Crucifixion of Monkey

Crucifixion of Monkey:

Bluwin Ch. Sangma

Silsekkgre, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya.

Every religion or culture has different rituals and practices. Crucifixion of Monkey is one of the practices of the early Garo tribe. Garos are one of the major tribes in the present State of Meghalaya, in the North East of India. They have many rituals and practices in every occasion like in human life cycle from birth to death and beyond, for every season, for every sickness, war, peace, droughts, floods, etc. Crucifixion of Monkey is one of such ritual and practices. In this short article, I would like to mention something about this ritual of crucifixion of Monkey. Though this article could not give sufficient knowledge about this ritual, yet I hope that it will help anyone who is interested to go and search about such practices especially in the field contextual theology and religion.

The crucifixion of monkey is locally known as A∙song Tata. The A∙song Tata is comprised of two Garo words-A∙song means, land or place or village and Tata means prayer. If we literally translate these words together, it means prayer or praying for land. But in reality, it is the purification of land by performing the ritual. They believed that their land is defile; it brings many bad things to the whole community of the village. In such a case they will lose even if they had to face the war with their enemies. It may also bring natural calamities and sometimes it brings epidemics and plagues. There are many kinds of A∙song Tata depending on the situation. In each kind of A∙song Tata, they sacrifice different animals for each A∙song Tata.

Early Garos had a primitive life. They have their own village head, priest and physicians. Both the physician and the priest involve in the healing and treatment of the sick people in the village. But in case the epidemic or the plague occurs in a village and if the sickness is beyond the control of the physician and the priest, they believe that the land is defile and therefore the A∙song Mite (god of the land) is causing different kinds of plagues and epidemics. They believe that if the land is defile, they have to purify the land by sacrificing one kind of animal and for the purification of land for the occurrence of plagues, they sacrifice monkey.

It is the duty of the Nokma (headman) to look after the every affairs of the village. He had to take care of the sickness, suffering and poverty of the village. In case of the occurrence of the plagues, he will summon the whole community of the village to perform the A∙song Tata. When the whole community gathered in Nokma’s place, he will send some people especially the young men to jungle to catch monkey.

When the people caught monkey and came back, they will full the monkey starting from Nokma’s house. Monkey will be fulled while it is alive. While fulling the monkey, they will enter through the Nokmikkang (frontdoor) and heat the monkey in each pillar of the house and then they will go out from the Nokdechol (backdoor).While the monkey heating on the pillars of the house, the blood will be shedding and they will paint the blood in each pillar of every household. After entering whole household, they will go to the way entrance to the village.

(Tobe contunued)