Eyes in Meitei culture
Eyes (Meitei: Template:Script/Classical and Medieval Latin) play crucial roles in different elements of Meitei culture, including but not limited to Meitei dances (Jagois), Meitei festivals, Meitei folklore, Meitei folktales, Meitei history, Meitei language, Meitei literature, Meitei mythology, Meitei proverbs, traditional Meitei religion (Sanamahism), Meitei writing system, etc.
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Terms in Meitei language[edit]
| Meitei language words | Romanisation | English translations | Morphology | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ꯃꯤꯠ | /mit/ | eye | [1] | |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯀꯨꯠ | /mit ~ kut/ | to have sunken eyes | ~ kut- [~ to be sunken] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯉꯞ | mit ~ ngap- (/mit ~ ŋəp/) | to feel uncomfortable in the eyes | ~ ngap- [~ to feel uneasy] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯇꯥꯡ | mit ~ tāng (/mit ~ táŋ/) | to be blind | ~ tāng- [~ to be scarce] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯊꯛ | mit ~ thak- (/mit ~ tʰək/) | to be dazzled | ~ thak- [~ to be dazzled] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯊꯧ | mit ~ thou- (/mit ~ tʰəu/) | to be quick to see | ~ thou- [~ to be sharp] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯀꯔꯥꯝ | mitna karām- (/mit.nə kə.rám/) | to take (food, etc.) on one's own plate more than (s)he can eat | mit‑na ka [eye‑Nominative; room‑to be hungry] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯀꯨꯞꯄꯗ | mitna kuppada (/mit.nə kup.pə.də/) | in a moment | mit‑na kup‑pa‑da [eye‑Nominative; to cover‑Nom‑Locative] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯅꯥ | mit ~ nā- (/mit ~ na/) | to suffer from conjunctivitis; to be unpleasant to look at | ~ nā- [~ to suffer] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯄꯦꯟ | mit ~ pen- (/mit~ pén/) | to be pleasing to watch | ~ pen- [~ to satisfy] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯌꯥꯝ | mit ~ yām- (/mit ~ yam/) | to manage a relationship with more than one partner in love affair, etc. | ~ yām- [~ to be many] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯌꯨ | mit ~ yu- | to fail to see | ~ yu- [~ to leak] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯁꯤꯡ | mit ~ sing- (/mit ~ siŋ/) | to be alert | ~ sing- [~ to be wise] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯁꯨꯛ | mit ~ suk- | to frown | ~ suk- [~ to be dense] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯁꯦꯞ | mit ~ sep- | to be cross-eyed | ~ sep- [~ to remain unbalanced] | [1] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯀꯨꯞ | mitkup (/mit.kup/) | moment | mit‑kup [eye‑to cover] | [2] |
| mitkup nāhum sing- (/mit.kup na.hum siŋ/) | to be alert | mit‑kup nā‑hum sing- [eye‑to cover; ear‑to blow; to be wise] | [2] | |
| mitkupta (/mit.kup.tə/) | in a moment | mit‑kup‑ta [eye‑to cover‑Locative] | [2] | |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯆꯥꯅ- | mitcāna- (/mit.cá.nə/) | to lock one's eyes with those of another person | mit‑cā‑na [eye‑to suit‑Reciprocal] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯆꯤ | mitci (/mit.ci/) | corner of the eye | mit‑ci [eye‑corner] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯇꯥꯡꯕ | mittāngba (/mit.táŋ.bə/) | a blind person | mit‑tāng‑ba [eye‑to be scarce‑Nom] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯊꯨꯞ | mitthup (/mit.tʰup/) | a fine groove on the upper eyelid | mit‑thup [eye‑to fold] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯊꯧ | mitthou (/mit.tʰəu/) | stye | mit‑thou [eye‑to be sharp] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯅꯍꯥ | mitnahā (/mit.nə.ha/) | pupil (of eye) | mit‑nahā [eye‑youth] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠ ꯅꯥ | mit nā (/mit na/) | facial organs | mit nā [eye ear] | [2] |
| mit nā singna lei- (/mit na siŋ.nə ləi/) | to stay alert | mit nā sing‑na lei [eye‑ear; to be wise‑Adverb; to stay] | [2] | |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯄꯥꯟ | mitpān (/mit.pan/) | rim of eyelid | mit‑pān [eye‑edge] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯌꯦꯡ | mityeng (/mit.yeŋ/) | view; glance | mit‑yeng [eye‑to look at] | [2] |
| mit ~ tā- (/mit ~ ta/) | to look at | ~ tā- [~ to fall] | [2] | |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯂꯝ ꯅꯥꯔꯝ | mitlam nāram (/mit.lə́m na.rə́m/) | sensation perceived by eyes, ears, etc. | mit‑lam nā‑ram [eye‑path; ear‑path] | [2] |
| mit ~ khang- (/mit ~ kʰə́ŋ/) | to be dexterous, skilful | ~ khang- [~ to know] | [2] | |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯂꯨ | mitlu (/mit.lu/) | inward corner of the eye | mit‑lu [eye‑to be deep] | [2] |
| ꯃꯤꯠꯁꯥꯡ | mitsāng (/mit.saŋ/) | rheum: a whitish sticky discharge from the mucous membranes of the eyes | mit‑sāng [eye‑id.] | [2] |
In Meitei writing system[edit]
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The traditional Meitei writing system has four letters, related to eye. The letter "ꯃ" ("Mit") symbolises the human eye, and its letter name "Mit" itself means "eye" in Meitei language. It has an additional form of letter, known as "Mit Lonsum" ("ꯝ"). The letter "ꯄ" ("Paa") symbolises the human eyelash, and its letter name "Paa" itself means "eyelash" in Meitei. It has an additional form of letter, known as "Pa Lonsum" ("ꯞ").[3][4][5]
Divine eyes [edit]
In Meitei mythology and traditional Meitei religion, god Salailen (alias Soraren) and his wife Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi are well noted for their "divine eyes", or "all-seeing eyes".
All-seeing eyes of Salailen[edit]
When goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi descended from heaven down to earth and visited her native human parents, she consumed earthly foods and drinks, despite being warned in advance, by her husband Salailen, not to do so, even if her own parents insisted her. To avoid being seen by Salailen from heaven, Tampha's parents arranged Phijang Taret for seven layers of canopies, installed in the place where Tampha was relishing her foods and drinks. However, Salailen was omniscient and thus have the all-seeing eyes. So, he witnessed the scene, thereby resulting to ban his wife from entering heaven ever again.[6][7][8]
1000 eyes of Tampha Lairembi [edit]
After their marriage, God Salailen granted 1000 eyes and 1000 ears to his wife, Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi, to please her. Thus, she attained omniscience. It was through these powers that once Tampha, besides living in heaven, could sense the smokes of a funeral and the mourning sounds of people coming from the earth.[9][7][8]
Evil eyes[edit]
In Meitei mythology, folklore and religion, there is a belief of Hingchabi Changba for evil eyes of the [[Hingchabi language|Hingchabi]] for evil spirits/possessors. It is a supernatural phenomenon of the full control of a victim's body by a spirit, mentally and physically. Its common causes are the desires of the very spirit for eating or having something it desires. Usually, the victims of such incidence are women. Symptoms include abnormal behaviours like shivering, crying, laughing, frothing, difficulty in breathing, etc. Its treatments or exorcism are usually done by a Maiba by performing rites and rituals for warding off the evil spirit.[10][11][12]
In Meitei language, evil eyes are also known as "minu" (Meitei: ꯃꯤꯅꯨ, romanized: Template:Script/Classical and Medieval Latin) and "being affected with other's evil eye" is known as "minu changba" (Meitei: ꯃꯤꯅꯨ ꯆꯪꯕ, romanized: Template:Script/Classical and Medieval Latin).[13]
Eye contact[edit]
In the performances of traditional Meitei dances, there is a strict rule that dancers should not have any forms of eye contact with the spectators or the audiences. If the rules are not followed properly, then it is considered as a sacrilege.[14]
Pythons' eyes[edit]
Some Meitei people used to adore pythons' eyes as amulets in the protective rings they wore at their fingers. The preserved pythons' eyes are usually small in size, hard in texture, not quite round in shape, and milky opaque in colour. Real pythons' eyes are very hard to get, thereby leading to the manufacturing of the replicas of the much coveted python eye rings, notably sold at the Ima Keithel, Manipur's largest market.[15]
Some Meitei people believe in the positive attention, good fortune, guard against awa ana for bad happenings and the unhindered travelling to desired places.[15]
According to Jelle J. P. Wouters, the charm of pythons' eyes is a three sided charismatic relative materialism of the linkages between (1) Pakhangba and kingship, (2) pythons and Pakhangba, and (3) kingship and pythons.[16]
In dolls, idols and sculptures[edit]
Dolls[edit]
The eye portions of the laidhibi for traditional Meitei dolls[lower-alpha 1] are considered to be the most difficult part of crafting. These eyes are actually sewn on the face, using threads of different colours, usually black.[17][18][19]
Idols[edit]
In Meitei Hindu culture, idols of Hindu deities like Shri Govindaji, Radha Krishna, Baldev, etc. are crafted having extreme care and attention, specifically to the eye portions. The process of the installation of the eyes to the gods' idols is called "Nayan Chanba" (
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In this procedure, pieces of conch shells are extracted and sculpted in the forms of eyes. Later, these eyes are attached to the idol applying a mixture of camphor and kerosene as its gluing substance.[20]
In Pung Cholom[edit]
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In Pung Cholom performing art form of the Meiteis, eyes play a crucial role since every actions are done through vision. There are three different kinds of the way of looking, on the basis of the distance between the eyes and the objects to be seen.[21] The types are (1) anakpa for nearby[22] (about 2.6m of distance between eyes and objects), (2) mayai for middle/center[23] (about 4.3m of distance between eyes and objects), and (3) arappa for far/distant[24] (about 6m of distance between eyes and objects).[21]
See also[edit]
- Animals in Meitei culture
- Birds in Meitei culture
- Hills and mountains in Meitei culture
- Plants in Meitei culture
- Women in Meitei culture
Notes[edit]
- ↑ also known as "Ita Laiphadibee"
- ↑ Here, "Nayan" is a Sanskrit term for "eye" and "Chanba" is a Meitei language term for installation.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary (Definition of "mit")". dsal.uchicago.edu (in ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ and English). University of Chicago. Digital South Asia Library. p. 148. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary". dsal.uchicago.edu (in ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ and English). University of Chicago. Digital South Asia Library. p. 149. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ Ghai, Deepika; Tripathi, Suman Lata; Saxena, Sobhit; Chanda, Manash; Alazab, Mamoun (2022-11-18). Machine Learning Algorithms for Signal and Image Processing. John Wiley & Sons. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-119-86184-3. Search this book on
- ↑ Arambarn Parratt, Saroj Nalini, ed. (2009), "Meetei Mayek or Meetei script chart", The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur, Foundation Books, pp. 145–148, doi:10.1017/UPO9788175968547.006, ISBN 978-81-7596-854-7, retrieved 2023-10-16
- ↑ "Meetei Mayek: The Script". tabish.freeshell.org. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ "Three millennia mythology still resonates at Konthoujam Lairembi By Phanjoubam Chingkheinganba". www.e-pao.net. Archived from the original on 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-03-01. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bhattacharyya, Rituparna (2022-07-29). Northeast India Through the Ages: A Transdisciplinary Perspective on Prehistory, History, and Oral History. Taylor & Francis. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-000-62390-1. Search this book on
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Raatan, T. (2004). Encyclopaedia of North-east India. Gyan Publishing House. p. 183. ISBN 978-81-7835-274-9. Search this book on
- ↑ Lisam, Khomdan Singh (2011). Encyclopaedia Of Manipur (3 Vol.). Gyan Publishing House. p. 680. ISBN 978-81-7835-864-2. Search this book on
- ↑ "Ethnomedical Practice in Manipur: A Case of Evil Eye".
- ↑ "The Magic Art of Witchcraft and Black Magic" (PDF).
"Evil-Eye" is also a Black art used in Manipur. Certain people possess this power that causes severe stomach- ache, falling of teeth and even destruction of ...
- ↑ "TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES IN KAKCHING DISTRICT OF MANIPUR" (PDF).
a man who performed the rituals of healing Hingchabi Changba (Evil Eye); ...
- ↑ Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary (Definition of "minu")". dsal.uchicago.edu (in ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ and English). University of Chicago. Digital South Asia Library. p. 149. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ Baral, Kailash C. (2023-05-16). Cultural Forms and Practices in Northeast India. Springer Nature. p. 165. ISBN 978-981-19-9292-6. Search this book on
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Wouters, Jelle J. P. (2022-05-16). Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity. Oxford University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-19-267826-3. Search this book on
- ↑ Wouters, Jelle J. P. (2022-05-16). Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity. Oxford University Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-19-267826-3. Search this book on
- ↑ "Laiphadibi: The Cloth Dolls that Guard and Guide Manipuri People". Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ "Laiphadibi : Cloth Dolls of Manipur – Asia InCH – Encyclopedia of Intangible Cultural Heritage". Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ "LAIPHADIBI: THE MAKING, EVOLUTION AND PROCESS PART II – MASH India". 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ↑ Devi, Jamini (2010). Cultural History of Manipur: Sija Laioibi and the Maharas. Mittal Publications. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-8324-342-1. Search this book on
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Singh, Leitanthem Santosh (2021-12-10). "The Motor Skills for Performing Manipuri Pung Cholom". ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts. 2 (2): 151–160. doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v2.i2.2021.49. ISSN 2582-7472.
- ↑ Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary (Definition of "anakpa")". dsal.uchicago.edu (in ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ and English). University of Chicago. Digital South Asia Library. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
1) ꯑꯅꯛꯄ anakpa (p. 7) anakpa ꯑꯅꯛꯄ /ə.nək.pə/ adj. nearby. Morph: a‑nak‑pa [Att‑to be near‑Nom].
- ↑ Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary (Definition of "mayai")". dsal.uchicago.edu (in ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ and English). University of Chicago. Digital South Asia Library. p. 140. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
mayāi ꯃꯌꯥꯏ /mə.yái/ n. middle; centre. Morph: ma‑yāi [NM‑middle\centre].
- ↑ Sharma, H. Surmangol (2006). "Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary (Definition of "arappa")". dsal.uchicago.edu (in ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ and English). University of Chicago. Digital South Asia Library. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
ꯑꯔꯥꯞꯄ arāppa (p. 11) arāppa ꯑꯔꯥꯞꯄ /ə.rap.pə/ adj. far; distant; not near. Morph: a‑rāp‑pa [Att‑to be far‑Nom].
Further reading[edit]
- Sanajaoba, Naorem (1988). Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-853-2. Search this book on
- Meitei, Sanjenbam Yaiphaba; Chaudhuri, Sarit K.; Arunkumar, M. C. (2020-11-25). The Cultural Heritage of Manipur. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-29637-2. Search this book on
External links[edit]
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