The

intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...

(ICH) of Meitei civilization is recognised, honoured, preserved as well as promoted by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, the Ministry of Culture of the

Union Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, the

Government of Armenia A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, Executive (government), e ...

, the State Government of Manipur, the State Government of Assam, the State Government of Tripura, among many other notable institutions.

UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage

Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur

Meitei Sankirtana (under the name of ''" Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur"''), one of the most remarkable cultural heritage of the Meitei civilization, was formally recognized as a UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage, declared in the eighth session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, in December 2013.

National List for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)

Traditional Craftsmanship

Music of Pena

Pena (musical instrument) Pena is a string instrument, mono string instrument falling in the lute category, slightly similar to some of the traditional Indian stringed musical instruments such as the ravanahatha, ''ubo'' or the ''kenda''. It is the traditional musical in ...

is single stringed. It has two parts. One part is a bamboo pole attached to a coconut shell. The another part is the . It acts as a bow used to give friction on the string. A sings songs while playing the musical instrument. Pena is an inseparable part of Meitei civilization. It is used in ritualistic functions like

Lai Haraoba Lai Haraoba is a festival associated with the Meitei people celebrated to please the Umang Lai, the traditional deities of Sanamahism. Translated, Lai Haraoba means ''merry making of the Gods'' in Meiteilon. In this festival, the people worship ...

, Lai Ikouba, etc.

Applique art

Meitei culture Meitei may refer to: *Meitei people, of Manipur, India **Meitei language **Meitei script **Meitei architecture *Denechandra Meitei (born 1994), Indian footballer *Loken Meitei (born 1997), Indian footballer *Ningombam Bupenda Meitei (born 1987), Ind ...

, through the art of applique, decorative effects are achieved by superposing patches of coloured fabrics on a basic fabric, with the stitching of the edges of the patches. This unique art from is distinctively different from the modern day patchwork, in which small pieces of cut clothes are connected side by side, so as to make a bigger form of cloth, or for renovating a ragged cloth. In fact, it is the application of smaller ornaments or devices into bigger articles. It can be particularly seen in costumes of Meitei classical dance forms such as Khamba Thoibi classical dance, , etc.

Performing arts

Thok Leela

Thok Leela is a traditional Meitei

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

, wit and comedy theatre of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

. It mocks the social conditions, the royal courtiers and the rulers. The talented actors with their repartee produce mocking, humorous, ironical, exaggerated, comic and rollicking effects. It has no written theatrical texts. It depends on the self generated exercise of the artist's skills, humour and intellect, focusing on the theme for the storyline. The

Meitei language Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...

word "thok" means 'at random'. Thus, "Thok Leela" means a randomly performed satirical comedy play, with no written scripts and no directors. The only support of the actors is the advice of the elders and the teachers. It is a union of ''"the critical and the humourist"''. It produces a big humorous temperament. Its common character includes

pastiche A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...

. It aims whatever is ridiculous or unseemly.

Social practices, rituals and festive events

Sankirtan

Meitei Sankirtana (alias Manipuri Sankirtana) is the artistic manifestation of the worshipping culture of the Meitei people (

Manipuri people The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...

). It is regarded as the visible form of God, in

. Regarding the art form, the Ministry of Culture (India) states the following:

Death rites of Phayeng

The Chapka Phayeng people of

are a part of the Meitei people itself. But they have a unique culture of burying the death. Shikaplon is a tradition of ''“requiem and a funeral march”'', along with . According to their beliefs, in the afterlife, people go to the to unite with their ancestors. Among the mourning people during the time of burial, one of them should sing the Shikaplon, which gives instructions to the journey of the dead person to the underworld. The

pena (musical instrument) Pena is a string instrument, mono string instrument falling in the lute category, slightly similar to some of the traditional Indian stringed musical instruments such as the ravanahatha, ''ubo'' or the ''kenda''. It is the traditional musical in ...

should be played by the singer while singing the Shikaplon. Another funeral tradition is the accompanying of a very rare martial art form known as Yenpha Khousa. Yenpha Khousa is a form of Ta Khousaba. It is performed by young, close relative of the departed. It is performed with spear and shield.

National Inventory of ICH

The National Inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of India includes some Meitei intangible cultural heritage too, which are

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

of Moirang, Meitei Sankirtana, Shikalpan and Khousaba (''ritual ceremony of the dead people of Phayeng caste''), and the making of

Notes

References

External links

{{Authority control Culture of Myanmar Meitei culture Culture of India Culture of Bangladeshi diaspora Culture of Bangladesh