Chronicle Reporter, Bhopal, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya has organised a housing construction workshop to introduce the local architecture of the various stages of housing construction made by the local tribes and to raise awareness of it among the visitors.
In this sequence, on Monday, the traditional artists of Moran tribe from Assam performed this habitat with the aim to introduce the visitors with the intellectual and creative skills of simple societies and the technological splendour of India’s contemporary world at Veethi Sankul premises of IGRMS.
N Sakamacha Singh (Museum Associate, IGRMS) gave information about the housing type of Moran tribe of Assam and said that Moran House constructed with bamboo as wall structures and traditional design and structure.
The Moran house has three rooms arrayed with bamboo wall partitions. The front hall called Sora ghar which is regarded as the most important part of the house. This common room has a fire place called Jui Hali, and surrounding of which is a meeting place. The space adjoining to the main Khuta (pillar, is the place for the household head.
The Huwa Ghar (Bed rooms) and sometimes extended with partitions depending upon the number married sons and family members. The last room of the extension called Randhoni Ghar or Pak Ghor (Kitchen). The Bhoral Ghar (granary) that lies in the courtyard is apparently more interesting. The Bhoral structure is unique, and raised upon nine pieces of wooden log that are arrayed in rows.
These logs are called Lotikai that sometimes are very huge ranging from 3 to 5 feet in diameter. Use of Lotikais in the Bhoral structure, is meant, not only to provide firm support to the entire structure, but also to present the underlying idea of their socio-cultural and economic relation with their elephants.
Roof structure is twosided and thatched with locally available leaves called Tokou pat/ or Jengu Pat. It is generally believed that the grains should be stuffed inside the Bhoral ghar in such a way that it virtually represents a fully eaten and pot-bellied elephant sitting in the yard. There are three other essential structures generally used in every Moran family including Guhali Ghor (Cow shed), Tantorhali (Weaving shed) and Hahor Ghoral (Duck enclosure).
Female members of the family weave clothes in this shed. Keeping elephant in a Moran family was not only the matter of pride and prestige, but also a symbol of identity among us”.
A team of Moran people from the villages of the Tinsukia district of Assam were invited by the museum. They had constructed their house and exhibited many items of their cultural belongings.