Paper Presentation

Subject: A Detailed Study of Primal Religious Traditions

Introduction:

The English word ‘Religion’ comes from the Latin word ‘religare’ meaning ‘to bind’. The
corresponding Sanskrit root is dhr (Dharma), meaning, ‘to hold together’.1 Religion is deeply
rooted in the religious and moral behavior of people in their cultural set up. Primal people view
the world as a spiritual place, the animal they eat and the grass they walk on has a spirit and
beliefs God’s presence in everything. For every religion, death and after life has been mystery,
different religions and peoples of the world have their own religious beliefs. Likewise, for primal
people the idea of earthly life and life after death is a “living womb”. There are several tribal
groups in India. Each tribal community has its own centre and body of religious beliefs. This
paper will mostly focus on the tribal community of Northeast India on the concept of life here
on earth and life after death and their relationship with supreme beings toward environment and
their social-ethical principles.

Relationship between earthly life and life after death:

The tribal people or animists believe in departed souls. Tribal people conceive of soul or spirit as
to resemble a human, personality, although by its nature, it is invisible and ethereal. The soul is
divine given by God. H.L. Roy says, “The body is given by the mother but the soul which is
divine is given by God.” In each and every person, there is a soul. The soul is immortal. The
tribal of the North East India believe that the soul feels pain and suffering caused by external
influence, just like the living beings feel it. The soul and physical body are inseparable, but both
have a distinct personality. It is believed that even after death the soul continues to work
actively.2 Many tribals believe that their respective villages are situated in heaven and when
members of their tribe die, they will go there. Some of the tribes bury their dead along with their
weapons and personal effects. Since they believe in the cult of the ancestor, they also believe that
their elders who have passed away will be re-born as their children sooner or later.3
Among the primitive or tribal people in any part of the world, there is a concept of future life
after death. There is faith in the future life after death. This faith is found in all people, in all
1
Ezamo Murry, Tribal Spirituality Reconsidered (Delhi: Cambridge Press, 1995), 20.
2
Christopher Augustus Bixel Tirkey, Religion Primal Religion (Delhi: ISPCK, 1998), 202.
3
Emmanuel E. James, A study of Religions (Bangalore: National Printing Press, 2006), 68.
places, and at all times. This concept of future life after death is also accepted by all world
religious tradition.

H.H. Pressler observes- “In India each and every tribe (primal or tribal) believes in the existence
of life after death, whatever form it may have. All tribes believe in the existence of their
ancestors, and relatives after their death. Their existence remains eternally in any kind of form”4

It is generally believed among the tribes of Northeast India that dead go to the “land of Dead”.
For instance the Tangkul Naga tribe of Manipur calls it, “the village of the dead souls” where
they subsists the same kind of life as they were before. Therefore they need all the things that
they needed when alive. Due to such belief they kill several animals such as dogs, pigs, bulls,
buffalos, mithuns, etc. it also believed that whatever animals killed for the dead person will be
with him in the “land of the dead.” The same is also true of human beings.5

According to the Ao Naga tradition, the soul crosses a stream called Longritzu which means
bitter water. After some processes, the soul crosses a plant which is called Molunglem Sungo.
The soul picks the leaves up then tears them into pieces. It is said that the moment the soul tears
the leaves; it helps the soul to forget the past life on earth. Now the soul rejoins the family of
ancestors. It is said that after reaching the village of death, the soul faces the God or judge of
each soul according to the deeds of one’s life on the earth.6

The Rengma Nagas held similar view that even when the souls reach the world of the dead after
having refreshing themselves by food and drink offered to them, they find it to be an exact
repetition of life on earth. The belief of Lotha Nagas is also in line with others. They believed
that the land of the dead lies under our world. There the dead live exactly as human live here.
The belief of similarity between life on earth and the next is very significant that is concerned
about living a good life here on earth. However, Mao tribes of Manipur believe in the existence
of heaven which is the place where a virtuous person go and becomes part of the celestial body
like a star. All the Naga tribal communities believe in a close link between the living and the
dead. In Chotanagpur and Santhal-paragana, the Oraons, mundas, khanas and the Santhals
believed in the life after death. Though they have different concepts about the abode of their
ancestors’ departed souls. The Oraon tribe believed in one Creator, Dharmes and life after death
as rebirth of an ancestor as a newborn in the same linage.7

The Performance of good works and work ethic:

4
Christopher Augustus Bixel Tirkey, Religion Primal Religion (Delhi: ISPCK, 1998), 203.
5
Samuel Longkumer and Mr. Maonungsang, A Reader in Primal Religious and Their Select Movements in
India (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012), 97.
6
Christopher Augustus Bixel Tirkey, Religion Primal Religion (Delhi: ISPCK, 1998), 203.
7
Samuel Longkumer and Mr. Maonungsang, A Reader in Primal Religious and Their Select Movements in
India (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012), 98.
Tribals life is characterized by a spirit of community. The principle of selfless love and concern
for the welfare of community is basically a matter of relationship. This governing principle of the
tribal society is known as tlawmgaihna in Mizo and sobaliba in Naga. As R.R. Shimray says
“They work in groups, eat in groups and sleep in groups. There is no individual cultivation or
harvest, no individual house making….all things were done in full presence of the entire
community.” 8

The tribal religion is basically a community religion. To be truly human is to belong to the whole
community, including the ancestors and creation, and to do so it involves an active participation
in the beliefs, ceremonies, rituals and festivals of the community. For tribal religion, an
individual life and the community life are inseparable. Further, for tribals, belief and actions
cannot be separated because they belong to one single whole. Worship and action go together.
Religion is doing which means without belief and action, one cannot understand the religious
meaning of the tribals.9

Here is the folktale from Ao Naga tribe, which speaks of work ethics through the story called
“Sarilungri”. This story talks about the important of work. If one does not work there is no food.
By work, humans obtain the things that are required for the satisfaction of their varied wants.
Life depends on work. It is clear that in tribal communities, there is the spirit of mutual concern
and mutual help, spirit of sharing, simplicity and their closeness to nature would certainly help a
contemporary human person.10

Effect of Ethical and Moral Values:

Like any other society, tribals in India have moral concepts and principles which are strong
enough to govern and control the behavior and conduct of their people. The word ethics is
derived from Greek ethos which means ‘customs’, or ‘manner’. It talks of duty, goodness,
values, conscious and so on.

Tribal in India have very fine qualities; they are simple, cheerful, colorful, honest, courteous and
hospitable. They have sense of humor and geniality. The hospitality is overwhelming. They are
strong, sturdy, and brave people. Life in the rugged mountains gives a strong spirit of self-help
and self-reliance. They are industrious and hard working and to work are ethical for them. This is
true in the case of all the tribals of Northeast India that they do not have any caste system nor any
form of discrimination in their society. Addressing people in the right manner and to be available
in times of natural calamities are their ethical principles.11

8
Hrangthan Chhungi, Hearing the Voice of Tribal and Advises (Delhi: ISPCK, 2014), 254.
9
A. Wati Longchar, The Traditional Tribal Worldwide and Modernity (Jorhat: Eastern Theological
College, 1995), 5.
10
Samuel Longkumer and Mr. Maonungsang, A Reader in Primal Religious and Their Select Movements in
India (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012), 194.
11
Samuel Longkumer and Mr. Maonungsang, A Reader in Primal Religious and Their Select Movements in
India (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012), 145-146.
Tribals in India have moral concepts and principles which are strong enough to govern and
control the behavior and conduct of their people. The tribal’s work is ethical. They highly respect
elders in the society and do not harbor and prejudices related to caste and creed. In fact, there is
no distinction or difference between a commoner and headman. The tribal people are
homogenous, though they have several clans within a village. These clans are neither social
distinction nor classification or caste. Inter-clans marriages are held, stealing among the tribal is
not common. Even the granaries are made outside the villages, with no lock in it. Feast of merit
were given not for honor alone but used as a means to share wealth with the poor. Strangers were
entertained and all public affairs of the village or clans transacted.12

God’s role and interference in human life and its relationship with nature:

Belief in the existence of the Supreme Being is common to all the tribal people. For the Garos of
Meghalaya the Supreme Being is the divine mother who gives life to all creatures. Some tribes
identify the Supreme Being with the natural objects as such as Sun, Moon and the Earth. He is
the sun among the Meities of Manipur, the Adis other tribes as in Arunachal Pradesh, while for
the Andros of Manipur, the Supreme Being is identified with the eternal fire. Let us see how the
tribals understand the natures of the Supreme Being. The tribals people perceive the Supreme
Being who is not only the creator, sustainer and controller of all things but also the source of life,
nourishment and reproduction. They see the Supreme Being closely attached to the earth.13

The tribal people perceive the Supreme Being as a person who is anxious to know what is
happening in every home; he is also curious to know about every need of the family. Most of the
tribal society experiences the Supreme Being as the fertility God, like Baal among the
Babylonians. Thus, the tribal people see the Supreme Being as the Creator who is always active,
giving life and vitality to all creation. He is the one who protects, upholds, sustains and gives
life. The Supreme Being not only created, but also continues to create and thus the earth
continues to be a constant source of fertility for the growth of all vegetation thereby providing
food for both animals and humans.14

The Tribals live in close contact with natures and nature plays very important role in their life.
They have the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the soul and body to experience and celebrate the
rest of creation. This is seen in their custom of deriving names of places from natural, folktales,
songs and folks stories. The Tribals maintain a symbiotic relationship with the eco-system. Their

12
Samuel Longkumer and Mr. Maonungsang, A Reader in Primal Religious and Their Select Movements in
India (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012), 154.
13
A. Wati Longchar, The Traditional Tribal Worldwide and Modernity (Jorhat: Eastern Theological
College, 1995), 33-37.
14
A. Wati Longchar, The Tribal Religious Traditions in North East India (Jorhat: Eastern Theological
College, 2000), 9-11.
basic necessities like food, shelter, fodder, fuel, clothing, timber and medicines are all derived
from nature.15

Conclusion:

From the above study it has been found that the primal or the tribal people believe in the
immorality of soul or the concept of future life and death despite from tribe to tribe. The tribals
in India especially in Northeast India believed that the soul of the person who dies at the natural
death goes to the land of the dead. We see the uniqueness in tribal religion is the fact that it is
centered on creation rather than historical person. Supreme Beings appears in every being such
as tree, rock, flowers, animals etc. Moreover we also understand from the above discussion that
the primal people perform good moral life and work in unity. This paper helps us to realize our
modern society how primal people understand their moral and ethical values in life and God’s
interference in human life and its relationship with the nature.

Bibliography:

Augustus Bixel Tirkey, Christopher. Religion Primal Religion. Delhi: ISPCK, 1998.

Chhungi, Hrangthan. Hearing the Voice of Tribal and Advises. Delhi: ISPCK, 2014.
15
Hrangthan Chhungi, Hearing the Voice of Tribal and Advises (Delhi: ISPCK, 2014), 255.
James,Emmanuel E. A study of Religions. Bangalore: National Printing Press, 2006.

Longchar, A. Wati. The Traditional Tribal Worldwide and Modernity. Jorhat: Eastern
Theological College, 1995.

Longkumer, Samuel and Mr. Maonungsang, A Reader in Primal Religious and Their Select
Movements in India. Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012.

Longchar, A. Wati. The Tribal Religious Traditions in North East India. Jorhat: Eastern
Theological College, 2000.

Murry, Ezamop. Tribal Spirituality Reconsidered. Delhi: Cambridge Press, 1995.