View All Posts

Jonbeel Mela Where the Barter System Still Prevails

Sanchayeeta Parashar
Sanchayeeta Parashar
Sanchayeeta is an aspiring writer from Assam who's passionate about exploring different tribes and sharing the beauty of their cultures with her readers. She is a resident writer for The Indegenous.

In the dawn of civilization, when the concept of currency was a distant dream, people engaged in the ancient art of bartering. This primitive yet fascinating economy operated on exchanging goods and services, where the value of one item was weighed against that of another. There were no coins or bills involved in the process. It only had a vast marketplace where every trade promised a new adventure. With the progress of economic systems "currency" came into the picture and the barter system became obsolete. However, to everyone's surprise, the TIWA community of Assam has been proudly organizing a fair known as the JONBEEL MELA for over five centuries. This annual event is a testament to the preservation of their traditional heritage, where the tribes engage in the time-honored practice of the barter system for three consecutive days.

WHY IS IT JONBEEL?

A VISIT TO JONBEEL MELA | VKIC

There are various folk beliefs about the origin of the name "JONBEEL" (in Assamese, JON means the Moon and BEEL means a wetland) and the history behind the beginning of this mela. Here are some of the quotes as provided by the experts.

"After the war, the Gobha king saw a crescent moon shaped like a wetland and decided to have a feast on the banks of this wetland. This gave rise to jonbeel mela the following year", said Dipsing Deoraja, The current Royal Gobha King of the community.

[Since its inception the TIWA community has been ruled by the royal family and the king is titled GOBHA ROJA.]

"Based on one of my field studies there is one belief that while boating in the wetland , the Gobha Queen lost her Junbiri in its water and that's how the name joonbeel has emerged.", said Dr. Dhanada Kakati, Assistant Professor, Dept of History, Jagiroad College.

[Junbiri is a crescent moon shaped Assamese necklace]

"Another belief is that a king named Junsing started the fair and thus the fair is called JONBEEL" said the latter.

THE TRADITIONS KEPT ALIVE

JONBEEL MELA - Experience Barter system in India - NorthEast Guide

The fair is held at "Joonbeel" in the Morigaon district, near Jagiroad, Assam on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday after Magh Bihu. Besides the primary attraction i.e the barter system, there are many other interesting features of this event. Here is how it has been conducted for ages:

  • A night before the fair, people from different villages come with their indigenous products to assemble at the venue. Around 10,000 tribal villages participate in this event and it includes both the hill tribes and plain tribes. They rest in transient bamboo huts built specially for this event and weave beautiful memories together.
  • The next day a special Puja(worship) is offered in the auspicious Deo shal Siva temple of Jagiroad for the well-being of mankind and universal peace.
  • Following this the Gobha Roja, hoists the flag and this marks the official commencement of the Mela.
  • Ranging from local fruits, vegetables, meat , Indigenous drinks, clothes, handicrafts to spices, there is hardly anything that you can not find in this mela. The people bring the best of their home production and exchange it for other products. There is no monetary transaction involved in any purchase in this fair.
  • There are special outlets for bamboo products like Baskets(pasi), jakoi, khaloi,(local fishing tools),Bisoni(winnowing fans),ropes, japi (hats).
  • People also come here to sell local handlooms such as Arnai(the gamusa of the Bodo people), Dokhona, Mekhela Sador (traditional Assamese female outfit), etc.
  • Another major attraction of the mela is a community fishing event where the fishermen begin fishing upon the command of the Gobha King. This is a fun-filled activity and builds a sense of brotherhood amongst the tribes.
  • As the tradition dictates, the fishermen offer a portion of their catch to the King as a symbol of respect. Then everyone takes part in a great community feast.
  • Following this event, the Roja summons his courtiers for a tax collection event, as a part of the traditional royal custom.
  • At night, there are breathtaking cultural performances by all the tribes. People gather to cook, eat, and stay in bamboo huts, spending the night singing and busting out some dance moves in celebration.

JONBEEL: A SENSE OF FRATERNITY

The rich tapestry of Assam's tribes, each with its own unique traditions and dialects, has created a beautiful but complex landscape of diversity. However, this can also lead to conflicts between the different groups especially the hill tribes and the plain tribes. To foster unity and understanding among them and tie a nod of love between the hills and the plains, the Tiwa Royals took the initiative to organize the Jonbeel Mela.

The Hill tribes such as Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, etc bring their own unique products which are available only in the hills and not in the plains. This may include some rare varieties of ginger, wild taro, squash, plum, peach, ash gourd, chillies, turmeric, wild potatoes, honey, handwoven clothes, indigenous alcoholic drinks such as Judimba, Jonga, etc. Similarly, the plain tribes such as Ahoms, Karbi, Rabha, Deori, Bodo etc bring their local goods not found in the hills. For example: Dry fish, Raw fish, Pitha(rice cake), xandoh guri, Pitha guri(rice powder), sira(flattened rice), meat(duck, pork, chicken, mutton, tortoise, crabs), some local fish like Kusia, Kaoi, etc. This not only marks an exchange of goods but also an exchange of culture and love.

In the evening the tribes perform their folk dances and music to showcase their rich culture and also witness that of others. It's truly heartwarming to see that even if two tribes have a history of intra-community conflict when they come together to celebrate the Jonbeel Mela, it seems like they forget all their grudges and enjoy the festivities like two brothers.

IN THE CONTEMPORARY ASSAM

In a documentary, the current Gobha Roja said that the natural environment of Jonbeel mela has changed over the past 35 years due to anthropogenic interventions resulting in the reduction of the number of fish in the wetland. The size of the fair area is also declining and thus there is an issue of land crisis for the smooth conduction of the event. State Government interventions and public cooperation are much needed in this regard.

In today's world, where conflicts often arise between hill tribes and plain tribes, such as the Manipur crisis between the Kukis (hill tribe) and Meiteis (plain tribe) leading to bloodshed, events like the JONBEEL MELA serve as a poignant reminder of brotherhood and compassion. The JONBEEL MELA is a beautiful and precious gift passed down to us by our ancestors, and it's deeply touching to see this tradition continuing as the tribes live together in harmony.

References

https://youtu.be/oPgw_3kBiQM

https://youtu.be/SU54yLZyvg0