Welcome one and all to ‪@Thetravellerbeing‬
in this video, I will take you the nature escape to DEMOW a beautiful and serene landscape of ASSAM.
and Introduce you to an indigenous tribal community of ASSAM (missing).
India’s northeastern state of Assam is the most vulnerable and impacted by climate change in the country, due to flash floods and erosion. Mising, the second largest tribe of the state are amongst the worst affected due to their settlement at the banks of the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries. However, they manage to survive in their unique and traditional flood-resilient houses called Chang Ghar in Assamese, perched above the ground on bamboo stilts. Global Program has been giving awareness on strengthening the structure of Chang Ghar in all the program villages.
The word “mising” means man (mi) of the water (asi), and those who live on the mainland call them “river people.” As they live on low land near the river, the Mishing’s homes can easily be inundated during tides or swept away by floods.
These houses are classical models of adaptation and resilient houses constructed using locally available resources. These elevated houses serve a dual purpose, people live in the elevated bamboo house and livestock are kept in the bay. The elevation of the houses changes with the last flood water level, the higher the flood level more elevated the houses. A perfect example of a traditional coping mechanism. Every Mising house has certain key layers from the roof to the floor and serves a special purpose like fireplace, keeping food items at different levels. Almost every chang ghar has a boat which they use during the flood for commuting and transport.
A typical Mising house, called Kare Okum (or chang ghar in Assamese), is an innovative way to keep floodwaters at bay as it is built on a raised platform supported by bamboo stilts at least 10 feet tall.
“Above the floor, they have the Meram, which is their fireplace. Above the Meram are two shelves made of bamboo called Perab and Rabbong, where we store food items like fish and meat, and Apong (a variety of rice beer prepared by the Mising community) in clay pots. Above that, at the ceiling level, is another layer called Kumbang where vegetables can be stored. they also have a balcony-like extension outside the house called Tunggeng where people can sit and also store their grains,”
Po:ro Apong or Sai- mod - a traditional beverage of the Mising Community
Po:ro Apong or Sai- mod is the exceptionally tasteful traditional alcoholic beverage, prepared by the Mising community of North-East India, drinking it as their best beer from the time immemorial. It is wrong to specify homemade beverage of Mising community-Apong as beer only. In course of time it becomes indispensible drink for their religious, social and cultural life and occasion like Midang (traditional marriage);Ali a:ye li'gang (harvesting festival); Dodgang (funeral ceremony); Dobur festival; Na Bhat etc.
Although it is said to be not injurious to health for its natural preparation, scientific analysis and test summarily cannot be denied to ascertain such claim. Many people have immense desire to drink Po:ro Apong for its non-artificial preparation and unique delicacy. Moreover, it not easily available which also makes it more precious.
Step 1-
E'pop- It is prepared from mixture of rice flour and plant ingredients. Almost fifty varieties of medicated tree leaves, creepers or grass etc. required for preparation of perfect E'pob. For deforestation many green ingredients become rare and non- available.
First of all green ingrediants are made dried and pounded into fine powder. Rice grains are mixed with the leaf powder and then set this mixture into small round ball or flat cakes. The E'pob are dried and stored in kili'ng(earthen pot) for future use. Finest production of Sai mod depend on the preparation of perfect quality E'pob.
Step2-
Preparation of ash:-For preparation ash paddy husk and straw are burnt together.
Step3-
Cooking Rice:-Any one variety of rice is cooked on a kerahi (an iron pan). Someone add small amount of Bora Saul (a kind of sticky rice) to make it more delicious.
Step4-
Mixture of ingredients:-All the ingredients mentioned above are kept on a kopak Anne or dhari (Bamboo woven carpet). Adequate quantity of E'pob powder is added and properly mixed
Step5-
Ta:suk:-The fifth and final phase of preparation.They made a Ta:suk(a cone shaped bamboo basket).It is hung from a post and inner inner side is covered with kopak Anne( banana leaves ) And Amrong(Paddy straw)are placed lower part of the Ta:suk that worked as a sieving
The reddish -black water passes from the fermented rice grains through the Ta:suk is called Po:ro Apong which can be called the superior quality home-brewed beverage of North-east India.