As we wait for the monsoon to arrive, the year’s planting season has been ushered in by the Tiwas of Assam with the vibrant Wanchuwa festival. This is a significant festival for the Tiwas, one of the major ethnic groups of Assam.
The two-day Wanchuwa festival is usually marked by the sacrifice of a pig and prayers being offered for a bountiful harvest.
As spring comes to an end with a flourish and makes way for the rains, Tiwa communities in Karbi Anglong district perform the ritual sacrifice, which is accompanied by dances performed by young men of the community wearing brilliant tangerine head scarves. Following traditional custom, women winnow rice grains by hand and the men then ceremonially pound the rice into powder in large wooden mortars. Brewing fresh rice beer is also a major part of the festival.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the 3.16 lakh-strong Tiwa community, who practise shifting cultivation and grow paddy, sesame, ginger, mustard and chilli.
The Tiwas believe strongly that the Wanchuwa festival with its sacrifices, dances and rituals blesses seedlings and wards off natural calamities that damage the harvest.
(Images and Text by Ritu Raj Konwar)
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Dance like a man: Tiwa tribesmen take part in a dance during the Wanchuwa festival in Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The festival heralds the crop season.
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Tribal rhythm Tiwa tribesmen dance during the festival.
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For a good crop Tribesmen pounding rice at Sonapur on the outskirts of Guwahati during the festival.
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Face paint: Rice powder adorn the faces of the tribal dancers.
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Foot-tapping time: It’s time for another dance.
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Many cheers: A tribesman drinks rice beer as part of a ritual while dancing.