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The story of Uchek Langmeitong (Uchek Langmeidong) or Chekla Langmeitong (Chekla Langmeidong) is a
Hayainu's mother had died when Hayainu was a young girl. Hayainu's father married again. So, Hayainu lived with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother (''stepbrother'' is absent in some versions of the story). Her father loved her but her stepmother hated her. Hayainu's father moved across the country to earn more money for his family. So, he left Hayainu under the care of his second wife (her stepmother). Just after her father had left her, her stepmother asked her to do all the household works. Hayainu had to collect herbs and had to catch fish daily. She had to sell them in the market. Hayainu served her stepmother faithfully but in return to her obedience, she was hated and would be beaten up by her cruel stepmother every day. Her stepmother's ill treatment of her increased day by day. In some cases, her stepmother locked Hayainu up inside a room without giving any foods. One day, while Hayainu and her friends were washing their hairs with chenghi (traditional Meitei shampoo), her stepmother saw some cows grazing in their field. Her stepmother got angry thinking Hayainu got careless of the fields. So, Hayainu was badly beaten up. In another case, once Hayainu's friends invited Hayainu to join a festival that was to be celebrated on the next day. At first, Hayainu was reluctant to join but later, she agreed. Her stepmother got to know about Hayainu's wish to celebrate the festival. On the early morning of the festival day, Hayainu's stepmother had gone to her parental home with her son (Hayainu's stepbrother), taking away all the luxurious clothes and jewelry of Hayainu. When her stepmother and stepbrother had left the house, Hayainu later realised that trick. She had nothing to do but to weep. So, she did not go to the festival. With the increase of her stepmother's cruelty, tears became Hayainu's companions in life. Once in Hayainu's dream, her real mother told her to go to the world of the ''Langmeidong''s (Hornbills). In that dream, her mother suggested her to ask a flock of ''Langmeidong''s coming near a lake every day to give her some of their feathers, collect and stitch them to her body and flew away. Hayainu woke up. She went to the spot and requested the birds for some of their feathers so that she could get a basketful of them. The birds fell pity on her and agreed. Once she got the feathers full of a basket, she wrapped some clothes around herself. Then, she sewed the feathers into the wrapped clothes. While she was doing that, her stepbrother saw her. Her stepbrother asked her not to leave him. She was explaining the reasons why she was doing so. Meanwhile, she completed her sewing. At that time, the same flock of hornbills were flying by. Hayainu called out to them requesting them to lift her up into the air. The birds picked her up and she flew away with them. Her stepbrother ran to his mother and narrated the whole story. Her stepmother was pleased with the news of Hayainu's departure. Some time passed, Hayainu's father returned home. Seeing Hayainu absent, he asked his wife about his daughter. She did not reply but their son told him everything that had happened. Hayainu's father became angry and drove the stepmother out of the house. In another version of the story, Hayainu's father just beat his wife but did not drove her out of the house. Hayainu's father was shocked by the news. He worried about his lovely daughter so much. So, he went out into the fields and called out to her to come back. Every day, he called her until one day he saw her coming with a flock of hornbills. Immediately, he took out a plate of rice and asked her to come and eat with him. Hayainu denied her father's offer telling him that she was then a part of the hornbill's world (bird life) and she could not mingle up with the human beings again. Saying that, she flew away with her flock.
File:Hayainu collecting herbs.jpg
File:Fishing in the lake.jpg
File:Hayainu carrying the baskets of fishes and herbs.jpg
File:Hayainu bathing with her friends.jpg
File:Hayainu requesting to the hornbill birds.jpg
File:Hayainu waiting for the feathers of the hornbill birds.jpg
File:Hayainu receiving the feathers of the hornbill birds.jpg
File:Hayainu collecting the feathers of the hornbill birds.jpg
File:Hayainu as the Uchek Langmeidong ready to fly.jpg
File:Hayainu as the Uchek Langmeidong.jpg
Meitei folktale
The Meitei folktales (), also sometimes referred to as the Manipuri folktales, are the large collections of folk stories developed from the Meitei culture since Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). Folktales are called "funga wari" ("phunga ...
of Ancient Kangleipak
Kangleipak was an ancient, lesser known civilisation, consisting of the modern day Manipur, Manipur, India which is still known to some residents as Kangleipak, and other neighbouring regions.
The Kangla served as the foremost capital city of th ...
(early Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
). It is the story of a girl named "Hayainu" (alias ''Nongdam Atombi'') who turned herself into a as she was unable to suffer the ill treatments of her cruel stepmother.
Etymology
InMeitei language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
(officially called Manipuri language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
), "Uchek" (ꯎꯆꯦꯛ, /u.cek/) means "bird". ''Langmeiton'' (ꯂꯥꯡꯃꯩꯇꯣꯟ, /laŋ.məi.ton/)(or ''Langmeitong'' or ''Langmeidong'') is the Meitei language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
word for any species of Buceros (Hornbill
Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...
). Chekla (ꯆꯦꯛꯂꯥ, /cek.la/) is another Meitei language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
word for "bird". The term "Chekla" is not commonly used in everyday speech.
Story
Hayainu's mother had died when Hayainu was a young girl. Hayainu's father married again. So, Hayainu lived with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother (''stepbrother'' is absent in some versions of the story). Her father loved her but her stepmother hated her. Hayainu's father moved across the country to earn more money for his family. So, he left Hayainu under the care of his second wife (her stepmother). Just after her father had left her, her stepmother asked her to do all the household works. Hayainu had to collect herbs and had to catch fish daily. She had to sell them in the market. Hayainu served her stepmother faithfully but in return to her obedience, she was hated and would be beaten up by her cruel stepmother every day. Her stepmother's ill treatment of her increased day by day. In some cases, her stepmother locked Hayainu up inside a room without giving any foods. One day, while Hayainu and her friends were washing their hairs with chenghi (traditional Meitei shampoo), her stepmother saw some cows grazing in their field. Her stepmother got angry thinking Hayainu got careless of the fields. So, Hayainu was badly beaten up. In another case, once Hayainu's friends invited Hayainu to join a festival that was to be celebrated on the next day. At first, Hayainu was reluctant to join but later, she agreed. Her stepmother got to know about Hayainu's wish to celebrate the festival. On the early morning of the festival day, Hayainu's stepmother had gone to her parental home with her son (Hayainu's stepbrother), taking away all the luxurious clothes and jewelry of Hayainu. When her stepmother and stepbrother had left the house, Hayainu later realised that trick. She had nothing to do but to weep. So, she did not go to the festival. With the increase of her stepmother's cruelty, tears became Hayainu's companions in life. Once in Hayainu's dream, her real mother told her to go to the world of the ''Langmeidong''s (Hornbills). In that dream, her mother suggested her to ask a flock of ''Langmeidong''s coming near a lake every day to give her some of their feathers, collect and stitch them to her body and flew away. Hayainu woke up. She went to the spot and requested the birds for some of their feathers so that she could get a basketful of them. The birds fell pity on her and agreed. Once she got the feathers full of a basket, she wrapped some clothes around herself. Then, she sewed the feathers into the wrapped clothes. While she was doing that, her stepbrother saw her. Her stepbrother asked her not to leave him. She was explaining the reasons why she was doing so. Meanwhile, she completed her sewing. At that time, the same flock of hornbills were flying by. Hayainu called out to them requesting them to lift her up into the air. The birds picked her up and she flew away with them. Her stepbrother ran to his mother and narrated the whole story. Her stepmother was pleased with the news of Hayainu's departure. Some time passed, Hayainu's father returned home. Seeing Hayainu absent, he asked his wife about his daughter. She did not reply but their son told him everything that had happened. Hayainu's father became angry and drove the stepmother out of the house. In another version of the story, Hayainu's father just beat his wife but did not drove her out of the house. Hayainu's father was shocked by the news. He worried about his lovely daughter so much. So, he went out into the fields and called out to her to come back. Every day, he called her until one day he saw her coming with a flock of hornbills. Immediately, he took out a plate of rice and asked her to come and eat with him. Hayainu denied her father's offer telling him that she was then a part of the hornbill's world (bird life) and she could not mingle up with the human beings again. Saying that, she flew away with her flock.
Editions
In 2010, the folktale of Uchek Langmeidong was produced in the form of a comic book, inMeitei language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
(Manipuri language
Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...
) in Latin script
The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...
. It was authored by Subadani Ksh.
In 2011, the folktale of Uchek Langmeidong was produced in the form of a comic book, with the name, ''Chekla Langmeitong''. Notably, it is the first comic book ever published in Meitei script
The Meitei script (), also known as the Kanglei script () or the Kok Sam Lai script (), after its first three letters is an abugida in the Brahmic scripts family used to write the Meitei language, the official language of Manipur, Assam an ...
.
In popular culture
The folk story was reproduced into a play, ''"Uchek Langmeidong (The Chorus of the Birds)"'', by Ratan Thiyam, a drama director ofManipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
.
With the production of the play, the Chorus Repertory received recognition from the critics, presented at the 1979 Shri Ram Centre National Drama Festival.
In 2008, ''"Uchek Langmeidong"'', an animation feature film, was produced, based on the folktale.
In 2016, the folk legend was once more recreated into its theatrical form, performed by the child actors.
Gallery
See also
*Siren (mythology)
In Greek mythology, sirens () are female humanlike beings with alluring voices; they appear in a scene in the ''Odyssey'' in which Odysseus saves his crew's lives. Roman poets place them on some small islands called Sirenum scopuli. In some la ...
* Harpy
In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; ) is a half-human and half-bird mythical creature, often believed to be a personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems.
Descriptions
Harpies were generally depict ...
* Gamayun
Gamayun () is a prophetic bird of Russian folklore. It is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge and lives on an island in the mythical east, close to paradise. She is said to spread divine messages and prophecies, as she knows everything of all cre ...
* Alkonost
The Alkonost is a legendary woman-headed bird in Slavic folklore. Alkonost is more likely an individual character, as was noted in some legends about this bird.
Folklore
The name of the Alkonost came from a Greek demigoddess whose name was A ...
References
External links
* {{Authority control Avian humanoids Fairy tale stock characters Female characters in fairy tales Female legendary creatures Hornbills Human-headed mythical creatures Legendary birds Legendary creatures in popular culture Meitei folklore Meitei literature Meitei mythology Piscine and amphibian humanoids Supernatural legends Terms for women Wind creatures Women and death Women in Meitei culture