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Assam Karbi Folk
The Karbi community is the principal indigenous community in the Karbi Anglong
and West Karbi Anglong districts of Assam. The Karbis linguistically belong to the
Tibeto-Burman group whose original home was in Western China near the
Yang-Tse-Kiang and the Huang-ho rivers. From here, they went down the rivers Brahmaputra,
the Chindwin, and the Irrawaddy, and settled down in India and Burma.
The folklore of the Karbis indicates that long ago they used
to live in the entire Kaziranga area. During the reigns of the Dimasa
Kachari kings, they were driven to the hills and some of them entered
the erstwhile Jaintia Kingdom and lived under Jaintia suzerainty.
Jon Teron is a cultivator living in Balijan Tisso. He is a folk singer,
flautist and songwriter. Philim Engtipi is a housewife living in Japaralangso.
She sings Karbi folk and modern songs.
The song you hear is called “Lun Pangvui,” a love song in the native
Karbi language. The song describes the origin of ginger. The distant lovers
recall a time when one was sick and the other took care. Young Karbi men would be
away for months during community cultivation and the women would stay home.
These songs were sung during such times.
Song - LUN PANGVUI
- Voice - Jon Teron, Philim Engtipi & Group
- Chenkpi & Buruk (Drums) - Khuram Engti
- Kum Li- eng (One String Violin) - Thong Timung
- Coordinator - Daniel Engty