of Askipara as they continue on their quest to rejuvenate old customs in the spirit of unity and respect for tribal ways and knowledge. For present-day Garos it is more than just pulsating drums, tribal dancing, vibrantly-coloured costumes and the obligatory feather in the headress, says Drong. "It is a message to protect the identity of Garos and promote the Garo feeling." A current attempt is being made to select a Song Nokma, or community leader for the Askipara village. "First we want to bring back the feeling and then in two to three years time, when we are ready, we will select a Nokma.”

Story: MANISHA GANGOPADHYAY Photo: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN