Kay
Lang is the ancient Kirat term
consists of two syllables Kay means
drum made up of hollow wood and Lang
means dance. The Kay Lang is the
primeval wooden musical instrument danced by gods for their benediction and
wellbeing of the living creatures. And the one who performs the Kay Lang is called Kay Demba.
The Mundhum proclaim that in the beginning,
there lived a ManTshaGhan Namyapmesa[5],
Paja Eeba, son of Sodhung Ghan Lepmu Hang Mang. There was no house because the
custom of building houses was no then. One day Paja Eeba wants to build a house
and started the work. When his father Sodhung Ghan Lepmu Hang Mang heard the
news, he was delighted and pleased with his son. Thereupon, he took a flock of
singers and dancers and went to meet his son, Paja Eeba. When the father
reached at the place of his son, he heard the news of death of Sapare Hangma,
sister of Paja Eeba. She died at the spot where the main pillar of house erect.
When they heard such a bad news, the flock of singers and dancers hung their
garland of flowers around the house and went back to their respective places.
Thereafter,
Paja Eeba encountered with a hurdle with evil spirits. He works whole day and
keeps the works for next day before dusk. All the works that were completed
previous day were found raze to the ground the following morning. The Murung Selang[6] was
found decay to the ground. As a result, he could not endurance the pain and
went to seek help from his father Sodhung Ghan Lepmu Hang Mang.
His father
bethought and preached him a sermon (Sewakhahoun),
“Whenever we build houses we have to perform ritual to Murung Selang (Main pillar) called Awanama Sewa. We have to
call all the workers and invite all the people of the village and have to
perform house ritual, Him Choknam. We
have to make eight rounds around the Murung
Selang of the house with the beat of Kay
and by enchanting Mundhum seeking the
benediction of the house”.
Therefore,
Sodhung Ghan Lempmu Hang Mang told Paja Eeba that in the East there dwells a
son of Phung Loti Hangma, Namsame, who can make Kay. He advised him to go to the East to bring the Kay.
Thereupon,
Paja Eeba went to Namsame and told the words of Sodhung Ghan Lepmu Hang Mang to
him. “My father told me that you know how to make Kay and I came here to request you to make one Kay for me at any cost.” When Namsame heard those words from Paja
Eeba, he cut a tree which has hollow in it and made a wooden block[7].
And then he brought the skin of his brother, Kaysame[8],
stretched over two bases of the block and beat on it. When he beat at the two
bases he heard the sound, Bhung Bhung.
When his
mother heard the sound she told the son the sound of Kay should be like the roar of tiger, Horung Horang. Then the mother, Phung Loti Hangma gave him the
following instructions:
“Make few
numbers of short sticks and two circular rings of bamboo. And then stretch the
skin of Kaysame using the thread of
bamboo over two bases of the hollow wooden block. Then only the sound like the
roar of tiger, Horung Horang will
produce”.
Therefore,
Namsame followed the instructions of his mother and succeed from making Kay and able to produce the sound like
the roar of tiger, Horung Horang.
Then the mother said to Namsame, “Though both of you were my beloved sons, you
assassinated your brother, Kaysame
and made a essential musical instrument called Kay with his skin which will be last till the sun, the earth and
the moon remains. Therefore, I am not saddened and you will be not sinned”.
Paja Eeba took
the Kay made by Namsame to his home.
He invited all his workers, village-mates, and singers and dancers. He
performed ritual to Murung Selang,
Awanama and house ritual, Him Choknam.
During the ritual the men and women flocked together and performed Kay Lang “Thak Tham Dam,Thak Tham Dam” and made eight rounds around the Murung Selang and the around the house
whole night seeking blessing (Mawa Hangwa)
for the benediction of the house.
Likewise, he
pleased and asked blessing from the supreme God, Tagera Ningwa Bhu Mang to overcome the hurdle. Thereafter, the wall
of the house did not raze to the ground. The main pillar, timbers and logs did
not decay to the ground. Finally, he succeeded from building the house. So,
today, the vibrant culture of Kay Lang
pervades in the culture and tradition of Kirat.
Basically, there are 108 different types of Kay Lang(s) which are imitated from various
animals and birds since primeval period of time. Today, we, the Kirat dance to
reach god, Tagera Ningwa Bhu Mang with resonance beats of Kay coherence it with our soul for the benediction and wellbeing.
[1] Mundhum means the power of great strength, it is the
divinely and immortal source of knowledge and wisdom.
[2] Phung Loti
Hangma had two sons, Kaysame (in the tiger from) and Namsame (in the human
form).
[3] Namsame is
the second son of Phung Loti Hangma, born in the higher realm of Human Being
and inventor of Kay.
[4] In the Kirat, the trilogies Gods are Porokmi Yambami Mang (Creator), Musoth Long Mubawa
Mang (Sustainers) and Sodhung ghan Lepmu Hang Mang (Destroyer).
[5] ManTshaGhan
Namyapmesa means human being.
[6] The Murung Selang means
main pillar of the house.
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