A living root bridge near the village of Kongthong undergoing repairs. The local War Khasis in the photo are using the young, pliable aerial roots of a fig tree to create a new railing for the bridge.
Kongthong is a popular tourist destination known for the panoramic picturesque views and the unique culture of inhabitants who use the whistled language"Jingrwai Iawbei" and build the remarkable living root bridges. Tourists and language researchers from several nations, including America, Germany, and Japan flock here.[2][3][4] Each native of the village has a unique name, which is a whistling lullaby, and villagers call each other by whistling the lullaby.[2]
Background
Etymology
Kongthong acquired its popular name the Singing Village from the "Jingrwai Iawbei" - whistlinglullaby, where each native has a unique whistling lullaby name for him and her and they call each other by whistling this lullaby.[1][2]
The village has a population of nearly 500 to 700 people.[2][5]
Jingrwai Iawbei whistling language
People of Kongthong belong to the Khasi tribe who speak the Khasi language - a spoken language. However, Kongthong also has a remarkable tradition of assigning unique whistling tunes as the name to each member of the village.[1]
Kongthong is known for its unique language, developed as a consequence of its geographical isolation, in which Jingrwai Iawbei (lit. "melody sung in respect of the root ancestress" in Khasi language)[4] is assigned as the unique name to each newborn by the mother which becomes the permanent identity of the person.[2] This name is not a word, instead a unique call name or caller tune in the form of a whistle, i.e. "the caller hums a tune, which is a unique "name” that can only be understood by the villagers." This naming of babies is a matriarchal tradition in which mother repeatedly hums the specific musical tune in the form of whistle, which the growing babies gradually become accustomed to, and this unique whistling tune or jingrwai Iawbei lullaby becomes the unique name and permanent identity of the person. Every child is assigned a unique lullaby or tune as their name which is transmitted among children and adults as the unique name of the person. All villagers call each other using the unique caller tune assigned to them as the name. Each jingrwai Iawbei or unique name of a person has 2 versions, shorter and longer.[2][1]
According to the researcher Piyashi Dutta, who has researched this tradition, "Each clan has a root ancestress. Each time a tune is created for a child, respects are being paid to her. Jingerwai Iawbei is a melody (jingrwai) sung in respect of the root ancestress (Iawbei). There are matrilineal implications attached to this tradition".[4]
There are several folklore about the origin of the tradition, which are centred around "how a man when struggling with some goons climbed on a tree. He whistled the names of his friends to come and rescue him, without letting the goons have the slightest idea". This unique way of communicating has attracted tourists as well as language research scholars from across the world.[2]
Religion
Inhabitants practice a traditional religion called the Seng Khasi.[2]
The economy of the village is based on agriculture. Villagers climb down the hill for long trips to markets to sell their crops where they also buy week's worth supplies for the whole village.[2]
Transport
Kongthong, located nearly 65 km southwest of Shillong,[4] which as of 2017 remains remote as the village but recently connected to a motorable road.[2] Cherrapunji (southwest), Khatarshnong (north), Pynursla (southeast), and Dawki (southeast, a haat and immigration checkpoint on Bangladesh–India border) are nearby larger towns - all of which are connected by national and state highways. Shillong Airport (65 km northeast) and Shella Airport (75 km southeast) are the nearest airports. Mendipathar railway station (272 km northwest) is the nearest railway station.
Tourism
Beautiful view of Mawkdok Dympep Valley.Mawsmai Cave
One can travel to Khatarshnong and then to Kongthong, which winds through hill routes with gorges on one side and cliffs on other and is a remarkable experience. Kongthong is renowned for its natural beauty and unique tradition of assigning a unique singing whistling tune, called the jingrwai iawbei, as the unique name to each inhabitant. The village is surrounded by panoramic hills, some of which are among the wettest place on the earth with highest rainfall (earlier Cherrapunji use to be the wettest, now taken over by nearby Mawsynram as the wettest). The area has living root bridges, water falls, and geographical formations such as the Jingkieng Myor which is a natural stone bridge connecting two cliffs with Wah Sohra River flowing hundred feet under it. Tourist enjoy the Hospitality of the local homestays.[5]
Nohkalikai Falls, Mawsmai Cave, Mawkdok Dympep Valley, Laitlum Canyons, Wah Kaba Falls and honey bee farms are important tourist attraction in the area.[7]"The Traveller’s Nest" in Kongthong, with comfortable traditional eco huts, is a community homestay run by the natives which also serves as a base for exploring the region.[5]
UNESCO Heritage and UNWTO's World's Best Village
Kongthong was India's one of 3 entries for United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)'s World's Best Village award in 2021.[3]Government of India is also trying to obtain the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for the village.[4] UNWTO's The Best Tourism Village award is given to those villages which demonstrate innovative and transformational approach in leveraging the tourism as an opportunity to conserve their heritage and develop their rural community towards UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), diminish economic and social disparity, reduce the population flight, and conserve and enhance the bio-cultural diversity.[3]
Living root bridges
The area is known for the living root bridges including those at Kongthong, Nongriat and other nearby places, all of which are tourist attractions. Sohra (Cherrapunji) and Elephant Falls are other popular tourist destinations nearby.[5]
Conservation and development
The villagers, who have concerns for the survivability of their unique tradition of jingrwai iawbei tunes as the names of inhabitants,[2][4] have been demanding an upgrade of the school to higher classes and teaching of the whistling language in the school. Silbo Gomero whistling language in Canary Islands with 22,000 practitioners and Turkish bird language with 10,000 practitioners are taught in the school and both were recognised as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013 and 2017 respectively. Whereas, jingrwai iawbei, with only 700 practitioners, is not taught in the school, thus causing the concerns for its conservation. Dr Piyashi Dutta, a published researcher on jingrwai iawbei,[8] highlighted the challenges in documenting this whistling language which is just a floating sound without the lyrics or proper musical scale.[4]
